FESTIVAL CROWDS ENJOY MUSIC, DANCE AND FOOD

KENNETT SQUARE » The Cinco de Mayo celebration may be Mexican, but in the borough on Sunday it was a huge event that attracted a multicultural crowd.

State Street held revelers from the Union Street to Center Street and provided musical entertainment at each end.

All along the way, vendors offered a large variety of goods and crafts. For visitors who came with an appetite, taco, fruit and beverage stands provided an amble opportunity to satisfy their hunger.

Long lines formed at the booths that were grilling meat on the fire and slicing it off piping hot. Also popular were corn on the cob and pineapple drinks.

Several nonprofit agencies invited guests to check out what they had to offer, while state Sen. Andy Dinniman and state Rep. Steven Barrar also had booths with information and memorabilia.

Barrar was giving out tote bags filled with trinkets. “This is a great time. We’ve already given away about a thousand,” he said.

Probably the most popular attraction was the entertainment booth at the south end where

Mexican dancers and mariachi musicians performed. Even children as young as elementary school thrilled the crowd with colorful garb and enthusiastic footwork.

One booth that appeared new this year was staffed by a family that created ceramic Mexican calendars. The young girl who was selling with her parents said they create them from scratch and apply designs significant to the future owners — very much like zodiac, but based in Aztec and Mayan history.

Southern Chester County is home to tens of thousands of residents with Mexican background, their families having arrived in the area through the generations attracted by the labor opportunities in the services and agriculture.

Cinco de Mayo in Kennett Square has grown through the years as people come from throughout the region to celebrate.

Cinco de Mayo (the fifth of May) is not the anniversary of Mexico’s independence, as it is sometimes referred to, Rather it commemorates an underdog victory over France in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. The victory was galvanizing for the Mexican forces — and for those supporting them from afar.

CHRIS BARBER — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Children perform the Mexican Hat Dance at Kennett Square’s Cinco De Mayo celebration.

CHRIS BARBER — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA A mariachi band attracts a large crowd.

CHRIS BARBER — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Meat cooked fresh on the fire was cut to make tacos, which were popular at the festival.

CHRIS BARBER — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA A family sells Mexican calendars with Aztec and Mayan designs.