Don’t forget the piñata

I grew up in the American Southwest, so you’d think I’d have memorized the story of Cinco de Mayo by now. But like many, I’ve fallen victim to the blight of the Internet, i.e., a complete lack of short-term memory, facilitated by repeated exposure to high doses of Google and Wikipedia (and symptomatically treated with the hair of the same dog). I know there are others like me out there, so if you want to know more about the origins of the holiday, go here and try not to get lost in a four-hour Wiki-spiral.

The main thing is, Cinco de Mayo’s not all that big a deal in Mexico, except in the state of Puebla, where the actual Cinco de Mayo battle took place back in 1862. But over the years, the holiday has evolved into the United States’ primo celebration of Mexican heritage and pride, and more and more people are getting in on the action.

You read yesterday about the Bandolero’s upcoming Cinco de Mayo shindig. If a tequila ice luge isn’t really your thing, here are a few other celebrations going on in the neighborhood:

• Babalu: Cinco De Mayo with Orchestra Cambalache LIVE!. Free admission, specials all night long! 9PM
• Trophy Cupcakes: Try their Margarita or Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes
• Selena’s Guadalajara: $2 Negra Modelo and Modelo Especial drafts and some tasty authentic Mexican food.

Just north of our barrio, there’s an entire block party going on, though I must admit I find this only half as appealing as the Cinco de Mayo air guitar competition that apparently takes place in the Cayman Islands each year. (How that evolved from a celebration of Mexican culture, we may never know.)

My Green Lake has the dish on the block party, as well as a word of warning to partygoers and those planning to travel through the area: the festivities will close Second Avenue NE between Woodlawn Avenue NE and Green Lake Way North from 7 a.m. to midnight tomorrow. Northbound Route 26 will be rerouted off 2nd Ave NE, instead traveling on Woodlawn Ave NE, 4th Ave NE, and E Green Lake Way N.

If none of the options above strike your fancy, maybe you can try your hand at this. Just let the rest of the neighborhood know when and where to show up with a fork. BYOCorona, I assume?