Citizenship Ceremony to Precede Fiestas

More than 4,000 Latinos will celebrate Mexico’s independence from Spain Saturday by becoming U.S. citizens at East Los Angeles College, kicking off a weekend of events in and around the San Gabriel Valley to mark Mexican independence and National Hispanic Heritage Week, Sept. 11-16.

The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service has arranged for 4,100 people to be sworn in at 9 a.m. at the college’s Weingart Stadium, 1301 Brooklyn Avenue, Monterey Park. The ceremony is the largest ever for a single ethnic group, according to Ernest Osuna, chairman of HispanaFest, a Los Angeles-based organization that is co-sponsoring the event.

By scheduling the naturalization ceremony to coincide with Mexican Independence Day, Osuna said, “we will be able to also rekindle the pride in the Hispanic people, especially in the young. It’s very important to remember it is the Hispanic culture that blew breath into what is today the great state of California.”

Osuna said the federal court granted organizers an exemption from a requirement that naturalization ceremonies be held inside. The policy resulted when things “got a little out of hand” during a mass swearing-in at the Los Angeles Coliseum, Osuna said. East L.A. College’s indoor auditorium seats 2,000 people, far less than the 5,000 citizens-to-be that Osuna had hoped for Saturday’s event.

The naturalization ceremony is free and open to the public.

Other San Gabriel Valley events commemorating Independence Day include:

El Monte: Fiesta, Thursday and Friday, 7 to 9:30 p.m.; Saturday 5 to 9:30 p.m.; Sun. all day. Our Lady of Guadalupe parking lot, 11359 Coffield Avenue. Food and games all four days, mariachi bands and music by the church youth group on Sunday. A fiesta queen will be crowned Sunday. Free.

Irwindale: Annual fiesta, Saturday, 1 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., City Hall. Festivities include food booths, Mexican dance performances, mariachi bands, games, and children’s rides. Free.

Walnut: Mariachi-band music and Ballet Folklorico Dancers, Friday, Mt. San Antonio College, 1100 North Grand Ave. Information: (714) 594-5611. Free.

Events planned by neighboring communities to celebrate Mexican independence include:

Pico Rivera: Fiesta, Friday, 6 to 11 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 11 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. St. Hilary’s Church, 5465 Citronell Ave. Proceeds from food, games and drinks will help pay for damages to the church roof caused by the October, 1987, earthquake. Admission is free.

Whittier: Special activities will mark Hispanic Heritage Week today through Saturday at Whittier College, 13406 E. Philadelphia St. Film presentations, speakers, art exhibits, and cultural events are included. Information: (213) 693-0771 Ext. 283. A banquet to recognize faculty and students of Rio Hondo Community College, and the college’s Mexican-American Alumni Assn. will be held Thursday 6 to 9 p.m., Whittier Hilton, 3600 Workman Mill Road, (213) 695-7070. $25 per person.

East Los Angeles: Mexican Independence Day Parade will start Saturday at 1 p.m. and will feature 25 floats and high school marching bands. The parade will begin at the corner of 1st Street and Gage Avenue, and continue north on Gage to Brooklyn Avenue, turn south on Mednick Avenue, and turn back onto 1st Street. The parade is sponsored by Comite Mexicano Civico Patriotico Inc. For more information call (213) 265-4448.

The county’s annual Mexican Independence Day Festival, Las Festivas Patrias, will be held Saturday and Sunday from noon to 8 p.m. at Belvedere County Park’s Alberto Diaz Plaza, on Mednik Avenue near Brooklyn Avenue in East Los Angeles. The celebration includes music by Menudo and local bands, children’s shows, food, crafts, and a fireworks display Sunday night. For more information, call the county Department of Parks and Recreation: (213) 268-9302.