The Great Bend City Council Monday night approved a $500 sponsorship for Cinco De Mayo and approved a street closing for the event on May 5 at the request of organizer Jose Hernandez. Closed will be Main Street from 19th Street to Lakin Avenue from 11 a.m. to noon for the parade.

“The Cinco De Mayo festival is ready for another year of fun,” Community Coordinator Christina Hayes said. But, there are some challenges in the community that are providing problems for getting sponsorships for the event.

In 2016 the city sponsored at the $1,000 level, 2017 at the $750, and it was agreed that each year the sponsorship would go down, therefore 2018 would be at the $500 level. 

Hernandez is in charge of planning the 2018 event, Hayes said. “He would like to keep the Cinco De Mayo tradition alive.”

The proper channels have been followed as far as the special event permit, she said. All department heads have signed off for the event. 

The parade will start at 11 a.m. and go from Brit Spaugh Park to Lakin Avenue and end behind the bandshell.

Organizers are hoping to have police officers block streets at Broadway Avenue and 19th Streets with other side streets blocked by the Street Department. They will also need some reserved parking spaces behind the bandshell for the bands and vendors to unload. 

In addition, they would also need assistance from the Park Department with setup, layout and trash pickup as in years past.  

Hayes said the city’s sponsorship will help with the promotion of the event in regards to posters and disseminating information. Give permission for the parade route to close streets and provide $500 to Cinco De Mayo activities.

Hernandez said they have some great entertainment lined up for this years festival. And, this year it actually falls on May 5.

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over the French forces of Napoleon III on May 5, 1862, at the Battle of Puebla.