MEXICANOS EN ST. LOUIS

 

That's simply how this group bills itself, or at least how they were listed on the program. Like most places in the U.S., they have plenty of countrymen here. I like the complex rhythms.

There is a lot going on here over our Labor Day long weekend. (There is some irony that we have one.) Daytime high temps are still hovering around 38 C / 100 F, maybe a bit lower by Monday. I'm not going to attempt the colorful Japanese Festival at the Botanical Garden since it is crushingly crowded. There are pro bicycle races, always great to shoot, but will they go forward in the heat? And we have Paint Louis, according to Guinness the longest graffiti wall in the world. Should get some of that.                      

ABIERTO HASTA TARDE

Sticking with Chicago for a bit until something better comes along locally. This River North bar and restaurant has a command of Spanish that only goes so far, despite the area’s large Hispanic population.                  

BAND OF GUNNERS

 

Gunners? I think that's how the name of the band, Banda Artillerros, translates into English (corrections invited) but it was more like heavy artillery. This was just a small part of the Mexican orchestra playing in the plaza at the Hispanic Festival. There were these three trumpets, the tuba behind them (with a microphone taped in the bell), two trombones, two clarinets, accordion, drum kit, congas and two singers. My sound app said it reached 110 db in front of the stage, enough to start causing some serious damage. The musicians were not wearing ear plugs. The crowd loved it.            

COMESTIBLES MEXICANOS

Still on Cherokee Street. I wondered why the sign on the awning is in English and on the window in Spanish.              

NO ES NECESARIO HABLAR ESPAÑOL

Lots of pictures of the parade left but I decided to look down the street for something different. Cinco de Mayo is a minor observance in Mexico (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinco_de_Mayo). Here it is an excuse to consume large amounts of Corona beer and Jose Quervo tequila. As I have noted, St. Louis loves an opportunity to drink in public and this is a big one.

So the party spilled down Cherokee Street all afternoon and evening. Have a burrito with your booze. You could roughly translate chapparito as shorty, perhaps a reference to the owner.    

Canción Mexicana

A Mexican festival needs Mexican music. I'm a bit amazed by people who play this kind of accordion. A piano keyboard gives a performer reference points to the notes. This instrument just has dots strewn across it. Must take a long time to learn.      

La Esquina del Sabor

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Had to go dumpster diving in the archives for today. This was from a warmer time of the year. My Spanish isn't that great but I think this translates as "taste corner." The small restaurant is on Cherokee street in our Little Mexico. After lunch, if the folks back home are a little short, you can visit the shop down the street. Remember, your eleventh transmission is free.

Cinco de Mayo

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St. Louis doesn't have a big Hispanic population like many U.S. cities but what we have is full of enthusiasm. There is a growing, energetic Cinco de Mayo festival in early May on Cherokee Street. Cinco de Mayo is a curious celebration. It's mostly observed in the State of Puebla, celebrating the victory of the Mexican forces against a far larger French army in 1862. It's not a national holiday in Mexico and is far less important than Independence Day on September 15. The U.S., however, has seized on it as an excuse to swill gallons of Corona and Tecate, gobble burritos and listen to brassy mariachis.

I shot 1,037 pictures yesterday. (I promise I won't post them all here.) Most of them were the usual repetitive, poorly composed junk but there were some pearls. Here, a father and son wear the headgear of luchadores, the masked wrestlers of lucha libre, the wildly popular Mexican form of professional wrestling.

There is a growing set of photos from the festival on Flickr here. More to come over the next few days.