GRANITE CITY – The Mexican Honorary Commission invites everyone to join them for their September Fiesta, complete with Mexican folk dancing, traditional Hispanic food and their famous fishbowl margaritas.
“This event is to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and Mexico’s Independence Day, which falls on the 16th of September,” said Alex Villasenor, the Commission’s Vice President and chair of the Fiesta. “This is something we do every year to celebrate that and to show the culture to everybody.”
The Fiesta starts at 2 p.m. on Sept. 9 at 1801 Spruce Street. A cornhole tournament will kick off the event. The Mexican folklore dance group Alma de Mexico will perform at 3 p.m., and then the band Grupo Premiere will take the stage at 5 p.m. to play Mexican music.
Villasenor said the Fiesta is “100% family friendly” with bounce houses and other activities planned for kids. Local craft and food vendors will be available, along with a beer tent and a car and truck meetup. The Mexican Honorary Commission will also be selling their tacos and tamales.
“It’s just a day-long celebration,” said Chelsea Scaturro, Mexican Honorary Commission Secretary. “Of course, everything that we do to help fund our organization [is] so that we can help fund other things in the community.”
The Mexican Honorary Commission is a nonprofit that sponsors many teams and events in Granite City. They have a taco sale on the third Saturday of every month, and these funds go toward helping community members. The Commission regularly rents out space in their building and also serves as a bar on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, complete with a Queen of Hearts drawing on Thursdays.
Villasenor explained that many people approach the organization directly when they need help. The Commission often makes tacos for other people or organizations to sell, so the seller takes home the profit after repaying the Commission for production costs. While the September Fiesta and other events are community favorites, he noted that this is what the Mexican Honorary Commission is really about.
“We help anybody out. We don’t ever turn anybody away,” he said. “You know, that’s what we’re there for. We’re there to help people and have their backs.”
Villasenor and Scaturro added that everyone is welcome to apply for membership in the Mexican Honorary Commission. The nonprofit was founded in 1926; as it nears its 100th anniversary, members hope more people will join them to keep the organization going.
“It’d be great to get some younger people involved too, so we can continue to carry on the traditions that we have and the legacy that we’ve created,” Villasenor said.
For more information about the Mexican Honorary Commission, you can visit their Facebook page. More details about the September Fiesta can be found at the official event page on Facebook.
“We have such an awesome community, just Granite City in general, so we just love putting on events,” Scaturro added. “Everyone’s welcome to come on out and just celebrate and have a good time with us.”
