Even an alien from outer space showed up for Mineola’s Fiesta de Mayo, and if local legend holds, he comes every year.
The Mineola Area Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Fiesta de Mayo festival in downtown Mineola on Saturday, May 9, drawing families, food lovers and festival attendees from across the region for a daylong celebration of culture, community and cuisine. The event ran from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with activities spread across downtown venues including the downtown gazebo, Line Street and North Johnson Street.
Early risers arrived by 8 a.m. to register for the car show along North Johnson Street, while cornhole competitors lined up on Line Street at 9 a.m. before the tournament tipped off at 10 a.m. From there, the fun only escalated — piñatas swung at the downtown gazebo at 10:30 a.m., noon and again at 3:30 p.m., giving kids multiple chances to take their best shot. One young participant swung with such gusto that the stick — not the piñata — gave out first.
The folkloric dancers twice stole the show, performing at 11:30 a.m. and again at 1:45 p.m. at the downtown gazebo, their brightly colored dresses spinning as they sang and danced traditional Mexican numbers to the delight of onlookers.
Competitive spirits ran high throughout the afternoon. Three food trucks, Lakeview Tacos, Taquito Time and Tacos Tia Licha, squared off in the taco contest at 11 a.m., with judges Jennifer Henson, Dwain Henry, Cody Mize and Keith Sparkman tasked with declaring a winner. Taquito Time took home the trophy again this year, defending its title in front of a hungry crowd. Salsa contest judging followed at 12:30 p.m. at the Mineola Chamber of Commerce, with winners announced at 1:30 p.m. A pepper eating contest put participants’ heat tolerance to the test at 2:30 p.m. Car show winners were announced at 12:30 p.m. on North Johnson Street.
Danielle Vance of the Mineola Chamber of Commerce said the turnout exceeded expectations despite competition from other regional events.
“I think the event went well,” Vance said. “There were other events going on in East Texas, but Mineola still showed up. At one point, we had 30 to 40 kids lined up for the second piñata bust.”