Fiesta Mexicana this Sunday

MATTAWA - Our Lady of the Desert Catholic Church will have its annual Fiesta de Independencia this Sunday, Sept. 18.

The celebration will start with a parade at 10 a.m. It start at the church, go up Selkirk to Boundary, turn north to Government, west toward Portage and south on Portage back to the church.

The fiesta portion of the celebration, at the church, will begin at noon with a Mass. The rest of the afternoon will see food booths, folkloric dancing and musical entertainment. It will include the coronation of the Independence Day queen.

Fiesta de Independencia is one of the largest fund-raisers of the church. It commemorates Mexico's declaration of Independence from Spain in 1810.

Inspired by the success of the United States against England in the late 1700s, Mexicans of all ethnicities fought an 11-year war after the declaration and won.

In a grand gesture of good will, Lep-Re-Kon Harvest Foods of Mattawa will donate a portion of its sales on Sept. 17 to the church.

"We would like to encourage people to shop there on that date," said church spokesperson Karla Sánchez,

For information, you may call 932-5424.

- Staff report