Yesterday I had the honor of attending Cinco de Mayo festivities here in New York City, in my home borough and ‘hood of Corona, Queens. The celebration, which included music and food, filled Flushing Meadows Park with the Tricolores of Mexico. Some of the famous faces that could be seen included Eugenio Derbez and Carmen Salinas, who were the padrinos of the event and made their peace with each other after Eugenio criticized Carmen for presenting her theatrical work Aventurera here in the bog apple . Mami to be Jennifer Pena sang. One artist who wasn’t present and who earned the ire of the community was Alejandra Guzman. She was slated to appear at the festival but canceled at the last minute via email citing personal problems. Those problems could be related to Alejandra recently telling the press that her mother was battered by her father.

While Alejandra was absent, the New York City Police Department wasn’t. Their presence was on a level that I personally have never seen at any event here in NYC. Surveillance towers surrounded the fairgrounds as did officers on horseback. I worried that the NYPD was ready to get all LAPD on us but thankfully the event ended without incident.

Image Via / stkate.edu