For the first time in the municipality's history, a Mexican flag will fly in a public space in Leamington.
Despite its close ties with Mexico through the hundreds of migrant workers that come to work in Leamington's greenhouses and out in the fields, the town has never raised the flag.
That will change Saturday when it is hoisted above the Leamington Municipal Marina.
The flag-raising is part of Noche Mexicana celebrations. This year marks the 209th anniversary of the "Beginning of the Independence."
On September 16, 1810, a Catholic priest named Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla started the Mexican War of Independence demanding the end of Spanish rule in Mexico. Hidalgo was defeated, but other peasant leaders took up his cause, and 11 years later, Mexico became an independent state.
Canadians often mistake Cinco de Mayo for Mexico's Independence Day, but the holiday on May 5 celebrates the defeat of French forces in 1862 who had hoped to establish a colony. The French left Mexico five years later.
The event in Leamington will also mark the 75th anniversary of bilateral relations between Canada and Mexico. The Consulate of Mexico organized this year's Noche Mexicana as a patriotic commemoration to be shared with the communities of Windsor-Essex, Chatham-Kent, and Lambton County.
This is the second annual Fiesta held in Leamington.
The Fiesta is at the Seacliffe Park Amphitheatre on September 14.
