For Hispanic Heritage Month, Cicero Mexican Independence Day Festival starts Thursday

CHICAGO (CBS) -- It's the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, and the area's Mexican American community will be celebrating in Cicero on Thursday.

Cicero's Mexican Independence Day Festival starts at 5:00 p.m. The event began 16 years ago, with food, music and fun.

 One of the founders is Cook County commissioner Frank Aguilar, who said it's an important cultural event.

"Cicero being a very diverse community, majority Mexican American, it was important to have a festival to really highlight the culture and the arts of the Mexican community," Aguilar said. "We started small, back in 2006, and it grew. Now it averages 70,000 people show up between Thursday and Sunday. (It's) a popular family event."

What is it about the event that reflects the pride that Mexican Americans have in their heritage?

"The music, the art, the tapestry, the costumes that they have. The pride of the Mexican culture and the pride of being Mexican American," he said.

The Cicero Mexican Independence Day Festival continues through Sunday at the Cicero Fairgrounds, located at 34th and Laramie. 

In:
• Hispanic Heritage Month