CARSON, Calif. - On the heels of Chivas USA's successful participation in last Sunday's East Los Angeles Mexican Independence parade, the Mexican-owned, Los Angeles-based Major League Soccer club will celebrate the respective 100th anniversaries of Chivas and the City of Huntington Park, California, this Saturday, September 16, Mexican Independence Day, during this weekend's 'El Grito' festivities in Huntington Park.
Organized annually by META 2000, a group of Mexican business owners, 'El Grito' in Huntington Park is the United States' largest reenactment of the traditional 'Grito de Dolores' in celebration of Mexican Independence Day. This year's festivities will feature live performances by musical artists Jenni Rivera, Nidia Rojas, Chelo, King Clave and Sector Libertad. Past musical guests have included Paquita La Del Barrio, Juan Gabriel and Vicente Fernández.
This year, the three-day festivities will also feature a joint celebration by the City of Huntington Park, which is commemorating its 100th anniversary, and Chivas USA, currently celebrating the centenary of sister team Club Deportivo Guadalajara, Mexico's most popular soccer club. On Saturday staring at 2:00 p.m. PT, the ChivaFighter mascot will meet with fans and the ChivaGirls will perform, while rock band 'Sector Libertad' - comprised of members of Chivas USA's Legión 1908 fan club - will perform its hit single 'Chivas USA' on the event's main stage. Over 150,000 are expected to attend.
Last Sunday, more than half a million spectators lined the streets of East Los Angeles, the traditional heart of Southern California's Mexican-American community, to cheer on Chivas USA players as they processed along César Chávez Avenue in an open-top, double-decker bus provided by Aeroméxico, Chivas USA's official air travel partner, as part of the 26th Annual East Los Angeles Mexican Independence Parade, the largest Mexican Independence celebration in the United States. For photos and more information, visit www.cdchivasusa.com.
Officially celebrated on September 16, Mexican Independence Day commemorates the historic independence plea by revolutionary leader Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. In 1810, Hidalgo, a Catholic priest in the town of Dolores, Guanajuato, concluded an impassioned sermon with a cry of '¡Viva Mexico!' (Long live Mexico!). The now-famous 'Grito de Dolores' (Cry of Dolores) is reenacted every year on September 16 in cities and towns throughout Mexico and the United States, in celebration of this important date, Mexico's equivalent of the Fourth of July.
Chivas USA, Major League Soccer's Mexican-owned, Los Angeles-based franchise, is currently racing towards the playoffs with just five games remaining in the 2006 MLS season. This Sunday, September 17, Chivas USA visits the Houston Dynamo in a crucial Western Conference matchup (Kickoff: 5:30 p.m. PT / 7:30 p.m. CT; TV: FSN PRIME TICKET, Fox Soccer Channel, Fox Sports en Español; Radio: KTNQ 1020 AM Univision Radio; Web: MLSLIVE.tv). And on Saturday, September 23, Chivas USA returns home to face Western Conference rival the Colorado Rapids at 7:00 p.m. PT at The Home Depot Center in Carson. For tickets or more information, call 1-877-CHIVAS-1 or visit www.cdchivasusa.com.
WHAT: Chivas USA participates in this weekend's 'El Grito' festivities in Huntington Park
WHEN: Saturday, September 16, 2006
2:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. PT
WHERE: Salt Lake Park
3401 E. Florence Ave.
Huntington Park, CA 90255
