09/16/2026
KELSEYVILLE— In America, independence is crucial to the country’s culture. This year alone marked the semi-quincentennial since the original 13 colonies declared independence from Great Britain. Over 250 years, various celebrations across the country have been done to commemorate the occasion. However, it isn’t just America that had their own struggle for freedom from colonial rule. Recently, in Kelseyville, a celebration was held to mark a crucial moment of Mexican history.
On Sunday, the Día de la Independencia was held on Main Street. The annual holiday had a stage set up for Mexican music to play, the street lined with various craft and food vendors, and opportunities for Lake County residents to enjoy the day. As part of the festivities, there were activities like facepainting and two bounce castles for kids; there was also a wandering mariachi band, and men riding on horseback.
Local businesses and noteworthy booths were present at the event and ranged from Kelseyville’s Saw Shop Public House to Redwood Credit Union and the Lake County Office of Education. Ultimately, the event served for the Latino and general community to meet, eat, and listen to music.
Día de la Independencia (Spanish for “Independence Day”) is a Mexican holiday, celebrated on September 16 to mark the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence. The war itself started in 1810 when Catholic priest Don Miguel Hidalgo gave the Grito de Dolores (“Cry of Delores”), aka El Grito de Independencia (“The Independence Cry”). Hidalgo’s cry was a call to arms against the Spanish Empire’s colonial rule over Mexico. Since 1825, Independence Day has been a national holiday celebrating Mexico’s independence.
Zelenskiy leads Kyiv's Independence Day celebrations
Something that connected different vendors was what the event gave them. For Betti Gomez, a Kelseyville native of 33 years and two-time vendor, she appreciated Independence Day’s importance culturally. While she enjoyed getting to see Mexican heritage performed, like music and dances, Gomez also enjoyed seeing people. Specifically, getting to see “a lot of the people that I don’t get to see because of my work.” She went on to remark that meeting new people was an opportunity to connect.
Other vendors highlighted the chance to connect. Getse Harbeck was the supervisor of a booth set up by Redwood Credit Union. Harbeck explained how this was the bank’s second year at the event, and how it was an opportunity to connect with the community. Aside from convincing people to switch banks, it would give young employees some social experience. One of the employees, Brooke Richner, further explained that she and two of her coworkers volunteered. Both Harbeck and Brooke praised the event; the former appreciated the chance for the Latino community to “hang out together, get a little more back to our roots” and to “enjoy good company.” Brooke, meanwhile, found that every visiting attendee were “really nice people” who visited their booth.
Another booth also spoke of the importance of connection. The Lake County Board of Education, staffed by Ana Santana and Carmen Aceves, was present at the event. Santana spoke of the importance of community engagement and to “really meet people where they’re at.” She went on to cite that they were present as a reminder for the community. How the County Office of Education was there to serve students, school districts, and families. Something else that Santana enjoyed was getting to see families together, culture celebrated, and heritage displayed.
Bonnie Riley, a long-time vendor of Independence Day, spoke of how she’d attended different events in Kelseyville as a vendor. Aside from calling the attendees “happy people”, Riley enjoyed how clean the festival was. Specifically, she noted how “more than the Bacon Festival and more than the Pear Festival, when the day is done, it’s very clean. There’s no trash laying on the ground. It is the tidiest festival.” A highpoint for her was seeing a mariachi band marching and performing music while horses marched in time to the music. Riley was happy to see the celebration’s return, after a hiatus due to the fear of immigration raids organized by the Trump administration, and hoped that the organizers would build up for an even better event next year.
In America, independence is crucial to the country’s culture. This year alone marked the semi-quincentennial since the original 13 colonies declared independence from Great Britain. Over 250 years, various celebrations across the country h…
