The south Seattle community of South Park is celebrating the beginning of construction on its new bridge over the Duwamish with a Cinco de Mayo celebration. Instead of a groundbreaking, they'll break what's believed to be the largest piñata ever made in the Northwest...a 20 foot long miniature replica of the new bridge. You can see photos of the piñata under construction at the South Park facebook page.
The old South Park bridge was closed on June 30, 2010. It was built in 1929-31, before earthquake designs were part of the building code. The old bridge was weakened by three major earthquakes over the years, and also suffered from unreliable mechanical and electrical systems.
Plenty of dignitaries will be on hand for the May 5th ground ... er ... piñata breaking. King County Executive Dow Constantine will host Governor Chris Gregoire, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, Seattle City Council President Richard Conlin, Port of Seattle Commissioner Gael Tarleton, and others at the event.
The piñata breaking is set for 1:30pm. After that, County, City and Port officials will mingle with the South Park community at a City Business Casual networking event hosted by the City of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development at three local restaurants along 14th Ave South: Muy Macho, Jaliscos and Napoli Pizzeria Ristorante.
In the afternoon and early evening, South Park Arts and the Environmental Coalition of South Seattle will also host the first South Park Cinco de Mayo Community Festival, with crafts for children, a piñata, music, art and a fire performance.
South Park will be celebrating Cinco de Mayo and the new bridge well into the night. You can find a complete listing of the day's events at allaboutsouthpark.com.
