Music, lowriders for Cinco de Mayo in Elgin

Elgin will have its first downtown Cinco de Mayo event in recent years with musical performances, live graffiti art, food vendors and a lowrider car show.

The Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin teamed with resident David Lawrence - a performer known as "Picasso Cerrado" - and former resident Frank Betancourt, a lowrider aficionado, for the Cinco de Mayo Art Hop event 5 to 10 p.m. May 5 on DuPage Court and Spring Street, between Chicago and Prairie streets.

Cerrado said he first began to discuss the idea with former DNA events coordinator Heather Muniz, who since has moved out of state.

"We were trying to figure out how we can wake the city up with the Latin community," he said. "So we had a meeting, we picked each other's brains and I made a few phone calls. There was no funding, so we had to literally reach out to our friends and contacts who were willing to do that."

Cerrado helped get together the entertainment lineup and his buddy Betancourt, a former Elgin resident who lives in Buffalo Grove, is organizing the car show. Betancourt, president of the car club Psycho's Dreams, said he's hoping for about 40 lowriders.

Entertainment will include Marisa Mercadize, zumba dance with Stephani Uribe, JR Poktle, Gravedad Chicana, Ballet Folklorico Huehuecoyotl, Cerrado and Grupo Recuerdo. Joel Amore of Elgin will create graffiti on plastic canvas.

"There is not going to be a stage, just intimate street performances," Cerrado said. "When you elevate it, it gives it more of a show-esque feel, but a lot of times people that perform on the ground in front of you, it gives it more of an intimate feel. It should be good."

Kelly Cunningham, interim event coordinator for DNA, said the group decided it was a great idea to combine its "First Fridays Art Hop" - where different businesses downtown display local art on the first Friday of the month - with a Cinco de Mayo celebration.

"The DNA tries to foster and bring in either businesses or try to engage the community, so that people actually know what we have down here," she said.

Cerrado said he hopes this can be the spark for more Latino-themed events in Elgin.

"When I grew up in Elgin as a kid, there was always Mexican festivals, there was always Mexican parades. There was a lot of love for the Mexican community," he said. "My vision is of more events that embrace the Latinos in general. We have tons of Puerto Ricans here, people from El Salvador, people from Guatemala. There are so many different Hispanics."