Laredo's Washington's Birthday Celebration

Duane's take

Well, the marker tells it this way, and I'm just passin' it along. Back in 1897, the local lodge of the Great Council of Texas of the Improved Order of Red Men was sittin' around in Laredo, and somebody had an idea. George Washington's birthday needed a proper celebration.

Now, whether that idea seemed grand or modest at the time, nobody recorded. But they ran with it. On February 21, 1898, the Red Men put on a two-day festival.

A mock battle. A parade. A concert.

A reproduction of the Boston Tea Party. And fireworks. Not a bad opening act for something that was just getting started.

They held the next one two years later, in 1900, and that's when it became a tradition, an annual observance that would keep on growing long after anybody in that lodge room could have imagined. In 1900, something else began too. The mayors of Laredo and Nuevo Laredo met on the bridge between their two cities.

That meeting planted the seed of what would become the bridge ceremony, a gathering whose whole purpose is to unite the cultures of Mexico and the United States in festivity. It has grown more elaborate as the years have passed. Texas governors have stood on that bridge.

U.S. Senators and Representatives. Cabinet members.

In 1902, the City of Laredo and the Chamber of Commerce stepped in and got involved. Then in 1923, the Washington's Birthday Celebration Association of Laredo formed and took over the steering. Galas, parades, luncheons, that bridge ceremony, all of it woven into the annual calendar.

Other events were added through the years, each one reaching toward that same goal of a positive relationship between the United States and Mexico. Today, the celebration can run as long as three to four weeks, and it brings millions of dollars into Laredo every year. What started with one lodge, one idea, and a two-day party in 1898 is now a vital part of the city's tradition and its economy.

That is what happens when you decide George Washington deserves a real send-up down on the Rio Grande.

What the marker says

In 1897, Laredo's local lodge of the Great Council of Texas of the Improved Order of Red Men decided to organize a celebration of George Washington's birthday. On February 21, 1898, the Red Men held a two-day festival featuring a mock battle, parade, concert, reproduction of the Boston Tea Party and fireworks. The lodge held the next celebration two years later in 1900, beginning the annual observance of this tradition. In 1902, the City of Laredo and the Chamber of Commerce became involved. In 1923, the Washington's Birthday Celebration Association of Laredo formed and began overseeing the festival. Several events have become an annual part of the celebration, including galas, parades, luncheons and a bridge ceremony whose purpose is to unite the cultures of Mexico and the United States in festivity. Started in 1900 with the meeting of the mayors of Laredo and Nuevo Laredo, the bridge ceremony has grown more elaborate as time has passed. It has often included important political officials, such as Texas governors, U.S. Senators and Representatives, and Cabinet members. Other events added through the years have also sought to promote a positive relationship between the United States and Mexico. Today, the celebration continues to grow in scope and influence, lasting as long as three to four weeks each year and bringing millions of dollars into the city. It remains a vital part of Laredo's tradition and economy. (2006)