PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Aroostook County is about as far away from Mexico as one can be in the continental United States. But that didn’t stop many in Presque Isle from celebrating Cinco de Mayo on Tuesday.
Even without the ability to use their dining rooms because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many local restaurants celebrated the holiday — which commemorates the Mexican Army’s victory over the French in 1862.
The biggest celebration in The County may have been in Presque Isle which has the County’s only two Mexican restaurants — Mainly Mexican on State Road and Taco Bell/KFC on Main Street.
On Tuesday night, cars lined the Taco Bell/KFC drive-through into the street as dozens scrambled to get items from the popular Tex Mex chain.
For a Cinco de Mayo special, Mainely Mexican offered a variety of take-home taco kits ranging from $15 to $55, allowing customers the opportunity to construct beef, chicken, pork or brisket tacos. All packages came with lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream and flour shells.
The kits proved so popular that the restaurant was required to halt orders on them before it even opened at 4 p.m.
A taco kit from a Cinco de Mayo special at Mainely Mexican in Presque Isle sits next to a piñata at the restaurant on May 5. (David Marino Jr. | Star-Herald)
Cinco de Mayo had been the restaurant’s busiest day annually since it opened in 2018, said owner Jay Edgecomb. For many in The County, eating out at Mexican restaurants is a way to celebrate a holiday that is gaining wider popularity across the country.
Edgecomb — who recently went through a three-week period in which the restaurant was closed to takeout orders — said he was hoping to get the dining room and bar open on June 1 as part of Gov. Janet Mills phased restarting of Maine’s economy.
With the removal of some bar stools and a few booths, he said the restaurant should be all set to operate under the new regulations.
Until then, he was happy to give a population weary from the COVID-19 pandemic an opportunity to chill out and chow down for the holiday.
“I envision them taking them out, having a margarita at home … and celebrating Cinco de Mayo,” Edgecomb said. “They can just relax and celebrate in a somewhat normal way in this very abnormal time.”
