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A Snapshot of our Weekend at the 10th Annual Mole de Mayo festival

This Memorial Day weekend, Halsted branch Byliners joined more than 100,000 mole fans as a proud sponsor of the 10th annual Mole de Mayo Festival in Pilsen. Just like Byline, the festival was created to serve a neighborhood’s needs, and has since grown and grown…and grown, without ever losing sight of its origins.

Begun as a simple block party to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, with two vendors selling comida casera (homemade food), the festival now attracts more than 20 local chefs and restaurants. All are competing for the coveted Mole de Mayo’s Best Mole Award and the People’s Choice Award: both clay pots painted and crafted by Victor Montañez, a local Pilsen artist.

The festival, which was organized by and benefits the Economic Strategies Development Corporation, featured two stages of great live entertainment, including international acts like Mexico’s Chéjere, Sonora Dinamita from Colombia, a plethora of local and regional artists, DJ Rebel Betty and dancers—including the chance to see traditional Aztec dancers and Simantikos Dance Chicago. For the less musically inclined, the perennially popular matches in the Lucha Libre wrestling ring drew oohs and ahhs (and “ows!” from the crowd all weekend long).

Byline has been an integral part of Chicagoland for over 100 years, and we take our responsibility to our community very seriously. It’s an honor to be a trusted bank where we live and work, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to give back to the people around us who keep their neighborhoods strong and vibrant. We’re just where we want to be.

To find out about next year’s Mole de Mayo, visit moledemayo.org. To find out how Byline could support your event contact us.