Monthly Archives: September 2017

Fiesta Fridays! 2016

NOTE: Fiesta Fridays is a special series to highlight the many memories I have of Fiesta through the photographs I’ve taken since 2003.

For Fiesta 2016 there was a renewed focus on our Cultural Village and what makes it the “Corazon” of our event each year. We depend on the kindness of the Hispanic community when it comes to pulling this village together. It is because these community members want to share a bit about their countries of origin that the village is always such a wonderful place.

This year we decided to have a competition to encourage participants to take it up a notch or two. Word got out quickly when this was announced on social media and we had quite a turnout. Not to mention, the booths were incredible! Our cultural village chair and board member, Lui Fernandez, always has something special in mind as he creates the village atmosphere. This year, he really wanted to encourage the community to sign up early for our 15th anniversary celebration and he decorated a booth with photos from all the previous Fiestas. It was such a great way, in my opinion, to personalize the village even more!

The winner of the competition was chosen by three anonymous judges who went through the village throughout the day to observe and make notes. At the end of the day, Mexico won the competition and a $500 prize! Interestingly, the Mexico booth also has photos displayed all over the tent of past Fiestas! Great minds…as they say!

DJ Ivan Correa and a happy dance lesson recipient!

Fiesta 2016 was also warmer than the year before! If you read my post from last week you’ll remember that it was a cold and drizzly day. This year made up for it with blue skies and warm weather. It was beautiful… And because of this, I think that’s why I remember people dancing so much! We decided to use the gazebo in Linn Park as a Dance Station this yea and got DJ Ivan Correa to host music there. He is always so wonderful and engaging with people. He gave dance lessons and would also draw pictures of people who took a quick lesson from him. Each time I went by there was always a steady stream of people.

Last but certainly not least, we had the McDonalds Fiesta Tour return for a third year thanks to our Title Sponsor, McDonalds! This year, the tour went through a bit of a makeover with updated colors, design and also some new items on display.

Here are a few more photos from that day – some for how colorful they are and others because they are of family and friends who make Fiesta so much fun because they are there…

I hope you’ve enjoyed my Fiesta Fridays series as much as I’ve enjoyed going through my photos and telling them. If you are in Birmingham on Saturday, September 30, 2017, I hope to see you at Fiesta for our 15th anniversary…and if you are, SMILE! I’ll have my camera and you may just end up in my Fiesta photo collection!

A young man at the main stage

Los Canarios de Michoacana perform and the guy with the harp was amazing!

You can’t beat the colors of Hispanic foods!

Sombreros

Traditional Mexican costumes

Mexican Comedian Huicho Dominguez performs for the crowd.

My mother came by herself this year because she doesn’t like to miss a Fiesta! Posing here with my husband, Eddie

Friends at the VIP – Freddy Rubio, Matt Ennis, Chris Miller, my husband Eddie and Nick and Judy Harmann

Walter Body from Coca Cola with Fiesta board members, Vanessa Vargas and Orlando Rosa – getting ready for the festival!

Two of my favorite photographers – Larry Gay and Clark Scott – they capture the best photos of events in Birmingham!

Fiesta Fridays! 2015

Leave a reply

Rain ponchos were seen all around Fiesta 2015 for several hours but thankfully no heavy downpours!

NOTE: Fiesta Fridays is a special series to highlight the many memories I have of Fiesta through the photographs I’ve taken since 2003.

Fiesta 2015 was a cold and rainy one…and if I were superstitious, I would have said all this happened because it was our 13th year! However, even with the cold and steady drizzle, Fiesta was a success because of the people who threw on rain ponchos and came out to enjoy the day with family and friends. I have many great memories of Fiesta 2015 in the rainy weather which I shared in my blog post that year called “Fiesta 2015 Rain or Shine!”

Mosaico Flamenco performs at Fiesta 2015 on the Main Stage.

This year we had a group called Mosaico Flamenco perform on the main stage. I always enjoy watching and photographing dance groups and this group was incredible! I love the swirling of the costumes and the angles of the bodies captured in mid-movement. This dance group was really beautiful and I ended up staying to watch their entire performance. Usually, I will photograph for a few moments and then move on to capture something else going on at Fiesta. There is always so much to catch and experience! This time though, I caught a rather intimate moment the group had right before taking stage too…they huddled together by the stage and said a prayer. Like I said…it was such a sweet and intimate moment. I watched for a few second and wasn’t sure if i would photograph or not but I wanted to remember it so took just two photos. The group also had their own live music to dance to and that added quite a nice element to the performance.

A prayer before performing…

Mosaico Flamenco

Dancers on stage

Dancers in action – love the twirling motion!

Fiesta also tried something new with food that year by creating a separate ticketed area we called “Cocina Latina.” A limited number of Latino food vendors participated and provided samples of their best dishes. Attendees loved this and probably got to sample dishes they wouldn’t have ordinarily tried! There was also the opportunity to sample Hornitos tequila too which was definitely a hit!

Some of the food samples at Cocina Latina at Fiesta 2015!

Hornitos Tequila was also available for sampling at Cocina Latina for those 21 years and older.

Salud!

Our artists were also crowd pleasing that year which was proven when people braved the cold and wet weather and hung with us until the soggy end! In fairness, the drizzle had stopped by the last two acts but i just remember my feet being so cold from walking through the wet grass all day – AND…I didn’t have on the best shoes that day. Oh well…live and learn…

Toby Love sings to the crowd at Fiesta 2015!

Toby Love

Toby Love ventures out to the excited crowd during his perforance.

I love a good crowd shot!

We had a return visit from Toby Love, sporting a light…almost white colored suit, which made his presence even more stark when the fog machine started rolling out the fog! It made for some great photos during his performance including one I took from the back of the stage of Toby Love center stage and singing directly to the crowd. It’s one of my favs!!!

Members of the Fiesta board pose with Headliner – Bobby Pulido – before he takes the stage! (L-R Chris Miller, me, Vanessa Vargas Bobby Pulido, Matt Ennis, Cristina Almanza and Carlos Aleman.

Another favorite photo is one taken of several members of the Fiesta board with the last headliner – Bobby Pulido. He is such a personable guy and was great with the crowd. I got quite a few photos of him performing with his band but one that we’ve used for many Fiesta promotions and advertisements is of him playing his guitar right in front of the audience. I love crowd shots and this one was perfect from my vantage point…the lighting from the stage hit the people in the front just right and so I began snapping away.

Bobby Pulido sings to a massive crowd at Fiesta 2015!

Bobby Pulido

Come back next Friday for my last post in this Fiesta Friday series and read more about Fiesta 2016!

Oh…one last photo that I love from Fiesta 2015…me with board members, Vanessa Vargas and Cristina Almanza! #selfie!

Selfie with board members Vanessa and Cristina as we began the day! My hair was still dry at this point!

Happy 3rd Anniversary to Southern Señora Blog!

Leave a reply

Cheers to 3 years!!!

Today is the day, 3 years ago that I decided I wanted to start a blog. Well, that’s not exactly right…I started the process many months earlier…the research, questions about the mechanics of a blog, and many more. Today is the day 3 years ago that I “launched” my blog! I chose September 15th as my launch date because I wanted it to be significant and this is the start of Hispanic Heritage Month! After all, my blog is a Hispanic lifestyle blog!!!

A few weeks ago I started looking back on my posts since last September. I’ve written 47 in 12 months and took a little break from December through March this year. I made many notes during the off months about what I wanted to focus on and the one subject that kept popping up was Fiesta. I’ve written a lot about this festival that I’ve been a part of for the past 15 years. We are celebrating our Quince this year so I’ve been reminiscing through photographs and telling some behind the scene stories of the event since 2003. I’ve called this series – Fiesta Fridays and have two more posts scheduled before our anniversary event on September 30th! It has definitely put me in a nostalgic mood!

My new YouTube channel! I have one video so far of my mother talking about the first time my dad kissed her! So Sweet!

Another thing I want to focus on more is creating video content. I got a start several months ago when my sister Kanista was in town. We decided to start video recording our mother telling stories of when she moved to Cambodia with her sister and parents, how she met our dad and eventually got married there. That was such a fun night of great stories and laughter! I need to do some editing and get them on YouTube and write a few stories surrounding the videos. Again…another nostalgic event this year.

I used this for my profile picture the day I retired on July 7th…

The other major change in my life this year that had me nostalgic (briefly!) was retiring in July from my corporate life. I worked for the same company for 37 years and while this happened a little sooner than I had originally planned, I honestly haven’t looked back. I’ve had two months to reflect and think about what comes next and yet, there isn’t any pressure to jump into anything right away. That’s been my biggest realization in all this…I can do nothing! I can stay in my pjs all day and drink coffee until it’s time for wine! The difference in my day-to-day routine (do I have a routine??) is being able to do what I want, do what makes me happy and create projects that are meaningful to me. Who knows what opportunities are out there waiting?!

Cheers to 3 years!!!

Right now, my time has been focused on Fiesta and the success of our anniversary event. I’ve also been doing some work with my dear friend, Willie Chriesman, on his digital media venture that celebrates the people, places and trends that make Alabama food and drink great. I’s called “a la carte Alabama” and we’ve already been invited to a number of events covering new restaurants, Birmingham Restaurant Week and other festivals. This is giving me the opportunity to use my photography skills and I’m sure there will be some writing involved with Hispanic foods and wines that I can’t wait to share!

Covering Restaurant Week as a contributor to A la Carte Alabama!

So, how do I celebrate year three of Southern Senora? Well, I figured it was about time to create a Southern Senora Facebook page! I know…I know what you’re saying – “you’ve waited 3 years to do this???” Yeah…I don’t know why it has taken me this long in all honestly. Maybe I was looking for just the right time. And as it just so happens…today is the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month and this IS a Hispanic Lifestyle blog so…..

Today I launch my Southern Senora Facebook page to celebrate my 3rd year of blogging! Check it out!

Fiesta Fridays! 2014

Leave a reply

NOTE: Fiesta Fridays is a special series to highlight the many memories I have of fiesta through the photographs I’ve taken since 2003.

Title Sponsor McDonalds brought the Fiesta Tour to Linn Park in 2014!

Fiesta 2014 brought us a series of “firsts” to our event. One of the biggest was getting our “first” Title Sponsor. Our top-level of sponsorship had always been “Presenting” and we had toyed with the idea of having a Title Sponsor. The conversation ignited when Santiago Negre, Hispanic owner of numerous area McDonalds arrived in town. He is the type of person who gets involved in the community and found Fiesta a way to do just that. McDonalds had always been a Presenting Sponsor but this was the year we asked and he said “yes” to Title Sponsorship!

Jeh Jeh Pruitt of WBRC poses with Ronald McDonald, Santiago Negre, Fiesta President, Matt Ennis and Russell Negre before on air interview.

McDonalds owner, Santiago Negre is interviewed by WBRC’s Jeh Jeh Pruitt a few days before Fiesta 2014.

Home Depot discussed craft items in store for kids at the Family Village. Nicky and Vincent Koch help with the demonstration!

Photo opp with Jeh Jeh Pruitt! I was there to photograph the interviews at Linn Park that day.

We were thrilled, to say the least! And in addition to taking the Title Sponsorship, Santiago also arranged to have the Fiesta Tour come to Birmingham. This was a tremendous coup for us as this tour typically only presents in the largest markets like Chicago, Los Angeles, and the like. The Fiesta tour – appropriately named (in our humble opinion) – is like a Latin Grammy Experience! It’s a 50 foot trailer exhibit with a walk through display of unique artifacts and memorabilia loaned by Latin musicians. You get to see items belonging to such artists as Jennifer Lopez, Celia Cruz, Jose Feliciano and Marc Anthony. It also features a live DJ, music kiosk and kiddie area with a photo center. The Fiesta tour was set up right at the entrance so attendees bought their ticket to the festival and could walk directly through the exhibit. It was such an exciting addition to Fiesta that year!

Fiesta Tour entrance

Getting set up for the day…

Interactive contests took place at the Fiesta Tour!

Outfit singer Gloria Estefan wore

Sombrero worn and signed by Mexican singer Vincente Fernandez

Costume from Daddy Yankee

Cuban Singer – Celia Cruz and Musician – Tito Puente

Fiesta Tour

Fiesta Event Manager, Denise Koch greets the Fiesta Tour when it arrives Friday before the event

Another “first” was having a parade of flags, along with the flag ceremony and the Pledge of Allegiance at the event and this was thanks to the Girl Scouts of North Central Alabama. Marisela Mendez is a powerhouse of a woman (now retired) who was a huge force in engaging Hispanic girls and their families into scouting in our state. She arranged to have girl scouts from around the region attend Fiesta and dress in traditional costumes to carry the flags of Latino countries. She also had a group experienced in the presentation of the colors on hand, and in uniform to lead the event in the Pledge of Allegiance from the main stage. It was such a beautiful and colorful sight that year! The girls were gorgeous in their dresses and throughout the day I would see them around the park with their families enjoying the day.

Photo of all the Hispanic Girl Scouts who participated in the 2014 Fiesta event in costume and Girl Scout uniforms.

Precious little girl dressed as mariachi

Hispanic Girl Scouts of North Central Alabama lead the festival in the parade of flags.

Girl Scout promise at the Coca cola main stage at Fiesta 2014

Hispanic Girl Scouts of North Central Alabama present the flags of the nations, pledge of allegiance and the Girl Scout promise.

Maricela Mendez, of Girl Scouts of North Central Alabama speaks from the main stage about Girl Scouting.

Photo Opp for me with these precious girls!

This looks like we are having a nice conversation when in fact, this little girl kept telling me I was saying her name wrong! Such a cutie!

At one point, I was next to the Coca Cola Main Stage with my daughter, Anna Marie, when we saw one of the girls twirling to the music. Her pink dress was floating as she twirled and she was clearly in her own little world with the music. Anna Marie and I began taking pictures of her when one of her friends saw us and decided to twirl with her. It was such a sweet moment and I’m so glad we caught it.

The Twirling Girl in her pink dress…I simply love this photo from Fiesta 2014 and the pure joy of this photo!

Two twirling girls…they clearly loved the way their dresses swirled in doing this to the music from the Coca cola Main Stage.

Me and my daughter, Anna Marie. She came out to help me as I walked around the park that morning documenting all the booths and other activities.

My beautiful daughter, Anna Marie…

This was also the year we were able to grant a wish to a young Hispanic girl who was seriously ill and in Children’s Hospital of Alabama. She wanted to meet her favorite musical artist – El Dasa – and we arranged to make that happen with the help of Amado Santos, Patient Relations and Language Services Director. El Dasa was so gracious too. Jasmine – the young girl – was taken by wheelchair to his personal tour bus and along with her parents and brother, were able to meet him and have a short visit. The sweetest moment came when Jazmine gave him a drawing she made. It was of a pair of cowboy boots and a hat, similar to what he wears for his performances. He was so sweet to her, asking her about the drawing and other things that she enjoyed. He was truly interested in her and wanted to make this a good experience…that was clear. A local news station came out to cover the meeting and at the end, El Dasa posed for pictures with the family and the drawing before heading to the stage for his performance. I enjoyed being a “fly on the wall,” as they say and being able to witness this special meeting.

Jazmine is wheeled to El Dasa’s trailer by her father and followed by her mother. Amado Santos from Children’s Hospital is behing her and helped arranged for this meeting.

Jasmine smiles broafley as El Dasa speaks to he.

Jasmine and her family pose for pictures with El Dasa as he holds the painting she made for him.

El Dasa give a lively performance on stage!

Headliner, El Dasa at Fiesta 2014

More to come so please come back next Friday to hear about Fiesta 2015!

Fiesta Fridays! 2013

Leave a reply

NOTE: Fiesta Fridays is a special series to highlight the many memories I have of Fiesta through the photographs I’ve taken since 2003.

Such a perfect picture of Fiesta to me….the weather was beautiful and the families came out to enjoy a day in Birmingham’s Linn Park!

Fiesta 2013 took place on a beautiful and sunny day. The weather was perfect! When the sun is out there is always so much energy throughout the day…from the moment we arrive to set up until the last act finishes up on the mainstage…it was a great day for Fiesta!

The Birmingham Pledge station late in the afternoon – one side had the Birmingham pledge in English and the other in Spanish.

This was the year of the Birmingham Pledge. The Pledge has become such a big part of the fabric of Birmingham in recent years. Written in 1997 by Birmingham Attorney James E. Rotch, it is a statement of principles at the heart of a grassroots effort to eliminate racism and prejudice in the world. It was first introduced publicly at the 1998 MLK Unity Breakfast in Birmingham. Since then, over 150,000 people have signed the pledge online and it continues to be a source for unity through conferences and study circles. The Fiesta board felt our event was the perfect place to have a display. We contacted Wade Black, the Executive Director of the Birmingham Pledge Foundation and told him what we wanted to do and he was so excited about the visual we were creating! I was happy that Wade was happy. He was an educator and filmmaker and such a huge part of all things related to social justice in our city for so long. Sadly he passed away in February 2014. I am forever grateful that we included the pledge at Fiesta while Wade was still with us.

Making a mark on The Birmingham Pledge with Fiesta Board member, Matt Ennis!

Here we go!

Our handprints!

Home Depot built the Birmingham pledge display for us and helped staff the area with paints.

We had a two-sided large stand-up display created of the Birmingham Pledge. One side was in English and the other in Spanish. Home Depot helped with the managing of the display. Fiesta patrons were invited to place a hand print on the display throughout the day. It was such a beautiful site! I stopped taking pictures long enough to put my hand print on the display. Fiesta board member, Matt Ennis, and I happened to be at the display at the same time and my husband took my camera and captured us inking up and strategically placing our hands on the white canvas. I was so happy to do this with another board member… Later that day, I returned to the display to see it covered with hand prints and see my friend and photographer, Larry O. Gay, capture a Hispanic mother placing her baby’s footprint on the canvas. He always gets the best shots!

We are fortunate to always have the beautiful fountain at Linn Park on display at Fiesta. We place the presenting and patron sponsors around the fountain and there is always a lot of foot traffic in this area. This year the children seemed to really love the fountain and I managed to catch a few photos of them dangling their feet in the water. There was such joy and excitement in their mood. In fact, children and families always make Fiesta so perfect for me. I love searching for families enjoying different aspects of the event and photographing them. I’ve included a few of those photos in this post.

Dad and son at the music stage

Enjoying a pina colada drink

A family gets a selfie at one of the nonprofit booths

Little girls pose for a picture in the nonprofit village

Another favorite photo from 2013 was of the elderly gentleman at the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame booth playing his saxophone. He was near the cultural village and I think I went by several times just to hear him. His music added a different dimension to Fiesta with his jazz sounds in the midst of all the Latin sounds! It all merged together quite well though and the crowd loved him!

On the Coca Cola Main Stage, we had Henry Santos performing as the second to last act. This Dominican artist certainly had the ladies all a flutter during his performance! He invited one young lady to the stage to dance with him and it turned out to be a young woman I knew from The Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama (HICA)! She was up front and center waiting for his performance when I captured a photo of her. I was so happy that she got to go on stage with him during one of the songs. She was clearly loving it and so was the crowd! We’ve had several artists pull audience members on stage over the years. The crowd loves it and it carries the family feel of the festival through the night.