Fiesta 2014 is now a great memory for the board and planning committee…it was an incredible day! Last Saturday, September 27th, we enjoyed great weather, huge attendance, many new vendors and participants, and reconnected with so many long time amigos! We reconfigured our set-up in Linn Park and it really made a difference in the attendee traffic. Everywhere I looked, there were people and families enjoying the event, eating delicious food and sitting on the beautiful green grass.
Our title sponsor, McDonalds, brought an incredible exhibit – The Fiesta Tour – a 53-foot long traveling mobile unit that pays tribute to Latin GRAMMY winners – to Birmingham for us to enjoy. Every time I went by the exhibit, there were crowds – such a beautiful sight! The Santiago brothers, Santiago and Russ, have been wonderful partners to Fiesta this year and we are so grateful for their presence!
The McDonald’s Fiesta Tour entrance. What an incredible exhibit!
A dress worn by Gloria Estefan and a guitar owned by Carlos Santata – just a few of the items in the McDonald’s Fiesta Tour on display.
Sombrero belonging to Mexican artist – Vicente Fernandez – in the McDonald’s Fiesta Tour.
Ronald McDonald gets anchored in Linn Park, in the Family Village.
I downloaded more than one thousand photos last Sunday afternoon. It always amazes me how many photos I take at Fiesta each year. And yet, there are always shots I miss and think about later. Oh! And this doesn’t include the photos I take with my iPhone! One of my favorite elements this year was having the Hispanic Girl Scouts of North Central Alabama participate with the presentation of colors, pledge of allegiance, Girl Scout promise (in English and Spanish), and finally parade around the park with the flags of the Latin countries while dressed in native costumes! It was absolutely a BEAUTIFUL sight! In fact, I do believe (aside from the music acts), that the Girl Scouts were the most photographed group of the day! The magnificent Marisela Mendez, the Hispanic Initiative Manager for GSNCA, worked for many weeks to pull the girls and their families together for Fiesta. This Dominican woman is a “powerhouse” and the community is lucky to have her working for Hispanic girls in our region. Her heart is all about connecting these little girls with Girl Scouts and she will do everything possible to ensure they can have the Girl Scout experience in their lives.
This precious little one lead the Girl Scouts around the park in the parade of flags, dressed in a beautiful white mariachi outfit.
The Girl Scouts pose in front of their booth at Fiesta.
The Hispanic Girl Scouts of North Central Alabama during the flag ceremony – presentation of colors.
Talking to one of the Girl Scouts after the parade of flags…this little one was so precious and apparently I wasn’t saying her name the right way – she kept correcting me! (Photo credit: Cristina Almanza)
I’ve pulled a few of my favorite photos from Fiesta to share on the blog. If you were at Fiesta and took some photos, please post them on the Fiesta facebook page! We would love to see what you captured!!!
This little one kept twirling to the music next to the main stage. Such joy!
This little girl saw me taking photos of the girl in the pink and decided she wanted to twirl and have her picture taken too!
Sugar Skull faces at Fiesta! These young ladies were popular – everyone wanted to have their pictures taken with them!
Got to hang out with my daughter, Anna Marie, for part of the day. She is always so helpful when I’m making my photography rounds in the park.
Dancers on the stage…they certainly drew a crowd!
Running into Ricardo and Aimee Aparicio was the best!Reconnecting with long time friends is one of the joys of Fiesta for me. Ricardo was there when Fiesta was started.
On stage with El Dasa! Great energy during his entire performance!
El Dasa’s surprise meet and greet with a young girl battling cancer – I don’t think there was a dry eye in the trailer when this happened.
A crowd shot from the stage as El Dasa performs…
It’s always fun to run into Clark Scott and Larry Gay at Fiesta. They take some amazing photos each year!
Crowds were massive this year at Fiesta 2014!
Traditional Mexican dresses for sale at Fiesta.
Two of the hardest working women at Fiesta this year – board members Vannessa Vargas and Cristina Almanza! They absolutely ROCK!
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