Hispanics of Today and Tomorrow’s Fiesta 2008 promises good food, dancing, games and best-dressed Chihuahuas.
Fiesta 2008 kicks off on Sept. 6 with the coronation dance from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. at Las Casitas Park.
The Fiesta Queen candidates this year are Bianca Lara, junior at Emporia High School and daughter of Rosa Lara; Mariah Rodriguez, seventh-grader at Emporia Middle School and daughter of Esperanza Arambula; and Martha Rueda, junior at Emporia High School and daughter of Faustiva Montoya. The candidates compete for the title by raising money for scholarships. They sell tickets for chances to win prizes.
This year’s prizes are: first prize, a Wii game system; second, a barbecue grill; and third, a $100 gas card. The youth also raise money through food sales and other events, said Sally Sanchez, an organizer for Fiesta 2008.
Sunday, Sept. 7, is packed full of events. The Fiesta parade will start at 11:30 a.m. between Riverside School and Peter Pan Park on South West Street. The parade will run up to Las Casitas Park. Festivities will start at 1 p.m. There will be a college fair, dancers will dance and mariachi bands will play throughout the park. There will be lots of food vendors, Sanchez said, as well as merchandise vendors.
Activities will include a climbing wall, a water-balloon toss for the kids, hula hoop contest, tortilla toss race and introduction of the queen and princess. For dog lovers, a best-dressed Chihuahua contest will be held. Emporia Arts Council will provide craft activities and a T-shirt design contest for 2009 Fiesta will be open to junior high and high school age students. A dance will be held from 6 to 10 p.m.
For more information on the Fiesta or for parade entries, call Sally Sanchez at 342-5293 or 366-1094.