Miss Guerrero at the Fiestas Patrias Parade
I already posted the pictures I took of our local elected officials at this Sunday’s Fiestas Patrias Parade (celebrating Mexican independence). But I also took a lot of other pictures – of the floats and other participants. I am posting them here.
If you don’t usually attend this parade I encourage you to do so. It is a lot of fun and a great look at the history and culture of Mexico. Continue reading
David Benavides at the 2015 Fiestas Patrias Parade
I stopped by today’s Fiestas Patrias parade in Downtown Santa Ana – mostly to take pictures of the local politicians but also to take in the spectacle. I was not disappointed on either count.
Somethings never change – Santa Ana Councilman David Benavides appeared to be riding in the same car he was in back in 2013 – with his kids. Continue reading
I try not to miss the annual Fiestas Patrias parade in Downtown Santa Ana not because it is a great parade but rather because it always presents me with the opportunity to take goofy pictures of our local politicians.
A couple years ago I caught career politician Janet Nguyen (who at the time was a Supervisor and is now a State Senator) dangling her unsecured toddler while sitting on the back seat of a convertible car (see the picture above). If only I had been taking video! She was screaming “Viva Mexico” at the time. (I am sure her fellow Republicans would love to see that video today!). Continue reading
City of Santa Ana
Community Alert: BIG FIESTA IN DOWNTOWN SANTA ANA / FIESTA GRANDE EN EL CENTRO DE SANTA ANA
The 37th annual Fiestas Patrias event will take place on Saturday and Sunday September 12 and 13 in the City of Santa Ana’s historic downtown. The street fair is on 4th street between French and Sycamore and is filled with food booths, great cultural merchandise, arts and culture booths, and a large main stage showcasing over fifteen performances.
The headliner for the main stage on Saturday at 8 PM is Maribel Guardia and for Sunday at 7 PM is Fidel Rueda. Ms. Guardia is a singer, dancer and a well-known T.V and Film actors. Mr. Rueda increased his popularity with the release of the very popular disc entailed Paz en Este Amor, which landed his music on the Billboard charts in both the Regional Mexican Airplay and Hot Latin Tracks categories. The Fiestas Patrias 2015 fun begins at 12PM both Saturday and Sunday and ends at 10 PM. Continue reading
The Santa Ana Fiestas Patrias Parade is set for today, Sunday, Sep. 14, 2014, at 4 pm. It is being televised by the Santa Ana Unified School District’s TV channel 31, which is available on Time Warner Cable and AT&T U-verse.
Why would the parade be televised? Simple. Elected officials are allowed to ride in this parade. Their political opponents are not. The SAUSD is televising the parade in order to promote SAUSD Trustee John Palacio, who is running for reelection. I will be surprised if his fellow SAUSD candidate and ally, Valery Amezcua, is not in the car with him. Continue reading
The Measure CC campaign (Santa Ana Medical Marijuana Initiative) were all set to run a booth at this weekend’s Fiestas Patrias event in Downtown Santa Ana when they got a call from Santa Ana Parks and Recreation Director Gerardo Mouet.
Mouet cancelled their booth. He said that it was not his policy to allow any political booths. The Measure CC campaign director had previously been told by another City of Santa Ana employee that he got an internal email that stated that the Measure CC booth would be a “public safety risk.”
The Measure CC campaign was previously told that it would be okay for them to participate in the Fiestas Patrias event as their goal was to register and educate voters. Continue reading
City of Santa Ana
Community: Thousands Expected at City of Santa Ana’s Annual Fiestas Parade on Sunday, September 14
SANTA ANA, CA (August 12, 2014) – Thousands of spectators are expected to line the streets of the City of Santa Ana to enjoy the annual Fiestas Parade on Sunday, September 14 from 4 pm to 6 pm. Over 100 parade entries will be showcased in this year’s special theme “Our Pride That Unites Us.” The Fiestas Parade will wind through Civic Center Drive and Main Street in Downtown Santa Ana and will be a celebration of art and culture for all ages. Continue reading
The 35th annual Fiestas Patrias celebration, commemorating Mexico’s independence, takes place this weekend in downtown Santa Ana, from Friday, Sept. 13 to Sunday, Sept. 15. Don’t miss the parade, at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15. The Fiestas Patrias Parade will start at 4 p.m. on 15th Street and Main Street, making a right onto Civic Center, ending at N. Flower Street. The parade is a great opportunity to take pictures of Orange County politicians trolling for Latino votes. I fully expect to see Assemblyman Tom Daly there despite his long record of anti-Latino votes as the former Mayor of Anaheim. And you have to believe that Supervisor Janet Nguyen will be there too – as she is now running for Lou Correa’s State Senate seat, which is up for grabs in 2014. Continue reading
Yesterday’s Fiestas Patrias parade, in Santa Ana, was perhaps the best one yet. A huge crowd lined Main St., many in folding chairs. Kids blew on horns and waved Mexican flags. You could feel the fervor in the air. They were all there to celebrate two hundred years of Mexican independence.
Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido rode in a stagecoach provided by Wells Fargo, along with his fellow Grand Marshal, Mexican Consul Alejandra García Williams.
Santa Ana Council Members Vincent Sarmiento, David Benavides and Carlos Bustamante were there, riding in cars in the parade, as was Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez.
Also in the parade were Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, State Senator Lou Correa, Assemblyman Jose Solorio, and Supervisor Janet Nguyen.
The parade featured high school bands, the Santa Ana ROTC, caballeros on horseback, cultural organizations – displaying Ballet Folklorico and Native dances (in full costume) and representatives from many Mexican states. It was quite a spectacle.
I had to take two separate videos. Part one is above and part two is below. You can see many of the politicians in part two, but the local electeds are in part one. Click here to see more pictures I took at the event.
Click here to see our exclusive videos taken at the Santa Ana Fiestas Patrias Parade.
The Fiestas Patrias Parade in Santa Ana today was a huge success. Massive crowds lined Main St. as a procession of politicians, high school bands, cultural organizations and representatives of many Mexican states marched by. Included also were many participants on horseback. It was quite a show!
Those in attendance showed a lot of appreciation for the participants. They enthusiastically applauded when many of the politicians passed by. Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez got the biggest ovation. She literally ran by as she shook a lot of hands. State Senator Lou Correa walked by as well, shaking hands and speaking to his many fans.
Other politicians who were warmly welcomed included Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido, and Council Members Claudia Alvarez, Vincent Sarmiento, and David Benavides. Carlos Bustamante was also in the parade. Sal Tinajero could not be there as he had to fly to a high school debate tournament yesterday.
In contrast, Republican Supervisor Janet Nguyen was barely welcomed as she zipped by in a car that appeared to be driven by her husband, Garden Grove Planning Commissioner Tom Bonikowski.
I did shoot several videos. They are uploading now. I hope to have them up by tomorrow.
A community volunteer named BaoLauren Vinh is seeking our help with the Santa Ana Fiestas Parade that is coming up in September.
She is currently working at the Santa Ana Library Teen Space. This year the kids and tutors at the library are participating in the parade. Their theme will be the “Soldaderas.” They will be dressing up as the women that participated in the Mexican Revolution.
Vinh is seeking assistance from the local community for donation for fabric or materials that they can use to make the costumes. Any contributions of any sort would be greatly appreciated.
Soldaderas were female soldiers who went into combat alongside men during the Mexican Revolution, which initially broke out in opposition to the conservative Díaz regime. The term comes from the Spanish word soldada which denotes a payment made to the person who provided for a soldier’s well being. The majority of these women led ordinary lives, but took up arms during the war to fight for freedom. Among the soldaderas, Dolores Jiménez y Muro, Margarita Neri, and Hermila Galindo are often considered heroines in contemporary Mexico.
This is a very special year for Mexicans, as they are celebrating 200 years of Mexican Independence.
You can contact Vinh by clicking here.