New Santa Ana | Tag Archives: Pictures

Pictures of the 2013 Tet Parade in Little Saigon

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Art Pedroza Posted in Arts and Culture, Asians, Little Saigon, Veterans, Vietnamese, Westminster 9 Comments

I passed dozens of mobile homes as I drew close to today’s 2013 Orange County Tet Parade – a massive celebration of the Chinese Lunar New Year, in Little Saigon. I finally arrived at Bushard St. and found a parking spot in a residential neighborhood, then walked less than a mile to the east side of the parade grandstand, on Bolsa Ave. There were crowds already forming – a mix of young children and their parents, and many older Vietnamese Americans too.

Unbeknownst to me, the gay activists who caused so much angst this week by suing the parade organizers, after they were banned from marching in the parade, had set up west of the grandstand. A few of the politicians who participated in the parade stopped by, according to media reports, to talk to the activists. One of the elected officials, RSCCD Trustee Jose Solorio, climbed out of his car and refused to go any further, opting to stay with the protesters. Continue reading→

Politicians, ninjas and a bear show up at the 2012 Fiestas Patrias parade

Posted on September 16, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in Arts and Culture, Charles Hart, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Eric Alderete, Jose Solorio, Karina Onofre, Latinos, Loretta Sanchez, Lou Correa, mexico, Miguel Pulido, Patriotism, Politics, Republican Party, Rob Richardson, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 9 Comments

The Santa Ana 2012 Fiestas Patrias parade ran for about an hour and a half today, starting at 4 pm. I got there a few minutes late and missed Mayor Miguel Pulido, who was apparently riding in a Wells Fargo stagecoach, but I caught everyone else.

Above you wil find a slideshow of the politicians and the floats, and everything else. The parade featured men on horseback, someone in a bear costume, native dancers, and even a couple of ninjas.

Here are some of the high, or low lights to look for: Continue reading→

Santa Ana Library to showcase artwork of resident’s hometowns

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in Arts and Culture, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Community: Santa Ana Public Library to Showcase Paintings and Photographs of Resident’s Hometowns

SANTA ANA, CA – On April 23rd, the Santa Ana Public Library and the Santa Ana Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Agency will launch its Second Annual “State of My Heart” art exhibit. This year’s theme, My Town/Mi Pueblo, will showcase art work depicting the hometowns of Santa Ana residents. The exhibit is a collection of paintings and photographs loaned by Santa Ana residents. The collection also includes paintings and photographs highlighting the rich culture and history of the City of Santa Ana. The exhibit is a great opportunity for our younger generation to become familiar with their cultural heritage, and for our older generation to relive memories from their past and hometowns. This eclectic selection of paintings and photographs will be on display at the Santa Ana Public Library, Second Floor, Meeting Room A, from April 23 to May 12, 2012. Continue reading→

Pictures from today’s Patchwork Indie Arts and Crafts Festival in Santa Ana

Posted on November 27, 2011 by Art Pedroza Posted in Arts and Culture, Family, Fashion, Food, Santa Ana Leave a comment

My wife and I visited the Patchworks Festival today. It is set up through 5 pm today over on Main St., just north of the Bowers Museum.

The event features a vast array of food, craft, and arts vendors – and products available run from gourmet jams and jellies to clothing, jewelry, handmade soap, vegan chocolate, chocolate chip cookies with bacon, and handmade butter crunch.

Vendors included established businesses like the Gypsy Den, Mother’s Market, Calacas and the Memphis at the Santora, and independent businesses run out of garages and trailers. Continue reading→

My visit to the 2011 Santa Ana Cinco de Mayo festival – with pictures!

Posted on April 30, 2011 by Art Pedroza Posted in Arts and Culture, Latinos, mexico, music, Santa Ana 4 Comments

My fourteen year old son and I jumped on the OCTA Route 53 bus today and headed down to the 2011 Santa Ana Cinco de Mayo festival, which continues on Sunday, May 1. The bus was packed with others who were headed to the event.

I have been to a lot of these events over the years, and knew what to expect – lots of food vendors, and a mix of big corporations marketing their services and street vendors hawking all sorts of goods, from clothing to toys.

This year’s event featured a “Beer Garden,” which is essentially a bunch of tables and chairs with umbrellas and cerveza. We ran into the Bud Light Lime girls and they towered over the masses, as they passed out posters of their peers.

The band that was playing sounded good. The music continued until late and will pick up again tomorrow, with headliner Ozomatli, a Grammy award winning band from Los Angeles.

My son got hungry so we bought a carne asada torta. He loved it! He also bought an horchata, a Mexican beverage made of rice and cinnamon. I had a Tamarindo agua fresca beverage, which was flavored with the tamarind fruit. It was excellent.

I also ran into a few of the Fiesta Marketplace merchants. They actually had nice things to say about Irv Chase, who owns much of the Fiesta Marketplace. I will be writing a separate post about that.

The attendance was a bit lighter than expected, but I am told that Sunday should be packed as many of Santa Ana’s working people have to work on Saturday, but are off on Sunday.

The only VIP I ran into was Councilwoman Michele Martinez, who was having a great time. She will definitely be there on Sunday to watch Ozomatli.

Click here for details about the event, including tomorrow’s musical acts.

Dia de Los Muertos event draws thousands to Santa Ana’s downtown

Posted on November 6, 2010 by Art Pedroza Posted in Arts and Culture, Latinos, mexico, Orange County, Santa Ana Leave a comment

My wife and my little boy joined me tonight at Santa Ana’s 8th Annual Noche de Altares, commemorating Dia de Los Muertos. The event took place on 4th St., between Ross and Broadway. It coincided with tonight’s Art Walk, which made for a huge crowd and a lot of fun.

Families took the time to put together the Altares, or Altars, which are a way to remember their departed loved ones. Each one told a different story. The Altares were amazing. Many of them included photos and portraits, and all sorts of objects which were reminiscent of the departed.

There was a huge crowd of people waiting patiently for food, and listening to live music. Many vendors displayed their wares all along 4th St.

I ran into a lot of friends, including Vicky Baxter of Downtown Inc.; Patrick Yrarrazaval, a Santa Ana Planning Commissioner; Zeke Hernandez, an activist in the local Democratic Party; Daniella Southgate, the Marketing Director at MacArthur Plaza, and many more.

We also stopped by the Santora Building, and visited El Sotano, which is Matt Southgate’s gallery. He set up an Altare commemorating Johnny Cash, which we really liked.

There was also a haunted gallery at the Santora.

Outside, at the Promenade next to the CSUF Grand Central Art Center, another crowd had convened to watch a bunch of Christian break-dancers, which was pretty weird, but they were quite good.

If you missed out, be sure to check out the photos in the slideshow atop this post.

Kudos to all who were involved in planning this great event, particularly my friends at Calacas!

I should note that there was a significant police and security presence, but everyone behaved and we all felt quite safe.

Pictures of 2009 Las Fiestas de Independencia in Santa Ana

Posted on September 13, 2009 by Art Pedroza Posted in Arts and Culture, Latinos, Santa Ana 3 Comments

Lou Correa interviewed at the Fiestas Parade

State Senator Lou Correa and friends walk in the Fiestas Parade

I visited “Las Fiestas de Independencia” today, in Santa Ana. My six year old son, Jacob, and I had a blast. The crowds were about 25-35% less than last year, but there were still a lot of folks there to watch the parade and to have fun at the booths set up in the festival area on 4th St.

Several local elected officials showed up to ride in the parade, which started a bit after 4pm today. Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido rode atop a vintage firetruck that is owned and maintained by the Santa Ana Firemen’s Benevolent Association. You can see more pictures of the parade after the flip. Continue reading→