WS Chronicle

By Felecia Piggott-Long, Ph.D.

Thousands gathered downtown between Poplar and Marshall Streets on Saturday, Sept. 14,for the Fiesta Festival 2024, sponsored by The Hispanic League. The sidewalks were filled with cultural delights: singing, dancing, music, good food, games, exhibits, face painting, vendors, magic tricks, arts and crafts, children’s area, healthy living resources, and family fun. Volunteers from various schools and organizations pitched in to support this multicultural effort.

The dance contest on the main stage attracted much attention and participation. Luly Beckles served as the emcee of the dance contest.  “We were glad to have so many people come forward to dance in the contest. We had some very good dancers, and we had several professional performers who presented the Latin dances,” said Beckles.  

“The first-place winners were Madeline Gonzalez and Abe’ Levine. Because he wore a Brazilian t-shirt, many people thought Levine was from Brazil. He is half Jewish and half Chinese, and he performed the Latin dances very well. The crowd voted strongly for him and Gonzalez.”

The crowd joined the dancers after the competition. The main stage area was filled with couples who displayed their talents for all types of Latin dances.

The Takiri Foldor Latino dancers received a certificate from the Hispanic League for their professional performances at Winston Square Park. They performed Colombian Cumbia dance from Plena, Puerto Rico. They danced to the song “Colombia” and “Tierra Querida,” “I Love Colombia.” The group was composed of Loraine Johnson from Puerto Rico, Fabiana Millan from Uruguay, Andres Fajardo from Colombia, Sandra Lopez from Columbia, and Pilar Rocha from Colombia.

Pat Gardea, volunteer for 33 years, having retired from the board of directors of the Hispanic League, still loves to come and help with the festivities. “I retired from the cultural committee in 2023. I am from El Paso, Texas, and I remember when the Fiesta began in 1992,” said Gardea. “The purpose of the Fiesta Festival is to bring multicultural understanding to all of us. I was on the first committee who helped organize the first festival.”

Pablo Ponce and his wife, Marisa Diaz, brought their son, Tarek Ponce, 3, to the children’s area to enjoy the bean bag toss, the magic show, and the cultural dancing.  “This is our first time coming to the Fiesta. We just moved here from Charlotte. My wife is  a Spanish teacher at Diggs-Latham Elementary School. We are originally from Argentina,” said Ponce. “I am enjoying the Fiesta. It is a good place where we have a small community of people from Argentina. We are glad we came.”

Diaz was glad to bring her son, Tarek, out to enjoy this special cultural gathering. “I want my little boy to have a new experience. I want him to become bilingual, to respect other people’s culture. I want him to enjoy global culture and to respect what he learns from others.”

Miguel Bercian brings his son, Tristan, and his daughter, Lauri, to the Fiesta each year. He has observed many connections between Latino music and African roots. “Music from the Dominican Republic has spread through Central America. We are from El  Salvador. When I listen to salsa music, I can hear the African background in the rhythms,” said Bercian. “Also archeologists are finding more and more pyramids in Latin American countries. More and more research is being done that reveals many connections.”

Pedro Barzola is a foreign exchange student from Argentina and attends Reagan High School. He served as a volunteer for the first time at Fiesta with his friends, Carsten Macosko and Clement Tjakra Kusuma. All of them are in the Spanish Club at Reagan High School, and they were encouraged to volunteer with the gathering.

 “We are glad we came today. It has been fun. We have had good food, met good people and enjoyed good music,” said Macosko.