BY JOE ARCE AND COREY CRABLE
One of the favorite fiesta is back with a new name but with all of the same fun and mouth-watering food and lots of entertainment.
Fiesta Topeka, previously called Our Lady of Guadalupe Fiesta, returns to Kansas’ Capital City this month for its 90th year of bringing Mexican culture, song, dance and cuisine to fiesta goers. Scheduled for July 18-22, proceeds from the event will go toward funding operations for Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and Holy Family Catholic School.
The fiesta returns to its busy five-day schedule of fun after three years of a shorter, days schedule, implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic. New this year will be a “Mini Jamaica Fiesta,” the official kickoff event on July 8, at the Evergy Plaza downtown Topeka which will feature live musical with Latin Grammy winner Michael Salgado and some of the festival’s traditional Mexican food, food trucks, and beverages to help you stay cool in the summer heat.
Fiesta Topeka Committee Chair Deborah Ortega says that organizers have been trying to strike a balance between keeping costs low and offering the same fun features that fiesta fans have come to expect.
“It will take time to recover from (the pandemic’s effects),” Ortega says, “So, we’re trying to keep expenses down and save every penny we can.
Despite organizers’ cost-cutting measures, attendees will marvel at the full schedule of events and performers such as Mariachi Azteca de America. According to Tejano nation, La 45 is crossing generational and musical lines with every note they play. The NextGenChicanos have entered the ”Roaring 20s” with one goal to re-establish the brass sound of the Onda Chicana as a driving force in the music industry. What better way to do that than to collaborate with the man superstar Little Joe whose name is synonymous with Chicano music, plus home-grown group Paradize band and other entertainment groups that will be featured at the fiesta: an art show, a cornhole tournament, golf tournament, 5K run/walk, parade, and, of course, the coronation ball, where the fiesta’s king and queen are crowned.
Behind the scenes, both new and veteran volunteers will be cooking up a storm, creating the traditional Mexican culinary delights for which the fiesta is known. “We have a rich history of individuals that come back and help us year after year. We were blessed to have Topeka Mayor Mike Padilla come to help us,” Ortega says. “He was a constant in the fiesta with us for years.”
Also on the list of previous volunteers – Juan Sepulveda, the first Hispanic Rhodes Scholar and others who come back year after year of volunteering, plus, are local business leaders David and Sarah Chavez, who assisted with marketing and strategic planning, as well as a legion of ladies who continue to put on their aprons year after year, roll up their sleeves, and prepare enchiladas, tamales, and more of the food that the people love to eat.
“We love having them seniors here they’re awesome mentors and role models to us,” Ortega says of the volunteers, some of whom are in their 70s and 80s – with one even in her early 90s. “But we recognize they can’t do everything at the pace they used to, so we just ask them to slow down, take a break. And if you just want to sit and enjoy the company of your friends, that’s fine. It’s awesome just to have them there, because it gives them a sense of purpose and pride.”
Ortega says the fiesta draws people from around a four state area and beyond from all backgrounds to enjoy the music, culture and tastes of Mexico.
“We want to reach out to everybody – the Hispanics, the Anglos, the African-Americans, the Asian-Americans,” she says. “This is a multicultural event. You get a little bit of everything.”
Ortega says she especially loves to see smiling faces she recognizes among all of the new faces every year.
“Our alumni are all over the U.S., but they always come home to experience time with their family and friends,” Ortega says. “They have a connection.”
At the heart of the festival is the church, which has been a mainstay in Topeka for so long and which is the city’s spiritual center.
In a press release from Fiesta Topeka committee it stated, “What began in 1933 as a modest, single-day church festival in the predominantly Mexican American neighborhood of Oakland in Topeka, has evolved into the single most important celebration of Mexican culture and tradition in the Midwest. Fiesta Topeka continues to be a major fundraiser to educate students and provide staff at Holy Family School.
“Every July we are thrilled because through our Fiesta Topeka we get the opportunity to share with so many people our heritage, our food, our dances, our music. It is just a great time to enjoy as a family,” remarked Fr. Dan Coronado, Pastor, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish. “As we get set to celebrate our 90th year, we really would like to thank all our partners and sponsors for their support to Fiesta Topeka!”
In this monumental year, and with this year’s theme, A Legacy of Pride, Passion & Culture, Fiesta Topeka offers all the Mexican traditions & cuisine, music, dance and art that patrons are grown accustomed to. The event will expand across the entire month of July with nine events and activities. The crowning jewel is the Fiesta Topeka Festival which returns to a five-day event, featuring the fan favorite carnival and midway. “We’re pleased to bring a renewed vigor and vision in planning and building on the 90 year legacy. We’re so excited to showcase the many new and exciting partnerships and attractions, yet maintain all that people love about our Fiesta Topeka… There is something for all ages to enjoy. We are all brothers and sisters here,” Ortega says, “and we would love for everyone to come to our community party, celebrate with us, meet new friends, enjoy some entertainment and have some great food.” Topeka Fiesta will be held outside Our Lady of Guadalupe Church grounds, 201 NE Chandler Street, Topeka, Kansas 66616
For more information, including a full schedule of events, visit www.fiestatopeka.com.
