Fiesta Mexicana --- a work in progress

By ELIAS L. GARCIA

Special to The Capital-Journal

"Great changes and great things all started with a few people." This old saying exemplifies what happened in 1933, when a small group of people who lived in Topeka's Mexican hamlet of Oakland got together and coordinated a humble fund-raising effort on behalf of Our Lady of Guadalupe School.

Sixty-seven years later, this little humble event has come a long way. Over the years, Fiesta Mexicana has been embraced by all of Topeka and as a result, has experienced tremendous growth. It is widely recognized as Topeka's most popular annual event and has come to symbolize the best of this community. Organizers like to say that the Fiesta is a 67-year-old work in progress that is just now beginning to realize its tremendous potential.

There is little doubt Fiesta Mexicana is growing by leaps and bounds, but, as the saying goes, "you won't know where you are going until you know where you came from." Considering the barriers it had to overcome to survive, one cannot help but be impressed with Fiesta Mexicana's grit and stamina over the past seven decades. For instance, how difficult must it have been to start a fund-raiser when the country was enveloped in the Depression? How challenging was it for residents to maintain a Fiesta given the tremendous sacrifices of the 1940s and World War II?

Who had time to run for Fiesta queen during post war rebuilding, the Korean Conflict and the Cold War? In the 1960s, who ensured the Fiesta continued while children across the land were being sent off to Vietnam or were involved with radical social movements of the day? In the '70s, who wanted to spend time working on a traditional Fiesta when you had disco? In the "me decade" of the '80s, who cared about a fund-raiser for Our Lady of Guadalupe children? In any other community, would the Fiesta have been a priority in the live-for- today mentality of the '90s?

Despite the challenges in each generation, the thing that has remained steadfast in the tiny hamlet of Oakland is the heart of Our Lady of Guadalupe parishioners and the annual outpouring of love from the Topeka community.

Yet as incredible as the Fiesta's past has been, what is more amazing is its future. As we wade enter a new millennium, Fiesta Mexicana is just beginning to tap its potential. Fiesta chairman Rudy Guzman and entertainment chairman Carlos Gomez cite many factors for the Fiesta's tremendous growth. Also, the positive national impact the growing Latino population is having on America has a ripple effect on communities like Topeka. Hispanics/Latinos are leading the way in music, sports, government and business. Mainstream America is beginning to appreciate and respect our contributions, especially the political and corporate worlds.

All this translates into an unprecedented community response to Fiesta Mexicana. In turn, the Fiesta shows its appreciation by getting better and better every year. What is the key to this success? Gomez says the key is to stay true to your heart and your motivation. He remembers the excitement he felt as a child at the fiesta.

Technology has caused Fiesta Mexicana also to rethink its utilization of advertisement and communication in the 21st century. With the addition of the Fiesta Web Page, Fiesta Mexicana has gone global at www.FiestaTopeka.com. The Fiesta site is linked to many other Latino Web sites, which ultimately extends the Fiesta's sphere of influence. Fiesta Mexicana is one of just a few fiestas nationwide to use this medium to promote their events.

Another important piece of the Fiesta puzzle is corporate America, which has come to realize and appreciate that Latinos are the fastest growing and youngest population in the United States, destined to become this country's largest minority within a few years. The fiesta corporate networking strategy has garnered sponsorships from over 30 members of the business community.

While entertainment, technological and corporate shifts have been the most radical changes to conventional Fiesta wisdom, the Lowrider and Art Shows respectively symbolize the Fiesta as they join remnants of the past and integrate qualities of the future to capture the best of both worlds. The Lowrider show is the only place you will you see hundreds of spectacular old (and contemporary) automobiles with gorgeous paint jobs, beautiful murals, awesome interiors, all sitting atop battery operated hydraulics that can make the car hop several feet in the air? The Art Show showcases Hispanic artists and provides a snapshot of the wealth of talent to be found m the Latino community.

Fiesta Mexicana is an opportunity for us to share our Latino music, food, language and customs. It also is a part of every person who calls or ever has called Topeka their home. Fiesta Mexicana and the community have forged a union that has overcome decades of depression, war, social turmoil, social selfishness --- and disco. We will continue to move forward together.

Elias Garcia is executive director of the city of Topeka Human Relations Commission.

Copyright 2000
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