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04.17.09
| IN THIS ISSUE CANDID CANINE, COME AS YOU ARE NOT, CONSERVE AND PROTECT, CORNY NATION, JUST THE CLASSICS, FIESTA FOOD 411, FAMILY AFFAIR, PIÑATA, PIGNATTA |
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• CANDID CANINE  
Stephie enjoys strolling through the park on Sundays, wearing little outfits that highlight her silhouette. But what Stephie enjoys most are her early morning beef and cheese Beggin Strips her owner Carrie Foster gives her. "She wants all the attention,” laughs Foster, who's taking her 7-year-old Chihuahua strut the streets of the City of Alamo Heights each year at the Fiesta Pooch Parade. Dogs of all breeds and sizes are dressed in glittering, glamorous and unique costumes and outfits. The pup wearing the sharpest outfit will be crowned “best-dressed canine.” Introduced in 1998, the parade is presented by the Delta Society of San Antonio, a nonprofit, volunteer-based organization that supports healthcare facilities and animal care organizations. The parade will be held at 7:30 a.m. on April 25 at the Alamo Heights Swimming Pool, 250 Viesca St. For more information visit www.deltasa.org. RR |
• COME AS YOU ARE NOT 
For the adventurous Fiesta-goer, consider Incognitio, a masked ball organized by the non-profit URBAN-15 dance troupe. The event starts April 17 at La Villita Assembly Hall. Guests will celebrate Fiesta’s magic "carnaval-style" to the salsa, meringue, reggae, and polka of Brave Combo, a Grammy Award-winning band from Denton, Texas. A floorshow by Carnaval de San Anto dancers and drummers and a costume contest are on the program as well. Tickets for Incognito may be purchased at the Fiesta Commission Office, 2611 Broadway, and through URBAN-15. Individual tickets are $25, and tables of ten are available for $200. The event includes a cash bar. For more information, call 736-1500. Proceeds from the ball go to the renovation of the URBAN-15 studio and youth programs. | |
• CONSERVE AND PROTECT 
Fiesta usually means frivolity, but at least one official event has a serious purpose, Earth Day 2009, celebrating environmental awareness. The welfare of the Edwards Aquifer is the theme of this year’s outdoor event, set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday (April 18) at Woodlawn Lake Park, 1103 Cincinnati Ave., off Woodlawn Avenue between Wilson and Zarzamora Streets. Featured are a 5K Fun Run, tree planting, environmental information giveaways, free canoe rides, vegetarian food booths and live music and entertainment for the entire family. Along with workshops and demonstrations about water and energy conservation, the Bexar County Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer your questions about gardening and methods of conserving water. Registration for the 5K Fun Run is at 7 a.m. and the race begins at 7:30 a.m. Winners will receive a tree. Among the free giveaways will be 20 bicycles, 2,000 trees, 1,000 potted plants and T-shirts. No alcohol will be served, but admission is free. For more info, call (210) 434-6967. DRG |
• CORNY NATION 
With the election in full swing, the crew of "the raunchiest, cheapest event of Fiesta” should have plenty of material. Cornyation, which runs from April 21 to 23 at the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre, is a musical review that lampoons local and national news events and figures. The event, which dates back to 1951 and was originally a mainstay of A Night in Old San Antonio (NIOSA), donates money to local charities. Cornyation organizers report a NIOSA “demise” in the 1960s for its treatment of politicians, but say the production has since been revived to enjoy a 26-year run. More than $500,000 Cornyation dollars have gone to charities that include SAAF (San Antonio AIDS Foundation), Beat AIDS (Black Effort Against the Threat of AIDS), Help Action Care (HAC), and Jennifer's Camp (AARC). The show, produced on a volunteer basis, raised $90,000 last year. Tickets that cost from $15 to $25 and can be purchased at Ticketmaster. | |
• JUST THE CLASSICS 
Join the San Antonio Symphony, Mariachi Campanas de America and the Guadalupe Dance Company as the Majestic Theatre presents Fiesta Pops - Pride of San Antonio from April 17 to 19. The show combines orchestral sounds with the vibrant movements and colorful costumes of the Guadalupe Dance Company, topped off with the mariachi stylings of Campanas de America. Conducted by San Antonio Symphony Resident Conductor Ken-David Masur, the program includes traditional music from the Mexican states of Veracruz, Jalisco and Nayarit. The Guadalupe Dance Company will dance to a number of traditional folk melodies, including La Bruja, Repique, De Mazatlas de Acaponeta and La Bamba as well as Moncayo's Huapango. Mariachi Campanas will join the San Antonio Symphony for a number of traditional Mariachi songs, including El Alacran and Llorar-Lorar. The concert will also feature collaborations between all three groups including the most famous Mariachi song of all time, La Negra. To purchase season tickets, call the Symphony box office at 210-554-1010. |
• FIESTA FOOD 411 
Beer, oysters, sausages on sticks, gorditas …. It's not unusual to pack on a few pounds while traveling the parades and carnivals of Fiesta. "The foods are one of the things that attract tourists because they always come to eat things they don"t have where they’re from,” said Francisca Benavides, a Fiesta food vendor who caters gorditas and flautas at the events. But there are a few Fiesta foods that are tasty and heart-healthy, including roasted corn on the cob and turkey leg. Beverage vendor Sylvia Armendarez recommends the turkey leg instead of sausage on a stick. Whether it’s tastier with Worcestershire sauce or barbecue sauce, turkeys are far less greasier and contain less cholesterol since it’s a white meat. Armendarez also recommends corn on the cob, which many vendors sell without adding spices or condiments, although it’s commonly flavored with chile powder, salt and pepper. “Not everyone is thinking about their diets when they come to Fiesta,” Armendarez said. “But it doesn’t matter how much fun you’re having. It’s always good to keep your health in check.” RR | |
• FAMILY AFFAIR 
For family-friendly events, it's hard to beat the Fiesta Arts Fair, which is celebrating its 36th anniversary on the shady grounds of the Southwest School of Art & Craft along the San Antonio River downtown. Named one of the top outdoor art fairs in the country by American Style magazine, this year"s fair features the juried work of 124 artists from around the country. Ceramics, paintings, jewelry, glass, photography and wearable art are among the offerings designed to accent the house, table or body. More than 12,000 people are expected to attend the two-day event that also features live music and Mexican fiesta food. Saturday’s musical line-up features Cedryl Ballou and the Zydeco Trendsetters, Tennessee Valley Authority, Guy Forsyth and Stephanie Urbina Jones. On Sunday, hear Azul, Gypzee Heart, Terri Hendrix and Mitch Webb and the Swindles. Children have their own special Art Garden, where kids can work with volunteer artists on making stained glass, creating with clay and designing new Fiesta medals. The Fiesta Art Fair runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday (April 18) and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday (April 19) at the Southwest School, 300 Augusta, (210) 224-1848. Admission, which supports the non-profit school’s educational programs, costs $8 for adults and $4 for children 5-12. DRG
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• PIÑATA, PIGNATTA 
They adorn backyards during parties as they dangle from roofs, trees and covered patios. They add colorful flare to Fiesta festivities, but the story of piñatas is older than the origins of Fiesta. “I think that piñatas were always used to evoke something positive for everyone to believe,” said Dr. Ellen Riojas Clark, professor of bicultural studies at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Clark explained that pignattas, as they were called, may have originated in China when Marco Polo discovered that Mandarins designed figures of buffaloes and other animals and filled them with seeds, signifying abundance of harvest and prosperity. Rick Uriegas, coordinator of Fiesta event Piñatas in the Barrio, said, “We look at piñatas as the objects that bring us together. We share what the piñata holds inside and the values that sharing and giving to one another represents.” The 12th annual Piñatas in the Barrio and the unveiling of the “barrio’s largest piñata” will be held from noon to 10 p.m. on April 18 at Plaza Guadalupe, 1327 Guadalupe St. In addition to the array of piñatas that will abundantly decorate the plaza there will be food, live music and various prizes. For more information call 222-1472. RR | |
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