Fiesta '08 - Let the Party begin!

Today is the official opening day of Fiesta San Antonio 2008. Yup, dear reader, it's time for S.A.'s annual party-to-end-all-parties!

And what be-e-e-eautiful weather the "Man Upstairs" gave us for the opening! Cool with low humidity (despite a brief but noisy thundershower in the wee hours). The sky above The Alamo and the opening-ceremony site was a clear deep blue. Or as our golden-throated neighbor George Strait might say, "blue clear sky". (That's the name of one of his albums and its title song, one of Strait's many, many #1 country hits.)

In that opening ceremony, hosted by two local TV personalities and broadcast live by their TV station (a Fox affiliate newly awarded Fiesta coverage), Texas' "First Lady", Mrs. Rick Perry, was one of the speakers, as were His Honor Mayor Hardberger, this year's Fiesta San Antonio Commission President John Steen and County Judge (and former S.A. Mayor) Nelson Wolff. The most prominent speaker, I suppose, was U.S. Senator John Cornyn. He was introduced as "born in Houston, but he got to San Antonio as fast as he could!" This is a play on the popular slogan of auslanders (a Deutsch term for Texas residents who were born out-of-state): "I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could!"

A unique element of the program for this year's "Official Opening" was that ladies of the Battle of Flowers Association, attired in their typical yellow dresses and yellow sun hats (wide flat brims and low crowns) came out from behind the stage (from the direction of The Alamo chapel), bearing hand baskets filled with flowers. They proceeded to throw the blooms at people on the stage, in the audience and each other. This was a re-enactment of the very start of Fiesta! Back in 1891 society ladies had decided to entertain President Harrison (first sitting US President to visit S.A.) AND honor the heroes of The Alamo and San Jacinto by staging a parade of carriages bearing flowers and having a "flower battle" in front of the Cradle of Texas Liberty. How delightful to have this re-enactment of how the annual party-to-end-all-parties began!

Our city's Mayor, Phil Hardberger, was attired in suit and tie, like all the men on stage and unlike Mayor Ed Garza at my first opening ceremony for Fiesta (the party in A.D. 2002), who came in a guayabera. Well, the male encee (from the Fox station) was casually attired, now that I think about it. Mayor Hardberger, among his remarks, mentioned that Fiesta was "ten days to not think!" Hm-m-m. . . I'm not in complete agreement with that assessment! However, the co-hosts took advantage of the remark later, when the lady emcee, Cynthia Lee, said that she was looking forward to not thinking for ten days - and co-emcee, Mike Valdes, quipped something like, "Oh, is that anything new (with you)?" Arr-rr-gh!

We were also treated to musical entertainment, including by a military band beside the stage, flamenco dancing and the ceremonial cutting of an official's ugly necktie, to signify "business casual" apparel for the ten days of the party. I've not minded the cutting of one tie, but in recent years all officials on the platform and men in the audience were all but ordered to come out of theirs. It's a pity that high-ranking government officials have to submit to this indignity. Today two men up there did NOT remove their neckties! Neither did I take off my Fiesta 2002 tie! Let's have a big "Hooray!" for men who KNOW that we guys CAN have fun while sharply attired!

The ceremony concluded with everybody cracking cascarones over one another's heads while shouting, "¡Viva Fiesta!" or responding, "¡Viva!" Then I took the bus across downtown to El Mercado for their Fiesta event. And then I rode out to UTSA for theirs.

Once I was on the "ugly-modern-grey-concrete" campus of the university (my description of this very unattractive campus), out near Fiesta Texas, I searched in vain for my brother Lambda Chis. In the past two years they had run a food booth, one year with kabobs for sale and the other fajitas. But in this A.D. 2008 version of Fiesta UTSA we were not to be found! Wonder why.

However, the entertainment and the food that I did sample were quite enjoyable. As is custom, at one point a goodly selection of Fiesta royalty showed up and made a processional from the building that houses the Library upstairs and the cafeteria at ground level, along a red carpet under la Sombrilla (a fancy grating that provides some variegated shade to the pavement below), to a shaded seating area. Various of the royalty were introduced and brought up on the stage, as was UTSA President Romo. I couldn't help but notice that Fiesta Commission President John Steen again sported his necktie! I congratulated him for looking sharp again, as I also pointed to my Fiesta 2002 necktie.

Later on I passed by the Cattlemen's Square on the west side of downtown' just west of the elevated IH 10-35 and north of Houston Street. This is the site of Fiesta's "Tejano Explosion" and I wanted to read the line-up of artists and groups who will perform various types of chicano or Tex-Mex music during it ten-day run. (Actually I think T.E. run a day or two longer that Fiesta's officical ten days.)

Finally, I returned to el Mercado for a while, to enjoy the live music on four or so stages set up around Market Square for their ten days of "Fiestas Fantasías del Mercado". However I didn't stay very long. I wanted to get home and get some shut-eye, to be ready for Saturday's full schedule of Fiesta partying!

¡Viva Fiesta!