La Presidenta, Barbara Carroll
How did you choose this year’s theme, Spirit of Community? What does it mean to you personally, and why is it significant to this particular Fiesta? I thought about what made Fiesta special to me, and it’s the way the entire community comes together to put on and participate in Fiesta. This year, I am trying to focus on the volunteerism that makes Fiesta work. We are also shining a spotlight on the role that the two mercados play in providing a fundraising platform for approximately 40 nonprofits. Fiesta is integral to many of the organizations that provide important services and opportunities in our community.
What has changed about Fiesta over the years? What has remained constant? A lot has changed since my involvement as a flower girl in the late 1970s and when I first started volunteering in the mid-1980s. Society is more regulated and complicated, so we have to run Old Spanish Days like the nonprofit corporation it is, while in the past a handshake was all you needed.