There was a “Feria de la Familia” over at LH park this weekend, I stopped by to check it out. Here’s a challenge for you: see if you can figure out which corporation sponsored this event. Don’t worry, it’s gonna be easy.
The decorated info booth. Here you get the schedule of events and other corpo-literature. Plus a bit of info on Plaza de la Raza. Plaza is a small part of Lincoln Park, where kids can go learn a variety of music, dance, and other artistic skills.
The main stage. This event was well funded -kinda extremely well funded- but the number of attendees was minimal, I’ve seen way more people at legitimate grassroots-but-broke organized events.
Look at that sound board! That’s all the proof you need there was some serious money plopped down on this event. Strangely, there was still lots of feedback during one of the dances. Technology ain’t everything.
The main celebrity was Cheech Marin, he was signing books like this kid one he wrote about a bus driver. I’ve yet to read it but I surmise there are no Otto-like drug references, Cheech is all grown up now and into Chicano Art. I guess there’s some growing old clause when you have to switch to nurturing respectability. I hope I never live to be that old.
Hey, it’s Cheech! Despite his recent crappy TV shows, I respect what the man has accomplished. And I respect the fact that he even mentions the existence of the non-elusive Chicano. Ora.
Ah, c’mon! Telling people to shop at a store is just crude. Suggesting they shoplift from said location might make things a little better.
Red dot carpets in front of the stage. Yet another promotional opportunity. Have you guessed the sponsor?
This young girl had a wonderful singing voice.
One of the booths nearby had this collection of items: unspectacular looking flowers, until you realize they are all made from sugar! Well done.
The only food booth I saw. The type is too perfect for me to risk tasting the food.
There was a crazy amount of red-shirted workers making sure everything went smoothly. The guy in black is a security guard.
The face painting info kiosk.
And some face painting in process. All the activity tables were manned, the sponsor could afford to pay people to do their part.
Caricature in process.
For the amount of people present, it was interesting to see how many pro-photographers were around trying to capture stuff going on. Why would a corporation fund an event if they couldn’t be assured of positive media coverage? Might as well hire the positive coverage. And they even had their own helpers.
Pros and amateurs. For such a small event, that’s a crazy amount of pro coverage. Gotta get your advert investments.
Despite the positive PR potential, most of the young enthusiastic performers on stage were there just to show off their talents. These young ladies had a nice dance routine ..
..though it was marred by the fact that the stage was covered in some black astro turf material. Someone dropped the ball here; the most significant part of these style of dances is the heavy thudding footwork, which was completely negated by the wrong stage medium. Silent zapateados just don’t work.
Some kids were busy riding bikes, they could care less about any of this. They’re on the right track.
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Wow. That Target “Mexican food” menu scares me.
Seeing Cheech reminds me of the movie scene when Cheech & Chong are smoking that big giant joint while driing and then get pulled over by the cops and he rolls the window down and smoke just fill the air.
Uh, I was gonna add some other stuff to this post, like an analysis of the Latino-as-Market that was covered in a recent PBS show (http://www.pbs.org/brownisthenewgreen/), some pics from inside the art show, but as you can see I just petered out. Sorry.
So who sponsored the event? I couldn’t guess.
Oh, and that’s a lot of cameras.
I know why they covered the stage in astoturf. The man is trying to silence our zapateados like he’s trying to silence our voices. Ya basta!
Yes that is right Cindylu the gavacho is now using astro-turf as the latest weapon to silence our rich cultural and artistic expressions of dance which were passed down to younger generation in Mayan secret code etched on corn tortillas hidden under servings of Huevos Rancheros. Don’t tell anybody else but that is why El Chavo eats so many Huevos Rancheros. El Chavo is also agente Huevos Rancheros-007, he is exposing the sinister plans by gavachos disguised in red shirts.
this blog should be included in school curriculums!
I went to the dotted food booth later in the afternoon for a combo and guess what? They were out of rice and beans! No r/b at a Feria? What a disappointment. Chavo, you were right about the food, my daughter got sick from the horchata…..
tienes video de cindy luna cantando, me gustaria escuchar su voz se ve en al expresion de la foto que canta con mucho sentimiento, y ademas se apeida igual que yo.
no tienes un video de la muchacha que esta cantando?
Lets get on track too… Who’s down for a communal bike ride?
hey my dad used to be roommates with cheech in college, isn’t that krrazy?
Monica,
Si tengo un video, aqui esta: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUO650okReQ
I thought it was just WalMart that was evil. What the H-E-two sticks, what the H-E-two sticks.
This is like your first date and your dad said he’d drive, but didn’t tell you about that part that he was not only driving, but going to sit right behind you in the movie theatre, monopolize the whole conversation and pretty much make the night all about him.
Thanks dad! Next time we’ll just take the bus.
Browne
Horale amigos! I got friends over at Plaza who gave me the scoop about this event. It ain’t as corporate as what we think. First off, Plaza’s a non-profit school of artes y musica for los ninos, which means that they ain’t got the dinero to put up one of these ferias themselves. So they brought in Target who helped bring in a lot of families who got to sign up their hijos for some cool classes that teach better sh@# than the public schools.
A lot of the performers were actually students showin’ us peeps what they learned.
And all those pro photographers…yea well. Target brought in a couple of their pros to show the bosses that they weren’t spending their $$$ at Wal-mart. Their assistants got model releases so money-hungry people won’t sue, you now. Plaza brought in their photo guy to get photos for their scrapbook. And there were some press people there and amateurs with nice cameras building up their portfolios.
All the people in red bulls-eye shirts were volunteers kinda like when we clean up the side of the highways on the weekends.
The astro-turf was so the performers wouldn’t trip on the wires. They tried using orange and black duck tape at first without the turf but it was looking like a bad Halloween pinata. Last thing they wanted were the kids running up on stage hitting the performers with sticks hoping dulces would be flying out of their colas.
I don’t work for Target or Plaza so don’t hate cause I’m passing on facts. Maybe if more people contributed money to the non-profit they wouldn’t have to whore themselves out to the big gatos.
Oh! And the tacos gave me gas but no one from Plaza had to tell me that one…
Jorge A.
Jorge,
I hope you didn’t take some the comments too seriously, such as the comment about the astro-turf ,that was obviously a joke. Maybe it is Chicano-Study students laughing at them selves?
I’m not defending Target but stores like La Curacao have been sponsoring fairs, music festivals and etc. for many years, Target is expanding into the latino market which stores like La Curacao have dominated. I am always surprised how recent immigrants will go to La Curacao and pay higher prices because they feel welcome and at more at “home”
http://www.marketingymedios.com/marketingymedios/magazine/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002425665&imw=Y
Cheech must die!!!
Parquea=Estaciona
what’s next, beer corporations celebrating our independence and 5 de Mayo…oh wait, la cultural is for sale, we know who is selling but who is buying?
cindy.
Hello there i just read all the comment that everyone had to say about this event. I am the girl that’s in the picture singing! I really disagree with all the comments people had to say. All the facts that Jorge gave were true that’s why he said they were facts! The Target even happens every year and it is a big success! I love that I get the chance to participate i =n this even every year it’s a very nice event!
Instead of just basing what you see on the pictures go and enjoy the event to see for yourself what you guys think! Don’t base it on pictures!!!
thank you 🙂
Wow this event really seemed intertaining.