Festival Make-Over Features Family Fun, City’s Heritage

Gilbert Madrid spent a relaxing Father’s Day with his son Michael playing carnival games, taking a spin on the roller coaster and eating junk food at the 73rd annual San Fernando Fiesta.

The Madrids were among hundreds who braved temperatures in the upper 80s Sunday to celebrate the culmination of the city’s 10-day festival, which combined Heritage Days with the annual fiesta. For the first time, it was held in the city’s downtown mall.

“It’s good to get out with my son and spend some time with him since it’s Father’s Day,” said Madrid, 37, of Sylmar as he ate a torta filled with carne asada. “I also like the way they shut down the streets so families can have a good time.”

Recreation Park was home to the San Fernando Fiesta beginning in the early 1980s, but organizers changed venues to the city’s downtown this year for better visibility, said Joe Sandoval, president and chief executive of the San Fernando Chamber of Commerce and the event’s organizer. A 1 1/2-block radius around San Fernando Road was closed to traffic for the event.

“We didn’t know if the change would be well-received by the local businesses or by the residents,” Sandoval said.

Some of the businesses in the downtown mall took advantage of bustling crowds walking past their shops by offering sidewalk sales.

“I think the festival is good because it’s bringing a lot of people to downtown to see what we have to sell,” said Juan Alvarez, manager of J&L; Shoes on San Fernando Road. “After everyone looks around the festival, they come here to buy stuff.”

In its beginnings, the fiesta was a weeklong event that resembled a county fair, complete with candle makers, leather crafters, farmers and livestock, Sandoval said.

The event was scaled back in the 1960s but resurged when rides were introduced in the 1970s, he said. In the 1980s, it turned into a fund-raiser for nonprofit organizations, since their main source of income--fireworks sales--was outlawed in the city at that time.

“The festival has been through a lot of changes,” Sandoval said. “But we’re trying to make it grow again.”

This year, organizers revisited earlier times as they incorporated the fiesta with Heritage Days, resuming more than a week of events and celebrations the city hadn’t seen in more than 30 years. They said the 10-day festival attendance would reach 30,000.

On Sunday, live music blared from a stage sponsored by Spanish-language radio stations. Men eagerly threw balls at a dunk tank to watch two young women plunge into cold water. Festival-goers ate tacos, burritos and tortas as the smell of barbecued meat filled the air.

Johnny Infante of Sylmar visited the fiesta with his wife, Veronica, and their daughter, Abigail, to spend some time together.

“There’s a lot to see here, but it’s too hot,” Infante, 24, said as he wiped his brow. “But what else can you do with your family on Father’s Day?”

Sandoval plans to expand the festival next year with additional entertainment stages for performances by local schools and bands. He also wants to see more local artists to showcase the area’s heritage and culture.

“We have a 200-year-old mission and so much history to celebrate in our city,” Sandoval said. “The community really does have a lot to be proud of.”