By: jdc

Looks like the long hours spent by the FAAGR event committee paid-off. Most indications point towards the positive side of the scale.

Even the weather cooperated with the temperatures hovering to the 80's in contrast to last year's triple digit.

Attendance was a record high and so were the slew of performers and volunteers. The stage activities were really flowing through the brim. Three (3) very talented emcees had to be arranged to accommodate the day's event.

Several young and up & coming Filam singers went up the stage belting out their own piece to the audience delights. Another singing group came from UP Alumni Association of Sacramento chorale. Then a family of 3 plus one relative - the "62 Baler Band" followed suit.

Two well known Sacramento cultural dance troupes got the capacity crown off their feet with their graceful lineup of cultural dances. Some kids & adults even got a hands-on introduction to the bamboo dance, the TINIKLING. The Filipino Dance troupe composed of students from UC Davis and the Sinag-tala Filipino Theater and Performing Arts Association.

Then another group named the STEP BOYS came whirling and break dancing across the dance floor that caught much of the attention of the younger crowd and the rest. These bunch of young men & women consist mostly of filipinos teach the art of competitive HIP HOP & BREAK DANCING.

And as I gazed through the jammed-packed Jones building, I can see the FAAGR First Aid booth filled with medical professional volunteers (mostly nurses from Kaiser Roseville) in full force for any medical response needs. Other than some people complaining of overeating those mouth-watering Filipino foods and somebody grasping for air for having so much fun .... The fiesta had accident-free record.

One of the highlights of the day was the dance demonstrations from Arthur Murray Dance Co and the Roseville Dance Studio.

Filipino Fiesta wouldn't be complete without children reaching up for some candies at the PABITIN ((lattice of goodies). At one time when the children began playing SIPA (Sipa uses a metal washer covered with cloth, which gets kicked. This version is played by both girls and boys), I witnessed an older Korean man playing the same game and asked where he learned it. He replied, “we have the same kind of game in Korea".

Some permanent fixtures in a fiesta would include the FOOD vendors. Surely, Manila Grille & Loompya restaurants did not disappoint the hungry fairgoers with varied selections of Filipino & Chinese cuisines at their disposal. And to top it off... HALO HALO to cool down.

The program culminated with the cultural fashion show represented by the diverse regions of the Philippine archipelago. A total of 60-plus individuals fervently took part in the fashion show. Some even indicated their interest in joining the next time around.

And as if the fun-filled day way not enough, comes the public dancing an hour after the fiesta and just enough time for the setup crew to prepare the dance floor. The first hour was devoted to free ballroom dance lessons conducted by the two dance studios.

What a moment and a time for reflecting on our own cultural heritage even for a day.

Hopefully, we'll see the fiesta in this part of town again next year. Cross your fingers.