Shortly after the meeting last Sunday, January 22nd, where the community overwhelmingly voted to hold our annual festival on September 15-16, 2012, rather than in June, and where they also overwhelmingly voted to have a beer tent, someone mentioned Fiesta Texas which is a week long Spring celebration in San Antonio, Texas. I remember it from my graduate days in San Antonio. It made me think: perhaps we should change the title of our Fiesta to Fiesta Michigan from its traditional title Fiesta Mexicana. After reading feedback on facebook, and after giving further thought to the matter, I was led to believe that the title should remain Fiesta Mexicana, but I thought, perhaps we can add the subtitle: An American Tradition, so thus it would read, Fiesta Mexicana, An American Tradition. But then I thought, it isn't so much an American tradition as in the entire United States as it is a Michigan Tradition. This led me to this thought, perhaps the subtitle should be: A Michigan Tradition for 50 years. Thus is would read:
Fiesta Mexicana
A Michigan Tradition for 50 years
I am not sure if it has been 50 years or if it has been more, I will find out and make the correction, but in any case, adding the subtitle would make the indirect point that this Fiesta has been put on over the years by Americans of Mexican descent. That is, the people who have planned and executed this Fiesta have been more often than not American born, educated in American schools, many of whom have fought in foreign wars and worn the American flag proudly on their uniforms. That is, though we are proud of our Mexican Heritage, as we should be, we are first and foremost proud Americans. This is the point I wanted to convey in my original thought of changing it to Fiesta Michigan. Adding A Michigan Tradition for 50 years seems to help in making that point. How we design the posters and so on can also help in making that point. For example, one could proudly display the American and Mexican flag somewhere in the poster. In any case, this last title is not changing the traditional title, simply adding to it. I hope you like it.
