San Antonio church holds 21st annual fiesta

Angelo Lopez has seen 20 fiestas. He s heard kids scream on roller coasters, he's smelled those charred burgers and plump hotdogs. He s seen colorful canopies, faces painted, mouths chatter, faces smile Lopez has seen the Hills community come together as one, big, happy family at the San Antonio Catholic Church every year since 1978. This is probably the largest function in the Canyon, said Lopez about the popular Fiesta Time organized by the church in third week of September every year since it was formed. In fact, it was the fiesta that funded the church building which was dedicated in 1981. Until then, the parish got together at the El Rancho Middle School auditorium. The church turned 21 on Wednesday. Lopez still volunteers for the fiesta. Sitting inside a supply truck, giving instructions and chatting with his friend Pete Witte, they both recalled the beginnings. You know, Angelo was the chairman for the very first fiesta , Witte said. ing in with a laugh. There was no building here, just weeds. And our major task w as to pull out the weeds. I swear, some of those weeds were as tall as " They then cleared the ground and put sawdust on it. Angelo, remember our first one on the" asked Witte. Angelo nodded, smiling. We've come a long way from there, as you can see, he said. Today, the fiesta is a huge affair with hundreds of people not only from Anaheim Hills but also from neighboring areas such as Yorba Linda and Placentia. What started as an informal bake sale with a few game stands, now' has close to 35 booths including rides, games, a pastry booth, a beer garden and even a sports bar. There are no outside vendors. Every booth is m an aged by a volunteer. The event has tripled in term s of attendance, said the Rev. Seam us Glynn. And th a t s because the number of families that attend church has increased from 600 to 3,000 through the years, he said. This year, added attractions were balloon hats, a clown and a speedball stand for the sports jocks, said Jesse Guerrero, event chairman. The other popular events were bingo, the garage sale, crafts for kids and the auction. The event is also an opportunity for teen-agers to get together outside school,bois of Yorba Linda. Charlebois along with her friend Rebecca Fortezzo, who lives in Anaheim Hills has enjoyed the fiesta as long she remembers. I used to enjoy throwing darts and the goldfish g am e, "Now, I just enjoy the people. I like to hang out with my friends. It s the only event in the year that we get to do that. I wish there were more of these. The fiesta also appeals to firsttimers. Jewell Bonilla moved from El Centro to the Hills recently and she said it s a great opportunity for her to get to know other people in the community. This is a small town, she said, but there s a lot to do. Ultimately, for Angelo Lopez and the hundreds of people who enjoyed their weekend at the carnival, that is exactly what it boils down to. It s a cohesive method of bringing the community together, said Lopez. People see each other at church but m ay not even talk to each other then. But here, they re making tacos or hotdogs together. This is our home, our family. All PAC members were invited to vote for the candidates they believed deserved the PAC s endorsement. Though member businesrted by businesses that held more than one membership and turned in several ballots. (The multiple ballots) skewed the results, he said. Ultimately, the 13-member PAC board agreed on the endorsements. Nine of the 10 or and council candidates turned in questionnaires giving biographical information and explaining their positions on a range of issues including taxes, development in Anaheim and the role of city government. Those nine candidates also attended a chamber mixer and candidate forum in August to speak to the members. Council candidate Sean Leonard did not attend. Adams said the PAC was looking for " He feels Bostwick, Mayor Tom Daly, former councilman Frank Feldhaus, Kring and Zemel are the five strongest candidates. He said he and other PAC board m embers knew the most about those five candidates and sought to pick the best three of those. In future elections, A dam s said he plans to change the endorsement process to allow each business to vote only once.