A Historical Fiesta Fête

Fiesta fever was palpable when the Santa Barbara Historical Museum hosted its La Fiesta del Museo, chaired by Sharon Bradford, for the first time in two years with 300 traditionally garbed guests helping raise 10% of the popular institution’s annual budget.

A colorful variety of musical acts kept the fiesta fans entertained including Juan Zaragoza and the Mariachi Las Olas; guitarist Luis Moreno; Junior Spirit Layla Gocong, a fourth grader at Crane Country Day School; the Spirit of Fiesta Tara Mata, a college student and dance instructor at Zermeno Dance Academy; Grupo de Danza Folklorico Quetzalcoatl, dancers from Flamenco Santa Barbara, and Timo Nuñez, who was featured on NBC’s World of Dance and Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance.

Others in the heavenly host of performers included award-winning Gypsy singer José Cortés, guitarist Alex Jordan, and percussionist Gerardo Morales, who studied at the Conservatorio Profesional de Música “Cristóbal de Morales” in Seville, Spain. Local band Elements wrapped the evening with a heady mixture of Funk, R&B, Latin, and Soul.

Auction prizes conducted by ubiquitous KEYT-TV reporter John Palminteri included a stay at the newly restored Inn at Mattei’s Tavern in Los Olivos, which went for $4,500; a carriage ride for four in the El Desfile Histórico parade in August, snapped up for $5,000; and a fiesta fête for up to 50 guests at the museum, which went for $12,000.

Among the fiesta fans having fun were mayor Randy Rowse, Gretchen Lieff and Miles Hartfeld, George Leis, David Bolton, Lynn Kirst, David Bradford, Riley and Dacia Harwood, Nicholas and Patricia Weber, Brian Hodges, Stephanie Petlow, Brett and Natalie Hodges, Martin and Gina Bell, John and Cynthia Hall, Thad and Laurie MacMiIlan, Michele and Marie Profant, Rick Oshay, Carol Wathen, Mark and Diana Vestal, Bob Johnson and Lisa Reich, Erin Graffy and Jim Garcia, Ben Feld and Rhonda Henderson, Kevin and Sheila Snow, Marc Appleton, Frank McGinity, and Hilary Burkemper, the museum’s new president…