Fiesta Finale

The John E. Profant Foundation for the Arts welcomed everyone to “Where Fiesta traditions began,” the El Paseo Restaurant for one final night of celebrating. John Profant was born in Santa Barbara on May 23, 1928. His parents, Dr. Henry and Mabel Profant, were very active in the cultural community, helping to found CAMA and serving on the board for 50 years. He performed and supported the arts while raising a family and having a long career in business. In his honor his four daughters (Michele, Marie, Musette, and Mignonne), plus his wife, Lyn, established their Foundation that helps artists of all ages in the community through scholarships.

In 1950 a young woman and her sister visited the Courthouse Tower and heard the docent tell about Fiesta. They went to the heart of Fiesta, the El Paseo restaurant, where a tall, handsome man asked the young woman to dance. He was a José Moneró dancer and she was a ballerina. They soon married and raised four daughters, building a float every year for the Children’s Parade. The young man was John Profant.

This night nearly every person had on Fiesta finery, but David Bolton took home the prize for men with his traje corto from Spain and Teresa Newton-Terres for the ladies. She bought her stunning dress on a trip to Spain. The Michelangelo Award winners were Richard and Amanda Payatt for significant contributions to the community. The Art Comes to Life painting came from the Myrurgia perfumery in Spain in 1916 that makes the Maja scent and has the señorita in the black and red dress on the label still. The beautiful singer Camila Lima recreated her pose. There followed a rich and varied evening of professional singing and dancing with the audience cheering the performers on.

See you at Fiesta Finale 2023. Viva la Fiesta!