Peralta — It is time again to celebrate Peralta and bring the fall season in with a bang.
This will be the seventh year of the Fiesta’s de Peralta y Valencia and the party will be in full swing on Saturday, Oct. 7, with a parade, a car show, games and of course fireworks.
News-Bulletin file photo
The car show at the annual Fiesta’s de Peralta y Valencia is sure to have a lot of interesting vehicles on display.
“There is no charge to get in. There will be plenty of parking, great music and dancing,” said Peralta Mayor Bryan Olguin.
The fiestas have come a long way in a short time. They were originally the brainchild of Peralta resident Dick Wayne, who brought the idea to Olguin that the town should have some kind of event to celebrate the history and heritage of the township of Peralta.
Olguin brought the idea to the town council and, together, they came up with the idea to have residents bring their arts and crafts, have music and dancing, and of course fireworks.
Peralta Councilor Claudio Moya took the reins and got all the entertainment, vendors, tents and the stage set up for the fiestas. Since then, Councilors Moya and Randy Smith, with the help of their families and staff, have taken the fiestas to new heights.
“I would like to thank the council members, past and present, the families of the council members, the staff and everyone who has helped put this shindig together. It is a lot of work. It wouldn’t be possible without the community coming together,” said Olguin.
The festivities will begin at 10 a.m. with the parade, which will start at the Peralta Town Hall at 90-A Molina Road, and will head west. The parade ends at the fiesta grounds on the corner of Molina Road and N.M. 47.
Valencia County resident, Helen Jaramillo, organizes the parade and brings veterans, the Valencia County Sheriff’s Posse and other groups together. Olguin says she has done a “stupendous job” of organizing the parade.
The fiesta will showcase five bands, providing music from morning until night. Montana will perform from 10-11:30 a.m., followed by the Ralph Miramontes Band from noon until 2 p.m. Str8 Shot will take the stage from 2:30-4 p.m. Next up is Peter Vigil and the All Star Band, performing from 4:30-6 p.m. Finally, Tripple-X will close out the fiestas with their performance from 6:30-8 p.m.
Motorheads who want to check out all the cool cars in the county should get to the fiestas for the car show at 10 a.m. Those who want to showcase their prized vehicles can do so without an entry fee, but donations are welcome. The show features numerous categories for awards, such as hot rods, motorcycles and foreign cars.
Along with all the good music and food, there will be plenty of games and face painting for the kids and, at 2 p.m., the winners of the raffle ticket sales will be crowned as the queen and two princesses of the fiestas.
Make sure you don’t miss the Valley Fireworks’ grand finale fireworks show.
“The Isotopes have nothing on our fireworks show,” says Olguin.
Jesse Jones lives in Albuquerque with his wife and son. Jesse graduated from of the University of New Mexico twice. This spring, he graduated with a degree in multimedia journalism and, in 2006, he received a bachelor’s degree in university studies with an emphasis in photojournalism. He is a current fellow of the New Mexico Local News Fund.
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May 2, 2024
