A U.S. Senator and Texas’ First Lady are to be honored special guests at the Fiesta San Antonio 2008 Opening Ceremony April 18.
Senator John Cornyn and Anita Perry are scheduled to join John Steen, president of the Fiesta San Antonio Commission, on stage in front of the Alamo in a one-hour ceremony starting at 9 a.m. The senator will give brief remarks, and Perry is to narrate a short reenactment of the very first Battle of Flowers.
Chris Penrose, a vice president of AT&T, is to present a donation to the Fiesta Commission Charitable Corp. during the event. AT&T is the Opening Ceremony underwriter. The entire ceremony will be broadcast live on KABB-TV. KABB news anchors Mike Valdes and Cynthia Lee will emcee.
The annual ceremony is to feature musical entertainment and the traditional tie cutting by Billy Atwell (King Antonio LXXXVI). He’ll snip the neckwear worn by Dr. Francisco Cigarroa, the chairman of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. Shortly after, confetti will fly as Fernando Reyes (El Rey Feo LX) cracks a cascarón over the head of A.J. Rodriguez, president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
County Judge Nelson Wolff and Mayor Phil Hardberger will also take part in the festivities.
The Opening Ceremony kicks off 10 days of events throughout the city and beyond. Every official Fiesta event is sponsored by a local nonprofit organization or military group. Fiesta never ends because these groups serve their community throughout the year.
The Fiesta San Antonio Commission is a nonprofit organization that plans, coordinates and preserves Fiesta San Antonio through the support of its participating member organizations. Visit its website at fiesta-sa.org.
Fiesta 2008 sponsors include Chevrolet, AT&T, Capital One Bank, H-E-B, Bud Light/Budweiser, Southwest Airlines, E. & J. Gallo Wineries, Coca-Cola, Pulsar Records, & GoVision. Underwriters include Capital One Bank, AT&T, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, Steves & Sons, Inc. Media Sponsors: KABB/KMYS Television Stations, La Prensa, KJ-97, MIX 96.1, THE NEW Q 101.9, WOAI-AM, TICKET 760. In-Kind Sponsors: Historic Sunset Station, Staybridge Suites, Martin & Drought, PC, Lone Star Special Tees, The CE Group, Santikos Theatres, Dixie Flag.
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