It’s that time of year again
where the community gathers
to celebrate Fiesta La Ballona
with music, games, food
and usually beautiful August
weather. The contests and
carnival rides, along with the
photo opportunities that arise
throughout the three-day celebration
what make familyfriendly
event a staple of the
community. While for many
Fiesta La Ballona is an opportunity
to enjoy the final week
of the summer by catching up
with friends and neighbors, the
Fiesta itself is an ever-evolving
historical event. Every Fiesta
La Ballona tells us the story of
a different year that has come
and gone, unknowingly leaving
us with the task of molding
the next 12 months to come. It
is hard to imagine what went
through the minds of those
individuals responsible for
organizing the very
first Fiesta La Ballona.
It is safe
to say they
too looked
forward to
cooking outdoors;
it can
safely be
a s s u m e d
that there
was a
d i s c u s –
sion about
the entertainment
to
be provided
and what would
make an ideal location for the
event. What this group of pioneers
certainly never envisioned
was that in 2013 the
Fiesta would include a blues
band, a hip hop performance or
a rock n’ roll rewind all in the
same night. A mariachi performance
was not in their plans
nor did they ever expect to get
groovy to the sounds of disco.
However, these early leaders
did know one thing: that
the city that they so much loved
and made their home would
change, much like them, with
age. The kids would grow up,
the adults would get older and
each year would be just a little
bit different from the previous.
This end-of summer celebration
was definitely remembering
the past but it was a chance
to embrace the present once
more before it slipped away to
make room for the future. The
pictures that we take this year
will one day be seen by future
Culver City residents in amusement
or disbelief at our sense
of fashion but with nostalgia
for a period of time that was not
theirs but that helped define
their present. This popular
event celebrates and preserves
the city’s rich heritage, but
it is up to the residents to get
together and make this year’s
Fiesta La Ballona the most
memorable celebration up to
date so that future generations
can be look back on what they
missed out in 2013
