Our Lady of Perpetual Help (OLPH), a Catholic church in Santa Clarita Valley, held a barbeque fiesta fundraiser for friends, family and churchgoers from Sept. 29 to Oct. 1. Money raised went directly towards supporting the church and its growing community.
Since 1944, OLPH has held yearly barbeque fiestas which foster fun for all ages in the local community. This year, they celebrated their 79th annual fiesta. Cristina Dominguez, the event’s Spanish MC, described “For 79 years in a row, we’ve been doing this. This is a big event for the church to raise money [and] this is the only one that is a huge event.”
Loly Adams, an attendee of the carnival, has watched as younger family members have attended the fiesta over the years, from her little sister to her daughters and now her nieces. She finds the experience memorable as she watches her loved ones form memories and enjoy the event. Adams expressed, ”[I] even [brought] my sister because she’s so young, so it’s [a] very nice [event].” She added, “I am looking forward to seeing more fun for my niece because when she has fun, I’m happy.”
At the barbeque fiesta, people participated in a variety of games. These activities included firing Nerf guns at targets and popping balloons. Attendees also supported the fundraiser by purchasing from vendors. Vendor Cheri Whelan explained her reason for volunteering at the event. “I love this SCV community, or else I wouldn’t be [selling confetti eggs] for 15 years.” She added, “Some people have been doing it for 35 and 40 [years] because we love our community. And we love [when people come] in from the community into [the OLPH] community.” She also explained what she was selling at the fiesta: “I am currently selling weapons of mass destruction–egg destruction, that is. It is the safest, most fun war on the planet, where collateral damage is a new confetti hairdo.”
There was entertainment ranging from large-scale carnival rides to a stage with music. The event featured musical artists of different genres every night, such as classic rock and pop, cumbia, country, mariachi, swing and Motown. On the first day of the event, there was a Beatles tribute band, and the following day, there was a Taylor Swift tribute. Dominguez excitedly shared, “[On] Saturday, [guess] who’s coming? [A] Taylor Swift [tribute band]. And she is going to be here from 7:30 to 8:30 [p.m].”
Dominguez commented on her favorite part of the carnival: the food. The fiesta featured many booths with a variety of Hispanic, Italian, Filipino and American cuisines, as well as booths with quintessential carnival snacks such as cotton candy, churros and sodas. “We have Italian food, we have Filipino food, hamburgers, hot dogs [and] Mexican, of course.” Dominguez elaborated.
Volunteers with a desire to help the OLPH community were running the fiesta’s many operations, from cooking food to organizing trash. Dominguez described how the volunteers came days in advance to set up for the event: “In the afternoon, since Wednesday and Thursday, [there were] a lot of volunteers.” She added, “I am an employee, but even this time, I am a volunteer.”
With the money raised, OLPH is planning on expanding its space. This larger, newer church will be built on the empty lot near the main church. This new structure will be able to accommodate the growing OLPH community. Dominguez explained, “We are wishing to get enough money to build a new church, because [the current one] is small. And the new church, hopefully with this big event to raise money, will be where the rides are on the dirt. That’s [where] they’re gonna build hopefully soon.”
Overall, the event was a success. With a wide variety of activities, music and food, there’s sure to be something for everyone. No matter the occasion, the OLPH fiesta is an unforgettable experience.
