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Los Fresnos’ First Conjunto Festival Draws Big Crowds, Success
- Updated: November 2, 2018
Chamber, business and conjunto organizers cutting a red ribbon to kick off the festival. Photos: Tony Vindell/LFN
by Tony Vindell/LFN
The first annual Conjunto Festival held in Los Fresnos brought people from all over the Rio Grande Valley and beyond to listen, to dance and to enjoy three days of fun and comradery.
Close to 20 bands, some local and some from throughout the Lone Star State, entertained the crowds during the festival held at Memorial Park.
The event was relocated to Los Fresnos 25 years later from its original home base in San Benito.
Ramon Lucio y Conjunto Dominante playing during the festival.
“It’s finally happening,” Rogelio Nunez, spokesman with the Narciso Martinez Cultural Arts Center, said while inaugurating the festival on Friday, Oct. 19. “This is the result of months of preparations. Thanks for coming and enjoy it.”
Mayor Polo Narvaez, who welcomed the crowd on behalf of the city, said he grew up listening to conjunto music.
Enrique Jaurez, board president with Los Fresnos Community Development Corp., said everybody is now ready “a levantar polvo.”
He was referring to a time when people dance on the ground and, as they kept dancing, a cloud of dust could be seen rising from dancing area.
“We called it a levantar polvo,” Juarez said. “Times are changing but we still remember those days.”
Conjunto fans danced till they dropped during the three-day event.
He then reminded the crowds the role EDC plays in the local economy.
‘We have pumped in more than $100,000 into the economy in the last 10 years alone,” he said. “We like to contribute toward the economic development of this city.”
Among the hundreds of people at the festival was Elva Salazar.
She said a group of 10 of them, some of whom are from as far as Chicago, have been attending the festival for many years.
“We have been at previous festivals held in San Benito,” she said, “and we are now here.”
As they music went on, some conjunto fans danced to their hearts content while other sat on both sides or on back of the stage where one conjunto after another delighted the crowd with this unique musical genre.
Val Champion, executive director with the local chamber of commerce, said he was pleased with the festival.
“I believe it was good for Los Fresnos and for the entire community,” he said. “The weather cooperated, especially on Saturday when we had bigger crowds.”
Part of a crowd listening to one of several bands.
Champion said they also had the Artisans Market, which helped to draw more folks.
“We wanted to combine the two events and it worked out real well,” he said. “We added more selection to those who attended the festival.”
Overall, the crowds were bigger than when it was held in San Benito, according to people familiar with the conjunto festival.
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