…And then suddenly, it was over! After months of conscientious preparation and inflexible planning, the annual three-day festivity that celebrates the custom and tradition of the Filipinos this side of the world was finally over and done…and it was worth all the while ‘though sans fanfare.
The People’s Ball, a most touted summer event that serves as Fiesta in America’s curtain-raiser, pompously unbolted with an ambitiously conceptualized Gatsby-style theme — a distinctive episode of the Roaring 20s that pulled off with unparalleled grandiosity and topmost sophistication. The Friday night of August 12th at DoubleTree by Hilton in Newark, New Jersey, was compactly enveloped with nostalgic rendezvous and sentimental tete-a-tete seemingly in an era of feather boas and tiers and tiers of pearls. Ably hosted by Lenn Almadin-Thornhill, the People’s Ball was an evening of high-spirited time travel back to the days of Charleston, Jazz, Blues, and fringed-black dresses.
A well-choreographed production number that featured the Fiesta Dancers significantly achieved the evening’s intended ambience which was made even much more awe-inspiring by the performances of Michelle Michelle, Christopher Corro, Mitch Semana, Rasmin Diaz, Take The Stage Band, Master Keyboardist Eric Celerio and Top Saxophonist Adam Hutcheson.
This year’s crop of Empowerment Awardees as chaired by Darlene Borromeo was composed of Ambassador Mario De Leon, Jr., (Diplomatic and Community Service), Jorge Z. Ortoll (Theater and Arts), Lori A. Colineri (Global Nursing Leadership), Jan Bednar (Career Development / Professional Equality), Maria Teresa de Vries (Community Outreach), Jerry & Dolores Turco & Family (Life Changing Advocacy), and Pan American Concerned Citizens Action League, Inc, (PACCAL) (Organization of the Year).
The unrelenting revelry persisted the following two-day weekend that featured a comedy-musical extravaganza cum beauty pageant at the Meadowlands Expo Center in Secaucus, New Jersey.
Aside from the usual Cultural and Food Festivals, Networking and Fun Activities, a huge number of Trade Exhibitor and Sponsor Booths, Free Goya Cooking Show, Total Wellness Presentation, and Business and Franchising in the Philippines Workshop, Fiesta in America attendees experienced a full music galore from the sterling performances of Arato Brothers, Sounds of Manila, Take The Stage, and The Band of Brothers.
Host-comedians Jojo Mabolo and Poka effectually injected their own brand of comedy that tickled the crowd’s funny bones. While veteran stage performer Jo Awayan indefatigably belted out high-pitched danceable pieces, celebrity guests Paulo Avelino and Julia Montes, courtesy of ABS-CBN’s TFC, successfully sustained the atmospheric energy when they created havoc and pandemonium with their stellar appearances.
The coronation of the 2016 Grand Pilipinas Fiesta Pageant winners under the chairmanship of Tet Palencia and Lilian Vita (based from the choreography of Ogie Afable) more than boosted the vigor and vitality of the Sunday event. Statuesque front girl of the RELM Band Alyssa Jade Shoemaker bested other aspirants when she was crowned Grand Pilipinas Fiesta Princess 2016 after being judged Best in Talent and was earlier declared the first ever recipient of the Milagros Mendez Legacy Award. Finalist # 1 Dominique “Nikkei” Flores finished First Runner-up (Fiesta Princess America 2016) and walked away with Miss Photogenic and Best in Swimsuit titles. Fiesta Princess East Coast (2nd Runner-up) and Miss Congeniality titles title went to Tiffany Lyn while Melissa Pianin was crowned Fiesta Princess West Coast 2016 following her Best in Evening Gown award.
Fernando Mendez, Fiesta in America President and CEO, cannot thank Fiesta sponsors enough for their trust and support in making every Fiesta a success: TFC, Goya, Philippine Airlines, AARP, Western Union, T Mobile, Tancinco Law Offices, Port Jersey, Hackensack UMC, LBC, Fil-Aid, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Hudson Toyota, Resort World, Metrobank, Park Avenue Acura, Belmont Hotels & Resort, Madrid Crost Law Group, Joey Cruise, Organique, Liberty Savings, and all media partners: Asian Journal, One Philippines, The Filipino Reporter, The Filipino Express, Fil-Am Who’s Who, Inquirer.Net, Presko, and the Filipino Catholic.
What better way to describe the kaleidoscopic occasion than through series of photographs… since pictures can paint a thousand words…much more than what a poet could utter in prolific lingo.
Feast on a voluminous number of photographs as captured by Fiesta’s official shutterbugs and gaudily indulge your senses on Fiesta in America’s three-day merriment.
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