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Mexican Fiesta theme of free HCC event

Published: Connecticut Post May 3, 2004

Anyone looking to settle a score might take a worthy opponent to this week’s community festival at Housatonic Community College, where a volunteer sumo wrestling competition will be featured.

The free outdoor event, “Join the Fiesta,” will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday on the HCC courtyard, off Lafayette Boulevard.

In addition to friendly competitions, the school’s fifth courtyard festival will offer games, music, dance, art demonstrations and Spanish food.

John Favret, associate professor of art and computer graphics, describes it as “an annual event that’s a celebration of diversity in the fine arts.”

With the festival coinciding with Cinco de Mayo this year, organizers decided to loosely base the event on a Latin theme, said Favret, also chairman of the Center for the Arts Committee. The committee is one of several school organizations sponsoring the celebration.

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the triumph of the Mexicans over the much-larger French Army in the 1862 battle of Puebla.

The battle is considered a major factor in securing complete Mexican independence.

Apart from the Mexican and Latin theme, sumo, a Japanese form of wrestling, will be an event highlight, said Blaine Kruger, an HCC public relations officer.

“ It’s fun,” said Kruger. “We have these huge inflated suits that make everybody look fat. They look like a great big Michelin Man. They can’t bend their arms and can’t bend their knees.”

An HCC administrator “got clonked,” Favret said with a laugh recalling a sumo competition at last year’s festival.

Mexican food will be provided by Taco Loco Restaurant, and a piñata will be broken. Mexican bingo, featuring picture matching, will be offered. Musical performances will include a professional mariachi band.

“ Everything is free and open to the public,” Favret said. “This is an event that’s very spontaneous. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Demonstrations by various artists, including an ice carver, a ceramicist and a print-maker, will add to the festival offerings, along with a talk on the history of the feather pen.

The Essentials, a faculty-student musical group, will perform, as will the Bee Bop Kowboyz and the Rasta Dancers.

Local restaurants will provide pizza and ice cream.

Published: Connecticut Post May 3, 2004