(September 18, 2007) – The Kansas City Wizards will be feature sponsors of the 24th annual Fiesta Hispana, held at Barney Allis Plaza in downtown Kansas City Saturday and Sunday September 22-23. The Wizards will have a presence from noon – 9 p.m. both evenings with an information and merchandise booth complete with Wizards gear and giveaway items. A watch party will be held at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday as the Wizards travel to face Chivas USA in Los Angeles.
“Fiesta Hispana is the biggest event of its kind in the Midwest,” Wizards Director of Latino Relations Leobardo Prieto said. “It’s going to be a very festive atmosphere that we are happy to help create during the day and especially Saturday night for the watch party. If we had our way, every Wizards game would be a Fiesta Hispana because of the ambiance and excitement that passionate fans bring to a match.”
"In its 24th year, the Fiesta Hispana is a huge celebration honoring Kansas City's rich, diverse Latino cultures with great food and entertainment for everyone," said James Jaramillo, Hispanic Heritage Committee Board member. "This partnership between Fiesta Hispana and the Kansas City Wizards is not only exciting but a great way to commemorate National Hispanic Heritage Month."
Wizards staff, Starting 11 Girls and mascot Dynamo the Dragon will be present at the booth both days as an expected 40-50,000 people gather at Barney Allis Plaza to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs September 15 – October 15.
“The Wizards are proud to be a major part of Fiesta Hispana for the first time in the team’s history,” Executive Vice President Greg Cotton said. “This is just another of our efforts to reach out and embrace the Latino community in Kansas City and the Midwest and hopefully get Hispanic fans to adopt our exciting team and brand of futbol as their own.”
About Fiesta Hispana
In celebration of our Hispanic/Latino contributions to America's greatness Fiesta Hispana is produced by the committee board of directors, advisory members and CEO Emerita with the cooperation of collaborative partners Guadalupe Centers, Inc., Labor Council for Latin American Advancement/AFL-CIO, Mattie Rhodes Counseling & Art Center and LULAC Educational Service Center of Kansas City and support from philanthropic benefactors and corporate sponsors. Under the leadership of co-founders Jose Gonzalez, Becky Jaramillo and Ninfa Garza and their spouses Fiesta Hispana began in 1980 as a small street festival growing into a grand tradition since 1983 at downtown Kansas City's Barney Allis Plaza. With an average overall attendance of 40 to 50,000 Fiesta Hispana is now the largest free admission public Hispanic event in the metro area and the Midwest.
About the Kansas City Wizards
The Kansas City Wizards celebrate their twelfth season in Major League Soccer with the innovative vision of new ownership and the aggressive, attacking style of a new coaching staff. The organization possesses the drive to spearhead new ideas and make the Wizards the premier organization in MLS. Kansas City was introduced as one of the 10 charter members of MLS on June 6, 1995. The Wizards have captured two major championships in team history. The Wizards won the 2000 MLS Cup Championship and the 2004 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup trophy. The Wizards continue to strive for excellence on and off the field and pride themselves on their ability to touch lives in the Midwest and make Kansas City a better place to live through philanthropic activities.
