The padrinos for the 233rd Our Lady of Belen Fiestas are Gene and Dolores Chavez and Louie and Jackie Aragon. The couples called the opportunity to serve an honor and a blessing.

223rd Our Lady of Belen Fiesta

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Thursday, Aug. 13-Sunday, Aug. 16

The Fiesta closes at 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday, and at 8:30 p.m., Sunday. 101-A N. 10th, Belen

Thursday, Aug. 13

5:30 p.m.: Vespers

Friday, Aug. 14

5 p.m.: Fiesta Mass

5:30 p.m.: Blessing of Fiesta Grounds

5:30 p.m.: Carnival and booths open

5:30 p.m.: Bingo sales (Session @ 6 p.m.)

6 p.m.: Stephen Flores tribute

6:30 p.m.: Sangre Joven de Las Vegas*

9 p.m.: Wild Country*

11 p.m.: Fiesta closing

Saturday, Aug. 15

10 a.m.: Parade on Main Street

11 a.m.: Carnival and booths open

11 a.m.: Car show

11 a.m.: Bingo sales (Session @ 12 p.m.)

12 p.m.: Silver Fox Band*

1 p.m.: Buena Suerte*

3 p.m.: Tesoro*

4 p.m.: Brenda Ortega y Clelo Azul*

4 p.m.: Bingo sales (Session @ 5 p.m.)

6:15 p.m.: Estilo featuring Frances Castellano*

9 p.m.: Jerry Dean (Special tribute to Al Hurricane Jr.)*

11 p.m.: Fiesta closing

Sunday, Aug. 16

1 p.m.: Carnival and booths open

1 p.m.: Second2Last Band*

1 p.m.: Bingo sales (Session @ 2 p.m.)

2 p.m.: Biscochito Contest

3 p.m.: Tortilla Contest

3 p.m.: Salo Garcia Chile Contest

3:30 p.m.: Luisa G y Grupo Sonido*

5:30 p.m.: Fiesta Royalty and Contest Winners

6:30 p.m.: Darren Cordova y Calor with Darren Lee and Dynette Marie*

8:30 p.m.: Fiesta closing and raffle

*Entertainment schedule subject to change.

(Carnival tickets are available for sale at the OLB Parish Office, 101-A N. 10th Street, for $25. Tickets are $35 at the carnival. Wrist bands are good for one day, all day. Purchaser chooses the date.)

BELEN — As the August heat continues, a familiar term is starting to be heard throughout the Hub City — Fiestas.

The 233rd annual Our Lady of Belen Fiesta is here and organizers say it’s bigger and better than last year. With a full tilt carnival, midway, bingo, music and food from Friday, Aug. 14, through Sunday, Aug. 16, the Fiesta grounds at the church, 101-A N. 10th St., will be the place to be this weekend.

Marianne Worley, 12, was the winner of this year’s art contest for the Fiestas. Her work is featured on the Fiesta posters.

Every year, two couples who are members of the parish are selected as the padrinos of the Fiesta. Serving as the padrinos, which translates to godparents or sponsors in English, comes with a good amount of responsibility for the four, but it is also an honor and a blessing they say.

Called on to help organize and support the celebration both before, during and after, Louie and Jackie Aragon and Dolores and Gene Chavez say they were surprised by their selection, but also deeply honored and excited to serve.

“I mean, who’s going to say no,” Louie quipped.

The four chuckle at the idea of a refusal, noting this isn’t the first time the four have served their church together. The couples were the Christmas padrinos about a decade ago.

Getting to interact with the community is something Jackie is looking forward to, while Louie says the Fiesta mass is his favorite of the celebration.

“It’s really beautiful,” Louie said.

During the Fiesta, it’s usually the funnel cakes and fiesta burgers that take center stage and gets the community excited, but the Fiesta is far more than carnival rides and games.

The Fiesta is the celebration of the feast day for the Virgin Mary. In the Catholic Church, a feast day is a special day set aside to commemorate a saint, event or mystery that holds significance in the life of Jesus, Mary or the Church. In the case of Our Lady of Belen, they are honoring Mary.

“We’re celebrating her,” Louie said.

The feast day “brings us closer to our mother, the Virgin Mother,” said Gene. “She is the mother of Jesus Christ. She is very happy we are praising him. It feels good doing this.”

Dolores called the celebration and being able to serve as padrinos “a blessing.”

Harking back to Louie’s earlier comment, Jackie reminds us that Mary never said no to her calling.

“She brought Him into this world. She never said no,” she said. “She suffered but her faith brought him.”

The Fiesta celebration, while religious in origin, is a far bigger tradition for so many people, Louie said.

This year’s Fiesta royalty competition drew out a deep field of youngsters running for princess, page, queen and knights. Pictured, front row, from left, are princess candidates, Kady Mikkelson, 7; Elise Sanchez, 7; page candidate, Christopher Mascarena, 8; princess candidates, Gracelyn Trujillo, 8, and Cora Sweeney, 7. Back row, from left are queen candidates, Dominique Benson, 17; Camryn Zamora, 17, and Ruth Worley, 14; and knight candidates, Dominic Sisneros, 14, and Samuel Sisneros, 16. Not pictured are, princess candidates, Edith Sanchez, Faustina Sanchez, Isabella Sanchez, Lily Sanchez, Senovia Sanchez, Celia Sanchez, Elena Sanchez, Lucia Sanchez, Anastasia Ward and Elliorah Willis, and page candidates, Anthony Sanchez, Arthur Sanchez and Phil Sanchez.

“It’s been a part of our lives always. As kids, we did it with our parents and grandparents. Our families were always involved,” he said. “And this does bring us closer to Mary.”

One of this year’s parade marshals, Debra Francis, knows all too well what the Fiesta tradition means to families.

“My birthday is Aug. 14,” she said with a smile. “I always knew one day I’d be a part of the Fiestas. Every year, for my birthday, I always knew where I’d be.”

Debra and her husband, Steve, will lead the parade down Main Street this year.

If the midway, carnival, food and music isn’t enough, there will also be a car and bike show this year. The show kicks off at 11 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 15. It’s $25 to pre-register at the parish office, 101-A N. 10th St., Belen, and $30 to register the day of the show.

According to entertainment coordinator Bryan Mascarena this year’s Fiestas is doing something special.

“We are bringing some of New Mexico’s top female vocalists to this historic event,” Mascarena wrote in a recent Facebook post. “Coming to Belen are multi time New Mexico Hispano Music Association female vocalists of the year.”

Coming in from the original Las Vegas, Brenda Ortega and her band, Cielo Azul, will take the stage, performing her hit remake of her father’s song, Padre Queido, as well as other favorites, including her new hit, Que Casualidad.

Steve and Debra Francis were selected as the parade marshals for this year’s Our Lady of Belen Fiestas parade, which will be at 10 a.m. down Main Street in Belen. The parade starts south of Camino del Llano and ends at the church, 101-A N. 10th St.

Another multi-time NMHMA female vocalist of the year winner, from Espanola, Frances Castellano and her band Estilo, will be performing numerous songs from throughout her career.

A special treat, traveling from Lubbock, Texas, is Luisa G y el Grupo Nuevo Sonido, a third NMHMA award winner.

One of the state’s top variety vocalists, Monique and band Second2Last will also be featured during the Fiestas, as well as Seline Dominguez from Buena Suerte. Not only is she a singer, but she showcases her talent on the trumpet.

The gentlemen aren’t left out, with two New Mexico Music Hall of Fame members performing over the weekend as well. Jerry Dean — the godson of the late Al Hurricane Jr. — and the Jerry Dean Band will be playing the late performer’s legendary hits in a tribute, as well as the music of the man who started it all, Al Hurricane.

The last day of the Fiestas will see a performer taking the stage for the first time in Belen in more than 20 years.

“This performer has done it all in New Mexico music,” Mascarena wrote. “From band of the year, male vocalist of the year and much, much more, the one and only Darren Cordova y Calor, along with Dynette Marie and Darren Lee will be hitting the stage.”

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233rd Our Lady of Belen Fiestas this weekend