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Fiesta
Del Rio:
New
cultural
festival
celebrates
best of
Southwest
Detroit
August
27th
Grammy
Award-winning
musical
group
Ozomatli
to
headline
full day
of
entertainment
DETROIT,
MI - The
Detroit
RiverFront
Conservancy
is
partnering
with
Ideal
Group to
host the
inaugural
Fiesta
del Rio
Detroit
on
Saturday,
August
27, a
one-day
event at
West
Riverfront
Park
that
will
showcase
the
culture
and
vitality
of
Southwest
Detroit
through
live
music,
dance,
food,
artisans,
vendors
and a
low-rider
car
show.
The
festival
was
conceived
to not
only
celebrate
Latino
heritage
and
culture,
but to
build a
stronger
connection
between
the
Detroit
Riverfront
and the
Southwest
Detroit
community.
The
family-friendly
event
runs
from 11
a.m. to
10 p.m.
Admission
is $5
per
person,
but a
large
quantity
of free
passes
will be
distributed
by
community
organizations
throughout
Southwest
Detroit.
On-site
parking
is $5
per car.
The
event
will
feature
something
for
everyone,
including
a
diverse
offering
of music
and
entertainment
options.
Six
local
musical
acts and
dance
troupes
will
provide
entertainment
at the
main
stage,
leading
to an
evening
performance
by
Grammy
Award-winning
band
Ozomatli
at 8:30
p.m.
A
separate
stage
dedicated
to
children
and
youth
programming
will
feature
puppets,
spoken
word,
karate
demonstrations,
breakdancing,
ballet
and
traditional
folk
dance
troupes,
and
several
musical
performances
by local
artists.
Fiesta
del Rio
Detroit
will
also
offer a
diverse
selection
of
delectable
fare
from
local
restaurants
and food
trucks.
Ten food
vendors
from
throughout
the
Southwest
Detroit
community
will
provide
Mexican,
Dominican
and
Venezuelan-inspired
foods
for
purchase
at the
Taste of
Southwest
Detroit
food
court.
Local
artisans
working
as
painters,
ceramicists,
sculptors
and
visual
artists
will be
participating
in the
event
and
displaying
their
unique
creations.
Merchandise
vendors
will be
displaying
and
selling
their
wares
all day.
Additionally,
the
Westside
Majestics
club is
presenting
Slam
Saturday
from 11
a.m. to
7 p.m.,
a
low-rider
car show
and car
hop
featuring
more
than 100
cars.
Participants
will
compete
for a
$3,000
grand
prize.
General
Motors
joins
the
Fiesta
del Rio
Detroit
event as
sponsor
of a
hands-on
robotics
arena
for
children.
Several
FIRST
Robotics
teams
made up
of
students
from
Detroit
high
schools
and
their
engineering
mentors
from the
Robotics
Engineering
Center
of
Detroit
in
Southwest
Detroit
will
demonstrate
the
technology
behind
robotics
and
staff a
children’s
hands-on
activity
area.
FIRST
Robotics—an
abbreviation
of For
Inspiration
and
Recognition
of
Science
and
Technology—is
a yearly
competition
between
high
school
teams to
build a
robot
out of a
kit and
have it
accomplish
a
game-like
task.
West
Riverfront
Park’s
downtown
Detroit
location
and
natural
beauty
have
made it
one of
the most
popular
destinations
along
the
riverfront
since it
opened
two
years
ago.
“West
Riverfront
Park is
located
at the
intersection
of the
Mexicantown,
Corktown
and
Southwest
Detroit
communities,”
said
Mark
Wallace,
president
and CEO
of the
Detroit
RiverFront
Conservancy.
“We are
excited
about
bringing
the
festival
to the
riverfront
and
introducing
more of
our
neighbors
to West
Riverfront
Park.”
In
recent
years,
West
Riverfront
Park has
been the
site of
several
large-scale
events
and
concerts,
including
last
month’s
Mo Pop
Festival.
The
20-acre
park
features
wide-open
green
space
and
majestic
views of
the
Detroit
and
Windsor
skylines.
It is a
popular
place
for
fishermen,
runners
and
other
outdoor
enthusiasts.
West
Riverfront
Park is
located
at 1801
W.
Jefferson
Avenue
between
Joe
Louis
Arena
and Rosa
Parks
Boulevard.
As with
any
event
the size
of
Fiesta
del Rio
Detroit,
support
from the
community
is
integral
to its
success,
and
organizers
are
pleased
with the
support
they’ve
received
thus
far.
Southwest
Detroit’s
Ideal
Group
and the
family
of its
CEO and
Board
chair,
Frank
Venegas,
Jr., are
among
the
event’s
major
sponsors.
Supporting
the
Southwest
Detroit
community
is
something
that
Venegas—who
also
serves
as a
member
of the
Conservancy’s
board of
directors—takes
very
seriously.
“One of
the
things
The
Ideal
Group
and the
Venegas
family
strive
for is
to make
Detroit
number
one
again,”
said
Venegas.
“We want
to
highlight
Southwest
Detroit
and what
the
community
has done
to help
the City
of
Detroit
regain
its
stature
as a
place
where
people
want to
live.”
Venegas
founded
The
Ideal
Group in
1979 and
relocated
it to
Southwest
Detroit
20 years
ago. In
addition
to
providing
many
residents
throughout
Southwest
Detroit
with
jobs,
The
Ideal
Group
funds
multiple
programs
throughout
the
community
that are
geared
toward
youth.
Additional
sponsors
of
Fiesta
del Rio
Detroit
include,
Bridgewater
Interiors,
Garage
Cultural,
Hacienda
Foods,
Pepsi,
Southwest
Detroit
Business
Association
and
Young
Nation.
Community
organizations
supporting
the
event
include:
Clark
Park
Coalition,
CLAVE,
Compas,
Grace in
Action,
Living
Arts,
Motor
City
Dance
Academy
and
Patton
Park.
Sponsorships
and
other
opportunities
to
support
Fiesta
del Rio
Detroit
are
still
available.
Visit
fiestadelriodetroit.com
for more
information.
# # #
About
The
Detroit
RiverFront
Conservancy
The
Detroit
RiverFront
Conservancy
is a
non-profit
organization
founded
in 2003
with the
mission
to
develop
public
access
to
Detroit’s
riverfront
and
serve as
an
anchor
for
economic
development.
As the
permanent
stewards
of the
RiverWalk
and the
Dequindre
Cut, the
Conservancy
is
responsible
for
raising
the
funds
needed
for
construction,
operation,
maintenance,
security
and
programming
of the
public
spaces
located
along
the
riverfront.
The
Conservancy’s
ultimate
vision
is to
develop
five-and-a-half
miles of
riverfront
from the
Ambassador
Bridge
on the
west to
Gabriel
Richard
Park,
just
east of
the
MacArthur
Bridge
to Belle
Isle.
Visit
www.detroitriverfront.org
for more
information.
About
The
Ideal
Group
The
Ideal
Group,
Inc. is
headquartered
in
Southwest
Detroit
with
additional
locations
in
Howell
and
Lansing,
Michigan,
and
offices
in
Florida
and
Arizona.
The
Ideal
Group
consists
of eight
companies
with
approximately
600
employees
and
sales
approaching
$300
million.
Included
in The
Ideal
Group
are:
Ideal
Contracting,
Ideal
Shield,
Ideal
Setech,
Ideal
Setech
Share-the-Spare,
Ideal
MRO
Surplus
Now,
Ideal
Utility
Services,
and
Ideal’s
newest
company,
Ideal
Steel.
For more
information
on
Ideal,
visit
www.weareideal.com.
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