Church Fiesta event offers family fun


Colonial Hills slates alcohol-free
activities during citywide party

By Rachel L. Toalson
Staff Writer
For more than a decade, Colonial Hills UMC has been offering good, clean family fun as part of San Antonio’s annual Fiesta celebration.
The San Antonio congregation is playing host to this year’s “Family Fiesta” April 26 from 5 to 9 p.m. on the church grounds. The event, an official part of the citywide Fiesta San Antonio, features carnival-like rides, food booths and entertainment.
Colonial Hills is the only United Methodist congregation that is officially part of the citywide Fiesta organization.
“This (event) is an outreach to the community,” said Secilie Piekos, who organizes Family Fiesta with her husband, Joseph. “There’s no smoking or drinking. This is for the family. Families like to come because they don’t have to worry about drunks.”
Joseph Piekos added, “It’s an evangelistic thing. We’re trying to get across to people that you can have fun without putting a bottle in front of you or a cigarette in your mouth. Families can just relax and have fun.”
Other Fiesta events allow drinking and smoking, he noted.
The Colonial Hills event is free, but families have to purchase tickets for rides and food, Joseph Piekos said.
Singer Clifton Jansky, who wrote “Amarillo by Morning” for country artist George Strait, is to provide some entertainment during this year’s event. Other performers include mariachi bands and the church’s youth jazz band.
Activities include face painting booths, pony rides and a petting zoo. Food booths feature items from local restaurants.
Organizers expect 4,000-to-5,000 people to attend—up from last year’s 3,000—because of more radio and direct-mail advertising than in the past.
The event is also listed on the Web site and in official publications from the Fiesta San Antonio Commission.
It’s the Piekos’ second year to organize the event—because they didn’t want it to die when the former organizers “retired.” Secilie Piekos said they believed it was important.
The event raises awareness about the church’s presence in the community, she said.
“It makes people more aware that there’s a church nearby,” she said. “We have our own school and after-school care. We’ve had people end up joining the church because they came to Family Fiesta.”
Fiesta San Antonio is a 10-day citywide party thrown each April. With more than 100 events, Fiesta is the nation’s largest festival done totally by nonprofit organizations.
Fiesta began in 1891 with a parade to honor the heroes of the Alamo and Battle of San Jacinto. Fiesta always includes April 21, San Jacinto Day.