Frank X. Moraga
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805
So you think you have until next month to even start thinking about the 21st annual Oxnard Salsa Festival, scheduled for July 26 and 27 in downtown Oxnard.
Well, if you are planning on entering the “Great Oxnard Salsa Challenge 2014” you better start testing out your recipes because entries are now being accepted.
In fact the entry form is due by Friday, July 11. With a limit of 50 salsas and pre-registration required, time is indeed running short.
There is a $25 entry fee per salsa, with one souvenir t-shirt per entry.
Winning salsas will be selected in several categories including Best Red, Best Green, Best Fruit, Best Mild, Best Medium and Best Hot. The Judge’s Choice Winner (the best of the best!) will be awarded with a $100 cash prize from the Oxnard Salsa Festival. First-place category winners receive a Festival “goodie bag” and a $30 restaurant gift certificate from ‘the kitchen’ eatery, which was featured on ‘Diners, Drive-ins & Dives’ with Guy Fieri on the Food Network.
Entry forms are available online at www.oxnardsalsafestival.com or by calling 805-247-0197.
However, there is more to the Oxnard Salsa Festival than tasty salsa. The event will include musical entertainment, an eclectic vendor marketplace, international foods, kid korner, cooking demonstrations and the popular “Dancing with out Community Stars” dance contest & charity fundraiser, which has raised thousands of dollars for local nonprofit organizations.
In this Summer entertainment edition, it would be appropriate to report on the upcoming acts at the festival.
While scheduled to open Saturday, July 26, the festival actually kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday, July 25 with entertainment provided by the Oxnard Salsa Orchestra, led by Oxnard born and raised veteran percussionist Raul Rico Jr. The orchestra will provide a mix of classic and ‘Old School’ salsa music from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. Tickets are $10 per person for the general concert or lawn seating, with tables for six available for $85.
Following the opening-night concert, entertainment shifts to the main stage at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 26 with the performance by OPA OPA, an L.A.-based band formed in 1987 by Oswaldo Bernard and Anthony Apollo.
The Salsa Dance Showcase, featuring performances by Ventura and Santa Barbara-based dance companies, will begin at 1 p.m.
Sabor Latino Orchestra, which organizers said ranks among the most accomplished performers of the golden era of the Mambo Kings, New York Salsa and Afro-Cuban music, will perform at 2 p.m.
The Yari Moré Latin Band will conclude the first day of entertainment at 4:45 p.m. For more than 20 years it has shared the stage with the biggest names in the salsa world including Tito Puente, Grupo Niche, Tony Vega, Marc Anthony, Tito Nieves, Eddie Santiago and Johnny Rivera.
Day-two entertainment begins at 11 a.m. Sunday, July 27 with the performance by Conjunto Afro Son. Bandleader, director and bongo player Bobby Escoto III’s goal is to increase awareness of the new generation about Afro Cuban and Puerto Rican music.
The annual “Dancing with Our Community Stars – Dance Contest & Charity Fundraiser” will be held at 1 p.m.
Orquesta Tabaco y Ron, featuring bandleader, producer and pianist Hector Manuel Rivera, and lead vocalist Martin Padilla, will perform at 2 p.m.
Closing out the entertainment is the Janeen Puente Orchestra at 4:45 p.m., under the leadership of Janeen Puente, granddaughter of the late legendary Tito Puente, and musical director Fabian Otero.
The festival will be held both days from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Plaza Park, Fifth and B streets. Call 805?247-0197, or visit www.oxnardsalsafestival.com for more festival information.
— Frank X. Moraga is editor/publisher of Amigos805. He has served as business editor, director of diversity and general manager of a bilingual publication at the Ventura County Star, and as a reporter in the community editions of the Orange County Register and Los Angeles Daily News.