Guerreros at Lalo's

The flyer for our fundraiser has a lot of history in it. I've written about the Danzon in earlier posts. If you look back to earlier posts you'll a bit about how this Studio/Supper Club came to be in Pasadena.

The folks below are members of the familia Guerrero. Their daughters Pat and Rosie have long shared their family history with Latino Heritage and we have in turn shared the history at the parade & jamaica or at workshops we've offered.

I could fib and say that this photo took place in Pasadena, but it didn't. It took place at Lalo Guerrero's night spot - Lalo's in East L.A. There's a lot of detail in the photo, but every time we talk about their family I'm surprised to learn yet another fact.

Among the facts I can easily share is that Mrs. Guerrero was quite the seamstress. The dress she is wearing (lace collar) was probably designed and then sewn by her. Mr. Guerrero played baseball on a team that was based in Pasadena.

We'll plan to have this image, and others from this era on exhibit at our fundraiser.

Tickets can be purchased ahead of time via Brown Paper Tickets: here is the link -

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/171510

While strolling down the Paseo...

James and I just about bumped into each other. We knew about the Rose City Ballroom but it was located on Fair Oaks, almost in South Pasadena. So what a surprise to see Christian and Annette at their new digs at the Paseo.

Christian Perry has his own show on the Arroyo Channel, choreographs and dances on Dancing with the Stars. He and Annette Nicole are award winning dancers. Annette has also served on the Pasadena Northwest Commission. You've also seen them in the Rose Parade, but may not have known their names or known that they live and work in Pasadena.

Summertime will be filled with dance in the main mall and they'll be leading the lessons. I've never been a participant, but have seen the lessons and it always looks like folks are having great fun. Sounds like a win, win, win situation all 'round.

They asked me to spread the invitation to their second anniversary celebration of

Rose City Ballroom in Pasadena.

The event will take place on April 16th, 7:00P.M. at the

Historic Raymond Theater

125 N. Raymond Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91103

There'll be performances, refreshments, and a red carpet all free of charge.

Save the DATE!

On May 1st Latino Heritage will have its first formal fundraiser at the Pasadena Senior Center.

An Evening at the Danzon will be a recreation of the Latino social scene during the Post World War II years in Pasadena.

Guests will have the opportunity to participate in an evening that will include a dancing lesson, cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, and dancing to live music. The schedule is listed on the image.

The Danzon was a Studio Club that existed on Holly Street from 1947 to 1954. Daniel Castro, Sr., and Sergio Lopez, Sr. who had the dream of the Danzon and later managed it.

Having a supper club was very much a part of the Mexican American scene during this era. The couples in the flyer are members of the Guerrero family at Lalo Guerrero's club in East L.A. Also pictured is Gracy Lopez, a glamorous and talented beauty.

Individual tickets are $78. Tables are available at $60/ticket. Tickets will be on sale beginning Monday, April 11th via Brown Paper Tickets.

As the flyer states - period attire will be encouraged!

So many entries, so many choices.

It was grand to see the number of entries for this year's contest, only down side was having to pick a first and second prize winner.

Thanks to Joan and Nadia, PUSD/LADD office, for all their work. Thanks to judges Dr. Kathee Bautista, Maritza Espinoza Canto, Liz Espinoza, Porfirio Frausto, James Grimes, and Dr. Thelma Reyna.

They deliberated with each other about the content and technique in each piece of art and essay. If you go to the link at the end of this blog you can see images of the artwork. Great work all.

Art (1,2)

k-1

Noeli Chavez, Helen Hu

2-5

Emily Kendall Hancock, Stephanie Alvarez

6-8

Grant Posner, Jesus Torres

9-12

Julio Turunu,

Onix sulema silva, Douglas Ventura

Essay 9 (1,2)

k-1

Alejandro Montelongo, Lily Arzili

2-5

Jada Luna-Diaz, Noor Aburumman

6-8

Matthew Arnst, Valerie Sbrocca

9-12

Kelly Ramos, Chan-Soo Kim

Honorable Mention -

Oh Yeah Awards!

Art (1,2)

k-1

Ashley Bonilla

2-5

Brenda Lopez, Noah Igler

Yolanda Munoz - Class Project

9-12

Jonathon Aguilar, Chris Ovando

http://language-assessment-and development.pusd.schoolfusion.us/modules/groups/integrated_home.phtml?gid=942978&sessionid=0e6317261a998131b72e7b6f15a

An American past time: learning more about our community

This week is going to be full of things relating to Chicano/Latino information and studies - a partial listing includes:

Monday, March 28th - Latino Heritage will be sponsoring the annual PUSD K-12 Cesar E. Chavez art and essay contest. Each school was permitted one entry - there are a total of 70 entries that were judged. Winners will be announce Thursday.

Wednesday, March 30th, 5:00-7:30p.m. NACCS annual convention arrives at the Westin. Latino Heritage will host a Welcoming Tequila Tasting @ El Portal Restaurant, 695 E. Green Street, Pasadena, CA 91101. $15 for tasting and appetizers. All are welcome.

Thursday, March 31st, 6:00-9:00 p.m. - "Mexican American Baseball in Los Angeles" Discussion and Book Signing. In conjunction with the 2011 NACCS conference in Pasadena there will be a discussion with Al Padilla and Richard Peña, former players both a part of history in Los Angeles. In addition there will be a book signing with 5 additional authors - Alex Moreno - Mexican Americans in Los Angeles, and Mexican Americans in Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach, Lt. Col. Henry Cervantes, Piloto: Migrant Worker to Jet Pilot, Sandra Gutierrez, Teatro Chicana, Thelma Reyna The Heavens Weep for Us and other stories, and Roberta H.Martínez, Latinos in Pasadena.

Saturday, April 2nd, 6:30-9:00 p.m. - Political Tardeada: in Support of Ethnic Studies. Join the National Association for Chicana/Chicano Studies (NACCS) and Latino Heritage for an informal reception to raise money to support the legal battle to save ethnic studies. Grand Ballroom, Westin Pasadena, 1919 N. Los Robles, Pasadena, CA 91101.

Georgia, Agapito and Nell Villa, Colorado, ~1929.

More information - pasadenalatina@blogspot.com

Team Research

The past three Mondays I've spent time with Team Research @ Marshall High School. The team is made up of 3 grad students from UCLA - Lluliana, Michaela, and Ryan - who have been squeezing time from their super packed scheduled to meet with 10th-12th grade students in the Marshall Puente program.

The class is 2 hours long every Monday from 3:30 to 5:30 with a focus on Research Methodology. Because of some students work schedules a separate section has been taking place on Saturday. There is no credit for this class but the students will be sharing what they have gleaned at the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies Conference that will be in town next week. They've been learning about concepts like community cultural wealth, determinism, oral history, interview techniques, etc.

They'll be participating in some brief oral histories and will share some of that experience at NACCS and at the Adelante Mujer Latina conference. And they'll also be sharing what they've learned at UCLA and at a Puente Parents event later this spring.

Go Team Research!

Still here

I didn't grow up listening to Lalo Guerrero. Fact is the first I heard of him was when he was honored in 1997 at the Los Angeles Living Roots Festival. He was only 81 years old.

He seemed like a charming grandfather. The grandfather that we would want to have who is charming, warm, humorous and as if that weren't enough - who could sing and play guitar.

Over the years I came to learn that he was a composer, had done a little acting on occasion, was a storyteller, and was known as the Father of Chicano Music. The last because he initiated, shared or recorded almost every form of music enjoyed by Chicanos. Bolero, rhumba, rock, salsa, ranchero, comedic parody, and so many other forms. In English or Spanish or both; no small feat. If writing in English and Spanish were quite so automatic we'd have a lot more bilingual writers.

The Smithsonian declared him a National Folk Treasure and he was the recipient of the National Medal of the Arts.

His life paralleled and often directly reflected the Chicano/Latino experience. He was born 4 years after Arizona became a state, lived through the deportations of the 30s, the Zoot Suit Riots of the 40s, through the Civil Rights struggles of the 60s and the 70s and throughout he was Balladeer of the Chicano Experience. There was so much to his life and talents; Pancho Lopez; Walt Disney, Los Lobos, Las Ardillitas, the list is incredibly long.

We were honored to have him as our first Grand Marshal in 1998.

Lalo's mother taught him to play, encouraged his great love of music and to "embrace the spirit of being Chicano". His mother's heritage was Mexican and Irish.

So there is peculiar irony to his having been born on Christmas Eve in 1916 and his passing on March 17 in 2005.

Lalo Guerrero - presente - in our hearts and our minds.

Images from:

http://www.originalchicano.com/

http://markguerrero.net/8.php

http://www.library.ucsb.edu/speccoll/collections/cema/guerrero.html