Grito draws lots of attention

BY LAUREL ALMADA
Laredo Times staff writer

El Grito de Laredo festival that began at 3 p.m. on Saturday was still going strong after dusk, in anticipation of La Mafia's performance that night.

People were still pulling into the parking lot and lining up at the entrance to the Laredo International Fair and Exposition grounds to donate their money to a worthy cause and be entertained at the same time.

Prior to the band's performance, Belinda Guerra, president of Guerra Communications, said there had been more than 3,000 visitors to the festival and it had raised more than $10,000 for disaster relief.

"We are very excited about the turnout," Guerra said. "There are people who are asking us if the money is going to help their brothers."

One hundred percent of the proceeds for the festival will be donated to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund to help those affected by the terrorist attacks Sept. 11.

The Grito festival boasted several live performances by bands including La Mafia, Little Sister, Sammy and the Tomcats, The Jolly Ranchers, Blind Reign and la Contra.

Most of the festivalgoers were focused on the music, but others were in line at the food stands or playing with their children in the recreation area set up for them.

There was also a fajita cook-off and a yelling contest scheduled. The lines for the food were quite long, but the smell was tempting enough to justify the wait. The yelling contest, which is about measuring expressions of exuberance, had only one contestant signed up an hour before the contest.

El Grito de Laredo festival was originally scheduled as part of the Diez y Seis de Septiembre celebration, which is the Mexican Independence Day, but was postponed when the terrorist attacks occurred in the U.S.

By the time La Mafia was ready to take to the stage, the Grito festival had run without incident, Guerra said. Festival security was extensive and the first aid station had nothing more than a few miscellaneous scrapes to report.

There were a large number of Texas State Guard volunteers, led by Major Joe Treviño, stationed at the parking lot and the gates, as well as scattered throughout L.I.F.E. Downs. Also present were several Webb County Sheriff's Department officers.

Guerra said that the actual donation of the money would later be formalized and handed over to the Red Cross.

(Times staff writer Laurel Almada can be reached at 728-2568 or e-mailed at laurel@lmtonline.com)

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