An alternate location, an up-and-coming musician, the looming Saturday storm threat – this year’s Frontier Fiesta had multiple attributes different from previous years.
With a performance by the “Broccoli” singer D.R.A.M., a carnival ride, face painting and the traditional Greek life variety shows, Fiesta’s attractions this past weekend had student attendees and alumni alike filing in the gates.
The Cougar sat down with Frontier Fiesta Association Chairman Christian Kladzyk to discuss the overall turnout.
The Cougar: Did this year’s fiesta turn out the way you expected?
Christian Kladzyk: Absolutely not – isn’t that what makes it fun? Our board’s motto this year was “adapt and move forward.” This mindset allowed us to cherish any challenges that came our way.
TC: Was there anything you would’ve done differently or hope to improve on next year?
CK: Nothing differently. I think the future of Frontier Fiesta looks very bright if we continue in the strides of the past two years. I think that we have done an excellent job of expanding the event into something more inclusive and representative of our student body.
TC: Do you think the turnout was good or bad?
CK: Trust me, I am looking forward to our numbers just as much as anyone else. I think it was a solid showing throughout. Looking back at Saturday of Fiesta, you could definitely see that there was anticipation for the event after a rainy Friday night.
Family Fun Day was a huge hit earlier in the day and Saturday night concerts flooded Fiesta City.
TC: What challenges did you face, if any? Was it a struggle changing locations from last year?
CK: There will always be backend challenges. As long as you act like everything is okay, attendees think everything is going according to plan, right? Again, we adapt. Moving back to lots 20A and 20C definitely proved to have more benefits than not. One of our biggest compliments was how well the site layout looked.
TC: What aspect of it do you think was most popular or successful?
CK: If you’re making me choose one overall, it would have to be the Saturday of Fiesta. Director of Special Events Jonathan Gerescher did a tremendous job of coordinating the Frontier Fiesta 5K, Family Fun Day, and recognizing this year’s scholarship recipients. This, along with Director of Performances Madeleine Rodriguez’s work in coordinating carnival rides and concerts, allowed for the event to flourish throughout the weekend.
President Khator was also very fond of the work that all variety shows put in to creating their fronts and performances as well.