Bonnie Carroll
Santa Barbara/Puerto Vallarta Sister Cities Committee visiting members from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico celebrated the kick-off of 2024 Old Spanish Days Fiesta Centenario (100th Year) at the Old Mission participating in La Misa Del Presidente and posing for their annual visitation group photo on the steps of the Mission, which was followed by a party in the Mission Garden, where Father Larry Gosslin and the Friar’s warmly welcomed our Puerto Vallarta Guests.
This year’s hosted guests included Francisco Javier Garcia Benitez, Valeria Zamora Varas, Micguel Angel Ortega Ingles, Andrea Famania Ortega and husband Elsa Sanchez de Famania, Cuquis Caballero, Heriberta Caballero, Amalia Martinez, “Nena” Ma, Elena Sahaugun.
The Puerto Vallarta annual member visit begins with a welcome party at the home of Lifetime members Gil and Marti Garcia, with warm welcomes and potluck delights, and features a week of Fiesta events, including the historic parade El Desfile Historico, La Fiesta Pequena, a visit to El Mercado De La Guerra, Los Noches De Ronda, lunch at Our Lady of Guadalupe Mercado, a tour of Santa Barbara Courthouse, and many more daily Fiesta 2024 events scheduled by the Old Spanish Days Fiesta Board for the week.
Santa Barbara and Puerto Vallarta have shared a special bond of friendship as one of our six current Santa Barbara sister cities committee members, maintaining members in the City of Santa Barbara-Puerto Vallarta Sister Cities Committee for over fifty-two years.
For information visit: http://www.santabarbara.gov.
