SANTA BARBARA, CA – June 15, 2020 – Old Spanish Days in Santa Barbara is pleased to announce that Alena Velasco is the Spirit of Fiesta 2020 and Alexandra Nocker the Junior Spirit of Fiesta 2020.
The tradition of the Spirit of Fiesta started in 1949 and embodies the joy and vitality of Santa Barbara's beloved annual summer festival. The Spirits are goodwill ambassadors to local residents and visitors alike and represent the charm, grace and beauty of Old Spanish Days.
“I am very proud of Alena and Alexandra and look forward to seeing them bring a lot of joy to our community over the next couple of months,” said El Presidente Erik Davis. “Their resilience and perseverance in the face of the challenges of this year is a true representation of the “Spirit of Fiesta.”
The surprise announcement was made on Sunday at the historic Arlington Theatre which displayed their names on the iconic marquee. They will perform their first dance on Thursday at 5PM, June 18 on KEYT Channel 3.
“Old Spanish Days will continue to do our very best to honor our history, maintain our traditions and celebrate our Santa Barbara story together,” said Davis. “Congratulations to these talented dancers. ¡Vamos a Bailar!”
Spirit of Fiesta Alena Velasco, 18, graduated from Lompoc High School in June. She was recently recognized for academic excellence for maintaining a 4.0 GPA for every semester of her high school career. Alena loves dancing, choreography, singing, and volunteering at local elementary schools and nursing homes. She trains at the Garcia Dance Studio.
Junior Spirit of Fiesta Alexandra Nocker, 10, will be going into Fifth Grade at Vieja Valley Elementary School. Alexandra’s favorite subjects in school are math and social studies. Along with dancing flamenco, Alexandra enjoys surfing, playing the violin, and acting. She has received school awards for academics and citizenship and she also fundraises for Girls’ Inc. She attended her first fiesta when she was just six months old. She trains at the Zermeño Dance Academy.
Old Spanish Days in Santa Barbara, Inc. is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit corporation dedicated to honoring and preserving Santa Barbara’s history, spirit, culture, heritage and traditions. Putting the health and safety of the community first, Fiesta 2020 will be reimagined and will hold many of its signature events online, on television or in ways that adhere to physical distancing practices, all while promoting and encouraging community-wide participation.
The theme of this year’s Fiesta is “¡Vamos a Bailar!”, in English, “Let’s Dance!”.
More information about Fiesta 2020 can be found at www.sbfiesta.org
