Fiesta in the Park

Paula Villalon Ciena

Elective Article
April 20, 2015

Fiesta in the Park is an annual event that gives vendors, especially artists, the opportunity to expand their clientele.  “We’re not promoters, but our motto is creating community through art.” stated Betilee Sansone, who is the event coordinator.  They give out many awards to the artists and food vendors, like Best of Show and 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place in every category.  “In both shows, we purchase the best of show and in the fall we donate the piece to the Orange County Public Library System and in the spring we donate the piece to the new Lake Eola House,” added Sansone, “[…] it is a community driven event.”  There are many activities for everyone, from kids to dogs to adults.  “We have a huge children’s area… free bounce houses with a lot of fun activities there.  We have a huge food court… We also have entertainment in the food court by Steve Moore and on Sunday afternoon at the west end of Robinson we have Fiddler Sherran Heartman join us” she said.  They are also big on giving and helping out in the community.  “All our profit that we generate from Fiesta in the Park we give to the Orlando Community Youth Trust Fund. […] All of our food vendors partner with a non-profit of their choice, so we probably touch about 40 non-profits throughout the community” said Sansone.  This year they celebrated its 26^th anniversary and are definitely celebrating many more in the future.