‘Fiesta’ promotes culture
By Carmen Castro
Staff Reporter

The second Fiesta de los Frogs will encourage students and their families attending Saturday’s football game to consider Hispanic heritage.

“The purpose of the event is to try and get a part of the community that doesn’t regularly come out to experience a college football game,” said Jessica Burnham, assistant director of sports marketing.

Fiesta de los Frogs incorporates Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations and gives Frog Alley activities in front of Amon Carter stadium a carnival atmosphere, Burnham said. The event was created by the sports marketing department and the admissions office in 2001.

Greg Treviño, head of the cultural programming committees, said the Hispanic Heritage Planning Committee worked hard organizing the entire month’s scheduled activities, including Fiesta de los Frogs.

Admissions counselor Victoria Herrera said the Organization of Latin American Students, as well as the four Latino Greek organizations and admissions counselors, will have information tables set up in Frog Alley.

Herrera said one of the changes this year is that campus tours will not be held on the same day as the event.

“Last year, people got all caught up in the fun atmosphere and the music, not wanting to leave Frog Alley, so we took the tours out this year,” Herrera said.

Other Frog Alley activities include face-painting, hair wrapping art and music by the band Sueño. Mrs. Baird’s Bread will give hot dogs to the first 500 people. Children from a local ballet company will perform with the TCU Showgirls at halftime, Herrera said.

Herrera said TCU will keep this tradition going in the future. Last year’s Fiesta de los Frogs success prompted for a similar celebration last year during baseball season that incorporated Cinco de Mayo festivities, she said.

Community sponsors include the local Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Fort Worth Independent School District and the Spanish television network, Telefutura, Burnham said. With the help of corporate donations and private individuals, Project Purple tickets will provide free admission for about 1,000 students from the local Boys & Girls Club, FWISD and YMCA programs.