First Annual Dia De Los Muertos Fiesta

This past Saturday, Nov. 1, Moreno Valley held its very first Dia De Los Muertos event at the Stoneridge Towne Centre. This special event was aimed to bring the community of Moreno Valley out to celebrate Halloween and the large Hispanic population the city has. The event kicked off at noon. It was free and open to the public, and included a Kids’ Zone with activities for the children. Classic cars from local car clubs attended. Not to mention a classic car contest. The first place winner was Jorge Hernandez with his 1937 Chrysler Imperial limousine/Best of Show, Angie Martinez and her 1964 Chevrolet Impala which took second place, and David Bill and his 1954 Chevrolet Bel Air, who were third place winners. Live entertainment and performers included MC Angel Baby Rodriguez and DJ Mr. Blue. Comic Sonny Rosette and rap star/actor Assassin were also scheduled to perform, however, due to the weather the event was forced to end a few hours early. “Everyone would probably be gone because of the weather... I didn’t want to have these really famous performers come out for just a few people watching them perform,” Richard Archer, President of the Moreno Valley Arts Commission, said. “I was happy to see all the local vendors come out and have them do well. I hope they all come back out next year, too,” Archer said. However, many more entertainers came out including a marching band, Folklorico, and Acolate Aztec dancers. Rosalie, a community member who attended the event with her family, said, “It’s really cold, but everyone had a great time. We love this time of year.” She and some of her family members painted their faces as skeletons in celebration of Dia De Los Muertos. The event finished up with a raffle; prizes included: a new bike, headphones, coffee mugs, gift cards, and more. Angel Baby Rodriguez and “Stoner Rob” helped Archer with the raffling and pulled the tickets from the basket as they presented each prize to the lucky winners. Archer mentioned, regardless of the weather causing the event to end early, “It was a really good turn out. A lot of the community came and all the vendors seemed to do good… and that’s what I want.” Most of the vendors set up in the middle of the plaza by Archer’s Vanguard Art Gallery while the entertainment and cars set up right outside the plaza in the parking lot. The plaza was filled with community members, children dressed in costumes, local businesses and even some city official attended. Archer said, “I can say that we had some amazing performances along with lots of vendors and custom/classic cars. Many thanks to all the hard work that everyone put in making it something we can be proud of.”