May 17, 1968
One of the lost traditions of San Luis Obispo is La Fiesta de las Flores. Established in 1925 as a fund-raiser for the fire damaged downtown Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa , the festival was held almost continually until 1995.
The city festival then fell victim to organizer burnout and a lack of money. Since then there have been sporadic attempts to bring it back but the La Fiesta parade has the same fate as the Mardi Gras parade for the opposite reasons. Mardi Gras was too popular.
In these photos by Barry Minett, the shopping epicenter for the county is on display with the hot department stores of the day, Sears, J.C Penny and Riley’s in the background. Indian Guides program no longer exists most places. Pseudo history is a harder sell in today’s world.
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I remember very well being in many La Fiesta parades. From Camp Fire girls to holding the SLO Band banners as a cheerleader. Many happy memories of the parade and carnival.
I walked and rode in many a La Fiesta parade too! It was one of the highlights of the year. We kids always looked forward to going to the carnival after a long walk down Higuera (?) St. My husband remembers marching with the SLO Band in the parade, too.
Wow, I missed this one! The front page has an update on my big brother Drew, after his accident at Nuss pool. Drew died late 2004 from Leukemia.
He completely recovered from the accident, coma and brain damage, goin gon to a long career as the manager of the County Courthouse printing department.
This brought back some REAL old memories when I was in Indian Guides as a young boy with my Dad, God rest him. I remember that making those feathered ornaments with my Mom was a major project and a lot of fun. However, walking on pavement in moccasins always hurt my feet!
In 1951 I was in the army stationed at camp Cooke now vandenberg Air Base..We had been called up for the Korean conflict from Camp San Luis Obispo California National Guard. We were the 161 Ordnance Depot Company Commanded by Lt. Robert P. Nimmo who later became a State Senator. We appeared in the Fiesta parade in 1951. We had numerous big military trucks, and troop carriers loaded with our personnel. I was Lt. Nimmo’s Jeep driver and drove it in the parade leading the Company with his jeep.Since I was assigned to the jeep I kept it at my Dads house on Toro Street and drove it back to Camp Cooke on Monday morning in time for reveille. For a twenty one year old soldier driving the Commanders jeep in the Fiesta parade in my home town was quite a thrill. Everyone who knew me in SLO waved and called to me as i drove by. Actually there were 90 local men who served in the 161st.