Gusting winds and streets lousy with Dallas Mavericks jerseys couldn't dampen the enthusiasm for the hundreds of thousands who jammed downtown for Fiesta's largest event Saturday night.
Visitors like Rachel Bird, who came to San Antonio from Connecticut to meet friends for a girls' weekend, could only look on in wonder at the spectacle of the Fiesta Flambeau Night Parade, the nation's largest illuminated night parade. Parade organizers once again predicted a crowd of 500,000. quot;The people here are wonderful,quot; she said amid the roaring cheers and wafting smoke from what seemed like hundreds of roasted turkey legs.
As night settled in, the warm wind grew stronger and, funneled by the buildings of Broadway, lifted confetti and streamers off the floats and blew them over the crowd. The 20-mph southerly knocked back the feathered headdresses of Las Monas dancers and sent boas whipping. But the crowd lined six deep along most of the parade route cheered on.
The happy onlookers were interrupted at times by several boastful bands of Mavericks fans. One group strutting down East Houston Street would not give room to anyone who appeared to be a Spurs fan. Their attempt was short-lived.
Others Dallas backers like Felipe Valenzuela were happy to stand and cheer on the University of Texas marching band as it wound through streets. Valenzuela had nothing but kind words about San Antonio and Fiesta, but he didn't seem particularly worried about his team ruining the festive spirit for some Spurs fans.
quot;Let me think about it,quot; he said, pausing barely a second and grinning. quot;No.quot;
Julio quot;Sleepyquot; Angulo took it all in stride as he leaned back in his camp chair in Main Street Plaza and sipped on a beer. Sporting a Manu Ginobili jersey and a sly smile, he happily watched the mass of exuberant humanity passing by - even the Dallas fans.
quot;If those Maverick fans say anything, I just show four, for how many championships we have, and zero for them,quot; Angulo said. quot;They got a long way to go to catch up. Viva Fiesta, brother.quot;
