Isaac Mendiola, 5, of Laredo is fanned by his father as they take a break in the shade Saturday, April 2, 2022, during Fiesta Oyster Bake.Denise Fernandez has been volunteering at Fiesta Oyster Bake for nearly three decades.
“It has been just wonderful to see that people are still showing that they are concerned about spreading germs,” said Fernandez, 53, “but we need this. We really need to have this time to celebrate and have some type of normalcy. … And Fiesta is a big part of that.” Fiesta Oyster Bake chair Mike Martinez said a final head count for the Fiesta mainstay — it’s been around since 1916 — won’t be solidified for a couple weeks, but he was expecting between 70,000 and 75,000 people to show up for the event held both Friday and Saturday.