Office of External Communications

Houston, TX 77204-5017 Fax: 713.743.8199

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 15, 2005

Contact: Angie Joe
713.743.8153 (office)
713.617.7138 (pager)
ajoe@uh.edu

HOUSTON, March 15, 2005 – Tejano group Solido, country singer Robert Earl Keen and rap artist T.I. will perform during Frontier Fiesta March 31 through April 2 at the University of Houston.

For the first time this year, Fiesta patrons will enjoy free concerts all three days at the main stage: Solido Thursday night, Keen Friday night and T.I. Saturday. T.I.’s performance is sponsored by the Student Programming Board.

Admission to the festivities is free of charge, but variety shows and carnival booths cost $1 each. The official monetary unit of Fiesta City, the Texas-style town setting of Frontier Fiesta, is the Fiesta Buck, used to purchase food and drinks all three days at the event.

A tradition since the 1940s, Frontier Fiesta showcases Broadway-style variety shows produced by UH student organizations, carnival booths, cultural and educational performances, living historical exhibits, live concerts by nationally known music artists, a world-class cook-off and a scholarship competition. At the end of the festival, the Joe Koppel Award is given for the best overall variety show.

Carnival booths feature a wide range of activities including a dart toss, dunking booth, karaoke station, casino games and a dart gun shooting gallery. Cultural and living historical exhibits will be on display including step shows, belly and salsa and other types of cultural dance.

About 50 cooking teams from across Texas will compete for “All-Around Champion” award and cash prizes for the six food categories of brisket, chicken, ribs, beans, gumbo and fajitas. Trophies are awarded to first, second and third place categories. Cash prizes are given for first, second and third place for brisket winners.

Since 1994, Frontier Fiesta has awarded scholarships to UH students based on academic achievement and community involvement. This year eight $1,000 dollar scholarships will be given to incoming freshman and current UH students.

On Saturday, April 2, Family Fun Day allows elementary school kids to explore cultural and living historical exhibits. This year, Carranza puppets, Dora the Explorer, Sponge Bob Squarepants, and Mad Science will entertain.

“We intend to raise scholarship money and put on an event that not only brings UH students and faculty together, but also the Houston community,” Brian Sellen, Fiesta marketing director, said. “This is also a good recruiting tool for the University of Houston.”

Life magazine once pronounced Fiesta “The Greatest College Show on Earth.”

For more information, contact Marc Iacono-Harris, chairman of Frontier Fiesta at (713) 743-5181 or visit www.uh.edu/fiesta.

Frontier Fiesta hours:

Thurs., March 31 – 5 p.m. – Midnight
Fri., April 1 – 5 p.m. – 1 a.m.
Sat., April 2 – Noon – 1 a.m.

About the University of Houston
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate, civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and service with more than 35,000 students.

For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.