Ronnie Jayne, the singing entertainer, could sell air conditioning for igloos.
Even snow ploughs in Miami on the 4th of July.
Without ever leaving Culver City, the ubiquitous chair of this year’s Fiesta La Ballona probably has rolled up 5,000 miles this summer, seeking to ensure Fiesta’s unrivaled success.
Her rollicking laugh caroms off all four walls, and the wife of activist Tom Camarella has a mission to make everyone in her orbit as happy as she is.
Crisscrossing the community on almost a daily basis, Ms. Jayne has spent the runup tirelessly promoting the 3-day spectacular that starts late Friday afternoon — running from 6 to 9 o’clock — at Vets Park, just west of the Vets Auditorium, featuring a record number of vendors and rides.
Her thematic message is the same at every stop: “Fiesta may have underserved our teenagers in the past, but that is changing this year.”
Live entertainment, with an accent on teen appeal, all 3 days but especially in Friday night, instead of restricting the wall-to-wall band attractions to Saturday and Sunday.
In Full Bloom
On Saturday, 5 bands will entertain from 1:30 to 9 o’clock, ranging from an all-girl Classic Rock group, which is the opening act, to doo-wop, Motown, disco will make a comeback and variations on rock.
Starting at 12 noon on Sunday, the afternoon will be dedicated to sizzling jazz, especially with a Latin tang, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian.
As the Fiesta winds down, players from all 4 of the day’s bands will gather on the big stage what is called the Ultimate Culver City All-Star Jazz Jam.
With Ms. Jayne in charge, Vets Park will not be allowed to rest until everyone is exhausted.
The Ultimate Update
Ms. Jayne’s world-class energy provides a nearly irresistible backdrop for her creative appeals to come out Friday night, all day Saturday and most of Sunday to see what she promises will be the most dazzling, most innovative and most compelling and varied lineup since the community celebration was launched in 1951.
In the 57 years since Fiesta started, every renewal has been advertised as new and different, which often meant slightly updating what has played out the last few years.
New-and-different this year means that for the first time in memory, the klieg lights will be trained on teenage entertainment in an effort to draw in an overlooked segment of the community.
“As time changes and the community changes,” Ms. Jayne said, “Fiesta changes.
“This year, we are going to do something quite different.
“We are going to step up Friday night.
“In the past, Friday night always has been kind of quiet — there is sort of a pre-opening feeling rather than that Fiesta actually is here again.
“We have the carnival rides for the children, and this is the fourth year for the beer and wine garden — that was it.
“This year we are doing something incredibly new, Fiesta-Palooza.
“We have found really talented teen bands, mostly based in the Culver City area.”
Oh, Have Times Changed
Ms. Jayne’s first recruiting visit was to the Academy of Visual and Performing Arts at Culver City High School, and a chat with the director, Dr. Tony Spano. From there, she turned to friends who have teenagers or knew teenagers.
Easily excited and excitable, Ms. Jayne said that “I am going to sound like a grandma when I say this, but after listening to their CDs, these kids, I mean to tell you, are so talented.
“I would ask them, ‘Do you have a website?’ They’d say. ‘No, but we are on MySpace.’ So we could see them directly, and make our choices.
“Each of the 5 bands is going to do a 20-minute set, and they are really good.
“This is something we never have done before, to go out there and try to engage teens, and let them play the music they like. Big stage. Professional sounds. This is a big opportunity for them, and we have encouraged them to bring their friends.”
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