PUEBLO, Colo. (AP) — A near-50-year Colorado State Fair tradition is out.
The Pueblo Chieftain reports the Fiesta Queen Pageant was canceled Thursday due to financial reasons.
Fiesta Day Committee Spokeswoman Melissa Casias says simply the cancellation is due to a lack of funding.
The current Fiesta Day Queen, Aleiya Pence, and her court will reign over this year’s Fiesta Day. Casias and committee members are confident the pageant will return in 2018.
The Fiesta Queen Pageant is an annual event where a queen and her court are selected as Latina ambassadors to the Fair’s popular Fiesta Day celebration.
The origins of the Fiesta Day and its queen date back to 1966, when Fair management was pushed to establish a day dedicated to the importance and influence of Hispanic culture in the community.