CarL1 Winston-Salem Dash

Warthogs to hold Latino Festival

Published on May 13, 2003 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release


May 2, 2003 – Winston-Salem, NC - The Winston-Salem Warthogs baseball team has joined in partnership with, Que Pasa Newspaper and Radio, BB&T bank, and makin' it work - pronto!, a company specializing in Latino marketing and communications, to jointly develop and produce the area's first Latino Festival featuring a combination Warthogs baseball game, traditional Latino Festival, and fireworks targeted at the Piedmont Triad Latino and non-Latino communities on Sunday, June 8.

Peter Fisch, the Vice President and General Manager of the Warthogs is excited about the event. "We are pleased to be the host for this first ever community ‘triple hit'...baseball, festival, and fireworks. We hope our Hispanic friends will have a great time and want to come back for more Warthogs baseball games. Baseball is a very popular sport in many Latino countries. We have several Latino players who are especially excited about working with the Hispanic children in the baseball clinics during the Festival."

"It is a fantastic event for our combined communities", notes Jose Isasi, owner of The Hispanic Group that includes Que Pasa Newspaper and Radio Stations throughout the state and various other Latino companies, "Something for everyone! An authentic Hispanic festival with great Latino food, fun, and entertainment with over $15,000 in prizes, and some great baseball with fireworks. I think this is a first for our area. Reaction from the Piedmont Triad community has been very welcoming."

As part of the relationship with Que Pasa, the Warthogs' Hispanic players will be highlighted in radio and newspaper interviews and feature stories. "We want to establish a personal relationship with the Hispanic community and start to develop strong ties that will bring baseball into their lives." notes Vincent Pannutti, Warthogs Marketing and Sales Executive. "We are working very hard to promote this joint venture by exploring many untapped media outlets. We also have plans to broadcast some of our games in Spanish on Que Pasa radio."

BB&T, the naming sponsor for the Festival, sees the event as a way to meet and greet the Hispanic consumer that they are targeting in their current BB&T Latino! advertising campaign. "We know that participating in community events is a great way to demonstrate our commitment to the Hispanic community and to meet our neighbors and share with them the benefits of banking with BB&T." comments Gail Parrish, Senior Vice President and leader of the BB&T Latino! Marketing Team.

The Festival, which is in its second year, is supported by several major consumer products companies who agree with the Warthogs and BB&T. Pepsi, McDonalds, Budweiser, and Jarritos, a Mexican beverage, have signed up thus far as event sponsors. "The sell to the Hispanic consumer is primarily a heart and relationship sell. Smart companies targeting the Hispanic community understand this and seek out events like this to demonstrate their products and services in a Hispanic-friendly and fun atmosphere." notes Jane Martin, of makin' it work - pronto!, the Festival's marketing and communications agency. "It is also a great opportunity for our not-for-profit community to share their outreach programs."

"Last year's Festival, sponsored by Time-Warner, was a huge success," continues Isasi, "We had over 11,000 people in attendance and everyone had a great time. We believe this year's Festival will be even better with this exciting new format."

The Festival will be held in the parking lot of the Warthog's Ernie Shore Field across the street from the Winston-Salem Lawrence Joel Coliseum on Sunday, June 8 from 11AM - 5PM. The baseball game will start at 6:00PM and will be followed by a large fireworks display. Admission is $7 at the door and $4 pre-event. Children under 12 are admitted for free. Tickets are currently for sale in the Que Pasa offices in Winston-Salem and Greensboro.

LatinoKing Productions, Inc. the state's largest Latino events production company, is producing the event.

Check out the Winston-Salem Dash Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Carolina League Stories from May 13, 2003


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central