McDonald's McMariachi Winners Strike a Chord With California Governor Schwarzenegger & Assembly Speaker Nunez During Cinco de Mayo Event at State Capitol

McDonald's McMariachi Winners Strike a Chord With California Governor Schwarzenegger & Assembly Speaker Nunez During Cinco de Mayo Event at State Capitol

LOS ANGELES, May 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Two of McDonald's McMariachi y Folklorico Juvenil program competition winners filled California's State Capitol with the sounds of trumpets, guitars, violins, vihuelas and guitarrons and choreographed swirls of "doble vuelo" skirts of traditional Mexican dances during a special Cinco de Mayo celebration organized by California Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and attended by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and several California legislators.

After a private meeting with Governor Schwarzenegger and Speaker Nunez, Mariachi Juvenil Fiesta Mexicana from the city of La Puente and Ballet Folklorico de Sierra Park Elementary School from the city of Los Angeles performed in the State Capitol's historic rotunda in front of members of California's legislature, Capitol visitors and other invited guests.

"We wish to thank Speaker Nunez for this wonderful invitation to showcase our McMariachi y Folklorico Juvenil program winners at the State Capitol," said program chair Bob Arciniaga, McDonald's owner/operator. "We are also extremely grateful that Governor Schwarzenegger took time from his very busy schedule to personally meet these wonderful young performers in his office and view firsthand our love of traditional Mexican music and culture."

Mariachi Juvenil Fiesta Mexicana and Ballet Folklorico de Sierra Park Elementary School also performed in Downtown Los Angeles on May 1 at the largest Cinco de Mayo festival in the country -- McDonald's Fiesta Broadway. Three other McDonald's McMariachi y Folklorico Juvenil competition winners -- Mariachi Sol del Desierto from the city of Palm Desert, Gardena High School Ballet Folklorico from the city of Gardena and Ballet Folklorico Donaji from the city of Orange -- also performed on McDonald's Fiesta Broadway main music stage.

At McDonald's Fiesta Broadway, McDonald's also honored Mexican film and recording legend Antonio Aguilar and major Latin recording group La Ley, who was presented with the company's "Lo McXimo del Espiritu Latino" award. McDonald's also hosted free premium musical performances of major Latin recording artists including Mariachi Sol de Mexico and offered fun games and free samples of its "Fruit 'n Walnut" Salad(TM) to families who visited its canopied super site located near its music stage.

Produced by the McDonald's Operators' Association of Southern California (MOASC), McMariachi y Folklorico Juvenil is a showcase designed to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Southern California's Hispanic community by recognizing the most talented amateur youth mariachi and ballet Folklorico dance groups in Southern California. More than 5,000 children have shared their love of traditional music and dance since the program debuted in 1999.

MOASC is composed of more than 600 franchised and company-owned restaurants in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura.

Contact: Gary Caloroso/Pamela Madrid
Porter Novelli
310/444-7000
gary.caloroso@porternovelli.com

Source: McDonald's Operators' Association of Southern California

CONTACT: Gary Caloroso, gary.caloroso@porternovelli.com, or Pamela
Madrid, both of Porter Novelli, +1-310-444-7000, for McDonald's Operators'
Association of Southern California

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