San Bartolomé officially started its festivities on Friday night with the proclamation by the designer Oswaldo Machín, who infected the public with his joy at having been designated for this task. Machín confessed that he had always dreamed that one day he would proclaim the festivities of the town where he was born, so the act was for him "a dream come true."
The event began with the performance of the dance troupe of the Celia Medina ballet, with a surprising choreography that was accompanied by the voice of the Tenerife tenor Besay Pérez, performing "Aria Acto Final" from the opera Turando "Messun Dorma", accompanied on the piano by professor Diego Expósito, continuing with other compositions such as Alfonsina y el Mar, Aquella tarde and Amapola.
Next, the mayor, Alexis Tejera, gave the welcome greeting to the festivities, inviting all residents and the general public to participate in them, within the rules established by Covid. Afterwards, he read the extensive biography of the town crier, thanking him for accepting the invitation to proclaim the festivities in honor of San Bartolomé.
Oswaldo Machín has always been linked to the town's festivities, in which he began to participate with the youth group "Peña Picúa", designing and assembling the sets for the stages, collaborating with play-backs, elections of misses, fashion shows and floats, and also acting as presenter whenever he was asked. For him, they were always dates of much activity, although the main day of the festivities he did share with his family, eating with his parents and siblings a special menu for the occasion.
In his proclamation, Machín wanted to keep very present and pay tribute to so many people who have made it possible for the San Bartolomé festivities to become a benchmark for all residents and visitors every year, very participatory festivities in each of the scheduled events. "Ladies and gentlemen. Batateros and Batateras, I can only wish you very happy patron saint festivities. Long live San Bartolomé!" he expressed at the conclusion of his speech.
On such a special night, the town crier was very supported by his parents, siblings, friends and neighbors, as well as by the municipal authorities. They were also joined by the president of the Cabildo, María Dolores Corujo, who is a resident of the municipality, as well as the councilor and deputy Arigona González. The mayor Alexis Tejera and the councilor of Festivities, Isidro Pérez, presented the commemorative scroll and a bouquet of flowers to the town crier.
The event took place in the Plaza León y Castillo, after the forced break of last year, complying with all health protocols and with a public that filled all the capacity allowed by the organization.
In addition, during the night the jury's decision was announced for the XIX historical photography contest "Otra Mirada", with the first prize going to the photograph "La Moto", presented by Ciro Corujo Perdomo. The second prize went to "Taller de Costura", presented by María del Carmen Corujo Concepción, and the third prize went to "De Celebración", presented by Sandra Pérez Rodríguez. The photos can be seen in the exhibitions located at the entrance of the municipal theater and in the Doctor Cerdeña Bethencourt passage.
