Photos: Sergio Betancort
With the proclamation of the brothers Miguel and Francisco Cedrés, the festivities began in honor of Nuestra Señora del Carmen in the seaside neighborhood of Valterra. At 9:30 p.m. the mayor of the Arrecife City Council, Eva de Anta, the Councilor for Festivities, David Duarte, accompanied by the town criers, welcomed the festivities. The councilors invited the residents to participate in the scheduled events, highlighting that "everyone has their space with activities for children, young people and adults and that they become the common thread to take a break in the day to day and enjoy with the family" they exclaimed.
Next, the brothers Miguel and Francisco Cedrés hung up their guitars and after greeting the authorities and the public present in the Valterra park, they performed one of those many songs that they heard on the radio at the time, such as the one titled "How I miss you my love", by the Argentine singer Leo Dan. Once it was finished, both Miguel and Francisco announced the content of their proclamation. A proclamation full of many experiences and memories where with much longing they remembered those games, bowling, the piola, the Indians, the ball and so on. "Together with their neighbors and friends they became the owners of those dusty plains and unpaved streets," the Cedrés brothers related in their proclamation. The brothers were very mindful of the neighbors and friends, naming each one of them by their name, surnames or also by the nickname that became more than their first name. Among all of them they made a very special mention to their uncle, Antonio Gutierrez, the shoemaker also known as "Antonio El Cojo". A man very linked to football who encouraged many children and young people to practice this sport, creating the Arrecife Sports Club and in which he served as president. The town criers, among many of the anecdotes that they were telling, in turn intertwined the songs that brought them those memories of their youth, such as, Un sorbito de Champán by Los Brincos, Échame a mi la culpa by Halbert Hammond or Nada by Juan y Junior.
Among so many experiences, Miguel also related that he was born in Marqués de Comillas street, in his grandmother's house and that he was only separated from Valterra by a dusty plain where he met with the boys to play. He explained that he has always considered himself from Valterra because it was where he spent most of his time. With much longing, the town criers recalled the Misses elections and the song festivals, remembering Oti, Isabel or Celeste. For his part, Francisco explained that he was born in Gran Canaria because his parents went to live there, but he has always considered himself from Lanzarote since they frequently moved to the island. Miguel was called El Conejero and Francisco El Canario or Canarión falso. The public present in the Valterra park enjoyed the experiences of the Cedrés brothers very much because of their closeness, good humor and the immense list of names of so many and so many acquaintances in all sectors of life, such as sailors, footballers, shipwrights, salineros and so on.
In an act that they described as "very important in their lives", one of the flagship themes of the band they lead, Los Coquillos, and their famous theme "Drunk until dawn" could not be missing, to which the public accompanied from beginning to end. They finished with a song by The Beatles. The mayor Eva de Anta and the councilor David Duarte went on stage and presented them with commemorative plaques as a souvenir and for having accepted the invitation to be the town criers of the festivities in honor of Nuestra Señora del Carmen 2017.
