Laredo College’s Funfest gathers families for fun, games and wrestling

“I brought my children — we graduated from this college, my girlfriend and I — and also wanted to finally see something happen in the south area of the city,” local Rogelio Cruz said. “It is fun to have these events here, as this college is super large and this campus needs more activities so we can take out the children and the community more to learn about these institutions and have fun.”

Ishaan Idnani-Ramos, a wrestling promoter, saw his performers delight locals during the event. He said he was glad Laredo College considered his company to be there.

“I feel super proud and happy that LC invited us to this event and even took us into account,” said Ishaan Idnani-Ramos, who is the wrestler promoter for Lucha Maniaks. “We hope that we gave our best today to all the public.”

Families said that they were excited to see the matches, getting there hours in advance to get their spots at ringside.

“My boys have been waiting all along to see the wrestlers and the Lucha Libre spectacle they bring,” said Roman Barrientos. “It is so pleasant to see these things, as the kids love just seeing wrestlers and it brings back memories of when was a kid. Also the fact it is free and open to the community allows many others to finally see some good wrestling like we used to across (the border) or here as kids.”

One mother also said she took her children because she was eager to have some fun with the various activities while eating some of the treats that the event had to offer. 

“Even though it is October, it is super good to see the sun outside, and this hot weather allows us to have some more fun. Especially for the kids before the cold weather begins, as it always tends to start right around Halloween day,” said Claudia Garcia, who took her three daughters. “My daughters have fun playing around, doing some activities and also eating a lot of the snacks. Like always, funnel cakes are our guilty pleasure.”

Cruz states that he really enjoys seeing the community ,come together for large events, as it helps promote a better quality of life in the area and even strengthens community ties. 

“I don’t know if my kids will come to LC or not, but one thing they can always remember is that their community cares for them and hosts events like these that help showcase the beauty of being part of this community,” Cruz said. “LC is a beautiful college, and even more beautiful when something like this gets to be done. Colleges are more than just places of higher education.”

jorge.vela@lmtonline.com