Kermes Festival unites Rio Hondo family

by Dave Ralph
(Harlingen)

An annual family reunion for the descendants of Berta and Fermin Muñoz is part of the Kermes Festival at St. Helen Catholic Church in Rio Hondo the first weekend in October.

The family gathers to work – instead of play – at the church fundraiser. Love for family and a commitment to Kermes were among Fermin Muñoz’s final words as he passed away days before the festival in 2006. Despite the sorrow, the family vowed to carry on his dedication to work for the church and the community. The family’s involvement with the Kermes Festival spans four generations.

Berta Muñoz is among an energetic group of the church’s senior ladies known as “St. Helen Cheerleaders.” She and her husband were among the first volunteers to help start the event in the late 1960s as they sought contributions for festival prizes. Daughter Martha Muñoz, her daughter Sumre Olivarez, and great-grandchildren Lilyana and Gus Olivarez Jr. loyally uphold the Kermes tradition. Relatives travel from New Mexico, Georgia, California and across Texas or – if unable to attend – send donations.

“It was very important for us to work at Kermes right after my father’s death,” Martha Muñoz said. “There was pain in our hearts, but we did it for our father and for St. Helen.”

Seated between a daughter and a grand-daughter in the church hall, Berta Muñoz recalled that the first year she and Fermin worked at the Kermes Festival they supervised a game at a little table and handed out small, plastic cars as prizes. The next year the couple traveled to Mexico City to purchase prizes for children and he began to solicit donations from local merchants. She said that the early years of the Kermes Festival included piñatas, livestock and handmade quilts as prizes or auction items.

For 2010, a Ford STX pickup truck with a V-8 engine is the top raffle prize. An auction will feature donations from Robert Garza, a Rio Hondo native who plays offensive guard for professional football’s Chicago Bears, and two pairs of tickets to a Dallas Cowboys game. For details about the event scheduled for 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. October 2 and 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. October 3 at the church, located on the corner of Harrolds and Huisache Streets, go online to www.sthelenriohondo.com or http://kermes.sthelenriohondo.com , or call the church at 956.748.2327.

Sumre Olivarez and her husband organize the popcorn stand. Berta Muñoz’s son, Juan, and his family are in charge of hamburgers. Sumre Olivarez, who began work at Kermes as a 10 year old, explained how the popcorn booth began. “When I was 15 years old, I told Grandpa that Kermes should have popcorn because that was the treat I wanted the most. He said, ‘You know, let’s get you a popcorn machine.’”


Volunteers bring new features to the festival each year, she said. “Our popcorn booth tried peanuts last year and it was a hit.”

Martha Muñoz said that Sumre’s work – and now Lilyana’s and Gus Jr.’s involvement – is typical of how families carry on the Kermes traditions. “We’ve had our children at the festival since they were babies. They come in play pens, wagons, strollers and walkers while the adults work. The young ones look forward to Kermes all the time. My father would mention Kermes at any point in the year and Lilyana, when she was very young, automatically got excited.

“We share the same family-oriented philosophy that has always been part of the festival. When children come to a game booth, they never walk away empty-handed. Everyone is a winner.”

The Kermes Festival with its “Hawaiian Nights” theme requires the planning of 17 committee members and the efforts of a small army of volunteers. The festival originated in Rio Hondo, but its reputation for music, games and traditional South Texas food attracts visitors from San Benito, Los Fresnos, Harlingen and the Upper Valley. The total crowd in 2009 was estimated at 7,000. The Knights of Columbus, police, firefighters, emergency response personnel, and constables volunteer to assist. The Muñoz family said that the congregation appreciates the community’s support.

Berta Muñoz works from the blessing at 8 a.m. Saturday to the cleanup at 10 p.m. Sunday with only an occasional break because each year brings more memories. She has photos of the event taken during its early years. For example, Sumre Olivarez stayed at Kermes so long one year in high school that she was late to the prom.

Creating the fundraiser is hard work for many church members, Berta Muñoz said, but she has never heard a complaint because everyone enjoys the togetherness. She added, “I will continue to help with the Kermes Festival as long as my family helps me.”