Fiesta

When it was introduced 70 years ago, Fiesta ware was a triumph of art deco styling. Simple lines and bright colors made the tableware a popular collectible, particularly after it was discontinued by its manufacturer in 1973. That allure was diminished when Henry Laughlin Co. reissued Fiesta in 1986. But original pieces can still bring strong prices, as suggested by the presale estimates for some of the 2,000 pieces to be offered at a Fiesta ware auction today and tomorrow. The single-owner collection will be sold at Alderfer Auction Center, 501 Fairgrounds Rd., Hatfield, by Indiana-based Strawser Auctions.

It was the music by Los Conquistadores on Saturday that turned an all- American picnic in Nottingham Park into a traditional Mexican fiesta. The shouts and sounds of the Mexican band members echoed throughout the park during the all-day event in southern Chester County where Kaolin Mushroom Farms, the county's largest mushroom company, celebrated Family Day for its nearly 500 employees. The event brought Kaolin's mostly Mexican mushroom workers together with the company's Italian owners, or patrones, for the company picnic.

It was a chance for South to meet West - for music aficionados to honor traditional European music and simultaneously honor South America's influence on that music. It was a chance for players of classical strings and horns to appreciate the earthy, guttural sounds of the steel drum. A hybrid audience of classical music patrons and samba enthusiasts kept the beat as local samba groups performed during an afternoon fiesta yesterday at the Sheraton Society Hill Hotel. The Latin American-style banquet was a benefit for the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, to raise money for a forthcoming South American tour.

Gerardo Hernandez, 9, tightens the strap on his sombrero - a little too much, perhaps - as he gets ready to perform yesterday at Penn's Landing. With him are Juvenal Tapia, 8, and Juan Tapia, 12. The fiesta involved music, dancing, food and a puppet show. It was a celebration of Mexico's independence from Spain, which came on Sept. 16, 1810.

It was difficult to just sit and watch. Princesses atop floats and baton twirlers swinging to booming salsa seemed, as if by magic, to compel bysitters to get up and bounce. Few were unmoved by Bristol's annual Puerto Rican Day Parade. "I love it," said Bath Street resident Dorothy Pople, 71 and smiling in the afternoon sun and breeze. "It makes you want to dance. " "You have to come out and participate once it starts," Carol Wells said. "You cannot rest in the house.

The Hispanic Fiesta brings a whirl of activity to Penn's Landing. Angelica Mireles was one of the performers participating in yesterday's festivities. Mireles is part of the Tenochty dance troupe of Kennett Square. The fiesta also features Latin American music and a variety of foods. It continues today.

Leave it to Ben Franklin to invent something new for Independence Day celebrations 232 years onward. At 8 p.m. Thursday in front of Independence Hall, Franklin will be marrying that quintessential seamstress, Betsy Ross. Actually, it is a life-imitates-art scene, since it will actually be Ralph Archbold, Philadelphia's premiere Franklin impersonator, marrying his fianc?e, Linda Wilde, who often portrays Ross, thought to be the seamstress for the first American flag. They fell in love during their Revolutionary reenactments and decided to have their nuptials publicly during Sunoco Welcome America!

A new basketball conference that would include top independents DePaul and Marquette and several Metro Conference teams is expected to be formed within a week, Memphis State President Thomas Carpenter said in an interview published yesterday. Organizers of the new league, to be called the Big Midwest, are drawing up affiliation agreements for DePaul, Marquette, St. Louis, Alabama-Birmingham and Metro teams Memphis State and Cincinnati, Carpenter told the Commercial Appeal of Memphis, Tenn.

Standing on the winners' platform, Janna Morawski of Abington had a smile as wide as the pool in which she had just swum. Morawski, 18, won four gold medals Saturday in the Montgomery County finals of the Special Olympics swimming competitions. About 100 spectators watched from the bleachers overlooking the pool at Ursinus College. "Where's Mom?" Janna shouted excitedly to someone in the crowd after her third competition. "Tell her to come here. " Spying her father, she said, "Do you believe this?

TODAY'S QUESTION, class, is: Can Southern Cal's loss at Oregon have any effect on Penn State getting into a BCS bowl? Glad you wanted to know. Well, let's assume the Nits finish 11-1, yet don't make it back to the Rose Bowl, which would be the scenario if Iowa also goes 11-1. There are four at-large spots available for the four non-title BCS bowls. Boise State or Texas Christian almost certainly gets one, as long as they don't lose. They probably won't get two. So what shakes out after that?

THE FIESTA BOWL'S former top executive pleaded guilty yesterday to a felony charge to settle allegations stemming from a political donations scandal. John Junker entered the plea in Phoenix for his role in soliciting political contributions from Fiesta Bowl employees. The bowl later reimbursed employees for about $48,000 over a 9-year period. The plea is part of an agreement with Arizona prosecutors in connection with the scandal that led to the firing last year of Junker, the bowl's longtime leader, and the resignation of chief operating officer Natalie Wisneski.

THE FORMER top executive of the Fiesta Bowl has reached a plea deal with Arizona prosecutors to settle allegations related to a political donations scandal. Arizona Attorney General's Office spokeswoman Amy Rezzonico confirmed yesterday that John Junker will appear in court tomorrow, although she said she was barred from providing details before the hearing. A person with direct knowledge of the deal said Junker will plead guilty to a felony charge. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to the Associated Press because the deal has not been filed in court.

The Fiesta Bowl has two of the nation's best teams, most explosive offenses and underrated defenses - and ready-for-the-NFL quarterbacks. When No. 3 Oklahoma State and No. 4 Stanford play Monday night at University of Phoenix Stadium, in Glendale, Ariz., it figures to be one of those can't-miss shows. Stanford's Andrew Luck has been projected as the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft. Prototypically sized, deceptively agile, and mature beyond his years, Luck tore through Stanford's record book almost as often as he did opposing defenses.

Politicians who received letters from the Fiesta Bowl requesting that they return tainted campaign contributions are responding, and none appear too happy to be tarred with the same brush as the bowl's ousted CEO. U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona has offered the latest pushback, sending a caustic letter to the bowl's lawyer that called the return of the money inappropriate since the Fiesta Bowl had admitted improper conduct. Kyl said he would give the $3,000 he received to a charity.

The Fiesta Bowl will be allowed to remain part of the Bowl Championship Series, though it must pay a $1 million fine for apparent illegal campaign contributions and inappropriate spending. The BCS presidential oversight committee, which made the decision, also attached several other conditions as it let the Fiesta Bowl remain part of the system for deciding college football's national champion. They included steps to strengthen the Fiesta Bowl's board along with greater supervision of executives to make sure the problems are not repeated, according to materials obtained by the Associated Press.

The Fiesta Bowl will be allowed to remain part of the Bowl Championship Series, though it must pay a $1 million fine for apparent illegal campaign contributions and inappropriate spending. The BCS presidential oversight committee, which made the decision yesterday, also attached several other conditions as it let the Fiesta Bowl remain part of the system for deciding college football's national champion. They included steps to strengthen the Fiesta Bowl's board along with greater supervision of executives to make sure the problems are not repeated.

Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe says he is encouraged by the Fiesta Bowl's response to an investigative report that led to the firing of its longtime president for alleged misuse of funds. The Big 12 has a contractual agreement to send its champion to the Fiesta Bowl if that team is not playing for the national championship. "I feel good about their commitment to do the right thing," Beebe told the Associated Press in a phone interview yesterday. Beebe said he has been in contact with Fiesta Bowl officials often in recent weeks and they have asked for help and suggestions for how to reform the organization's leadership structure to ensure similar mistakes won't be made again.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - The Fiesta Bowl has ejected its chief executive amid corruption allegations and faces a new challenge: convincing the BCS to let it stay in the lucrative bowl system used to crown a national champion. If Fiesta Bowl officials cannot, BCS executive director Bill Hancock says the organization has no problem booting them. The Fiesta Bowl released an internal report that uncovered "excessive compensation, nonbusiness and inappropriate expenditures, and inappropriate gifts" and fired longtime CEO and president John Junker.

The Fiesta Bowl fired president and CEO John Junker after a scathing internal report released yesterday found "an apparent scheme" to reimburse employees for political contributions and "an apparent conspiracy" to cover it up. The reimbursements, listed as at least $46,539, appear to violate state and federal campaign finance laws. The Arizona attorney general's office is conducting a probe of the matter. The BCS reacted swiftly, saying it would undertake an investigation of its own to "consider whether the Fiesta Bowl should remain a BCS bowl game or other appropriate sanctions.

With five championship games on tap in Southeastern Pennsylvania, Thursday is a high school baseball lover's feast day. The marquee matchup is the PIAA District 1 Class AAAA final between West Chester Henderson and Council Rock North, at 4 p.m. at Radnor High. In District 1 Class AA, New Hope-Solebury and Devon Prep will battle in all-Bicentennial Athletic League final at 4 p.m. at Upper Merion. District 12 offers a title triple-header: Central meets Monsignor Bonner for top honors in Class AAAA, Franklin Towne Charter plays Archbishop Wood for the AAA crown, and Nueva Esperanza Charter and Kennedy-Kenrick square off to decide the Class A king.