The 103rd Yerington Portuguese Festa 2024 Filled Church & Catholic Center in Commemoration

Photographs and story from the Yerington Portuguese Organization.

The 103rd Yerington Portuguese Festa was held Sunday, June 9th, 2024 at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Yerington, Nevada . The event began with a procession from the Caltholic Center to the Church where mass was scheduled for 10:30am, followed by a traditional lunch of sopas, sweet bread and Portuguese beans at 12:00 noon in the Catholic Center.

The festival honors the Holy Ghost and commemorates the miracle of Queen Isabella of Portugal offering her crown to provide food for her people, ending a famine in the early 1300’s. Queen Isabella prayed for help for her people during a time of great hardship. On Pentecost Sunday, ships came into the harbor filled with food. A celebration was held in thanksgiving.

The Queen for the 2024 Celebration was Clarisa G. Alvarez, daughter of Noe & Ofelia Alvarez. Clarisa is 13 years old and a soon-to-be 8th grader at Yerington Intermediate School. She loves playing sports, including soccer, basketball, volleyball, track, and swimming. She has three siblings Erik, Michael, and Matthew. Previously, Clarisa was a Junior Queen at our Festa and we are honored she has accepted our invitation to represent us this year as our Senior Queen.

After mass, a traditional lunch of sopas, sweet bread and Portuguese beans was served in the Catholic Center Hall. Festa 2024 Chefs worked long and hard to prepare the much-anticipated meal.

Festa raffle prizes included a handmade afghan by Marian Pinkerton and an original painting by John F. Frank McGowan. All proceeds from the raffle go towards the Alvin Matheus Memorial Portuguese Scholarship Fund. Mr. McGowan also donated a original painting for the auction.