Plans are progressing for the annual Yerington Portuguese Festa, to be held on May 30-31.

The community is invited to celebrate this tradition of custom and faith, which commemorates the goodness of 13th Century Queen Isabella of Portugal, who purportedly gave her crown and jewels to the church in thanks for alleviating a great famine in Portugal.

The Senior Queen and her attendants symbolize Queen Isabella and her retinue and the Senior Queen this year is Leslie Zarazua. The Junior queen is Michella Davis.

A family party and dance featuring the Joe Rossi band will be held on Saturday, May 30, at the Catholic Center on Virginia Street, starting at 9:00 p.m. Some activities featured for the family are a wheel of fortune for the children and a cake walk for all. Linguica sandwiches will be served near midnight.

On Sunday, May 31, festivities begin with a procession of the queen's starting at the Courthouse at 10:30 a.m. The procession will walk down Main Street to the Holy Family Church, where a mass will be held at 11:00 a.m.

A sopa feast at the Catholic Center will follow the mass. The sopa feast is a symbol of the Queen feeding the starving peasants after the famine. After the feast, there will be an auction featuring many handcrafted, donated items. In addition to the auction, there will be a drawing for a number of items including: a hand pieced quilt, a stained glass nativity scene, a $100 grocery certificate, and a case of imported Portuguese wine.

This festa is a time of joy for the Portuguese community, and the Portuguese of Mason Valley are delighted to share this time with all.

If you would like more information about the celebration or the meetings, feel free to phone Elsie Brower at 463-2763 or Marian Pinkerton at 463-3772.