From left, Jonathan Langford and David Tryon cook some 900 pounds of meat on Monday, June 22, 2015, in preparation for the St. John's Mexican Fiesta on Friday and Saturday at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. The two have been volunteering at the fiesta for about 30 years.

With the Free State Festival and Final Friday on the docket, this weekend should offer plenty of activities for those out on the town. But even with that extra competition, Frank Lemus said he’s not worried about attracting revelers to St. John’s Mexican Fiesta, scheduled for Friday and Saturday at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 1234 Kentucky St.

“Well, you can only split a dollar so many ways. But one of the pluses of these downtown events is, they’re not far from each other,” said Lemus, the fiesta’s chairman. “People can mosey on down to our event or mosey on down to the others. Hopefully, we can feed off each other.”

After more than three decades at St. John, the fiesta has more than its fair share of “diehards,” Lemus said.

More than 10,000 people from Lawrence and northeast Kansas are estimated to attend this year’s fete, which will feature all the live music, dancing and — perhaps most importantly — Mexican food that folks have come to expect from the 35-year tradition.

Carnival games on Saturday, Mexican confetti eggs called cascarones and a Moonwalk both nights will also be on-hand.

Dancers will be part of the entertainment at the St. John's Mexican Fiesta on Friday and Saturday.

The fiesta is a source of pride for the 300 or so volunteers who make it happen every year, said the 45-year-old Lemus, who performed with the St. John fiesta dancers and worked in the food booth during the event’s early years.

Annually, the fiesta generates between $35,000 and $40,000, with funds going toward St. John Catholic School’s Spanish language program, scholarships for local Mexican-American students and maintenance projects at the church.

“People will jump on it when asked,” Lemus said of finding volunteers, many of whom attended the school as kids or send their children there now. “I think when you have that connection, you’re willing to help out more.”

Like Lemus and many other volunteers, Jacinta Hoyt grew up around the fiesta — particularly the St. John kitchen, where her mother, Irene Langford, helped prepare Mexican favorites like tamales, enchiladas and burritos.

“I feel like I was born into it,” said Hoyt, who now serves as the fiesta’s publicity chair. “Every summer, it’s just what I do.”

More than 75 people — led by fiesta originals Loretta Chavez and Bertha “Bert” Bermudez — are helping out in the kitchen this week, with upward of 1,500 tamales, 3,000 burritos and 800 enchiladas being churned out in preparation of the big event. Because of the labor involved, enchiladas will only be offered Saturday night, Hoyt said.

For Hoyt, who coincidentally is turning 35 a few months after the fiesta celebrates the same milestone, it’s a tradition that she wants to pass on to her own children.

Her 3-year-old son will attend preschool at St. John soon, and she hopes one day he’ll dance in the fiesta — “that would be so cool,” Hoyt said.

As soon as this weekend’s fiesta wraps up, work will begin on next year’s event. Last month, the Douglas County Commission awarded St. John a $16,400 grant to refurbish the fiesta’s La Yarda display, which includes photos and texts detailing the history of the Mexican families who settled in Lawrence to work on the railroad in the 1920s and 1930s.

Hoyt said the new-and-improved display will likely be finished in time for the 2015 fiesta.

“The feedback we get is so positive. People say it’s the best event in Lawrence,” she said. “There’s some pride there. You want to keep it going.”