SPC Hosts 30th CultureFest & Rib Cook-Off

Over a thousand community members gathered at St. Philip’s College on San Antonio’s east side on May 1, 2025, for its 30th Annual CultureFest and Rib Cook-Off.

The day-long official Fiesta event featured live music, food vendors, student performances, and friendly competitions, all while raising funds for student scholarships. The opening ceremony included remarks by Wesley Wells, Vice President of Student Success; Dr. Adena Williams Loston, President of St. Philip’s College; Fabian Castillo, Sr., Rey Feo 76; Judge William "Cruz" Shaw; and Steve Rosenauer, Executive Director of Fiesta San Antonio. This year’s festivities also served as a tribute to the small group of dedicated faculty and staff who established CultureFest in 1995 as a two-day gathering known as International Family Day.

This year’s CultureFest included an exciting lineup of live performances, featuring the Sam Houston High School Band, Mariachi Fiesta De San Antonio, and the SPC Funk/Jazz Ensemble.

Throughout the day, attendees enjoyed a variety of competitions, including the signature Rib Cook-Off, where Rochel’le Duran took first place, followed by Alexandra Wilhelm and Craig Overmiller in second and third, respectively. For the dessert competition, first place went to Audra Nabers, second place to Steven Zuniga, and third place to Paul Lede. Yvonne Turnbull-Campbell was awarded first place, Audra Nabers was awarded second, and Leona Wells was awarded third for the non-alcoholic beverage category.

The car show competition had over 60 vehicles registered across four classes. First-place awards went to Gabe Garcia’s 2010 Chevy Corvette ZR1 in the Modern Class, Chant’s 1985 Chevy Corvette in the Hot Rod Class, Erick G.’s 1968 Chevy El Camino in the Classic Class, and Rich Espinosa’s 1959 Chevy Apache in the Truck Class.

The event concluded with closing remarks by St. Philip’s College President Dr. Adena Williams Loston and the announcement of the BBQ grill raffle, sponsored by the local masonic lodges, featuring seven custom-designed grills crafted by SPC welding students under the guidance of faculty members John Hoyt and Adrian Shields. The raffle raised over $7,000.