Upfront procession flowed past inflated snowmen and blinking lights. They stopped at trailer space 24 — the second “inn.� The song was accompanied by a strumming guitar: “Please show us some mercy; Do grant us this favor, For the God of heaven will be sure to repay you. “We are very tired Came from Nazareth Joseph is my name Carpenter by trade ...� Veronica Weber
“I don’t care for the name,� came the reply. “Let me go to sleep, because as I told you I won’t open to thee ... “ The group eventually arrived at the end of a row of trailers, where a plastic tent decorated as a cattle stall had been painted with images of the holy family and scenes from the birth of Christ. A baby Jesus lay in a manger surrounded by straw. Finally, Mary and Joseph found
The posada included prayer, lit candles and the procession, followed by piles of tamales, posole stew, tostadas and pan dulce. shelter and a home for the night. The posada continued with hundreds of tamales, deep pots of red and green posole stew, tostadas, punch, hot coffee and pan dulce. Children laughed and ran amid cas-
cading treats that dropped from a burst piĂąata. Lynnie Melena, Barron Park Association president, said she had always stayed away from Buena Vista, largely because it was walled off by
a wooden fence. It did not seem an accessible place to drive through as one might on other neighborhood streets, she said. “It’s always just been here. It hasn’t been positive or negative; it’s just been ‘this place,’� she said. The Barron Park Association hasn’t taken a position on Buena Vista’s survival; Melena said the association is made up of many people who do not share similar views. But the association might decide to make the park a topic for discussion at a community meeting, she said. As the crowd thinned, residents danced to the pulses of folkloric music. Some grabbed the hands of reluctant outsiders and drew them into the crowd. Soon, they were caught up in the dance. Buena Vista resident Blanca Fonseca reflected on the importance of the neighborhood-within-a-neighborhood sticking together. She pointed to a small trailer across the way from the manger. A man with schizophrenia lives there, and residents are helping him with his sickness, she said. Fonseca and others bring the man
food, water and other supplies. She pointed to another small trailer several doors down. Its windows were among the few that were dark. “The man is in bed. He doesn’t stand up anymore, but we help him; we help to dress him,� she said. N Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be emailed at sdremann@paweekly.com.
WATCH IT ONLINE
www.PaloAltoOnline.com A video of the Buena Vista posada by Staff Photographer Veronica Weber has been posted on Palo Alto Online.
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