Two anniversary celebrations held by penyes recently showed that the Barça spirit is lived intensely across the Iberian Peninsula. These were the 15th anniversary of Peña El Santo del FC Barcelona (Federación Aragón, La Rioja y Navarra) and the 35th anniversary of Peña Barcelonista “El Lobo” (Federación Andalucía, Ceuta y Melilla). Both events not only commemorated this milestone for their respective penyes, but also became a meeting point for dozens of supporters to share their Barça passion.
PB El Santo brings together several penyes for its 15th anniversary
The town of Santo Domingo de La Calzada, in La Rioja, became a key blaugrana gathering point for the celebration of the 15th anniversary of Peña El Santo del FC Barcelona. Around 60 people took part, with notable attendance from Marta Gajate, president of the Federación Aragón, La Rioja y Navarra; Eduardo Metola, president of PB El Santo; Juan Luis García, vice-president of the penya; Raúl Riaño, mayor of Santo Domingo de la Calzada; and Onésimo Sánchez, member of the Agrupació Barça Jugadors. Members of PB Alcorisa, PB Força Blaugrana Zaragoza, PB Castillo de Olite, PB Andorra de Teruel, PB Osca, PB Navarrete, PB Tarazona, PB Monteagudo, PB Erreniega and PB Cortés were also present.
The celebration included an official reception at Santo Domingo de la Calzada Town Hall, a sightseeing tour of the city’s most emblematic monuments, a vermouth and tasting of local products, a blaugrana street parade, and the fellowship lunch for PB El Santo 15th anniversary. In the evening, a final party brought this intense day to a close. Throughout the event, there was a great atmosphere of camaraderie and Barça passion among the participating supporters.
More than 100 people at PB “El Lobo”’ 35th anniversary
At the other end of the Peninsula, in the municipality of Beas (Huelva), another blaugrana gathering took place as part of the 35th anniversary of Peña Barcelonista “El Lobo”. The event brought together more than 100 people, among them José Romero Liroa, president of the host penya; Diego Peral and Pepe Martín, secretary and board member of the Federación de Peñas de Andalucía, Ceuta y Melilla; Rosendo Romero and Rafael Pichardo, members of the Club’s Social Commission; José Leñero, mayor of Beas; and Esteban Vigo, former FC Barcelona player.
The celebration began on Friday with a party for PB “El Lobo” members and continued Saturday with the official reception at Beas Town Hall, a colloquium on current Barça affairs at the penya headquarters, and a grand gala dinner. There were speeches, the cutting of the commemorative cake, and the presentation of gifts to the various participating entities. In addition, PB “El Lobo” received a very special present: a Fermín López shirt with a congratulatory message from the player for the 35th anniversary of penya. It was the icing on the cake of a memorable day for everyone in attendance.
