Santa Fe celebrates 100th burning of Zozobra 

Santa Fe celebrates 100th burning of Zozobra 

A Kiwanis club in New Mexico, U.S., keeps the project’s flame alight by including the community.

By Erin Chandler

Ray Sandoval clearly remembers the start of his Kiwanis journey. He was a six-year-old in Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S. 

“I think that, obviously, as a young kid, I got involved with Kiwanis because we burned this 50-foot monster in the middle of our town.” 

The monster is Zozobra, whose Spanish name means “anguish, anxiety or gloom.” He is a huge marionette constructed of wood, wire and cloth, and he is stuffed with the various “glooms” that people want to leave behind: divorce papers, old police reports, medical records and scraps of paper scrawled with other reminders of unhappiness.

  

Each year, crowds gather at Fort Marcy Park on the Friday before Labor Day — a U.S. holiday that occurs on the first Monday of each September — to watch Zozobra burn to the ground, taking the gloom of the past year with him. 

The annual Burning of Zozobra began in 1924, when artist William Howard “Will” Shuster, Jr., inspired by traditions of the Yaqui Indian communities, burned an effigy at a party for a group of fellow artists and writers. The event grew in size and scope, acquiring its own set of characters and traditions. In 1964, Kiwanian Harold Gans persuaded Shuster to hand the event over to the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe, with proceeds to benefit the community’s children. 

For Sandoval, who has served as event chair since 2013, the appeal of Zozobra is the opportunity for people to let go of their individual pain and regret — and to let them share that catharsis in “this super community event with 60,000 of your closest friends.”  

And there’s this: “You know, we as human beings — we love fire.” 

Keeping a promise
Once sparked by his youthful fascination with Zozobra, Sandoval’s involvement with Kiwanis evolved as he grew into adulthood and realized the importance of community service. But the appeal of the burning monster remained. When Sandoval was 18, Gans told him about a promise Gans had made to Will Shuster to keep Zozobra going “in perpetuity.” Gans asked Sandoval, in turn, to promise to get Zozobra to its 100th birthday. 

“Santa Fe is a city that is 400 years old,” Sandoval says. “It has the oldest continuous celebration in the United States, Fiesta de Santa Fe, which celebrated its 317th year this year. Our Native American Indian market celebrated 100 years last year. So promises and commitments really mean something in this community.” Moreover, he says, “for me, as a Kiwanian, when we give our word, it has to be our word.” 

On August 30, 2024, Sandoval fulfilled his promise: Santa Fe celebrated the 100th Burning of Zozobra. Around 65,000 people attended the event in person, with almost 300,000 watching on television and 1.3 million online. 

The path was not without obstacles. In 1999, concerns about providing security to both Zozobra and the Fiesta de Santa Fe led the city to move Zozobra to a Thursday night. Over the next decade, crowds dwindled, with few children able to attend because they had school the next day.  

The Kiwanis club began to question whether Zozobra was living up to its purpose — and worth the resources required. By then, every aspect of Zozobra was steeped in almost 90 years of tradition. Would changing those traditions take away what made the event special in the first place? 

Renewed focus
The answer came with a change in leadership. When Sandoval assumed the position of event chair, he brought the philosophy that Zozobra was special because the community came to celebrate and burn their gloom together. So the club set about recentering the event around the community. 

The first step was to move the event back to the Friday night at the start of the three-day Labor Day weekend — allowing more children to return and people from out of town to bring their families.  

The second was to get the community involved. For years, the construction of Zozobra had been handled by the Kiwanis club alone, following a strict set of instructions and shrouded in secrecy. Now the club invited members of the public to touch and see Zozobra up close — and even, with proper safety measures, help build him. 

For those who weren’t interested in operating power tools, there were other jobs — in security, hospitality and marketing. Ross Hamlin, who played with the Zozobra band, even composed original music for the 2024 burning.  

Where the club had previously recruited artists for Zozobra T-shirts and posters, they decided to hold contests for adults and children to determine each year’s designs. Another contest determined who would sing the national anthem before Zozobra was set alight. 

There’s a lot of talent in the community, Sandoval says, but it’s up to the club to seek it out. 

“You’ve got to invite them there. You’ve got to make them feel welcome, and you’ve got to put in the time and energy to cultivate their skills, so that way they feel like they’re giving something back. And then, once that happens, it’s a magical solution, because they’re never going to want to leave.” 

A spirit of open-mindedness
That policy of openness extended to the area surrounding the venue where Zozobra is burned. At first, neighbors and local businesses resented the inconvenience. The club committed to holding meetings and keeping up an honest dialogue on improvements in areas like cleanup, security, barriers and creating pathways for residents to enter and exit their neighborhoods.

The spirit of open-mindedness and honesty was key in balancing old and new traditions within the club as well. Not everyone was eager to embrace change. Finding a way forward has been “like walking a tightrope in some respects,” Sandoval says. “Those different perspectives give us the ability to make the event stronger and make the bonds between the club [members] stronger.  

“One of the worst things, I think, for a club or a tradition is to do it the way you’ve always done it because you’ve always done it that way. That is the best way to fail.” 

Early on, Sandoval realized that Zozobra “was going to become kind of a bucket-list item” that people only attended once. Again, the club reached out, asking the kids in the Zozobra art contest what they liked about the character. All of them drew Zozobra looking the same as he always did, with a black bow tie and cummerbund — but they liked that his hair color changed. 

Inspired by this, the club launched the Decades Project: Every year leading up to the 100th burning, Zozobra would change his appearance to represent a different decade. Sandoval admits that this deviation from tradition led to “a ton of controversy” and some “really intense conversations” both inside and outside the club. Some called for a return to the “traditional Zozobra” halfway through the project. But the club stuck with it, and by 2024, what Zozobra would be wearing had become a hot topic of conversation. The kids’ art contest this year had 600 entries, with Zozobras wearing crocs, a backpack, AirPods, even playing a Nintendo Switch. 

“People have now begun to love the fact that he’s dressed differently,” Sandoval says. “And so even with the secret sauce — the tradition itself — you can’t be afraid to mix that up, and you can’t be afraid of criticism. You’ve got to look at exactly what’s your target audience. My audience is those young people. I need to get them excited, and they need to be the next generation of Kiwanians that give back to their community and also keep this tradition alive. And I think that’s where we succeeded.” 

Growing globally
Zozobra has adapted to reflect its community in other ways. Construction materials have been adjusted to withstand higher winds caused by climate change. The performance now includes Native American dancers to better represent the multicultural Santa Fe community. 

As the emphasis on community has taken hold, the Burning of Zozobra has grown globally. In the first year that the event returned to Friday night, attendance rose from 20,000 to 30,000. It continued to increase until 2022, when attendance neared 75,000 — more than was safe for the venue. After that, in-person attendance was capped at 65,000, and the club decided to partner with the local ABC television affiliate to broadcast Zozobra.  

Despite concerns that broadcasting the burning would decrease in-person attendance and merchandise sales, the event has continued to sell out every year, and it has gained partners and sponsors as its reputation spreads around the world. 

Ahead of the 100th burning this year, the club held the ZozoFest art show, with hundreds of pieces made by community members depicting Zozobra, fire dancers and more. A “public stuff party” for community members to help fill Zozobra with glooms — in exchange for pizza and ice cream — saw volunteers waiting outside the door at 9 a.m. By 1 p.m., there was nothing left to stuff. The neighborhood association that had asked Zozobra be stopped or moved in 2012 sent a US$5,000 donation to assist the “good work” the club now does with the event. 

In addition, the city of Santa Fe now boasts a Zozobra statue and has paid for a 135-foot Zozobra hot air balloon. It has also asked the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe to host official events for the Fourth of July, New Year’s Eve and Dia de los Muertos.  

Some club members had initially objected to nonmember involvement with Zozobra preparations, thinking the strategy would remove an incentive for becoming a Kiwanian.  

Sandoval countered that participation would show people what the club does for the community and for children — and inspire them to become members. “And that’s exactly what we’ve seen,” he says now. “As our old members either retire or unfortunately pass away, we’re seeing that they’re being replaced with younger and younger leaders.” 

Jacob Romero, a past president of the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe, was 26 when he took office, having joined the club at 21 — after becoming involved with Zozobra at age 8. As they become known for the way they run events, Kiwanis club members have become “the cool kids” in Santa Fe. Sandoval believes this is how Zozobra will keep growing into the future. 

“It has to be that we plant those seeds of future leaders now, and we cultivate and water those.” 

The time is now
The Santa Fe club’s success has given Sandoval some insight into the ways that club events connect to the communities around them. For example, he suggests building events around events or interests that already exist in your area. 

“But also look to see if there are cultural, historical things in your community where you can create an event,” he says, “because those events become so important to the people who are there.  

“And don’t be afraid that you don’t have a big enough club to handle the event. Start your event, and then go out and talk about it — welcome strangers in, welcome nonmembers in. Before you know it, you’re not only going to bring your community together, you’re going to bring your club together.” 

Sandoval believes that such togetherness is especially powerful these days. 

“I know service organizations are having a rough time,” he says, “but if there is a time for service organizations, it is now. We need to create community events where we start seeing each other as neighbors and people again.” 

This year, at the 100th Burning of Zozobra, Sandoval had a moment that he compared to the end of the movie “Return of the Jedi.” 

“It was almost as if I could see these two Force ghosts,” he says. “I could see Will Shuster standing there with his little hat on, and I could see Harold [Gans] there in his overalls, and it was really emotional. So when Zozobra fell, it was this huge weight that fell down as well. I just remember thinking to myself and saying to Shuster and to Harold, ‘We did it. We got to the 100th, and we’re still going to go on.’  

“We’re strong. We’re going to continue to do what Harold promised, which was to have Zozobra in perpetuity — which is a long, long time.’”

Microgrants boost clubs’ community support

Microgrants boost clubs’ community support

From July through September, smaller clubs made a big impact through the Kiwanis Children’s Fund.

By Erin Chandler

In July, August and September 2024, more clubs around the world received Kiwanis Children’s Fund microgrants for small projects that will make a big impact. These clubs are giving out books throughout their communities, providing food and emergency supplies to families and training parents of children with autism in sensory therapies. The following three projects highlight the ways Kiwanis clubs are using microgrants to advance the Kiwanis causes of education and literacy, health and nutrition, and youth leadership development. 

Health and nutrition 

Edmarc Holiday Baskets
The Kiwanis Club of Churchland, Virginia, U.S., says their members are “few in number but mighty in volunteering.” This holiday season, with help from a Kiwanis Children’s Fund microgrant, they will prove it by helping families with children in hospice care. These families may not have the time or money to shop for holiday meals and other essential items while caring for their terminally ill children. The Churchland Kiwanians will take care of the shopping with a list from Edmarc, a well-known hospice provider in their community. They will then gather with Key Club members to assemble food baskets that will bring holiday cheer in dark times.  

Education and literacy 

Adopt-a-Teacher
Sometimes the best way to support a child’s education is to support the teacher. In the Kiwanis Club of Greater Mount Laurel’s Adopt-a-Teacher project, teachers in the New Jersey, U.S., community apply for help with purchasing classroom supplies they would otherwise have to provide themselves. Club members vote on the winning application and, with help this year from a Kiwanis Children’s Fund microgrant, fulfill the entire wish list. The selected teacher also receives a year’s membership to BookSmiles, which supplies teachers with books for their classes. The club even works with BookSmiles to make sure other teachers with books on their wish lists get the titles they need.  

Youth leadership development 

Do Good Bus Trip
The Kiwanis Club of Slinger, Wisconsin, U.S., will use its Kiwanis Children’s Fund microgrant to help members of its sponsored Builders Club develop into a new generation of servant leaders. Each month, Kiwanians accompany their Builders Club members on the local volunteer-run “Do Good Bus” to Casa Guadalupe Education Center, which offers literacy support to Spanish-speaking Latino families in the area. Builders Club members read to children at the center and lead them in craft activities they have planned themselves, such as making bookmarks and holiday ornaments. They have even helped Spanish-speaking kids write letters to Santa. Grant funds will supplement Builders Club book drives and fundraisers to purchase supplies for each trip.  

How you can help 
To learn more about Kiwanis Children’s Fund microgrants, visitkiwanis.org/microgrant-program. 

If you want to help the Children’s Fund provide grants like these that reach children around the world, you canmake a giftto The Possibility Project. Your club can alsoapply for a grantto help kids in your community today. 

August grants develop leadership skills

August grants develop leadership skills

Four clubs received grants for outstanding youth leadership development projects.

By Erin Chandler

This August, the Kiwanis Children’s Fund awarded club grants to a remarkable 32 clubs serving communities around the world. Out of those projects, some of the most distinctive focused on the Kiwanis cause of youth leadership development by fostering young people’s creative independence. The following four projects exemplify different ways Kiwanis projects can guide the next generation on the path to becoming future leaders. 

CleanUP Community
Kiwanis Club of Craiova, Romania
The Kiwanis Club of Craiova is addressing Romania’s struggles with waste management, especially recycling, by getting the next generation involved. A Kiwanis Children’s Fund grant will help purchase materials for seminars and workshops to educate kids from age six through 18 on environmental issues. The grant also will go toward supplies for conservation activities in which local children can participate with other members of their community, such as recycling drives, cleanups and community gardens. The ultimate goal of the CleanUP Community project, though, is to give young people the means to become advocates and leaders, developing their own plans and strategies to improve waste management in their community. Within a year, the club hopes its community youth teams will develop at least one implementable plan and be ready to promote sustainable development goals. 

Creativ in die Lehre mit Kunst (Creative Teaching with Art)
Kiwanis Club of Lavanttal, Austria
A Kiwanis Children’s Fund grant will help the Kiwanis Club of Lavanttal purchase paints, brushes, canvas, ceramics and more to turn its community’s young people into artists. The Kiwanians are collaborating with a vocational school and a local artist to provide art classes for teens, including those with disabilities. Culminating in a public art exhibit to show off the students’ creations, these classes will allow the students to explore their artistic sides — with club members helping the students place their sculptures and other artworks in parks, gardens and other public places.   

Let’s Play! Leadership Training Program
Kiwanis Club of Melbourne, Florida, U.S.
Members of the Kiwanis Club of Melbourne noticed a lack of local accessible and affordable child development programs that focused on mental health for kids and families alike — and they decided to change that. Through the “Let’s Play!” program, the club will provide free programs at local libraries for kids ages 18 and younger and their caregivers. The programs will promote creativity, innovation and collaboration through activities like open-ended play, art projects and storytelling sessions. After working together to complete their projects, participants will reflect on their experiences through dialogue, drawing and writing. A grant from the Kiwanis Children’s Fund will help the Melbourne Kiwanians produce “how-to” videos, presentations and manuals to help other Kiwanis clubs and communities replicate “Let’s Play!” The club hopes to guide young people and families, regardless of income, to value play as a way of reducing anxiety and increasing understanding of their own and-w others’ creative abilities.  

Lifewise Program
Kiwanis Club of Wapakoneta, Ohio, U.S.
The Kiwanis Club of Wapakoneta’s Lifewise Program is geared toward at-risk adolescents between the ages of 16 and 18 who may be aging out of the foster system, not attending traditional schools or involved in the judicial system. Through a weekly series of six three-hour courses, club members hope to help these vulnerable young people graduate high school and prepare for the next steps in their lives. The courses will focus on basic cooking and cleaning skills, identifying risky situations, finding a job and achieving financial independence, basic auto knowledge, and dressing for success — with the sixth course serving as a culmination of the program. A Kiwanis Children’s Fund grant will go toward meals for instructors and participants at each course, as well as supplies the students can use during the courses and then take home with them. The entire Lifewise Program wraps up with a graduation ceremony to celebrate the participants’ achievements. 

More health and education projects
Other projects that received club grants in August include:  

  • A weekend food program from the Kiwanis Club of Hilliard, Ohio, U.S. 
  • Mental health care kits from the Kiwanis Club of Park Ridge, Illinois, U.S. 
  • A program to honor most-improved third-grade students from the Kiwanis Club of Opelousas, Louisiana, U.S. 
  • After-school tutoring from the Kiwanis Club of Shan Hsin, Taiwan. 
  • An inclusive playground from the Kiwanis Club of Lapeer, Michigan, U.S., and a musical instrument playground from the Kiwanis Club of Sycamore, Illinois, U.S. 
  • A recreation hour for children in the hospital from the Kiwanis Club of Granada-Meta, Colombia. 
  • A high school herbal garden from the Kiwanis Club of Greater Portmore, St. Catherine, Jamaica. 
  • Renovation and repairs at Shady Grove Basic School from the Kiwanis Club of 23 Central Surrey Online, Jamaica. 
  • Children’s swimming lessons from the Kiwanis Club of Rockaways, New York, U.S. 
  • Miracle League of Montgomery County inclusive baseball training and recruitment from the Kiwanis Club of Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. 
  • 2024 Signature Project Contest Group II Bronze-winning project “Kiwanis Cares for Kids,” providing supplies and experiences to local school children from the Kiwanis Club of Gig Harbor, Washington, U.S. 
  • Clothing, school and essential supply projects from the Kiwanis Clubs of Brigham City, Utah, U.S.; Fostoria, Ohio, U.S.; Hagerstown, Maryland, U.S.; Lenape Valley, New Jersey, U.S.; and North Shore, Long Island, New York, U.S.  
  • Holiday events from the Kiwanis Clubs of Bald Eagle and Nittany Valleys, Pennsylvania, U.S.; Petersburg, Virginia, U.S.; Providenciales, Florida, U.S.; and Sierra Vista-San Pedro, Arizona, U.S. 
  • Literacy projects from the Kiwanis Clubs of East Lansing, Michigan, U.S.; Hickory, North Carolina, U.S.; Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, U.S.; Richmond, Virginia, U.S.; The Rising Sun, Bahamas; and Siesta Key, Florida, U.S.  

How you can help
The Kiwanis Children’s Fund makes grants that improve the lives of children around the world by identifying projects that create a continuum of impact in a child’s life — one that spans their entire childhood and sets them up for a bright future. Through The Possibility Project, the Children’s Fund ensures that its grantmaking has the greatest possible impact, supporting projects that target the Kiwanis causes — health and nutrition, education and literacy, and youth leadership development — whether through a Kiwanis club’s local service project or a club’s partner. 

Learn how your club canapply for a grantto help kids in your community. If you are interested in extending your and your club’s impact beyond your community, make a gift in support of The Possibilty Project.