The mayor of Vilanova de Arousa, Gonzalo Durán Hermida, has announced the names of the people and the entity that will receive the Gold and Diamond Badges of the 30th Mussel and Cockle Festival. The event will take place from August 8 to 11, with an extensive program of activities.
“As on previous occasions, we will pay tribute to two people and an entity,” explained the mayor. Durán Hermida announced that the awards will go this year to “María del Carmen Del Valle Galván, Fernando Casal Tacón and the Association of Friends of Valle-Inclán, who stand out for their work in favour of culture inside and outside our municipality”.
“We will have the honour of being able to present these awards on Sunday, August 11, the main day of the 30th Mussel and Cockle Festival of Vilanova de Arousa,” said the mayor of Vilanova de Arousa. This ceremony will take place at 1:30 p.m. in the Plaza de O Castro, after the festival’s opening speech.
María del Carmen Del Valle Galbán
The first honouree is María del Carmen del Valle Galbán. This restaurateur is strongly linked by her family history “to the main origins of Vilanova. She is, together with her sister, the owner of the Pazo A Rúa Nova -in the parish of András- whose use they have just ceded to culturally enhance the world of Valle Inclán,” explained the mayor.
In addition to thanking this firm commitment to promoting culture in the municipality, the Town Council also wants to recognize “all her professional merits, since she is a person who has dedicated her life to art and the installation of great monuments, not only in Vilanova, but also outside it.”
Fernando Casal Tacón
The second winner will be Fernando Casal Tacón, known for being one of the members of the folk group Milladoiro. In the words of Durán Hermida, “in this case, the merit is that about 40 years ago he began to recover the Galician bagpipes by teaching the young people of Vilanova to play in A Pastoriza, better known as “Igrexa Vella.” It was the only public place in Vilanova at the time. There he began to give classes to the kids and now some of them are in outstanding Galician folk groups,” added the mayor of Vilanova.
Association of Friends of Valle-Inclán
Finally, the entity recognized this year with the highest honour of this event is the Association of Friends of Valle-Inclán. Among the merits of this organization he highlighted that “they have put us on the map of the great cultural events of the region, of Galicia and of Spain, by means of the Festivalle, which features great performances and artists,” performing recognized works of Ramón María del Valle-Inclán in his native town.
“In addition, this association publishes the magazine Cuadrante, which is a landmark publication in the world of Valle Inclán,” added Gonzalo Durán. More than enough reasons to recognize all the work carried out to promote this great writer of Spanish literature’s Generation of 98.
The tribute to this group of cultural promoters will be held in the Plaza de O Castro. The opening speech of the 30th Mussel and Cockle Festival of Vilanova de Arousa will also take place there.
All the programme and information about this food festival can be consulted on the https://festadomexillon.com/ website or on the event’s Facebook and Instagram (@festadomexillonvilanova) pages.