SAN ANTONIO – Some collectors have thousands, while others have only a couple of Fiesta medals.
It’s a tradition in San Antonio, but new to Natalie Garza.
“When I moved into my sister’s house after she passed away, I came across a specific Papa John’s medal,” Garza said. “I found that one, and then I found other ones. And from there, it just led from one thing to another.”
Now, Garza has a regular table at medal trading events. She also has a medal of her own, in honor of her sister, Yulissa Valero.
“To keep your memory alive and to spread the awareness against drinking and driving,” Garza said.
Valero, 26, died more than a year and a half ago. She and two others were driving on Interstate 35 in January 2024. That’s when another car, traveling the wrong way, hit them head-on.
San Antonio police arrested the driver of that vehicle for suspected DWI - intoxication assault.
The medals have “Yulissa’s voice” and “stop drinking and driving” engraved on them.
“If I get to save somebody’s life, I feel like I did something good,” Garza said.
San Antonio police reported 139 DWI arrests during Fiesta 2024.
