By Louis Zylka
The 830 Times
Noise For Toys has been an annual event where people can donate gifts to underprivileged families during the holidays. People around the San Felipe area and across Del Rio were invited to donate at the Casa de la Cultura and stay for live music and food prepared by volunteers.
The house doors opened at 6 p.m. on Saturday, allowing guests to donate money or toys $5 or greater. Noise For Toys has been organized by the local band Los Code 88s, who have hosted the event for more than 10 years. Gustavo Chapa, drummer for Los Code 88s, said his band had inspiration from similar events out of town and have wanted to give back to the community.
Noise For Toys centers on inviting all kinds of musicians from different backgrounds and places to be part of the event. Over the years, bands have traveled from far, including California, New York and Las Vegas to perform at the Casa de la Cultura. Grupo Frackaso, a punk band from San Antonio, performed on Saturday and has helped donate for 10 years. Sylvia Swine, member of Grupo Frackaso, said her band loves traveling to Del Rio and helping the community.
Everything from punk to cumbia has been performed at Noise For Toys. Musician John Martinez, who opened the musical lineup with an acoustic set, said he has played music at the Casa de la Cultura for 15 years and has seen all kinds of music and artists represented.
“(Casa de la Cultura) is more of a community,” Martinez said. “People can get judged for their looks, but we all come together here for a good cause and enjoy the same kind of music.”
Chapa said their event is the Casa de la Cultura’s biggest revenue for collecting gifts and money during the holidays. The band received their biggest donation from Walmart, which donated a pallet of toys to the event. He said it is a good feeling to see Noise For Toys, a project his band started, continued to get support for over a decade.
“It’s always good to give back, and you do it because you want to. People are happy for it and you are happy for it, and that is the biggest payoff,” Chapa said.
The money collected at the front door will be used to purchase more toys over the next couple of days. The event continued throughout the night with music lasting until 10:00 p.m., ending with performances by Ruffies and DJ Andy Kandi.
