By Martin Leal

McAllen TX- Tejano radio station KKPS QUE PASA 99.5 celebrated its fourth birthday on Friday Jan. 17, 1997 by throwing a party for its listeners. The Birthday Bash was held at the Villa Real convention center in McAllen Texas. Tejano artist Letty Guval y Grupo Expresso, Grupo Intento and La Tropa F were there to entertain the 2500+ listeners who were given chances to win the tickets that MONEY COULD NOT BUY through a radio contest. The dance / concert was held to show station appreciation to its many listeners in the Rio Grande Valley. QUE PASA program director and morning man A.C. Cruz expressed his thanks to the artist for "their support and belief in Que Pasa because without the artist and most importantly without the loyal listeners there would be no Birthday Bash and No QUE PASA 99.5" .

The Bash was a huge success,and the house was packed by 8:30 when Letty Guval went on stage to open the show. Dressed in black jeans ,red satin shirt and silver satin jacket ,Letty turned on the charm and got the audience pumped by singing songs from her Amor de mis Amores and Miles de Suenos CDs. The fans went wild and rushed to the stage as she gave out her posters and autographed the posters and other items for the fans. At one point in the concert she picked up an accordion and pretended to play it as the audience cheered her on. Letty Guval was electric, she had the fans charged with her smooth golden voice. The audience loved her. After her performance she posed for photos and signed more autographs as she talked with the fans backstage. When asked to describe the Birthday Bash and the audience, Letty stated "there was so much love and support from the fans, that it just blew me away'.

After Letty Guval y Grupo Expresso, next on stage was the Valley's hottest up and coming Norteno / Regional band, " la juventud Nortena" as they are called, has been in existence for one year and already they have opened for groups like Intocable, David Lee Garza, Los Palominos, Michael Salgado, Ramon Ayala, Emilio and Tropa F. They formed on Jan. 29, 1996 and One month later they opened for Intocable. Now, they are about to sign with a major label, they wouldn't say which label, all they said was to listen to QUE PASA 99.5 to find out which one. Their first single is due out the first week of Feb. titled "Si Alguna Ves".

They played it at the dance,and its hot. Their first CD will follow two weeks later also titled "Si Alguna Ves".At the Birthday Bash they played to the audiences Mexican side, the audience sang along as they play "Tragos Amargos" and "Un Riconcito En El Cielo" as well as other Norteno favorites. You can expect to see these guys at next years Tejano Music Awards, they are that hot. After their performance the band also met with the fans for a photo and autograph session with the fans . Lead singer Raul Ortiz thanked QUE PASA 99.5 for opening the doors for them over the last year and said he looked forward to working with QUE PASA and its loyal listeners.

Last but not least, was the main group of the night LA TROPA F, playing their hits Lagrimas, Juan Sabor, La Mala Vida and Luna De Miel, the troop was in the house and they were hot. The audience was divided into two groups, those that stood and watched the Farias Brothers sing and play their magic and those who danced to their musical magic. As the night came to an end, the audience began to chant Tropa Tropa Tropa as the F Troop agreed to play for another half hour. They too held and autograph and photo session.

The night was a Tejano music lovers dream, excellent music and a very festive atmosphere . They even had a big Birthday cake. KKPS-FM QUE PASA 99.5 Promotion director Jay Herrera promised many more events like this one for Tejano fans. QUE PASA listener Mary Aguirre from San Benito summed up the Birthday Bash as "AWESOME".