By Megan Wehring
National Fajita Day on Aug. 18, 2020 led the Kyle City Council to rename Rebel Drive to Fajita Drive after local icon Juan Antonio ‘Sonny’ Falcon.
Falcon, who was known as the ‘Fajita King,’ popularized fajita tacos after selling them at various festivals and fairs across Central Texas. City council recognized Aug. 18 as Fajita Day with a proclamation in memory of Falcon, who died on Dec. 19, 2019.
Hays CISD recently decided to retire the Rebel mascot from Hays High School, leading a movement made by Mayor Travis Mitchell to rename Rebel Drive in the city of Kyle.
“Considering the fact that the school district has officially taken the vote to change the mascot, I felt very comfortable going ahead and bringing the ordinance back allowing for us to change the name,” Mitchell said.
Education can be key in many circumstances. Symbols may be controversial for one community yet have an alternate meaning in another. Council member Dex Ellison said education is at the forefront of showing love and respect for peers in diverse communities.
“For your peers who don’t look like you to be willing and wanting to educate themselves and willing to make that change on behalf of your feelings, and how that may make you feel, that to me is the ultimate show of love from one person to another,” Ellison said.
Mayor Pro Tem Rick Koch said changing the name for the road to Fajita Drive would highlight the history of the dish within the city of Kyle.
“I think it’s absolutely beautiful that we are bringing this up on National Fajita Day when Kyle, Texas, is in fact the birthplace of the fajita,” Koch said. “I will say that proudly to anybody who asks and annoyingly half the time when I’m in a restaurant and somebody brings me fajitas.”
A certified letter, along with a press release by the city of Kyle, will notify the business owners, property owners and residents along the current Rebel Drive. Council member Tracy Scheel assures business owners that changing the name, despite the potential costs, is necessary for the entire community.
“I do understand that it is going to cost them money to do this,” Scheel said. “All of their marketing material, their letterheads, all of that is going to have to change. I know that is going to come at a cost to the businesses. While I appreciate that, I do agree that the name needs to change.”
