MOORPARK : Church Asks City to Scale Back Festival

Parishioners of Holy Cross Catholic Church in Moorpark want the city to scale back plans for a Cinco de Mayo festival because they say the event will steal crowds and revenue from their annual celebration.

The churchgoers have been hosting a carnival, featuring food booths and games, in honor of the Mexican holiday for 10 years, several members have told the City Council.

This year, the city plans to expand its celebration from a dance to a daylong event on May 4--one week before the church’s May 11 fiesta.

Councilman Scott Montgomery promised to review the city’s plans and perhaps encourage the staff to reschedule the event or trim it back.

But Lynn Crockatt, co-chairman of the festival, said several entertainers have already been invited. Although he will meet with the church’s pastor, it will be impossible for the city to change its plans, he said.

“I think theirs is going to be every bit as successful,” Crockatt said.

“The community can support both of them.”

But the Rev. Joseph Cosgrove, pastor of the church, said the church will be forced to compete for entertainment, concession booths and fair-goers’ money.

About 2,100 families belong to the parish.

In the past, members have raised more than $20,000 during the fair, Cosgrove said.

Those funds help support the church as well as several local charities, including a food pantry for the city’s poor and counseling services for children and young mothers.