GET READY TO GRAZE : Community Festivals in Fullerton and Cypress Offer Chances to Sample Arts and Activities

My mom had this great trick when we were growing up. Whenever the family went out to dinner and the dessert cart rolled around, she’d always demur, saying she’d have “just a taste” of whatever the rest of us ordered.

I didn’t appreciate this as a child, but as an adult I see the sheer genius of it. To wit: With so many tempting choices to make in this world, why should you limit yourself to apple pie when you can have the whole smorgasbord?

That’s the idea behind both “A Night in Fullerton” and “Cypress Celebrates the Arts,” two unrelated community festivals that offer visitors a wide array of free visual and performing arts activities.

“A Night in Fullerton,” to be held from 7 to 11 p.m. on Friday, will feature multiple offerings at 14 places citywide. Visitors can travel among sites sampling music, dance, storytelling, visual art and more, suitable to a wide range of ages and interests.

According to Fullerton Museum Center director Joe Felz, a member of the volunteer committee for “A Night in Fullerton,” the annual event, of which this is the 28th, also serves as an effective marketing tool for participating groups. By offering a glimpse of their work to a large number of viewers (last year’s affair attracted nearly 25,000 people), the groups help develop regular audiences.

“We want people to be aware that these groups are here throughout the year, and hopefully encourage them to come back again and again,” Felz said.

A portion of Harbor Boulevard between Commonwealth and Chapman avenues will be closed to traffic during the event, and free shuttle buses will run regularly among all sites, Felz said. Brochures listing activities by discipline and time will be available at the main information booth (situated at the intersection of Harbor Boulevard and Wilshire Avenue) and at all 14 venues. Several restaurants will offer discounts for the evening, and snack vendors will be on hand.

Scheduled performances range from five to 45 minutes, Felz said, with most being about 15 minutes. In addition, from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m., several small outdoor stages scattered throughout the downtown area will be showcases for everything from a country gospel trio to folk dancers to a “high concept” performance art piece that “symbolizes our escape from our own subconscious trappings,” Felz said.

Families with young children may want to start the evening at the Fullerton Main Library (353 W. Commonwealth Ave.). At 7 and 7:30 p.m., puppeteer and storyteller Janine Jacobs will present folk tales from around the world. The 20-minute audience-participation show is suitable for both preschool-age children and older ones. From 8 to 11 p.m., members of the Fullerton Chinese Cultural Assn. will present traditional folk dances, choral performances and brush painting demonstrations.

At Cal State Fullerton’s Visual Arts Complex (800 N. State College Blvd.), children’s activities will include “Say No, Max,” a message play for children in grades kindergarten through 6 presented by the university’s Kaleidoscope Players. The show, to be staged at 7:15 and 8:15 p.m., will blend fantasy and human characters to encourage youngsters to reject illegal substances and stand up to peer pressure. CSUF will also have children’s arts and crafts workshops as well as an adult theater piece, art demonstrations, student dance groups and works by Swiss graphic artist Armin Hofmann.

From Friday through May 1, several spots in Cypress will be the sites for a weeklong open house for “Cypress Celebrates the Arts,” an annual event co-sponsored by the Cypress Cultural Arts Commission and the city’s Recreation and Park District. This year’s festival, which will have a free family fair in a local park, is the largest in the event’s six-year history, Cultural Arts manager Malcolm Johnson said.

Activities will begin this weekend with jazz by the Chris Abernathy Quartet Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Cypress Community Center (5700 Orange Ave.). Entries in the city’s 17th annual Juried Art Exhibit will be on view in the center throughout the week. From noon to 6 p.m. Sunday at Oak Knoll Park (off Orange Avenue between Valley View and Walker streets), there will be continuous entertainment by the Cypress Pops Orchestra, a children’s song and dance troupe, a country and Western band and others, along with storytelling, face-painting and crafts workshops for the youngsters.

At 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the Holy Cross Lutheran Church choir and the Fullerton College community band will perform at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (5151 Orange Ave.). A children’s comedy troupe and a senior citizen’s vocal group are among the entertainment Wednesday from 10 a.m. to noon at the Cypress Senior Center (9739 Denni St.).

Forest Lawn-Cypress (4471 Lincoln Ave.) will be the site for an after-school Mother’s Day card-making workshop and competition April 30. The program will begin at 3:30 p.m. and is open to ages 3 through 12. From 5 to 7 p.m. that day, the Boys and Girls Club of Cypress (10161 Moody Ave.) will be the host of an art exhibit by members and a performance by the Morris Elementary School Band.

“Cypress Celebrates the Arts” will conclude May 1 at the community center with a reception and awards ceremony honoring local artists and the opening-night performance of William Inge’s “Bus Stop” at the Cypress Civic Theatre (5172 Orange Ave.).

What: “A Night in Fullerton” and “Cypress Celebrates the Arts.”

When: Fullerton event is Friday, April 24, 7 to 11 p.m.; Cypress celebration runs April 24 through May 1.

Where: Each festival will have events at sites all over the city.

Whereabouts: To reach downtown Fullerton, exit the Riverside (91) Freeway at Harbor Blvd., and drive north. Free parking available. To reach Cypress, exit the Riverside Freeway at Valley View St. and drive south. Turn right on Orange Ave.

Wherewithal: Admission to all events is free.

Where to call: Fullerton events: (714) 738-6575. Cypress events: (714) 229-6780.