Ripe for Fun : The ninth annual family-oriented event will offer crafts, music and some activities just for youngsters.
Celebrating one of Ventura County’s most lucrative--and tastiest--crops, the California Strawberry Festival is set for a weekend of entertainment and berry-related fun.
A tree-lined, grassy expanse at Oxnard’s College Park will be transformed Saturday and Sunday to accommodate tens of thousands of visitors enjoying, among other things, arts and crafts exhibits, musical entertainment and an area cordoned off just for the kids.
“We really try to tune it to a family oriented festival,” said Don De Armond, a strawberry festival executive committee member.
Last year the festival attracted upward of 70,000 visitors over two days, he said, and expectations are for throngs to show up again at this year’s ninth annual event.
“We hope to attract a similar crowd,” De Armond said, “but we’re kind of dependent on the weather. If we get a couple of those wonderful sunny Southern California afternoons, then we’ll be in great shape. It’s the chance you take with an outdoor festival.”
Organizers hope to attract the masses to the 14-acre site with a top-notch bill of musical entertainment that includes Rita Coolidge, Lacy J. Dalton, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.
“New for this year is a 2,000-seat (lawn seating) amphitheater where all of the big-name entertainment will be held,” De Armond said.
Another big attraction at the festival is an impressive arts and crafts show, which lures artisans from around the nation.
“This has become a nationally recognized show,” said Judy Cunningham, arts consultant for the festival. “After receiving about 500 applications from all over the country, we juried to find the best of the bunch.” About 210 exhibitors were chosen to participate and will offer all original works--from pottery to paintings and clothing.
Adventure-filled “Strawberryland” will provide youngsters with a whole range of fun, including musical performances, clowns, a petting zoo and puppet shows, said festival manager Bill Garlock.
“There aren’t many affordable places where you can find entertainment for the whole family all in the same place,” said Garlock, who is special-events manager for the city of Oxnard. “This is for 2-year-olds to senior citizens and everyone in between. It’s really diverse.”
Let us not forget the main attraction--juicy, sweet strawberries, galore. Watch for strawberry pizzas, kabobs, funnel cakes and other edibles.
“For our strawberry recipe contest, we received entries from 26 states,” De Armond said. “The winner is an elderly lady from Florida, who came up with a strawberry vinaigrette.” On-site contests include shortcake-eating and tart-tossing competitions.
“The whole idea of the festival is to help promote this area as one of the nation’s largest strawberry-producing areas,” Oxnard grower Jim Arimura said. “And really, it helps the strawberry industry as a whole.”
According to the county agricultural commissioner’s annual crop report, strawberry production in 1990 (4,200 acres) was valued at over $126 million--ranking second behind lemons ($175 million). (The 1991 crop report will be released later this month.) While those are impressive numbers, they don’t always ensure a windfall for berry growers, who commonly invest $9,000 or more per acre, even before reaping any harvest.
“Production has returned to about normal after all the damage earlier in the year,” Arimura said, “but the market is just not there.” Recessionary conditions are only part of the problem, he said. Besides providing minimal display space, grocers are asking a pretty penny for the berries, he said.
“By the time it goes from the grower to the retailer, the price is too high,” he said.
Enter Ventura County’s numerous roadside stands. “That’s the best place to buy strawberries,” he said. “The stands put up good quality fruit. When we pick for the grocery stores, we have to pick the fruit when it’s a little bit green. For the stands, the berries are picked when they’re real ripe. They have a higher sugar content because they’re vine-ripened. We can’t pick that ripe for the chains.”
(Arimura operates a roadside stand in Oxnard at 3370 E. Pleasant Valley Road, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday.)
According to California Strawberry Festival organizers, a few growers will be selling a fresh batch of vine-ripened strawberries at the festival.
* WHERE AND WHEN
Admission each day is $5, $3 for senior citizens and children 12 and under. All activities and entertainment are free once inside festival grounds.
Hours Saturday and Sunday are 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. College Park is flanked by Rose Avenue, Pacific Coast Highway and Channel Islands Boulevard, next to Oxnard College.
GARDENING NOTES / COMPOSTING
The recycling office of the city of Ventura will conduct a free composting workshop Saturday at the Cornucopia Community Garden in Ventura.
Beginning at 10 a.m., participants will learn how to turn yard clippings, leaves and food scraps into a rich, fertile soil amendment. Preregistration is not required. The garden is on Telephone Road, a block east of Johnson Drive.
For information, call the recycling office at 650-0884.