OXNARD : Festival Picks 4 Strawberry Mascots

After two days of sparsely attended auditions in Oxnard and Hollywood, four people have been picked to play Super Strawberry, official mascot of the upcoming California Strawberry Festival.

Ten would-be berries took to the stage at the Richard Pryor Theatre in Hollywood on Wednesday, while only one showed up for auditions at the Oxnard Community Center on Tuesday.

Of those contestants, Terri George of Oxnard and Robert DiTillio, Adam Rocke and Tanya Chorin, all of Los Angeles, were selected to don giant red strawberry costumes and make public appearances between now and the festival, which will be held May 21 and 22 at College Park in Oxnard. The four winning berries will receive passes to the festival, a night’s stay at the Radisson Suites Hotel and festival souvenirs.

“I think it’s great. I think it’s going to be fun,” said George, who was disappointed that she was the sole Ventura County berry. “I feel like it should be a local thing.”

Aileen Stein, a spokeswoman for the festival, attributed the larger response in Los Angeles to the city’s population of thespians.

“My guess is there are a lot of people in the Los Angeles area that are actors, and this kind of idea appeals to them,” she said.

The contestants at both auditions were judged on their speaking ability, enthusiasm, originality and a brief talent demonstration. The Hollywood audition was a sweet success as far as enthusiasm is concerned, Stein said.

“There were seven judges. They had them dance and sing. The judges even sang their own rendition of ‘Life Is a Bowl of Strawberries,’ ” she said.

Although festival representatives were disappointed by the turnout at auditions, they were optimistic that next year would bring a greater yield. This is the first year the festival has used mascots.

“When people see Super Strawberry around town,” Stein said, “we might get more people.”