Record Crowds Take in Sun, Fun at Strawberry Festival : Oxnard: An estimated 35,000 to 40,000 attend the first-day activities of the 11th annual event at College Park.

Navigating their baby stroller through the throngs Saturday, Strawberry Festival rookies Carol and Keith Carter rolled their eyes in disbelief.

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“It’s just a little crowded,” Downey resident Carol Carter said with a laugh while veering out of the path of another stroller on one of the narrow, tent-lined avenues at College Park in Oxnard.

“We heard this was a good (festival) and decided to come,” Keith Carter said, acknowledging that the family was surprised to encounter the massive crowds that turned out for the first day of the annual two-day event.

An estimated 35,000 to 40,000 people attended the California Strawberry Festival Saturday, surpassing first-day attendance figures for past years, festival organizers said.

“I’ve never seen so many people here in one day,” said Supervisor John K. Flynn, co-chairman of the festival. “This is the 11th year of the event and this is the biggest.”

More than 70,000 people attended the two-day festival last year, and organizers expect to top that figure this year.

At one point, about 100 people per minute were filing through the main gate into the fenced-off area of College Park, Flynn said. The park’s capacity is about 70,000, he said, adding that the large turnout did not appear to cause too much crowding.

“It’s a big park . . . so the comfort level is still there,” he said.

Flynn attributed the increase in attendance to the festival’s growing popularity statewide and Saturday’s warm temperatures.

“The weather is absolutely perfect,” he said. “Plus it’s an enjoyable event. Everyone I see here is eating--I’ve never seen so many people eating in all my life.”

About 30 county nonprofit groups prepared strawberry-oriented foods for sale at the event, including strawberry shortcake, crepes and pie. More adventurous eaters could choose from an extended menu of strawberry tamales, pizza and won-ton.

“I’m a strawberry freak,” said Natalie Solvason of Sylmar. “My favorite thing is the strawberry desserts.”

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Solvason and a friend, Jeannie Keasler of Manhattan Beach, positioned themselves at the entrance of the festival amphitheater in order to make a quick dash to the food booths after The Temptations’ 1 p.m. concert.

“We haven’t had any today,” she said of the creamy fruit desserts. “But we’ll get to them.”

Solvason attended the festival two years ago and said she was surprised by how much it had grown.

“It seems like there’s a lot more things to do,” she said. “It’s a nice day--for five bucks you can’t beat it.”

But 12-year-old LariAnne Nakamura of Oxnard said that with the exception of the strawberry tart toss contest, where competitors hurl desserts at the participants’ faces, the festival was short on activities.

“It’s kind of boring,” she said. “There’s a lot of stuff to look at but not a lot to do.”

Oxnard residents David Guera and Lorri Murphy and her son, Danny, found a patch of unoccupied grass in the festival amphitheater just in time to hear The Temptations.

“We couldn’t believe how packed it was,” Murphy said. “The whole festival is bigger.”

South-Central Los Angeles residents Herschal and Caroline Christian walked away from the festival Saturday with their primary objective: a flat of red berries.

“We came for the booths, the arts and crafts,” Herschal Christian said. “But mainly for the berries.”

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Oxnard strawberry grower John Dullam hauled 400 flats of berries to College Park, and the Christians’ flat was just one of dozens that Dullam sold Saturday.

“As a grower, it’s good community relations and promotion for the product,” Dullam said of the festival. “(And) it’s a lot of fun.”

West Covina residents Richard and Maria Ferra drove two hours with nine family members stuffed into their minivan for the event.

“We had to pull the seat out of the Toyota and put air in the tires,” Maria Ferra said of the family trek. But the traffic, large crowds and long lines for food couldn’t break their festival spirit.

“It’s worth it,” she said. “It’s a nice area and it’s nice to get away.”

California Strawberry Festival

The 11th annual California Strawberry Festival runs today from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at College Park at 3250 S. Rose Ave. in Oxnard, adjacent to Oxnard College. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and children ages 2 to 12. Children under 2 are admitted free. Parking is available at no cost next to the park. The schedule for today’s events is as follows:

Time: Event

8 a.m.: 10K race and two-mile family dash

10 a.m.: Strawberry pancake breakfast

10 a.m.: Satin Soul II, dance music

10 a.m.: Twangin’ Iguanas, country music

11 a.m.: Third Planet, rhythm and blues music

11 a.m.: Michael Greiner, glass harmonica music

11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m.: Sylvio’s Magic Pearl Puppets (children)

11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 3 p.m.: Sing-along with Kurt Fries (children)

Noon: Doug Kershaw, Cajun music

Noon, 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.: Prof. Einstein and Steel Drum (children)

12:15 p.m.: Strawberry tart toss

1:30 p.m.: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, blues and swing music

2 p.m.: Big Mountain, reggae music

2 p.m.: Jacob’s Ladder, folk music

2:30 p.m.: Strawberry relay race

3:30 p.m.: Spencer the Gardener, Latin music

4 p.m.: Strawberry shortcake eating contest

4 p.m.: Angela Watson, country music