Santa Paula Citrus Fest Proves to Be No Lemon : Celebration: Parade down Main Street draws young and old during annual event paying tribute to the city’s agricultural heritage.

A parade rolled through Santa Paula on Saturday morning, kicking off the 28th annual Citrus Festival. But the pageant had more to do with roadsters and hot rods than oranges and lemons.

“Look at that convertible. Wow!” said 71-year-old Santa Paula resident Terry Nelson Jr. as a 1952 turquoise Chevrolet convertible crawled past him down Main Street. “That is one sweet car.”

During the 40-minute, down-home parade, members of Oxnard’s Shrine Club buzzed by in miniature cars. A fleet of lowriders with hydraulic suspensions shimmied and shook as they cruised past spectators, who tried to escape the stifling heat by squeezing onto shady strips of sidewalk.

Only the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Paula directly paid tribute to the agricultural products that spurred Santa Paula’s growth beginning in the late 1800s. Youngsters wore bright orange T-shirts with lemon and orange motifs and waved to the crowd from atop a flatbed truck.

But the lack of citrus-themed floats does not mean residents of Santa Paula have forgotten the crops that have meant jobs for thousands of friends and family members.

“A lot of people’s parents work in the citrus industry,” said Josepha Baca, a 19-year-old Ventura College sophomore who was chosen this year’s Miss Santa Paula. “[The festival] is a celebration of what this town was built around.”

The arrival of the railroad in 1887 triggered a population boom and gave birth to the citrus industry in Santa Paula and Fillmore. In 1893, an oil baron joined local farmers to form the Limoneira Co., which by 1950 had become one of the largest lemon producers in the world. Today, agriculture remains Ventura County’s No. 1 industry.

During the festival, organizers have spotlighted this heritage with booths peddling citrus products, and with train rides to Fillmore and back through miles of orchards.

“We want to promote the concept of Santa Paula as the citrus capital of the world,” said festival coordinator Bonnie Bruington, president of the Santa Paula Kiwanis Club, which is sponsoring the event. “The festival is very low-key, very homemade and very youth-oriented.”

Kaitlin Heinz, 6, said she liked all the cars in the parade. But Smokey Bear, perched atop a fire truck, caused her to heckle.

“Look at that bear,” said Kaitlin, turning to her friend, Frances Popelka, 7. “There’s a person in there. I know it.”

Festival organizers hope to raise $10,000 from booths and carnival rides for youth programs and student scholarships.

After the parade, as people streamed into Veterans Memorial Park for the carnival, the adventurous lined up at the temporary-tattoo stand to get skulls, crosses and scorpions glued onto their shoulders and biceps.

The booth’s sponsors, a local graffiti removal group, said they preferred that people paint their own bodies instead of painting the town.

“That was the irony of it that we enjoyed so much,” said Robin Sullivan, a Santa Paula councilwoman and booth worker. “It’s a fun thing that washes right off. We’ve gotten all different requests, from little babies to elderly people.”