Turnout Improves for Rotary Club Festival

A change in seasons and location for the third annual Community Street Festival--a Westlake Village Rotary Club fund-raiser--paid off with a slight increase in turnout Sunday, organizers said.

“The weather is helping in that it’s not pouring rain,” said William Notthoff, chairman of the fair. The event, held in May last year, was moved to March despite fears the weather would not cooperate.

Skies were overcast and temperatures were cool, keeping beer sales down but boosting visitors to other booths, Notthoff said. The club expected to raise at least $16,000, all to be donated to local groups including the Agoura High School music program, the Boy Scouts, and senior citizen, youth, hospice and church groups.

As many as 5,500 people attended this year, guessed Max Keesling, last year’s fair chairman, who said that was an increase of about 1,000 people.

The fair was, as usual, held on Lakeview Canyon Road but was moved south to an area below Agoura Road so that organizers could have room for a better layout.

About 100 vendors, some from as far away as Arizona, brought handmade jewelry, metalwork and ceramics to sell at the fair. Organizers reviewed the wares ahead of time to make sure the best items were displayed, Notthoff said. All of the works were required to be handcrafted.

Other booths invited children to paint plaster miniatures and have their faces painted. Hand-painted coins, pillows, quilts, plates and rings were also for sale.