The Berry Best Fest

It promises to be a berry sweet time in the state’s strawberry capital this weekend.

For the 16th consecutive year, Oxnard--the city deemed “the land of endless summers” for its warm, dry weather and rich soil--will host the California Strawberry Festival.

Tens of thousands of the luscious heart-shaped fruits have been plucked from the region’s fields for the event Saturday and Sunday at the 75-acre Strawberry Meadows in College Park.

The cost is $7 for adults and $4 for seniors and children 2 to 12.

“Family fun, delicious foods and outstanding entertainment, all at an affordable price, make the festival a must-do,” said festival spokeswoman Lisa Carey.

There will be 40 food booths offering a variety of berry-based menus, including strawberry pizza and strawberry kebabs. Hundreds of the plump yummies will be chocolate-dipped, glazed or smothered in powdered sugar.

And of course there will be strawberry shortcake--for savoring bite-by-bite or for devouring during contests. A tart-tossing match and a relay race using strawberries are also scheduled.

Besides being a place to eat bright red concoctions and buy berries by the pint or flat, the festival has emerged over the years as a musical and shopping draw for attendees of all ages.

In Strawberry Land, there will be live musical entertainment for children, clowns, hands-on arts and crafts, a petting zoo, puppet shows and jugglers. A Berry-Go-Round and bounce slide will also be free with the cost of admission.

For all ages, a dozen different musical acts will perform each day on the Dr. Kato Stage and the Festival Stage. Festival-goers can bop, jig and sway to the sounds of jazz, swing, rhythm and blues, pop, rock and Latin tunes.

The weekend’s headliner will be Grammy-nominated singer Taylor Dane, who will take the stage at 4 p.m. Saturday. Two-time Grammy winner Rita Coolidge sings at 4 p.m. Sunday.

Ventura County favorites Ska Daddyz will play reggae licks starting at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

In between chowing and twisting, the festival will offer an arts and crafts area with more than 300 booths featuring original work by artists from all over the country. Thirty artists from Ventura and Santa Barbara counties will show and sell their work. There will be paintings, photography, sculpture, glassware, ceramics, children’s toys, wood carvings, clothing and jewelry.

“We are unable to accommodate each year’s 450 or so applicants, so a committee juries the top artists and craftsmen in each medium,” said festival chairman Don DeArmond. “Only the best are presented during the festival.”

J.M. Smucker Co. will offer a $1,000 award to one artist, and festival sponsors along with Pacific Fine Arts will give out eight $100 awards.

For those looking for a memento of the weekend, watercolorist Stephanie Elise of Ventura has created the official festival poster, which depicts a young girl wearing a bonnet and picking strawberries in a field. The backdrop features the rolling hills of Oxnard.

“I wanted to create a touching and sensitive piece that connects with the admirer on every level,” Elise said.

The poster will be available at the festival, along with T-shirts and sweatshirts emblazoned with the image.

Parking for the event is free next to Strawberry Meadows, across from Oxnard College, at 3250 S. Rose Ave. Handicapped parking also is available.

Free shuttle service to and from the festival will be offered from Oxnard’s Transportation Center and the C Street Transfer Station at the Centerpoint Mall.

Buses will run every 20 minutes starting just before the gates open at 10 a.m. until just after the close of the event each night at 6:30 p.m.

Local hotels and Amtrak trains from Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties are both offering discount rates. For Amtrak information, call 1-800-USA-RAIL; for shuttle times, call the festival hotline at 1-888-288-9242 or visit www.strawberry-fest.org

DETAILS

California Strawberry Festival, Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m; Strawberry Meadows at College Park, 3250 S. Rose Ave. $7 for adults and $4 for seniors and kids 2-12. Free parking

Tip of the Week: The Conejo Gem and Mineral Club will host its 25th annual show, titled “Pageant of a Thousand Gems” this year, on Saturday and Sunday.

The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Borchard Park Community Center at 190 Reino Road in Newbury Park. Admission is free.

To celebrate the club’s silver jubilee, there will be displays of fossils, minerals, lapidary, jewelry work and more, said club member Cory Dzitzer.

There will be silver displays, items for sale, a variety of demonstrations and a silent auction for fossils, geodes and other items.

There will also be a youth area with games and grab bags and a “touch table” so people can handle gems and minerals.

For more information, call Jeane Stultz at 498-4220.