Around Fountain Valley: Community springs into summer with four-day festival

Fountain Valley’s four-day, kickoff-to-summer event returns this week, as Summerfest will take over Fountain Valley Sports Park from Thursday through Sunday.

The community festival, which debuted in 2009, regularly takes place during the third week of June. It saw more than 21,000 people attend the event in 2021, when it was one of the first activities to be offered following the coronavirus pandemic.

Schools are out, and so is the sun — albeit with moderate temperatures expected to fall into the low 70s. Those comfortable conditions could aid efforts to keep attendance up this year.

Ride discounts will be offered at $3 per attraction on Thursday, when the festival hours will be between 5 and 10 p.m. Fan Halen, a Van Halen cover band, will rock the main stage beginning at 8 p.m.

Rob Frizzelle, the city’s director of community services, said Friday night will have a country theme to it. The entertainment includes Kenny and Luke’s Country Beach Party from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and Dirt Road: The Jason Aldean Experience from 9 to 11 p.m.

The opening ceremony will take place at 8 p.m. on Friday, with the national anthem being performed by Miss Fountain Valley. There will also be a dragon dance, Frizzelle said.

Friday’s festivities, which run from 5 to 11 p.m., will also feature a fireworks display, and it will be $5 beer and wine night.

“We do have a main stage with some really cool entertainment, but we also have something called a community stage, and we invite out the schools and local entertainment acts to come perform,” Frizzelle said. “It’s free for them to perform, and so we have a community stage for anybody looking for that opportunity to present in front of a large crowd all weekend at Summerfest. … Typically, the schools and a lot of community groups come out and perform, and it’s really fun for them to have that opportunity.”

Community groups and nonprofits also have a chance to host food booths to raise money for their organizations, provided that they submit an application to participate as a vendor.

Summerfest continues Saturday from 3-11 p.m., and it concludes on Sunday from 2-8 p.m. The final act will be a local favorite in the Tijuana Dogs, with their set starting at 6 p.m.

“They’re a local group that has a huge following here in Fountain Valley,” Frizzelle said. “They pretty much are always the headliner on Sunday night.”

Free parking is available. General admission is $5 for those who are 5 years and older

Fountain Valley Sports Park, the community’s central gathering place, will also be hosting concerts in the park each Thursday in July.

The Original Lobster Festival is scheduled to return from Sept. 5 through 7.

Fountain Valley police announce death of former chief Kevin Childe

Former Fountain Valley police chief Kevin Childe has died, the city’s police department said in a news release on social media on Monday.

Childe, a graduate of Los Amigos High, started his career in law enforcement with the Fountain Valley police department in 1990. He was appointed as police chief in 2017, a position he held until his retirement in 2019.

In addition to his time with the police force, Childe also served six years in the Marine Corps. His service time included deployments to the Middle East and Moscow.