Kiwanis Citrus Festival to offer entertainment, contests and carnival
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
Published: July 09, 2008
“Citrus, The Beginning of Santa Paula” will be celebrated throughout the 41st Annual Kiwanis Club Citrus Parade and Festival, to be held July 18-20 at Harding Park; a celebration packed with information and displays about the fruit of California, citrus ranching, and Santa Paula’s agricultural heritage.
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula Times
“Citrus, The Beginning of Santa Paula” will be celebrated throughout the 41st Annual Kiwanis Club Citrus Parade and Festival, to be held July 18-20 at Harding Park; a celebration packed with information and displays about the fruit of California, citrus ranching, and Santa Paula’s agricultural heritage. The hometown style Citrus Festival Parade - with Elizabeth Blanchard the 2008 Grand Marshal - will step out onto East Main Street (between 7th and 11th streets) Saturday at 10 a.m.
Taking lemons and turning them into lemonade is a natural for the Kiwanis Club and their presenting sponsor Limoneira Company for the three-day event that will include headline entertainment, music that will get dancers on their feet, contests and competitions for the whole family, a thrill-filled carnival, and plenty of good eats. Festival hours are 5 to 11 p.m. on Friday, and noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
With the admission price of only $5 for adults and $1 for kids 12 and under (carnival rides are a separate - but still low-cost), the Citrus Festival is a bargain that can’t be beat, according to Co-Chairman Bill Grant. “There’s so much to do and see and it’s so reasonably priced. Admission includes our great lineup of entertainment,” as well as a Saturday Car Show featuring dozens of sweet rides.
Special citrus-centric contests for the entire family will be held Saturday and Sunday (1 to 6 p.m.) at the Family Fun Stage, sponsored by the Santa Paula Times. It’ll be plenty of fruity fun with bobbing for oranges, an orange roll, lemon juice drinking, lemon eating, orange juice drinking, citrus packing, lemon peeling, avocado peeling, lemonade drinking and - of course - lemon pie eating contests are fun for not only the participants but for the “big crowds who get to sit and enjoy themselves” as they yell encouragement to their favored contestant.
The Pavilion will again feature booths and samples reinforcing Santa Paula’s nickname of “Citrus Capital of the World” and will act as the site of numerous competitions all centered on - you guessed it! - citrus. Cash prizes are in store for entrants who make the best guacamole and the most creative avocado dish, best lemon dessert and best orange dessert.
Last year King Kelly, Smucker’s and Knott’s Berry Farm were pitted (no pun intended) against each other to determine which makes the best orange marmalade, and restaurants and bakeries will offer their best lemon bar. Kids are encouraged to enter the unique and so much fun best-dressed orange, lemon and avocado contest. And, it wouldn’t be the Citrus Festival without the biggest avocado and biggest lemon contests.
Entertainment will rock Harding Park all weekend long: Friday night will feature the famous Brenton Wood (“Gimme a Little Sign”) and opening act, the retro-ready Captain Cardiac and the Coronaries, on the Main Stage starting at 7:45 p.m. Rico and Mambo will entertain on the Budlight Lounge stage from 6 to 8 p.m.
On Saturday the Angela Skeels Band will rock the Budlight Stage from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., when the focus will shift to the Main Stage for the lively Anthony Prieto Band (6 p.m.), get up and dance House Arrest 7:30 p.m., and mega-group Lakeside at 9:30 p.m.
Mariachi will be king on Sunday, with Mariachi Camarillo on the Budlight Lounge stage (starting at 3 p.m.), followed by the popular Nuestro. Then (6 p.m. on) the focus will shift to the Main Stage with an all star lineup of the spirited Banda Santa Elena, Las Potras, Grupo Sismo, Banda Reina del Sur, La Sonora Dinamita and Banda la Limon for dancing to a strong beat.
A free shuttle will be operated throughout Santa Paula to bring people to the festival, where parking is limited Friday from 5 p.m. to midnight, Saturday noon to midnight and Sunday noon to 10:30 p.m. The shuttle will stop at City Hall (970 E. Ventura St.), the Depot (corner of Santa Barbara and 10th streets) and Glen City Elementary School (corner of Main Street and Steckel Drive.)
Grant said that with all the hoopla surrounding the festival the message and mission remains clear: “The Kiwanis Club of Santa Paula, like all Kiwanis Clubs, is an organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time,” and, as always, proceeds of the event will support numerous youth organizations and programs in Santa Paula. For more information, visit the festival website at www.santapaulafestival.org.
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