photo by Beatriz Mendoza
Self-proclaimed object manipulation artist Michael Martinez, also known as Butterfingerz, performed at the annual Old Town Harvest Festival on Saturday. The 51-year-old juggler from Glendora amused children and passers-by throughout the day.
With the warm sun shining above, a variety of merchants, food stands and entertainers were on hand at the annual Old Town La Verne Harvest Festival Saturday.
The event, which began at 7 a.m., occupied the intersection between Third and D streets, right next to the University of La Verne campus.
People of diverse backgrounds walked among the busy streets and all kinds of dogs on leashes were everywhere with their tongues hanging out of their happy faces.
Daniel Loera, multicultural affairs director at ULV, attended the fair.
“It’s nice to see the festival being more multicultural,” Loera said. “It’s nice to see people meet other people and talk, instead of just saying a quick hello.”
People found merchants selling everything imaginable. At this festival, there was something for everyone.
During the sun-drenched event, people could buy straw hats or a sun visors for $5.
They could buy three hair scrunchies in all different colors, including Christmas colors, for $5.
ULV students could even pay a visit to the LVTV booth.
For sports fanatics, there were sports memorabilia, such as sports-team hats, signs, mugs, jerseys, pins and trash bins.
One could also buy paintings, stained-glass art, handprint art, marble statues, Tupperware, and even potato and veggie bags.
Fair-goers could walk around the festival and find pottery, mini tea sets, candles, belts, many jewelry stands, Avon products and a vast variety of Christmas decorations for the holiday home.
And if one got tired of walking around, there was a chiropractor on hand to help relieve the stress and a yoga information stand.
But do not think the young people were left out.
To add to their collection, young folks could buy 18K Italian charms for their trendy charm bracelets or go to the pin stand and, for $1.25, buy pins featuring Weezer, Elvis, “The Simpsons,” “South Park,” Morrissey, the Los Angeles Dodgers and even pins of Paris Hilton’s face (everything is possible at the festival.) They even had car decals of Bart Simpson and Betty Boop.
Children could go and buy remote-control cars and hand-held games.
For the girls, they had custom handmade baby dolls.
The festival featured a Kids Zone, where kids could jump in inflatable mazes and go on pony rides.
They could even pay a visit to “Mr. Fun” and have him blow a balloon and tie it into different shapes, from aliens to octopuses.
While people walked around the festival, they could certainly eat along the way.
If people were hungry, they could have a bacon-wrapped hot dog, pasta, sweet white corn, a baked potato or garlic fries.
To wash it all down, they could have a refreshing fruit smoothie.
But if someone was found guilty of having a sweet tooth, they could choose from a delicious funnel cake or a churro, kettle corn, or the sweet-tempting roasted almonds in sugar cinnamon vanilla powder.
Apart from buying and eating, people could also just sit and listen to a small band play music or watch four little girls in traditional Mexican garments dance to Mexican folk music from all regions.
People could also go see the creativity behind the scarecrow contest. Fifteen scarecrows, each with their own unique titles, were on display and all very different and exceptional.
One scarecrow was patriotic, with red, white and blue stars and stripes all over its straw body.
“Scarecrow Fever” was a disco-themed scarecrow.
He looked like John Travolta from “Saturday Night Fever” in a scarecrow’s outfit with a disco ball hanging over his head.
He could probably shake his hips with “Rock Around the Harvest Festival,” a scarecrow dressed up as Elvis Presley, the king of rock and roll.
There was even a some-what frightening teddy bear, dressed up just for the children. “Beary Scary,” was a bear dressed as a scarecrow holding a water gun. It was not scary, but it was cute for the children.
The most disturbing scarecrow was the “Scary crow.” This scarecrow was covered in blood with a robotic-biting rat on it. It had vultures all around it with dead rats in its mouth.
Candace Guereque, 11, from La Verne enjoyed the scarecrow contest.
“I think they’re very creative. I can tell they took a lot of time,” she said.
Her favorite scarecrow was the Elvis scarecrow, she said.
Her mother, Lourdes Nuñez, liked the “Scary Crow” scarecrow.
“It’s very gory and disgusting,” Nuñez said. “It’s very different but disturbing.”
Jonathan Ruiz, a freshman business major who attended the festival, described it as “very crafty.
“The festival does bring things you don’t see everyday,” he said.
“It gets you out of your room and (allows you to) mingle with the locals,” Ruiz said.
This year’s festival was quite a success, thanks in part to the weather.
The festival brought people together as they enjoyed the merchants, the food, the weather and the entertainment, making for a glorious day outdoors.
“It’s a gorgeous day,” Loera said.
“It’s wonderful to see people intermingling,” he said.
Hugo Bryan Castillo can be reached at hcastill@ulv.edu.