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The avocado and Santa Barbara County go way back. In 1871, Judge R.B Ord of Santa Barbara introduced the avocado to the United States with trees from Mexico. Eventually in the early 1900’s, growers saw the commercial potential of the fruit, and began hunting for and cultivating more and better varieties. By the 1950’s there were over 25 varieties being grown in California, the foremost being the Fuerte and later the Hass. Today California is the leading producer and distributer of avocados and holds onto 90% of the market. They grow coastally from San Luis Obispo to San Diego. They grow year round and a single tree can produce up to 200 pounds of fruit each year (approximately 500 avocados).So naturally California needs to hold an annual avocado festival to celebrate this delicious, nutritious part of its heritage, and this annual festival happens each year in Carpinteria. This year marked the 24th festival, held on October 1-3, under cloudy skies and drizzle.
Despite the less than typically perfect weather, LindenAvenue bustled with vendors, festival goers and providers of entertainment from end to end. Californians know what’s good for them, and a little cloud cover and unseasonal moisture isn’t going to cramp their style, or appetite for something green and leathery.
The avocado was the star of the festival punctuated by the large, inflatable Mr. Avocado who greeted visitors at the entrance. There was a location provided as a “photo opportunity” with the oversized fruit, but watch your camera angle or your background will be port-a-potties. Oops.A well run festival really milks the theme, squeezing every possible angle out of it. Likewise, with the avocado festival, the avocado theme ran the gamut, from guacamole contests to avocado ice cream. Other themed features included “Guac’n’roll” which was the title of the main stage, the children’s stage entitled “Pam’s Little Pits” Stage, and the official burger provided by Carls Jr. which was of course the infamous guacamole burger. There was an avocado dance troupe, an avocado gymnastics troupe (they were both wicked), and a recurring emphasis on being “green.” And to top it all off, the annual “Big Avocado Run” 5 kilometer race started things off on Sunday (see results here). Guess what each finisher received … a big avocado.
Being that an avocado is in fact a food item, creativity abounded in the food court. Everything was covered in guacamole, which admittedly tastes good on most everything. One vendor sold chips and guacamole, and they were in high demand. As it turns out, this guac was a multiple award winner and was worth every penny. There were tri-tip sandwiches with guac, hotdogs with guac, lots of Mexican cuisine with guac, and Cold Stone was selling avocado flavored ice cream. It looked good, but … Most importantly, there were vendors selling bunches of raw, fresh avos at a fraction of the typical retail price. If there was ever a reason to take a short trip to Carpinteria during Avofest, this would be the reason.On the entertainment front, throughout the weekend there were more than 60 different bands and acts that hit the four stages of the festival. Of note was Spencer the Gardener, a band from Santa Barbara that has strong ties to the avocado festival. They have released 6 CD’s, their latest being “Organic Gangster” which features the song “A.V.O.C.A.D.O”, an ode to the fruit. Spencer the Gardener also features Carpinteria native John Schnackenberg who plays the saxophone. The band has taken their songs and talent world-wide, but always make it a point to return home in October for the festival. To take a listen to the avocado ode, visit www.avofest.com.
All in all it was another successful celebration of the California avocado and just a few steps away from “The World’s Safest Beach.” If you didn’t get a chance to make it out to the festivities, make sure and mark your calendar for next year, early October. In the meantime, may you have many opportunities to indulge in the green, leathery powerhouse fruit, the California avocado.
