The creamy, rich and mouthwatering avocado was at the forefront of everyone’s mind in Carpinteria on Friday, the first day of the 32nd annual California Avocado Festival, which continues through Sunday.

Carpinteria’s Linden Avenue was flooded with avocado lovers eager to taste avo-inspired foods and desserts, sip Rincon Brewery’s avocado beer recipe, take Ferris wheel rides for $5, and participate in family fun activities.

The free block party-style event also offers vendor booths celebrating the scaly-skinned fruit, and continuous entertainment on four stages along the street, with musical acts from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m daily.

For those on an avocado overload, there are other booths along the 800 block of Linden Avenue serving up savory foods such as tri-tip sandwiches, sausage, churros, funnel cake, hot dogs, root beer floats and lemonade.

Different kinds of avocados were for sale near the main entrance of the festival at the intersection of Carpinteria and Linden avenues. 

The AvoEXPO Tent informed visitors of the green-fleshed fruit’s agricultural history in the Carpinteria Valley and the avocado orchards scattered across Carpinteria. The tent is home to agricultural photos, antique tractors, lessons in avocado grafting, and the festival's largest avocado contest.

“Carpinteria has always been an agricultural area,” said Duncan Abbott, an avocado grower in Carpinteria and a California Avocado Festival volunteer. “You can probably grow avocados just about anywhere in California because it’s not too hot and not too cold, and it’s close enough to the ocean.”

According to the California Avocado Commission, California is the top producer of avocados in the United States and home to about 90 percent of the nation's crop.

Guacamole and chips is a popular treat for attendees of the 32nd annual California Avocado Festival in Carpinteria. (Brooke Holland / Noozhawk photo)

This year’s festival poster contest winner was Evangelina Cervera, a graphic artist who worked more than a decade in the newspaper industry in Mexico.

She is a specialist for the nonprofit Children's Resource and Referral of Santa Barbara County, and a freelance graphic designer based in Carpinteria, festival organizers wrote on their website.

Merchandise for sale, including t-shirts, aprons, tote bags and other items, feature the work of Cervera. The merchandise booth is located at 8th Street and Linden. 

“I have people coming to buy a shirt, and they come from Arizona,” said Annette Fisher, the festival’s merchandise chair. “Everybody here is having fun.”

Dining and spending at the festival can be for a good cause.

“What I love about it, my passion is what this does — we help 76 nonprofits with the money raised here (merchandise, ice cream and beer booth), as well as scholarships,” Fisher said. “Not only is this good for our community and local businesses — this gives back.”

The California Avocado Festival is a nonprofit, and its mission aims to promote Carpinteria’s local agriculture, help fund other nonprofits and community projects, promote education in arts and agriculture, and help the development of tourism within Carpinteria Valley.

No pets are allowed at the event unless they are service animals.

Staff and volunteers with Sandy Paws can watch your pup at 5100 Carpinteria Ave. They will provide two hours of free care. Monetary donations are accepted.

Last year, the free daycare area had more than 100 dogs throughout the three-day festival, according to event organizers.

— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.

Many varieties of avocado are offered for sale at the California Avocado Festival in Carpinteria. (Brooke Holland / Noozhawk photo)