Whether it’s wine, beer, music, arts or crafts, a festival Saturday in Lompoc will celebrate anything and everything made in Santa Barbara County.
The fourth Santa Barbara County Local Fest will open at 11 a.m. Saturday at Lompoc’s Ken Adam Park, off Highway 1 near Allan Hancock College’s Lompoc Valley Center. The event is set to end at 1 a.m. Sunday.
Local Fest, which is organized by the Village Farmers Market Association, celebrates the music, food, beer, wine, art and crafts created in Santa Barbara County.
“The purpose to bring all these awesome things we have around us into one location for people to enjoy,” said Joel Marshall, executive director of the Village Farmers Market Association.
Last year, Local Fest added a home-brew competition and on-site camping, both of which return for this year’s event, Marshall said.
Since its start, the event has only grown, with this year’s pre-sale ticket purchases showing a boost in interest from Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo County and the Santa Ynez Valley.
Marshall believes two reasons account for that: Word about Local Fest is spreading beyond Lompoc, and the event is drawing popular artists and musicians.
Online ticket sales have tripled what they were last year, according to Marshall, who recalled worrying whether people would attend the first two events.
For children, a bounce house and petting zoo will be set up at the park.
The music lineup calls for performances by Natural Incense, St. Anne’s Place, Easy Bear, DJ MacIntyre, Jamey Geston, Cellar Roots, Dead Zed’s Chopper and The Whicker and Pine.
Among food vendors scheduled to be at the event are Valle Fresh Catering, Hanohano Shave Ice, Britts BBQ and Alfresco Picnic.
Proceeds from the 2013 event paid for an instructor for the Village Farmers Market Association’s After School Garden Club at Buena Vista Elementary School in Vandenberg Village. The weekly Garden Club is regularly attended by 50 to 60 students. The purpose of this program is to connect students with the food they eat, so they make nutritional decisions.
This year’s proceeds would go toward expanding Buena Vista’s garden area. In the future, the organization plans on expanding the program to other local schools.
Admission to Local Fest is $10 for adults or $5 for students and military members. Tickets are available online by clicking here or at the gate. VIP passes are $50 but are running out. Kids age 10 or younger will be admitted for free.
For more information, click here.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.