Fall Festival This Weekend
Castro Valley’s Fall Festival is taking over downtown this Saturday, September 9 from 10 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Sunday, September 10 from 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The hosting Castro Valley and Eden Area Chamber of Commerce expects a big turnout.
“We are excited to sponsor this fantastic event,” said Chamber President Todd Anglin. “It’s a great weekend for seeing old friends and making new ones.”
Castro Valley Boulevard will be the location for this 51st annual gathering, which will see booths from vendors, schools, and community organizations, along with food and drink, two stages of entertainment, and kids' fun.
Bordering the festival at both ends of the event will be two stages. The Redwood Stage (closest to Redwood Road) and the Bedford Stage (closest to Santa Maria Avenue), named after Castro Valley native Jim “Bedford” of Bedford Studios.
Festivities begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday with the Castro Valley High School Madrigals on the Redwood Stage and the Pharoh's Dream belly dancers on the Bedford stage with entertainment continuing through 6 p.m. that evening.
The full entertainment schedule for both days is shown in the special section of this week’s Forum.
The Boulevard will be closed to cars between Santa Maria Avenue and Redwood Road, from Friday night at 9:00 p.m. to just before midnight on Sunday, to allow for event set up and dismantling. One can detour using Jamison Way, just to the north. An event this size requires more than 200 volunteers with the setup, two days of operations, and breakdown. Volunteers made up of members of the Chamber will partner with Castro Valley Unified School and many other local groups to make the Fall Festival a success.
“We in the Chamber are really looking forward to this weekend,” said Gary Slate. “But we could not do this by ourselves. We want to thank all of the many people who will make it a huge success. This includes all the vendors, performers, sponsors, and guests. Let’s have a great time!”
The Chamber advises that many people attend the festival, and to allow some extra time to find parking.
First held in the Castro Village Shopping Center, the Chamber voted to provide a showcase for Castro Valley businesses and artisans while showing off Castro Valley as the “Heart of Good Living.” The event offered attendees a wine-tasting, fashion show, and art exhibit. The success of that first year prompted a second event in 1973, which the Chamber officially named the Fall Festival.
Visit the Chamber website for more details (edenareachamber.com).