FamFest Spring Returns to Ashland
Climbers challenge the Deputy Sheriffs' Athletic League rock wall, which the League plans to bring to the Fam Fest Spring festival in Ashland on May 6. Courtesy Alameda County Deputy Sheriffs' Athletic League.
FamFest Spring returns May 6 with games, music, food, beer, and various attractions. The family-oriented street festival will be held on East 14th Street, between 163rd and 164th Avenues, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. that day.
Traffic will be closed off along East 14th Street and re-routed a few hours before that to accommodate the setup of stages and booths.
Eden Area/Castro Valley Chamber of Commerce is hosting the event in the Ashland neighborhood as a somewhat smaller counterpart to the Fall Festival held in Castro Valley each year.
Musical performances include Taiko drummers, Bad Boy Bruce & the Blues Mob, and Patron Latin Rhythm. Booths will have games for children, with some giving out keepsakes to kids, and give out information on community resources for adults.
“We thought the community in the Eden area might welcome free games for the kids more than rides you have to pay for,” said Gary Slate, executive director for the chamber. “We’re a little smaller scale here than Fall Festival anyway.”
The Alameda County Deputy Sheriff's Athletic League is expected to bring its popular rock-climbing wall to the event.
Admission and entertainment are free. Beer and food will be sold, which will be plentiful. Not only will there be food booths, but it's being held right in front of the East 14th Street Eatery + Kitchen.
That “small-business incubator,” formerly known as the Ashland Market & Cafe, provides low-cost commercial space for start-up businesses that include YoYo Treats, Baby Bean Pie, and Creative SIPS. It is operated by Mandela Partners, a nonprofit which strives to further opportunities for businesses being started by immigrants and people of color.
The community event had its roots as a fun run sponsored by Alameda County District 4 Supervisor Nate Miley. The running event added a few booths at the finish line a few years back. It was held just once as a street fair in 2019. The Chamber recently agreed to take it over from the county following the COVID pandemic, which shut down in-person events.
Co-sponsors for the event include Supervisor Miley, REACH Ashland Youth Center, Alameda County Economic & Civic Development, Alameda County Health Care Services Agency, the Oro Loma Sanitary District, and Mandela Partners.