Fairfax Festival Update

Here is an overview of the upcoming Fairfax Festival, June 9-10, from Richard Pedemonte, Festival Chairman. There's always an excuse for a party if you live in Fairfax. Last year's festival was a grand celebration of the 75th anniversary of this great town. This year, we're determined to make the 30th anniversary of the festival an even bigger extravaganza.

Starting with the best parade in Marin, the festival kicks off at 10 a.m. on Saturday and features a stellar music lineup featuring incomparable Tasmanian Devils on Saturday and a rock opera, Bonnie Hayes and her band, and an all-star salute to Chuck Day on Sunday.

History tells us that Fairfaxians have been creating Fairfax festivals in various ways, shapes, and forms since at least 1911. In 1912 Tina Pastori was queen of the Fairfax Moonlight Festival and back in 1929 the volunteer fire department hosted a festival that drew "tens of thousands" of people and featured a "Hose Reel Race" with entries from fire departments from throughout the state. The 1969 Festival was a raucous affair with three stages of rock and roll, huge crowds, and lots of litter. At a subsequent Council meeting the police chief warned that if the festival continues "there's going to be big trouble in Fairfax" and one citizen recommended "outlawing stores such as antique shops and health food markets which attract the wrong element." Subsequently the committee resigned en masse and the festival ceased to exist until 1977. Hence 2007 is the 30th anniversary of the festival... as we know it.

Today the Fairfax Festival has grown into a wonderful community event that expresses the diverse interests and tastes of our great town. While the vibrant music scene that the town is known for is always the big draw, the Festival Committee makes a priority of keeping to our motto of providing "something for everyone" with a colorful flea market, arts and crafts, children’s area, great local food and microbrew, and the ever popular Ecofest. New this year is a teen stage in the Women's Club building. Be sure to check it out.

We are proud to say that that the festival is run totally by volunteers, a dedicated group of a dozen or so dynamic people, including local business owners, professionals, town employees, a council member, and two of our Parks and Recreation Commissioners. The modest profit we hope to make will be used exclusively for improvements to the festival and the grounds.

The Festival will kick-off on Friday, June 8^th with Film Night in the Park, featuring the March of the Penguins at 8:30 p.m. at the Fairfax Ballfield. The EcoFest at the Pavilion will once again feature organic wine and beer tasting, Saturday and Sunday, June 9-10 from 1-6 p.m. A lively collection of musical and art talent will also be featured at the EcoFest. Over 50 eco-friendly organizations and businesses will demonstrate and discuss eco-friendly living at the Pavilion. New this year is a Speakers’ Forum which will be held throughout the event, with speakers on various sustainability issues and ecological topics.

Festival Volunteers are still needed. A face painter is needed for the kids area - contact Yvonne at 847-7691. Volunteers are needed to fill various spots – contact Chris at
457-8687.

Please check out www.fairfaxfestival.com for more information, a marvelous and comprehensive site created by Steve Wyrostok.