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A Festival of Fall

Fall is among us my friends and with it that lovely time of the year that is referred to as “Indian Summer” is with us as well. Though, if it happens every year here, perhaps we should just call it another typical Bay Area summer and leave it at that! With the fall comes many things, one of which is the end of outdoor festival season here, though there are still quite a few to be had before we get into Thanksgiving and the holiday season. With that in mind we would like to recommend one to you that takes place each year in Danville – their Annual Fall Festival.

Danville, that quaint little town of about 45,000 people nestled in the San Ramon Valley at the southwestern edge of Contra Costa County will effectively double their population as over 50,000 people will flood their downtown to experience the 21st rendition of this well-known annual event. There are some exceptional displays by some very talented artisans each year with two of their better known attractions being their “Pumpkin Patch” and their “Avenue of Giants”.

Their pumpkin patch is not the traditional assemblage of the orange-colored gourds of varying sizes and shapes that one might expect to find in a typical pumpkin patch, but rather ones made entirely of glass. Over a 1,000 brightly colored gourds of glass will sparkle in the sunlight in their patch all looking for a new home for the coming Halloween, Thanksgiving and general fall time of year. I personally have become a big fan of glass gourds and have a few of them that grace my own home. My favorite is a custom made Jack O’ Lantern that my wife had made for me several years back complete with a devilish grin and a brilliant orange that we take out to the delight of my children in mid-September and it does not find its way back into storage until my wife pulls out the Christmas decorations. I am more than sure that you would be able to create your own personal “patch” at home with gourds that will be present here. What is dazzling about their patch is the sheer numbers and colors. No two are alike and range of hues is enormous. Keep in mind too that while over a 1,000 pumpkins seems like a lot with over 50,000 attendees only 1 in 50 will be able to take even one home with them (just a hint to get there early if you wish to have the best selection). I am almost certain though that most, if not all, of the artists will “grow” a special one just for you if you so desire.

Once you have inspected all of the gourds, or maybe before, take a stroll down the “Avenue of Giants” where father and son artists, Phillip & Chad Glashoff, will be displaying their sculptures. They plan to be on site with all of those they had last year and even more. This is a must see portion of the event that would make even the Tin Man’s heart go aflutter. The two men use a multitude of scavenged metal parts to build their sculptures (many of which are on display year round at their Suisun Valley Ranch in Solano County – very close to I-80) and their imagination is their only limit to what you might see along the avenue each year. Their work might be described as abstract and geometric but I will say that whatever you call it the pieces are large. Do not expect to take one home in the family sedan – unless you have a convertible.

The rest of the event is also a must see as well. How do you think they draw 50,000+ people to their downtown each October? There is a menagerie of artists and craftspeople on site – many of whom are actually working away on their pieces as you enjoy both the fine music and food. There are people knitting sweaters (many of whom are in fact not even grandmothers), leather craftors, sculptures, jewelers, painters, photographer and the list goes on. Over 200 individual artists are on display here in every type of medium that you could think of. They have, what many would say as, “Something for everyone” – both in budget and taste.

Those of you who have young children, as I do, will also have lots to do. In addition to checking out all the fabulous art (I would NOT recommend letting them play in the Pumpkin Patch unattended unless you are into performance art AND have a very large bank account) they will have their annual costume parade on Saturday morning and trick-or-treating on both days. This is a great way to get more use of those costumes the kids are dying to wear!! I am sure the kids will like an additional day of trick-or-treating as well. They will also have the traditional jump houses (Did I really just say traditional jump houses? Have they become a tradition?), face painting and even a train that they can partake in as you fill them full of sugary treats. One of the things I am sure will be exciting for my children is that they will be able to watch some of the artists actually working. I feel it will give them a good sense of where things come from, like sweaters, rugs, etc. That discovery that it simply does not come from a “store” but from people creating them will certainly intrigue them. My two oldest enjoy the show “How It’s Made” so that will be an extra special treat to see some of that up close. I know that with all there is to do, my children will be sleeping well after their visit to the festival.

All of this, of course, is set on the street of Danville in the heart of their downtown shopping district … a good reason to check out Danville as well as an enjoyable day or two of art, music, food, family and friends. The festival is set up primarily along Hartz Avenue from Diablo Road to the North to Hartz Way to the South. It will be held on October 21st and 22nd – Saturday & Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM each day. If you would like more information about it, check out their website at www.mlaproductions.com/Danville-Fall or you can call the Danville Chamber of Commerce to get all the details as well at (925) 837-4400. As I said earlier make sure to get there early for the best selection and enjoy what should be once again one of the biggest art shows in Contra Costa County.

Robert Briseño – When he is not taking in the art scene with his wife and 3 children he is spending many fall Sundays enjoying NFL football with his brother.