Avocado Festival set for April 19

FALLBROOK — Fallbrook’s celebration of its famous fruit will take place for the 23rd consecutive year on Sunday, April 19. Once again, downtown Main will be lined with about 350 booths selling wares that include food, crafts, jewelry, clothing and the like, which attract tens of thousands from all over Southern California.

A farmers’ market selling fresh produce – green avocados, luscious strawberries and more – will set up in its familiar location on East Alvarado, between Main and Vine. There will be a number of booths at each end of the festival area that will provide a wide variety of taste treats, the most important being, of course, guacamole.

There will also be two contained refreshment areas, one at each end of the festival area, which will host live bands and provide welcome seating for those purchasing food items. At the Community Stage, kids can participate in the Avocado 500 and the “Best Dressed Avocado” contest, both of which involve dressing up avocados.

Culinary contests will decide the Best Tasting Guacamole and Most Creative Avocado Dish, with divisions between amateur and professional. New this year will be the “Iron Avocado Chef” competition, featuring local chefs vying for a win with a “secret ingredient.” There will be some special food demonstrations scheduled for the event as well.

The Avocado Festival encompasses many areas of Fallbrook, not just Main. Two local museums – the Historical Society Museum and Gem & Mineral Society Museum – will be open so visitors may browse through antiquities from the earth and the town of Fallbrook. Fallbrook Airpark will have on display antique and radio-controlled aircraft.

New and notable features this year include the revival of the “Pit Spit” contest; a new gadget called the Avo Easy on display, as well as a 1953 Good Humor Ice Cream Truck; and a local chef showcase with wonderful dishes being prepared on-site. A stop by the Avocado Emporium will be a must, which will feature the official festival t-shirt and lots of avocado-themed items from local artisans.

For more information, call the Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce at (760) 728-5845 or visit them on the Web at http://www.fallbrookchamber.org.