Fallbrook Village Association increases summer night fun

The Fallbrook Village Association (FVA), which presents the popular Fallbrook Summer Nights, is increasing the fun this summer.

Last year, FVA hosted three summer night parties. This year, it will present six events – three Party Off the Grid celebrations (June 9, June 23 and July 7), and three traditional Fallbrook Summer Nights (July 21, Aug. 4 and Aug. 18).

Roy Moosa, president of FVA, said the popularity of Fallbrook Summer Nights ironically resulted in his getting complaints.

"Everybody screamed and shouted, 'why did you only do three, we want more,'" said Moosa, who noted that the events are put on by volunteers and require a lot of work. "So we thought how can we do more with the manpower that we have. What we came up with is three separate events plus the standard ones everyone is used to."

The Party Off the Grid events will be smaller than Fallbrook Summer Nights but will still feature live music, a beer and wine garden, food vendors and a kids zone. Unlike Fallbrook Summer Nights, Party Off the Grid will not require any street closures.

Party Off the Grid will take place at 139 South Main in the parking lot that separates the Bean & Bug Coffee Lounge and the Old 395 sports bar and also in a portion of Library Plaza (the large parking lot located below the Fallbrook Library parking lot). Moosa said the alley located behind the two businesses will be partially closed to through traffic.

The Main Avenue entrance to the parking lot between Bean & Bug and Old 395 will be fenced off and will be the site of the concert stage. The space between the buildings will constitute the beer and wine garden and will be spruced up for the events.

"We'll string lights all the way through the area – just like in the Village Square – and table and chairs will be interspersed throughout," said Moosa. "The entrance to the beer and wine garden will be from the alley."

There will be a $5 entry fee to the beer and wine garden but the fee includes a drink.

Food trucks will be located just outside the entrance to the beer and wine garden. The kids zone will be located a little further away and include bounce houses and slides and other activities.

Moosa said the third Party Off the Grid July 7 will feature "a full-blown carnival" in Library Plaza with midway games and carnival rides like Tilt-A-Whirl. The carnival will be around for three days.

"The carnival (operator) is Christiansen Amusements," said Moosa. "They're going to set up Thursday and be open Friday for Party Off the Grid. They'll be open Saturday and Sunday until they begin to take things down Sunday night."

Party Off the Grid events will run from 5 to 9 p.m. and Moosa hopes they will bring business to downtown. Old 395 plans to capitalize on the events as they will present live bands on those nights so Party Off the Grid attendees can simply move into their venue when the music in the beer and wine garden concludes at 9 p.m.

"What we're trying to do is get the community used to the Library Plaza being a venue for special events," said Moosa. "It's in the center of town and it's perfect for larger events."

Fallbrook Summer Nights is a street party held downtown and features live entertainment, a beer and wine garden in the Village Square, numerous vendors and classic cars. Fallbrook Summer Nights also run from 5 to 9 p.m.

The themes of the three Fallbrook Summer Nights are as follows: "Rock the Block" July 21, "National Sheriff's Night Out" Aug. 4, and "Salute to the Military" Aug. 18.

Moosa said FVA uses the events as a way to promote downtown Fallbrook.

"The purpose is to bring people downtown and to get them used to seeing things happening here," said Moosa. "There's only two ways to bring people downtown. You either have an anchor tenant, or you have special events. Our only option is to have these kinds of things on a regular basis."

Moosa estimated the average attendance at last year's Fallbrook Summer Nights was 3,000 to 5,000 people.

"The nice thing about it, of all the events that happen in town, is that this is mostly just for Fallbrook," said Moosa. "The Avocado Festival, most of the people are from out of town. This is mostly Fallbrook residents coming together. And it's very much the small town atmosphere."

Another nice thing about the events is they serve as fundraisers for FVA. "Every penny we make goes back into the community," said Moosa. "Not one of us gets paid."

People interested in volunteering to help out FVA put on events can call (760) 723-8384. For more information about FVA, visit http://www.fallbrookvillage.org.