When we first moved to Ventura the local street fairs and festivals didn't live up to our Midwestern standards. In the Midwest, festivals are HUGE. These people will celebrate anything. I spent years covering the Waynesville Sauerkraut Festival for the Dayton Daily News. I also covered the Americana Festival, the Sugar Maple Festival and the Holiday at Home parade.
I wasn't all that impressed the first time I went to a Ventura street fair. Sure, the Strawberry Festival in OXnard would have probably wowed me, but it seems as though it's TOO big. These days, however, downtown Ventura, which has undergone a renaissance since I moved here, host a much better festival. We took the dogs with us because Rascal and Fuser, the two abused dogs need to get used to having lots of people around. Fuser did fine, but Rascal freaked out and would pretty much spin in circles of panic. He finally calmed down a bit, but they were all grateful to get to the car.
The fair itself was just like Ventura, funky, diverse and eclectic. It's so funny these days: Corporations have embraced "diversity" (along with getting to the "next level," whatever the Hell that is) as the newest greatest fad. But look around you and embrace what you see. Diversity is everywhere, it shouldn't have to be something you strive so hard to achieve.
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