Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival Oct. 16 & 17, 2010
Who could imagine that the epicenter of California big
wave surfing would also be about pumpkins? Some things just
don't make sense...or maybe they do.
One of the Bay Area's most attended Halloween-themed
functions (next to the Exotic Erotic Ball), is the Half Moon Bay
Art & Pumpkin Festival. With several pumpkin growers
dotting this region and its coast, the biggest boon to local
economies come from special events such as the Pumpkin Festival,
which fills up hotel rooms during an off-season and attracts
thousands of people from San Jose, Redwood City, San Francisco,
Napa, and Santa Cruz to enjoy old-fashioned fun.
Events such as a Scarecrow Contest, Pie Eating Contest,
Biggest Pumpkin Contest and huge vendor showcases, plus live
bands, bring the fun out into the streets of Half Moon Bay,
located in San Mateo County. Beach events that include
agriculture are rarely seen in Southern California, but
thankfully, once you hit the Central Coast and head north, you
discover that there's still some farm land for growing crops
that thrive so well in the year-round California sunshine. And
pumpkins seem to be a fairly easy crop to produce.
In addition, the inland
valleys surrounding Half Moon Bay often do well for growing
grapes for wine. That helps explain why each year the Pumpkin
Festival (pushing half a century-long), is more and more
featuring locally crafted boutique wines from surrounding
vintners and delicious ales that city's very own Half Moon Bay
Brewing Company wins awards at fairs and contests for.
For tourists, the charm of
this special, annual event is partially in its foods and
flavors, and largely in the beautiful setting. Half Moon Bay
meets the sea just south of San Francisco, but is flanked by a
set of gentle, mellow hills to its east. When you stand at the
beach and look east, you often can see a soft blanket of fog
rolling in late in the day, or subsiding in the early morning
sunshine.
Half Moon Bay's downtown
shopping area is casual, comfortable and appealing. Cafes and
shops provide a blend of unique, non-chain store offerings to
make for a few hours of exploring.
When visiting this event, the
hotel rooms mostly fill up. If you don't find something
available in Half Moon Bay, try nearby cities such as Pacifica
for lodgings.
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