2010 Castro Valley Fall Festival

The 2010 Castro Valley Fall Festival will be held on September 11-12.

2009 Review: This yearly event is being held in the small town of Castro Valley, located approx 15 miles south east of Oakland. For a good number of years, it was held in the Village Plaza, a complex of around 25 businesses frequented by the locals. Three years ago, they took it to the streets, having the festival on Castro Valley Blvd. I recall many years ago....early 70's and before, this was a popular cruising area as the teens took to the streets in their souped up and beat up junkies and 56 Chevy's and drove up and down the Boulevard, quite similar to what you saw in American Graffiti. I recall being in the service back in '72 and my friends and I cruised up and down on a number of occasions. The scenes of people parked in lots sitting on their hoods were reminiscent of what you saw in that famous movie co-starring Ronnie Opie Howard. Anyhow, the cruising ended quite a long time ago..... I think. I lived in New Jersey back in the 60's and it was the thing to do.

The show is promoted by Festival Productions (Jeff & Jerry Cambra) along with other local organizations and has been going on for a long time. I believe this is probably our 8th year here. I recall that we did the Atwater Fall Festival on the weekend following 9-11 and the year's after I we did Castro Valley during the second weekend of September.

Please click here to read my review of this festival.

There are many reviews along with loads of information on the Starving Vendors website.

I am currently writing a book about our exploits, experiences and adventures encountered during out 17 years selling at festivals, fairs, A&C Shows, etc. You can sign up to be notified when it comes out.

Foster City Lions Club Misses the Boat

Foster City 4th of July Festival, Foster City, CA

We were told by Phyliss Moore, the President of the Lion's Club that we would not be allowed to drive our vehicles close to our spaces to unload and load our things. We would have to cart our things (canopies, grids, boxes, merchandise, etc.) in and out 75 yards to and from our vehicles parked on the curb. We managed to get there early Sunday morning and drive up to our space to unload.

However, we would need people to help us haul our stuff out and she promised me that she would have loads of kid's to help when we closed down and I took her word for it, but doubted it. The show ended at 5:00 and we had begun packing around 4:30. One of my friend's had found her and was able to get some kid's to help him haul out. After he was finished, he talked to Phyliss Moore and explained to her that my wife (disabled) and I (trouble walking and lifting things) would need help. She replied "I am off duty."

I went looking for her and she told me that because I wasn't ready at 5:00, I would get no help. Nobody told me that. The papers said that the show ends at 5:00 and we were to be out of there at 6:30. Nothing about being ready at 5:00. She was terrible. She began walking away from me and I chased after her. I asked her again for help and she told me that everybody was busy and I would have to wait. She was very snotty over this. One of the other sane Lion's Club members stepped in and said that he would get people to help me and that he did, thankfully. However, this lady had told me that she would have 'loads of kids' to help me and was reneging on this. I had explicitly explained concern for my wife and I, telling her that we had health problems. Furthermore, when all of us applied for this event, we were not told that we would have to haul our stuff in and out until we had received paperwork and only by looking at the map, did I determine that it was a long ways to the booth and a phone call to her brought me the bad news that we would have to haul in. Try to get vendor's for your show next year, butthead!!! Such abusiveness toward vendors and crippled people. No mercy with this woman. I AM OFF DUTY. Yah, right. And you are President of the Foster City Lions Club. What a joke. OFF DUTY. I think we might be able to do that.

Gosh, what does on between the scenes of these events. People would be shocked to hear what we have to go through. You can read my story about this event on my famous web site:

Starving Vendors

Better yet, I hope you get to read my book which I am writing about exploits at these festivals and how difficult it is to survive. Hopefully, coming out in October. Keep you posted on the Starving Vendors website

Foster City 4th of July Festival

Return to Foster City. We shall be returning to the 4th of July Festival there after a six-year absence. I hope that it is as nice as it was back then. They have a number of vendor and food booths along with entertainment and fireworks. One of the few places around that do provide fireworks.

I am highly disappointed that we will have to haul in our things. We have a canopy,16 grids, 6 heavy buckets and around 15 sacks and numerous other things we need to set up. We are 60 year's old and this is quite difficult for us. Year's ago we were located alongside the curb and there was no problem. I guess that if I would have known this beforehand, than we would not have signed up. Seems like a completely different show. Family health problems are preventing us from going to Mt Shasta where we have been for the past 6 years ago. You think that we want to haul our stuff in with our health problems. Disgusting. I am certain other vendor's do not like this also. Please be sure to check out my website Starving Vendors for more info on shows and other things.