Wednesday, November 3, 2010

San Mateo Harvest Festival Heats Up the Crisp Autumn Days


The San Mateo Harvest Festival will add a little warmth to those cold November days as it brings a trove of treasures and treats to the San Mateo Event Center November 12-14, 2010.


The Harvest Festivals are the largest indoor arts and crafts show on the west coast, showcasing over 24,000 unique gifts, all handcrafted in the USA.


The shows began 38 years ago, and today loyal attendees continue to flock to this fall festival for a one-of-a-kind shopping experience. Shoppers can enjoy live crafting demonstrations and get many of their purchases personalized.


Guests are treated to a rare opportunity to browse among thousands of items, including jewelry, pottery, original art, sculptures, accessories, clothing, specialty foods and more. To ensure that there is a rich diversity of products at the Harvest Festivals, each vendor must go through a rigorous jury process to be chosen as a participating artist.


For 2010, the show has rolled out new promotions and prizes to add to the enjoyment of the festival. People can go online to register to win a grab bag prize that will be raffled off at the show, or once there, they can enter to win an exciting grand prize of an original piece of art by Bonnie Rochester. New this year will be a special olive oil seminar and tasting, moderated by exhibitors and expert olive growers Frank Menacho and Dewey Lucero. They will discuss how olive oils are graded and lead a tasting where attendees can experience what an award winning olive oil actually tastes like.


Once again, the San Mateo Harvest Festival has partnered with the Peninsula Youth Ballet as the official show charity. The Peninsula Youth Ballet (PYB) will receive half of the proceeds from shopping bag sales, as well as all of the donations from the parcel and bag check. The PYB will also be performing a short sneak peek of their acclaimed rendition of the classic holiday ballet, "The Nutcracker".


The Peninsula Humane Society/SPCA will also join the festivities as they host a mobile adoption center at the show. Attendees can visit the animals on Saturday and Sunday, hopefully adding a new furry member to their family.


Finally, no Harvest Festival would be complete without the exciting and eclectic entertainment that takes place throughout the weekend. Comedic juggling duo Scotty and Trink will have shoppers rolling in the aisles as they tell jokes, juggle knives and balance atop their unicycles. Tom Rigney and Flambeau will be bringing the grooves as they perform firey Cajun and zydeco two steps, funky New Orleans blues and beautiful ballads.


The San Mateo Harvest Festival takes place at the San Mateo Event Center and runs November 12 and 13 from 10am-6pm and November 14 from 10am-5pm. For tickets and additional information, visit http://www.harvestfestival.com/ or call 650-548-6700.