Once an annual tradition, Discover San Juan Bautista, a collaboration of local merchants and community members, is bringing back the Harvest Festival on Oct. 14 after a 12-year absence. The event will feature a family fun zone, antiques, live music, a beer garden, a farmers’ market and an array of local food and beverage choices.
“I think this festival is really going to put us on the map,” said Patrica Bains, owner of Mrs. B’s Z-Place. “We are making this event more family-oriented than previous events, more diverse, and we are giving more people a chance to join in the hoopla.”
The Discover San Juan Bautista organization has developed an overarching theme for the event: a series of cartoon-like characters based on local animals and produce created by artist and animator J. Valdez.
The characters are being used in the advertising but feature most notably in a coloring book and coloring sheets made for the festival. The 32-page book highlights various businesses and organizations in town, with fanciful renderings of the merchants, the stores, or themes of the merchandise.
The page for JJ’s Burgers, for example, features a customer about to take the diner’s Burger Challenge by eating two double burgers while being watched by a cartoon rabbit. The page for the San Juan Bakery shows Sonny the Scarecrow, Carny the Corn, and Lenny the Lizard about to feast on doughnuts and coffee.
The text of the coloring book says, in part, “By infusing these pages with vibrant hues, you bring to life the joyous scenes of the Harvest Festival. May your creativity bloom as you join us in embracing the spirit of unity and celebration.”
The characters will be used in future promotions such as stuffed versions and designs on T-shirts and other branded merchandise. Heliena Walton, owner of Notably Noble Co. and Thankful Co., said the idea was to create fresh and exciting elements for the festival that could carry on to future events.
“I’ve had so much fun helping to create the characters and just bring them to life,” Walton said. “We have been giving them back stories several layers, and we actually have workshops underway with a literary component.”
The coloring book is a way of involving the brick-and-mortar businesses that tend to get overlooked during street festivals. Visitors will be encouraged to visit the stores and not just focus on the vendor booths and outside activities.
“We are trying to do something with this marketing initiative to create something different,” Walton said. “Traditionally, when you have a street fair, people are immersed in that, and the businesses are an afterthought. We don’t want the businesses to get left out.”
Walton says one difference with this festival is that it is a home-grown event rather than one put together by outside organizers.
“So, the thought process and rationale behind it is more thoughtful,” she said. “it’s not just about making money, but it’s about bringing more visibility to the merchants who are here every day.”
The Discover San Juan Bautista organization is hoping to make the festival, last held in 2011, into a yearly event once again. Bains said the festival is part of revitalizing San Juan’s reputation as a tourist destination, not just a stop along the road.
“We want people to be excited about coming to San Juan,” she said, “not just pulling off the freeway here to get gas or because traffic is too heavy. We want to be a go-to place for enjoyment, diverse entertainment and family-oriented events.”
The festival takes place on Oct. 14 and begins at 9 a.m. with a pancake breakfast at the Texas Lodge at 405 Second Street. The Third Street events will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Food vendors for the Harvest Festival will include:
- Chillin and Grillin Barbecue
- Canty’s Kitchen
- Tacos El Apa Food Truck
- World Outreach Services
- Blazin’ Bayou Barbecue
- Lily’s Fresh Fruit
- Tropical Drinks
- Vendemos Kettle Corn
- World’s Finest Farms
- Eco-Family Farms
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