Goleta Magazine 2022-2023 - 34

LEMON FESTIVAL
Making Lemons &
Lemonade for 28 Years
BY VALER I E CANT EL L A
Each September,
the community
honors the sweet role of lemons in
our region's history at the annual
Goleta Lemon Festival. The fruit's
juicy role dates back to the late
1800s when the Stow family purchased
a portion of La Patera Ranch
for walnut farming but discovered
that lemon trees flourished in the
moderate climate. They then planted
one thousand lemon trees alongside
orange and walnut trees on a
plot near Stow Grove Park. Goleta
soon became a highly successful
lemon-farming center with a thriving
packing industry, the crate labels of
which are still found around town.
In 1949, a small street festival celebrated
Goleta's agricultural roots.
Over
moved from Stow House to Girsh
the years, the festival has
Park to accommodate what the
event has blossomed into today.
First-time festival visitors may find it
hard to squeeze in all the goodness
found at this carnivalesque-style
event. This weekend has something
for all ages, from craft beer to craft
booths, bounce houses to bungee,
classic cars to classic rock cover
bands, fiesta dancers to firefighters,
vintage vehicles, and electric
ones. Culinary favorites like lemon
ale, lemon chicken, and lemon bars
draw people back year after year,
and people enjoy discovering what
sweet, new offerings are on the
menu.
Traditionally, 35,000 festival-goers
have enjoyed 1,720 lemon bars,
sipped 93 gallons of
lemon ale,
Saturday, September 24 & Sunday, September 25, 2022
34 GOLETA MAGAZINE SBSCChamber.com
and bought 932 lemon meringue
pies. More than 20 groups have
provided entertainment on
the
main stage while kids enjoyed the
nearby ride and activities, resulting
in the redemption of 18,376 tickets.
One hundred and seventy-five
volunteers sold 350 Lemon Festival
T-shirts, painted faces, and directed
visitors to one of 42 vendors displaying
their wares or promoting their
services. Fifty local companies are
pleased to sponsor the event.
While COVID-19 put a sour twist
on gathering in the last two years,
the Santa Barbara South Coast
Chamber of Commerce, the event
host, plans a zesty return of the festival.
http://www.SBSCChamber.com
Goleta Magazine 2022-2023

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