TRYING TO GET YOUR FALL ON... can be a mite challenging when the hot weather refuses to budge. That's the case for a lot of California in September, a month which doesn't bring as many fall leaves as it delivers toasty days and afternoons that are more about iced tea than hot cider. There are ways, though, to tap into the spirit of the cool-off season, and it doesn't involve finding a large oscillating fan to stand near. The 44th season of the Harvest Festival Original Art & Craft Show is about to open, and there's a good chance that the famous on-the-road maker show will alight in a city that's not all that far from you. There are, in fact...
NINE CITIES... on the 2016 roster, with Las Vegas the first out of the gate over the second weekend in September, with Pleasanton and Ventura also landing in the ninth month. Following in October, November, and early December? Look for dates in Ontario, Del Mar, San Mateo, Sacramento, San Jose, and Pomona. Hundreds of artisans appear at each, presenting an array of handmade goods from wood-inlay bottle stops to carefully tooled leather bags to wooden toys to felted wool scarves. Food's a centerpiece, too, and a lot of it comes with a fall-y feel, from the jars of pumpkin jam to breads laden with nuts, seeds, and other tasties.
CAN YOU FIND HOLIDAY GIFTS... at the Harvest Festival? Indeed, and you can tell your giftee how you personally met the artist. Can you simply go to get into the craft-fairian spirit, the one that revs up in the autumn? It definitely has that, too, in an out-sized fashion. Plan to spend a few hours looking, chatting, snacking, and reveling in a leafier, wreathier, more cinnamon-sweet time of year.
