EVEN THOUGH FALL FOLIAGE IS NO MORE, for it is now winter, we can still long for some of the pleasures of autumn. It is so very mellow, for one, with that golden dappled sunshine and the crisp nights that aren't cold, and its foods (anything pumpkin) and its drinks (ditto) are as homey and comforting as vittles should be during that time of year. However, it is winter, and not even the peppermint-laden, chocolate-rich part of the season, but rather the time when we turn to healthy eating plans and keeping toasty indoors, thanks to those crisp evening growing even chillier. But that doesn't mean we can't have a dash of fall-a-tude in the middle of this non-fall season, for we can, and we don't even have to find a jug of apple cider at the back of the pantry to summon it. We just need to eye the schedule for a famous traveling festival, one that happens in the fall, and one that includes a number of crafts that have that fall feeling, though, of course, many of them also are quite holiday-ish in nature (or neither fall nor holiday). It's the...
HARVEST FESTIVAL ORIGINAL ART & CRAFT SHOW, a long-running (as in 46 years, oh yeah) gathering of dozens upon dozens of artists and craftspeople. The festival always calls upon several California cities, and Las Vegas, too, and the brand-new, just-released 2018 schedule says this shall again be so. Everything begins in Las Vegas, in fact, over the second weekend in September, and moves onto Ventura in early October. Del Mar, Pleasanton, San Mateo, Sacramento, San Jose, and finally Pomona all follow, with the Pomona weekend wrapping it all up from Nov. 30-Dec. 2. Need some fab stocking stuffers? A spicy potpourri? Some framed photography, a polished wood jewelry box, or a host of gourmet snacks, from cereal mixes to nutty breads? This is your go-to, so go to your calendar now and choose the weekend you'll head for one of fall's premiere shopping, eating, and looking-around experiences.
