PiruFest 2008.

PiruFest 2008.

PiruFest 2008.

PiruFest 2008.

Hundreds of friends, families and visitors joined together in downtown Piru this Labor Day Weekend to celebrate Piru at the end of summer annual event. Held at the Piru Depot and Gazebo Plaza Park in the historic downtown district and stretching along a pedestrian trail toward Warring Park, this year’s festival featured a wide range of activities for all ages and interests. Seen enjoying the day’s offerings were Julian and Margaret Rangel, lifelong Piru residents, who at age 90 took the walk down the pedestrian trail to join in the fun. During the day, we spotted the prematurely born infant daughter in the arms of one of the members of the Friends of Piru School, helping mom promote the groups fundraiser for class field trips as she celebrated her seven month birthday.

Early in the morning, vendors and participating exhibitors set up colorful displays in the grassy parkland and along the plaza. This included backing in a fishing boat and kayaks for the Lark Piru Recreation Area display, where festival goers purchased their raffle tickets for a chance to win one of two half-day pontoon boat rentals donated by Recreation Resource Management. Nearby, organizers for the horseshoe tournament were busy setting up the horseshoe pits and signing up the two dozen competitors. Just down the trail, artist Carlos Callejo organized his youth volunteers and painting materials as they launched a community art mural on a wall that had become a target of graffiti. This project will transform this wall into a beautiful representation of historic and unique Piru images.

The event kicked off at noon with a Native American elder offering blessings for the day and all present. She was followed by elders and descendants performing traditional dances and drummers filling the plaza air. As they were wrapping up, professional skateboarder Steve Badillo and friends from Skatelab set up ramps and jumps to please the crowds. The highlight of their performance was a series of jumps over the van that brought them and their equipment to the Center Street stage area.

Even more colorful activities unfolded as the gazebo plaza was graced by the music and dancing of Inlakech Cultural Center. Their mariachi music and folkloric dancing was exceptional for these young talented artists. As the evening cooled, following a hot day in the sun, Dan Torres and the Piru River Band lit up the Gazebo Stage with their always popular tunes of yesterday and today.

During the day, several food, craft and information booths dotted the plaza and Center Street area. Poncho’s Restaurant and Juarez Catering offered just some of the tasty treats. Information and crafts booths included Lake Piru, Rancho Camulos, healthy dental tips and information from Dr. Mark Pratt, American Red Cross resources, Piru Cemetery District’s Measure M handouts, Piru Jewelry by Ramona, Mina’s Discount Center clothing and music offerings, and Celebrate Recovery resources, among others.

Special acknowledgements to the Piru Neighborhood Council for sponsoring this annual event. This 2008 PiruFest also received support from the Piru Petroleum Club, Fillmore-Piru Citrus Association, Ventura County Redevelopment Agency, Lake Piru, Laverne Nursery, Rancho Temescal, Diamond Street Cleaning, plus others.