By Marisa Ellis
Staff Writer
Hermosa Beach hosted the 43rd annual Fiesta Hermosa from Sept. 5-7 on Hermosa Avenue in downtown Hermosa Beach.
Fiesta Hermosa is the largest arts and crafts fair in Southern California because of there many different booths and items supplied in the given area. There was a range of events, such as bands on stage, like The Aviators, a wine garden, carnival food, like churros, rides, such as the slides, and a petting zoo full of farm animals.
“We estimated about 100,000 residents came this year,” Fiesta Hermosa information booth volunteer Annie Cummings said. “I have worked Fiesta Hermosa for around 10 years and my favorite part is talking to the variety of people that come out here wanting to buy goods, listen to great music, and eat amazing food.”
According to Cummings, every year parking at Hermosa is very tough. As a result, the city of Hermosa worked closely with Chamber of Commerce and Bureau to provide a free parking and shuttle for visitors each day of the Fiesta. The shuttle picked up and brought back visitors from the Adjacent Vista Del Mar on Aviation Boulevard from 7:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
“It was easier for visitors to not stress about parking down here,” said Cummings. “We want to limit the traffic around here as little as possible so everyone can get around Hermosa smoothly.”
Fiesta Hermosa decided to add something new this year by upgrading their tickets and payment procedures for rides, merchandise, and the Charity Beer and Wine Garden. They accepted credit cards for the first time on the rides and wine tasting as it was never done in the past fiestas.
“Using credit cards are easier to pay for because it doesn’t take as much time to exchange cash,” Teensies jewelry both owner Fritzi Wood said. “It made more time for me to help and meet new people at my booth.”
Visitors had a wide range of options at the Food Court. It had different types of ethnic foods everything from crepes, tri tip sandwiches, guacamole, and roasted corn. Surrounding the Food Court were picnic benches for a common area that visitors could eat at.
“It was very hot outside, so having the picnic benches with umbrellas over cooled me down,” senior Erin Ambrose said. “Having the food booths close by made it easy to pick exactly what I wanted.”
The Beer and Wine Garden were for adults only. It was a charity event that raised money for non-profit organizations, such as Kiwanis company, who gives back to the community every so often. The adults tasted wine and beer selected by the mayor, city councilmembers, and businesses that supplied the beer such as Rotary.
“The adults that bought the tickets had a few hours to try the different beers and wines the companies provided,” Cummings said. “All the proceeds are returned to the organizations that usually give back to our community.”
Visitors bought products from different companies at participating booths who signed up through the Fiesta Hermosa website. According to Ambrose, this year had a wide range of different booths that had a lot of variety for visitors see and purchase from.
“I think it is fun that no matter how old you are or what your interests are, there is always something for everybody to enjoy,” Ambrose said.
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