Post from the Past - Date Festival in Indio, Ca.

Date Festival in Indio, Ca.
May 5, 2012
Okay this is going to sound silly, but I have to tell you this struck me as laughable, here we are in California, where Dates are grown and picked and available at every corner fruit stand, and I couldn’t believe that they had one place to sell them. Now this was a great little place, they had date candy, dates in many varieties, free dates to taste, and date shakes, and it was a cute little tent market. But compared to the Lemon Festival which had some 12 or so lemon booths, it struck me funny that there was only one date tent. Is that bad?

There is no way I can go on without mentioning Hilby the Skinny Juggling Boy. OMGosh what a funny man!!! Our friend Greg Frisbee was the main reason we drove to California, his show is so funny with his 1 ball juggling!! Set to music =) As we were chatting he said “go see Hilby out on the grass”, I didn’t know what a Hilby was or where the grass was, but the map directed us and I spotted a unicycle, I wanted a front seat. (So-to-speak) the thing I love about Strolling Performers is the ability to be up front, and close. I instantly become a part of the show! I digress, Hilby walked out of thin air and I got the funniest experience I have been a part of in a very long time. And wow the talent!! He had 2 Diablo’s going at once! He ate fire, and carried a child on a unicycle ON HIS SHOULDERS! Who does that?? Hilby does!! If you can find him you have to stop and watch the show, you have to. I know it is California, if there is an earthquake, wait it out, it will be worth your time.

Now if I can return to our friend Greg Frisbee, there is another man with a bunch bunch of talent. His facial expressions are hysterical, and I love it when he grabs a kid from the audience and lets them so a trick. He can make 65 balloon animals that all suspiciously look like dogs. He juggles 5 balls, and as entertained as we were his downstairs neighbor, not so much!! Greg eats fire, he juggles fire too, but I won’t tell you how, you have to see for yourself! =)

The date festival had a wonderful sand castle, the talent of people that can carve pictures in 3D on sand and make it stand, and STAY, is beyond me. I can take a pail and make little piles of molded sand, but to build a camel and a band of thieves is more than I can dream to do! That’s something special about these fairs and festivals; I swear there are hidden gems all over the place. The man that saws (yes saws) your name into a ring (I have several of these over the years now). WOW!!!

We saw:
The wooden roses.
The women that wove baskets.
The little carved wooden animals and trains.
A new hand sewn wallet.
Oh and the painters that take your name and make it ART.

You can’t just go to the fair, eat deep fried foods, ride a few rides and leave. If you do you will rob yourself of some wonderful talented people doing what they know best. GO to each booth if you can afford the time, say hi to the people, yes they will show you their wares, but if you can see if you can spot the one thing you haven’t seen before. That totally unique gift for a friend or family member can be in there, we found an adorable purse for a gift and half dozen knives for my FIL and even a sword for my uncle.

Rosa’s food was great, if you want some Mexican food, their servings were huge. Oh and they had a little candy shack, I found my favorites for 50¢ each!!

You just never know what you will uncover. =)