Zucchini Festival draws 22,000 (The Daily Review)

Zucchini Festival draws bigger crowd this year
By Gideon Rubin The Daily Review
Article Last Updated: 08/17/2008 10:07:35 PM PDT


HAYWARD — The high price of gas — though it has been dropping recently — may be responsible for bringing a larger crowd to the annual Zucchini Festival this year.
An estimated 22,000 to 23,000 people filled Kennedy Park this weekend for the festival — or about 3,000 more than last year, according to organizer Richard Essi.
Essi attributed the increase to increasing numbers of people taking "staycations" as a factor in the surprising attendance surge. "That might have brought up the attendance because they're not going out of town," Essi said.

The impact of skyrocketing fuel costs wasn't all good, though, Essi said, noting the festival lost about 30 vendors who couldn't afford to attend the event because of higher costs.
Other factors contributing to the squash carnival's better-than-expected showing included a new "Kids Town" amusement park that featured a Ferris wheel and other rides, as well as lower ticket prices, he said.

General admission ticket prices were lowered from $5 to $4.
Tickets for seniors, children and the handicapped were lowered from $2 to $1.
The festival featured legendary Bay Area blues vocalist Curtis Lawson, who performed Sunday night. The festival, which started in 1982, benefits local charities, Essi said. "It has a long tradition in Hayward, and in talking to people, there seems to be a lot of support for it," Hayward Mayor Michael Sweeney