Mixed bag of weather didn’t deter Street Faire crowds

Persistent clouds intermingled with slight drizzle on Saturday did not dampen the fun times enjoyed by thousands at the Ceres Street Faire but Sunday's mostly sunny skies drew more visitors to downtown.

"Our Sunday was really busy and early in the day, sunshine and clear skies were a real bonus and we were really busy for our Sunday," said Street Faire Committee member Lisa Mantarro Moore.

The 33rd annual downtown Ceres event, sponsored by the Ceres Chamber of Commerce, the Ceres Lions Club and the city of Ceres, featured live local entertainment, arts and crafts booths, commercial and food vendors and a Saturday car show that attracted over 120 vehicles.

Food booths operated by non-profit organizations were busy both days. People were also standing in long lines for the tri-tip sandwiches sold by the Ceres Lions Club.

The Whitmore Park gazebo area hosted a number of youth groups and musicians who entertained the crowd. The downtown stage on Lawrence Street featured a Sunday performance by Greg Scudder of Ceres, a finalist in the Colgate Country Showdown in 2011. Another performer was Ceres singer Patty Castillo Davis, a Modesto Area Music Award winner since 2014.

Saturday's car show drew lots of admirers of classics and modified cars, such as Bill McDonald's red and white 1963 Ford Falcon Ranchero and Garret Scheper's 1956 Cadillac said event organizer Moore.

"We had over 100 cars in the show on Saturday which was a huge number in spite of the threat of rain," reported Moore.

Kelvin Cannon brought down his 1956 Chevy 210 which he's owned for 10 years. He parked himself in a lawn chair beneath a canopy next to Oakdale's Emmett Nelson Jr. who displayed his red 1967 GMC pickup. The two friends often take their vehicles to area car shows, sometimes as often as three times a week.

At 3 p.m. on Saturday Moore and Mayor Javier Lopez recognized winners of the 22nd annual Street Faire Car Show. They were:

• Lions Club Award – Dorothy and Tony Bianchi - 1956 Chevy Corvette;

• Elvis Award – Jerry Rhodes’ 1956 Chevy Belair;

• Ceres Chamber Award – Robert Hunt's 1940 Ford Coupe;

• Street Faire Choice – Mark and Marie Joiner's 1936 Ford;

• Competitors Choice – Jesus Ortiz's 1963 Chevy Impala;

• Best of Show Car – Bruce Dodge's 1933 Ford Coupe;

• Best of Show Truck – Raymond Perea's 1956 Ford F100;

• People Choice – Johnny Taylor's 1956 Ford F100;

• Sponsors’ Choice – Chris Freitas’ 1977 Ford Pinto Wagon;

• Grand Champion – Art Medina's 1956 Chevy 210;

Mayor Lopez said he felt the Street Faire "went great – rain or shine."

"I spent a couple of hours on Sunday at the POA (Peace Officers Association) (food) booth and some of my favorite foods at the Street Faire will always be the corn dogs," said Lopez.

Non-profit organizations sold food throughout the weekend. The Ceres Lions Club sold both tri-tip sandwiches and draft beer – and cans of Blaker Brewing's commemorative Ceres beer featuring the names of historical figures.

Commercial booths included the Ceres Woman's Club selling homemade cookies, the city of Ceres handing out water conservation information and spray nozzles and the McHenry Historical Society promoting enthusiasm for local history. Ceres Youth Soccer Organization held sign-ups for fall play.

Ceres Police Chief Rick Collins reported that his officers had only dealt with very minor issues and he felt the weekend was a great success.

Councilman Daniel Martinez observed great turnout both days despite Saturday being a bit wet with drizzle and Sunday's warmer temperatures and humidity.

"It was awesome seeing the karate school, the wrestling club, all the football programs raising funds," said Martinez.