The Strawberry Festival is always a flurry of fun for visitors looking for anything from a carnival ride and some funnel cake to mechanical-bull riding and live music. The Santa Maria Fairpark becomes an explosion of colorful attractions and activities, but at the heart of it all is the Center Stage, which is sponsored by none other than the Sun.
The Sun Center Stage will be the center of attention at the Strawberry Festival this year, as local performing artists and groups will own the space with powerful performances of music, dance, and more. Getting the party started on Friday, April 29, at 6 p.m. is The Power of Dream Tour, explained Santa Maria Fairpark CEO Richard Persons, who said the group is a collection of local soloists in several performing arts.
“Each artist takes their turn and you get an hour long show … that people will be very impressed with,” he said. “It’s very impressive the types of artists and the talent available on the Central Coast.”
Saturday on the Sun Center Stage begins with a display of techno wizardry by the Guadalupe Robotics Club, which holds a Robotic Competition at 11 a.m. on the stage. The Strawberry Festival is a chance for these engineering and robotics students to display their creations for the community, explained Persons, giving visitors a glimpse into the future.
The Day Dreamers Dance Company is a high-energy hip-hop dance troupe with a positive message, Persons said, and they perform at 1:30 p.m. Next up is Heaven Lee, a local singer and performer who will take the stage at 2:30 p.m., entertaining in a variety of genres.
The Sun Center Stage kicks back into gear in the evening with the only performing group scheduled that isn’t locally based at 6:30 and 9 p.m. The Country Artist Tribute, Persons explained, is a special guest that should excite festival goers who like their music with a bit of twang.
“The Country Artists Tribute is a group that performs around the country with sound-alike and look-alike performers of three really large country stars, Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney, and Eric Church,” Persons said. “The performers in this really do look very much like those artists and they have really done their best to copy the sound and style of the artist that they are looking and sounding like.”
Most of Sunday, May 1, is Dance Day on the Sun Center Stage, Persons said, including performances by Everybody Can Dance at 11 a.m., Culturas Dance Gallery at 1 p.m., Garcia Dance Studio at 2 p.m., and Pacific Legends Polynesian Dance Troupe at 3:30 p.m. The Robotics Competition returns for its finals at 4:30 p.m., and the evening closes out with a local favorite, the band Gone Avery at 6 p.m.
Throughout the Strawberry Festival, attendees can rest their feet, enjoy some food, and be entertained by the variety of locals showcasing their talents for their community. There’s plenty to do at the festival, Persons said, but it’s easy to find your way back to the Sun Center Stage.
“The Sun Center Stage is right in the middle of the facility during this event, and we fill the stage with all kinds of different shows, which are all local acts that you find here on the Central Coast,” he said. “Of course, we couldn’t do all of this without our friends at the Sun who help us sponsor the stage, and we are very appreciative of that fact.”
Arts Editor Joe Payne can be contacted at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Apr 28 – May 5, 2016.