Pleasant weather and crowds were the hallmarks of this year
’s Mushroom Mardi Gras.
Pleasant weather and crowds were the hallmarks of this year’s Mushroom Mardi Gras.
“It was a great weekend,” said Mushroom Mardi Gras board member Dan Sullivan. “Sunday was the bigger day for us. Sheila E. was a big draw.”
The 24th annual event, which benefits community groups and raises funds for scholarships, attracted approximately 30,000 visitors to the annual fungus festival.
Attendance was down about 20-25 percent from the norm this year, said Tilly Mayeda, festival chair who said the number was just an estimate since the gate had not been totally counted. She counted three possible reasons for the lower attendance.
“The weather could have been a problem,” she said. “We are in the land of microclimates and, though it was cloudy and drizzly in other places, here it was great.”
Mayeda also mentioned the economy and the heightened security alert level nationwide, raised to “orange” before the weekend.
“I can’t do anything about those things,” she said. “All we can do is the best we can and hope for the best.”
Headliner Sheila E., who performed Sunday with her father’s band, the Pete Escovedo Orchestra, was a draw for many festival-goers.
“It’s my first time,” said Linda Gonzales of Salinas, about her trip to this year’s Mushroom Mardi Gras. “I heard Sheila E. was here.”
Now that she’s made her Mushroom Mardi Gras debut, Gonzales says she plans to return.
“We like it – the vendor booths, the food,” she said. “The weather’s beautiful.”
There was a slightly different mix of vendors this year, Sullivan said.
“We had fewer (vendors) but higher quality products,” Sullivan said. “The craft booths did well.”
Morgan Hill Police Officer Max Cervantes was pulling bicycle patrol duty Sunday afternoon. The police department had three foot patrol and two bike patrol officers on duty both days.
“I’m just helping to make sure everybody stays in line,” Cervantes said. “There are 50 to 60 private security guards handling the details.”
Cervantes reported a quiet afternoon, which allowed him to also provide some public relations duty for the police department Sunday.
“Bikes are naturally attractive to the public,” he said.
Describing Saturday as a “very mellow day,” Sgt. Mark Brazeal said the only real incident during the festival occurred Sunday afternoon.
“A parolee was bumping into people, being obnoxious, and he got into a scuffle with officers,” Brazeal said Monday. “So they took him back to jail.”
Philip Camerillo, 26, of Morgan Hill was taken to county jail charged with assault on a police officer.
But the incident was taken care of quickly, Brazeal said, and most festival-goers were unaware of any problems.
Danny Lewis of San Jose was another first-timer to the Mardi Gras. His buddy was working the beer garden, where they typically go through 28 kegs of beer a day, and he came down to enjoy the summer weather and the music, as well as a change of scenery.
“It’s pretty cool,” Lewis said. “It was a chance to get the hell out of San Jose.”
Angela Crowther of San Jose brought the whole family to the festival.
“I just heard about it,” Crowther said while she enjoyed some festival grub. “It’s nice. There’s good food and it’s a nice outing.”
Although Crowther was a Mardi Gras first-timer, she’s a veteran of the Gilroy Garlic Festival. She said she likes Morgan Hill’s event better.
“It’s nice weather, and a nicer location,” Crowther said. “There’s more for the kids to do here than at the Garlic Festival.”
Many older children go to the festival to see their friends, even if they go with their families.
Jessica Hurtado, a sixth grader at El Toro Elementary, said she looks forward to coming every year.
“You see people that you didn’t expect to see when you’re here,” she said. “I like to walk around and look at everything, and see who’s here.”
Jessica said she’s attended the festival for four years and has found some favorite foods she gets each year.
“I love the garlic fries,” she said. “And the funnel cakes, those are great. And the chicken kabobs.”
Derek Chan, a junior at Live Oak High, was working the festival, although he said he did spend some time enjoying himself before his shift. Derek is a member of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), which has a booth at the festival each year to raise money for their scholarship program.
“This is my second year volunteering at the festival,” he said. “I really like it because of the opportunity to interact with the children. We usually work three hour shifts, but we find time, before or after, to walk around and eat and see everything.”
Volunteer Angelina Bruno said she also likes to work the festival because of the people.
“You really see a lot of people doing this,” she said, as she sold tickets in the beer and wine ticket booth. “It’s a fun way to spend the day.”
Even though the crowds were down this year compared to others, the people that were at the festival spent money.
“They ate more and enjoyed themselves,” Mayeda said. “The beer and wine and margarita sales were really reduced, but this was a much bigger eating and shopping crowd.”
The money was still being counted Monday, but Mayeda said she thought the vendors were pleased.
“They seemed to be happy with their sales,” she said. “The people who were here spent money.” Several vendors told her that business at recent events was dismal but, at the Mardi Gras, they did well.
Dozens of volunteers spent their Memorial Day cleaning up Community Park.
“Monday is tear-down day,” Sullivan said. “By the end of the day (the park) should be empty. You won’t be able to tell anyone was here.”
Students interested in applying for Mushroom Mardi Gras scholarships should know that the committee considers public service, as well as grades and need, when awarding them. To apply, a Live Oak student can check the Mushroom Mardi Gras on the general application they fill out in October. If students attend a private school but still lives within the Morgan Hill School District, they can apply by downloading an application from the website, www.mhmushroommardigras.com, or picking up an application in the Mushroom Mardi Gras office. The deadline to apply is typically mid-April.
Anyone interested in volunteering for next year’s festival – planning begins in September – can also go on the website for more information or call the office at 778-1786.
