Mild temperatures and good times mixed for fun at the Ceres Street Faire held this past weekend in downtown Ceres.
The annual 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 about 75 vehicles.
"The times I was there it was fabulous," said Shane Parson, chairman of the Ceres Street Faire Committee.
Lisa Mantarro Moore, a member of the committee, felt that the attendance was "up considerably" from that of the 2013 event.
"It was a great weekend," said Moore. "We appeared to be filled on the streets on our crowd activity without a lull both days."
The non-profit businesses which sold food products along Third Street next to Whitmore Park reported doing "exceptionally well," said Moore. People were standing in long lines for the tri-tip sandwiches sold by the Ceres Lions Club.
"Many of them sold their weekend supply on Saturday and had to purchase more food for Sunday," she said.
Saturday proved to be a windier day but the crowds were still strong.
Despite the presence of three beer booths, police said there was little trouble at the two-day event.
"I thought it was very good this year," said Ceres Police Lt. Brent Smith. "The weather was great and we had no trouble. We had one minor scuffle before 10 a.m. on Saturday and that was it."
One of the busiest parts of the faire was the attractions for children in the park.
The Whitmore Park gazebo hosted a number of youth groups and musicians who entertained. The downtown stage on Fourth Street featured a performance by Greg Scudder of Ceres, a finalist in the Colgate Country Showdown in 2011.
"We had great community support and we appreciate everything the Chamber and Lions Club did," said Moore. "It was just a real good community based event."
Saturday's car show drew lots of admirers of classics and modified cars, said event organizer Susan Borges.
Winners of the Street Faire car show were: Mayor's Choice, John Keamey's 1950 Ford Woody; Lady's Choice, Don and Linda Epps' 1931 Chevy Bel-Air; People's Choice, Bobby Dues' 1969 Chevy Cheville; City Council Choice, Steve Patricks' 1967 Chevy C-10; Police Chief's Choice, Robert Baumgardner's 1950 Ford F-1 truck; Street Faire Choice, Chuck Lyons' 1940 Plymouth; CUSD Choice, Jose Salgado's 1955 Pontiac; Most Unique, Dan Brown's 1928 Model A; Best in Show runner up, Dale DeHart's 1957 Chevy Bel-Air; and Best in Show Winner, Raymond Perea's 1956 Ford F-100 (which will be featured on the 2015 T-shirt).
Foundation Raffle
A handful of lucky people will remember the 2014 Street Faire for the place they won some great prizes during Saturday's 7th annual CUSD Foundation Raffle fundraiser. Proceeds from ticket donations support activities at Ceres schools and provide supplemental instructional support for Ceres teachers.
The four $500 cash prizes were won by Manuel Garcia of Modesto, Francisca Chavel of Ceres, Giovanni Perrone of Modesto, and Tracy Ibarra of Ceres. These prizes were generously donated by Bank of the West.
The winner of a $500 shopping gift card (donated by United Inspection) was Curtis Parker, Jr. of Ceres, who purchased his ticket from a Caswell Elementary student.
Zenya Munoz of Ceres won the $500 grocery package donated by Cost Less Foods. This package contained $500 of grocery certificates and a variety of food items. Her ticket was purchased from Hidahl Elementary School.
The $500 Entertainment package donated by Black Oak Casino was won by Joe Alves of Modesto. He purchased his ticket from a Blaker-Kinser Junior High student. This package included meal vouchers and $20 in slot play, as well as a gift bag filled with a variety of merchandise items from Black Oak Casino.
A $500 fuel package donated by E.R. Vine & Sons, was won by Bulmaro Barajas of Modesto. He purchased his winning ticket from Westport Elementary School.
A $500 gas grill barbeque donated by Lowe's Home Improvement Store of Turlock was won by Misty Tobler of Ceres. Her winning ticket was purchased from Virginia Parks Elementary School.
The bonus prize, a huge brown grizzly bear, donated by Bank of the West was won by Maria Rojas of Modesto.
