Holiday Shoppers Brave Chill for Street Fair

VENTURA —  Finding everything from Native American jewelry to replicas of ancient Australian hunting horns to a Santa-adorned vest, thousands of holiday shoppers braved cool temperatures to stroll along downtown’s Main Street on Sunday.

But the attraction was more than just shopping. Local bands played Christmas tunes and a jolly Santa heard scores of youngsters’ wish lists during the annual Ventura Holiday Street Festival.

“The music, the food, the fun; I think it feels like Christmas,” said Valerie Berry of Santa Paula.

Taking a break from shopping, she and her husband, Scott, ate cherry-covered funnel cake and listened to a local jazz band play “Frosty the Snowman” at the makeshift food court at Main and Chestnut streets.

“We used to go to Disneyland to get in the [holiday] mood,” Scott Berry said. “You don’t have to. You can just come here.”

Although Louise Joyce of Ventura had finished her Christmas shopping weeks ago, the 80-year-old said she was happy to spend the day with her daughter, granddaughter and four great-grandsons. Joyce did find a silver ring and a plant that suited her.

But the afternoon’s people-watching provided her with the most entertainment.

“It’s colorful,” she said. “You see people dressed in all kinds of crazy things.”

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And sometimes even pets. Susan Lukaszewski of Chatsworth dressed her golden retriever, Candy, in reindeer ears and a red garland. Lukaszewski used to sell her own wares at the festival, but now she has become one of the shoppers.

“We look forward to this every year,” she said.

Farther down Main Street, Sharon Carmichael of Northridge bought a wreath, bamboo angel and wooden lawn sign that read, “Merry Christmas.”

“They have such nice items,” she said.

These were the finishing touches of the $300 worth of decorations that she had already bought.

Eleven-year-old Gloriane Miner of Ventura was ready to spend part or all of the $30 that she had saved from her $5 weekly allowance on Christmas gifts. But before Gloriane and her friend Amanda Kincannon got started on their shopping, they had their faces painted in the children’s art area, which cost $3.

“We’ll probably find something,” Gloriane said. “There are a lot of things here.”

Vendors at the more than 500 booths set up on Main between Cedar and Fir streets peddled everything from bonsai trees to ceramic Christmas trees.

Off the beaten path, crafts like socks with a slotted wooden top aptly named Savings Socks and wishing angels attracted appreciative glances from festival-goers.

Kathy Miller of Riverside sold homemade Barbie clothes at a small table. Miller turned a hobby she had when her children were growing up into a small business, selling tiny dresses and jackets for $5 to $12.50.

But watching the kids’ excitement is what makes such festivals fun, she said.

“When they have a hard choice, when Mom says just one, that’s the fun part,” Miller said.

And no Ventura fair would be complete without the alluring calls of the tamale man, who strutted in front of his Fresh Hot Tamale booth. Cool temperatures didn’t stop Eliseo Alaniz from helping his church’s booth sell nearly 1,000 tamales.

“I like to have people smile when they walk by,” said the 45-year-old Ventura resident, who attends Ventura Apostolic Church. “I can’t act my age when I doing this because then I’d be too serious.”