July 16, 2004

Hey, mark your calendars. We went to a Festival last weekend. And we liked it.

Sunday, we drove to Laguna Beach and took part in the 38th annual Sawdust Art Festival. As advertised, it appeared to be another one of those outdoor arts and crafts shows, with hundreds of artists selling their goods, along with live entertainment and food stands.

The Sawdust Festival has developed a good reputation over the years, but still, we were hesitant. After our less-than-enjoyable experiences with the Calabasas Pumpkin Festival, The Festival of Books, and the Oxnard Strawberry Festival, we had been pushed over the edge by festivals. Crowded, expensive and common, festivals didn't seem to have much that grabbed our interest.

Not so at the Sawdust Festival, a setting that not only features lots of art from local residents, but a laid-back quality that we found very appealing.