Annual street fair music, art and local color

Prune party certain to be fruitful for fun-seekers

By Genevieve Roja

Nowhere is the dried Italian plum--the prune--more celebrated than in the city of Campbell. According to Campbell Chamber of Commerce executive director Betty Deal, Campbell boasts the largest prune festival in California, topping festivals thrown by Marysville and Yuba City, where prunes are still grown and harvested. Now in its 22nd year, the PruneFest, to be held May 20 and 21, is more than just assorted barbecue, bands and alcoholic beverages. It's the city's time to dote on its history as the prune capital of the world.

While the 70,000 to 80,000 PruneFest goers last year were busy eating, swigging and singing, others recalled Campbell's heyday. In 1948, the Campbell Cooperative Dryer was drying a capacity of 480 tons of prunes in one day--an astounding figure. Twelve years later, the Campbell Cooperative merged with Sunsweet Dryers to form the world's largest fruit-drying organization. Campbell adopted the prune as its festival namesake in 1997. Thanks to Sunsweet, Campbell will continue its sweet reputation. As one of PruneFest's sponsors, Sunsweet has shipped bags of pre-packaged prunes to give away at the festival. There are three or four prunes in each bag, and this year there will be two flavors, orange and lemon. An estimated 3,600 packets of prunes were distributed last year.

"We hand them out [at the festival] and say, 'You're welcome to take more,' but people take one or two," Deal said. "But you turn your back, and they're grabbing them by the handful. At the Oktoberfest, everyone always asks, 'Where's the prunes?' "

While some merchants complain that signature events such as PruneFest block their storefronts, the Chamber allows businesses to purchase a booth. Deal said that the option is rare in other cities. She hopes that festival goers visit and shop in the area long after the last Rock Bottom Brewery PruneFest ale is quaffed.

"The main focus of the chamber is to bring business into the area," Deal said. "It's a money-making event for the chamber; it pays the operating expenses and the overhead, and it brings money into the community."

In all, there will be 200 arts and crafts booths lined up on Campbell Avenue. On Sunday, in Giuseppe's parking lot at Central Avenue and Orchard City Drive, the weekly farmers' market will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Festival goers should find on-street parking or seek spaces in the Campbell Community Center. There will also be handicapped parking.

At PruneFest 2000, there's something for the children too. In the area known as the Kiddie Korner, there will be jumpers, or inflatable castles; a Super Prune appearance; face painting; a train; spin art and speed ball.

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