Further Together
About our Theme
The theme of this year's Fairfax Festival is "Further Together". It is both a hommage to musical great, Bob Weir, and an acknowledgement of the benefits of community.
The Fairfax Festival itself is a grassroots expression of our local community. It is produced by the volunteer Fairfax Festival Committee with the support and cooperation of the Town of Fairfax.
The Fairfax Festival has grown in size and scope over the years. Now, covering most of the downtown parks and fields, it attracts thousand of visitors and locals who appreciate its funky but peaceful vibes.
Friday Film Night is followed on Saturday morning by the beloved Fairfax Parade- a sinuous celebration of community that snakes though our downtown streets. The Festival then opens with a wealth of local talent on its three musical stages, the Main, Ecofest and the Redwood.
Many of the artists and vendors featured at the Festival are also from the community. Beer and wine booths are operated by local non-profit and charitable groups. The money they raise goes back into the community through their charitable projects. Contratti Field is dedicated to younger kids and families and the Fairfax Pavilion will be open and feature nature and community focused activities and exhibits.
The Fairfax Festival has become a tradition for many folks who return to share memories of past festivals, renew ties and take a break to enjoy each other's company. In an age like ours, the Fairfax Festival is a rare event. It is both a throw back to the past and an expression of a dynamic Fairfax community. We hope this year's Fairfax Festival will demonstrate that we can indeed go further together.
1966 - 1969 the FIRST FAIRFAX FESTIVAL ERA
In 1966, the first officially named Fairfax Festival was held on the second week of June and lasted until 1969. Not much is known about these early days, but it was the 60’s so it must have been quite a party. So much so that in 1970 the celebration was cancelled due to rowdiness.
According to the Marin IJ, “the Town Council decided it would rather have no festival at all than take a chance on drawing huge crowds such as nearly overwhelmed city facilities in 1969”. We do know there were several music stages with lots of rock and roll and plenty of beer poured by the Native Sons, the Lions Club, and the Festival Committee.
Here are some quotes gleaned from Marin IJ articles in 1969 and 1970:
“A bleak picture of the Fairfax Festival -its attraction to the hippie element, the widespread use of narcotics and alcohol, the possible riots and the cost to the city - emerged last night as the city council evaluated the annual event.
Police Chief James R. Orr warned that if the festival continues there’s going to be big trouble in Fairfax.
A citizen observed “a large number of people smoking pot and girls running around uncovered.”
One letter writer described the crowd as a “most undesirable, unwashed group of narcotic addicts and sex perverts.” Another suggested outlawing stores such as antique shops and health food markets, claiming they “attract the element.”
On the other hand, Garry Graham, proprietor of 19 Broadway night club complained that persons were lumping together things that happen all year in Fairfax and dumping it on the Festival.
Share Your Story
The Fairfax Festival has a long and checkered history! If you have photos, facts, or fun stories to share about the Festival, let us know!
1979 the THE SECOND FAIRFAX FESTIVAL ERA
After a nine year hiatus, the Festival was revived in 1979 with a new committee promising more family friendly elements. It was initially a low-key affair with a tiny budget and a few volunteers led by Marcia Oldham and Carol Sherman, who drummed up help from council members Pete Arrigoni, Leo Cronin, Mike Ghiringhelli, and others.
Marcia became chairperson in 1980 and recalls: “I wanted the Festival to be a party for the whole town, expanded to have happenings in Peri Park and the Pavilion. The Police Chief at the time was dead set against it all. He wanted the parade to start at the movie theatre and only go up the street to the Bank of America.”
Fortunately, the council ruled for a bigger parade from where Good Earth is today all the way to town hall. That was a good thing as the parade was an enormous hit with multiple floats, bands playing from the backs of trucks, neighborhood groups, the hysterically amusing Nave Patrola Italian Army drill team, the Native Sons’ largest in the state California flag, the Marching Garbage Men, and antique cars, and trucks.
After the parade there were pony rides and a dunk tank, a kids’ area, crafts booths, a stage with music, and even square dancing at the Womens’Club. The Boy Scouts sold hot dogs, beer was poured by the fire fighters and Native sons and the police sold bbq oysters on Elsie Lane - same as today.
For several years the festival remained a small, almost informal event shepherded along by civic minded people including town council member SusanBrandborg who was festival chair for many years. She described the festival as “a semi official town celebration” - a description that rings true today.
FAST FORWARD TO THE EARLY 2000’s
The Festival grew while the money did not and burnout set in amongst the committee which also lost several key members. The situation became so desperate the committee considered cutting the event to one day, which would spell certain doom. For many nights over many beers at Ross Valley Brewing (today’s Fairfax Brewing) and Peri’s Bar, a small but dedicated group of local characters sounded the alarm and formed a new committee.
Meetings were held at Rich Pedemonte’s house on Baywood Court. People brought food and beverages to share in accordance with the new committee’s informal vibe. Key members included Rudy Contratti, Peter Alexander, Chris Lang, Steve (Wyro) Wyrostock, Laura Tremaine and Flea Market impresario Eddie Katzman. They were a raucous group and raised a few eyebrows when for the parade grand marshal they nominated the town garbage man, Mike “Rooster” Kenyon who was famous for driving around town in an old beater car with his pet chicken in the passenger seat.
The new energy attracted new members and soon Elon Rosenfeld, Mike McShea, Rosan Donals, and others joined the committee. Denyce Codoni was a tremendous help for many years, quietly recruiting a small army to wrangle the rapidly growing Saturday morning parade. In more recent years the parade was in the capable hands of Carol Buchholtz and her crew.
In 2004 a full blown Ecofest filled the Pavilion with booths supporting sustainable living, food, and music. It was created by a crew led by Jen Jones, Larry and Holly Bragman, and Patty Brecht and helped elevate awareness of enviornmental causes such as the Stopping the Spray anti pesticide movement and GMO Free Marin. It quickly grew in popularity, adding an outdoor music stage and Friday night movie on the ballfield. Ecofest soon expanded to the ball field, transforming it into an interactive space where younger festival - goers could enjoy fun and engaging activities.