The 2nd Annual Sugar Beet Festival returned and drew an estimated 3,000 attendees from the west Orange County area and Long Beach.
The 2nd Annual Sugar Beet Festival returned and drew an estimated 3,000 attendees from the west Orange County area and Long Beach.
The event again kicked off with a 5k-ish Challenge, where more than 300 participants ran, climbed and scurried beneath various obstacles through the Shops and Rossmoor and downtown Los Alamitos. The event celebrates the early days in the area, when sugar beet farming and processing was a major part of the local economy.
The event is growing as a regional festival, allowing organizations and nonprofits to benefit and bring their goods and messages to the local area. The Autism Society of Los Angeles was on hand to deliver information on summer camps at California State University, Long Beach designed for young adults with Autism to stay at the campus and attend activities designed to help them transition into adult life and employment.
They also offer programs for youth and high school age children. For more on their efforts, visit autismla.org.
The day included entertainment as well, including the Oak Middle School Jazz Band, line dance lessons and a pie-eating contest, won by Paul Tango.
Visit sugarbeetfestival.com for more information.