Clovis will host its 34th annual ClovisFest arts and craft event on Pollasky, between Fourth and Eighth Streets, Sept. 19-20. The event, sponsored by the Clovis Chamber of Commerce, draws thousands of people to the city each year.
The festival begins at 7 a.m. at the Clovis Rodeo Grounds where hot air balloons are scheduled to take off and fly across the city. A carnival will also be held at 9 a.m. in Old Town Clovis.
ClovisFest includes over 250 craft and food booths, the All Valley Car Show and live entertainment, among other attractions, according to the event’s Web site. All parking is located at the rodeo grounds.
Freshman Brianna Graff attended the event last year and took advantage of the shopping opportunities, she said.
“They sell everything everything you can imagine,” Graff said. “Even though I didn’t get to see the balloons take off, I still watched them from a distance at the carnival.”
According to Larry Grossi, owner of Bear Creek Gifts and Cabin Decor, the event draws people to the city and provides a multitude of prospective customers for local businesses.
“The purpose of ClovisFest is to attract people to the city and expose the Clovis way of life,” Grossi said. “It showcases the store and brings in a vast amount of people that will hopefully remember our store when they need our merchandise.”
Because of population growth over the years, Grossi says the event has expanded to entertain a larger audience.
“In the 11 years that I’ve owned this store, Clovis has grown from a farming community to a very progressive community because of the school district,” Grossi said. “ClovisFest has gotten much bigger with more vendors and special events.
According to Barbara Pontius, owner of Quilters’ Paradise, the economic downturn forced out multiple businesses in the surrounding area.
“There have been more vacancies in the last two years than I can remember,” Pontius said. “I’ve worked here for 12 years and Clovis still feels like a small-town atmosphere. Businesses come and go but there hasn’t been a huge influx of expansion.”
Junior Josh Smith has worked at the event for the past two years as a volunteer in the Police Explorers program. He and the other explorers have managed cross walks, parking and traffic control at various community events.
“We work at events twice a month, such as ClovisFest, Big Hat Days, the Clovis Rodeo, movie in the park night, animal adoption and many others,” Smith said. “I really enjoy [this] event and I think it’s a great family tradition for the community.”
