SERRA MESA – Serra Mesans will have to wait until 2009 for their next street fair, as organizers try to attract more volunteers.
The fair, usually held in September at the end of Sandrock Road, lost organizers as residents moved away or their family commitments grew, said Les Williamson, a community leader.
The decision to postpone has nothing to do with financial problems or lost sponsorships, Williamson added.
More people are needed to schedule vendors and coordinate the eight-year-old community event, said Doug Wescott, chairman of the Serra Mesa Planning Group. Nearly 3,000 people usually attend the fair for attractions ranging from children's rides and clown acts to booths and music.
“The street fair is very successful,” Wescott said. “It killed us to have to cancel it.”
Recruitment has been a problem, Wescott acknowledged.
“We just have a really hard time communicating with the community,” he said. “We are working on new ways to get people to understand that the more hands you have, the more likely it's going to happen.”
Williamson said organizers might host a community concert later in the fall to give local residents a smaller event to replace the fair. He is confident that the festival will not have similar problems next year.
“I have no doubt that everything will be back to normal,” Williamson said.
Jennifer Vigil: (619) 718-5069; jennifer.vigil@uniontrib.com
