By Stephanie Nguyen
Transferring from Long Beach to Fountain Valley after twenty-one years, the Original Lobster Festival returns once again to the Fountain Valley Recreational and Sports center off of Brookhurst, attracting visitors to the rides, live music entertainment, and of course, lobster. Admission at the gate on Friday was $5 per person, increasing to $15 on Saturday and Sunday. All children under the age of 12 are admitted for free.
It was a bit slow around 5:30 p.m.; most of the visitors were sitting under canopy tents enjoying their fresh Maine lobster, served in aluminum trays with watermelon and dinner rolls, costing anywhere from $35-$160, depending on the package purchased. Unsurprisingly, there was a long line of hopeful diners waiting to get their hands (or claws?) on the main attraction, but it goes by quickly, thanks to the efficient assembly line. Accompanying the meal were numbers performed by BYOB, its members sporting cowboy hats while blasting electrifying riffs to a mix of rock and blues, receiving a few claps from the crowd now and then.
Yet despite the name, there was only one other vendor selling the lobster products, Lobster Shack. The rest offered apparel, jewelry, event merchandise, ice cream, frog legs, lemonade, smoothies and alcoholic beverages. For families, carnival rides like the Ferris wheel and Round-up were available, but empty. There was a butterfly exhibit, appropriately named “Butterfly Garden,” that was much more popular.
A stilt walker who goes by Ruby the Lobster could be also seen walking around the area, accepting photo requests from parents looking to capture the memory for their little ones. She herself informed me more about the festival, telling me that the mastermind behind the whole event was also behind the Crawfish and Mardi Gras Festival, both of which were already in Louisiana. The Crawfish, also known as Crawdad Festival, had occurred in May earlier this year.
As the sun started to set, more visitors poured into the area, gathering around the stage. After the live entertainment ended, Mayor Ted Bui came to the microphone, thanking the event coordinators for the festivities and giving his final remarks.
“This is not only celebrating incredible food, but also the spirit of community, partnership and fun that makes our city such a special place to live, work and visit. It’s about family and neighbors coming together, enjoying live music, local vendors and of course, the star of the show, fresh, delicious lobster. It’s a true showcase of everything that makes Fountain Valley such a great place to gather and celebrate.”
By then the sun dipped below the horizon, giving occasion to the dancing that followed. Led by an instructor, audience members and spectators grooved to “Cha-Cha Slide” by Mr. C the Slide Man, sliding left and right to the beat.
