"Lagomarsino said she looked at locations in Concord, Pleasant Hill, Lafayette, and Martinez, but faced challenges in securing a site that met the criteria for the event that originally began in Walnut Creek. "I could only find the Antioch Fairgrounds that would give us the space we needed. I tried keeping it as close as I could, but that was the best I could do," Lagomarsino told this news organization."
"According to Lagomarsino, some felt it should have been held at Civic Park, where the festival was previously held. But Lagomarsino said they would not have been able to accommodate the over 15 carnival rides at that location. "There would be no point in just having the festival with vendors and food. Everybody knows it for the carnival, the bands, and the vendors," she said. "Civic Park (would take) a big part of that away.""
The Walnut Festival will take place in Antioch for the first time in decades because Heather Farm Park in Walnut Creek is undergoing a two-year remodel for a new aquatic and community center. Heather Farm Park hosted the festival since 1976. Organizers searched nearby cities but only the Antioch Fairgrounds offered sufficient space for over 15 carnival rides. Civic Park could not accommodate the full carnival layout. The relocation generated community criticism about distance from Walnut Creek. Walnut Creek officials noted tree density limited carnival placement, and the festival brings family activity and economic benefits to the city.
Read at The Mercury News
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