Residents of Riverbank looking for something to do with the family this past weekend had plenty to choose from. Saturday was jam-packed, all centering around the Community Center downtown, and its adjoining park.
Early on, those participating in Love Riverbank on April 29 started out at the gazebo in the park, before heading out to their individual projects.
As those activities wound down during the morning, participants in the Health Fair and then the Founders Day Carnival started up and continued through the afternoon.
The Fair and Carnival kind of combined in the space in the park and on the street, overlapping a bit, but making it very convenient for patrons and their families.
“I stopped by the Health Fair at the beginning and again after my (Love Riverbank) project was complete,” noted City Councilman Luis Uribe. “This event was something I wanted to launch in April of 2020 but because of COVID, it was canceled.”
Able to get it organized for this year, several vendors took part and the event saw plenty of attendees as well.
“A side benefit to these events is the vendors themselves can meet other vendors and collaborate to improve the system of care in this area,” Uribe added. “We look forward to making this an annual event on its own moving and partnering with the school district.”
Councilmember Darlene Barber Martinez was also pleased with the event.
“Thank you to all of the vendors that were at the Health Fair. There was a variety of resources where you could get questions answered and information,” she said.
In the past, the Health Fair has been held inside the Community Center, as a stand-alone event, and the Founders Day Carnival was begun last year as part of Riverbank’s Centennial Celebration. It was so successful that Mayor Richard O'Brien saw that it would be continued each year.
In addition to the Community Center Park area, booths and carnival activities were set up on Santa Fe Street, between Sixth and Seventh streets.
There were rides, a two-story slide, as well as bounce houses and other inflatable activities.
The booths contained both community groups and activities such as face painting, but also included food, beverages, jewelry, clothing and artwork, reminiscent of a street fair.
Maybe it was designed to hint at the beginning of the downtown Farmers Market, set to kick off its seven-week run on Tuesday, May 9, also on Santa Fe Street, between Third and Fourth streets.
