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SINCE 1916 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CV, NO. XLVI
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2021
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Atascadero’s Fall Fest a Huge Success
Roughly 15,000 people flocked to the Atascadero Sunken Gardens to enjoy carnival rides, live music, local vendors, and amazing street food. Contributed photos
Reggae legend, Pato Banton, headlined the concert on Saturday night
val. Roughly 15,000 people flocked to the Atascadero Sunken Gardens to enjoy carnival rides, live music, local vendors, and amazing street food. The Atascadero Fall Festival, put on by En Fuego Events and presented by the City of Atascadero By CHRISTIANNA MARKS For the Atascadero News and Visit Atascadero, was a free event for the whole community! ATASCADERO — Excitement “We’ve done three of these [Fall was in the air over the weekend at Festivals]. We did one in Solvang, the very first Atascadero Fall Festi- we did one in Buellton, this is by far
the biggest one we’ve ever done,” said event organizer and owner of En Fuego Events, Andres Nuno. The Sunken Gardens were taken over by the event, so much so, that it spilled into the streets on either side of the square, mainly to accommodate the 12+ carnival rides that kids and adults alike lined up to ride. Carnival passes could be purchased upon arrival, and it was evident that people put them
HOLIDAY
to good use. The Ferris Wheel in front of City Hall was the standout. “That line to get on the Ferris Wheel was so long. It was adults; it was kids; it was teenagers. What they were telling us was; one, there’s a Ferris Wheel in front of City Hall, and two, they just wanted to get up and see the view and see City Hall from a different perspective. We knew they [The Ferris Wheel and Swings in front of City
Hall] were going to do good, but we didn’t know how well they were going to do,” Nuno said. Attendees also gathered around two stages at the festival to listen to free concerts from both local and non-local bands of all genres for all three days of the weekend. Local teens were also featured in the lineup, competing in a Battle of the Teenage Bands. Jumpstart, a classic-rock cover band out of
Santa Barbara, took home the big win! The Fall Fest’s musical headliner, Pato Banton, played the evening of Saturday, Nov. 20, to an enthusiastic sea of people in front of the main stage. “Pato Banton, who is an absolute living legend, one of the last few reggae legends that you can still see CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
PERFORMANCE
Nutcracker Ballet Returns for the 25th Anniversary This year’s production will be performed at Cal Poly’s Spanos Theatre By CAMILLE DeVAUL camille@atascaderonews.com
Agape Christmas Trees brings fresh trees in each week from Oregon and Northern California. Contributed photo
Local Christmas Tree Lots Ready for the Season
drink, and go find that perfect bundle of branches to bring home. Not to mention the absolute joy of getting bombarded (in the best way) by the original scent of Christmas. Thankfully, just like Santa, tree lots By CHRISTIANNA MARKS return every year. It’s obvious that local families are For the Atascadero News loyal to their favorite Christmas Tree lots and farms. Going back to these locally owned businesses for t’s that time of year again, and nothing gets consecutive years in a row and creating traditions you in the holiday mood like Christmas Tree that last generations. shopping. It’s the perfect reason to gather the family together, bundle up, grab something warm to CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
S A N LU I S O B I S P O COUNTY — The North County Dance and Performing Arts Foundation (NCDPAF) is ready to bring back the Nutcracker Ballet for its 25th Anniversary. For many, the Nutcracker Performance is a tradition for families and their official start to the holiday season. This year is set to be extra special, considering it’s their
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silver 25th Anniversary. The NCDPAF shared, “The This year’s performance will be Nutcracker Ballet is based on the held at the Spanos Theatre at Cal story ‘The Nutcracker and the King Poly, San Luis Obispo, on Dec. 4 and 5. CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
BUSINESS
Shop Small Saturday, Nov. 27 Support our local economy by shopping at small businesses
Agape Christmas Trees in Atascadero has been serving the community for 15 years
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Dancers are looking forward to returning to live in-person performance after having to cancel last year’s performance due to COVID restrictions. Photo by Hayley Mattson
Support local businesses like Specs by Kyla downtown Atascadero. Photo by Milk & Thistle Photography
SENIOR LIVING
to support our small business. They are the backbone of our local economy, they are friends, and they are the reason so many people love visiting and living in our little, big town. By CAMILLE DeVAUL In 2010, during the recession, camille@atascaderonews.com American Express developed and NORTH COUNTY — Satur- campaigned for Small Business day, Nov. 27 is Shop Small Satur- Saturday. They understood small day, and if the past two years have taught us anything, it’s that we need CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
WEATHER
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ATASCADERO COMMUNITY Band Presents Donation to Atascadero Middle School | A4
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Choose Two Draft Maps to Further Analyze for Redistricting | A5
EAT TO BEAT Holiday Stress to Achieve resiliency and Mental Well-Being | A13
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