Music, Dancing, Heirloom Tomatoes and More at Fall Festival

What better way to say goodbye to summer and hello to fall than by savoring more than 60 varieties of locally grown organic heirloom tomatoes at the Tomato Bash. There’s that and a whole lot more in store at the 2012 Silicon Valley Fall Festival on Saturday.

The event, sponsored by Cupertino Rotary and World Journal, will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Memorial Park, with free parking available across the street at De Anza College.

New to the festival this year is the Greensteaders’ Tomato Bash with tomatoes to sample, information on seed saving, growing tips, cooking, canning and making your own tomato sauces, but the highlight will probably be tomato flavored ice cream and heirloom ketchup to sample.

Entertainment will go on all day featuring a number of cultural dances as well as singing and dancing by Ding Ding TV little host Mauyuan Li; Jackie Gage and the JurassicC will provide a range of funk, jazz, pop and soul; a kung fu demo by Shaolin Kung Fu International; East West Music and Dance performance; salsa and rumba performances by Arthur Murray Dance Studio; and much more.

The Earth Zone is the place to go for tips and information on sustainability, wellness, and emergency preparedness, and where displays of the latest in energy saving programs, alternative vehicles, and other green activities can be found.

The Culture Fair will include interactive activities and displays of cultures from around the globe; and at the Kids Zone a petting zoo will lure in the little ones, and of course the requisite jump house and rides are there to help tire them out.

For the more refined festival-goer a fine arts auction can be found at the Cupertino Senior where 75 works of art will be on display for purchase.

The rage of the foodie nation these days is gourmet food trucks and this festival promises to have its share serving up a variety of tasty delights.

Additionally there will be local high school Amnesty International groups, which will be there to raise awareness of local human rights issues with games and activities. A health and safety zone will offer tips and have valuable information to hand out.

For more information go to www.sv-fallfestival.com