The First Annual ‘Sierra Summer Fest’ will be held Saturday, August 26th, 2023, at the Oakhurst Community Center
OAKHURST — ‘Sierra Summer Fest’ at the Oakhurst Community Center is the mountain area’s newest festival showcasing so much of what our area & central California has to offer! If you haven’t heard about what this festival will be offering yet, then here it is for you!!
Headlining local bands, What Comes Next & Whiskey Creek will be rotating on the main stage through the day, with Firestone Brewery-sponsored bars offering adult refreshments from the heat. Take the kids to the water park showcasing several water slides & play options or take the whole family over to the family zone to play games like giant Jenga, get an air-brushed tattoo, & even learn how to throw axes like a real lumberjack.
When you get hungry, make your way through the many food truck offerings and carnival treats. You can snack on everything from street tacos, pizza slices, tri-tip sandwiches, polish dogs, kettle corn, snow cones, & more! Then head inside the Main Hall to take in some line dancing taught by our local line dancers, watch a scene from our Golden Chain Theater’s upcoming production, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” or catch the YHS marching band making their way through the event. Maybe you’ve always wanted to Dunk-A-Deputy, and now is your chance to take a shot at it or sneak away for a craft cocktail with cool vibes at the 21+ Lounge.
There will be so much to do at ‘Sierra Summer Fest’ that we hope you take the whole day and join in on all the fun!!
And you want to know the best part?! It is all to help fund the Oakhurst Community Center. You might not know this, but the Oakhurst Community Center is a 501c3 nonprofit organization whose sole funding is received by generous donations and rental fees from using the center. There is no government funding or assistance for the community center!
Photo Courtesy of the Oakhurst Community Center
In 1965 the Oakhurst Community Center opened its doors to the mountain community. The land for the center was donated by a long-time area resident, and the buildings were built primarily with donated materials and volunteer labor. These volunteers were comprised of the area’s many service clubs and community-based organizations who still govern the center with a seat on the community center’s volunteer board. As the years have passed by and times have changed, the Oakhurst Community Center finds itself today with aging facilities and is in need of major updates. Almost 60 years old, with much of its infrastructure needing to be rebuilt, the updates that were never done over the years are now desperately needed, in addition to ample upgrades to bring the center into today’s modern age. With new management and a board of directors, The Oakhurst Community Center is working to rebrand itself as a place where the mountain community once again wants to host their events and spend some time. They are working hard to receive a grant from the State of California to overhaul the aging facilities, but they also realize the need to generate funding for the center in new ways and educate the community on its ever-growing list of needs.
You will soon notice a new full hookup RV park, Oakhurst Yosemite RV, emerging on the dirt lot as a new focus of the center and as a passive income stream. There has been ample work by the newer board members to find the right manager & soon a team of individuals & businesses that support the daily needs of the center. There also will be more community events put on by the center’s board for the community in hopes of getting people to come and enjoy the upgrades as they happen at the community center, like the fixed outdoor stage and added overhead bistro lights, courtesy of Custom Designs & Construction. These events will also act as a way to educate the community more on how the community center operates and what needs it currently has. If you are interested in being a part of the bright future of the Oakhurst Community Center, please reach out to the Board President, Jessica Trettin, to find out all areas in need of your assistance today!
Sierra Summer Fest is all brought to you by Oakhurst Sierra Rotary, Soroptimist of the Sierra’s, & ample generous mountain area businesses to benefit the Oakhurst Community Center & Madera County Sheriff’s Foundation.
