As the sun sets, visitors to Bates Nut Farm relax on the grass. Photos by Allegra Much

Tents and RVs lined the lawn at Bates Nut Farm and the parking lot was full on Saturday night, August 17. The annual Summer Food Festival and annual Camping Under the Stars coincided, creating one big, fun event for more than 150 locals.

The food festival included free parking and admission. Camping was $30 per tent or RV. There were several activities around the farm for children and adults.

The food festival began at 4 p.m. and lasted four hours. The food vendors had a steady stream of visitors from the beginning to the end of the event. There were several options including ice cream from Mariposa’s Ice Cream, sweet rolls and cotton candy from Sandra’s Sweets, crepes from La Creperie, Greek food from Arslan’s Gyros, barbecue from Smokin’ Fools, corn and baked potatoes from Margie’s Shuck Wagon, hot dogs from Papa’s Hot Dogs, Thai food from Little Thai Cottage, and coffee and pastries from Cactus Cat’s.

For adults and children, the tractor hay bale train regularly made its rounds around the grounds and offered the happy guests a view of most of the farm.

Both the Farmers Daughter and the General Store were open for shopping. Many visitors enjoyed feeding the animals on the farm.

For the children there were Snow’s Pony Rides and an inflatable area where they could play on slides and a bouncy castle.

There was also Stuff-A-Buddy where you could make your own stuffed animal, make your own slime, and get glitter tattoos from Girly Girls Gala. There was also a face painting and airbrush tattoo vendor.

The evening’s musical entertainment was provided by the Smokin’ Guns, who played cover versions of classic rock hits from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

After the celebrations, tent and RV owners were allowed to continue camping and were allowed to stay until 4:00 p.m. the next day.

There are many more events happening over the next few months. This Saturday, August 24th, SDGE will be hosting its 6th Annual Wildlife Safety Fair from 9am-1pm. Admission is free and there will be fire safety giveaways, demonstrations, food and live music.

For more information about upcoming events, visit batesnutfarm.biz.

Smokin’ Guns played at Bates late Saturday afternoon.