SANTA CRUZ — Community members from around Santa Cruz County and beyond made their way to Downtown Santa Cruz on a warm and sunny Saturday afternoon for this year’s Harvest Festival, which was held in Lot 16 and along Church Street, and featured a variety of games, live music, food and fall-centered activities, such as pumpkin decorating and a wreath-making station.

“This is the second year of the Harvest Festival, which is put on by the Downtown Association but we are a strong partner in it and we bring a variety of farms from our membership into the festival,” said Nicole Zahm with Santa Cruz Community Farmers’ Markets, who was running the wreath-making station. “We do this big wreath-making event where we’ve received donations and bought flowers from different farms that sell in the farmers markets, and then we get a bunch of foliage from walking around those farms and cutting stuff. There’s oak and bay laurel; things that smell good and things that, for many people, are associated with the change of seasons and fall.”

Zahm mentioned that one of her favorite parts about the fall season, aside from getting cozy at home, is the summer bounty that fills the local farmers markets.

“In the farmers markets, October is the last month of peak season where the variety is totally nuts,” said Zahm. “We have the summer crops of peaches and nectarines and pluots, the end of those, bumping up against winter squash, delicata, chili peppers, pomegranates and persimmons — things that come in the beginning of the fall. So, there’s probably more variety at market right now than any other time of the year.”

Shiri Gradek of the Downtown Association of Santa Cruz was scooping popcorn at the Harvest Festival. She said that the inspiration for the relatively new and family-friendly downtown tradition was inspired in part by the school carnivals she helped organize at DeLaveaga Elementary School.

“I just love the activities that are affiliated with fall, like harvest festivals, pumpkins, hay rides and corn mazes,” said Gradek. “We’re also reminding people that downtown belongs to everybody. When we do these kinds of activations, it reminds people there are other activities they can engage in Downtown besides shopping and feel like a part of this micro-community downtown.”

Rebecca King from Monkeyflower Ranch in Royal Oaks was running a small-scale petting zoo at the festival, which consisted of a pair of 2-month-old sheep.

“We are primarily a sheep dairy farm, so we make yogurt and cheese that we sell at the Downtown Farmers Market and then we also have lamb and pork and eggs as well,” said King. “These are a couple of lambs that were born out of season. We usually have 30 to 50 lambs born at once. These guys were an off pair and they’re the only little ones we have right now.”

Near the petting zoo, Santa Cruz residents Steve Principe and Jennifer Walker were enjoying the early afternoon sunshine and the live music from the Rhythm Rangellers. Principe said that recognizing the changing of seasons is important for people psychologically and that he and Walker enjoy cruising up the coast to the Swanton Pacific Ranch to pick apples during the fall.

“It’s all about the apples,” said Walker.

Ariel Reynolds with Sea to Sky Farm in Bonny Doon was helping young fairgoers decorate pumpkins of all shapes and sizes. Reynolds mentioned that all the funds raised from the activity, like others at the festival, will go to Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County and the Santa Cruz Farmers Markets Market Match program.

“It’s for a good cause and it sprouts creativity amongst kids,” said Reynolds, who added that Santa Cruz has its best weather in the fall. “It’s not too hot and not too cold. And the changing colors are great, especially down Walnut Avenue.”

Annabelle Balcazar, Santa Cruz High School’s girls basketball junior varsity coach and varsity assistant coach, was overseeing a station where players were painting faces to raise money for their team. Balcazar mentioned that the team raised about $700 at last year’s festival.

“This is something that helps the girls feel like part of the community,” said Balcazar. “They have a lot of fun.”

UC Santa Cruz students and city residents Ty Veltz and Azrael Samuels were stoked for the fall season and to watch people getting dunked in the dunk tank.

“I love the season and the weather,” said Samuels. “Autumn brings on that coolness and chill and the color scheme is awesome.”