Arielle Torrez
Staff Writer
The San Dimas Chamber of Commerce held its 21st annual Western Days and Music Festival on Oct. 3-4 in downtown San Dimas in celebration of the city’s history.
The event included a parade, free music and dance, vendor booths, food trucks and family fun for all.
There were booths showing children how to create a rope and Western themed jumpers throughout the event.
Some visitors and vendors dressed in oversized belt buckles and cowboy hats to go along with the Western theme of the event.
Vendors sold items such as handmade leather jewelry, hand cut stone items, body scrubs and animal furs.
There were also community booths sponsored by the San Dimas Parks and Recreation Department and the Angeles National Forest park rangers.
Vela Mowry traveled from Valencia to attend the Western Days Festival. Her business, Mrs. M’s Handmade, sells all natural body scrubs.
“We’ve had a well received response,” said Vela Mowry. “We enjoy interacting with visitors and educating others about our products. Not many people are familiar with body scrubs.”
The San Dimas Historical Society booth encouraged visitors to stop by and learn about the history of San Dimas.
This included old photographs and stories told by San Dimas residents. The booth put a great emphasis on “Preserving the Western Spirit” of the city.
“We’ve had a booth for as long as I can remember. We are telling the story of San Dimas and making conversation with visitors,” said William Emerson, a San Dimas resident and member of the San Dimas Historical Society. “We get bits and pieces of new information from visitors and it is definitely an experience.”
The Western Days and Music Festival also included a rodeo put on by the San Dimas Western Days Rodeo Organization at Horsethief Canyon Park.
Some of the rodeo events included bull riding, tie-down roping, bronc riding and a challenged buckaroos rodeo for special needs children to participate in rodeo activities.
“Western Days is a great tradition,” said Arcadia resident Alberta Thompson. “It brings people together from surrounding areas to celebrate a part of history.”
Arielle Torrez can be reached at arielle.torrez@laverne.edu.
Arielle Torrez
