Over 5,000 Expected at this Weekend's 12th Annual Gourd Art Festival near Temecula, CA

With over 5,000 people expected to attend, the organizers of the 12th Annual Gourd Art Festival are working around the clock in preparation for this weekend's event, which takes place at the Welburn Gourd Farm in De Luz Canyon about half-way between Fallbrook and Temecula, CA.

"It takes a lot of people to pull off an event of this size," says Festival Director, Vickie Knox. "We have over 40 people on our staff alone, and that does not include the 16 artists who travel here to teach gourd art classes the three days preceding the festival."

The Welburn Gourd Farm, known as the world's largest supplier of hard shell gourds, offers gourd classes year round, but typically only 2 or 3 classes a month. During the week of the Gourd Art Festival, the farm hosts over 35 classes in 3 days, and students travel from as far away as Rhode Island and even eastern Canada to attend.

"Because they can combine taking gourd art classes with a trip to the festival, people feel it's worth making the trip," explains Marketing Director, Phoebe Welburn. "Many of the instructors come from across the country and even out of the country, so it really is a rare opportunity for students to learn from experts they normally would not have access to."

The list of Gourd Art Classes is posted on the Gourd Festival web site at www.GourdFestival.com. Classes are scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday before the festival, June 18th - 20th, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm and range in cost from $59.00 to $69.00. Walk-in registration is at 8:30 a.m. on all three days, or people may register in advance by calling the Welburn Gourd Farm office at 760-728-4271.

The Gourd Art Festival offers plenty to keep patrons busy, including 45 exhibitor booths of gourd art and supplies, over 50,000 dried gourds for sale, a gourd crafting arena, wine garden, great food, live entertainment, and more.

Festival gates open at 9:00 a.m. and close at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 21st and from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 22nd. Admissions is $9.00 for adults and children 12 and under get in free. Parking is $3.00. To purchase tickets and for more information, visit the festival web site at www.GourdFestival.com or call 760-728-4271.