CASTROVILLE - Steamed, fried or grilled, in muffins, soup or burritos, the "artichoke center of the world" celebrated its signature vegetable over the weekend.
The 49th Annual Artichoke Festival brought more than 30,000 people to Castroville, whose population is about 7,000. The Marshall Tucker Band rocked Saturday with its smooth, sour-mash Southern style, and WAR took to the stage Sunday with its funky Afro-Latin rhythms.
"We had an excellent weekend," said Jennifer Roybal, the festival's publicist. "We actually ran out of beer and artichokes."
With a car show displaying more than 100 classic cars and low-riding cruiser bicycles, Roybal said WAR's famous anthem, "Low Rider," couldn't have been more fitting.
"WAR was the big feather in our fedora," she said.
On Sunday morning at 9:45, spectators packed the sides of Merritt Street, Castroville's main drag, for the festival parade. At the parade, politicians -including Salinas City Councilman Tony Barrera on horseback -community groups and marching bands cruised the street waving to onlookers.
Later in the day, two former artichoke-eating champions and three challengers stuffed their faces to see who could eat the most artichokes in three minutes. Hugo Ruiz, who was born and raised in Castroville but now lives in Fresno, ate nearly a pound. Ruiz beat out Kim Hussey of Turlock, who won in 2006.
Over the course of the weekend there were four artichoke-eating contests.
"No one chews like me," Ruiz said. With a stomach freshly full, he said that the event did not make him sick of artichokes and pointed to more than a dozen he would soon take home with him.
"I just may need to wash them down with some beer," he said.
