A fiesta is a celebration, and the first Camarillo fiestas were celebrations at the Camarillo Ranch.  Adolfo held many huge fiestas, some with 450-750 neighbors and dignitaries, celebrating spring roundups, homecomings, even the opening of the road between Camarillo and Thousand Oaks, for which he had donated the land.  They were on his front lawn, around and inside the circular driveway.  Later fiestas were at the end of October to celebrate Adolfo’s birthday; he died in 1958.  

The City was incorporated in 1964, and the following year the City Council appointed Councilmembers Tweedy Rouce and Stan Daily, along with Planning Commissioner Helen Ahern, to plan a celebration of the city’s first birthday.  Tweedy, who had been married to Adolfo’s son, the late Frank Camarillo, asked them to honor Camarillo’s roots; they decided to hold a traditional Mexican fiesta, complete with mariachi music, dancing, and a “jamaica”, or Mexican-style carnival with food and other booths arranged in a circle.

That fiesta was held at the end of October to celebrate both Don Adolfo’s birthday on the 28th and the city’s incorporation on the 22nd.  It was held at the Camarillo ranch house, with “jamaica” booths around the circular driveway.  About 3000 people (1/3 of the city’s population) attended.  Other events included an Optimist Club breakfast, a small children’s parade down Ventura Blvd., ending at Dizdar Park, Blessing of the Animals ceremony on the steps of St. Mary Magdalen Chapel, a city birthday cake-cutting ceremony, a reception where the Dons and Donas were named and an art contest sponsored by the Camarillo Art Club (the winning entry was to hang in City Hall for one year).

When Tweedy Rouce left the Council in 1970, Club Civico took over organizing the annual fiesta, under the direction of Ed Genhart.  Attendance grew so they moved the event to the Camarillo community Center, making use of the outdoor stage at the back of the facility and the circular sidewalk which “Jamaica” booths ringed.   Nineteen years later attendance had dwindled, and Mr. Genhart and Club Civico announced that they were ready to give the job up.

An open community meeting was held on St. Patrick’s Day, 1981, to determine interest.  Nearly 50 people attended, most representing organizations that raised money from the Jamaica booths.  At that meeting it was decided to form the Camarillo Fiesta Association, with elected officers of John Herman, President; Betty Rutherford, Vice President; Joe Wiebelhaus, Treasurer; and Charlotte Craven, Secretary and Publicity Director.  Other Board Members represented the Y-Indian Guides, Boy Scouts, Knights of Columbus, Club Civico, American Legion Auxiliary, Boys & Girls Club, Lions Club, and the Moose Lodge.  It was also decided to hold fiesta on the weekend closest to October 22nd each year to celebrate both Don Adolfo’s and the City’s birthdays.  

New events were added and old events were changed to create interest.  That year’s fiesta kicked off with Pleasant Valley Historical Society naming the Dons and Donas on Friday evening, followed by a revived Miss Camarillo Pageant.  On Saturday morning the Optimists held their Mexican Breakfast, serving juevos rancheros, chorizo and hot chocolate.  That was followed by a parade with more than 50 entries, starting from the corner of Daily and Arneill up to Ponderosa, where it turned west.  About 3000 people lined the streets, with many joining in to follow the final entry to the Community Center, creating a nice crowd for the opening of the “jamaica”.   At noon Blessing of the Animals began, followed by Mayor Ron McConville cutting the City’s Birthday Cake with the assistance of the new Miss Camarillo.  Entertainment on the outdoor stage continued all the afternoon.  Later a dinner/dance was held in the with Les Brown and his Band of Renown playing Big Band music.  On Sunday morning the Y-Indian Guides served a pancake breakfast at the Community Center, and the Jamaica continued through the afternoon.  With more than 8000 people attending over the weekend, it was declared a success.

In 1984 fiesta was expanded to a week-long celebration for City’s 20th birthday, opening at noon on Sunday with Mayor Bill Esty ring the St. Mary Magdalen Chapel bell, followed by Monsignor Hughes Blessing the Animals on the steps.  That afternoon the Camarillo Art Club held an art exhibit and a Tiny Tots Pageant was held, followed by a concert at Constitution Park.  On Wednesday morning the Chamber of Commerce sponsored Coffee Cart in a business.  On Thursday the city hosted an Open House in City Hall, with another Concert in the Park in the evening.  Friday afternoon the Historical Society named the Dons and Donas at the Mayor’s Reception, held in the courtyard at City Hall, and that night the Miss Camarillo Pageant was held.  Saturday got off to a fast start with a 5-K walk and 10-K run, followed by the Optimists Mexican Breakfast and the parade.  At noon Mayor Esty and the new Miss Camarillo cut the City’s Birthday Cake, officially opening the “jamaica” with continuous entertainment all afternoon on the Community Center outdoor stage.  New events were a petting zoo, kiddie carnival rides, Bingo in the Senior Center, and an exotic animal show from Moorpark College’s Exotic Animal Trainers Program.  Les Brown and his Band of Renown wereback for the Big Band Dinner/Dance.  

The week-long celebration continued until 1991, when Councilmember Mike Morgan and his wife, Donna, took charge and cut it back to two days.  Attendance had waned so they moved fiesta to the first weekend of October at Constitution Park.  The parade ended at the new location.  Public interest once again zoomed.  Miss Camarillo Pageant was moved to February and the kiddy rides were dropped.  Otherwise, events remained the same.  The “Jamaica” was around Constitution Park’s circular sidewalk, and the number of booths jumped to more than 50, with entertainment on the Pavilion.  The following year a Chili Cookoff was added, which drew many aficionados.  

By 1997 public interest again waned; the Morgans had done about as much as they could do with the location, and for one year only they moved fiesta to mid-July at Adolfo Camarillo High School and brought in a large circus, but the location was not ideal for the event so fiesta was on the move again.

In 1998 Councilmember Morgan asked the City Council to allow him to close Ventura Blvd. for 2 ½ days in July to put on the biggest party the city had ever seen.  He was right.  The production started on Friday night with carnival rides.   A 10-K race kicked off Saturday morning, with two full days of entertainment on three stages; carnival rides; live radio broadcasts; a car show; a beer garden; and more than 100 booths offering crafts, games and food of all kinds lining Ventura Boulevard.  Attendance was much larger than expected so many food booths sold out well before dinnertime.  Fiesta was declared a huge success!  In 1999 the city began a several-year redevelopment project on The Boulevard, tearing out and replacing the street, curbs and sidewalks.  It didn’t matter; crowds continued to grow and a total of 22 fiestas were held there under the Morgan’s leadership, even though controversy and scandals arose when Fiesta Association Treasurers embezzled funds three times.

In 2020 the nation and County declared a state of emergency due to the COVID virus.  The nature of many businesses changed and the Council decided to not allow the fiesta that year because of the health restrictions in effect, the fact that Boulevard restaurants had moved seating areas onto the sidewalks where booths would have been, and responding to complaints that the City was spending a large amount of money to support an organization that had embezzlements.  That held for the following year, as well.

All of which brings us to this year, 2022, when the most recent celebration was not called a fiesta, but Old Town Heritage Days.  It was held on Ventura Boulevard by the Camarillo Old Town Association under the leadership of Christina Chastain and Jeff Walker.  Designed specifically to draw business and attention to businesses on Ventura Boulevard, Old Town Heritage Days began on Thursday and Friday nights with carnival rides, live art and food trucks, adding a beer & wine garden added on Friday night.  It then went into full swing all day Saturday and Sunday, with vendor booths, a car show, the Saturday Farmer’s Market, and live music added to the carnival and beer garden.  The Old Town Association considered it a success.