The Fair Oaks Chicken Festival is not only a great place to come enjoy your Saturday afternoon, it also supports a plethora of different causes making a difference in the Fair Oaks community and beyond.

The annual festival was held on Sept. 20 this year and hosted many different vendors raising money for local and worldwide organizations. Causes represented this year included the Orangevale-Fair Oaks Food Bank, the Miqlat center for children in Malawi, Mama Bears Fighting Childhood Cancer, high school scholarships and more.

The Kiwanis group of Orangevale–Fair Oaks raised money specifically for children and families in the area. 

“We donate back to the communities,” co-president David Houghten said. “For the Food Bank we are currently doing a pajama drive and just finished a backpack drive. So we are involved in a lot of things in the area.”

Mama Bears Fighting Childhood Cancer raised money to make hospital survival bags for families with a child diagnosed with cancer. They also were seeking to focus attention on Child Cancer Awareness month, which happens to be in September. 

“We are bringing awareness to everyone by bringing ‘Go Gold’ for childhood cancer awareness,” said Debie Mitchell, the president of the Mama Bears organization, “just like in October you go pink for breast cancer. People don’t realize that September is the month for childhood cancer.”

Supporters could donate money to go directly toward the survival bags, which were  filled with things such as ice packs, book lights, streaming sticks, a mini fridge and more. 

“It’s everything you need to live in the hospital while your child is being treated for cancer,” Mitchell said.

Another cause for children was the Miqlat sponsorship which assists the Miqlat Center in Malawi, a program that helps children in severe poverty.The booth was run by three women from a local church – Lacey Marlin, Patsy Conner and Karina Fielden. 

“We think here in the U.S. that we have seen poverty and we have, but it’s nothing like the poverty over in Malawi,” Fielden said. “Water, shelter and food are very scarce, as is clothing. Some of the kids that are walking around wear nothing but rags.”

The Miqlat organization offers a sponsorship program that costs $46, where an individual from the U.S. can support a Malawi child in need. 

“The funds go directly towards their education, their health, food, clothing, uniforms and just general help in the communities as well as the villages,” Marlin said.

The Chicken Festival also featured local vendors who craft to be able to support themselves. 

One business owner, Kathy Appleman, uses the funds she makes to stay afloat as a retired woman. She said that she uses the funds to pay her bills and make money even after finishing her professional career. 

With her own life experience, she tries to keep her prices down and affordable for everyone that visits her booth. 

“You know, the economy is kind of bad but there is still stuff you can get,” Appleman said. 

Owner of the Humble Hook, Angela Craig sells handmade gnomes and home decor such as kitchen towels.

Craig uses the money she makes at her booth to get back to her homeland, Greece.

“My funds go back to my business, and I actually try my best to use some to get back to my home country of Greece to visit my family over there,” Craig said.

Craig said she thoroughly enjoys this festival and the mood that comes with it. 

“This event is great because the community is fantastic, everyone is so friendly, there’s just a good atmosphere,” Craig said.

The Fair Oaks Historical Society came to the event in the name of historical education. 

“Our organization is promoting our history center and our society and trying to get new members – just trying to get the word out about our museum and the village,” said board member Carolyn Spotts. 

For the Historical Society, having a booth is more about gaining new members and teaching them about the rich history of Fair Oaks versus trying to raise money for a specific cause. The society’s members meet four times a year and pay a small membership fee.

”We have four general meetings a year where we have a potluck and a guest speaker,” Spotts said. “We also do other events like this and are always looking for more volunteers.”

Thousands of visitors attend the festival each year. Casey Newton has been coming with his daughter for 20 years. 

“We saw the signs and remembered it was the 20th year – it’s our tradition,” Newton said.

Newton loves the event for its charitable background and his favorite booth, No Barking. The No Barking booth is correlated to the sign in Old Town Fair Oaks where they added an extra loop to a ‘No Parking’ sign in the lot. 

Another attendee and Fair Oaks resident, Alyssa Koester, said she loves the event for its fun activities and where the proceeds from those activities go. 

“It’s a thing that people get to come to and have fun here, but not only that – they spend money to have that fun that gets to help other people in our community,” Koester said. “It’s really just an all around great event that supports the entire community,”

Republican gubernatorial candidate Leo Naranjo IV attended the festival. While he said he enjoys the event for its ability to bring the diverse community of Fair Oaks together, he also likes the charity aspect. 

“You’re not solely relying on the government, which can be slow,” Naranjo said. “So the community is taking care of itself by stepping up, they get donations, and then they support the causes that they feel the need to support.”