Art and culture not only build communities, they sustain them during hard times. Suffering from loss of industry and lack of economic diversity, people have had to leave our San Pedro Valley communities to make a living. More and more, the rural economy must be supported by urban culture and people must travel to city centers for jobs. While we cannot expect to reverse the direction of economic growth, we can expect to create an appreciation for the values and contributions of rural Arizona.
The Fiesta de las Calabazas (Pumpkin Festival) was introduced to the San Pedro Valley communities of San Manuel, Mammoth and Oracle in November 2000. The Fiesta 2001 was held October 13th, and hosted over 800 people and 5 bands. It was founded by Dr. Linda Leigh, Jim Hewitt, and Lynn Perez-Hewitt under the auspices of the Center for Sustainable Prosperity, which continued to manage the Fiesta through 2003.
The Fiesta is currently managed through the efforts of the staff of Oracle State Park, Center for Environmental Education, as well as many park and community volunteers. Funding is obtained through donations including corporate and individual sponsorships, advertising, and sales of booth space, CD's, tee-shirts, and other items. Local artists, musicians, community activists and leaders form a core of talent to bring the art and music of the region to the Fiesta venue.
The Fiesta is continuing to expand with these goals:
The rural flavor of our region makes us attractive to developers, whose plans for rapid growth in turn threaten to irreparably compromise the older, established community. The Fiesta de las Calabazas is not designed to stop development. Rather it is a celebration of art, music, diversity and the process that is creation - of crops, of talents, of people. The Fiesta helps to anchor the character and strength of our community in the face of undeniable change. It is indeed a signature event. It promotes the culture of our communities, embraces the diversity of our residents, and provides an opportunity for local businesses and vendors to promote and sell their products.
By attracting visitors from urban settings the Fiesta will not only add to the economic autonomy of the region, it will reinforce for local residents the richness and value of rural life. The economic base of the community needs the support that such regional attention and participation can provide.