Indio Date Festival

Despite the driving rain, wind and unseasonably (by seasonless southern Californian standards) cold temperatures, Day #2 of the National Date Festival of Indio was well-attended by young and old, the mildly-curious and the self-acknowledged-fanatic. The day started off with the annual Date Parade, starring the Mayor of Indio (His Augustness was ushered in by Indio's finest Bedouins and belly dancers), marching bands, cadet corps, a sheriff ATV fleet, little old men from El Bekal shrine tooting about in motorized cars and scooters (note the lovingly plastic-wrapped fezzes), a giant blow-up recycling bin lurking amidst palm trees, and mounted Mariachi bands. After battling the boisterous crowds of the parade, our intrepid explorers (Erica, Erica's mother Anne, Cassy and yours truly) traversed the labyrinthine ways of the Indio highways and high streets, and at the last found parking and the fairgrounds, guided by the lowing of various exotic Middle Eastern beasts (i.e. prize-winning goats, lambs, pigs and cows). We journeyed through the unending array of rather banal fair booths, adorned with Middle Eastern flair (the sunglasses hut proudly boasted its wares upon the head of a grinning camel). Bedraggled, parched and near-despair, we finally stumbled upon an oasis of incomparable fairness: two stands devoted to the peddling of that noblest of fruits, the Date. The friendly natives of this oasis refreshed our weariness with samples of Medjool, Bahri, Deglet Noor, Honey, Abbada, Halawi, Khadrawi and Zahidi dates; sated our hunger with scrumptious date muffins, bars and macaroons; and slaked our thirst with date milkshakes. Laden with provisions and shivering violently, we entered the tempest once more and, trudging stoutheartedly through the muck, arrived at last at the Grand Stadiums, testing ground of the Speediest and the Strongest - the champions of the Ostrich and Camel Worlds. First appeared the ostriches, strutting proudly, beaks aloft and eyes aflame. Ah, the bugle call! Ah, the grace of those towering, rotund avians! One, two! One, two! And into the fence the rider went snicker-snack! Alas, only one doughty pair of rider and steed reached the finish line intact. Next: the Ostrich Chariot Races (with red, white and blue cloak and plastic helm-clad charioteers). Then, the Camels. These daring beasts feared neither mud nor rain (as their jockeys assured us) - they would gallop onwards, heeding no obstacles! Ah, once more the thrill of the bugle call, and gallop they did - into the concrete stadium wall and onto their heads. Chilled but cheered, we persisted on our journey, taking in the Date and Citrus Expo (to see but not to eat, alas), little girl dancing troupes, fish taco and pretzel stands. And then, as the afternoon waned, we left this City of Jubilation and embarked upon our next adventure...