Asparagus Weekend

As many of the local people who read this blog already know, this weekend was the biggest weekend of the year for the City of Stockton. For those not in the know, every year for the last 25 years, Stockton has played host to the Asparagus Festival. It has grown from a tiny get together in a small park, to a massive machine that takes up most of downtown and is one of the main attractions for our hometown.

In years past, I have attended the event manning a booth for one radio station or another, but this year, I got to use my media pass in a whole new way. Instead of being tethered to a tent handing out CD’s and entering people to win prizes, I was new media journalist, conveying my story through tweets, Facebook and YouTube videos, podcasts, and ultimately, this blog post.

Also, for the first time without “working,” I went all three days. More importantly, I got to take my family along and spend time with them while I did my duties as roving reporter, which made all the difference in my enjoyment of the festival this year over my past experiences.

But aside from my personal satisfaction and sheer exhaustion after that action-packed weekend, it was the freedom of my role as a new media journalist, that was high on my list of positives. Unlike past years where my interaction was limited to those who wandered up to my table begging for free stuff then hating the free stuff we had, I got a chance to really experience the event for what it was and what it had to offer.

Me, Wes Rhea, and Matt Beckwith, "behind the scenes" at the 25th Annual Stockton Asparagus Festival.

I ate the deep fried asparagus, enjoyed the new asparagus ice cream, tried to hit the hole in one, and just wandered around telling the story of my time as it happened. More than all of that, for the first time in years, I actually felt like I had earned my media pass.

Feel free to click any of the links above to check out how I spent my three days at the Stockton Asparagus Festival. Maybe I will see you in line at Asparagus Alley next year!!