The Whittier Cultural Arts Foundation is a very involved organization that has a fulfilled vision of bringing all types of art to the community through various events. One of those events took place on the saturday of Oct. 4 at Roadside Rest Park at the bottom of Mar Vista on Whittier Boulevard.

The Walnut Tree Festival has not taken place for over a decade, and the revamp for the event was very apparent by the display of numerous types of art works, antiques, live musicians, rarities, and plenty of citizens enjoying the music, the sun, and the santa anna winds while looking for the next piece of art.

Students from Rio Hondo College know professor Wendy Carrera for her skills in the art of film, so it only makes sense that she is also one of the event organizers, and is the VP fundraiser for the Foundation. WCAF has helped fund nearly 150,000 dollars over the last 7 years to support artists, assist art programs and to make sure that art is always a part of the local student experience in the city. The local King Richards Antique Center located just across the street was also a key component, providing numerous vendors and booths, especially the antiques. Jarritos soda was also a major sponsor for the event, providing cold beverages for only a dollar.

The numerous booths posted up were filled with all types of artifacts from old bicycles, hand crafted carvings and clothing, to jewelry, antique cameras, and even old military provision kits.

Also available to the public were free massages from the East Whittier Spine Center/Medical Clinic, as well as kettle corn, cookies, and a variety of food trucks. There were several live musicians that stood out from the lineup, young musicians such as Sarah Adams, who is only 20 years old but has been passionate about music her whole life, wowed the small crowd with her original vocal and guitar abilities. Also 19 year old Tyler Blanco provided the audience with several well-played solo covers from bands such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sublime, and Oasis, his work is on youtube under tylersguitarspot.

There were also some very interesting booths to be found by those who wished to explore the festival, curiously enough, one of the most visually striking booths out there was the Obscurious vintage treasure & junk shop.

Owner Jose Palos, started collecting very interesting relics and mementos at a young age from several small stores and estate sales, having no idea that other people would also find them interesting. His girlfriend encouraged him to try selling expendable items from his personal collection to make a few extra bucks, and he made seven hundred his first day, thus he started his own small business on the side. He still maintains a personal collection of obscurities including an entire “Jesus Wall” at his house consisting of religious symbols and relics. Fans of the show oddities or people who appreciate the beauty of “outside the norm” should definately check out the Obscurious shop on Etsy, Facebook, or Instagram.

Although there was a plethora of styles when it came to the art on display, one booth in particular featured an amazingly unique artist, Pam Fall, and her watercolor photographs. Known for having her photos displayed on the Discovery channel, Pam has been traveling to sites such as Italy, taking pictures.

Over the last 14 years she has been doing something quite unique by remastering canvas prints of her film images with watercolor paints, one by one. The result is breathtaking, with images that look surreal between the stunning textures, colors, and depth that Pam applies with her watercolor paint, there is nothing else quite like it, her work can be viewed at

www.pamelaj.com .

Closing the live music show was the band Apartment 14, consisting of Nikki Disco and Mark Rivera, the duet played several interesting originals, and closed out with an impressive performance of Journeys hit Don’t Stop Believing. The band has been featured on internet shows such as Hey Vato, and has a growing fanbase.

The Walnut Tree Festival had plenty of atmosphere and items to keep the citizens of whittier curious on a nice lazy saturday, and the city looks forward to future events held by the Whittier Cultural Arts Foundation.