Weekend spotlight: Creston Classic Rodeo

September 9, 2011

By KARLEE PRAZAK

Grab your cowboy boots, hats and flannels because Creston will host its 16th annual rodeo starting Friday and hopping until late Sunday.

So hoof it out of the suburbs and into the wild for the Creston Classic Rodeo, which has been held every September since 1996 and looks to buck other rodeos out of the competition with its roping, steer stopping, sort and branding, double mugging and steer riding events nearly every day.

Creston is still mostly undeveloped and the country music scene thrives as never before. Saturday will hold the latest of the weekend’s events with the Loading Chute Barn Dance from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. As the dance floor fills up, boot scooters and wild-eyed woman promises a line-dancing night to remember.

Or explore aviation at the Paso Robles Municipal Airport where the North County Cloud Clippers will host their 9th Annual Airport Day and Aviation Expo on Saturday. A full day’s worth of events include model aircraft flight demonstrations to high performance jets reaching 200 mph above head to helicopter rides throughout the day.

Of course you can’t make a trip to the airport without taking time to marvel at the Military War Birds and emergency service aircraft on display. The event is free and open to all ages.

Further west, in Cayucos, the Friends of the Elephant Seal (FES) will host “Soup’s On: A Grand Ole Soupabration” to benefit the educational efforts of the FES. While four celebrity judges vote for the best seasonal, best bisque and best vegan or vegetarian soups submitted by the six participating restaurants, attendees can sample soup and local wine sampling, as well as fresh bread and cookies to attendees. Meanwhile,

A series of silent auctions, raffles and demonstrations will also take place during the event, which runs from noon to 5 p.m. Tickets are $40, wine tasting is $10 and children younger than 4 are admitted for free.

If San Luis Obispo is the only place you want to be this weekend, Cal Poly Arts is hosting the 2011 La Guitarra Festival Friday to Sunday. The three-day event will feature 11 concerts, four “Master classes,” a free lecture, guitar making clinics and a collection of rare and historic guitars on display.

Guitar enthusiasts are encouraged to attend the festival, which is the first of its kind since 2009 and is centered around its central theme to create a “Celebration of Guitar.” It will feature the talents of the San Francisco Guitar Quartet, Pepe Romero, Calmenco! and Ana Vidovic at concerts in either the Christopher Cohan Performing Arts Center or outside in the Alex G. Spanos Stadium. Romero and Vidovic are also two of four teachers for the scheduled master classes, which are open to all ages and skill levels.

Remember, It is that time of year again — move-in day for incoming Cal Poly students. Expect traffic delays surrounding campus, hotels booked solid and the most people in San Luis Obispo since, well, move out day last June.

Find these and other local events on CalCoastNews’ Event Calendar.