By Jessica Loi
Leave your car behind and take public transit to Menlo Park’s newest festival, Menlo Summerfest, this weekend in the city’s downtown area.
Locals from all around the Bay Area are invited to experience a fresh new summer attraction on Saturday and Sunday, July 16 & 17. Presented by the Menlo Park Chamber of Commerce, this free program replaces the beloved Connoisseurs’ Marketplace after 29 years of outstanding service to the community. To uphold this success, Menlo Summerfest incorporates elements from the Marketplace with an added twist of summer ambience.
From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Santa Cruz Avenue between El Camino Real and Johnson Street will be bustling with sunny season amusement. The festival offers a variety of mouthwatering cuisine options from food trucks and food booths to artisan-produced delicacies. Drinks include signature Summerfest cocktails and beverages.
Menlo Summerfest will also include musical concerts, a fine arts showcase and the “Super Duper Kidz Funzone,” which offers exciting entertainment for children, such as bungee jumping, rock climbing, face painting, henna tattoos and carnival rides.
Festival-goers can hop on either SamTrans or Caltrain to get them to the Menlo SummerFest. The SamTrans ECR bus offers service along El Camino Real and makes a stop on the corner of Oak Grove Avenue, a block away from Santa Cruz Avenue. For those that prefer Caltrain, passengers can be dropped off at the Menlo Park Station, a two-minute walk from the festival location.
For more information about SamTrans or Caltrain routes and fares, call 1-800-660-4287 (TTY 650-508-6448), or visit www.samtrans.com or www.caltrain.com.
For more information on Menlo Summerfest, please visit http://summerfest.miramarevents.com.
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About Caltrain: Owned and operated by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, Caltrain provides commuter rail service from San Francisco to San Jose, with limited commute service to Gilroy. Caltrain has enjoyed more than four years of consecutive monthly ridership increases, surpassing more than 60,000 average weekday riders earlier this year. While the Joint Powers Board assumed operating responsibilities for the service in 1992, the railroad celebrated 150 years of continuous passenger service in 2014. Planning for the next 150 years of Peninsula rail service, Caltrain is on pace to electrify the corridor, reduce diesel emissions by 97 percent by 2040 and add more service to more stations.
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About SamTrans: Funded in part by a half-cent sales tax, the San Mateo County Transit District also provides administrative support for Caltrain and the San Mateo County Transportation Authority. SamTrans has provided bus service to San Mateo County customers since 1976.
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