This past weekend, the California Poppy Festival opened with huge crowds of California residents and tourists. The annual Poppy Festival has been a longtime spring activity that I have been attending since I was very young. The festival is located in Lancaster, among one of the state’s most abundant poppy crops, giving residents beautiful views of our state flower. The day is filled with common events and attractions that you would find all across the United States in spring and summertime. There are concerts, horticulture exhibits, arts and crafts and food. This festival is a great way to spend a weekend with friends and family, and for me, it is a reminder that my favorite festival is only a month away. The California Strawberry festival is in Oxnard, Calif., on May 21 and 22. I suggest anyone living or visiting the Los Angeles or Ventura County areas come join the fun next month. Yes, once again there are the same local artists, concerts and petting zoos; but everyone comes for the strawberries! Everyone and everything is decorated in red and eating red. There are more than 50 booths offering strawberry-inspired food, including strawberry pizza, strawberry nachos, strawberry kabobs, strawberry flan, strawberry beer, strawberry cotton candy and more. You will be happily fed by vendors who work all year to create new and inspired dishes for the festival. How can we support them better than by tasting all the delicious recipes? To make myself feel better about overindulging, I happily support the many non-profit vendors that share 100 percent of their proceeds with 20 or more charitable organizations in Southern California. Are there spring or summer festivals in your area that you look forward to each year? — Carly Allen, account executive, western region