The sun-drenched south
El Centro has plenty of activities and festivals for snowbirds over the winter
Imperial County is rich in natural and man-made beauty, local culture and things to see and do.
Cathy Kennerson, the CEO for the El Centro Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau, said that the region holds many natural wonders, including the Salton Sea. This saline lake, situated directly on the San Andreas Fault, has a salinity that is incredibly high. Home to more than 400 species of birds, the area has become a haven for birders. Also, about a 30-minute drive north of El Centro, visitors can observe the region’s bubbling mud volcanoes. Kennerson describ- ed them as a rare and interesting phenomenon.
“The (internal heat of the earth) and the hot water that is underneath the Salton Sea create these mud volcanoes,” said Kennerson. “They are a cool thing to go look at.”
El Centro attracts a large number of snowbirds from Canada and the northern United States, and Kennerson said the chamber of commerce and visitors bureau likes to put on a pancake breakfast to show its appreciation for these winter residents. The breakfast is always held on the second Saturday in January.
“If someone shows an ID that is out of county, they get a free breakfast,” said Kennerson.
Join the festivities
Snowbirds will appreciate the many festivals that occur in El Centro and nearby communities. Holtville, a 15-minute drive from El Centro, holds the annual Carrot Festival to celebrate the carrot harvest. Known as the carrot capital of the world, the community organizes events such as weeklong carrot-cooking contests, a 10-kilometre run, a tractor show, a golf tournament and more.
“They have a parade and a carnival for the (Carrot Festival),” said Kennerson, “as well as crafts and food fairs.”
Carrots flourish in Holtville, Kennerson said, because the region does not have a lot of clay in its soil.
Other events to watch for in El Centro include an outdoor farmers market in January and the Salton Sea International Bird Festival in February.
Diverse influences
Strolling along the street in El Centro, you will quickly recognize that it is truly a desert community. Kennerson said that in downtown El Centro the sidewalks are covered by arches to shelter pedestrians from the sun. In addition, being that El Centro is so close to Mexico, Kennerson said a number of the local restaurants are based around a Mexican theme.
“The (cuisine is) influenced from Mexico,” she said, “and there are a lot of Chinese people in Mexico that came to work on the railroad. So we have a lot of Chinese and Mexican restaurants in the area.”
