Over 40 years ago, a small group of local almond farmers decided to establish a social event for area orchardists and ag business folks to celebrate the end of the frost season.  Late winter and early spring can be a most unsettling time for the area almond farmers.  As the trees bloom and as those blooms turn to small nuts filled with liquid, temperatures below freezing can be devastating and destroy part or even all of the crop.

    When temperatures dip to the freezing level, farmers spend many sleepless nights watching thermometers and trying to protect their crops.  In the early years this was done by lighting smudge pots in the fields.  Nowadays, smudge pots have given way to other methods but the possibilty of losing the crop still is quite real.  As you can imagine, this can be a very stressful time.  So, as the spring months get warmer, the threat of frost damage diminishes and local farmers feel like celebrating.

    Each year a committee is established of local farmers and businessmen to plan a social event in May to celebrate the end of the frost season.  Tickets are sold, a dinner is planned, and numerous door prizes are obtained by this committee.  The evening's events are very simple: social hour, dinner, auction, and door prizes.

    Farming is a very rewarding occupation.  However, with those rewards come many sleepless nights and stressful times brought on by an uncertain Mother Nature.  Making it through a difficult period is cause for celebration and gathering with friends.  The End of the Frost season dinner is something most local almond farmers look forward to and enjoy.

     For the fortieth anniversary dinner, smudgy the smudge pot was created by a local artist.  It has been used to promote and decorate the event ever since.




    Approximately 450 people have attended the dinner in each of the recent years.  The door prizes are given out during the whole event.  Each contributor is read off as the prize is given out.  The local FFA and 4-H clubs are usually asked to help hand out the door prizes.  Any "extra funds" received from the auction are donated to these organizations or other local farming related causes.