Concerned about vendor at Avocado Festival

What a thrill to once again see the great turnout for our little Fallbrook’s Avocado Festival. We had out-of-town friends in tow - enjoyed the food, familiar faces, Fallbrook’s native habitat, rural atmosphere and quaint downtown. We are fortunate to have a contingent of progressive hardworking leaders. Visionaries have managed to help put aside and save an unprecedented amount of open space, not just for recreation but to protect some of what’s left of our native species.

With this in mind, it’s with a heavy heart that I share our experience with you.

We came across a booth that left all in our party broken hearted and sad still to this day. It seems someone from the Chamber, despite protests last year, invited a couple back that seem to make the rounds with a freak-show like display of bobcat heads, coyote heads, raccoon tails and every combination of the most barbaric display of atrocities on our native species imaginable. What kind of person would do this? How could we have let them do it here?

Imagine if they had your dog’s head on the tent wall! Is our empathy and compassion so shallow that it’s limited to our immediate surrounds and possessions?

How could it be that Fallbrook’s street fair was the vehicle of commerce for the equivalent of shark fin, rhino horn and bear paws?

With all my heart, I hope this was a slip-up and the well-meaning folks in charge take measures to assure it never happens again.

Ken Hennell