San Juan Bautista
– When Milton and Julia Cornblatt retired 10 years ago, they
started looking for something to fill their time.
San Juan Bautista – When Milton and Julia Cornblatt retired 10 years ago, they started looking for something to fill their time.
Julia Cornblatt had experience with jewelry and design, so jewelry-making seemed like a natural choice. But what started as a hobby has ballooned into a real business.
“We’re not trying to make a fortune, but it’s a nice extra income,” Milton Cornblatt said.
City Manager Jan McClintock said craftspeople like the Cornblatts will be the main draw at San Juan Bautista’s Arts, Crafts and Wine Festival. The Mission City has hosted the annual event for more than 20 years, but McClintock said the city took charge of the festival after organizers stopped focusing on local artists and hand-crafted goods.
Celtic dancers, Taiko drummers and other performers will bring a “global flair” to the event, but McClintock emphasized that the products for sale were created by individual artists – all of them from California – not mass-manufactured.
Milton Cornblatt said there are enough festivals within 100 miles of his Aptos home to keep Juliary in business. The couple sells semi-precious jewels placed in sterling silver or 14-karat gold, Cornblatt said.
“We could do a lot more than we do, but we just work when we want,” he said.
The festival is traditionally held in July, but organizers are hoping to catch some cooler weather by moving the festival to June, McClintock said. Of course, the arts and crafts festival isn’t the weekend’s only big event. When asked if the festival might be overshadowed by the 74th Annual Saddle Horse Show and Rodeo, McClintock said there’s room for both events.
“Hey, rodeos are fun, but arts and crafts are also fun. Stop by San Juan in the morning and go to the rodeo at night,” she said.
