Baja Book Festival (with art, food, wine and more)

MEDIA ALERT                                                                     CONTACT: 

August 3, 2010                                                                               Carla White

                                                                                                        Local:  (646) 155-4008

                                                                                                        US: (619) 955-6430

                                                                                                

Words, Wine, Food and More at the Baja Book Festival

(Media:  Contact organizers for accommodation & other arrangements)

On Saturday, October 9, 2010, all eyes will be focused on Cantamar, just south of Rosarito Beach, where writers, publishers, artists and others will celebrate books and the many other arts that are part of the culture and lifestyle of Baja California.  The Baja Book Festival is being sponsored by the Baja California Secretary of Tourism, the Rosarito Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Baja Times.

Scheduled from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., at Joanna Jones Galeria y Café at kilometer 47.6 on the –Ensenada Carretera Libre (free road, and just 40 minutes south of the U.S. border), the Baja Book Festival is already stirring up Baja’s writer’s community and those to the north.  It will feature local legends like Tom Gatch, Marsh Cassady, Martina, Michael Miller, Peter Fowler, Cora Kerr, Melinda Bates, Nicole Beaudry and others.  In addition, the festival will have a Children’s Reading Area, hosted by Rosarito’s Friends of the Library, promoting literacy at an early age.

Besides books-a-plenty, there will be art and jewelry areas, service and nonprofit areas, food and entertainment.  Accommodation and restaurant discounts are available through the Newport Beach and Grand Baja Resort hotels, among others.  And luscious foods and beverages will feed the desire to read, so come ready to partake. The festival, which is anticipating drawing 300-600 people,  is already supported by the Nitro/CreatividadVisual, Baja Good Life Club, Newport Beach Hotel, Baja Bound, Bajamar golf course, Hogaza Hogaza, Ocean’s Flavor, and other businesses, but is seeking additional sponsors, exhibitors and, naturally, published writers.   

Baja Book Festival Fact sheet

SUMMARY

We are all working for the same goal: to promote Baja California for the benefit of writers, artists, merchants, hotels and restaurants, and – not least – the thousands of visitors and residents from within and outside of Mexico, who should be exposed to the best of Baja.  From books and authors, to arts and crafts, to foods, wines and beers, the Baja Book Festival will offer this kind of exposure. 

Where:          Joanna Jones Galeria

Km. 47.6, Tijuana-Ensenada Carretera Libre (free road)

Cantamar, Rosarito, Baja California

Ph. Local:  (661) 614-0819   Ph. US:  (619) 630-1170

When:             Saturday, October 9, 2010

                        10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

                        10 a.m. – Opening & Welcome

                        10:30 a.m. – Coffee and Pastries available

                        11 a.m. – Book reading for children in Magic Reading Room

                        12 noon – Regional food available

                        12 noon – Entertainment begins, different music throughout the day

                        1  p.m. --   First Raffle drawing

                        3 p.m.  --  Book reading for children in Magic Reading Room

                        4 p.m.  --  Second Raffle drawing

What:    A one-day cultural and lifestyle event showcasing authors and publishers of both English and Spanish language books and publications.  Festival highlights include music, food, wine and arts of the region, providing a fun and entertaining venue just south of Puerto Nuevo (which will celebrate the opening of the Lobster Festival the very next day). 

Who:    Authors:  Tom Gatch, Marsh Cassady, Peter Fowler, Martina, Cora Kerr, Nicole Beaudry, Melinda Bates, Michael Miller, Kathleen Scott, Teresa Olmos, and others.  The Baja Book Festival will feature both English and Spanish language books and publications.  It will be marketed to both cultures, both within Baja California and in Southern California and beyond. 

Goal & Purpose:   To reinforce the positive image of Baja California and its rich culture.  The Festival seeks to draw between 300-600 attendees in its first year, and to reach tens of thousands through its publicity, outreach efforts and ongoing visibility.  This event resonates with many in Baja, who have experienced book and author events previously, and who enjoy celebrating culture in Baja California. Previous events attracted hundreds of people.  A regenerated event will attract both an existing audience and a new audience, lured by the appeal of a cultural fair; an easily accessible location just 40 minutes south of the border; food/accommodation discounts, and the promise of the best of Baja (food, music, wine and art).  Some portions of the Baja Book Festival will support the Baja Scholarship Foundation and the Friends of the Library.

How:   With the partnership of the Rosarito Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau, The Baja Times and the Baja California Secretary of Tourism, the Baja Book Festival will be heavily marketed: through an online presence (www.bajabookfestival.com), the Baja Book Blog, collateral materials and mailings, a press conference (to be scheduled), calendar postings and press releases, tv/radio interviews, and more.

Organizers:

Jo Ann Knox                                                                         Carla White  

Baja Book Festival                                                                Baja Book Festival

(661) 614-0819                                                                       (619) 318-5347

Jo Ann Knox owns Joanna Jones Galeria Y Café. 

Jo Ann Knox is nicknamed ‘Joanna Jones’, sister of Indiana Jones, because of her love of adventure. She is a successful veteran of the film industry in Los Angeles, producing hundreds of commercials, educational projects and academy award winners. Her love of Baja brought her to Rosarito, Baja California, where – seven years ago -- she opened an art gallery and café with beautiful gardens and the support of many regional artists and the Baja community. The gallery has become iconic, with impressive art exhibits and fundraisers, outstanding food and entertainment.  Most currently, Jo Ann attended the wine school in Valle de Guadalupe and produced an award winning wine.

Carla White is a principal with The White Group, marketing and public relations. 

She is a public relations consultant and writer.  Her career includes 10 years with the Los Angeles Times (managing special events and sponsorships for the LA Times Charities program for five of those years), and ownership of a wine marketing business.  Since moving to Baja California in 2003, White has managed PR for Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA; created promotion materials for Santa Barbara at Bajamar and for Bajamar Oceanfront Resort; written for the Los Angeles Times, Rangefinder magazine, the Baja Times and Mexico Living, and edited the Baja Breeze magazine.