MADERA - As the city of Madera prepares for the third annual Madera Pomegranate Festival on November 2, current mayor Robert Poythress and former mayor Brett Frazier have teamed up to create a video promoting the upcoming event. The video, a parody of the popular song Thrift Shop, is a follow up to last year’s video which was a parody of Party Rock. Frazier appeared in last year’s video as well.
“Last year was such a surprise at how well it turned out and how popular it was and I spent the rest of the year thinking what we’d do this year to top it,” said Frazier.
“We wanted to build on the momentum and hopefully keep growing the Pomegranate Festival exponentially.”
Poythress, who made a brief appearance in last year’s video, was excited to appear in this year’s.
“The Citizens of Madera expect a lot of their Mayor. I believe that the Pomegranate video shows that I take leadership and the well-being of the people of Madera seriously,” said Mayor Poythress, in a manner fitting of the silly video he just shot.
The video was shot at various locations around Madera, highlighting both the community and the event while also attempting to once again capture the magic of last year’s hit. Numerous community members turned out for the shoot, as did other dignitaries, such as Madera City Councilman Donald Holly and California Assemblyman Frank Bigelow.
“Last year’s video was much more successful than we anticipated. People kept asking us what we were going to do this year, and if they could be involved, so we tried to top it. We wanted it to be even more entertaining and funny that last year while still remind people about the upcoming festival,” said Jarrod Lyman with the Yosemite Sierra Visitors Bureau and chairperson of the Madera Tourism Alliance. The alliance, a committee of the Madera Area Chamber of Commerce, produces the event.
Lyman said this year’s festival will be bigger than ever.
“We already have more vendors than last year, and we’re weeks out. We have all the favorites, like the pomegranate grenade launch featured in the video, plus a lot more. More music, more cooking demos, more kids activities. The buzz is definitely growing,” he said.
Poythress agreed that the festival is quickly becoming a mainstay in Madera.
“The Pomegranate Festival is quickly becoming a signature event for the city of Madera, and we hope this video will help call attention to Madera and its place as The Heart of Pomegranate Country.”
This year’s festival takes place Saturday, November 2 at the Madera Municipal Airport from 10 am to 5 pm.
