SeeCalifornia.com

Spring is a feel-good time in California and nowhere is it more appreciated than at Whiskey Flat Days in Kernville. The Old West-themed festival with a town parade, carnival and two days of wild rodeo entertainment has been an annual President’s Day weekend celebration for nearly 60 years. To fully appreciate the festival setting, imagine yourself strolling in the Southern Sierra Nevada mountains, elevation 2,667 feet. Daytime temps are usually in the 60s with a good chance of sunshine for Whiskey Flat Days. Set along the banks of the Kern River where springtime snow melt gushes from the high Sierras, guests who attend Whiskey Flat Days are enticed to come back for other annual festivals such as the Kern River White Water Festival in April. Whiskey Flat Days was named for the town’s original name, Whiskey Flat. During the Gold Rush era, miners weren’t permitted to drink at or next to the mines, so an enterprising guy rolled barrels of whiskey downstream so he and fellow workers could enjoy their beverage of choice. The name of the Kern County town was eventually changed to Kernville.