EGP Oceanside’s annual Fall Fest took on special meaning this year as the restaurant marked its ninth celebration on Oct. 13, honoring Cara McGuinness — a 31-year-old physician assistant and lifelong Oceanside resident who died a week before the event after battling Stage 4 triple-negative breast cancer.
Held each year on Columbus Day, or Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Fall Fest has grown into a signature tradition for the restaurant. Since its inception, the event has spotlighted a local person or family confronting significant challenges, rallying community support around them.
General Manager Brianna O’Hagan, who founded the festival, said that the festival’s mission is to be “a community event where we bring everyone together but also benefit someone who needs it.”
“We’re very family-oriented,” O’Hagan said. “It started when we were just looking to do some sort of a community event to say thank you to the people that supported EGP and became part of our community.”
Despite Cara’s passing, O’Hagan said the decision to move forward with the Fall Fest was simple. Cara’s family attended the event, which was dedicated to her memory.
“We wanted to show Cara’s family that they were not alone,” O’Hagan said. “We wanted to show them serious support.”
The festival ran from noon to 6 p.m. and featured raffles, crafts, food, pumpkin decorating, face painting and a full pumpkin patch. El Scorchio, a ‘90’s alt-rock cover bank, performed from noon to 1 p.m., and The Revelators closed out the day with a set from 3 to 6 p.m.
Local businesses and neighbors contributed heavily. Community members donated raffle baskets and gift items, Dee’s Nursery provided all of the pumpkins and SJ Electric — a local electrical company — paid for all 180 event T-shirts so every sale could go to the McGuinness family. The proceeds from pumpkin decorating also supported the family.
“Fall Fest has become a pivotal event in the community,” O’Hagan said. “It’s not just about raising money. It’s about teaching our staff and our neighbors the value of giving back.”
Nine years after its launch, the festival continues to strengthen ties among staff, neighbors and local families — a reminder of why it was created and why it remains a fixture in the community.
