SAN MARCOS — When the Grand Summer Festival proved too much fun for one season to contain, the San Marcos Chamber created a spring version last year which was an instant success. This year’s second annual San Marcos Grand Spring Festival on April 6 was an even bigger affair with hundreds of vendor booths sprawling along Via Vera Cruz.

Turnout for the free, all-day event was light in the morning but the crowds quickly filled out as the sun broke through the clouds and churches finished their Sunday service.

“I remember when (the San Marcos festival) was just a small, maybe a 10-booth ... city street fair in front of the Civic Center. Now it’s grown so much and it’s really good!” Miss San Marcos Jessica McGilvary said.

For the second year in a row, a section of San Marcos was reserved for the popular Taste of San Marcos restaurant exhibit. Twenty dollars got attendees into the event to sample the fare of dozens of local eateries accompanied by jazz music from a live band. For those who couldn’t wait, there were many booths in the main thoroughfare offering a variety of food ranging from Thai to barbecue.

The big new attraction was the Education Avenue event, a showcase of local learning opportunities. San Marcos is unique among North County cities in that it is home to both a world-renowned community college and a California State University as well as a well-developed K-12 school system.

These traditional establishments weren’t the only ones with booths along the avenue. Parked at the entrance to the avenue was the Vista-based bookmobile with more than 1,800 items on board. According to librarian Luis Damian, the mobile library is a welcome sight in rural areas.

“People love this unit ... especially when you go way up there where there’s nothing but cows and horses,” Damian said with a laugh.

Andrea Frimmer, CEO of the pre-K through college tutoring agency Study Hall, sees a rising need for her company’s services.

“Classes are getting overcrowded. Teachers, as much as they try, can’t teach to 40 (or) 50 kids in the class,” Frimmer said.

Gabriel Morales tended the booth for High Tech High, North County, a brand new charter school currently home to 140 ninth-graders.

“We’re trying to become a bigger part of the community, and the city of San Marcos has been pretty open to us,” Morales said.

It’s a safe bet that Education Avenue will be featured again at the next Grand Summer Festival scheduled for Aug. 31.