SAN MARCOS —— From masks of wrestler Rey Misterio to missionary information to a churro-turning spin on the Round-Up kiddie ride, most any itch could be scratched Sunday at the San Marcos Grand Summer Festival.

"It's really fun," said a beaming Celeste Hernandez, an eighth-grader at San Marcos Middle School. Hernandez and about 30 friends had just wobbled off the Round-Up after a five-minute all-girl scream-fest.

"The excitement …" she said, still breathing hard. "(The ride) is so high and fast."

The girls were among several dozen student volunteers picking up trash on Via Vera Cruz between San Marcos Boulevard to Grand Avenue in San Marcos during the sixth annual festival, sponsored by the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce.

"We're just taking a little break," she explained, as she hurried after her friends.

Several thousand people whiled away Sunday munching fair food, checking out some 250 vendor booths, ogling classic cars and moving to blues and surfer music on three stages.

"We just got here and we'll walk up and down to see what they have to offer," said Chuck Donato, out for the afternoon with his family. Fun and food topped the list of to-dos for the Donato clan.

"You wanted to go on the slides," said Donato, prompting 6-year-old daughter Rylie.

"And get a toy and get more toys," continued Rylie, who had her tastebuds set on a cheesy mess of nachos.

Donato's son, Conor, said he was eyeing the kettle corn, "but I can't have it." He smiled, revealing braces.

The weather fit the summer theme, with inland temperatures in the mid-90s. Escondido recorded 103 degrees just after 1 p.m. Coastal temperatures hovered in the mid 80s, providing respite for beachgoers fleeing the inland furnace.

But the high temperatures didn't stop vendor Omar Melchor from proclaiming the virtues of gas-, wood- and pellet-fired fireplaces.

"We're getting ready for the winter, said Melchor, a salesman for "The Warm Hearth. "We can't wait until the middle of December to start selling."

So how hot is it in that booth Omar?

"About a hundred and something in the shade," he said. "We won't have to go to the gym tonight."

While the Donatos did the family thing among the wafting smells of pachouli oil, woodsmoke and grilled tri-tip, several dozen festival-goers enjoyed more adult fare in the KPRI 102.1 Blues Stage.

A gray-haired couple well into their 80s danced gingerly to the blues of The Boogiemen, as Glen and Kathy McDermit of Ramona sat nearby, sipping amber-colored beers in the beer garden.

"They're having a good time, and that's all that matters," Glen McDermit said, smiling at the couple's very slow dance to very fast boogie blues. The McDermits used the festival to get an early start on Christmas shopping. Items included a CD of the Boogiemen, and from the Bridge to Africa booth, a hand-embroidered card and a pair of wooden salad spoons, Glen McDermit said.

Even politics made an appearance. Francine Busby, a educator and Democrat from Cardiff running to fill Randy Cunningham's 50th Congressional district seat, introduced herself to passersby, shaking hands and smiling warmly.

"I'm here to meet the voters and let them know that I'm here to bring honesty and integrity back to representation of the district and the congress," Busby said.