Sun-Fest Back 2 School Extravaganza comes into ‘full fruition’

The Sun-Fest Back 2 School Extravaganza, a back-to-school event that provided free services and resources to help students begin the school year, was held on Wednesday; however, this annual event goes way back.

According to Kyisha Smalling, this was the 14th annual event, and she started it. She also took it to her pastor, Ada Terry, who said, “Let’s do it.”

“We did it in memory of our fathers who were ministers in the area, and actually helped at-risk youth. About year three, I partnered with (Uppercut owner Randy Mitchell), and he just took over the hair-cutting portion and got a team, and we’ve just kind of been rocking ever since.”

Sutter County Superintendent of Schools and the Yuba County Office of Education helped to host the event on Wednesday, and it took place inside the Main Exhibit Hall at the Yuba-Sutter Fairgrounds in Yuba City.

“This is like 14 years of a vision finally coming into full fruition,” Smalling said. “I wanted to bridge the gap between parents who are economically challenged and their children, as well as local resources and local churches and organizations.”

She saw the need for this event and knocked on doors.

“You see parents who are struggling to pay bills with the inflation,” Smalling said. “Some people are working and still can barely make ends meet.”

Smalling helped to hand out free backpacks at the recent event. They had a surplus of backpacks.

At the Sun-Fest Back 2 School Extravaganza, among other resources, there were also rows of haircutters who provided free haircuts at the event.

Mitchell, who owns a barber shop in Marysville, said he has been cutting hair for this event for many years. Mitchell explained that he grew up poor, and his parents were in and out of prison.

“Didn’t have all the money, but as long as I had fresh haircuts and clean clothes, and nice kicks on and school supplies, I was ready to go,” Mitchell said.

He explained that in the history of barbering, barber shops are the cornerstone of every neighborhood. It is the country club for working-class families, he said.

“We talk about everything. It’s our community center, so Uppercut has been our community center for many years,” Mitchell said.

With Uppercut, he said, there are kids who have started off sweeping hair that have eventually become barbers.

And speaking of fresh looks, Jayden's Shoes also was at the event. The mission of Jayden’s Shoes, according to its social media page, is to provide new shoes to high school athletes who are in need in order for them to play sports in Yuba, Sutter and Colusa counties. It was formed in honor of the life of local Jayden A. Bird, who was killed in a car accident at 18 in September 2023. According to his mom, Kristen Bird, he had a big heart and loved to spend a lot of money on shoes.

“He wanted to help people be able to have the athletic shoes they wanted,” Bird said.

It is not about generic shoes. They raffled off prizes at the event and were there to let people know that this nonprofit exists.

“We’ll just see who reaches out to us, and who needs us and how we can fill that gap, and if we’re able to fill that gap,” Bird said.

Their website is jaydensshoes18.com.

Ultimately, the Back to School Extravaganza was a successful event, according to the Sutter County Superintendent of Schools, with 652 families served.

Brendon Messina, a director with the Yuba County Office of Education, said the event has been in the works for a while.

“Regardless of income level, every student should be happy to go to school, period. End of story,” Messina said.

On Aug. 2, a similar event called the “Back to School Bash” is scheduled to take place on C Street between 1st and 3rd streets in downtown Marysville.