The first Festival held in 1911 was a celebration of the harvest of grapes and was called 'The Grape Festival'. During prohibition, grapes were replaced with walnuts as the cash crop of the area and the vineyards became walnut groves. In 1936, the harvest celebration became known as The Walnut Festival. The Walnut Festival Association was officially incorporated in 1938 and except for a suspended period during World War II, has been celebrated as the popular annual community event it remains today.  As Walnut Creek as grown, and suburban developments have replaced walnut groves, the Walnut Festival Association has maintained the tradition of producing fundraising events for the benefit of the community. Locations for the event have changed over the years from the center of town to Civic Park and finally, in 1976, to Heather Farm Park, where it is now held the third Thursday after the first Monday in September.