On Hwy-99, 20 miles South of Fresno. When 50 Swedish settlers founded Kingsburg in the late 1880s, few of them could have predicted that a century later the town’s typically Californian buildings would be redesigned to ape traditional Swedish architecture, or that the place would be permanently festooned with yellow and blue Swedish flags. The idea is a bit daft but the results are entertaining, and it does give Kingsburg a character quite different to other Central Valley towns. There are certainly few better places in California to purchase a Dala Horse – a quaint wooden ornament originally made for bartering purposes by 17thC carpenters in the Dalarna district of Sweden. Kingsburg’s Swedish Festival (http://www.kingsburgswedishfestival.com), held each May, is a spirited event; also worth dropping in for is the distinctly non-Swedish Watermelon Festival held in July, when 40 tons of melon slices are handed out to thirsty visitors.

Detour – Mennonite Quilting Centre

Five miles east of Kingsburg at Reedley, the Mennonite Quilting Centre, 1010 G Street, offers a rare opportunity to observe slow and steady Mennonite weavers at their craft. Mennonites belong to a Protestant sect, which rejects the usual church organizations, infant baptisms, and the swearing of oaths (thereby precluding its members from military service and holding public office).

Made from cast-off materials to prevent wastefulness, Mennonite quilts are works of imagination and enterprise: after seeing the care which goes into making them, you may well be tempted to buy one in the adjoining shop – which also sells assorted Third World crafts.