Family Fandango Day

Santa Teresa County Park 

August  21, 2010

The sign at the entrance to the Bernal-Gulnac-Joice Ranch announces Fandango.


Pink amaryllis flowers line the walk up to the ranch.


Setting up the information table is interpretive program manager Robin Schaut (left), who talks to park visitors.


Park interpreters Julie Lee, John Slenter, and Chris Carson prepare the site for Fandango.


The Friends of Santa Teresa Park setup their booth along the back fence of the corral, with posters along the fence,  an adobe brick-marking activity, displays, and literature.


Roy Ichinaga, Ed Jackson, and Sam Drake at the FOSTP booth, with a model of the Bernal Ranch.


Kitty Monahan and Mike Boulland prepare the brick-making activity.


Early arrivals visit the FOSTP booth.


Garnetta Annable prepares one of the sawhorse cattle.


Timeline in the barn.


Park interpreters Mary Berger (left) and Heidi McFarland were dressed in the type of traditional clothes that the Spanish women settlers wore.


Park interpreters John Dorrance and Heidi McFarland visit Delfina and Francisco Garcias' booth


Peppers and other plants


Herbs, dolls, cloth, and toys


Mike Boulland with Francisco and Delfina Garcia. Delfina made Mike's Spanish soldier uniform.


Shari Sullivan at the information table with a basket of confetti egg flowers (cascarones) made by Terri Williams.


The information table for the Juan Bautista De Anza National Trail.


Pottery-making activity


Ruben Reyes demonstrating his foot-powered potter's wheel.


Ruben shows how to turn the potter's wheel by foot.


Kids got to try their hands on the potter's wheel.


Jenel Vincze at the Coyote Crest 4H table with seeds and honey.


At the 4H chicken project table, near the chicken coop.


Speaking are park interpreter and host Jan Shriner (left), NPS' De Anza Trail interpreter Katie Eskra (center), and Spanish translator Jorge Izquierdo Garcia. Jan organized the event, as she has in past years.


Gloria E. Arellano-Gomez, a Tribal Councilwoman of the Muwekma Ohlone tribe (left) said a prayer in the native Muwekma language. Next to her is JoAnn Brose, a Muwekma Ohlone Tribal Elder and Councilwoman.


Young dancers do a bottle dance. They are members of the El Grito De La Cultura dance group, directed by Elena Robles.


The crowd watches the dancers.




Dancers and kids from the audience do a dance, like musical chairs, where the dancers have to change partners on cue, and if they are without a partner when the music stops, they are eliminated.


The last 4 couples to survive the elimination.


Chris Carson at the cattle-branding activity, which uses rubber stamps to make brands.


The mark left by the cattle brand.


Horseshoe-tossing


Little adobe bricks drying in the sun at the FOSTP brick-making activity.


Kids mix up the ingredients for adobe bricks in the cups, then pour them into wooden molds.


Dorene Boulland watches as the kids mix up adobe mud to make larger bricks.


Mixing up adobe mud by stomping on them in the wading pools.


More adobe bricks left out to dry.


Chere Barger watches as the kids try their hand at cattle-roping.


Kids pet rabbits at Coyote Crest 4H's rabbit project table.


Jason let visitors pet his rabbit, which was born in the barn nearby. The mother still lives in the barn.


Janice Frazier (right) brought her horse Easy, led by Kitty Monahan. They greet the Alta California Orchestra players.


Kitty Monahan gives carrots to the kids to feed Easy.


Dorene Boulland holds Easy's rein, while Janice Frazier watches.


Janice Frazier lets her horse graze on the grass in the corral.


The Muwekma Ohlone brought their food trailer and provided food for the event.


The food served by the Muwekma Ohlone featured Indian tacos.


Chris Carson with Indian tacos and beans.


The De Anza table, as well as Paul Bernal's table, had clothes and uniforms for dressing up like Spanish soldiers.


Kids dressed as Spanish soldiers.


Bernal Bernal's table had pictures of the Bernal family.


More kids dress up as Spanish soldiers at Paul Bernal's table.


Park interpreter Mary Berger led games of rancho bingo.


Park interpreter Julie Lee at the information table, greeting visitors.


Brian and Marianne Steeger of the Alta California Orchestra provided live entertainment, performing traditional early California music.


The dancers perform a type of square dance.


Adults from the audience joined in to dance with the kids, while the Alta California Orchestra played accompaniment.


The Muwekma Ohlone had a craft activity involving native plants.


There were books on the native plants, with pouches that visitors could fill with actual samples of the plants.


The Muwekma Ohlone's booth.


SJSU lecturer Alan Leventhal gave a Powerpoint talk in the barn about the Ohlone.


After sunset, the dancers gave one last performance and used the cascarones on the audience, smashing the confetti eggs on their heads.

Page created by Ron Horii, 8/22/10