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THE POPPY PAPER

September 2015

Official Monthly Publication of the

Boosters of Old Town San Diego State Historic Park

A Non-Profit Organization

I t ’ s t h a t t i m e a g a i n t o h e a d t o O l d T o w n S a n D i e g o S t a t e H i s t o r i c P a r k t o c e l e b r a t e M e x i c a n I n d e p e n d e n c e D a y . T h i s f r e e f e s t i v a l c o m m e m o r a t e s a n i m p o r t a n t d a y i n S a n D i e g o h i s t o r y , S e p t e m b e r 1 6 , 1 8 2 1 , w h e n M e x i c o d e c l a r e d i n d e p e n d e n c e f r o m S p a i n .

T h i s y e a r ’ s f e s t i v a l c o m m e n c e s w i t h t h e r i n g i n g o f t h e b e l l a t t h e h i s t o r i c C a s a d e E s t u d i l l o . A n e x c i t i n g a n d c o l o r f u l p a r a d e k i c k s o f f t h e f e s t i v i t i e s t h a t w i l l i n c l u d e t h e E s c a r a m u z a s , t r a d i t i o n a l w o m e n e q u e s t r i a n s . F o l l o w i n g t h e p a r a d e , e n t e r t a i n m e n t w i l l i n c l u d e t h e a w a r d - w i n n i n g C h u l a V i s t a H i g h S c h o o l M a r i a c h i s , a s w e l l a s h i s t o r i c a n d t r a d i t i o n a l m u s i c a n d d a n c e g r o u p s . T h e O l d T o w n P l a z a w i l l b e a l i v e w i t h c r a f t s , g a m e s , a n d d e m o n s t r a t i o n s r e p r e s e n t i n g a c t i v i t i e s o f S a n D i e g a n s i n t h e 1 8 0 0 s .

F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n : w w w . p a r k s . c a . g o v / o l d t o w n s a n d i e g o

V i s i t o r ’ s C e n t e r 6 1 9 - 2 2 0 - 5 4 2 2

Saturday, September 12, 2015 12:00-4:00 pm

Experience a Traditional Mexican Independence Celebration

MARK YOUR CALENDARS TASTE OF OLD TOWN - September 10

HISTORIC OLD TOWN GOLF CLASSIC – September 28

ART & CRAFT SHOW – October 3-4

OLD TOWN’S FALL FESTIVAL - October 10

HALLOWEEN - October 31

DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS - November 1-2

HOLIDAY IN THE PARK - Every Saturday, December 5-26

See Details on Page 6…

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From the Editor’s Desk…

Ah…September!!! The “dog days of summer” are upon us.

Students are heading back to school, if they haven’t

already…and this editor will soon be back in the classroom,

too! I’m especially excited this year because I’ll be teaching

4th

Grade, the year that our students learn all about California

History. I’m already planning my social studies units and

displays, and wondering if my period attire still fits!?! (I’d

love to surprise my students one day, dressed in my 19th

century threads!)

Since San Diego Unified School District’s 4th

Grade Program

ended in Old Town a few years back, teaching California

History has become a daunting task for many teachers. (But,

not for this one…thanks to my many years involved with Old

Town!) Thankfully, the Park staff and volunteers created a

successful (and growing) school program to support the

classroom teachers. The Old Town San Diego Foundation

http://oldtownsandiegofoundation.org/ continues its commit-

ment to raise transportation funds through an annual golf

tournament. What would we do without the support of a

generous community?!?! Thanks to all of those committed

individuals and groups who still believe in the value of off

campus educational opportunities for our students!

Whether you’re in school or not, the fall months are a great

time to head down to Old Town…comfortable weather and

much less crowded than the summer months. This issue of The

Poppy Paper recaps this summer’s events, and highlights the

fall and winter events that are right around the corner. Check

out the list on page 6…there’s something for everyone!

Happy Labor Day and Happy Reading!

Ruth French poppypapereditor@gmail.com (Deadline for submissions is the 20

th of each month for inclusion in the

following month’s issue.)

President’s Notes by Jeanne Ferrell

The BOOT Store is thriving. Thanks to the incredible people who help supply the Store with all the

homespun crafts that are such good sellers. Look for our fall and winter holiday items soon. It’s a

great place to shop for the holidays. My family always looks forward to seeing what I have under the

tree! Last year, many of them got hand made tortilla warmers. They look forward to the unique gifts.

Even tho’ our store is tiny, it’s mighty. Our Storekeeper, Mary Jones is the best. She spends many

hours searching for ideas and items to stock the Store. When Bob and Mary go on an RV trip, they

always stop at historical locations, looking for items and ideas. Come in and look at our new display

table in the Store and shop with us!

Membership Join BOOT Today!!!

BOOT is so grateful for our long-time

supporters who consistently renew their

memberships on an annual basis. We are

also grateful to those who have been able

to commit to a lifetime membership. But

sadly, BOOT Membership has been

dwindling over the past decade. We’ve lost

many of our long time supporters over the

years. Some have passed away…some have

moved away. And, quite frankly, WE HAVE

NOT done a very good job encouraging

new members to join us.

So, as an incentive to our current annual

members who would like to see BOOT

thrive into the future, we are offering a

free one year’s membership to you when

you recruit a new member. No matter

when your membership expires, we will

extend it for an entire year!

Please remember…every dollar that BOOT

raises stays right HERE in Old Town San

Diego State Historic Park to support all

the work projects, special events, and

interpretive activities throughout the

year! If you are not already a member,

please take a few moments to complete

the application form on the back page of

this issue and JOIN US!!!

OUR MEMBERS MAKE A

DIFFERENCE!!!

pg. 3

Treasurer's Notes by Deanna Turton

As always, July is perhaps our busiest month! With the July 4th event, Stagecoach Days, second quarter

sales taxes, store needs, and liability insurance, it seems like I am writing checks and counting money

every time I turn around! But, after I balanced the income for July against expenses, it was a pleasant

surprise to see we came out in the black $4086.35. In addition, in looking over the summary spreadsheet

for FY2015, I see that BOOT has taken in $6826.75 more than we have spent so far this year. However,

in August I wrote a $4000.00 check to the Department of Parks and Recreation, BOOT’s annual

contribution to the PCA account for blacksmith and burro handler salaries. So, with that said, we are right

on target as a non-profit, in that we are giving back to the Park almost as much as we earn.

On the income side of the ledger, the BOOT Store has been very busy this summer with almost $7000 in

sales. In addition, the daily average in the donation boxes has finally gone up to $72.31. We are very

grateful to all those park visitors for giving us their money, as well as Becky Halliburton who counted

all of those one dollar bills and loose change!!!

The July 4th event also was very successful this year and added to the good numbers in July:

$829.75 in ticket sales for food and games.*

$483.00 cash turned in at the food booth

$204.32 donations at the various craft booths

*(Many folks used tickets at the food booth, so the exact total for games is unknown.)

And, now on to the expenses. Categories over $300 were:

$1123.00 - Liability Insurance

$1126.00 - Second Quarter Sales Taxes

$1250.91 - BOOT Store (inventory replacement)

$1324.46 - July 4th Event

$ 359.10 - July 4th (pies and watermelons)

$ 869.52 - Stagecoach Days

$ 376.03 - Historic Flags

$ 451.85 - Period attire charged to the Mary Ellen Young Memorial Fund

Ten additional spending categories were $300 or less.

Finally, I would like to thank all of my friends at the Park for all of their well wishes after my fall and

back fracture. I went to the doctor in mid August for my last x-ray and exam. Since the bone had not

slipped in two months, he thought the spine was stable and that I could go back to my normal life.

Although this is great news, for which I am very grateful, I have decided to take it slow on the bending,

twisting, and carrying things over three pounds because when I tried to pick up a few things, the old aches

returned. However, on the plus side of this, all the time at the pool for decompression and stretching

exercises has resulted in lessening my fear of the water as a non-swimmer. My husband, Gary is so

pleased, since he was a state swimming champion in high school. He had almost lost hope for me ever

enjoying the water...just his luck to marry someone who fears the water and swims like a rock! All in all,

I am happy this initial period of healing is over. I cannot thank Gary enough for helping me get through

the past three months. He now calls himself “The Butler” because he has to wait on me so much.

And The Winner Is…Congratulations to Park Aide Rita R. Conaty who sold over 30 guide

books in July. That was almost half of the total books sold in July. Thank you so much, Rita! And, a big Thank You to everyone who is helping to make this a successful incentive program.

pg. 4

By Gregg Giacopuzzi, State Park Interpreter I

Stagecoach Days 2015 had its highs and lows, yet in the end the visitors were treated to sweet slices of

19th

century San Diego history. The summer event season started with Becky Green and Susan Ramos

moving on to other career endeavors, leaving the volunteer coordinator position vacant. Park Aide Ellen

Green, hired to replace Becky Green in July 2015, quickly picked up the slack and began coordinating

the volunteers to participate in the summer events. Staff provided their usual excellent programming.

BOOT was able to secure a $2500.00 grant from the County of San Diego for the purposes of advertising

the summer events. The Mormon Battalion, under the direction of Elder Barnes, contributed their

workforce in assisting in different capacities with 90% of our summer activities. Local non-profit Write

Out Loud presented Twainfest for the fifth year in a row.

Last but not least, the State Park volunteers came through providing their time, efforts, and knowledge,

as they provided the bulk of the interpretive activities and demonstrations. Many thanks to everyone’s

contributions to provide our visitors with another successful summer event season.

Event Highlights (compiled by Park Staff, submitted by Rich Dennison)

An 1800s 4th of July - The moderate temperatures made for a pleasant day for everyone, and

there were lots of living history activities throughout the park. Many people came into the BOOT Store

with rave reviews about how their kids were having a great time and loved the period event. Threads of

the Past Interpretive Center (pictured on pg. 5) had 800 visitors who viewed the Machado Quilt and

weaving demonstration. The children were especially excited to try their hand at weaving on the two

table top looms. Continued on pg. 5…

pg. 5

This great big “thank you” goes out to two of our

BOOT Board Members, Chuck Ferrell and Bob Jones.

This summer Chuck Ferrell designed and handcrafted

another beautiful table for the BOOT Store (despite

having to take two out-of-town trips). Bob Jones

headed up the research, procurement and raising of the

three new “historic” flags. Come on down to the Park

and check out their work!!!

Taste of the Past – Focusing on 19th century food in Southern California, the highlight of the day

was the tasting event. Visitors were able to purchase “tasting” tickets to use at different concessions

throughout the park. The proceeds of the ticket sales will fund a new demonstration space/building. At the

end of the day, visitors gained some knowledge of 19th century food and went home with a full stomach.

Women of the West - Due to lightning and thunderstorms throughout the day, volunteers and staff

tried to salvage the day by presenting indoor, interpretive programming including: blacksmithing, spinning,

weaving, quilting, and basket making. A quilt "trunk show" was the highlight of the day, as wet park visitors

packed into Seeley Theater and learned about 19th century quilt techniques.

Days of the Vaqueros – This event proved to be our most well attended Stagecoach Days event to

date, yet our most challenging. Since it was held in Seeley Yard, the location was not easily visible to many

park visitors. “Boomers” throughout the park were able to combat the problem and solicit attendance.

Once in the Seeley Yard, visitors were treated to a variety of activities, demonstrations, and crafts that

reflected Californio/Mexican culture. The activities included 19th century music, children’s crafts and

games, spinning, quilting, knife graving, dancing, and hat making. Blacksmiths demonstrated their trade,

while visitors delighted in the aromas of fresh cooked pozole over an open fire.

Trades that Shaped the West – This event showcased 19th century trades that helped shape

and develop early western towns. Hundreds of people took part in our contra dance, led by a live band and

park volunteers. The focal point of the event quickly became the four park carriages on display in front of

the Visitor’s Center. A wheelwright from Arizona complemented the display by describing the process of

carriage construction.

Soldiers & Citizens – Joining Park staff and volunteers were the San Pasqual Dragoons, the

Mormon Battalion, Marine Corp Recruiting Depot Museum volunteers, the Fort Tejon Dragoons, the U.S.

Topographical Engineers, the Californio Experience, and Troop Cooking. Demonstrations included

blacksmithing, quilting, fiber arts, calligraphy, and silhouette cutting, as well as historic weapons and ship’s

purser displays and interpretation.

Stagecoach Days Event Highlights (continued from pg. 4)…

pg. 6

Old Town State Historic Park Native Plant Landscape Work Party Saturday, September 12

th, 1-3:00 PM

Partners in Grime will be tidying up the Native Plant Landscape. Bring

your favorite weeding tool and gloves, or share ours.

Questions? Ask Kay at fieldtrips@cnpssd.org

OLD TOWN’S FALL FESTIVAL. October 10th. (12:00–4:00 pm) Celebrations and festivals have been held during the fall since ancient times. The

summer crowds are gone, the children are back in school. It is an excellent time for a

family outing to explore the park. Join us for a day of crafts, games, and activities

celebrating the changing of the seasons.

HALLOWEEN. October 31st (4:00–6:30 pm). Find treats for yourself and friends while enjoying extended shopping hours

at a variety of in-park stores. The little ones can enjoy showing off their

Halloween costumes while trick-or-treating at the participating locations

throughout the park.

DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS. November 1st & 2nd. Traditional altars commemorating the people who once lived here in Old Town will be

set up in three of the museums. Additionally, some contemporary altars will be set up

around the Old Town community.

HOLIDAY IN THE PARK. Saturdays December 5th–26th. (Special Open House December 12th with additional holiday treats, activities, & music.) Looking for unique and interesting gifts this holiday season? The Merchants in the

Park are extending their hours and will help you find just the right thing for the

people on your list. The stores, restaurants, and museums in the park will be

decorated to evoke the spirit of the season during the 1800s. You may take a break

or end your evening with songs and a special holiday treat around the crackling fire

on the plaza (sponsored by Fiesta de Reyes).

Upcoming Old Town Community Events

Taste of Old Town - September 10

Historic Old Town Golf Classic, Salt Creek Golf Club in Chula Vista, CA – September 28

Art & Craft Show – October 3-4

for more information, go to http://www.oldtownsandiego.org/ and http://www.planmygolfevent.com/

pg. 7

THANK YOU TO OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS!

SEE YOUR AD HERE!!!

Join these businesses in their support of Old

Town San Diego State Historic Park:

Save Our Heritage Organisation (SOHO)

Toby’s Candle and Soap Shop

Write Out Loud

Please refer to the back cover page for more details.

BOOT BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President: Jeanne Ferrell (619) 543-9057

Vice President: Gary Turton (619) 222-0047

Secretary: Linda Jacobo (619) 602-0009

Treasurer: Deanna Turton (619) 222-0047

BOOT Store: Mary Jones

Historian/Grants: Bob Wohl

Restoration Spec: Chuck Ferrell

Web Master: Bob Jones

Board Members: Tom Young

Cindy Furlong

Poppy Paper Ruth French

Editor: poppypapereditor@gmail.com

BOOT Website: http://boostersofoldtown.com/

Park Website: www.parks.ca.gov/oldtownsandiego

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BOOSTERS OF OLD TOWN San Diego State Historic Park

4002 Wallace Street

San Diego, CA 92110

NOTICE: If you have a friend who would like to learn more about San Diego History, enjoys meeting

people, and likes to have a good time, give him/her this application form to fill out and send in.

**Current BOOT Members will receive a free year of membership!** Please make sure the BOOT Member’s name appears here in order for us to give credit for his/her referral.

Referred by: ________________________________________________________

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION ____ $ 25.00 – Single Supporting Member ____$ 55.00 – Corporate Membership*

____ $ 40.00 – Family (2 or more individuals) (includes business card sized ad in the Poppy Paper

____ $ 20.00 – Senior (62+ years)/Student Single and on our website for one month)

____ $ 30.00 – Senior Couple (62+ years) ____$130.00 – Enhanced Corporate Membership*

____$155.00 – Life Member (62+ years) (includes business card sized ad in the Poppy Paper

and on our website for 12 months)

*Corporate Applications Only: Please enclose a business card or corporate logo with your payment.

NAME(S) ________________________________________________________________

ADDRESS _______________________________________________________________

CITY __________________________________STATE _______ ZIP________________

PHONE ______________________E-MAIL ____________________________________

Make your check out to “BOOT” and mail to:

BOOT Membership Committee, 4002 Wallace Street, San Diego, CA 92110