By CONSUELO MACEDO
During this auspicious National Volunteer Month, the Executive Board of the Cambria Historical Society commends the many volunteers who generously have given their time, talent, and energy through the years for the successes of the Society. Growing exponentially from one property to the current four, CHS could not have accomplished so much without the support of the community. There will be a reunion of volunteer docents, and a welcome to potential new ones at a luncheon to be held at the Museum on Wednesday, May 8, at noon. All are welcome to hear what plans the CHS has in store for the future, as members build on the past. Contact Penny Church at (805) 927-1442 for more information.
CHS’s biggest news is the move this weekend of the 1880s jailhouse from its current site near the Lions Club Pinedorado grounds to its original site at the newly dubbed Bridge Street Historical Park, recently refurbished and prepared by paid and volunteer workers at the curve of Bridge and Center Streets. Weather permitting “and the creek don’t rise”, the exact time for the parade down Main Street cannot yet be announced, so please check the website and Facebook page for details. All are welcome to watch.
Chairman Penny Church has been enlisting nonprofit participants as well as artisans to display and demonstrate all things old fashioned at the Annual Heritage Day event to be held on the grounds of the Historical Museum at Burton Drive and Center Street, the centerpiece of the historical area of Cambria, on Saturday, May 25, from 11a.m. to 4 p.m. The day will include live music and food available at reasonable cost. The public is welcome without an admission fee, and the museum and bookstore will be open as usual. More details will be included in the May 16 issue of cambriaca.org as well as on the CHS website at: cambriahistoricalsociety.com.
Though CHS is not yet ready to host student groups to experience an authentic early-day school experience at the 1888 Schoolhouse on Main Street at Santa Rosa Creek Road, Debbie Soto welcomed about ten preschoolers and their families to see the refurbished interior of the edifice and ring the bell. She read to them from her picture book, the Happy Little Schoolhouse, as told from the perspective of the building. In turn, the children took to the stage and performed songs from their daily routine at Small Wonders School, under the direction of Chris Short and Janet Bisben.
CHS members are looking forward to installing a graded driveway now that the weather may allow access to view the place up close, and eventually will install water and sewer infrastructure as soon as funds allow. The Society needs about $50,000 in donations and grants to complete the final phase of this huge project, so that the schoolhouse may open for school tours and other events open to the public. In the past, classes arrived at the museum for enriching activities and even a walking tour of the historic East Village provided by our tireless volunteers. Cambria Historical Society has a story to tell!
