Thursday, July 9, 2015

July and we are having fun!

It has been awhile since my last post, but don't think I've been taking it easy.  We hosted narrow and standard gauge railroad author, historian, and lecturer Bruce MacGregor, who shared the history of the narrow gauge railroad's birth in our valley and how it impacted the type and growth of businesses, changed the lives of people who decided to make San Lorenzo Valley their home, and made our valley a tourist destination by providing a fast and easy way to visit.  What a great time in historic Park Hall in Ben Lomond.  We were lucky to get copies of just published 'Santa Cruz Trains' by author Derek Whaley, who pushed through our order so we could have his book on hand.  I sold out of every copy and had to handle pre-sales.  Now our bookstore is well stocked with 'Santa Cruz Trains' for a gift or train enthusiast.

Our annual Dinner and Auction Fundraiser was lots of fun thanks to our hard-working and creative volunteers who handled the silent and live auctions.  Auctioneer 5th District Supervisor Bruce McPherson kept things lively and lots of fun, especially with the Chardonnay sailing trip, whale watching, 1-day survival class, and two night stay at luxurious Costanoa on the north coast that received lots of bids.  Bid cards popping up all over and friendly challenges back and forth made it a memorable night for everyone.

As I was starting to promote our next historical talk about Pogonip I was asked what Pogonip stood for.  I've heard different explanations of this  unusual name, but never anything definite.  This will be just one question addressed at our upcoming historical talk on Sun, July 26th.  We will be having two speakers sharing the long (going back to the Native Americans) and very diverse (auto camp, women's polo, lime kilns) history.  This is a story that most people think they know, but really don't.  I myself am eager to learn more about this area so close to our valley.  Bring your questions and expand your knowledge about our local history.