2012 Bridgeport
Spring Festival and
150th Anniversary of the Covered Bridge
Herb Lindberg
Friday, Saturday, Sunday,
April 27- 30, 2012
Part 1 of 4
"It
takes all of you to make the Spring Festival a huge
success! I am very grateful for your participation and enthusiasm.
Please let me know if you have any ideas or ways to improve for next
year. Looking forward to your feedback and seeing you at the Fall
Festival."
Janine Martin -- Festival
Coordinator
This was a very special weekend, so the Park
Association, volunteers, and the California Park staff made it into a three-day
event. On the first day, 300 local elementary school children
were given special tours of the river, spring flowers, the bridge, the
barn, and panning for gold. This large group was broken into 150
lower-grade children followed later in the day by 150 children in the
upper grades. Each group sang a song of appreciation and love of
the river before boarding buses back to their schools. You can see a summary of the second and third days
at the links below.
Day 2, Saturday,
April 28, 2012. This was a day of thanks to the many who worked
so hard to take SYRSP off the State Parks Department closure
list, and celebration of families who lived in what is now
Bridgeport, from the Nisenan through the gold rush and on to
farming and the Kneebone gas station. A one-act play dramatizing
Bridgeport family history was staged this day and repeated twice
more on Spring Festival Sunday.
Day
3, continued. Play audience, John Hart, Mark Lyon, Janine Martin
sound effects, table 1919 Ford pickup truck, dam flow-back,
plant a flower, paper flowers, picnic in shade, eat a brownie
.
Draft horses and wagon in front of the barn
Children learn a bit about draft horses before they
tour the barn.
Then they watched blacksmiths making tools and
decorative hangers.
Ray Shepard explains that even their blacksmith
tools are pounded from steel, while Denis Monax demonstrates.
Gold panning is always a favorite with children.
Have they struck it rich?
They look to see.
Happy children on their bus back to Pleasant Valley
School after a fun learning day at the park.
Their inspiring school teacher.
...and always smiling bus driver.
Click in the box below to see a video of activities described above.
Day 2, Saturday,
April 28, 2012. This was a day of thanks to the many who worked
so hard to take SYRSP off the State Parks Department closure
list, and celebration of families who lived in what is now
Bridgeport, from the Nisenan through the gold rush and on to
farming and the Kneebone gas station. A one-act play dramatizing
Bridgeport family history was staged this day and repeated twice
more on Spring Festival Sunday.
Day
3, continued. Play audience, John Hart, Mark Lyon, Janine Martin
sound effects, table 1919 Ford pickup truck, dam flow-back,
plant a flower, paper flowers, picnic in shade, eat a brownie