Salinas Rodeo – Dear Liza

Dear Jasper and Kestrel,

Here in Salinas, the biggest event of the year is the Salinas Rodeo, which happens in July. Salinas was founded as a ranching and farming town and horses, cows and cowboys have always been a big part of it. Today, our school got a visit from Janice Lemons. She brought our Cowboy assembly as part of the national “Cowboys for Kids” program.

First, Janice gave us interesting information about rodeo riding. A cowboy needs to stay on a bucking bull for 8 seconds to qualify for a win, and since every contest is only 8 seconds long, each bucking bronco bucks for about a total of five minutes in a whole year. She also showed us what equipment cowboys use to stay safe and keep their horses, and even the bulls, safe.

The sport of rodeo is the only sport based on a real life profession. Janice told us about rodeo clowns and how they distract the bulls and horses so cowboys can get out of the arena safely.

Then Janice got to what was, for me, the important part of the assembly. She introduced us to the expression “Cowboy up”, which means to be tough and resolute in your heart and mind, to do what you know is right even when it’s hard. It means standing your ground against drugs, gangs, and bullying.

I enjoyed the assembly very much. I am not a fan of the sport of Rodeo, but I like Janice’s presentation style and her message about inner strength. The kids were very engaged and polite. My students who needed to sit to the side did multiplication tables while they listened.

We went straight from the assembly to recess, and then to our room next door to finish up the movie, “Island of the Blue Dolphins”. This is a movie my co-teacher, Leslie Carter, has been using for years…for so long, in fact, that it is on VHS video tape. Three classes of kids sat, really riveted, watching a small television set and technology that was old when they were born.

This afternoon my students went, in small groups, to other classrooms to perform their Reader’s Theater plays. They are enjoying it very much, and the classes seem to like it, but having groups coming and going makes for a fragmented afternoon. Mostly, the kids colored and I packed books into boxes for the end of the year move to Room 26.

We only have seven more days of school, and then I come back home to Portland!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Dear Jasper and Kestrel,

This morning I woke up and walked to Roosevelt School to attend and help out with the first Local History lecture series. My friend and former Principal, Mary Randall, had organized this group of historians to talk about Salinas of the past, and have some fun, too. There were lots of cookies brought by the Women’s Club, including some celebrating the Claus Oldenberg Statue called Hat in Three Stages of Landing. Delicious!

hat cookies at History.jpg — **Hat Cookies**

Before the lectures started I met old friends Larry Smith, who works as a docent at the First Mayor’s House, and Ruth Muldoon. Ruth taught kindergarten here in Salinas for about 35 years and now reads stories to third graders who visit the House. Liz Hibbard, another retired teacher, was there, and Rosalie, a wonderful lady who has worked with the Women’s Club for most of her many years. My School’s head custodian, Cesar, was there, too! Mary was his first principal and they are old friends, so he came. I also talked with Jeanne Garcia, who I worked with when I started teaching 30 years ago. I met Bingta Frankie, a new Board member at the First Mayor’s House. She looked so beautiful, I had to take her picture!

Bingta Frankie at History.jpg — **The Historic Fashions of Bingta Frankie**

Since we were gathered in the cafeteria of an elementary school, it felt natural to start off with the pledge of allegiance. Then Hannah Levi and Samantha Scattini, two lovely young ladies, sang a beautiful harmonic rendition of “My Country ’tis of Thee”. Patrick Redo was the master of ceremonies, and introduced former Mayor Dennis Donahue, a very nice man. He asked about Auntie Bridgett, because they are old friends. There was a mosaic (you know how I love mosaics) on the back wall that was from when Roosevelt School was very new, in the 1920s. It shows the Horse Parade, part of the Salinas Rodeo.

Sam Pacheco, who is a teacher at Hartnell College, talked about John Steinbeck. Sam is not from Salinas, but was drawn here by reading Mr. Steinbeck’s stories of the area. Rene Astorga played us music from the 1860s like Old Susannah and got us to sing along. We weren’t very loud, but we had fun.

Anita Mason unraveled the historic riddle of why the mighty Southern Pacific Railroad came across the muddy Elkhorn Slough and through tiny Salinas. Santa Rita had flatter, more solid ground, but the Spanish laws of inheritance, which were still in effect in California, made it almost impossible to sell land that had been part of a Spanish Rancho Land Grant. This was most of the land around Santa Rita. By the time the Railroad figured this out, the Salinas Valley was beginning to boom and they decided to come through the Salinas Valley to move all the grain, dairy and fruit growing here to the rest of the country.

Deborah Silguero gave a very interesting talk about women’s fashion of the 1860s, including all the interesting underwear! Very different from our clothing these days. Mary Randall talked about the schools and social life of the time, and Girl Scout Troop 30110 came and showed us all how to do the Virginia Reel, and got about 20 folks up to join the dance. It was fun, having grown ups and kids dancing together, making mistakes and smiling and trying again.

By the time the dancing was over, I was ready to head home again. What a great day of Salinas History!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Tag: Salinas Rodeo

Cowboy Up!

History Day in Salinas