Cambria’s sesquicentennial kicks off with official proclamation

During this sesquicentennial year, honoring 150 years of Cambria’s history since its establishment in 1866, the Historical Society is privileged to lead several commemorative celebrations. Book on your calendars the annual events that promise to be bigger and better than before – Heritage Day, Saturday, May 28, and Harvest Festival Week-end of Events, Oct. 8-10.

You are in for a wonderful surprise as we celebrate America’s birthday on the Fourth of July with the American Legion’s festivities, but hold our own Cambria Anniversary on Saturday, July 2. Watch for details which are being formalized with the Sesquicentennial Subcommittee and the Friends of the Cambria Library. Save that date.

The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors awarded a formal proclamation honoring Cambria and its history at its regular session Tuesday, Feb. 23. Our own Bev and Jerry Praver, SLO County’s official Town Criers, read the proclamation in their inimitable finery and style. On Sunday evening’s Historical Society Recognitions Dinner, they proclaimed their own original version, as part of a kickoff for this year’s almost monthly events.

Not to be missed that evening was Dr. Dan Krieger’s account of the 1769 Portola expedition and encampment along Santa Rosa Creek Road, based on his friendship with local historian Paul Squibb and wife Louise. Extensive research by Taylor Coffman and Alan K. Brown was also based on “A Description of Distant Roads,” a huge journal of facts chronicled by Father Juan Crespi, who accompanied Portola and succeeded Father Junipero Serra as presidente of the California missions. (Coffman was a featured speaker at a previous Annual Dinner.)

Yet another proclamation will be presented at the March 24 noon meeting of the Cambria Community Services District at the Veterans Memorial Building, a redux of last month’s event, which was not recorded because of the townwide power outage.

This will give the public a convenient opportunity to participate in the special ceremony, so you are especially invited.

Next speakers

Our next monthly speakers will be Jerry Praver, on Thursday, March 24, “So You Want to Get a Mexican Land Grant”; and Thursday, April 7, Don Canestro, “Cambria’s Rancho Marino: Prehistoric to Present.” Both evenings begin at 5:30, with beverages and hors d’oeuvres and are a free perquisite for CHS members, open to the public for a small $10 fee applicable to membership. Reservations are required; call events chairman Penny Church at 927-1442 or register at the museum.

The Cambria Historical Museum occasionally hosts other nonprofits, and so Beautify Cambria, which provided the town with smart new trash receptacle/ planters, will be in our gardens presenting a free Bee Faire, Sunday, May 1, from 1 to 5 p.m. Informative displays, demonstrations, and samples will showcase and illustrate the crisis in the bee population and their need in the ecosystem. To participate, contact Claudia Worthen at Claudia@ beautifycambria.com.

Another important date to calendar is 5 p.m. Friday, May 27, when noted historian Dawn Dunlap will headline a ticketed event, an evening at the museum when she will regale us with little-known and rarely published facts, titled “Believe it or Not.” Many times, these are stranger than fiction, and most times they make it a lot more interesting than names and dates. Space is limited, so plan on reserving your spot early!

To commemorate Cambria’s sesquicentennial, now is the time for you to plan your scarecrows and Pinedorado parade entries. Anything old-fashioned will illustrate the theme.

This story was originally published March 2, 2016 at 11:20 AM with the headline "Cambria’s sesquicentennial kicks off with official proclamation."