Susana Park, the new venue for the festival, has a very interesting history. From 1859 to 1930 it was the site of the Masonic Lodge in Martinez, the only hope for the blighted souls of the busling town that had become the way-station for the greedy and hopeful crossing the straits by Ferry on their way to the leftovers of the gold rush. In 1930 it was purchased by the city of Martinez and planted with trees from 19 countries. Including the cork oaks that line its boundaries donated by the Portuguese community in town. A redwood tree was plated for president Roosevelt on the site. Languishing in neglect for years, the park was ‘refurbrished’ a while back. Those historic stone benches built by those Portuguese removed. This caused such a stir that the backs of two benches were ‘recycled’ into the new design and serve as guardian walls to the entrance because in Martinez nothing is ever truly over.
The new park sports nice wrought iron benches, curved paved paths and three sturdy 2×3 information kiosks that to this date have NEVER ever been used. I like to call them the “More-money-than-sense-signs” because their perpetual emptiness suggests that Martinez has nothing noteworthy to offer.
That is, until June 30th, when a certain beaver festival will make splendid use of them for the very first time.
I just finished designing these to fit into the three stands. I think they will really add something special to the event, explain our story and why it matters, don’t you?
Ahhh that’s more like it! Hey, maybe the city will like them so much they’ll ask to show them permanently! Hahahahaha never mind. Just kidding.
Meanwhile our good friend Brian Murphy of Walnut Creek – who has been an exhibitor at the festival since our very beginning and who helped us hang the duck boxes on the creek – has some very special visitors living under his deck that I thought you’d want to see. These are grey foxes who he saw for the first time just last weekend and are growing up fast. In the beginning he just saw two, but now you can see from the last photo there are five. Mom used the same pipe to raise her kits last year so he was excited to see her return.
This seems like a perfect time to mention Robin Ellison of Napa’s donation to our festival, a children’s books which will help them make sense of animal tracks they encounter and understand the natural world around them. It’s a children’s book by Mia Posada. The cover is lovely but I’m strangely drawn to this particular page. I can’t explain why. Thanks so much Robin!
