Harvest Moon Festival at Shinn Park
Submitted by Janet Barton
Join us for a Harvest Moon Festival with music, children’s activities, tours and exhibits on the lawn and in the barnyard at Shinn Historical Park on Sunday, September 15. Many cultures have celebrations for this important Autumn lunar event, such as the Chinese Mid Autumn Festival. In the era before electric lights, the Harvest Moon brought welcome evening light to late harvest and family gatherings.
For about 100 years on the Shinn Ranch, harvest was an important activity. Today there are no signs of the old rows of the Shinn orchards that once spanned from the house to Alameda Creek. The last four acres of the historic Shinn Ranch is now surrounded by rows of houses instead of rows of fruit trees. At the height of harvest, 40 to 50 Chinese workers were hired to harvest apricots, cherries and other fruits. The community also worked the harvest. Many of our old-timers remember making pin money by cutting apricots. Ask an old-timer who grew up here whether they “cut cots.”
The festival has a full day of activities planned. The Friends of Heirloom Flowers plant fundraiser starts at 11am. Wadaiko Newark will officially start the day with taiko drumming at 11:30am, and the Aloha Hula Dancers will perform at 1:30pm. Tours of the Shinn House, the gardens, the bunkhouse, and the barnyard are from 1pm – 4pm. Activities planned for children are a scavenger hunt, do-it-yourself reading time, coloring, chalk drawing, and a “make a tiny house” craft.
For the day, the Museum will be brought outside. Featured exhibits are Dr. Milicent Shinn’s baby observation notebooks and the history of the last bunkhouse of the Shinn China Camp. Dr. Milicent Shinn’s baby observation notebooks are a wealth of scientific observation mixed with notes about the gardens, the family and the Ranch workers in the house and in the orchards. Her notes describe life on the Ranch over 110 years ago.
In the barnyard, visit the last bunkhouse of the Shinn Ranch “China camp” where the Chinese ranch workers lived. Originally there were two bunkhouses, a cookhouse, and an outhouse. At one time in Southern Alameda County, there were many China Camps on ranches, nurseries, farms and vineyards. There is little remaining historical evidence of these camps and the people who lived there, who were important to the growth of our portion of Southern Alameda County.
Also at the event, meet the team of Fremont citizens who will be fundraising to preserve this building—the Chinese Bunkhouse Preservation Project. Funds raised will also be used to create curriculum for the schools and to maintain the building as an exhibit for students and schools.
Outside activities are free. Bring a picnic and blanket if you come for lunch; no food will be sold at the park. The suggested donation for the house tour is $4 per adult, and $2 for children (ages 7-13). Cash or check only. The last tour begins around 3pm. For more information and updates visit www.historicshinnhouse.org and the park’s Facebook page @ShinnHistoricPark.
Harvest Moon Festival
Sunday, Sept 15
11:00 Friends of Heirloom Flowers plant fundraiser
11:30 Wadaiko Newark
1:30 The Aloha Hula Dancers
Shinn Historical Park and Arboretum
1251 Peralta Blvd., Fremont
