On Sunday, July 20 the Shinn Summer Fest sparked renewed community interest in the local historic house and gardens in Fremont, in an afternoon of activities, presentations and tours.
Arts and crafts vendors included crochet dolls, pottery, ceramics, painting, a broom maker, plants and woodworking. Community tables encouraged attendees to get creative, making music with Music for Minors II, doing watercolor on patterned paper with Fremont Cultural Arts Council Interns, constructing buildings out of scrap wood with Coyote Hills Service Unit Girl Scouts.
For their hard work building houses, demoing painting and helping with setup, interns and scouts received Jack in the Box coupons.
Pacific Bus museum contributed a 1926 Fageol Bus, and Na Ka Best Ukelele Club and Aloha Hula dancers provided entertainment. Life Scout Shwathi Asokumar presented her Eagle Scout project on Milicent Shinn, who lived in Shinn House while doing research on Child Development.
Special guests were Dr. Aisha Wahab, California District 10 State Senator; Fremont Mayor Raj Salwan and City Council members Desrie Campbell and Kathy Kimberlin; and Kathy Kimberlin representing Alameda County Supervisor David Haubert. The officials gave Certificates of Appreciation to Mission Peak Heritage Foundation, The Friends of Heirloom Flowers and the Chinese workers’ bunkhouse restoration project.
Event organizer Mission Peak Heritage Foundation gave tours with costumed docents of the Historic Shinn House. The house is regularly open on the first Wednesday of each month and the third Sunday of each month from 1 to 4pm.
