The Old West will come alive on
Sagunto Street in Santa Ynez as the 47th annual Old Santa Ynez Day celebrates
the town’s birthday June 13.
Old and young will stroll along
Sagunto Street and take in a full day of food, games and music, all to raise
money for local charities. Every year the event raises about $10,000.
Festivities start at 9 a.m. with
clothing, art and crafts, antique, game and food booths. The music begins at 10
a.m.
At 11, the “big” parade starts
with grand marshal Bill Saunders leading the way.
Karen Jones and her family will
host their annual Old Santa Ynez Day Concert on the Green at noon, with
musicians from previous years joined by newcomers to the western-themed
hootenanny.
“We have been doing this free
public concert for over a decade now, and it has really started to take off,”
Jones said.
This year, the Jones House will
stage the first-ever Santa Ynez performance of folk legend Syd Straw, who,
Jones said, “has finally succumbed to the allure of
the Santa Ynez Valley and is said to be looking forward to sampling the world
famous wine and enjoying the majestic vistas the valley has to offer.”
Old Santa Ynez Day Committee of
the Elks Chairman Mike “Bosco” Carricaburu says the parade before the concert
will showcase traditional parade participants, including antique cars and
tractors, walking groups, a multitude of horse groups, and the Old Santa Ynez
Jail, full of squirming children outlaws.
As many as 10,000 people
attended the celebration last year, Carricaburu says, and he hopes more will
come this year.
“Fingers crossed that it won’t
be 100 degrees,” he says.
Saunders was surprised last
month when he found out he would this year’s grand marshal, though his contribution
to the event more than qualifies him for the title.
Besides being a long-time Santa
Ynez citizen, Saunders also made the equipment that cuts the leather badges
sold every year.
Carricaburu says the $1 badges
have become more collector items than mere festival souvenirs. Each year’s
badge is different, and while the committee also sells shirts and hats, the
badges are the most popular; he even knows some old timers who have every
single badge made over the years.
The badges are so prominent, in
fact, if you don’t have one, you will be promptly thrown into the Santa Ynez
Jail until you pay your way out.
Saunders created the hand press
and special cutter used to create the badges for the Santa Ynez Valley Elks
Lodge to use, and he still maintains the machine. The Elks spent the last
several Sundays punching out the badges, and they are now available for
purchase in businesses throughout Santa Ynez.
Besides the food and arts and
crafts booths, there are games for kids, including
watermelon eating and tortilla toss contests. Carricaburu says the tortilla
toss, which he’ll be running, is his favorite part of the whole day. “Nobody
else has a tortilla toss,” he says, laughing. “You got to throw the tortilla
into the frying pans from the stage. All kids can do it; you just got to get
lucky and get more in than anybody else.”
It’s great that parents can
enjoy themselves at the celebration and know their kids are having fun and are
safe, he says.
The festivities will end at the
Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum with its Spaghetti Western night.
Museum Executive Director Chris
Bashforth says the second annual event features a no-host bar and soda hour (or
“attitude adjustment hour,” as Bashforth calls it) from 4 – 5 p.m., an
all-you-can-eat dinner from 5 to 6:30 p.m., and dancing to live music by the
band Last Call from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
The dinner includes spaghetti,
garlic bread, salad and dessert prepared by Trattoria Grappolo. Ticket prices
are $10 for museum members, $15 for adults and $5 for kids under
12. Children under the age of 5 are free. The dinner raises money for the
museum and its programs, though Bashforth says it’s also a way for people in
the community to continue the celebration.
“We’re doing this to benefit the
museum, but we’re also doing this so the community, for a chance to gather
together after Old Santa Ynez Day.”
“I think, personally, our little
event … is a good cap to whole day,” she says.
Carricaburu says this one day each year is a way to bring the community together.
“We live in a one-of-a-kind
place,” he says. “We get to have a special day to celebrate how lucky we are to
live here and have our neighbors and community come out together.”
Reach Lauren
Crecelius at lcrecelius@syvjournal.com