Fresno Historical Society Grapevine Newsletter

Monthly news & updates

January 1, 2020

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Happy New Year!

Can you even believe the ‘20s are upon us again?

The last time this decade landed in the world, the impact was life-changing for Western society and culture. This was a period of

economic prosperity with a distinct flair particularly in the United States and Europe. France

dubbed them the “crazy years” which emphasized the era’s social and artistic dynamism.

Jazz blossomed, the flapper redefined the modern dress code of American and British women

and Art Deco peaked. But not everything roared: in the wake of the extraordinary patriotism

of World War I, President Warren G. Harding “brought back normalcy” to the politics of the

country.

This period saw so many changes that seemed impossible when the decade began! Large-scale

development and use of automobiles by the citizenry, telephones, movies, radio and

electrical appliances becoming commonplace in family homes – the list of advancements is

formidable. Economic and industrial growth fueled consumer demand with a lot of help from

mass-market advertising. Sports heroes and celebrities, especially movie stars, were the

recipient of unfathomable adoration.

So where will the 2020s take us? Will our new decade be reflectively referred to as the

“Technology ‘20s” or the “Gridlock ‘20s” or could the “Roaring ‘20s” make a welcome comeback?

We at the Fresno Historical Society will be there to capture and document whatever emerges as we were proud to do during the last go around in the 1920s. Consider, as the New Year dawns, what would be regrettably lost without organizations such as ours to ensure not just preservation but a commitment to safeguard perspective. Our job is not to interpret history, rather, we will present occurrences and events and trends from multiple

sides so you can make informed decisions.

The Fresno Historical Society is one entity you can count on to be serving our community in

2120 – well, with your continued support that is! As one of your New Year’s Resolutions,

become a member of FHS now and make some history of your own!

Warmest wishes for a glorious 2020,

Elizabeth Laval

President

NEW YEAR'S EVE TRADITIONS

FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Wherever you are celebrating the New Year, you probably have a few traditions of your own –

maybe singing Auld Lang Syne or eating black-eyed peas for good luck.

Here are some interesting ways people in other countries ring in THEIR New Year.

In Spain, it is customary to eat 12 grapes – one at each stroke of the clock at midnight on New

Year’s Eve. Each grape represents good luck for one month of the coming year.

Columbia’s tradition includes carrying an empty suitcase around the block while in Denmark,

residents throw old plates and glasses against the doors of family and friends to banish bad

spirits. They also stand on chairs and jump off together at midnight to “leap” into January for

good luck.

In Finland, people predict the coming year by casting molten tin into a container of water and

interpreting the shape the metal takes after hardening. A ring or heart means a wedding while a ship predicts travel and a pig declares there will be plenty of food.

Panamanians drive off evil spirits for a fresh New Year by burning effigies of well-known

people such as television characters and political figures as they are meant to represent the

old year.

If you are in the Philippines, you will find round shapes all over the country. Many families display piles of fruit on their dining tables and some eat exactly 12 round fruits – again grapes are common – at midnight. Wearing polka dots is meant to help bring luck as well.

In Brazil and other Central and South American nations, people wear special underwear for

luck on New Year’s Eve. The most popular color is red to bring love and yellow to beckon

money.

Finally, in Greece, an onion is hung on the front door of homes as a symbol of rebirth.

Parents wake their children on New Year’s Day by tapping them on the head with an onion.

Hmmm, probably not the favorite tradition of many kids in that country!

Whatever your family or personal traditions, write them down so your descendants can know

and carry them on in the future….

Thanks to worldstrides.com for the information.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:

FRESNO'S EARLY MAYORS EXHIBITION

OPENS IN THE GALLERY NEXT MONTH

The LO Stephens Family posing for their New Year's portrait in 1915. Stephens served as Fresno's first mayor from 1901 to 1905.

The City of Fresno has had a variety of personalities as mayor throughout the years. Fresno's first mayor, LO Stephens, served from 1901 to 1905 and, as you can see from this photo taken on New Year's Day, 1915, LO was a solemn and judicious man. The second mayor, however, was something of a colorful character! Zygmunt S. Leymel, better known as Z.S., was once a member of the California legislature. During the Spanish–American War, he served in the United States Army. But as mayor of Fresno, well, there were some chamber pots involved....Learn about Fresno's early mayors and how they helped shape the city in the Kearney Exhibit Galley beginning in early February. Visit valleyhistory.org for hours and information soon.

ARCHIVIST'S CORNER

Great news! The Fresno Historical Society has been awarded a digitization grant partnership with California Revealed , a State Library-funded initiative to help California’s public libraries and local heritage groups to digitize, preserve, and share online historically significant

Californiana.

The Society’s most historically significant documents were nominated for digitization, including the 1848 California Overland Trail diary of Edward Smith, the City of Fresno’s first census from 1885, and select early Fresno County business ledgers and county records.

Originally called the California Audiovisual Preservation Project, California Revealed’s initial focus was on film preservation. To take advantage of this expertise, we nominated several film reels from the Society’s collections, including a series of 16 mm films produced in the 1960s and 1970s by the Council of California Growers. We also nominated several issues of the Fresno Weekly Expositor newspaper, which will be included in the California Digital Newspaper Collection when digitization is complete.

Through the diligent efforts of archivist Katy Hogue, ninety-two items from the Society archives will be professionally digitized over the next nine months. Once they are ready, these items will be discoverable online on the California Revealed website .

This is the beginning of an amazing partnership as California Revealed encourages annual nominations from its partners. Check out existing California Revealed collections from contributors all over the state.

CHRISTMAS AT KEARNEY HOLIDAY CELEBRATION

Thank you to the many dedicated volunteers, generous sponsors and wonderful visitors, students on school tour and members who attended our Christmas at Kearney: Christmas through the Decades display in the Kearney Mansion Museum this past December. Without the support of our community we would not be able to bring this uniquely special holiday experience to the Valley. We were pleased to have been able to bring a traditional Victorian Santa to the mansion for a meet and greet with families and we loved hosting a Holiday Tea Party again this year. We look forward to continuing to expand our Christmas at Kearney display for 2020 and with even more trees and events next year.

We would like to recognize our volunteer community decorators and tree sponsors for the 2019 year:

1920s' Tree: June Boyce, Sponsored by Sceptre & Sash

1930s' Tree: Carli Morgan

1940s' Tree: Susan Kampsen & Marilyn Perryman, Sponsored by Sayre Miller

1950s' Tree: Kathy Burke of Victoria Gardens of the Two Sisters

1960s' Tree: Susan Kampsen & Marilyn Perryman

1970s' Tree: Austin Jae & Genalny Santos of Adornments of Praise Hula Ministry

1980s' Tree: Designed and sponsored by Darden Architects

1990s' Tree: Candice Pendergrass, Sponsored by ValleyPBS

New Millennium Tree: Laural Ashlock and the Cultural Arts Rotary Club

The Centennial Tree: Fresno Historical Society

If you haven't yet been to see our Christmas at Kearney: Christmas through the Decades holiday display it isn't too late yet. We will be offering our final tours with all 10 trees and holiday decor on Friday, January 3rd and Saturday, January 4th. Tours are held at 1pm, 2pm and 3pm. No advanced reservations are required.

Thank you.

GIVE THE GIFT OF MEMBERSHIP TODAY

The Fresno Historical Society is a member supported, non-profit organization that is responsible for the collection and preservation of our history.

We rely on the ongoing generosity of our community through financial investment to meet our mission each year.

Help us keep our history alive with a membership gift now.

JOIN TODAY

THE FRESNO HISTORICAL SOCIETY

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