San Carlos Hometown Days!

“I have been thinking for some time that a day set aside for the purpose of building community spirit and old fashioned camaraderie would be a lot of fun.”

We got a late start Saturday morning, on one our family's favorite weekends in San Carlos – Hometown Days. Now when I say late, it still means awake at 6:30 a.m., early for most, but by the time I got all three children dressed and packed up, ready for a day of parading, bouncy jumping, face painting and music, it took a while.

This is one of those special weekends where you truly appreciate the lovely town of San Carlos. It is a weekend of kids, family, smiles, neighborhood appreciation and community spirit. Where the firefighters greet excited children; young baseball greats dunk brave and willing teens into cold water; the 4H Club brings cute, cuddly animals to show and our little ones admire them, too young to realize the animal's fate. Wonderful dinners and breakfasts put on by civic groups and an amazing line up of musicians, schools bands and performance ensembles round out the fun.

School-aged children operate the game booths and collect tickets, they feel proud and responsible, while the little ones coyly give tickets and await direction. A true family event all the way around.

The Saturday fun begins with a morning parade. With all that's happening in time -- Oprah's end of an era, the predicted Saturday Rapture by Harold Camping -- it was nice to be cheering on waving children, enjoying a parade that typically has more participants than spectators.

We walked down to Laurel Street, passing heaps of families that had set up camp along Arroyo and also on Laurel, with smiling kids, groups of parents clutching their Starbucks while making small talk. Happy dispositions abound.

When my kindergartner's school paraded in front of us, we were greeted with cheers and waves and motions by friends to join the parade mid-stream. (Had we gotten out of the house 30 minutes earlier, we would have joined it from the start.)

My 6-year-old enthusiastically cheered on his schoolmates and when he saw his beloved teacher march on, looked at me as he excitedly and asked, "Can we go with them?"

I made an attempt at distraction. "Let's watch the parade for a while and see some marching bands, button twirlers and classic cars, let's see what we can see." "But Mom,

I have never been in a parade!" he said following it with a hanging silence and inquisitive stare. My eyeballs held his gaze, but my brain likened the reels of a slot machine as I processed the question.

He had pulled the lever, pushed the button. Who knew what my answer would be. I thought by our timing, we missed our opportunity to walk in the parade, I was not prepared for this. One reel in place, two spinning. You are only 6, there are a lot of things in life you have never done, although this is pretty cool. Second reel set. What the heck, he wants to walk in a parade, how fun and spontaneous! The reels were situated – Jackpot for Connor! Knowing full well that with three kids and hopes of never leaving our adored city of San Carlos, this would have been my last year to sit on the sidelines of the parade, to simply be a bystander. I looked at my husband and gave him the nod and off we trotted, becoming the caboose of our son's school's presence in the parade.

Connor clutched my hand firmly but plastered a huge smile on his face. His head titled higher than it had while sitting on the sidelines. He led me closer to his teacher to say hello and then we retreated to the back, soaking in the smiles, cheers and waves of others. It was a big moment for him.

Our daughter enjoyed being pushed in our toddler's stroller, a luxury she hasn't enjoyed in a while. (I am pretty sure she had visions of Cinderella's coach while she practiced her pageant wave.) And our youngest, Carson, determined to do everything by himself, wished to walk. It helped that we were positioned in front of a marshal arts club, as it ushered Carson faster and faster each time they paused to perform a demonstration. A sea of roundhouse kicks would make me hustle too.

Back at the park, Carson went straight for the face painting booth. He chose a white bunny for his left cheek – no skeleton, no Spiderman, just an innocent, sweet white rabbit. It was as backward as a gangster wearing a pink tutu. A sweet $50 later, my kids had ridden a mechanical bull, run in a hamster wheel and bounced in every jumpy house at least three times, creating an electric surge in their little bodies from the Jolly Rancher snow cone they slurped down for brunch. By the end of the day, the matchless aroma of barbecued hotdogs, face paint mixed with sunblock and snow-cone stained arms gave us a hint that it was time to take our wind-whipped children home. This year market the 31st anniversary of Hometown Days. We've been to six and plan to attend the rest. Hats off to all who make this event happen. There is something for everything and it highlights all the things we residents love about this great city – family, community and events that appreciate both!

-Pat Bennie, Mayor of San Carlos, August, 1979

In the fall of 1979, a small group of community members gathered with then Mayor, Pat Bennie to bring to life her vision of a community event. They dubbed it “ Hometown Days”, and gave it a western theme. The original volunteer committee included a cross section of the community and the goals they set for this family-oriented day were to provide non-profit community clubs and organizations an opportunity to participate, earn a few dollars and offer the community a good time at little expense. As plans developed, it was decided to make the event 2 days. Service clubs like the Lions, Kiwanis, and Rotary would provide man power and food and beverage booths at a reasonable cost to attendees. Community businesses could donate prizes, services, resources, and be recognized for their support.

In 1980, after months of planning and organizing, the original event took place on a September weekend. Hundreds attended. The Kiwanis Club barbequed steaks and burgers and a band played while folks danced under the stars. Sunday morning, The Rotary Club held a pancake breakfast and people streamed into the park after church services. It was a huge success.

San Carlos clubs and organizations expressed their delight about this first-ever weekend community social. Artists were pleased with their recognition and sales, attendees loved it, and all agreed that Hometown Days should continue the following year. Without any funding, the Hometown Days committee scheduled their second annual celebration. The event eventually moved to its current May spot, and 30 years later, with over 12,000 attendees annually, we continue to celebrate Mayor Pat Bennie’s dream of a spirited, fun-filled community gathering.