If you walked down Park Street from the park you would see a number of displays and exhibits in various storefronts. Collections of memorabilia adorned each space, including old school work, class pictures, yearbooks, newspaper articles, family tree listings, etc.
The most intriguing item to me is this photo of a bronco tearing up a field somewhere. No year or place captioned it, but you can imagine that a lot of hard riding was part of the Paso area past (and present).
Preserving the past is essential for the youngsters who will never have a chance to get near a cattle ranch, know the exhaustion of loading hay the old way, or relish the smell of fresh-cut alfalfa. Get those kids out of town at every opportunity, even if you can only find a little hill to climb or creek to swim in.
The beans and bread are the big draws here about a half hour before the parade ends. Carrying their crock pots, pans and pails, these folks are ready to do business. Bean business. They'll maybe just get a bowlful and find a place to sit on the park grass. Maybe listen to the county band. Maybe listen to the new venue this year, a rock band named Spy vs. Spy (? - not really sure).
Yes, there's definitely power in beans. Beans bring people together. Beans promote community peace and tranquility. Beans are the answer to crime and disorder, because when you're eating beans --- good beans --- great beans, nothing else matters!
A beautiful fountain for a beautiful day. So beautiful, in fact, that the bravest of boys (they'd have to face their mothers after this) took turns running through these geysers, galloping like horses at a circus. Shoeless urchins playing in what was left of the summer sun. I tried getting pictures of them, but they ended their fun just as I was getting ready.
If you visit Joe's Place on 12th Street for a super breakfast, be sure to look at the pictures on the walls. I still sometimes dream about being on the old 13th Street bridge, looking through the cracks on the walkway at the river below, feeling the bridge sway as a huge truck rolls by, awed by this old steel monster.
The old T & D Theatre used to stand across the street from Joe's Place. Can you imagine --- little Paso Robles with two movie house choices. Poor T & D had to close its doors in the 50's. I only remember two things: first was a 3-D movie that scared the pants off me when I was about 6 or 7 years young; the second was when the other kids I was with left me there alone after the show and I didn't have a ride home. Wonder what Mom thought when I arrived home in Oak Park courtesy of the local policeman.
The picture on the right is older (before parking meters). Movies of the day: You'll Find Out and Margo's Time (?). If you remember these two shows, you're old as dirt, too.
We end Pioneer Day 2003 with the hope to return next year and interview a few more people and take a few more photos. It was a bit overwhelming this year with the All-60's Reunion going on at the same time. Thanks to all who made both of these events successful and memorable.
Nothing like really old pictures to put things into perspective. No commentary needed on these. They are blowups of smaller pictures, so a lot of detail has been lost.
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