Copperopolis Celebrates 150 Years
June 5, 2010
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| Jeanne and Lynn stage Annie for the parade. (Photo by Neil Jensen) |
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Use the player below to listen to Bethena,
by Scott Joplin (1905), considered by some as the greatest rag waltz of all time. |
Lynn's friend, Neil is helping to organize Copperopolis' 150-year celebration. With Neil's encouragement, Lynn enters Annie in the traditional Homecoming Parade, being held Saturday, June 5. So that they can be ready early, Jeanne and Lynn travel to Copperopolis and spend the night at the home of Linda and Neil on Friday night. (Lynn and Neil stay up until midnight playing Risk, a strategic board game they both enjoy.)
Rising early Saturday morning, Jeanne and Lynn don 1910 replica clothing and drive Annie to the Armory in old town for a nice pancake breakfast. As Annie is a unique old car and something of an attraction, she is afforded privileged parking on the street immediately across from the Armory. In a matter of moments, Annie draws a small crowd of visitors. Jeanne and Lynn go inside the Armory to find Linda and Neil who are helping to cook and serve breakfast to a crowd maybe twice what had been hoped for by the organizers.
Jeanne and Lynn are not the only ones dressed for the occasion. They see many others made up as minors, trappers, gunmen and other early settlers of Copperopolis. In context, Jeanne and Lynn's 1910s dress represents a time when the town was already 50 years old, relatively modern wear.
After breakfast, Jeanne and Lynn are joined by Neil and Carol (another organizer) on the short ride to the parade staging area.
Annie has loudspeakers hidden under a tri-color fan on the spare tire on the back, an amplifier and battery hidden under the lap robe in the rear seat, and an iPod loaded with music. A playlist of ragtime music by Charles L.Johnson, E. T. Paull, James Scott, Joseph Lamb, Percy Wenrich and Scott Joplin emits from the rolling portable sound system that is Annie.
(The speakers, amplifier and battery are loaned to Lynn by Arne, one of the organizers of Summerfest 2010, to be held June 19 in Livermore. In a week, Annie will serve as a representative of Summerfest in the Livermore Rodeo Parade wherein the sound system will be emitting German music.)
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| Some of the exhibits in the staging area for the parade. | |||||
The parade staging area quickly fills with a wide variety of people, vehicles and animals. As the people arrive, the energy level quickly grows. The area is a wild fugue of color, sound, movement and excitement. Somehow, out of all the confusion and apparent disorder, a parade eventually forms and heads down Main Street.
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| Some of the people in costume staging for the parade. | |||||
There are a surprising number of people lining the street and there are not ONE, but TWO reviewing stands. Jeanne and Lynn are amused at the readings of Lynn's announcer comments. At one site, Jeanne is "Janine"; at the other she is "Jessie". The car is either a "Kisseller" or something else, with either 30 or 40 horsepower, built in either 1914 or 1917. It all adds to the fun and serendipity of the moment; no offense meant and no offense taken.
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| Jeanne and Lynn pose with Annie. (Photo by Neil Jensen) |
After the parade, Linda and Neil join Jeanne and Lynn for a lunch of pulled-pork and tri-tip sandwiches purchased from sites along the parade route. Jeff and Diane, neighbors of Linda and Neil join the party. While Linda and Neil go back to duties with the celebration, Jeanne and Lynn drive Jeff and Diane back to their car in Annie.
Although the celebration continues into the night, Jeanne and Lynn take Annie back to her trailer in mid afternoon and tow the car back to Livermore.
With no reservation, Jeanne and Lynn had fun helping Copperopolis celebrate their 150-th! They're glad Neil invited them to be a part of the action.
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Copyright © 2018 Lynn Kissel
Last updated: June 7, 2010