History was alive and well at The Peña Adobe Historical Society’s 11th annual Kids’ Day on Saturday.
Families gathered at Peña Adobe Park to explore the Peña Adobe, enjoy a mariachi performance, spend time with animals, and even get their faces painted.
“It’s important for people to learn about our history and we’re happy to do it,” said Cricket Kanouff, president of the Peña Adobe Historical Society. “We can’t help ourselves.”
The Adobe dates back to 1842, making it one of the oldest structures in Solano County. It was the home of the Juan Felipe Peña family, who, with the Vacas, settled in Vacaville over 175 years ago.
Darlene Peña Coombs, a fifth-generation Peña descendant, helped children make corn husk dolls inside the Adobe.
“For me, it’s nice to be able to have them understand how people lived in the mid-1800s,” Peña Coombs said. “It also makes them think about their families and where their families came from.”
Peña Coombs said her favorite part of the event is teaching children about history.
“We make little dolls and I tell them, ‘Kids didn’t have stores, was Walmart here?,’” Peña Coombs said, with a laugh. “It lets them see that there’s been toys around for a long time and that children for many years have played with different things.”
Outside of the adobe, the Willis Jepson Middle School mariachi band, El Mariachi Los Jaguares de Willis Jepson, played songs to a wide audience using violins, viola, trumpets, guitarrón, vihuela, and guitar.
“It was really nice, they were really receptive here,” ensemble instructor Sergio Cabada said. “This is a unique gig, we haven’t done historical societies or museums. This is really special.”
Cabada said he believes they are the only student mariachi band in Solano County. The band is composed of seventh- and eighth- grade students, who practice four times a week.
“Mariachi is unique in that we don’t need sheet music,” Cabada said. “We just memorize our music and then we play it completely acoustically and we also sing at the same time.”
At tents scattered around the park, kids got their face painted in animal or floral designs, made jewelery using seashells and learned about items dating back to the 1800s.
Carter Reese, Sadie Wilson and Olivia Dykstra of the Pleasants Valley 4-H Youth Club hosted a table featuring a goat and rabbit for children to pet and feed. The table also included information and trivia about the animals.
“This is how we kick off our season,” Kanouff said. “We enjoy the kids day event because we get to celebrate the kids.”
Families also explored the nearby Mowers-Goheen Museum, which featured local artifacts, photos and tools. The most awe-inspiring item was a wooly mammoth tooth.
“We’re so lucky that we have a state and national landmark right here in Vacaville,” Kanouff said.
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