A day of bubbles, books, seeds, rock ‘n’ roll, Sparky and Stanley – The Vacaville Reporter

Based on first impressions, themes at Thursday’s Vacaville Museum Guild Children’s Party ranged from honey and public safety to books and bubbles, farm animals and rock ‘n’ roll.

But what was especially notable was the number of people who flocked to the museum’s courtyard for the popular annual event under the shade of the towering trees. And every parking space along Buck Avenue and side streets for several blocks defined the meaning of “bumper to bumper.”

Word had apparently spread, via social media like Facebook and Instagram, through traditional outlets like The Reporter and by word of mouth, that the party (for kids ages 3 to 9 and themed “Fun on the Farm”) promised several hours of good times for families.

From 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., he kept that promise.

Wearing a Mother Goose hat and carrying a box of Solano County Library children’s books at her side, guild member Bonnie Moreno was there to read to children who passed by her chair.

“I always get to the kids after 10 or 15 minutes, after they have seen everything and have calmed down, and then they come to me,” she said, smiling.

Seated at a nearby table, guild members Layton Damiano and Maryann Henn held a merry court over two small containers of black soil, two cups of flower seeds, and dozens of 4-inch paper cylinders for children to fill with soil and seeds and take home to plant. Not surprisingly, the table was partially covered with spilled soil.

“Kids like to make a mess,” Henn said, smiling as the children, mostly accompanied by their mothers, walked excitedly side by side from table to table.

Damiano noted that the party was only the Guild’s second since the COVID pandemic largely subsided.

Beyond Damiano and Henn were bowls of soapy water into which children dipped plastic stencils with holes of various sizes and then waved them in the air to create one or more bubbles. A Guild member also walked around with a bubble machine that emitted hundreds of golf ball-sized bubbles that floated around to the delight of the small children.

In the parking lot behind the museum, where hot dogs and soft drinks were available, musicians from the Vacaville School of Rock entertained families.

Children looked on in awe from time to time as 16-year-old vocalist Emma Vonduyke, accompanied by a quartet of drums, bass, keyboard and guitar, fervently sang Carole King and Gerry Goffin’s 1967 song “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” best known for a rendition by the late soul and R&B singer Aretha Franklin.

Zachary Corpuz, a Vacaville resident and U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class at Alameda Station, said he read about the party and thought it would be a fun few hours.

Originally from Vallejo, he accompanied his wife Cristine and their two children, Sylas, 3, and Mya, 9, the latter enjoying the musicians from the School of Rock.

“The music is pretty good,” she said, standing next to her friend Phoebe Wilson, also 9.

“I really like all the activities,” Phoebe said of the children’s party. “It makes me feel good.”

Interviewed inside the museum, where the “Sew-lano Quilts: A Pattern of Change” exhibit continues, event co-chair and guild member Diana McLaughlin said 200 tickets had been sold at $3 each by 10:30 a.m.

“Unfortunately, we had to turn some people away,” she said, citing a lack of space on the patio, explaining that the crowd size was due in part to “people always looking for something to do with their kids. I was a mom.”

McLaughlin, an artist and former interior designer who has been relatively new to Vacaville for four years, highlighted the list of agencies that participated: the California Highway Patrol, the Vacaville Fire Department, the Vacaville Police Department and the Solano County Library, among others.

What was the general reaction of the children?

“Ecstatic,” he said, a straw cowgirl hat perched on his head, his eyes bright with joy behind red-framed glasses.

Outside the museum doors and to the left, Tina Currie, a farm owner near Allendale and a member of Vaca Valley Grange No. 298, cared for Stanley, a 20-year-old miniature donkey, a popular attraction among many others.

As they lined up to pet or comb the donkey’s fur with brushes, the children typically wanted to know two things about Stanley: his name and how old he is, she said.

In addition to Stanley, Currie also displayed a pair of chickens and a pair of pygmy goats.

At the Solano County Library table, library staff Katie Cordova and Laura Barrow gave away some free books and stickers.

“The kids are excited about the stickers,” Barrow said, while Cordova noted that the library system has a new app and that the Cultural Center Library will be closed, beginning Aug. 23 and lasting until November 2025, for renovations and expansion.

CHP officers Erica Tatum and Michael Borday said they asked the children who stopped at their table if they had bikes and if they wore helmets when riding.

“It’s all about safety, whether you’re on a bike or a scooter or anything with wheels,” Tatum said, adding that she and Borday also advise parents on car seat safety.

“Eighty percent of child safety seats are installed incorrectly,” he said. Anyone who wants to make sure their child safety seat is installed correctly should call their nearest CHP office to schedule an appointment, Tatum added.

Standing near the museum entrance, Sparky the Fire Dog, a person in a cute yellow and red costume, a symbol of fire safety and the official mascot of the National Fire Protection Association, greeted children and everyone entering or leaving the event.

Another major attraction of the festival was something sticky, sweet, and varying in color from almost colorless to dark brown: honey.

A costumed queen bee (reportedly a retired doctor who declined to give his name) walked around handing out honey sticks donated by Amina Harris of Z Food Specialty/The Hive in Woodland. It’s always fun to watch and observe a bee-watching hive.

The queen bee costume was created by the California Master Beekeeper Program based at UC Davis, founded and directed by beekeeper and bee scientist Elina Lastro Niño, a UC Cooperative Extension associate professor and member of the university’s Department of Entomology and Nematology.

For nearly three hours, the young and young at heart had some fun at the farm. Well, the one temporarily housed at the Vacaville Museum.

Originally published: August 8, 2024 at 4:45 PM