NEWS & FEATURES
 Coming Friday, Nov. 15: Delta Heritage Forum
"Creating Community Through Heritage" is the theme of this year's Delta Heritage Forum.
The forum is a free, full-day annual event that celebrates Delta stories, nurtures collaboration, and inspires new thinking and initiatives in the Delta heritage community.
This year it will feature panel discussions, short storytelling sessions, and Lightning Talks (short presentations). Panel topics include:
- Using public art to cultivate sense of place
- Navigating challenges related to America250
- Leveraging relationships with partners to get more done
- Getting youth involved in, and excited about, heritage
Registration opens in September here.
If you have a Lightning Talk you’d like to propose, or would like to suggest a storyteller or speaker – including yourself – for any of our sessions, please email submit@delta.ca.gov by Aug. 15.
Article Explores Racial Hierarchies in the Delta
An article in JSTOR Daily explores racial hierarchies in the Delta in the early 20th Century and what fueled them.
The article is titled, "Racial Hierarchies: Japanese American Immigrants in California."
JSTOR Daily is a daily magazine that contextualizes current events with scholarship found on JSTOR, a nonprofit digital library of scholarly journals, books, images, audio, research reports, and primary sources.
Anza Trail Photo Project Participants Sought
 The Modern Stories 2024 Photovoice Project explores the heritage, experiences, and connections of communities living along the Anza Trail through California and Arizona.
This project, taking place through August, is seeking participants who can contribute photos. Their work will be used for Anza Trail social media, traveling art exhibits, and the Modern Stories website, showcasing the vibrant life and experiences of communities along the Anza Trail.
FESTAS: A Medieval Tradition Thrives in the Delta
When Azorean Portuguese arrived in the California Delta during the Gold Rush, they brought with them a Medieval tradition that has proved resilient in a sea of constant change: the Holy Ghost Festa.
“My dad always talked about ‘the footsteps, the footsteps, the footsteps,'” said Jim Souza, one of the organizers of the Freeport/Clarksburg Festa. The oldest in the Delta, it was founded in 1893, and has been held at the same hall since 1905. “He was referring to the fact there was a lot of history there.”
Learn what California contributed to Festas, what's new in Festas, and what hasn't changed since the 1400s.
Photo ©Joe Perfecto, used with permission
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Asian American Heritage Park Progress
Learn about the Delta Educational Cultural Society's Asian American Heritage Park in Isleton, and follow its construction progress at deltaecs.org.
Supporters can purchase a commemorative brick or donate to the project on the website.
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GRANTS
NEA Our Town Grants
The National Endowment for the Arts is accepting applications for Our Town grants.
The program supports activities that integrate arts, culture, and design into local efforts that strengthen communities over the long term. Our Town projects engage a wide range of local stakeholders in efforts to advance local economic, physical, and/or social outcomes in communities.
Competitive projects are responsive to unique local conditions, develop meaningful and substantive engagement in communities, center equity, advance artful lives, and lay the groundwork for long-term systems change.
The first deadline to apply is Aug. 1. You can see a list of projects that won grants for Fiscal Year 2024 here (PDF).
EXHIBITS
 NEW! San Joaquin County Historical Museum: The Forgotten History of the Filipino Farm Center
A new exhibit highlights the never-before-shared history of the Filipino Farm Center in Lathrop.
Located on Manila Road in Lathrop, the Filipino Farm Center served as an important hub for Filipino farm owners and their families who lived in the area from the 1940s to the 1960s.
There will be an opening celebration for the exhibit 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 8, at the museum, 11793 Micke Grove Road, Lodi. Cost is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and military, $5 for youth. Members and children 5 and younger get in free. Parking in Micke Grove Park is $6 per car for non-members, free for members.
State Indian Museum Exhibit: Native Graduates: From Assimilation to Cultural Pride
State Park Interpretive Specialist Michael Ramirez guest curated an exhibit that explores how Native American graduates express their cultural heritage by wearing traditional regalia - such as feathers, patterned stoles, and beaded caps - at commencement ceremonies.
The State Indian Museum is at 2618 K St., Sacramento, and is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. This exhibit will be on display in the back left corner of the museum through the summer.
Haggin Museum: Joseph Christian Leyendecker
The Haggin Museum in Stockton houses the largest public collection of original artworks by the “Golden Age” illustrator Joseph Christian Leyendecker.
Arguably this nation’s most popular commercial artist during the first four decades of the 20th Century, Leyendecker's paintings helped sell everything from men’s clothing to breakfast cereal, and he helped define the modern magazine cover.
In honor of the 150th anniversary of his birth, the Haggin is displaying a collection of rarely seen original works and sketches by the artist through Sept. 15.
CLASSES AND WEBINARS
 Los Medanos College
The Los Medanos College's Lifelong Learning Center's fall lecture series includes lectures by local historian and Delta NHA Advisory Committee member Carol Jensen and Delta writer Dan Hanel.
The following courses will be held at the College's Brentwood Center:
- “The Brentwood Coal Mine: Boom and Bust,” Carol Jensen, Aug. 21, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
“Mystery of the Great Stone House,” Dan Hanel, Aug. 27, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
“Death at the Healing Waters,” Dan Hanel, Sept. 10, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
“John Marsh and the Grand Californio Rancho,” Carol Jensen, Sept. 18, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
“Ghosts of Black Diamond,” Dan Hanel, Sept. 24, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Enrollment at Los Medanos is not required, but you must register in advance at the Los Medanos College website.
EVENTS
Submit your event for inclusion in our bi-monthly Delta Heritage Courier newsletter by emailing submit@delta.ca.gov. The deadline for inclusion in the next newsletter is Aug. 29; the newsletter comes out Sept. 5.
 July 20:
Suisun City: Summer Rail Festival at the Western Railway Museum - free activities, train rides, food, and craft fair. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Stockton: Leyendecker Painting Demonstration with Kris Finch at the Haggin Museum. While Finch is painting, he will narrate the steps he is following and will also provide commentary on specific details that help make a J.C. Leyendecker painting so extraordinary. The audience is also invited to ask him questions as he is working. 3 p.m.
Aug. 11 in Stockton: Author Marie Silva Vallejo will read from her book, "Dauntless: The 1st and 2nd Filipino Infantry Regiments, United States Army," at the Filipino American National Historical Society Museum. More information to come.
Aug. 17 in Suisun City: Hot August Rails at the Western Railway Museum - train rides, car show, wine and beer booth. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Aug. 19 in Novato: The Dutra Museum Foundation's 8th Annual Golf Tournament. Tournament is full, but you can still purchase sponsorships or tickets to the banquet.
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