Apple Annual gala to return

Posted: Wednesday, Jul 9th, 2008
BY: TODD GUILD

Richard Hernandez, archive volunteer at the Pajaro Valley Historical Association, views a collection of programs and promotional material Tuesday from the California Apple Show circa 1910.

It’s been almost a century since Watsonville held its Apple Annual, a harvest celebration from a time when the fruit dominated Pajaro Valley’s agricultural scene, and the area boasted more than a million trees on 14,000 acres.

Now, organizers from the Redman-Hirahara Foundation are planning to revive the event.

To kick off the planning process, organizers have announced a poster contest for the return of the Apple Annual. The winning poster will be used as an advertisement for the celebration.

The idea to bring back the Apple Annual was launched when historians learned that the owner of the Redman House — a Victorian-style house sitting at West Beach Street and Lee Road — was involved in the early Pajaro Valley apple industry.

Appropriately, the celebration will be held at the Redman property, although ongoing restoration of the house will at first hinder a larger celebration.

“We’re going to start out small, because the property we can use is limited,” said Barbara Powell, executive director of the Redman-Hirahara Foundation. “But we hope to grow it into a harvest festival. We want to keep the apple spirit alive in the valley.”

Organizers hope to quickly finish the house and expand the property to eventually produce a family-friendly festival.

The first Apple Annual will be an adults-only event featuring apples and wine, food and appetizers.

The original Apple Annual was held in the end stages of autumn, when trees fading to yellows and reds were interspersed among the redwood trees and the multihued, verdant greens of Pajaro Valley’s year-round crops. The scent of apples and fallen leaves filled the air — a bittersweet harbinger of the encroaching winter.

The festival was launched in 1910 by the Board of Trade and the Chamber of Commerce as a way to spotlight Pajaro Valley’s apple growers. Organizers hoped to bring in $100,000 annually.

The success of the first festival exceeded expectations, with 40,000 people coming in from all over the country.

After three successful years, the Apple Annual moved to San Francisco in 1914 to be a part of the Panama Pacific International Exposition. It eventually faded away when World War I began.

Now, all that remains of the festival is found in a handful of books, a stack of programs and boxes of faded postcards, safely tucked into the file cabinets of the Pajaro Valley Historical Association.

Famed architect William Weeks designed the Apple Annual building to hold the festival. The massive structure sat on Second Street, where the fire station now stands. Despite the size of the building, a large tent had to be erected next door to hold the crowds and displays. This building became the Civic Center, where children went skating and boxing matches were held. The building was torn down in the 1960s.

The first Apple Annual was a weeklong celebration that featured more than 2 million apples from 15 counties. The fruit was incorporated into displays, food and enormous apple sculptures that ranged from buildings to boats.

The apple will join several already celebrated foods with their own annual festivals: Watsonville’s Strawberry, Castroville’s Artichoke and Gilroy’s Garlic.

“Its products, its agriculture, whatever the Pajaro Valley has to offer, we want to show it to the world,” said Powell.

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For information, visit www.redmanhouse.com.

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*Photo by Tarmo Hannula, apple annual programs courtesy of the Pajaro Valley Historical Association*

Redman-Hirahara Foundation gives progress update at weekend luncheon

By JON CHOWN FOR THE REGISTER-PAJARONIAN




More than 100 people visited the historic Rancho Santa Maria in Watsonville on Sunday to hear about the progress towards the restoration of the Redman-Hirahara House, which sits at the corner of Lee Road and East Beach Street.

Rancho Santa Maria, a 10,000-square-foot home built in the 1930s and nestled in the foothills above the Pajaro Valley just off Hecker Pass, provided a stunning locale for the event, which included the classic cars from the local chapter of the Antique Automobile Club of America, scrumptious food provided by Ken Schwann of Monterey Bay Catering and wine tasting by Glenwood Oaks Winery.

Sandy Lydon, Historian Emeritus at Cabrillo College, and Rob Edwards, director of Cabrillo College’s Archaeological Technology program, both spoke on the importance of saving the Redman-Hirahara House and transforming it into a community resource. Edwards talked about discoveries he made during an archeological dig around the house in 2005.

“Most people just don’t understand how important this old house is,” said Lydon, who spoke about the history of the Hirahara family, which was one of many Japanese-American families forced into internment during World War II.

The Redman-Hirahara Foundation is working to restore the house and turn it and the surrounding acreage into an educational and cultural center. Ten acres of the farm are being leased by local organic farmer Stephen Pederson and school children have already been visiting the farm and learning about local agriculture. The house was recently lifted off its crumbling foundation and funds are being raised for a new foundation. Eventually, the Redman-Hirahara group wants to be able to draw in some of the millions of tourists who pass by the house each year and educate them on what the region has to offer. They say that the house is the ideal site to do it.

“This house is the most recognizable landmark along this stretch of Highway 1 and it provides a really unique opportunity to promote so many things that are important to the Pajaro Valley and beyond,” said Geoff Scurfield, board president of the Redman-Hirahara Foundation.

Redman-Hirahara House gets a lift

BY: REGISTER-PAJARONIAN STAFF

Workers from Fresno House Movers prepare to hoist the 1897 Redman House skyward Monday as part of a major restoration project. Preparations are under way and the site work has begun to lift the Redman-Hirahara House onto cribbing, stabilizing the historic 1897 home until a new foundation is constructed.

The lifting of the house will begin today at 10:30 a.m. and will take several hours. Ron Campbell of Fresno Housemovers is currently on site placing steel I-beams and smaller cross beams underneath the house in preparation for the lift.
The house is recognizable throughout the region as it rests just off Highway 1 west of Watsonville at the corner of Beach Street and Lee Road. The house is significant, not only for its agricultural history, but its cultural history as well. It is the first known farmstead owned by a Japenese-American family, the Hiraharas. The family was interned during WWII and was forced to leave the home. Fortunately, local residents watched over the home and it was waiting for the Hiraharas when they returned and then the barn was transformed into a dormitory for other Japanese-Americans left homeless by the internment.

"The story behind this house is heart-wrenching and it needs to be told,” said Redman Foundation board president Geoff Scurfield.

Lifting the house is a huge step forward for the Redman Foundation, the nonprofit organization that is overseeing the restoration of the home and plans to transform the site into an educational and cultural center. Already, 10 acres of the farm are being leased by a local organic farmer and school children are already visiting and learning.

“In the 10-year history of our efforts, this is the biggest step we’ve made in restoring the house,” said Scurfield. “This is such an important project for the entire Central Coast. Highway 1 is California’s most historic highway and so many people drive by this house, millions each year. We can reach so many people.”

The approximately 115-ton, 2 1/2-story home will be hoisted up on jacks after beams have been put in place underneath. When put back down on the new foundation, the house will sit two feet higher, lifting it above the flood plain of the Pajaro River.

Redman board vice president Dean Coley said raising funds for the foundation will be the next challenge, but once that is complete, he hopes the house will be resting on a new foundation by next winter.

“This is great for the community of the entire Central Coast,” said Coley. “Millions of cars pass that house along Highway 1 each year and it could be such a wonderful showcase. We need to take pride in our history here.”

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*Photos by Tarmo Hannula*

Hopes rise as foundation lifted on Redman-Hirahara house

By DONNA JONES Sentinel staff writer
Watsonville

For years a banner pleading for help hung from the ramshackle mansion in a field west of Highway 1 near the Santa Cruz-Monterey county line.

But to the millions of observers who pass by annually, the decade-old effort to restore the historic Redman-Hirahara home appeared to languish.

Not anymore.

Wednesday, crews completed the first step toward bringing the mansion back to life, lifting the two-story structure off its foundation so the damaged underpinnings can be replaced.

"Lots of people wondered whether we'd get something off the ground," said Dean Coley, vice chairman of the Redman Foundation. "We're definitely off the ground now"

But not out of the woods. The next phase of the $4.2 million restoration calls for a new concrete foundation with an estimated price tag of $200,000, 10 times what the lift cost and money that's still to be raised.

Project backers are looking to this week's work to boost fundraising efforts. A benefit is in the works for late October or early November.


"We're hoping that this is going to tell people we're serious about this and hopefully make people open their wallets," Coley said.

To Coley, fixing up the mansion and turning it into a cultural and educational showcase is worth the years and dollars he and other volunteers have spent laying the groundwork for the project. The group purchased the 14-acre property from a private developer in 2004 for $1.9 million and leased 10 acres to a local organic farmer to help pay the mortgage.

The Queen Anne Victorian, designed by famed architect William Weeks, was built in 1887 for sugar beet farmer James Redman. In 1930, the property was sold to the Hiraharas, a Japanese American family who lived in the house before and after internment during World War II.

"It really is a symbol, the gateway to Monterey County, to Santa Cruz County, to the Pajaro Valley, a symbol of our pride or lack thereof," Coley said. "It's a gem and we want to restore it"

Contact Donna Jones at djones (at) santacruzsentinel.com

REDMAN-HIRAHARA HOUSE TO BE LIFTED WEDNESDAY

Preparations are under way and the site work has begun to lift the Redman-Hirahara House onto cribbing, stabilizing the historic home until a new foundation is constructed. The lifting of the house will begin Wednesday morning at 10:30 a.m. and will go on for several hours.
Ron Campbell of Fresno Housemovers is currently on site placing steel I-beams and smaller cross beams underneath the house in preparation for the lift.

The house is recognizable throughout the region as it rests just off Highway 1 west of Watsonville at the corner of Beach Street and Lee Road. The house is significant, not only for its agricultural history, but its cultural history as well. It is the first known farmstead owned by a Japenese-American family, the Hiraharas. The family was interned during WWII and was forced to leave the home. Fortunately, local residents watched over the home and it was waiting for the Hiraharas when they returned and then the barn was transformed into a dormitory for other Japanese-Americans left homeless by the internship.

“The story behind this house is heart wrenching and it needs to be told,” said Redman Foundation board president Geoff Scurfield. Lifting the house is a huge step forward for the Redman Foundation, the non-profit organization that is overseeing the restoration of the home and plans to transform the site into an educational and cultural center. Already, 10 acres of the farm are being leased by a local organic farmer and school children are already visiting and learning.

“In the 10-year history of our efforts, this is the biggest step we’ve made in restoring the house,” said Geoff Scurfield, president of the Redman Foundation. “This is such an important project for the entire Central Coast. Highway One is California’s most historic highway and so many people drive by this house, millions each year. We can reach so many people.”

The approximately 115-ton, 2 1/2-story home will be hoisted up on jacks after beams have been put in place underneath. When put back down on the new foundation, the house will sit 2 ½ feet higher than it is currently, lifting it above the flood plain of the Pajaro River.

Redman board vice president Dean Coley said raising funds for the foundation will be the next challenge, but once that is complete, he hopes the house will be resting on a new foundation by next winter.

“This is great for the community of the entire Central Coast,” said Coley. “Millions of cars pass that house along Highway One each year and it could be such a wonderful showcase. We need to take pride in our history here.”

Please call Geoff Scurfield at 818-2707 or Dean Coley at 840-1000 for more information. Media are invited to visit the site, but please call first.

8/3 Anna Caballero visits Watsonville

Anna Caballero (right), assemblywoman for California’s 28th District, asks Redman Foundation President Geoff Scurfield about the history of the Redman-Hirahara farm during a visit to the Lee Road Victorian on Thursday. Caballero was in Watsonville on Thursday visiting constituents.


State Assemblywoman Anna Caballero was in Watsonville Thursday visiting constituents, talking about what she’s been doing in Sacramento since being elected in November, and generally impressing her audience.

Watsonville senior activist Lorraine Stucki hosted Caballero for a two-hour lunch at her home before the assemblywoman toured the Redman-Hirahara House project and finished the day visiting with Watsonville High Principal Murry Schekman.

While at Stucki’s house, the former mayor of Salinas talked about her recent experiences in Sacramento and said she has taken a hard line on spending.

In her first term, Caballero has been appointed to serve as the chair of the Committee on Local Government and as a member of the committees on Appropriations; Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy; Water Parks and Wildlife; and the Joint Legislative Budget Committee.

“I have had some knock-down, drag-out sessions with senators who didn’t want a freshman assemblymember telling them what to do with their bills,” said Caballero. “I enjoy this job. It’s a huge learning curve.”

Caballero said she had some modest spending bills in the works, focusing on youth violence prevention and affordable housing. One bill provides money to libraries for teen literacy programs. Another bill provides funding for a pilot apprenticeship program for a vocational education police program.

“These are bills that will provide resources to communities,” said Caballero. “So many of our youth are dropping out of school, hanging out on the streets and scaring people. We need to address this with statewide programs.”

“She listened to everyone’s concerns, all of them,” said Betty Bobeda, who attended the lunch at Stucki’s. “I am impressed with her patience.”

Watsonville Police Capt. Manny Solano was also at the lunch. “It says something when you have a pretty busy assemblywoman who takes her time to come out to a home and talk to local people and get us involved and informed,” he said. “I was impressed with her availability.”

After lunch, Caballero visited with some of the board members of the Redman Foundation, who talked to her about their plans to turn the Redman-Hirahara ranch into a cultural and visitors center. The group showed her the home and then talked about their plans for restoration and efforts to raise money. Caballero offered both advice and encouragement.

“It’s amazing. I’ve driven past this house so many times and never knew,” she said. “I think there are some really good factors that bring in a lot of possibilities. I think this is a great project.”

Board members were equally excited about Caballero’s earnest enthusiasm for the project and the assistance and cooperation she showed the group.

“She’s great. I was impressed,” said Dean Coley, vice president of the Redman Foundation.

Caballero said she would be coming back to Watsonville in the coming weeks and would announce a time when constituents could meet with her.

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*Photo by Jon Chown*

(Published in 8/3/07 edition)

6/14 Redman House to get new foundation

By KRISTI MAYFIELD
Sentinel correspondent

When one thinks of antiquated mansions, visions of Georgian estates complete with sprawling porches and luxurious lawns come to mind, not the ramshackle house with drooping porches and crumbling paint on Lee Road.


Pictured: Dean Coley, co-chair of the Redman House Foundation board of directors, stands next to the Victorian, which was built in 1897. The house will be lifted in July so crews can begin work on the foundation. (Kate Falconer/Sentinel)
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The house, known as the Redman House, is the focus of an ongoing renovation project.

Geoff Scurfield, a Watsonville contractor, undertook the project 10 years ago when he decided the house was disappearing before his eyes. At the time, Green Farms owned the property and considered leasing it out as commercial property. Scurfield felt compelled to restore the historical monument before it was turned into another strip mall.

Scurfield encouraged many other community members to join him in his mission. Dean Coley took it to heart and is contributing his time and resources to the project. Coley, an architect and wood artisan, joined the efforts five years ago.

"This is recognized by the Department of the Interior as a historical monument, so we wanted to show that to the community," Coley said. "Our hope is to incorporate aspects of the community into this project, because that is who should benefit from this"

William H. Weeks designed the house and saw its construction through to its final stages in 1897. Among other things, Weeks is known for designing the casino at the Boardwalk and is responsible for designing more than 91 homes in the Pajaro Valley alone.

The original owner of the home, James Redman, commissioned Weeks to design a home of grandeur to match the rich agricultural landscape. Redman, a farmer, planted apples, lettuce and sugar beets on the surrounding acres. In 1902, he sold more than 15 tons of sugar beets to distributors in San Francisco.

In November 2004, the Redman Foundation earned its nonprofit status and three months later bought the property.

"We realize that it is a slow process but we have control and we have good support from the county and Planning Commission," Coley said. "Right now, we are running it through the Coastal Commission and trying to get the political muscle we need"

The estimated cost for the renovation is $4.2 million, including a new foundation, which will begin in the next six weeks. The group hopes to have the house back on its new foundation before winter.

The Redman Foundation also wants to ensure that the renovation expands beyond the house and onto the rest of the 14 acres that comprise the property. There are plans for a sunken courtyard, a gazebo for live music, a demonstration barn and a wine cellar.

Coley and Spurfield believe the key to bringing in more funds is making people aware of what is going on at the farm.

"Most people take a look at this old house and think, 'Why would I want to save it? It's not mine.' We have to make people realize that this is part of the community," Coley said.

Contact Kristi Mayfield at jcopeland@santacruzsentinel.com

The Redman House
WHAT: A historic house that is part of the Pajaro Valley historical landscape.
WHERE: On Lee Road, just off Highway 1 and Riverside Drive.
WHY: The land is filled with history, including that of the Hirahara family, who bought the land in the 1930s and were subsequently forced to abandon it after they were imprisoned in internment camps following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. INFORMATION: http://www.redmanhouse.com or 421-1392.
TO DONATE: Contact Web site or mail to Friends of Redman House, P.O. Box 2526, Watsonville, CA 95077.

5/19 What’s going on with the Redman House restoration?

By Dean Coley

The Register-Pajaronian Speak Out column recently featured a question regarding the status of the Redman House restoration. On behalf of the Redman Foundation Board of Directors, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, I would like to describe the current physical condition and appearance of the house and offer some additional information regarding the Redman House rehabilitation and the proposed visitor and education center.

Since January, construction crews have been removing the stress load, such as chimneys, lath and plaster walls, doors, etc. in preparation for the “liftoff” of the house for its new foundation. These materials have been stored for future repair and reuse.

The Redman House remains a strong candidate for rehabilitation and if we are awarded the funds from our California Cultural and Historical Endowment (Proposition 40) grant request, along with matching funds from private donors, restoration can begin by the end of this year.

The Redman House Restoration Project began in 1998 by a small group of citizens committed to saving this once majestic 1897 Queen Anne Victorian home that had been deteriorating over the years.

All donated funds have been used for the property purchase and historic designation, property operating expenses including construction of the produce stand, expenses, such as creating and maintaining a Web site (www.redmanhouse.com), and professional consulting and engineering services which are required by the Department of Interior Standards of Rehabilitation of Historic Properties and the County of Santa Cruz. (The Redman House is not located within the city limits of Watsonville.) The Redman Foundation does not have a paid staff. Our board members and volunteers all donate their time to the project.

It is important that current and potential donors to this project, as well as all residents of the Central Coast, be aware of the entire project master plan. In addition to restoring the Redman House, the non-farming acreage surrounding the house will be developed as a Regional Visitor and Education Center for the use of the community and visitors to our area. It will feature a Japanese-American Heritage Exhibit in honor of the Hirahara family who resided there for more than 50 years, a Carriage House Wine Tasting Center, Formal Gardens and Gazebo for weddings and other social events and a large replica barn for educational and cultural functions such as conferences, trade shows, concerts, art festivals, etc.

The multi-use site plan for the Redman-Hirahara farmstead will showcase the Pajaro Valley and its magnificent farming and cultural history, re-directing some of the estimated 15 million people who pass by on Highway 1 into our region’s businesses and cultural sites.

Part of that plan is already visible, as much of the land is back in agricultural production, managed by High Ground Organics, with the produce available at the farm stand.

The Redman Foundation Board of Directors is dedicated to creating an eco-friendly environment on the property in addition to the organic farming operation. We will use “green construction” techniques, permeable surfaces for paving and are planning a wastewater recycling installation for landscape irrigation. Currently, a farming education program is also in development to allow students to learn first-hand about modern agriculture.

We appreciate the interest of your caller and certainly wish we had $1 for every person who has passed by the Redman House and wondered about its future.

We ask local corporations and the community to join and support us in creating this top-notch historical, cultural and environmental venue in the Pajaro Valley.

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Dean Coley is the co-vice chairperson of the board of directors of the The Redman Foundation, which is dedicated to the restoration of the Redman-Hirahara farmstead. For more information on the project, visit www.redmanhouse.com or call 421-1932. The opinions of columnists are not necessarily those of the Register-Pajaronian.