For one special Saturday morning, all eyes were on the Paseo in downtown Colton for the First Community Earp Day event sponsored by CITYTALK w/DrG and the Historical Society of Colton. Over 175 people gathered at the “center” of town, dressed in western attire and ready to take a step down Colton memory lane. Families and friends, as well as local churches and organizations came early in costume and in full anticipation of children’s games, decorative artifacts, live animals, and a free pancake breakfast.
“This was the talk of the town,” said Carlos Araiza, President of the Colton Lions Club, who brought several members to provide the homestyle breakfast of pancakes and sausage for everyone, free of charge, during the first hour of the 9:00am event. With western music flavoring the bustling activity the families were engaged in the wide array of children’s games which were part of each information booth, set up along the Paseo fence. The participants included
Amazing Grace Church, Colton Woman’s club, Marsell Foster Family Agency, The Door Church, Girl Scout Troop, Faith Bible Missionary Church, Lions Club, Prophesy Church, Chamber of Commerce, Faithway Fellowship Church, Children’s Dental, 1Stop Print Shop, Brandi Eyestone and Debra Karr and Johnny, Tumbleweed Jim Strohm, The Four Amigos, CITYTALK w/DrG and the Historical Society of Colton.
One of the highlights of this event that brought curious eyes to center stage was the presentation on panning for gold given by Mr. Jim Strohm, known as “Tumbleweed.” He gave an interesting talk on gold-panning including a hands-on demo of gold panning techniques with authentic equipment, mountainous soil samples and “real” gold. “The kids really loved this show,” exclaimed Reina Guerrero, who brought several of her girl-scout troop members to this event to participate. Another popular feature of the community event was the presence of two horses, who were brought in by Brandy Eyestone, a resident of Reche Canyon. Along with her neighbor Debra Karr and grandpa “Johnny,” this live-animal feature was a special treat for small kids and large kids alike. The horses were well-trained, and provided just the right atmosphere to complement the western Earp Day theme.
The entire event was focused on bringing the community together to celebrate our historical roots. When the City of Colton was established in 1887 the trains were creating a community of bustling life and townsfolk living in the area at the time, were served and protected by Virgil Earp, one of the famous (and notorious) members of the wild-west Earp family. This event was a very good way of bringing back to life our Colton history, which is of special interest to DrG and his CITYTALK w/DrG programs, now incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
For many DrG supporters, this type of gathering is fairly common for him, and somewhat expected. DrG always enjoys meeting with friends, and sharing fun times, great food and positive fellowship. As in typical fashion, DrG usually dresses up in one of his many costumes and loves taking pictures in order to create a photo-diary with the people who attend. This event was no exception, as DrG was dress in a period “lawman” outfit, including hat, vest, tie, jeans and a long jacket. Just about every attendee also dressed-up in western wear making this event a well-adorned community round-up.
The purpose of this gathering was not only to celebrate the western Earp theme, but planned in order to enjoy the company of good friends, good food, and good vibes. “Everything is positive,” said Debra Karr, who helped Brandi bring in the horses and set up the corral for a live presentation. For those who know Dr.G, which are many in the community, know that he maintains close contact with the residents. He is available, likes to create interesting community activities, and is always willing to help as much as possible, including “rolling up his sleeves.”
Congratulations to Dr.G and his crew for putting together a positive community event. May he be blessed with good health, and may his service to the community continue to be a blessing to all those with whom he comes into contact.