Fall Fest at San Timoteo Canyon Schoolhouse Oct 1

By: Laurie McLaughlin

Board member, San Gorgonio Pass Historical Society

Photo Courtesy of:

Sean Balingit

Photo Description:

Children dance around the maypole at the San Timoteo Canyon Schoolhouse Fall Fest. On Saturday, Oct. 5, this year's Fall Fest at San Timoteo Schoolhouse is free and open to the public featuring live music, food, pumpkin painting, scavenger hunt, 10 a.m. flag-raising followed by a Native-American blessing, local history exhibit, costumed docents and tours with the "school marm."

Heralding the season, Fall Fest at the historic San Timoteo Canyon Schoolhouse is Saturday, Oct. 1, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The free event is open to the public and will feature a flag-raising ceremony, Native American blessing, crafts for kids, free snow cones and cotton candy, a May pole, food truck, and live music by Southern California’s Singing Cowboy Skeeter Mann. The beautifully restored San Timoteo Canyon Schoolhouse was built in 1883 just west of Beaumont and still stands in the same location as a Riverside County Historical Landmark and public park.   All are welcome, and the day’s festivities will begin with the 10 a.m. flag-raising ceremony by the Banning High School and Nicolet School California Cadet Corps color guard and the Native American blessing by Elder Ernest Siva (Cahuilla-Serrano), president of the Dorothy Ramon Learning Center and Morongo tribal historian and cultural advisor. Activities also include self-guided tours of the schoolhouse and the resident “school marm”; a local history exhibit; and an exploration of Native American culture and traditions by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians Cultural Heritage department, Malki Museum, Lorene Sisquoc and the Mother Earth Clan, and Sherman High School. Hosted by the San Gorgonio Pass Historical Society and the Riverside County Parks and Open-Space District, the event is designed to familiarize area residents with this local park and historic site. For more information about the San Gorgonio Pass Historical Society’s programs, visit sgphs.org. ###