Heritage Council of Santa Clara County Give Yourself a Present - Discover the Past October is History Month! History Month is coming! Once again, HCSCC members are planning a series of very special events to celebrate and illuminate our historical heritage. Each weekend in October, selected museums and associations are highlighting some aspect of life in the past that provides perspective on current-day affairs. Times and dates given below are for special History Month observations. Check the members page for links to obtain normal hours of operation for HCSCC member organizations.

Saturday, October 4

Campbell Historical Museum: Exhibit: Campbell Firefighters. Special activities are free to members of organizations participating in History Month (HM ID card required)

Gilroy Museum: 10:00 am, Walking Tour of Monterey Street including Guided Tour of Station 55, Gilroy's old fire station. On display, one day only - Gilroy's historic hose cart and the old Seagraves fire truck. Meet Sparky, the Fire Department mascot. Pick up Safe Trick-or-Treating Guidelines and Fire Safety Tips. Come in turn-of-the-century costume (c. 1900) and get a special gift. Enjoy an Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social presented by Gilroy Historical Society. (Fundraiser for Gilroy Museum's Microfilm Reader Fund)
Special Exhibit: Dousing the Flames: The Story of the Gilroy Fire Department
10 am - 2 pm

Museum of American Heritage Three lecture series begins: The Heart of the Peninsula by historian and author Phyllis Butler. Second and third lectures in series on October 11 and October 18.
2:30 pm - 4 pm in Frank Livermore Learning Center. Series Admission: $20 for MOAH and History Month members, $30 for others. Call 650-321-1004 for reservations and information.

Sunday, October 5

Campbell Historical Museum: Exhibit: Campbell Firefighters. Special activities are free to members of organizations participating in History Month (HM ID card required)

History San Jose: Peralta Adobe: Hands-on activities for families, including making adobe bricks, roping a steer, carding wool, making tortillas, corn husk figures, brewing yerba buena tea, dipping candles and trying on Californio clothes.
Noon - 4 pm

Thursday, October 9

Cupertino Historical Society & Museum: Reflections on a Community's History A unique evening of local Cupertino history, featuring Elisha P. Stephens, Cupertino's wineries, and some of the more "hidden" facts of Cupertino's colorful history.
5:00 pm - 6:30 pm (408)777-3120 for information and registration

Exhibit: The Cupertino General Store, Inc., Heart of a Community. The exhibit is an interpretation of the store that once stood at the Crossroads (Stevens Creek and De Anza Boulevards) in Cupertino, selling everything from candy to dynamite.

History Museum of Los Gatos: Broken Hearts: Film and lecture - Before it hits PBS, enjoy a preview of Los Gatos resident Chris Martin's new documentary film about the last public lynchings in California after the kidnapping and murder of popular department store heir Brooke Hart in 1933.
7 pm - 9 pm at Los Gatos Council Chambers, 110 E. Main Street, Los Gatos, CA 95030 Seating is limited to 100 people, and is first-come, first served. Parental advisory: mature subject matter.

Saturday, October 11

Campbell Historical Museum: Make and Take Weekend (while supplies last).

Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum: Necessary Luxuries: Ancient Egyptian Cosmetics, Perfumes and Incense A Hands-on and Noses-on talk about scents and hygiene in the land of the Nile. Ever wonder why Egyptians wore heavy makeup? Or what it was made of? Just what is Frankincense and Myrrh, anyway? Come to Kim Sanders' workshop and find the answers to these questions and more.
1:30 - 2:30 pm: Free with paid museum admission.

Wings of History Air Museum: All day festival and open house. Free airplane rides for kids 8 to 17. Enjoy displays of vintage aircraft including an exact replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer. Also engines & memorabilia. Breakfast and lunch - 8 am to 3 pm.
Activities: 11 am - 4 pm

Sunday, October 12

Campbell Historical Museum: Make and Take Weekend (while supplies last).

Rengstorff House: House tours, a variety of 1880's living history activities, and games for all ages at this historic home in Mountain View's Shoreline Park.
11 am - 5 pm: Free; 650-903-6073 for further information.

Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum: Learn to Read Hieroglyphs One-hour workshop will introduce Symbols & Meaning, Numbering System, Calendar Dating System, Ancient Names, a Museum Gallery search for hieroglyphs. At the conclusion of the workshop a visit to one of the museum galleries will be available for those who wish to find hieroglyphs relating to workshop material.
2:00 - 3:00 pm: Free with paid museum admission.

Santa Clara Arts & Historical Consortium with Triton Museum: Open House featuring Santa Clara Historic Museum, Triton Museum of Art, historical music, one-act plays, art demonstrations and exhibits of Santa Clara Arts and Historical Consortium. Refreshments available.
10 am - 3 pm: 408-248-ARTS for further information

Monday, October 13

San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles: Sentimental Activists: Quiltmakers as Reformers in American Culture, lecture and performance by Jane Przybysz, Ph.D. Drawing on 19th century literary accounts of quiltmakers and quilting parties, Przybysz explores how quilts have historically been associated with reform movements in North America.
7 pm - 8:30 pm: Limited seating, reservations are required. $5/members. $10/non-members. Please call 408-971-0323 x10 for reservations.

Thursday, October 16

Cupertino Historical Society & Museum: Reflections on a Community's History A unique evening of local Cupertino history, featuring Elisha P. Stephens, Cupertino's wineries, and some of the more "hidden" facts of Cupertino's colorful history.
5:00 pm - 6:30 pm (408)777-3120 for information and registration

Saturday, October 18

Cupertino Historical Museum: Visit the exhibit Education in Cupertino, 1860 - 1960: The Perfection of Potentiality
10 am - 4 pm, Weds - Sat

Lace Museum: Hands-on demonstration of lace making. Current exhibit is Copy Cats, a comparison of hand-made laces and machine-made copies.
11 am - 4 pm: Call 408-730-4695 for details.

Los Altos History Museum: The current special exhibit is Bittersweet: Japanese American Legacy and Resilience. Compelling, emotional, and inspiring, the exhibit chronicles the Japanese American experience in the Santa Clara Valley from the late 1800's through the myriad of challenges of internment during World War II, to life post-war.
Noon - 4 pm: Admission is free.
An Encounter with Traditional Japanese Arts. Immerse yourself in age-old yet contemporary arts and crafts. View demonstrations of Ikebana and Sushi, learn to fold origami, or enjoy artisans at work. Enjoy hands-on activities for all ages on the Museum's patio and main floor.
1 pm - 3 pm: Admission is free.

Morgan Hill Historical Society:Tours of Villa Mira Monte (the Morgan Hill House) In addition to tours of the house, we will present an exhibit of early Morgan Hill photos from our museum collection.
11 am - 4 pm

Sunday, October 19

History Museum of Los Gatos: Lecture and slide show: Before the Light Rail: Somewhat Rapid Transit in the early 20th Century Historian and retired newspaper man Willys Peck will bring to life the interurban trolleys which connected San Jose, Los Gatos, Saratoga and Palo Alto. This delightful presentation will include a question and answer period.
1 pm - 3pm
Current exhibits: The Interurban Trolleys of the Santa Clara Valley, 1903-1933 and Costumes and Textiles: Wear and Care
Wednesday - Sunday, noon - 4pm. Free admission. Handicap-accessible. Parking.

Los Altos History Museum: The California Country Antique Americana Show and Sale at Hillview Community Center and the Los Altos History Museum patio and garden. The two facilities share a common parking lot.
10:00 am - 4:00 pm Los Altos History Museum members and members of the museums participating in History Month enter free (Bring your membership card, please.) Other visitors: $9.00 admission fee ($6.00 after 11 am).

Rengstorff House: The historic and beautifully restored Rengstorff House will host a variety of children's games and activities that were enjoyed by families of the 1880s.
11 am - 5 pm

Sunnyvale Historical Society: Exhibit: Artifacts Seldom Seen
1 pm - 5 pm

Tuesday, October 21

Intel Museum: Technology class on binary code, 2:00 - 4:00 pm.
2:00 pm -- Corporate History Tour
2:30 pm -- Chip Manufacturing TOur
3:00 pm -- Binary Bead Hands-on Lab
3:00 pm -- Corporate History Tour
3:30 pm -- Chip Manufacturing TOur
4:00 pm -- Binary Bead Hands-on Lab

The Intel Museum and gift shop will be open until 6:00 pm.

Saturday, October 25

Ainsley House: Special 45-minute tours. Docents will enhance their 45-minute tours of the caning pioneer John Colpitts Ainsley's 1925 Tudor Revival Historic Home by offering specialty tours and customized insights.

• 12:30 pm - the English tour.
• 1:30 pm - '20's tour
• 2:30 pm - Historic Campbell tour.

Palo Alto History Museum & Palo Alto Historical Association and Library: Palo Alto Trivia quiz game and a Trunk Show. Prizes for successful Pursuit "contestants", exhibits, artifacts, photo opportunities, ice cream at 1932 prices and more.
11 am - 3:30 pm at the Roth Building Patio, 300 Homer Avenue, Palo Alto

Also during October: At main Palo Alto Library, 1213 Newell: 1906 Earthquake: Photo archive from PAHA. Ask at the History Desk.

Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum: Necessary Luxuries: Ancient Egyptian Cosmetics, Perfumes and Incense A Hands-on and Noses-on talk about scents and hygiene in the land of the Nile. Ever wonder why Egyptians wore heavy makeup? Or what it was made of? Just what is Frankincense and Myrrh, anyway? Come to Kim Sanders' workshop and find the answers to these questions and more.
1:30 - 2:30 pm: Free with paid museum admission.

Days of the Dead: A Museum "Salon" - Salons are gatherings facilitated by experts in a particular field who introduce the material and encourage a discussion, which draws upon and enhances the group's knowledge and experience of the topic. Facilitated today by Curator and Assistant Director Lisa Schwappach-Shirriff, MA assisted by Research Associate Steven Armstrong, Ph.D. (Candidate).
3:00 - 5:00 pm: Free with Paid Museum Admission

Sunday, October 26

Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum: Learn to Read Hieroglyphs One-hour workshop will introduce Symbols & Meaning, Numbering System, Calendar Dating System, Ancient Names, a Museum Gallery search for hieroglyphs. At the conclusion of the workshop a visit to one of the museum galleries will be available for those who wish to find hieroglyphs relating to workshop material.
2:00 - 3:00 pm: Free with paid museum admission.

Tuesday, October 28

Cupertino Historical Society & Museum: Gathering at the Crossroads Lecture Series, Session 1
The evening begins with a potluck at 6:30 p.m. Please bring your own service and a dish to share. The presentation begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Cupertino Room of the Quinlan Community Center, 10185 N. Stelling Road. This lecture will feature a slide show presentation by the Juana Briones Heritage Foundation, and is $3.00 for non-members and free to members and History Month members. For more information, please call 408-973-1495.

Friday, October 31

Ainsley House: Halloween Party. 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Designed for families, the event includes a "flashlight tour" of the house, old-fashioned Halloween treats and games, and light refreshments. $10 per person, advance reservations required.
Limited to 50 people. Call (408) 866-2757 for reservations.

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