Mural Celebration at the Tong

Mural panels painted by Isleton Elementary School students are now installed in front of the first floor of the Bing Kong Tong Building. The mural installation celebration on Main Street was emceed by IBAHS Vice-President Ligaya Apalit and guest speakers included past Isleton Mayor John Perez, present Mayor Christopher Stokes, and mural project manager Carolyn Schneider. The mural is a colorful and exciting addition to the scenes on Main Street!

The 1938 Isleton Elementary School Track Team

The latest featured subject are two pictures of the Isleton Elementary School track team from 1938. These pictures were taken in front of two different school buildings. The first picture with numerous students was taken in front of the building where just prior to the 1972 flood was used as the seventh and eighth grade classrooms.
When this particular building was first constructed it was the classroom building for the "Oriental" children.
The second picture where there are nine members of the track team sitting on the steps was in front of the building that was under the water tower. Over the years before the building was razed for the school parking lot, it housed the Isleton Boy Scouts, the band room for the award-winning Isleton Elementary School band, and a doctor's office. Some of its classrooms were also used as scenes in the 1976 Hal Ashby-directed motion picture "Bound For Glory" which filmed in Isleton late in the summer of 1975. "Bound for Glory" featured David Carradine of the 1970s television series "Kung Fu" portraying 1930s folk singer Woody Guthrie during the Great Depression. Carradine was at the height of his "Kung Fu" popularity when he starred in the biopic. "Bound for Glory" was also nominated for a Best Picture Oscar at the 1977 Academy Awards.
If you can identify any of these track team members/Isleton Elementary School students, please submit a comment at the end of this post or email pam@isletonhistory.org.

HISTORIES OF BUILDINGS AND PAST RESIDENTS

We are in search of the histories of the historical buildings in town. This includes buildings no longer there, such as the canneries. We are looking for stories and photos. If you know who lived in certain buildings in the past or have old photos we would be very grateful if you would share them with us. All photos will be returned. If you have stories we are interested in those also.

History Essay Contest for Students

The IBAHS is promoting a History Essay Contest for the eighth graders attending Isleton Elementary School and also for the Rio Vista High School students. The Eighth Grade winner will receive a fifty-dollar ($50.00) savings bond and the High School student will receive a monetary prize towards their education. IBAHS Vice-President Ligaya Apalit is the Chairperson and will be coordinating this project with the schools.

Name that Newsletter Contest Prizes

The lucky winner of the Name that Newsletter Contest will be given a free night at the Delta Daze Inn Bed and Breakfast at 20 Main Street in Isleton. If you are the winner, you may even have your pick of the theme rooms. Included is a scrumptious breakfast in the sunny breakfast dining area. This offer is for any Sunday through Thursday when rooms are available. The winner also receives dinner for two at the River's Edge Cafe at 7 Main Street in Isleton. Please check the schedules of both businesses beforehand. These prizes do not have to be collected on the same day; for example, you can stay at the Delta Daze on one occasion and dine at the River's Edge on another occasion.

Name That Newsletter Contest Extended (again)

The Name that Newsletter Contest deadline has been re-extended to April 21, 2006. We want our quarterly newsletter to have a name. You can enter as many times as you like, but if there is a tie the prize will go to the first to submit the name. Postmarks will count. Therefore, all entries should be mailed to the IBAHS at PO Box 933, Isleton, CA 95641. In order for the contest to be fair for all we have a very qualified outside judge that publishes a well-known historical magazine. Please make sure all entries are legible.

New Board of Directors

The IBAHS held their board election December 4 during the General Meeting at River's Edge Cafe at 7 Main Street. Here are the officers and board members for the upcoming term:
President: Charlene Andersson
Vice President: Ligaya Apalit
Secretary: Pamela Bulahan
Treasurer: Cookie Stait-Gardner
Board of Directors: Karen Franscioni, Ross Peters, Joani Johnson, Bill Cox, and Ed Concepcion

Grand Opening of Museum at 203 Second Street

The Grand Opening of the IBAHS museum site at 203 Second Street (also known as the Big Red Building and Gardiner Improvement Building) was amply attended this past December 3rd and 4th. Isleton Mayor Christopher Stokes cut the opening day ribbon and building owner Steve Rosenthal was presented a commemorative plaque by Joani Johnson. About 75 patrons witnessed the opening ceremonies. December 3 saw a total attendance tally of 110 patrons, some monetary donations, and sales of t-shirts and books. December 4 had a total attendance tally of 41 attendees and also some donations.

Opening hours of the museum are from 12pm - 3pm on Saturdays with the exception of December 17 through January 7. As the weather improves opening hours may be extended in the future. We are gladly accepting volunteers to be museum docents. Please contact museum Curator Ed Concepcion at (916) 777-4426 for details. The museum is also accepting private viewing tours by appointment. Again, please contact Curator Ed Concepcion at (916) 777-4426 for more information.

The museum is putting out the call for any and all photo information on anything of and about the Isleton Brannan-Andrus area for future exhibitions in the museum. We will scan photos so you can keep your original. Other artifacts for showing in the museum are welcome as well. Please make arrangements with President Charlene Andersson at (916) 777-5186 or Curator Ed Concepcion.

Interim Museum Location

The temporary museum for the Isleton Brannan Andrus Historical Society will be located at 203 Second Street - also known as the old Gardiner Improvement Company building, featured in our September 2005 Archives on this site. The grand opening for the museum will be on Saturday, December 3 and Sunday, December 4 and opening hours both days are from 11 AM to 4 PM. Photo exhibits and other artifacts will be prominently displayed and everybody is encouraged to view them in this historic structure!

Bing Kong Tong Building

The Bing Kong Tong Building was the site for many celebrations such as this in its heyday. It was built after the Main Street fire of 1926. The Bing Kong Tong served many functions to the Chinese community. The first floor was a cultural language school for the children as well as a Chinese community hall. The second floor was a temple for Chinese men only and a room for the visiting Bing Kong Tong Association officers.

Today this building is in need of restoration for its future use as a museum for the IBAHS and also to meet again for future celebrations for all residents and visitors of Isleton. This project has been funded in part by a grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Click "comments" and post any feedback concerning the Tong Building under this blog.

Japanese Buddhist Temple

The Japanese Buddhist minister and the Young Mens' Association are proudly photographed in 1935 in front of their Buddhist Temple, which served as their temple of worship and also as their community hall of celebration. This temple still stands at 409 F Street. It is now the All Nations Church of God.

IBAHS June Newsletter now online!

You can now view the June 2005 IBAHS News here: http://www.isletonhistory.org/ibahs_news_0605.pdf

Read, and enjoy!

History of Main Street Structures and Sites

One of the projects we are working on is the history of each structure or location on Main Street. If you have any pertinent information on any of the structures or locations on Main Street do not hesitate to contact us.

First montly update completed!

The Chong Brothers image is up on the front page, along with a new page which will contain the past archives of all front page entries. This news page has also been changed to make it a bit more readable, and more links have been added at the links page.

Don't forget to submit news items to pam@isletonhistory.org so that she can post them here! If there's an update to the Tong building, it should be here. If there's a new event, it should be here. Send away! She can also post images here to boot, so you can send her your Isleton historical photos and images and she can post them here, like so:

So turn in your news articles today and keep this site alive!

Board of Directors Meetings

The IBAHS Board of Directors will meet at the Delta Daze Inn, 20 Main Street at 6pm on the first and third Wednesdays monthly, with additional meetings as needed. The Board of Directors meeting schedule is also listed in the Isleton PTA Community Birthday Calendar. The next meeting is September 28, 2005 at 6pm, continued from the September 21, 2005 regular Board meeting.

Need feedback on the site

Here is the site thus far. More photos and stories will be added shortly. Any and all feedback regarding the site is most appreciated.

New Site!

We here at the IBAHS are working hard to bring you this new site for news and information on events and happenings of historical and/or cultural significance in the Isleton area. We hope you find it enjoyable and informative!

Expect more news updates in the coming weeks detailing the events in the area, as well as the exhibits and the progress on the new museum. We are trying to rebuild the Bing Kung Tong building to house our exhibits, and you can help. See our "About Us" page (click home, then About Us) to find the membership forms, or donate and have a permanent place in our new museum: a plaque on the wall, with your message, and for business and corporate sponsors, their logo and company name. And if you can't help that way, well, you can always donate any historical artifacts from the area's past. Photos, letters, you name it. You can use the contact form (also at the home page menu) to let us know how to get in touch with you.

Thanks, and enjoy!