By Tracy Salcedo

The Call of the Wild event schedule for May 14-15 is packed

Jack London State Historic Park’s first-ever Call of the Wild weekend, a two-day, family-friendly community open house featuring original music and storytelling, guided hikes on a newly renovated trail, tours historic and natural sites in the park, and demonstrations of blacksmithing, spinning and horseback riding, is scheduled for May 14 and 15.

To take a walk

The fun begins early Saturday, May 14, when visitors are invited to meet at the Ranch parking lot at 8:45 a.m. for a guided hike to Lake London and the trailhead of the newly redeveloped Vineyard Trail. A groundbreaking ceremony for the improved trail, which connects the park’s foreland to its wilder backcountry, will take place at 9:30 a.m.

The Vineyard Trail, like many routes in the state park system built on old service roads or even game trails, was not originally designed to accommodate modern trail traffic, according to the park literature. To enhance the trail’s sustainability, improve the user experience, and make it easier for maintenance crews to access the southern portion of the park, the trail has been updated to include stone steps, a boardwalk, and walkways. other improvements. The work was funded by Prop 64, which (among other things) set aside cannabis tax money for use in parks. The project was carried out by a state park trail team and the California Conservation Corps.

After the grand opening, intrepid hikers are invited to join a guided hike to the Ancient Sequoia, a beautiful, gnarled Grandmother Tree, and explore the Old Orchard, which has also been rehabilitated. recent.

Reservations for the inauguration ceremony are mandatory; Secure your place online at https://jacklondonpark.com/events/trailrestoration/. A guided hike on the vineyard trail will also be offered on Sunday, May 15 starting at 9 a.m. Other options for hikers looking to explore hiking include guide-led tours of the park’s various historical and natural features.

Musical interludes

Beginning at 11 a.m. on May 14, visitors are invited to take part in a “walking introduction to Jack London’s Mysterious Call”. These easy, self-guided 10-minute hikes lead to four Beauty Ranch locations where singer-songwriters will provide 10-minute musical interludes.

Featured artists include John Elliott, Diana Gameros, Maya Hall and Chris Chandler. Elliott, the headliner, draws inspiration from artists like Bruce Springsteen, Eminem and Queen. Gameros is a singer, guitarist and social activist whose works have been featured on NPR’s All Songs Considered and Alt. Latin podcast. Hall is originally from Japan and an “explorer of sound and vibration”. Chandler is a performance poet who has worked with Allen Ginsberg and Pete Seeger.

According to the park, the concept of the “mysterious call” is derived from a passage in Jack London’s The Call of the Wild: “But he loved above all to run in the dark twilight of summer midnights, listening to the subdued whispers and asleep of the forest, reading the signs and sounds as a man might read a book, and searching for the mysterious something that was calling, calling, awake or sleeping, at any moment, for it to come.

The musical journey continues at 1:30 p.m., when visitors are invited to join star performers at a songwriters’ roundtable at the park’s cellar ruins for an exploration of the art of storytelling. , of the art of writing and of the “something mysterious” which calls for creative artists.

The musical offerings conclude with an evening concert in the cellar ruins featuring Elliott, Gameros, Hall and Chandler. Tickets are $20 and seating is festival-style, so attendees should bring their own blankets and/or folding chairs. Buy your tickets at https://jacklondonpark.com/events/call-of-the-wild-concert/.

The concert, panel discussion and other musical events were sparked by Jack London Park Partners board members Ford Goodman and Glenn McCoy, both of whom have ties to creative projects. “We see this as a way to honor and reflect the whole community, an extension of how Jack London has traveled the world to meet and really understand people,” Goodman said.

The Sunday, May 15 offerings, dubbed “Family Adventure Day,” focus on activities the whole family can enjoy. Plowing Day runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and features plowing and harness demonstrations, free horse-drawn wagon rides, and the chance to experience mules, Clydesdales, Percherons, Shires and Belgian draft horses. Blacksmiths, a spinning demonstration and an exhibit of early gasoline engines will be on hand.

Jack London’s “playful side” will be celebrated between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., when visitors can enjoy a “whimsical walk” through the Beauty Ranch that

Family fun and games

spotlights games the famous author may have played a century ago. The adventure ends at the Eucalyptus Grove picnic area with a demonstration by ‘Bubble Scientist’ Ron Schultz, who will share Jack’s love for bubbles and give kids the chance to create their own giant bubbles . Art Escape will also be there, offering “a great art project to end the day”.

Let’s celebrate young authors

The awards ceremony for the winners of the Jack London Park Young Authors Competition and their families will take place at the Eucalyptus Grove at 10am on Saturday 14 May. This annual juried competition invites writers in grades six through eight to follow a writing prompt inspired by Jack London and tell an original story all their own. This year’s prompt focused on community, inviting writers to explore “what a brighter community looks like through your eyes.”

Chow time and a park pass

Whether you’re hiking, dancing, or both, you can stoke the fires at Picnic in the Meadow with the Tri-Tip Trolley food truck, which will be on site from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 14, and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 15. Beer and wine will also be available. Bring a blanket or folding chairs for picnics.

Participants can also enter a daily draw to win an annual park pass. Tickets for the drawings will be available in the parking lot of the Ranch.

The need to know

Call of the Wild Weekend helps celebrate the 10th anniversary of the formation of Jack London Park Partners, which operates the park “on behalf of the people of California.” Funding for the park is generated by visitors, annual pass holders and donors.

All visitors will receive free admission to the park, normally $10 per vehicle with up to nine passengers. For timetable details, visit https://jacklondonpark. com/call-of-the-wildweekend/. For more information on all the park has to offer, visit https://jacklondonpark.com/.