New 2021 calendar celebrates Merced County’s past, while looking ahead to the future

We have avoided social gatherings in order to protect our loved ones, friends, neighbors, and coworkers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As much as we are going to miss all the special moments, we cannot wait to put 2020 behind us. While we are uncertain about what the New Year will bring, we can find comfort in the Merced County Historical Society 2021 Calendar.

The calendar features photos capturing everyday moments from Merced County’s past during good as well as difficult times. These images are reminders of our resilience and determination.

Each page you turn in this membership calendar, you will see a historic photo that celebrates a major holiday or tradition of the month, beginning with the building of a snowman on New Year’s Day in 1916.

When a snowstorm visited Merced for the first time in 28 years, it left an inch of snow and many happy souls, who indulged in a game of snowballing. Best of all, it was a perfect opportunity to leave a historical record for the local newspaper by posing for a picture in the heart of Downtown Merced on Main and Canal Streets.

February celebrates Presidents’ Day and features three sitting presidents in Merced County. While stopping in Merced en route to Yosemite, President William Taft delivered an important speech in the Courthouse Park to celebrate the American “melting pot” on October 6, 1909. President John F. Kennedy attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the San Luis Dam and Reservoir project on Aug. 18, 1962 in Los Banos.

In 1980, President Jimmy Carter spent part of his Fourth of July holiday attending a town hall meeting at Merced College before flying to Miami Beach to deliver a speech.

March marks spring’s arrival, and Mike Lafon and Melanie Presley of Merced knew how to celebrate it with flair. These two youngsters, playing in a park full of beautiful blossoms, were photographed on March 19, 1958 by the Merced Sun-Star as part of its “Seasons” feature.

Another very adorable picture of children appears in the month of April in which Russelle Barrett (Shively) and her friends enjoyed an Easter egg hunt party in Merced Falls in 1930. The egg hunt took place in what was known as “The Quarters” of the Yosemite Lumber Company where Mexican and Black workers and their families lived.

May’s major holiday is Memorial Day. In this month’s photo, Merced County residents paid tribute to their war heroes with a solemn ceremony by the City Hall on M Street as World War II came to an end. A temporary memorial was erected around 1946 to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, were missing in action, or became prisoners of war.

June observes Flag Day on the 14th; therefore, this month displays a picture of the first 50-star American flag that flew over Merced at Elks Lodge on December 18, 1959. Merced was ahead of the nation in flying the flag with Hawaii’s admission to the Union because the first official 50-star American flag was not raised until July 4, 1960 in Washington D.C. in the presence of President Dwight Eisenhower.

One of the oldest traditions in Los Banos is its annual Fourth of July parade. Featured in July, the 1903 photo shows beautifully decorated horse carriages marching down 6th Street as spectators flooded both sides of the street in their best hats and clothing.

August observes a little-known celebration called Women’s Equality Day to commemorate the adoption of the 19th Amendment. It was first celebrated in 1972 when President Richard Nixon proclaimed August 26 as “Women’s Rights Day.” The photo picked for this month is the Women’s Improvement Club of Dos Palos in 1937.

Back-to-school for Merced County students used to take place after Labor Day. The September picture in the calendar shows Merced area students checking out their classroom assignments on their first day of school in 1983. Their serious expressions may indicate that they were anxious about the new challenges ahead.

Life is not all about work, there should also be time to play. Just look at these mischievous ladies in the photo featured in October. In their funny costumes with their silly poses in the Merced countryside, they may have been out of place but not out of wit. It appears that they were on their way to a Halloween party or a play rehearsal. Anyway, they sure knew how to have fun.

Fun continues into November as the calendar features two pictures: Gustine’s first Armistice Day parade and Winton’s first Thanksgiving feast held in open air. To celebrate the end of World War I, Gustine residents paraded a long row of cars decorated with American flags down 5th Street on November 11, 1918.

What is so interesting about this picture are the people. If you look closer, you can see them wearing face covering or masks. Yes, you guessed it. It was due to the 1918 Flu pandemic. You may also wonder why Winton colonists held their Thanksgiving banquet outdoors? It is not what you thought. These new settlers, in 1911, lived in a tent city while their permanent homes were being built.

Finally, it is Christmas time. December features Castle Air Force personnel installing a Christmas tree at the base on December 10, 1960. This was one of the 150 fresh-cut trees that they set up throughout the base for the annual Christmas celebration.