Time is a rather relentless cleaning product. As events come and go, it seems it only takes time before memories are erased from our memories, or at least leave nothing much more than smudges which we can't make out. I have eulogized at several funerals about keeping the memory of someone alive. But the sad truth is, only two individuals have cheated death and live on; Jesus Christ and Elvis. It would seem the only defense we have against time, is record keeping, and we can't leave that up to someone else.
It came as a harsh reality to me, that while I have a pretty good memory of the the chronology and events of my life, I can't say the same about my parents. Or my grandparents. I knew my mother was born in Delleker in 1927 at the hospital there. I even have a photo copy of Dr. Decker's journal noting her birth. But where did my grandparents live? What house? Never thought to ask. Does it matter? Well, kind of.
The truth is, the less facts we know, the easier it is for the memories to slip away. My grandparents, Joe and Nita Urrutia, were well known and respected members of Eastern Plumas County. Once in a while, I run across someone who remembers them, but not much about them. How sad. And shame on me! The Urrutias, and scores of other families in our community, are being cleaned away by time. Let's do something about it.
I started with just a few paragraphs of what I'm 90% sure of. It is ome sort of documentation from someone who actually knew them, loved them and hugged them. Please do the same. Then, find a photo, put it together with your essay, and get it to me at the Plumas Sierra County Fair. This year's theme is “Harvest of the Home”. It is all about what we harvest in the form of our family. I want to share this harvest with the world on a wall at the Fair, showing all the short histories and photos. I want people to learn, or better yet, remember these people; these seeds of our community. And when it's all over, we will take these treasures and put them in a book. That book will be shared from now on in local museums and events. It will be added to and will live for as long as we think it's important.
This is for everyone. Your family doesn't have to be a leader in the community. Did your Grandpa work for the railroad? Was Mom a class helper? Did your uncle and aunt own the local bar in 1948? Those are the stories that make up who we are, and those are the stories we want to see. I've written an essay about my grandparents; please use it as a sample of what you could write. Keep it to about a page, but if all you can muster is a paragraph, we'll take it. If you don't have a photograph, don't worry. Just having this information, any information, on record, will help keep the memory alive. I think that's well worth the effort.
Visit the Fair website at www.plumas-sierracountyfair.net for the sample essay and how you can get your information to us. The deadline for submissions is July 15, 2016.
It came as a harsh reality to me, that while I have a pretty good memory of the the chronology and events of my life, I can't say the same about my parents. Or my grandparents. I knew my mother was born in Delleker in 1927 at the hospital there. I even have a photo copy of Dr. Decker's journal noting her birth. But where did my grandparents live? What house? Never thought to ask. Does it matter? Well, kind of.
The truth is, the less facts we know, the easier it is for the memories to slip away. My grandparents, Joe and Nita Urrutia, were well known and respected members of Eastern Plumas County. Once in a while, I run across someone who remembers them, but not much about them. How sad. And shame on me! The Urrutias, and scores of other families in our community, are being cleaned away by time. Let's do something about it.
I started with just a few paragraphs of what I'm 90% sure of. It is ome sort of documentation from someone who actually knew them, loved them and hugged them. Please do the same. Then, find a photo, put it together with your essay, and get it to me at the Plumas Sierra County Fair. This year's theme is “Harvest of the Home”. It is all about what we harvest in the form of our family. I want to share this harvest with the world on a wall at the Fair, showing all the short histories and photos. I want people to learn, or better yet, remember these people; these seeds of our community. And when it's all over, we will take these treasures and put them in a book. That book will be shared from now on in local museums and events. It will be added to and will live for as long as we think it's important.
This is for everyone. Your family doesn't have to be a leader in the community. Did your Grandpa work for the railroad? Was Mom a class helper? Did your uncle and aunt own the local bar in 1948? Those are the stories that make up who we are, and those are the stories we want to see. I've written an essay about my grandparents; please use it as a sample of what you could write. Keep it to about a page, but if all you can muster is a paragraph, we'll take it. If you don't have a photograph, don't worry. Just having this information, any information, on record, will help keep the memory alive. I think that's well worth the effort.
Visit the Fair website at www.plumas-sierracountyfair.net for the sample essay and how you can get your information to us. The deadline for submissions is July 15, 2016.
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