History comes alive this weekend during annual Dana Adobe Heritage Day in Nipomo

NIPOMO, Calif. - History comes alive this weekend during a popular annual event that will be held at the Dana Adobe and Cultural Center.

On Saturday, the State Historical Landmark will hold Heritage Day, its yearly showcase that also serves as a major fundraiser.

"It's kind of an open house," said docent Terry Handy. "It shows not only to Nipomo residents, but to the Central Coast and California what life was like on a rancho from 1820 to about 1850. We do as much living history as we can. Our main goal is to do living history, to show off and let the community members come in and see what is right here in their own hometown."

Visitors will enjoy live historical reenactments, demonstrations, guided tours, as well as live music, dancing performances, and fun-filled activities for the entire family.

The event allows the community an opportunity to take a walk back in time, and learn about the rich history, culture, and traditions of early Nipomo and 19th-century coastal California.

"It's quite a gem for Nipomo," said Handy. "I've done lots of tours where people will say, gosh, I've lived here for my whole life and I didn't know this place was here. Of course it's is. It's how Nipomo began with William Dana coming here in 1837 to build his home. The Dana family owned this for 60 years, and then it was abandoned for a while, but it was restored for the last 50 years or so. That's our purpose is just kind of an open house and give people a great way to have pride in their community and to kind of see a little bit of history of where they live."

Heritage Day will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14 and there is an admission fee to attend.

"It's going to be a wonderful day," said Handy. "It's a really, really fun day, and we hope the community will come out here and support us and just have a great time."

For more information about Heritage Day, click here to visit the Dana Adobe and Cultural Center website.