Let the Festivities Begin – Celebrating Día in West Sacramento

Posted on April 25th, 2010 by Maya Christina

We headed to Sacramento for a gorgeous drive from San Francisco last Saturday, April 17, to our first Día de los Niños event this year at the Arthur F. Turner Community Library. I’m always happy to go to Sacramento. It reminds me of being a kid and going to see the State Capitol. My father would stop at each and every Historical Landmark and noteworthy piece of local information on the way there. I love the shape of the town, the streets and parks. Matthew and I have had cause to go there a lot in the last couple of years and it feels familiar in parts. Sacramento has that central valley California feel that I love.

Clearly, I was charmed already with the prospects of the day, and so it went. The library and librarians were fabulous as always. In particular, my hostess with the mostest, Ericka rocked relentlessly. They had tortillas being made on site, books and an art area. There were children baile folklorico dancers that made me smile endlessly and made me not a little bit jealous of their costumes! The fabulous Francisco (Alarcon!) presented before me. I sat on the floor with the kids and watched his slideshow and listened to his poems and songs.

Afterwards, me and the kids sat together and talked art and did some drawings. I knew these kids were ready to play with me as they bellowed out one of my favorite exercises before making art. I call it “The Bob Trick.” I tell them my full name, which includes 5 names, but they can call me Bob to make things easier. After we’re done laughing about someone like me calling myself Bob, we gather our voices from deep in our toes and bring the sound Bob all the way up our bodies and out our mouths with great force. You know, just to get things moving! I love doing that in a library!

After we got all the Bob up and out, we got down to drawing. I looked at each and every one. I am always touched by the ability of children to create. I even got to take a few pieces of art home with me. Once we were fully Día’d, Matthew and I spent the evening visiting my friend Dr. Mira Reisberg, another artist, author, educator and her husband Guy. Needless to say, the day was perfection. I knew it would be.