Saint Michael Celebration in Ontario, Oregon

Saint Michael Celebration in Ontario, Oregon

The Ontario Basque Club will be celebrating its patron saint, San Michael the Archangel, this weekend on Saturday October 3rd. The event will take place at the park next to the Basque Center (Ontario Train Depot – 300 Depot Lane). Festivities will begin with mass celebrated by Aita Antton Egiguren at 11:30am. After mass, Mikel Deunaren Ezpata Dantza will be performed followed by lunch at 1pm. Cost for the lunch is $7.00 and includes salad, paella, chorizo sandwiches, rice pudding and a beverage. After lunch everyone is invited to stay for games including a Txinga competition. To RSVP please visit them on Facebook, or email info@ontariobasqueclub.org for more information.

Oinkari Sagardotegi Fundraiser

The Oinkari Basque Dancers will be holding their annual Sagardotegi (Basque Ciderhouse) Fundraiser this Saturday, October 3rd. Doors open at 6pm with dinner being served at 7pm. The menu will include cod sautéed with onions, peppers and garlic, cod omelet, thick-cut steaks as the main course, bread, walnuts and Basque cheese. The star of the night will be Basque hard cider, Sagardoa, served from wooden barrels with the traditional Txotx! to let folks know it time to fill their glasses. Again Berziartua Cider from Astigarraga, Gipuzkoa will be used. The Oinkaris are raising money to travel to the Basque Country next summer to attend workshops and perform with various Basque dance groups there. The hope is to "learn from the masters, and inspire their youth to continue and preserve these dances." For more information or to purchase tickets visit their website.

New Book on Basques in California

We have learned about a new book, When the Basques Ruled California, by Boise author John J. O'Hagan. The book discusses the history of early California from 1784-1834, when most positions of power in the state were held by Basques. O'Hagan wrote the book after researching the California missions for years and discovering that a number of surnames deemed Spanish, were actually of Basque descent. The book talks about the mark these Basques left on the state, on how it was run, and its later role in the formation of the western US. To purchase the book, or for more information click here.