Equestrian Poker Ride and Lunch Fundraiser at Saddleback Butte State Park

ETI Corral 138 and the Support Saddleback Committee invite equestrians to come out and ride on Saturday April 30, to help improve Saddleback Butte State Park equestrian amenities. Recent improvements include installation of three new Step-over horse gates at the trail’s entrance and exit.

Elaine Macdonald will lead a nine mile ride–about three hours–on the horse trail, and around the back of Saddleback Butte to return to the staging area for lunch–served from 11 a.m. until riders return. The trail is ideal for beginner riders or young horses. Sandy terrain, with beautiful views of the Antelope Valley and the San Gabriel Mountains.

Registration starts at 9 a.m. and in the saddle at 10 a.m. sharp! Poker Hands included with registration will be pulled before the ride. ETI members $15.00; non-ETI members $20.00

Please RSVP to Elaine by April 30th to assure lunch: emac43031@gmail.com or 661-946-1976. Call for confirmation if rain is forecast.

When: Saturday April 30th, Registration 9 a.m.; in the Saddle 10 a.m.
Where: Saddleback Butte State Park Equestrian Staging area: 200th St. East and East Avenue J-8
Directions from Lancaster: From Northbound 14 Freeway, take the 20th St. West exit. Turn right onto 20th Street West, and right again onto Avenue J. Go east on Avenue J for 22 miles (Pass the main entrance to Saddleback Butte State Park at 170th St. East.) Turn right on 200th Street East (a small dirt road) and go about ½ mile to the staging area at 200th Street East and East Avenue J-8. There is easy access pull-through.

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Enjoy Outdoor Theater at Antelope Valley Indian Museum SHP

On Saturday May 7, 2016, from 6-9 p.m., join us for an encore performance of Owl and the Bear at Antelope Valley Indian Museum. The event is a fundraiser for the Friends of the Antelope Valley Indian Museum. Come out, enjoy theater under the sky, and support the museum.

Owl and the Bear is based on Ted Garcia’s version of a traditional Chumash story. The play is performed outdoors by local Antelope Valley kids at “Little Theatre of the Standing Rocks.”

From 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., the museum will be open. Food will be available for purchase from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m, so you can enjoy dinner either before or after the play. The play will start at 7:00 p.m. After the performance, the museum will reopen until 9 p.m. The museum highlights American Indian peoples of California, Arizona, and New Mexico.

The history of theater at the museum dates back to 1932. Museum founder H. A. Edwards wrote an Indian pageant. It was performed outdoors, near the museum, annually from 1932 to 1935. Edwards’ drama students from Lincoln High School played the main roles, and local friends and neighbors played the secondary roles. Edwards named his outdoor stage Theatre of the Standing Rocks.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids age six to 12. Kids age five and under are free. Advance tickets are on sale at the Antelope Valley Indian Museum gift shop every Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Remaining tickets will be available for purchase at the door on a first-come first-served basis on May 7.

The museum is located at 15701 East Avenue M, in Lake Los Angeles, east of Lancaster, California. From the 14 Freeway in Lancaster, go east on Avenue K to 150th Street East. Turn right and go south for two miles to Avenue M. Turn left and go east on Avenue M for 1 mile to the museum. Please, no pets. For more information, phone the museum at (661) 946-3055 (711 TTY relay service), or visit our website at www.avim.parks.ca.gov. Join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AVIndianMuseum.

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Spring Tours Begin at Tehachapi Indian Village Site

California State Parks is beginning the spring tour season at Tomo-Kahni State Historic Park in Tehachapi. Although no structures remain on this Kawaiisu Native American village site, the area’s rich history comes alive through the trained volunteer tour guides and the clues that the inhabitants left behind.

Tomo Kahni means “winter home” in Kawaiisu, and rock rings mark the locations of many of the kahni, or homes, that were built of juniper boughs. Hundreds of mortar holes in the park tell of a very active past. The tour also includes Medicine Cave, Nettle Springs and a cave with pictographs- a spiritual place for the Kawaiisu.

Due to the extremely sensitive nature of the site, the park may only be entered with an official guided tour. This season’s tours are offered Saturdays through June 11th. Activities begin at 8:30 a.m. with an orientation at the Tehachapi Museum and last approximately four hours, which includes travel time to the park; transportation is not provided.

The tour involves a moderately strenuous three hour hike at over 4,000 foot elevation. Those with heart conditions or breathing problems should not take this tour. Weather is variable, so layered clothing is recommended. Ample drinking water, sun protection, and sturdy walking shoes are also necessary (no flip-flops, dress shoes, etc.).

Tour fee is $5 for adults and $3 for children ages six to 16–age five and under are free, but not recommended on tours. Tours are limited to 15 people and fill up fast so reservations are highly recommended, for an additional fee of $10 per party. To make a reservation or for more information, call (661) 946-6092 or email Mojave.Sector@parks.ca.gov.

Where: Meet at Tehachapi Museum, 310 S. Green Street, Tehachapi
When: Saturdays April 16th through June 11th, 8:30 a.m. to  approximately 1 p.m.
Cost: Adults: $5, Children age 6 to 16: $3, Children under 5 free.
Reservations: $10 per party (recommended)
Contact: Norman Lee, Mojave Sector Office, (661) 946-6092 or Mojave.Sector@parks.ca.gov

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Camp Hosts Needed at Saddleback Butte State Park

Do you or someone you know have a trailer and love camping in the desert? We are looking for volunteer camp host(s) to stay at Saddleback Butte State Park, near Lancaster at the western end of the Mojave Desert, which is an hour north of LA.

The host campsite has full hookups, and duties include greeting visitors and campers, selling firewood, light grounds maintenance, light restroom cleaning, weekend visitor center staffing and cleaning as needed, and opening and closing gates. It’s a small campground in a quiet park, but spring may be busy if we have a good wildflower bloom. Daily work hours depend on park visitation–but generally about five hours a day–and days off are flexible. Camp hosts can also be trained to give interpretive programs if interested. A small town and the State Park Sector office are located only four miles away.

The three to six month position is available immediately. This is not a paying position, but hosts are compensated with a free camp site and hookups. Camp hosts must provide their own trailer or RV, and pass a background check. More info about the park can be found at http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=618. Email Colin.Daxon@parks.ca.gov for questions or to receive an application packet.