Historic Faire turns back the clock in Marysville
For a few hours on Saturday, community members in downtown Marysville were taken on a tour of the city’s colorful past by some of the characters who helped shape it – or docents playing the part.
The third annual Historic Faire, which is put on by representatives from the Mary Aaron Memorial Museum and the Focus on Marysville Group, saw everything from gun battles and bank robberies (reenactments, of course) to gold panning and horse riding. Organizers put the event together as a way to celebrate and promote the city’s history.
“It’s a taste of what (Marysville) was and what it can be,” said organizer Amy Milburn, who portrayed Phoebe Rideout for the event. “Marysville has always been about change. From how it got its start in mining to what it has become today, it’s always changing. It’s quite remarkable, considering we are locked in by levees. We cannot grow out, so we had to grow within.”
Milburn wasn’t alone, as there were many others who dressed up in clothes from different eras and educated attendees on the city, as seen through the eyes of their particular character. There was W.T. Ellis, Mary Aaron, Lotta Crabtree, Lola Montez and a few members of the Donner Party, to name a few.
Some of the characters portrayed throughout the day had direct ties to the city’s history, others had looser connections.
Everett Blix with Old West Legends portrayed Virgil Earp – a U.S. Marshal depicted in the ’90s movie “Tombstone” by Sam Elliot. Blix and crew put on a show involving a gunfight and bank robbery, based loosely off of the old days in Marysville, he said.
`“When we heard about this event we wanted to get involved,” Blix said. “We are having a great time. Marysville has one of the best oldtowns outside of Sacramento. We wanted to put on a show about bringing law and order back to the city, the only way cowboys can.”
Blix and the Old West Legends have been putting on similar shows and activities for the past 17 years. For them, it’s a way to keep history alive.
“It’s fascinating to learn about the city’s history, brought out through the characters who endured the things they did to keep those towns alive and thriving,” Blix said.
Keith Johnson with the Sierra Muzzleloaders rolled out a camp on Fourth Street which emulated the 1820s. The group started in 1988 as a way to celebrate the sport of black powder shooting but has evolved into a large club of history buffs who enjoy camping like people who lived in the early 1800s.
“We like to come in and put on seminars for the kids. We like to teach about things like the fur trade and early west expansion,” Johnson said, whose known in the club as “Fingers.”
Johnson said he and his colleagues have been attending the Historic Faire since it began. When he joined the club, he didn’t know much about history. But as time went on and he immersed himself in the old ways of life, he grew a love for it. That’s why he attends events like the one on Saturday, he said, to teach others what he learned.
Marysville native Melody Zariczny took her two daughters and two nieces to the event on Saturday.
“I took off work today to bring these girls here to be part of the festivities,” Zariczny said. “I just really like the culture and learning more about the city’s history.”
Saturday’s event ran from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. and stretched several city blocks. There were tours, vendors, activities like gold panning and horse and buggy rides. Bands played music and local shops stayed open to greet the many attendees roaming downtown Marysville.