Alviso Adobe Community Park in Pleasanton

After years of planning, Pleasanton’s new Alviso Adobe Community Park opens to the public with a daylong family-friendly event this Saturday.

From the settlement of the Ohlone Indians, to the cattle-herding Spanish ranchos, to the turn-of-the-century Meadowlark Dairy, this seven-acre patch of land has a lot of history to tell. The park will do just that through special exhibits and interpretive programs developed by the city, the Amador Livermore Valley Historical Society, and the Museum on Main, and hands-on activities such as making adobe rocks, churning butter, and weaving baskets.

Peek into the past with a tour the 150-year-old adobe, a state historic landmark and one of only a few adobes still standing today, or recreations of the dairy-era milking barn and bunkhouse.  See a Native American bedrock mortar, which the Ohlone Indians used to crush acorns.  Or just wander the park’s path, which has been stamped with a historical timeline and winds through magnificent oaks and native plants, over a creek, and up a slight incline to an incredible view of the Tri-Valley.

Grand Opening activities include an Ohlone prayer in the four directions, performances of traditional dances and music, guided walking tours, crafts, games, a ceramic demonstration, and, of course, ice cream provided by Meadowlark Dairy.

Grand Opening: Saturday, October 25, 10a.m.–4p.m.  Regular public access hours: Wednesday–Sunday, 10a.m.–4p.m., 3465 Old Foothill Rd., Pleasanton, (925) 931-5350.  —LeeAnne Carson
 

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