LUCERNE, Calif. – The Friends of Marymount California University Lakeside present the fall Distinguished Speaker Series, “Grape to Glass: The Past, Present and Future of Agriculture in Lake County” at Marymount California University Lakeside Campus in Lucerne.
The first of these programs is on Thursday, Oct. 6, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and will feature historian Tony Pierucci, curator of the Lake County Museums.
A $5 donation will benefit a scholarship fund for students attending the Lakeside campus.
Pierucci will provide a glimpse into Lake County’s intriguing agricultural past. From the first cattle brought into the Clear Lake basin by Mexican caballeros in the 1840s to the industrialized canning of pears and other products through the 1940s, Lake County has been at the forefront of the agriculture industry in California for many decades.
Using written records, oral histories and historic photographs, Pierucci will shed light on some of the lesser-known stories of local farmers, dairymen and ranchers.
But the stories of the different crops and the farmers do not alone make up the fascinating history of agriculture in Lake County.
Lake County experienced many of the same farm labor concerns as did the rest of the state. Racial tensions concerning Native American labor in the 1860s, Chinese labor in the 1870s, and Filipino labor in the 1920s ultimately culminated in the labor strikes of the 1930s.
By interweaving the records of crop yields and acreage with the far more conflicting history of the men, women and children used to tend the land, Pierucci will reveal an insightful look into Lake County’s past.
Pierucci arrived in Lake County in 2014 to start work as the Assistant Curator of the Historic Courthouse Museum and the Lower Lake Historic Schoolhouse Museum, becoming Curator of the Lake County Museums in 2015.
He received his master’s degree in art history, archaeology and museum studies at the University of Missouri, and for the past eight years has worked in museums, archives and archaeological excavations throughout the United States and around the world.
Researching materials from the museums and local sources, Pierucci is the author of “Lake County Schoolhouses,” a pictorial guide to early schools and their role in the communities. Copies of Pierucci's book will be available for sale at the event.
This first program is cosponsored with The Friends of the Lake County Museum. Wines for tasting are provided courtesy of R Vineyards and Shannon Ridge.
The second program on Nov. 3, sponsored by Community Development Services, will be a panel discussion about sustainable practices in viticulture and vineyard management.
Speakers are Christian Ahlmann, vice president of Six Sigma Ranch and Winery; Tracey Hawkins, owner and winemaker for Hawk and Horse Vineyards; and Paul Zellman, director of educational programs for the Lake County Winegrape Commission.
The final program on Dec. 1, sponsored by the Lake County Winegrape Commission, will be a presentation by Robert Bath, MS, CHE, professor of Wine and Beverage Studies at the Culinary Institute of America, Napa Valley, and member of the Court of Master Sommeliers, who will feature local sources of food products paired with Lake County wines.
Additional sponsors for the series include Lake County Farm Bureau, Lake County News, Lake County Resource Conservation District, Lake County Winery Association and Sierra Club Lake Group.
Each program will begin at 6:30 p.m. and conclude at 8 p.m.
MCU Lakeside Campus is located at 3700 Country Club Drive Lucerne. For more information and directions to the campus, call 888-991-5253 and leave a message.