This announcement just went out to the local press about our efforts on Rotarians At Work Day.
RB Sunrise Rotary Helps Repair Sikes Adobe Historic Farmstead…Again!
Supporters of the Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary club will be spending Saturday, April 26, 2008 performing maintenance, repair and clean-up work for the Sikes Adobe Farmstead. The club members selected this project as their contribution to Rotarians At Work Day, and will be out there starting at 9am.
The only thing is they did the same work less than three years ago.
In June, 2005, The RB Sunrise and Escondido Sunrise Rotary Clubs invested significant time, energy and treasure to refurbish the property on the border of Escondido. Under a blazing summer sun, dozens of Rotarians, family, friends, and area historians worked to create and set in place a working replica of an 1870 windmill.
“It’s a day I won’t soon forget” says past president Mark Berdan, recounting how member Randy Williams was swinging at the top of a crane at great risk to his life and limb. “Rotarians do what needs to be done, when and where it needs to be done.” observes Berdan, noting “sometimes our enthusiasm gets away from us.”
Located in the San Dieguito River Park, the Sikes Adobe Farmstead is an official State Point of Historical Interest. Originally built in 1870, it is one of the oldest structures in the county and one of the few remaining adobes in the region. “Sikes Adobe Farmstead represents a legacy of Old California and our ranching and farming history.” says Sikes Adobe Museum Manager Anne Cooper.
The Sikes family was one of the first families to settle in the area in 1869, and their farm represented the beginnings of agricultural development in post gold-rush San Diego county. The owner and head of household, Zenas Sikes, was the first postmaster of the town of Bernardo, where he also served as president of the Grange.
And this past October’s Witch Creek Fires destroyed almost all of this registered historical landmark. “The house is a major loss” says club president Steve Sayler. He points out that while some adobe walls remain, the cumulative damage of the fire and this past winter’s rains were devastating.
“A beautiful sewing machine was brought in the day before the fire” points out charter member Rex Teets. “That was lost, along with books, maps, a history of the Sikes Family. It’s a huge loss for our community, and we aim to help set things right.”
And while it won’t be perfect after the April 26th event, the Sikes Adobe Farmstead will be in much better shape than it is right now. All courtesy of the Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary and the Rotarians At Work program.
Rotarians At Work started in San Diego and is quickly gaining traction around the world with the objective of having all 33,000 Rotary clubs on the map working on community improvement projects simultaneously.
The Rotarians At Work program was conceived by former District Governor Bob Watson, and is being organized and run by District 5340’s 2006 Rotarian Of The Year Jim Roth. Roth is a member of the RB Sunrise Rotary.
Non-Rotarians are also invited to donate time or resources, as well as to visit the house and see what construction methods were used in that era. It is easily accessible off Route I-15, exit Via Rancho Parkway and go East. Travel 100 yards and turn right on Sunset Drive. Another 100 yards and turn left into the long dirt driveway.
More information about the RB Sunrise Rotary is available online at http://www.rbsunrise.org/. More information about the Sikes Adobe Historic Farmstead is available online at http://www.sdrp.org/.
Prior to the Witch Creek Fires of 2007, the Sikes Adobe Historic Farmstead was a piece of living history, showing the very roots of the Rancho Bernardo community.
Much of the 5.7 acre complex was destroyed or damaged this past October. The historic significance of the buildings, maps, and even the wallpaper demands the community pitch in to refurbish this registered landmark. The Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary will be out there at 9am helping do the right thing. Will you?
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