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(Top left photo) Ralph Fernandez and Cathy Fernandez (right) hand Tony and Celia Diaz (left) their lunch at “Steckel Stock.” The “Steckel Stock” fundraiser was held last Saturday to raise money to “Save the Steckel Park Aviary.” Aviary supporters rocked out to music by UnUsual Suspects, North Swell, Charles Law and Cruise Nights, which each played two-hour sets. Above (top right), North Swell entertains the crowd. (Photo bottom left) Fundraisers are underway to refurbish the Steckel park Aviary. (Bottom right) A few birds are still housed at the Steckel Park Aviary including this peacock. |
Steckel Park Aviary fundraiser for the birds
August 24, 2012
Steckel Park Aviary’s daylong celebration Saturday was literally for the birds
Santa Paula News
Steckel Park Aviary’s daylong celebration Saturday was literally for the birds as some 250 people enjoyed an afternoon barbecue and live music performed by four local bands that donated their talents to raise money for the aviary restoration.
“It helps us rediscover Steckel Park and the aviary,” said historian Mitch Stone of Santa Paula, who has been instrumental in raising awareness and funds to save the 50-plus-year-old aviary that just last year the county of Ventura was planning to demolish.
“We may have been taking the park for granted,” said Stone, who said he hopes the aviary fundraising drive through Friends of the Steckel Park Aviary will “make it a Santa Paula tradition, getting back up to Steckel Park.”
Enjoying Steckel Park is a longtime tradition for David Luna of Santa Paula, who laughingly recalled the aviary of his boyhood as a “poor man’s zoo.” At one time, deer and bighorn sheep were part of the attraction that included peacocks, pheasants, quail, turkey, tropical macaw and the famous Sam the Raven who could bark like a dog and scream in a falsetto voice: “Fowl ball!” and “Play ball!”
Aviary supporters at the party, dubbed “SteckelStock,” sprouted peacock feathers on fedoras, straw hats and earrings to show their support for Steckel Park’s feathered inhabitants. Chumash spiritual healer Maiwo Agdeppa, who has offered assistance to Friends of the Steckel Park Aviary, blessed the gathering and gave away hunks of dazzling purple quartz.
“It was really nice to have a Chumash representative to give a blessing,” said Santa Paula Councilman Ralph Fernandez, who has been working since October with Friends of the Steckel Park Aviary to save the massive aviary, which measures 160 feet long and 45 feet deep. “The bands were excellent. Everyone had a wonderful time. There was really good food and the setting was beautiful.”
Even with the heat, aviary supporters rocked out to music by UnUsual Suspects, North Swell, Charles Law and Cruise Nights, which each played two-hour sets.
“I have fond memories of the aviary as a child,” said Martin Hernandez of Santa Paula, candidate for Santa Paula City Council and chief aide to county Supervisory Kathy Long. “I am pleased to see how much the local community is taking ownership of it.”
A grass-roots effort, Friends of Steckel Park Aviary, to save the aviary sprang up last summer after the Ventura County Parks Advisory Commission decided in July 2011 to demolish the aviary because it needed repairs the county said it couldn’t fund. The group has raised a substantial amount of money and is working with the county to line up in-kind donations, such as the services of local general contractor Jim Onstot of Santa Paula.
Another boost to fundraising is the donation by Santa Paula artist Gail Pidduck of a framed original oil painting to benefit the aviary. Tickets for it are available at the Santa Paula Art Museum, 117 N. 10th St., the Santa Paula Times, 944 E. Main St., and Best of V.C. Marketplace, 108 N. 10th St. The donation price is $40 per ticket or $100 for three tickets. To see a photo of the painting, visit http://www.steckelparkaviary.wordpress.com. For more information, call 340-3345 or visit https://www.facebook.com/steckelparkaviary.
Friends of the Steckel Park Aviary meet at 7 p.m. Wednesdays at the Santa Paula Community Center, and all wishing to help restore the aviary are welcome to attend.
Tax-deductible donations may be mailed to Friends of Steckel Park Aviary, 1354 Mariposa Drive, Santa Paula, CA 93060. Checks should be made out to the Santa Paula Community Fund, with” Steckel Park aviary” written on the check’s memo line. The renovation is being funded through the county and community monetary and in-kind donations.
