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March 5,
2000
Oak Glen, California
Dear
Friends and Family,
Mini-update: As the man at the right will attest, we had snow
last night--wet and runny, but snow nonetheless.
February
27, 2000:
The
people at Greystone Productions have been here yesterday and today,
filiming a series for the History Channel on American Medal of Honor
winners. They have been shooting Korean Conflict, World
War II, and Vietnam era battle scenes, and when we ran short of
natural haze yesterday, they used their nifty fog machine to
fill in the gaps. Today, if the weather
holds, we should be seeing Civil War and World War I Soldiers
traversing the farm.
If
you don't currently receive the History Channel, call your cable
operator and encourage them to include it!
Meanwhile,
our Living History Field Trips have begun
in earnest again. We have had student visitors
from Corona, Twenty-Nine Palms and Rancho Cucamonga in the
last two weeks, and some of them were treated to a new member
of our living history family--Richard Hanna, playing the part of
George Washington. Mr. Hanna, a Pennsylvanian by
birth, comes from Revolutionary stock. One of his
Connecticut ancestors raised a regiment of Continental soldiers at
his own expense. When I first met Mr. Hanna he
told me, "when I was a boy, if you didn't know about George
Washington in 4th grade, you didn't make it to fifth."
Mr.
Hanna, in real life, served with the 1st Marine Division at
Guadalcanal, Okinawa, and Northern China. He received
the Purple Heart for wounds received during his service at Okinawa,
as a Marine in World War II.
We're
proud to know him.
And
he looks like General Washington, doesn't he?
Your
Humble Servant,
James
Riley
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P.S.
For the sake of those "web portals" constantly browsing the
internet to update their search engines, we include the following
boiler-plate. (Feel free to read this, if you're new to our site.)
Riley's Farm is a working apple orchard and living history farm in the Oak
Glen area of Southern California. In addition to farming, we love
history and we have provided a venue for re-enactment units comprising
many different eras. The farm regularly hosts banquets, birthday parties,
weddings, and office parties. Every year, literally thousands of students
participate in one of our school tours, where they experience everything
from weaving, candle-dipping, and cider pressing to the drill and muster
of a Revolutionary War or Civil War battle. Our farm has appeared on the
History Channel and in the recently released feature film, Amistad,
as well as many other film and television productions. (We even try to get
the producers to include us as on screen talent, but that's another
story.) On selected weekends throughout the year, we offer
"farm-stay" weekends, where families can experience--clothing,
wood stoves, muskets, and all--the life of an 18th or 19th century
American farmer. We grow sweet corn, apples, raspberries, pears, and
sunflowers, just to mention a few of our crops. Our nephew, Devon, keeps
some beautiful Belgian draft horses for country hay-rides. We love
America--its traditions, its people, its history, and its cherished
heritage of liberty in Christ. Have we said enough? Well, one more thing:
In the fall, thousands of families make an annual pilgrimage to the farms
of Oak Glen to experience the closest thing to a New England fall
California has to offer. Why don't you stop by and say hello?
P.S.
Stay
Clear of this "Cider House"
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