[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 44 (Friday, March 14, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E430]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO 50TH ANNUAL SWALLOWS' DAY PARADE

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                            HON. KEN CALVERT

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 14, 2008

  Mr. CALVERT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor an event that has 
been instrumental in shaping the community in southern California, the 
Swallows' Day Parade. The historic return of the swallows to San Juan 
Capistrano is celebrated each spring as the world focuses on this 
wonder of nature. This year, March 29, 2008, commemorates the 50th 
annual celebration of the Swallows' Day Parade in Orange County, 
California in the beautiful City of San Juan Capistrano.
  Orange County's oldest city, historic San Juan Capistrano is home to 
the Mission San Juan Capistrano. The mission was founded more than 200 
years ago in 1776 as the seventh of 21 California missions to serve as 
the center of the community, and stands today as a monument to the rich 
cultural history of southern California. The Mission San Juan 
Capistrano is believed to be the oldest church in California, and is 
one of only two standing chapels still in use where Father Junipero 
Serra is known to have celebrated mass.
  The migration of the swallows of Capistrano has become a symbol for 
nature's changing of the seasons and welcoming of spring. The cliff 
swallows, upon their arrival begin building their nests under the eaves 
and ruins of the old stone mission and other buildings throughout the 
Capistrano Valley. The location has remained an ideal nesting place for 
the swallows because the area provides an abundance of insects on which 
they feed.
  The species of cliff swallow, Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, a small, 
long-winged songbird, leaves Goya, Argentina at daylight around the 
18th of February, arriving in Capistrano about the 19th of March. This 
30-day journey covers nearly 7,500 miles, as the swallows continue 
through the Gulf of Mexico along Central America to the Yucatan 
Peninsula, turn west to the Pacific, fly over Baja California until 
they arrive in San Juan Capistrano and the agricultural valleys of 
southern California.
  Each year on St. Joseph's Day, March 19th, the Fiesta de las 
Golondrinas celebrates the legendary return of the swallows to the 
Mission San Juan Capistrano. In 1936, the Fiesta de las Golondrinas was 
first celebrated when a popular radio host broadcasted from the mission 
to announce the return of the swallows. The Swallows' Day Parade during 
the Fiesta de las Golondrinas continues today as an integral part of 
the festivities, and is recognized as the largest nonmotorized parade 
in the country.
  I take this opportunity to honor the historic city of San Juan 
Capistrano, as well as the tireless efforts of the San Juan Capistrano 
Fiesta Association and the overwhelming support of the community in 
southern Orange County, California. I ask you to join me in celebrating 
the return of the swallows to San Juan Capistrano and the rich cultural 
heritage of the 50th annual Swallows' Day Parade.

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