[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 78 (Thursday, May 22, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E823]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RECOGNIZING THE LOS BANOS BASQUE CLUB

                                  _____
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 22, 2014

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Los Banos Basque 
Club for their 50th anniversary. From putting on the annual picnic to 
volunteering with the dance group and participating in various other 
club events, the Los Banos Basque Club's 50 years of proud history can 
be directly attributed to the tireless participation of all of its 
members.
  The Basques lived in the Los Banos area before California joined the 
United States in 1848. Many of the early Basques in this area were 
sheepherders, while others worked as ranchers, miners, and laborers. 
Throughout the late 1800's and early 1900's, they organized and formed 
a vibrant and cohesive community. Many Basques are of Catholic 
heritage, and Basques in the Los Banos area often gathered to celebrate 
Baptisms, First Holy Communions, and weddings in large gatherings.
  The most common celebration to bring together the Basque people of 
the Los Banos area was a picnic, which the Basques began holding in 
1886. The early picnics were an occasion to reunite old friends and 
families and to celebrate Basque culture. In order to better organize 
the Basques in the Los Banos area and to organize and coordinate an 
annual picnic, a group of Basques formed the Los Banos Basque Club. The 
Club also helped preserve the Basque culture and heritage in Central 
California.
  At the first meeting, the Club voted to hold an annual picnic on the 
third Sunday of every May, and the first annual Los Banos Basque Picnic 
was held that same year. Additionally, the Club began a dance group, 
where adults would come together to teach the children Basque customs 
and traditions, including the traditional Basque dances.
  This year marks the 50th year of the Los Banos Basque Club's 
existence and is similarly the 50th annual picnic of the Club. For the 
past 50 years, the annual picnic has maintained the same schedule of 
events, including a Catholic Mass, a BBQ Lamb Chop lunch, Basque 
dancing demonstrations, traditional competitions like wood chopping, 
weight carrying, or soka tira, music, public dancing, and a chorizo 
BBQ.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the Los 
Banos Basque Club for their 50 successful years. With their strong ties 
to their roots, their desire to preserve Basque traditions, and their 
pride of being called a Basque, the Los Banos Basque Club hopes to 
carry on its traditional picnics far into the future.

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