Holidays in Huntington Beach 1917

The re-creation of the R.G. Tashima Co. market is a regular feature of Holidays in Huntington Beach. (Historic Wintersburg Preservation Task Force)

HUNTINGTON BEACH — The clock will be turned back to 1917 during the fourth annual Holidays in Huntington Beach, hosted by the Huntington Beach Historical Society and Historic Wintersburg, on Friday, Dec. 1, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Newland House Museum, 19820 Beach Blvd. (at Adams Avenue) in Huntington Beach.

To honor local Japanese American pioneer history, Historic Wintersburg will again set up a re-creation of the R.G. Tashima Co. market with historical displays. One of the first markets in Wintersburg Village, it was a feed and seed store, as well as a general food staples market. Originally opened by Tsurumatsu “T.M.” Asari, it was later owned by Gunjiro Tashima, who had started working at the market as a clerk.

Nancy Hayata, a classically trained dancer with Little Tokyo Dance Club, will perform on the lawn of the museum at 7 p.m. She has performed at the annual Huntington Beach Cherry Blossom Festival supporting the sister-city program with Anjo, Japan, and is a volunteer on the festival committee. This year at Holidays in Huntington Beach, she will dance to “Kitaguni no Haru” (Spring in the North), which expresses a longing for one’s childhood hometown and the hope that spring will come after a cold winter.

“A Taste of 1917” is a sampling of authentic recipes reflecting the pioneers of Wintersburg Village and Huntington Beach Township a century ago. (Historic Wintersburg Preservation Task Force)

Santa magically arrives at 7:30 p.m.

Historic Wintersburg will have a special gift for the first 200 guests at the free, open-house event — “A Taste of 1917,” a sampling of authentic recipes reflecting the pioneers of Wintersburg Village and Huntington Beach Township a century ago. This selection of recipes from 1917 cookbooks and bartender guides will provide a taste of what was on local pioneer tables, such as Economy Vinegar, Mushi Ahiru (baked duck), Sweet Potato Wagashi, and Barking Dog and Fluffy Ruffles cocktails.

During World War I, which the U.S. entered in 1917, Americans were asked to conserve food resources, such as wheat and sugar, as part of the “Food Will Win the War” campaign directed by Herbert Hoover, head of the U.S. Food Administration and future president. However, the agricultural abundance and wild game in Orange County meant that self-sufficient residents in the peatlands still ate well, sharing their bounty and special foods with each other.

Celebrate the strong and continued friendship between the early settlers of Huntington Beach and the Japanese American community of Wintersburg. Pioneer attire requested. For more information, visit www.historicwintersburg.blogspot.com.

Dennis Masuda, Historic Wintersburg Preservation Task Force member and Historic Wintersburg pioneer descendant, helps set up the re-creation of the R.G. Tashima Co. market for last year’s Holidays in Huntington Beach. (Historic Wintersburg Preservation Task Force)