Amtrak San Joaquins Receives Grant from Parks California
Amtrak San Joaquins Receives Grant from Parks California to Overcome Travel Barriers to Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park for Juneteenth Celebration
2024 Routes to Parks Grant from Parks California Supports Travel for Bakersfield and Fresno Students and Members of Underserved Communities in the Bay Area
Stockton, CA – In commemoration of Juneteenth, Amtrak San Joaquins provided fully subsidized travel for over 150 students and community members to Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park on June 8, 2024, for its annual Juneteenth Celebration. Amtrak San Joaquins was recently awarded the 2024 Route to Parks grant from Parks California to help underserved communities in Bakersfield, Fresno, and the Bay Area overcome travel barriers to state parks throughout California. Allensworth is the first town founded, financed and governed by African Americans in California, and is located on the Amtrak San Joaquins line 30 miles north of Bakersfield.
The Juneteenth Celebration featured historical storytelling, food vendors, music, crafts, and more. This grant made it possible for more communities to experience the rich history of Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park. In addition to the grant-funded tickets this year, Amtrak San Joaquins reduced fares for train tickets to Allensworth by 50%, on average. Though normally a whistle stop, trips to Allensworth can be booked on the San Joaquins by groups of 15 or more.
Parks California, the official, statutory non-profit partner to California State Parks, established the Route to Parks grants program in 2020 to support organizations that are reducing transportation barriers and helping more Californians get to a state park to develop a connection, appreciation, and love for nature. In partnership with California State Parks, Parks California provided grant funding to 29 recipients this year, and estimates these grants will reach in total 5,300 participants
“We are thrilled to have received this Route to Parks grant as it allowed us to open up the door to even more communities to learn about Allensworth, a critical part of our legacy and California heritage. Having worked closely with this state park for years by providing discounted service to Allensworth for Juneteenth and the Annual Rededication ceremony in October, communities look at Amtrak San Joaquins as an important part for planning those experiences. Now, with this grant, we were able to reach even more communities by lowering affordability barriers with free tickets for those in need, supporting those groups with onboard activities and relevant curriculum, and issuing food vouchers to both Northern California and Central Valley passengers,” stated San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission (SJRRC) Executive Director Stacey Mortensen.
To support the grant program, Amtrak San Joaquins invited a range of stakeholders to join an Allensworth - Amtrak San Joaquins Advisory Group, which staff from San Joaquins Regional Rail Commission, Friends of Allensworth, Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park (SHP), Northern California community and faith-based organizations, alongside staff and parents from Bakersfield City and Fresno Unified School Districts. The Advisory Group provides input on program implementation and supports outreach to disadvantaged communities.
“We devised this grant to include the Advisory Group to help guide us with their geographical knowledge and their expertise rooted in their communities,” said SJRRC Marketing Manager Marques Cook. “We could not do this without them, and we thank them for helping us support both California parks and underserved communities,” he added.
Colonel Allen Allensworth established the town of Allensworth in 1908 and at one point approximately 200 families lived there. “The park was established to preserve the contributions to our state’s history of the African Americans who founded, financed, and governed this town in the heart of the Great Central Valley. Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park became a state park in 1974,” said Lori Wear, District Interpretive Program Manager with California State Parks.
Friends of Allensworth (FOA), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose mission is to support, promote, and advance the educational and interpretive activities at Colonel Allensworth SHP, co-hosts four annual events at the park.
"We are proud to continue to partner with Amtrak San Joaquins to reconnect Californians with the historic town of Allensworth," stated FOA President, Sasha Biscoe. "As a cornerstone of California's rich history, Allensworth deserves to be experienced by all and the Route to Parks grant expands opportunities to more communities."
Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park holds special events several times a year for both children and adults, with entertainment including jazz, plays, modern dance, and gospel. Some of the annual events include: Celebrate Black History month in February; Adventure Pass Day in March; Junior Archaeologist Day in April; the Allensworth Juneteenth Celebration, which took place June 8th this year; and the Annual Rededication ceremony in October. Visitors attending future trips to events at Allensworth can take Amtrak San Joaquins trains to the Allensworth Station. The next annual Allensworth event will be the Rededication Ceremony on October 12th, 2024. Train tickets to Colonel Allensworth SHP can be booked online at amtraksanjoaquins.com. For more information on how to book a group trip to Allensworth, please contact Carmen Setness, community outreach coordinator, for San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission (SJRRC), at csetness@sjjpa.com.
Hashtags: #RouteToParks #ParksCalifornia #CAStateParks #AmtrakSanJoaquins #Juneteenth
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About the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA)
Since July 2015, SJJPA has been responsible for the management and administration of Amtrak San Joaquins. SJJPA is governed by Board Members representing each of the ten (10) Member Agencies along the 365-mile San Joaquins Corridor. For more information on SJJPA see www.sjjpa.com. Amtrak San Joaquins is Amtrak’s 6th busiest route with 18 train stations throughout the Central Valley and Bay Area, providing a safe, comfortable and reliable way to travel throughout California. Amtrak San Joaquins is currently running six daily round-trips. In addition to the train service, Amtrak San Joaquins Thruway buses provide connecting service to 135 destinations in California and Nevada including Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Napa Valley, Las Vegas and Reno.
About Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park
The town of Allensworth is located in the heart of the Central Valley, about 30 miles north of Bakersfield, and has a rich history that is of interest to students, families, historians, community organizations, and anyone else looking to spend a fun day exploring the historic community and its restored buildings. Colonel Allen Allensworth established the town in 1908, and African Americans founded, financed and governed Allensworth over the years. Allensworth is celebrated as a key historic place, and in 1974 California State Parks purchased the land in order to maintain it as a site for visitors to learn and explore the Allensworth house, historic schoolhouse, Baptist church, library, and much more.
Colonel Allensworth SHP is on the ancestral lands of the Yokuts, which today includes the federally recognized Tachi Yokut Tribe and Tule River Indian Tribe. Allensworth is within the traditional territory of the Wowol, the area of the beaver. Chawlown was a Wowol village near present-day Allensworth that moved with the tides of Pa'a'shu, later called Tulare Lake. Pa'a'shu is the center of the Yokuts' world and their creation place, despite its destruction. After the invasion, many of the Wowol arrived at the Santa Rosa Rancheria, which belongs to the Tachi Yokut Tribe.
