Coe Park column … by Calvin Nuttall: Children enjoy splish-splashing during Raincoats and Rubber Boots
Children enjoy splish-splashing during Raincoats and Rubber Boots
A child rides through the bike obstacle course. Photo courtesy Pine Ridge Association
By Calvin Nuttall
Calvin Nuttall
If you can rely on anything, it’s that the weather will be unreliable. That’s why the weather will always be perfect for the Raincoats and Rubber Boots event at Henry W. Coe State Park. Families can splish-splash around March 4, rain or shine, having fun and maybe (accidentally) learning a bit about the fascinating riparian ecosystem surrounding the Hunting Hollow Creek.
Long-time Coe volunteer Chere Bargar and her “co-conspirator” Kitty Swindle conceived Raincoats and Rubber Boots when Ranch Day, another of Coe’s annual volunteer-run events, kept getting rained out. Though it started small, with a flexible schedule to accommodate for weather, Ranch Day had grown to include dozens of exhibits and more than 50 volunteers.
“It got too hard to have an alternative rain date,” Bargar said. “I wanted to move it to later in the year when there wasn’t such a big chance of rain. But Kitty said, well, we have to do something while there’s water because the kids love to play in the creek. That’s when we came up with Raincoats and Rubber Boots.”
This event is focused on the water, so if anything, having it rain on the event only enhances the experience.
“It’s about having fun in the creek and learning a little bit about the park and how things work out there,” Bargar said. “I really enjoy watching kids have a good time, teaching them little fun facts and tidbits. They don’t really know they’re learning anything, because it’s not like school.”
Children play in a creek during a previous Raincoats and Rubber Boots event. Photo courtesy Henry W. Coe State Park
It’s been tough to hold the event during the recent years of drought. It’s reliant on the Hunting Hollow Creek having at least a decent amount of water. The creek was bone dry last year. With this year’s historic rainfall, however, the creek is sure to be full and flowing.
Volunteers will bring a plethora of fun activities for kids. Rubber ducks and inflatable boats can be raced down the creek, then pulled on strings back up to the starting line. There is a scavenger hunt for local flora and fauna in the water or along the creek bank. Volunteer interpreters can teach the kids fun facts about the critters they may find. For peering under water, they can use a device called an aquascope, a simple viewing tool made of a magnifying glass attached to a plastic tube.
“We have this mountain bike challenge course,” Bargar said. “One of our former volunteers was innovative, and made a roller coaster bridge and other kinds of obstacles for kids to ride their bikes over. We have runners who go beside the kids so if they fall, somebody is there to catch them.”
A volunteer bike mechanic — my dad, Stu Nuttall — will be there to provide quick tune-ups and tube changes as needed to keep the fun rolling. The event takes place at the Hunting Hollow entrance to Henry Coe on Gilroy Hot Springs Road. This is not the park headquarters entrance. Many visitors have been led astray by their GPS app, so make sure you’re headed to the right place before you set off.
Calvin Nuttall is a Morgan Hill resident and avid Henry W. Coe Park explorer.
