Moms Club of Campbell cordially invites you to attend their fund raising event at Pizza My Heart (Pruneyard)  1875 South Bascom Avenue.  (408) 866-7744.

All you have to do is enjoy great food and 30% of your purchase will be donated to our organization.  All you have to do is mention you are supporting our organization.

*** Dine In, Take Out and Delivery ***

This is the first in the series of publications depicting various episodes from Campbell history. We intend to publish a small piece of history every month and hope you will enjoy uncovering some of these treasures as much as we did.

J.C. Ainsley, a local fruit canner and builder of our historic Ainsley House, received this Bluebell Brand Apricot label in the mail during World War I. A battlefield letter was penned on the reverse. Nearly eighty years later, the label was donated to the museum by one of J.C. Ainsley’s granddaughters.

The letter reads:

Souvenir from the battlefield of Belgium, Oct. 19, 1918.

Perched high upon the end of a demolished British tank which had ended its career in a gigantic German shell hole. I rapaciously consumed the contents of this can of California peaches [sic.]. For a brief moment I forgot Huns and battles as I licked the can clean. It sure was a rare and most palatable dish to one who had not tasted such a delicacy for months. Accept my profound thanks for the concern or individual who can grow and can such a luxury. Amid this scene of desolation, death and destruction it came like a gift from heaven.

Sincerely yours,

Cpl. Nelson G. Welburn

Co. C” 316 Engrs. A.P.O. 776

Roadsport President, Clint Ralls who has been working with Fred Van Hook, Rescue 25 Project Director will help coordinate work for Rescue 25 to make repairs and restore the first paramedic vehicle. Completion is expected in December 2011.

The Rescue 25 Restoration Project received the last of the funding needed to bring the Rescue 25 vehicle that was used by Northern California's first paramedics back to its original service condition with a month-long fund raiser sponsored by the Rock Bottom Brewery and Restaurant and Bennet Ponder, Manager. A percentage of the proceeds from the sale of ale was donated to the project. Contributions from Rock Bottom totaled $7,250. Combined with the $10,000 that had been previously raised during the 2.5 years of funding efforts and donations increased the project total to $17,250, well within the range for completing the project. Working with Karen Lange, Director and Curator of the Campbell History Museum, funds were collected and deposited in an account with the City of Campbell that will be used to make payments and track expenditures for the project. Karen and Deputy Public Works Director, Larry Iaquinto “have been on board with the project from day one” says Fred Van Hook and have been a great help in navigating through many issues and challenges that have popped up. Rescue-25 is the property of the Campbell History Museum that will coordinate its use for exhibit and educational purposes once the vehicle is restored.

Local businesses to restore

Roadsport and Cupertino Auto Body, both of Campbell are combining forces to do the majority of the work for the 1974 Chevrolet pick up truck’s makeover. Clint Ralls of Roadsport is overseeing much of the mechanical, interior and final assembly of the truck while Russ Cooper, President and Nancy Yeager, Vice President of Cupertino Auto Body are providing the body work and painting the vehicle. The owners met recently to inspect and discuss production schedules for the truck to help minimize the number times the vehicle has to be moved between businesses during the different phases of the project. For more information and project updates visit us on line at campbell-rescue-25.com.

We are currently looking for a part-time Program Assistant who will assist in running the two popular field trips at both Museums: Hands-on-History & History Detectives. Please see our Employment section for more details. If you are interested in this job please contact Karen Lange at 408-866-2758 or karenl@cityofcampbell.com.

Just added: a brief history of Campbell with a couple of old photos. Check it out in About Us section. You can view all photos in better resolution at our Flickr stream. Enjoy!

The Ainsley House Garden is available to book a wedding or special event for 2012.

The Historic house makes the perfect romantic backdrop for a memorable occasion. We already have reservations booked for summer 2012 but we are also available in the spring and fall, which weather wise is often the best time. We do not rent during downtown Campbell’s Boogie on the Bayou festival due to noise and parking issues.

One of the best perks about renting at the Ainsley House is that we provide Wedding Attendants to help make someone’s big day run smoothly as well as help to ensure that the Ainsley House is well maintained and protected. Our Wedding Attendants will help coordinate ceremonies, keep track of timing for the day’s events, help with site logistics, act a liaison with on site vendors, and even act as the go-to should any troubles arise (such as stains on a wedding dress or hair troubles). They help make weddings and any special event at the Ainsley House extra special!

The rental season runs May through mid-October. Log on to the City of Campbell website for prices or contact Kerry Perkins: (408) 866-2781/ kerryp@cityofcampbell.com for more information. Learn more...

The Campbell Historical Museum & Ainsley House have two education programs that make excellent field trips! The Hands-on-History program at the Firehouse museum is designed for 2nd & 3^rd graders while History Detectives at the Ainsley House is for 3^rd and 4^th graders.

Hands-on-History is exciting for kids to learn about Santa Clara Valley’s past, through touring four different exhibit stations, playing with “Please Touch” items and making “take home” crafts.

History Detectives allows kids to use their observations skills to conclude what life was like for the Ainsley’s and people in Campbell in the 1920’s. They tour the Ainsley House while filling out “clue sheets” that require them to look for evidence and draw conclusions relating to Campbell and the Ainsley’s from the 1920’s.

Both programs are 3 hours long and run Mon-Fri 9am-12pm and they both require a minimum of 4 chaperones. It is the chaperones that run the field trip while teachers get a chance to enjoy their students' learning experience. The cost is $6/ child or $120 minimum for 20 or fewer students. We fill up quickly for our field trips are some of the best HANDS ON learning experiences in the Santa Clara Valley!

Call Kerry Perkins: (408) 866-2718/ kerryp@cityofcampbell.com for more info and to make a reservation today. Scholarships available!

Running through July 29^th

Family Fun Fridays are in full swing. We invite you to join us each Friday at the Firehouse Museum as we’re doing craft activities that relate to some common weekly theme. This is our 3^rd year of FFF and we have seen some of our regular visitors grow up and greeted new little ones who visit us each week.

The theme for Friday July 14^th will be California Natural History. Come down between 10am-4pm and make a California Poppy, California Quail and more…

We setup four or five crafts stations with supplies and directions for each craft, and let visitors use their own independent creativity to create the crafts. Some of our supplies use recycled items such as” toilet paper/ paper towel rolls, egg cartons, etc. We are always open for supply donations as well.

Admission fee: $5 for everyone ages 4 and up.