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Los Banos Picnic and NABO 50th Anniversary Convention
Don’t forget that this weekend marks the 2023 Los Banos Picnic and NABO’s 50th Anniversary Convention, May 18-21st. The weekend will begin with NABO’s convention meeting on Friday the 18th. The meeting will be comprised of NABO delegates, representatives from the Basque Government and some guests will also be in attendance. Highlights of the meeting will include the election of NABO representatives to the 8th World Congress of Basque Collectivities that will be held in December of this year, as well as the election of the NABO president and treasurer.
Picnic events will begin on Saturday morning with Mus registration beginning at 7am, and tournament play beginning at 8:30am. The festival’s opening ceremony will take place at noon with Los Banos Mayor, Paul Llanez, and Basque Government representatives participating. This will be followed by lunch, and the NABO Txerriki contest. There will also be dance performances by various NABO Basque club groups and Bertsolari performances by our local bertsolaris accompanied by others from the Basque Country. The afternoon will also include a special ceremony, beginning at 3pm to honor individuals and clubs who have made extraordinary commitments to NABO and the US Basque community throughout its fifty years. After the ceremony, everyone is invited to the Woolgrowers Restaurant for more good food, fun and live music provided by Amerikanuak.
Sunday’s events will begin at 9:30am with mass con celebrated by Bishop Emeritus Armando Xavier Ochoa and Aita Antton Egiguren. Mass will be livestreamed on the Artzai Ona Facebook Page for those unable to attend in person. After mass, there will be an Aizkolari exhibition (wood-chopping), lunch and more dance performances, berstolaritza, and klika performances. Several vendors will also be on hand for shopping. For the full program, including to RSVP, cost of meals, and directions to venues, click here.
NABO Txerriki and Gateau Basque Contests
The NABO Txerriki Contest will take place this Saturday, May 19th at 1pm at the Los Banos Fairgrounds, near the BBQ area near the outdoor stage, as part of the Los Banos Picnic/NABO Convention festivities. The event will begin with registration and pulling of cooking order, and participants are asked to please provide everything necessary to cook with, a BBQ will be provided. The contest includes three categories: tripota (any kind of blood sausage), chorizo (meant to be spicy with red pepper added), and lukainka (everyday sausage, not meant to be spicy). All sausage submitted must be homemade; the purchase of premade sausage and re-seasoning is not allowed. Participants should provide a couple pounds of sausage per entry. One batch will be cooked for the first round, with some put aside for a possible second round cook-off. Anything left over, after the judging has concluded, will be cooked and taken to the bar for all to enjoy.
This year, a new Gateau Basque Contest, has been added. This will take place on Sunday, May 21st with entries being accepted from 11:00-11:30 am on the main outdoor stage. Entries will be numbered and placed on a neutral place. Judging will take place around noon, and winners will be announced during the main performances at 2pm. The top five cakes will also be part of a silent auction with proceeds going to Udaleku. Any flavor of Gateau Basque is eligible, but it should "feel" like Gateau Basque and not some other cake. All entries will be judged against each other, regardless of flavor, crème or jam, gluten or not. There will not be any subcategories for the first year. For any questions regarding either the Txerriki or Gateau Basque Contests, please email Valerie Arrechea.
San Francisco Basque Club Annual Picnic
The San Francisco Basque Club will host its annual picnic on June 4th at the Petaluma Fairgrounds. Gates open at 9am and the day’s festivities will begin at 9:45am with a procession followed by Mass with the participation of the Elgarrekin Basque Choir, Klika and dance groups. After mass, there will be a BBQ Rack of Lamb lunch complete with beans, piperade, salad, cheese, bread and wine. Discounted tickets are available before May 21st, so don’t wait. After lunch, the afternoon will include entertainment provided by the Zazpiak Bat Klika, Zazpiak Bat Dance Group, the Los Banos Basque Dancers, and the Zazpiak Bat Gaztea Dance group. Txorizos will be available for purchase at 4pm. Complete information, including directions, and how to purchase tickets is available here.
5/18/2023
