San Luis Obispo County, California
South County Historical Society will open a new exhibit:
Japanese American Baseball on the Central Coast 1930-1945, “Snapshots: From Beyond the Backstop,” will focus on the importance of baseball to the Japanese Americans living in the South County.

The IOOF Hall is located at 128 Bridge Street, Arroyo Grande, California. Exhibit hours are Fridays and Saturdays, 1 to 5 P.M.

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The exhibit, entitled “Japanese-American Life in South County, Farmers, Friends and Baseball, 1900-1950,” opens in three phases at the IOOF Hall in Arroyo Grande, starting Saturday, February 2, 2008. The first phase visually depicts the history of local farming families and their cultural pastimes. Guest Speaker Shizue Seigel, author of In Good Conscience, will talk about the role of neighbors in helping to save farms along the West Coast when local Japanese Americans were forced to “resettle” in internment camps during WW II. The book includes stories about South County residents who helped their neighbors during and after the war. Ms. Seigel’s grandparents farmed land in Pismo in the early 1900’s.

The second exhibit phase, opening March 8, will focus more closely on Japanese-American baseball, an important part of their culture especially during this period. The third exhibit phase, opening April 5, will focus on POVE, the Pismo Oceano Vegetable Exchange. The entire exhibit runs through May.

South County Historical Society