May 14-15, 2022
Jack London State Historic Park hosts its first-ever Call of the Wild Weekend – a FREE, two-day community open house event featuring:
FREE ADMISSION to the park on Saturday and Sunday – a $10 value for a carload of adventure seekers.
Family-friendly events at Jack London’s park including original music, hikes, and guided tours of the park’s historical and natural sites.
There will be a daily drawing to win a Jack London Park annual pass – stop by our booth in the Ranch Parking Lot to enter!
Saturday, May 14
8:45 AM – Meet in the Ranch Parking lot to be guided up to the Lake for the ribbon cutting ceremony of Vineyard Trail. Continue on the newly restored Vineyard Trail to the Ancient Redwood with an option to hike further through the Historic Orchard.
9:30 AM – Ribbon cutting ceremony to open the newly restored Vineyard Trail. Come to the ribbon cutting and be the first to walk the newly restored trail!
10:00 AM – Free guided hike to the Ancient Redwood “Grandmother Tree” – one of the state’s most unusual and beautiful redwoods. Includes attendance for the 9:30 am Vineyard Trail ribbon cutting ceremony. Guided Hike is Sold Out
10:00 AM – Awards Ceremony for the Jack London Park Young Authors’ Contest winners and their families in the Oak Grove Group picnic site.
11:00 AM or 1:00 PM – Docent-led tours to diverse and wonder-filled historical and natural venues in the park.
11:00 AM — A “Walking Introduction to Jack London’s Mysterious Call”: Easy, guided walks to four exciting music interludes at Beauty Ranch. About 10 minutes between stops plus 10 minutes of musical storytelling at each point provided by singer-songwriters John Elliott, Diana Gameros, Maya Hall, and Chris Chandler. The journeys begin in the eucalyptus grove at 11:00, 11:15 and 11:30.
11:30 AM thru 6:00 PM – Picnic in The Meadow with the Tri-Tip Trolley food truck. Delicious! Bring a blanket or folding chairs for picnicking.
1:30 PM – Songwriter Circle – A real highlight of the weekend – local music-makers and fans will join famous singer-songwriters and storytellers in a “Songwriters Circle” on Saturday afternoon in the Winery Ruins.
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM – A live music performance in the Winery Ruins on Saturday night featuring Diana, Maya, John & Chris. Bring a blanket or your own folding chairs. Tickets are $20 for adults and can be purchased at the door.
Beer and Wine will be available to purchase from the Tri Tip Trolley until 7:30 PM
Four of the Bay Area’s most entertaining and compelling singer-songwriters will perform for visitors around the park throughout the day:
John Elliott – Inspired equally by Bruce Springsteen and Eminem; Bob Dylan and Guns N’ Roses; Tom Petty and Queen. John has been releasing albums and performing in every type of venue you can imagine for twenty years. He headlines your Call of the Wild Weekend musical experience and is the inspiration behind “Jack London’s Mysterious Call”.
Diana Gameros – a singer/guitarist and social activist with songs featured on Billboard, Mother Jones, NPR’s All Songs Considered, and NPR’s Alt. Latino Podcast
Maya Hall – A native of Japan, Hall is a singer, songwriter, and explorer of sound and vibration.
Her intuitive style of playing is combined with her original songs and improvisation, tuning into the surrounding nature, the audience, the space and environment around. She also hosts sound sessions using her voice, dialing into the person’s energetic field and allowing sounds to come through intuitively. As sound penetrates to the cellular level, oftentimes can invoke a memory, an epiphany and an important message that resides in us. She invites us all on a quest through sound, to explore, express and connect with our authentic nature.
Chris Chandler – an “American Storyteller,” Chris has worked with everyone from Allen Ginsberg to Ani DiFranco and Pete Seeger to Mojo Nixon. Utah Phillips says, “Chris Chandler is the best performance poet I have ever seen.”
Sunday, May 15
9:00 AM – 11:45 AM – FREE Vineyard Trail guided hike. Guided Hike is Sold Out
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM – Plowing Playday – This popular family event features plowing and harnessing demonstrations, free horse-drawn wagon rides. See mules and Clydesdales Percheron, Shire and Belgian draft horses, blacksmiths, a spinning demonstration, and Early Day Gas Engines.
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM – It’s time for Family Adventure Day; Fun & Games at the Ranch! On May 15th, we will be celebrating the playful side of Jack London and his love of games, recreation, and all things fun! Please join us at 11 AM sharp for a whimsical stroll through Beauty Ranch as we explore nature with hands-on activities with our Naturalist. Our adventure ends back at the Eucalyptus Grove picnic area for a playful demonstration and activity by Ron Schultz, “Bubble Scientist” where he will share Jack’s love of bubbles and give kids a chance to create giant bubbles of their own. Sonoma Chicks will be here with some of the animals that call their Sanctuary home and Art Escape will also be on-hand for creative fun with a great art project to complete the day. This event is SOLD OUT.
11:00 AM – 3:00 PM – Picnic in The Meadow with the Tri-Tip Trolley food truck. Delicious! Bring a blanket or folding chairs for picnicking.