Capitola Museum Unveils New Walk through History

The Capitola Historical Museum re-opened its doors in late February with a newly-finished multi-media exhibit: .

 It's a treasure trove of collected artifcacts, photographs and anecdotes which date as far back as 1912, with a locally-produced music video to Capitola Serenade playing in the background as you walk through time. Capitola Serenade was written by local Joe Ortiz, and the lyrics are posted below.

"The idea is to blend together familiar themes of Capitola's past and present—boating on the lagoon, romping in the surf, walking the trestle, watching the sunset, ejoying the ," wrote Museum Director Carolyn Swift in the Museum newsletter. "We plan to convey a sense of dancing through time. It's not just any dance, either—it's the two-step: forward, then back, past and present."

The music video melds F.H. Losey's 1913 composition Capitola March Two-Step with local composer and author Joe Ortiz's "campy" tongue-in-cheek lyrics, and the singing and ukulele-banjo playing of Ukulele Dick. 

"I was trying to recreate the essence of the Capitola experience.  And I tried to get as many references to specific Capitola landmarks into the lyrics as I could," Ortiz said.

Keeping with the melding of past and present is the Begonia Festival portion of the exhibit, which celebrates the history of the festival, right up to the present day. Capitola's famous Begonia Festival began as a coffee-date idea between friends Vivian Benias and Helen Antonelli in 1954, and has blossomed to a full-scale tourist attraction since then. This year, the Begonia Festival celebrates its 60th anniversary with the theme "My Favorite Year." A collection of photographs and posters of the festival includes a display of photos taken by photographer Don Weiss in 1986, which document the early-morning picking and building of the floats that year.

Other interesting attractions include the 1920's bathing suits that were rented out to tourists in Capitola, and photographs of the Chute-the-Chute ride which was set up every summer, in which kids rode a wooden board down a greased wooden track.

There is also an original booth from the Capitola Bowling Alley Fountain booth, which was built and run by the Ide family on San Jose Avenue in 1950, as well as original seats from the Capitola Theater, built in 1948 on the site of Hotel Capitola. The Capitola Theater was a 500-seat moviehouse, with a smoking side and non-smoking side, (the latter of which was always packed), and a crying room for children so that their parents could enjoy the show. The Capitola Theater had a reputation for its affordable popcorn and movies and laid back rules, and didn't shut down until May of 2010.

Capitola Serenade, written by Joe Ortiz:

CAPITOLA

Come to the coast with me
The sun and the sky are free
We’ll play in the sand and sea

CAPITOLA

Paradise you’ll adore
I’ll take your hand, there on the sand
Along the shore

CAPITOLA

Over the bridge we’ll go
We’ll capture the sunset glow
And wait for the creek to flow

CAPITOLA

Sway to the ocean’s roar
Beside the strand we’ll hear the band
Down by the shore

CAPITOLA, CAPITOLA

You and me
It’s here, my dear we should be

CAPITOLA, CAPITOLA

Here by the sand and sea

CAPITOLA, CAPITOLA

Fun and Free
The Esplanade by the Sea

CAPITOLA, CAPITOLA

Here just for you and me
Meet me down by the creek
You’ll go hide and I’ll seek
We’ll float down in a long canoe
I’ll be singing a song to you

By the Brook we will go
Bright begonias we’ll throw
I’ll run off leaving you alone
To buy you an ice cream cone
High up to the cliff we’ll go
Tie me down on the train track
When you hear the whistle blow
You’ll be pulling me back

Up and Down . . .
And down to town we’ll go . . .
Oh!

No one there has to know
Why or where we might go
There’s no limit to what we’ll do
On our first little rendezvous
With the stars in your eyes
I’ll give you my surprise
While you ride on the carousel
I’ll wait at the small hotel!