Fresno Bee, CA
July 12 2004

Always Armenian

Family, fun and tradition combine at annual picnics.

By Vanessa Colón

IF YOU GO

What: Moonlight Picnic
When: 6 to 11 p.m. Saturday
Where: California Armenian Home, 6720 E. Kings Canyon Road, Fresno
Details: (559) 224-3561

Traditional Armenian picnics in the central San Joaquin Valley have
blossomed over the past century from family gatherings into festive
summer events.

Their goal, though, has not changed: to unify the community and keep
Armenian culture alive.

Families trekked many years ago to the Kings River, carrying homemade
munchies to a dusty spot in the baking sun.

There they chatted about their lives and took a restful break from
their grape farms, where they lived and worked.

For one popular Armenian picnic, though, home-cooked meals toted to a
sandy river beach are not the model.

This is an event where people from all walks of life — doctors,
attorneys and farmers, among them — buy tickets for sizzling shish
kebabs or burger dinners on the grassy grounds outside the California
Armenian Home in southeast Fresno.

It’s the annual Moonlight Picnic.

This year’s event will be Saturday evening. It is one of the Fresno
area’s largest picnics for Armenians, attracting families every year
from as far away as Los Angeles.

Cultural unity and good company were not the only reasons for the
rise of Armenian picnics. The events also helped churches raise money
for activities.

St. Gregory’s, St. Paul Armenian Apostolic and Holy Trinity Armenian
Apostolic hold picnics in the summer.

The Armenian-American Citizens’ League is sponsoring the Moonlight
Picnic to support activities such as a youth scholarship fund.

The California Armenian Home also is a picnic sponsor.

The league, incorporated in Fresno in 1931, raised money and
established the California Armenian Home for the elderly in 1952.

The home seems an ideal spot for the Moonlight Picnic. The grounds
feature elm trees, lush green grass and flowers in giant pots.

A Spanish-style fountain splashes water from the top.

Armenian picnics date back at least 100 years, said Penny
Mirigian-Emerzian, 80, secretary and a former state president of the
Armenian-American Citizens’ League.

“It was a way to get to know each other,” she said.

The picnics rekindle memories for older Armenians.

In her youth, Mirigian-Emerzian said, store owners sold a pint of
strawberry soda for a nickel to families spending a day at the Kings
River.

“I don’t remember not going to picnics. It was something we always
did in the summertime,” she said.

The Valley’s summer heat did not bother anyone, recalled 67-year-old
Rose Pittman.

“We didn’t care if it was 110 degrees,” Pittman said. “We would still
go because it was tradition. It was a lot of fun. You met a lot of
people.”

Some of the social dynamics at the picnics have changed over the
decades.

Older Armenians recall a time when courting relationships were a bit
more circumspect than today.

“If you had a boyfriend at the picnic, nobody would know. … You
couldn’t hold hands because somebody would talk about you,” said
82-year-old Vera Avedisian.

Adults were more formal in their attire, too.

“Men wore hats, and ladies wore dresses. You don’t see that anymore,”
Pittman said.

At a picnic in June sponsored by St. Gregory’s in Fowler, couples
wearing shorts sat next to each other.

Interracial couples and non-Armenian visitors mingled with
generations of Armenian families.

Said Pittman: “There’s a lot of non-Armenians who come to our church
who marry within the Armenian community. … The doors are open to
everyone.”

The picnics are special to some Armenians because that’s where they
met their spouses.

Alice Bedrosian, 78, met her future husband at a picnic in 1948.

She remembers couples moving their feet to the sounds of swing and
jazz at a dance hall near the Kings River.

Six months later, Bedrosian said, she got married.

Mary Khasigian Nikssarian, 43, hopes her three sons marry Armenian
women when they grow up.

Khasigian Nikssarian says the picnics and youth activities are
perfect opportunities to make a match.

“I certainly have the hope that God will provide another Armenian
mate. I pray for all three each day,” Khasigian Nikssarian said.

Her 16-year-old son, Alexander Nikssarian, looks forward to the
picnics because that’s when he is surrounded by family and other
Armenians.

He lives in Marina, where he says there are few Armenians and no
Armenian school at which he can learn the language.

The picnics are a lot of fun, Alexander said: “You see people you
haven’t seen for a year. … You see generations of Armenians.”

The picnics are a way for younger generations to stay in contact with
their roots.

They listen to Armenian music and savor rice pilaf.

They strengthen ties to family and community, greet old friends and
meet new ones.

In that sense, Armenian picnics have not changed a bit over the
100-plus years.

Said 49-year-old David Nikssarian, who grew up in the Fresno area and
lives in Marina: “You can be around Armenians for the weekend and see
family. People come and say hello.”

The reporter can be reached at vcolon@fresnobee.com or (559)
441-6313.