Sunday, July 10, 2022, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Glen Canyon Park
This nonprofit event, being coordinated by the Glen Park Neighborhoods History Project (GPNHP), will celebrate the tremendous legacy of the Glen Park Gum Tree Girls – Zoanne Theriault Nordstrom, Joan Seiwald, and Geri Arkush, as well as their predecessor in the 1950s to 1960s, Minnie Straub Baxter. When threatened with construction of a viaduct freeway, the Gum Tree Girls and Mrs. Baxter stood up, spoke out, and saved the Glen Park district and Glen Canyon Park from ultimate destruction.
Sadly, Zoanne Theriault Nordstrom passed away due to complications of COVID-19 on February 15, 2021. Geri Arkush was lost much earlier in 1999, and Joan Seiwald still calls Glen Park home. When Zoanne’s son, Marcus Theriault, approached the GPNHP with the idea for the festival, we were quick to accept. Without the moxie, courage, and resilience of these women and others, the quality of life in the Glen Park district and the natural landscape of Glen Canyon Park would be nonexistent today. Many other women associated with the Glen Park district who fought to bring positive change to their causes, communities, and beyond will also be recognized.
The Festival will include:
• Commemoration of the history of Glen Park activism, in particular Minnie Straub Baxter and the Gum Tree Girls, Glen Park suffragists, and other women who worked to make a difference from the Glen Park district
• Video premiere of the full, 90-minute oral history of the Glen Park Gum Tree Girls
• Entertainment, special guests
• History talks & self-guided history and nature walks
• Information booths for local neighborhood organizations
• Remembrance of local residents lost to COVID-19
“Stay tuned for more information on the history of the Gum Tree Girls.”
To financially support the Gum Tree Girls Festival, click to donate.
To offer in-kind donations or if you’d like to volunteer at the festival, please email GlenParkHistory@gmail.com.
We look forward to seeing you at the Glen Park Gum Tree Girls Festival 2022 on Sunday, July 10 in Glen Canyon Park!
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Evelyn Rose, Director and Founder of the Glen Park Neighborhoods History Project, is documenting the histories of Glen Park and nearby neighborhoods. To learn more about our local histories, visit www.GlenParkHistory.org. The Glen Park Neighborhoods History Project is currently offering intermittent virtual programs during the ongoing health crisis. Join the mailing list: GlenParkHistory@gmail.com. The Glen Park Neighborhoods History Project is fiscally sponsored by Independent Arts & Media, a California non-profit corporation. Evelyn is also the author of the history website, Tramps of San Francisco.