At 2 p.m. this Saturday, Fresno Gumyo Taiko will start drumming at the Moon Festival at the Carnegie Museum, 109 E. 8th St. A few blocks away in Civic Park, Henry VIII's court will be halfway through the first day of the 47th Renaissance of Kings Faire. Two of Hanford's longest-running traditions share the same Saturday afternoon downtown.
One of them is run by the China Alley Preservation Society, and it has been held at the Carnegie Museum since the Taoist Temple was damaged in an arson fire in 2021. This year's festival comes days after the China Alley Preservation Society announced the biggest step yet toward repairing the temple. That step covers less than the headline suggests. So the Oct. 3 festival is still what it has been for five years: a free afternoon of moon cakes and lion dancing that also raises money for the temple's repair.
Saturday, Hour by Hour
The two events overlap for most of the day. Here is how the timing works if you plan to catch both:
- 10 a.m. The Renaissance of Kings Faire opens at Hanford Civic Park, 400 N. Douty St. Admission is $5 for ages 13 and up, $3 for ages 4 through 12, and free for ages 3 and younger. Parking is free.
- Noon. The Moon Festival opens at the Carnegie Museum. Admission is free, and the museum opens its own doors for free during the event.
- 2 p.m. Fresno Gumyo Taiko performs traditional Japanese drumming at the Moon Festival.
- 4 p.m. The Cal Poly Lion Dancers perform.
- 5 p.m. The Moon Festival closes.
- 6 p.m. The Faire closes for the day. It returns Sunday, Oct. 4, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Since the Faire runs both days and the Moon Festival only runs Saturday, the easiest plan is the Moon Festival on Saturday afternoon and the Faire on Sunday. Saturday morning also works if you want both in one day. Get to Civic Park at 10, then head to the Carnegie by 2 for the drums.
At the Faire, the program promises village street scenes, guild encampments, armored knights in live steel shows, jugglers, storytelling and children's games. There are also hundreds of costumed performers and merchants from across California and other states. City of Hanford Parks and Community Services is listed as the organizer. Tickets and details are on the Renaissance of Kings site.
What's Actually at the Moon Festival
The Moon Festival is smaller and the program is more specific. Ray Thomas, a local origami expert, will teach folding. There will be arts and crafts booths, several food trucks, and the staple of the day, moon cakes and tea. The confirmed vendors are the Hanford High School Salad Bowl Multicultural Club, the Kings Hand Laundry gift shop and the China Alley Preservation Society gift shop.
The taiko set is there on purpose. Arianne Wing, president of the China Alley Preservation Society, told the Hanford Sentinel that Hanford's version adds Japanese influences to the Chinese holiday.
"When we first started the Moon Festival 40-something years ago, it was basically an opportunity to present a bit of Chinese culture to our community."
Wing said that over the decades she has watched "generations of families come back," and that the festival has "become part of Hanford's tradition, not just China Alley's." She also said she hopes people learn about the status of China Alley while they're there. The Society hopes Saturday raises money for temple repairs.
What $65,000 Pays For, and What It Doesn't
The Sentinel's report, updated Sept. 28, says the China Alley Preservation Society received a $65,000 Placekeepers Fund grant from Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Historic Preservation and the Mellon Foundation. China Alley was one of about a dozen organizations nationwide in the fund's first round.
The damage was severe. Calligraphy scrolls burned. Pewter objects, which have a high lead content, exploded in the heat. The altars and walls were charred and coated in soot. The Hong Kong Museum of History had been talking with the Society since 2015 about an exhibition on Chinese emigrants. After the fire, it helped conserve the artifacts that survived.
That conservation work is why the staircase comes first. "Over the past five years, we've been diligently working on restoring artifacts. But now the artifacts need to come home," Wing told the Sentinel. Right now the restored pieces have nowhere to go. The plan is to replace the temple's back staircase to allow access to the second floor. Whatever money is left will start the soot cleanup.
Here is where things stand as of the end of September:
- Funded: Replacing the back staircase, plus the start of soot remediation.
- Not yet funded: Finishing the soot work and the rest of the restoration. The full cost is still unknown.
- Schedule: The Society plans to start construction "in the next few months" but has no project timeline.
Wing called the grant "only the catalyst for everything else that needs to be done." The Society is taking donations through its fire recovery page. That's why a moon cake bought from the Society's gift shop on Saturday goes toward the costs the grant doesn't cover.
The Rest of October in Civic Park and Downtown
Saturday is the busiest day on Hanford's October calendar, but there's plenty after it. Civic Park hosts most of what's coming. Main Street Hanford's calendar is the best place to check for changes.
Thursday nights through Oct. 29. The Thursday Night Market Place runs in Civic Park from 5:30 to 9 p.m. with live entertainment, local produce, food vendors and artisan goods. Counting tomorrow, five Thursdays are left before the season ends on Oct. 29.
Tuesday, Oct. 6. The City's free Hanford Night Out takes over Civic Park from 4 p.m. until sunset, with public-safety and city staff, vehicles, vendors and activities.
Saturday, Oct. 10. Main Street's Oktoberfest runs in Civic Park from 5 to 9 p.m. It's 21 and up, and $45 covers unlimited beer, wine and seltzer tasting. Food is sold separately. DJ "The Marshal" and the band Exodus play the Courthouse Stage, and the event benefits the Hanford Police K9 Foundation.
Sunday, Oct. 11. The Kings Symphony Orchestra plays its Fall Classics Concert at the Hanford Fox Theatre at 4 p.m. The last listing showed tickets as "On Sale Soon."
Friday, Oct. 16. Witches Night Out runs downtown from 6 to 9 p.m. A ticket gets you into each participating business, plus a goody bag and coupons. Businesses will offer cocktail tastings, snacks, photo ops and discounts. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, Thursday, Oct. 1, at noon.
The Moon Festival is the only free event this month whose organizers have said it will raise money for a building that is still closed. The Taoist Temple has been closed to visitors since 2021. "We know how much the community misses having the Taoist Temple Museum there," Wing said. The staircase is funded. The Society is still raising money for the rest of the work.
Old buildings like the ones in China Alley are a good reminder that the hardest part of caring for a historic property is usually the work that comes after the first repair is paid for. If your family is weighing what to do with an older Kings County property, whether that's repairs, a sale or settling an estate, Sean Harper Real Estate can walk you through the numbers in plain terms. Let's Connect.
