Having it rain on the event only enhances the experience

Photo courtesy Henry W. Coe State Park
Children play in a creek during a previous Raincoats and Rubber Boots event.

By Calvin Nuttall

Calvin Nuttall

If you can rely on anything, it’s that the weather will be unreliable. That’s why the weather will always be perfect for the Raincoats and Rubber Boots event at Henry W. Coe State Park. Families can splish-splash around March 4, rain or shine, having fun and maybe (accidentally) learning a bit about the fascinating riparian ecosystem surrounding the Hunting Hollow Creek.

Long-time Coe volunteer Chere Bargar and her “co-conspirator” Kitty Swindle conceived Raincoats and Rubber Boots when Ranch Day, another of Coe’s annual volunteer-run events, kept getting rained out. Though it started small, with a flexible schedule to accommodate for weather, Ranch Day had grown to include dozens of exhibits and more than 50 volunteers.

“It got too hard to have an alternative rain date,” Bargar said. “I wanted to move it to later in the year when there wasn’t such a big chance of rain. But Kitty said, well, we have to do something while there’s water because the kids love to play in the creek. That’s when we came up with Raincoats and Rubber Boots.”

This event is focused on the water, so if anything, having it rain on the event only enhances the experience.

“It’s about having fun in the creek and learning a little bit about the park and how things work out there,” Bargar said. “I really enjoy watching kids have a good time, teaching them little fun facts and tidbits. They don’t really know they’re learning anything, because it’s not like school.”

It’s been tough to hold the event during the recent years of drought. It’s reliant on the Hunting Hollow Creek having at least a decent amount of water. The creek was bone dry last year. With this year’s historic rainfall, however, the creek is sure to be full and flowing.

Volunteers will bring a plethora of fun activities for the kids. Rubber ducks and inflatable boats can be raced down the creek, then pulled on strings back up to the starting line. There is a scavenger hunt for local flora and fauna in the water or along the creek bank. Volunteer interpreters can teach the kids fun facts about the critters they may find. For peering under the water, they can use a device called an aquascope, a simple viewing tool made of a magnifying glass attached to a plastic tube.

“We even have this mountain bike challenge course for kids,” Bargar said. “One of our former volunteers was very innovative, and he made a roller coaster bridge and other kinds of obstacles for kids to ride their bikes over. We have runners who go beside the kids so that if they fall, somebody is there to catch them.”

A few second-hand bikes are brought by volunteers, but families are encouraged to bring their own if they have them. A volunteer bike mechanic — my dad, Stu Nuttall — will be there to provide quick tune-ups and tube changes as needed to keep the fun rolling.

The event takes place at the Hunting Hollow entrance to Henry Coe on the Gilroy Hot Springs Road from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Note that this is not the park headquarters entrance. Many prospective visitors have been led astray by their GPS app, so make sure you’re headed to the right place before you set off.

The event is free, however there’s a $6 parking fee. (Bring exact change.) Make sure to bring food and water as none are available onsite. Some of the activities take place beyond the first creek crossing, such as the mountain bike course, so parents are advised to bring their own rain boots as well.

Calvin Nuttall is a Morgan Hill resident and avid Henry W. Coe Park explorer.