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Next Saturday the Iparreko Ibarra Basque Club of Rocklin, California will host 2014's Kantari Eguna and NABO fall meeting, while celebrating its 10^th anniversary. Noel Goyhenetche, president of the euskal etxea, said to EuskalKultura.com that they are “a small club but I’d say most members are young and we also have a kid’s dance group, and that’s the future.” 

Rocklin, USA. Rosemary Caballero is who teaches euskal dantzak to the 15 kids of the dance group of Iparreko Ibarra. “That’s a good departure point,” says Goyhenetche. “So hopefully we’ll have an adult group soon,” he says smiling. This Euskal Etxea has around 100 members and in the words of the president that “will stay like this for a while.” “Every now and then we run into people that might eventually become members. Not long ago, I was buying food for our picnic and the cashier made a comment about the barbeque we were going to have. I told her it was for the Basque Club and she was so surprised and told me she was of Basque descent too. You never know where and when you will find possible future members.”

As Goyhenetche recalled, “everybody is so spread out here.” “When Basques came, they concentrated in certain areas, like San Francisco, but not that much in Rocklin.” But even though Iparreko Ibarra is a humble club, they have monthly meetings to stay in touch and to organize different events, like the annual NABO mus tournament they usually hold in May, their annual picnic in October, and, every other year, Kantari Eguna or Day of Basque Song.

October the 11^th

Since its founding, the club has held its annual besta at McBean Park in Lincoln. There will be a mus tournament with cash prizes ($240 for the first team and $160 for the second team and a plaque), weight carrying games, dances, singers, bertsolaris, and a raffle with cash and gift baskets.

Mus players will register at 8:00 a.m. and will start playing one hour later. At noon, attendees will enjoy the lunch and, after that, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Martin Etchamendy will be the emcee for the song festival. The Zazpiak Bat Dance Group from San Francisco will share the stage with the young dancers from Rocklin after which the weight carrying competition will start. Dinner is planned to be at 6:00 p.m. and the Jean Flesher and Rene Caballero Band will close the party with an open invitation to dance their Basque-American rhythms.