euskalkultura.eus

Bakersfield, CA, USA. The CSUB Philosophy & Religious Studies Club, CSUB ASI, and Kern County Basque Club collaborated on this year’s Basque Studies Symposium. Two guest speakers participated in the symposium: Dr. David Lachiondo, Interim Director of Basque Studies at Boise State University, presented on the Basque experience in the Spanish Civil War, and Dr. Oscar Alvarez Gila, a W. Douglass Distinguished Visiting Scholar at University of Nevada - Reno Center for Basque Studies, on Basques in the media.  

On Saturday, the Kern County Basque Club’s 39th annual Basque Festival kicked off with a Mus tournament and Pilota Finals at 8 am. Pilota (Pelota) in its various forms is a more recent introduction into the pantheon of Basque traditional sports, and its popularity endures.   NABO supports efforts in various clubs to maintain the tradition of this sport, including sponsoring an annual tournament. This year’s champions were David Indart and Gabriel Dalia. Four players from the Basque Country were invited to Bakersfield this year to play games on both Saturday and Sunday: Xabier Urberuaga (from Aulesti, Biscay), Patxi Larramendi (Eulate, Navarre), Asier Berasaluze IX (Berriz, Biscay), and Ibai Bengoetxea VII (Leitza, Navarre). Saturday’s ballgames were streamed online, and the award medals were presented on Sunday during the afternoon program.

A music group from the Basque Country, Luhartz, ended the night with music and dance for everybody’s enjoyment. The group was formed in 1983 and plays traditional and modern Basque dance music.

-39th annual Basque Festival complete program here