San Juan Capistrano : Return of Swallows to Trigger Festivities
On Thursday morning, probably sometime between 7 and 9 a.m., tradition will be relived as the swallows return to San Juan Capistrano.
The little birds migrating from South America will be greeted among the ruins and buildings of the Old Mission by busloads and carloads of visitors, many of whom--as almost a standard part of the tradition--will mistake pigeons for swallows.
After Thursday, events are scheduled through March 28 as the city celebrates its Heritage Festival.
On Saturday, the 29th annual Swallows Parade will start at 11 a.m. and traverse Camino Capistrano and other downtown streets near the mission. It is billed as the largest non-motorized parade in California, and consists of horses, horse-drawn vehicles, bands and marchers.
Also on Saturday, a two-day rodeo sponsored by the San Juan Capistrano Lions Club will begin at 3 p.m. The rodeo, which began in 1985 at a riding stable, proved so popular that it has been moved to a 36-acre field at Camino Capistrano and Junipero Serra Road.
The show, which continues at 2 p.m. Sunday, will feature the cowboys and livestock of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Assn., which annually tours the United States.
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