Parade, Home Tours Highlight Capistrano Fiesta

The annual Heritage Festival at San Juan Capistrano continues through March 24 with a variety of events designed to promote the rich history of the town.

Major events on the schedule include:

* Downtown Heritage Tour, 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

* St. Joseph’s Day at San Juan Capistrano Mission, beginning at 7 a.m. Monday.

* 32nd Annual Fiesta de las Golondrinas Parade, starting downtown at 11 a.m. March 24.

“The Heritage Festival is a way to remind us of our historic legacy,” said Gary Hausdorfer, mayor of San Juan Capistrano.

Hausdorfer said the festival “helps to ensure that the life style here is protected for future generations.”

Because San Juan Capistrano has grown rapidly during the past 25 years, an important aspect of the festival is to help assimilate newer residents into the community. This year, more than 30 groups and sponsors have contributed to the events.

The monthlong Heritage Festival is an outgrowth of a small celebration that began 50 years ago.

The Fiesta de las Golondrinas (Festival of the Swallows) started as a school carnival in the 1930s to celebrate the return of the swallows to the mission each spring on St. Joseph’s Day, March 19.

Fiesta events traditionally take place during the week in which St. Joseph’s Day occurs. This week is also known as “Swallows Week” or “The Fiesta.”

Over the years, the celebration has grown into a local equestrian parade and eventually into a three-week festival hosted by a committee of volunteers known as the San Juan Capistrano Fiesta Assn.

In 1987, the Fiesta Assn. joined with the city and several civic organizations to expand the celebration into what is today the Heritage Festival.

The Downtown Heritage Tour is sponsored by the city’s Cultural Arts and Heritage Commission. This year, four historic properties are included.

The best way to tour the historic sites is on foot. Except for the mission, the tour is free to the public.

The historic sites:

* Mission San Juan Capistrano, Ortega Highway at Camino Capistrano.

* Blas Aguilar Adobe, 31806 El Camino Real.

* Esslinger Building, 31866 Camino Capistrano.

* Albert Pryor Residence (O’Neill Museum), 31831 Los Rios St.

Entertainment during St. Joseph’s Day at the mission will include Rafael Rene singing “When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano,” the famous song written 50 years ago by his father, Leon Rene.

For more information on Heritage Festival events, call the San Juan Capistrano Community Services Department, (714) 493-5911.