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Unwind and Enjoy: Music in the Meadow Funds Coarsegold Museum

COARSEGOLD—The Coarsegold Historic Museum is truly a local historic treasure. Treasures don’t support themselves, however, so each spring for the last nearly two decades the site has held “Music in the Meadow.” The festive Music in the Meadow annual event serves as a great way to spend a spring afternoon dancing and connecting with neighbors, friends, and new friends from Coarsegold and beyond.

Brief History of the Museum

The site of the event is the museum itself, located at 31899 Highway 41 (just south of Lucky Lane) in Coarsegold. The original stagecoach road to Yosemite ran right through Museum grounds. The adobe building situated there is a designated historical landmark which served as a way station for those heading up the mountain.

The unique collection of artifacts and items of historical value focuses on Coarsegold and nearby foothill areas, where its exhibits offer a look back into the past from prehistoric to recent times in the area. The museum celebrates not only its pioneer ancestors but also the Chukchansi peoples who have populated the area for centuries.

The Coarsegold Historical Society, an educational non-profit entity, owns and operates Coarsegold Historic Museum. The Coarsegold Historical Society was formed in 1981 to study and share the wonderful history of Eastern Madera County and the area known as Coarsegold in particular. From research the book As We Were Told was produced. Members interviewed 102 “old time” families (dating to the early 1800s) of the region and complied their stories to share with others. Various books about the area and its legends are available for purchase.

Picayune School Moved to Property

In 1994 the Picayune School (in use from 1913 to 1956) moved to the property. It was an elementary school especially for the local Chukchansi Yokut Indians. The only one-room schoolhouse in the local mountain area to be displayed as a school, it is furnished with items dating to the period of its original use. Now restored and listed on the California Register of Historic Sites, the Madera County Board of Supervisors designated it a local Historical Landmark. 

Event Details

This popular Open House features live music, a silent auction, 50/50 drawing, food, and drinks.

  • Date:  Saturday, June 1, 2024
  • Hours:  12 noon to 4 pm
  • Live music by the Executive Rockers (back by popular demand)
  • Food and beverages available for purchase
  • Silent auction, 50/50 drawing
  • Museum buildings open for viewing
  • Fun, family-friendly event under the shade of a large canopy
  • Admission Fee:  $10.00

Event Sponsors

The annual event counts among its sponsors local businesses Kenli, Inc., Sullivan’s Tire Pros, Veater Financial Group and Yosemite Drug

Contact for More Information

For further information, call the museum at (559) 642-4448 or visit their website. You can also email them at chs@sti.net.

Photos courtesy of Coarsegold Historic Museum and Visit Yosemite|Madera County.

Judi Hussain

Judi Hussain escaped from the big city to the wilds of eastern Madera County over thirty years ago. During her time here she’s worked at selling doors and windows, coordinated Road Scholar adventures at a local conference center and served as visitor center coordinator for Visit Yosemite Madera County. After the COVID shutdown upended her world, she "enjoyed" her first retirement months ever and couldn't wait to get back to work. When offered a position in January 2021 as the chamber administrator for Oakhurst Area Chamber of Commerce, she grabbed it and held on tight. Her diverse passions include hiking, beading, dog mushing (observer, not participant), travel, writing and languages. The shutdown offered an opportunity to expand on her journeys to Israel in 2016 and 2018, and she’s now studying Hebrew in preparation for a return to the land she uexpectedly grew to love. She’s investigating other travel prospects, as well, targeted toward the end of 2022.

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