36 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 24-30, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com FACE TO FACE To listen even for a moment to Tim Thomas is to know a little bit more about the Monterey Peninsula. Thomas is known for his walking tours of Monterey and the wharf, as well as his work as curator of the museum at the Japanese American Citizens League. Born and raised in Pacific Grove and now 71, he spent 16 years as historian for the former Monterey Maritime & History Museum. Over the years he has consulted with California State Parks and the Monterey Bay Aquarium, as well as writing such books on local history as The Abalone King of Monterey: Pop Ernest Doelter, The Japanese on the Monterey Peninsula and Monterey’s Waterfront. “Back then they didn’t teach local history,” he says of his impulse to learn. Thomas is the force behind the first Abalone Festival in Monterey, which takes place July 26-27. The event features speakers, documentary films, demonstrations, performances, a walking tour—naturally—and more. It was, he explains, a Japanese resident who started the abalone industry in Monterey. And it was a chef on Alvarado Street who, around the turn of the last century, served abalone steaks when he couldn’t get fresh oysters. Yes, Thomas has expertise in the mollusk and the fishing industry that developed around it. But does he like abalone? “Yeah,” he says. “But I haven’t eaten it in a long time. Out of my price range.” Weekly: What got you interested in history? Thomas: I’ve always had that interest. Growing up in the 1960s, the canneries were still standing. We’d crawl through them as kids. There were still things in some of the lockers. An old friend use to say, “in history, the job is never done.” You always learn something new. So how much time did you put in at the library reading microfiche? I couldn’t tell you. Years. I spent a lot of time in the California History Room at the Monterey Library. I don’t do that much anymore—everything is online. Did you expect to find so much? No. I didn’t know what to expect. You start looking at one thing and turn the reel and, “Oh, that’s interesting.” Monterey is unique in a lot of ways. It’s a small town, and maybe because it’s a small town it’s the only place I’ve found in California where the fishermen had one union. Everywhere else it was by ethnicity. Here, they grew up together. But the one thing in common was that they all played baseball together. The sardine fishing week started on Sunday. They hoped the Sunday game wouldn’t go into extra innings. [Gestures to an old baseball image.] This is Ky Miyuamoto. He was the Ohtani of his day. How has the area changed over the years? I don’t have an answer for that, really. Tourism has grown, but there has always been tourism since the Del Monte Hotel. The Aquarium changed things. On your walking tours, is there a question you hear a lot? “I don’t know where the name Monterey comes from.” [Goes on to provide the answer in more detail than can be provided here.] I gear the tours for locals. Why an abalone festival? The word abalone comes from Monterey. The Rumsen people were the first divers. They had a word for abalone: “aulun.” Linguists have traced “abalone” to “aulun.” We’re doing this because the [JACL] building will be 100 years old. Abalone money built this building. One of the highlights is on Sunday. Sandy Lydon is doing a talk on Chinese abalone fishermen. Then we’re going to have a dance—Monterey Lion Dance and the Rumsen tribal dancers on Del Monte Beach. Bringing it together was a big job. But I enjoy doing it, that’s for sure. You don’t slow down. Another event we’re doing is on Nov. 22 at Point Lobos, recreating a picnic held for royal Prince and Princess Asaka in 1925. People caught lunch for the picnic. We’re going to recreate it on the very same day, 100 years later. What do you do in your spare time? This is what I love to do. The Monterey Abalone Festival: All Things Abalone takes place 10am-4pm Saturday-Sunday, July 26-27; additional program 7-8:30pm Saturday. Japanese American Citizens League, 424 Adams St., Monterey (and nearby locations). Free. 521-3304, jaclmonterey.org. Wharf Walks take place at 10am the first Saturday of every month at Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey. Free; RSVP required. 646-3933, monterey.gov/library/events. Top Shell Local historian Tim Thomas puts the Peninsula—and now the abalone—in the spotlight. By Dave Faries Tim Thomas with an abalone shell that is part of the collection at the Japanese American Citizens League museum. Early fishermen shipped the meat overseas. “There was no market for it here,” he says. DANIEL DREIFUSS Shop Fresh, Shop Local at our weekly farmers’ markets PLUS - Join us for Seaside Summer Sessions every 3 Thursday with live music and a beer garden! rd All markets accept CalFresh/EBT & provide a 60% discount on all EBT purchases up to $30 ($30 = $75!) through Market Match SERVING FAMILIES IN MONTEREY COUNTY SALINAS SEASIDE PACIFIC GROVE MARINA Sunday Marina 10am-2pm Monday Pacific Grove 3pm-7pm Tuesday Alisal 11am-4pm Wednesday Natividad 10am-2:30pm Thursday Seaside 3pm-7pm Friday SVH 11:30am-4:30pm www.everyonesharvest.org for more info!
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==