What started as a reunion-style picnic on a hill in the outskirts of Ione on May 3, 1857, has now grown into four days of special events. Now known as the Annual Ione Homecoming, the event will be celebrating its 132nd year this May.  On May 3, 1876, as part of the nation’s centennial celebration, the event was moved from that famed hill to the present-day Howard Park, where a then state-of-the-art racetrack and grandstand had just been constructed. Each year, the non-profit Ione Picnic Association, or IPA, which is the organizer of the entire homecoming, holds a fundraiser to help support the historic event. 

This year’s was a showing of The Story of Seabiscuit, which brought to light the fact that the famous racehorse was owned by Charles Stewart Howard for whom Howard Park is named. In 1942, Howard bought 32,000 acres of land that is now Rancho Arroyo Seco, and included in the sale was the 89-acre parcel that is now Howard Park.  Howard died in 1950, and the park land was sold to the City of Ione in 1995. The homecoming entertains with a different theme each year, with this year’s theme of “Mardi Gras Magic” paralleling that of the Amador County Fair.

According to the IPA website, the annual homecoming is “a bridge connecting our rich past and exciting future!” Another longstanding tradition is the homecoming’s mascot, “Benny Bedbug,” a cartoon bug invented in the early 1970’s by G. Lambert.  Each year, Benny characterizes the theme of the event, which in past years has included 2001’s “Benny Goes Around the World,” 1980’s “Gold Fever,” and 1978’s “Fantasy World.” The 2008 Ione Homecoming runs May 9th through the 11th, in Howard Park and Downtown Ione, with the Miss Ione Scholarship Pageant this Saturday, May 3rd at Ione Elementary School.  Tickets are available at Ione Auto, Coldwell Banker in Ione, the Rancho Arroyo Seco office, from Ione Picnic Association members, or by calling 209-274-2777.  You can obtain more information about homecoming events on the IPA website at www.IonePicnic.com.