Ken Freeman announcing costume contest winners on Pioneer Day. Courtesy photo

YUBA COUNTY, CA (MPG) - Saturday, April 26 is this year’s date for the 16th annual Smartsville and Timbuctoo Pioneer Day festival. If you’ve been to one of our past events, you’d have seen our many volunteers joyfully at work. Among them are the Master of Ceremonies, historical characters, greeters, booth ambassadors, tour guides and drivers, demonstrators, entertainers and musicians, historical character actors, face painters, children’s activity facilitators, and set-up and clean-up helpers, to name a few.

One of our best and loyal volunteers, Ken Freeman, sadly passed away last year.  He was our main stage Master of Ceremony for many years. Always with a smile, Ken supported our church restoration mission in every way he could.  

In his honor we are introducing a perpetual award called the “Ken Freeman Pioneer Day Volunteer Award.”  The first volunteer to be named on the plaque will be Leroy Prindle. He is one of our talented historic characters and portrays Father Andrew Twomey inside the historic Church of the Immaculate Conception, our church under restoration. He tells the poignant story of the 36-year-old priest who tragically drowned in 1906 as he crossed a creek with his horse-drawn carriage on his way from Smartsville to lead services in Rackerby. Leroy has performed mock weddings inside the church and creates an authentic historical ambiance for our visitors. 

Leroy Prindle portraying Father Twomey. Courtesy photo

“I just love being in that church!” said Leroy.

Leroy’s family came to this region from Washington state in the early 1900’s where his grandfather bought a farm, and Leroy grew up on it. After self-employment in garden services, he ended up working for over 40 years at Yuba Community College. Leroy said he loved waxing the floors!  

Leroy is the long-time president of the Friends for the Preservation of Yuba County History (FPYCH) and helps with restoring, maintaining and sharing the Historic Marysville City Cemetery with the public. He performs as one of several historical people buried there. We’re so pleased to honor him, donning his priestly costume, on the main stage at Pioneer Day at noon, Saturday, April 26.  

In the meantime, before Pioneer Day you may want to attend the Friends for the Preservation of Yuba County History annual event, 2025 Flowers, Tombstones & Tales Cemetery Tour on April 19, with its guided walking tour through the Historic Marysville City Cemetery.  It lasts about an hour and requires good walking shoes. Funds raised are mostly used for the cemetery restoration, in particular for headstones.  (Friends for the Preservation of Yuba County History also helps other groups and has been generous in giving donations to Smartsville Church Restoration Fund, Inc.) This year at the cemetery you’ll see Leroy performing as David E. Knight, a local entrepreneur of the gas company, woolen mill, railroad, horse racing and more. For information email [email protected].  

Leroy Prindle (Father Twomey) and visitors at Pioneer Day. Courtesy photo

We hope to see many visitors in Smartsville this year on Pioneer Day. The historic church is open for viewing and the progress is truly stunning.  At the time of this writing, Alan Cartwright of Sierra Hardwoods is installing the oak flooring of the sanctuary section which surrounds the three white altars.  

As always, we’ll have our Blue Point Mine, Sucker Flat, and Timbuctoo tours; good food and craft vendors; demonstrations, returning blacksmith Ben Crott and a new demo of spinning yarn by local resident Brenda Lara; children’s activities, including gold panning, face-painting by Sue Loyd, the water coloring contest, a Native American display presented by our “Acorn Lady” Carolyn Jones-Rodgers, and returning magician Leland Eiben; main stage musical entertainment, with Hilda Biffle as MC; the Timbuctoo Theatre with MC Sue Cejner-Moyers who is also performing along with several others; Lauren Green’s Smartsville Salvage and Sundry historic building open for viewing across from the church, and so much more! Information may be found on our website: smartsvillechurchrestoration.org or call/text (916) 838-2757 or (530) 701-5090.