The Tulare County Farm and Agriculture Museum, in Visalia, California, is hosting an event honoring the County’s Azorean-Portuguese heritage. The dispay will open January 19, with a reception from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Titled, “Cultivating a Heritage: The Success of the Portuguese in Tulare County,” the exhibit will tell the story of the influence the Portuguese community has had on Tulare County, mostly in the dairy industry.

Dances traditional to the Azores, exhibits, food, photographs and artefacts from local Portuguese families, will be on display.

“Tulare County is proud to honor the Portuguese community and the contributions they have made to the San Joaquin Valley,” said Pete Vander Poel, chairman of the Board of Supervisors, in a release. “I would like to extend an invitation to the public to attend this important event.”

Tulare is sister city to Angra do  Heroismo, on Terceira island, Azores. The  75-foot Heroismo Tower Square Clock  and Bell Tower located in the heart of Downtown Tulare,  honor Tulare’s rich Azorean-Portuguese heritage in the community.

Tulare County Farm and Agriculture Museum is located at 27000 S. Mooney Blvd., inside Mooney Grove Park, in Visalia, in the heart of California’s Central Valley. The public is invited to attend. Admission to the park and the museum is free. For more information call curator Amy King at (559) 733-6616

An estimated 1.3 million individuals living in the United States today are of Portuguese ancestry, with a large percentage coming from the Azores. The states with largest Portuguese populations are California (330,974); Massachusetts (279,722); Rhode Island (99,445); New Jersey (78,196); Florida (48,974), and Hawaii (48,527). Read more >>

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