Docent Program
Learn. Share. Inspire. Become a DANA docent.
Dana Adobe docents are retirees, teachers, stu
dents, business people, and families. They are women and men, young and old. As diverse a group as they are, they have one thing in common: passion for history and the desire to share that passion with others.
Docents enable people to experience history in a way that isn’t possible from reading a book. A way that activates all the senses: the visual impact of the rancho viewshed, the fragrance of the grasses and the aroma of bread baking in the horno, the taste of hand-made tortillas, the cool feel of the adobe bricks, and the sound of Maria Josefa Dana singing every morning to rouse her family from bed.
It takes many skills to create this environment. So our program is varied and flexible. Some docents focus on researching historical figures or the rancho era. Others help recreate the historical setting through authentic furnishings and costumes. Many give tours and demonstrate cooking, brick making, branding, dancing, and other rancho activities.
“I enjoyed our visit to the Dana Adobe. Dancing and tortilla making were my favorite activities. I learned a lot from our visit, like what people did a long time ago."
-Fourth grader, Joe Nightingale School
Docents Learn
All docents receive training on the history of Rancho Nipomo Dana Adobe, the Dana family, and the role of the adobe in California statehood. Docents who want to learn more about rancho life attend workshops on period clothing and foods, adobe brick making, and they conduct independent research.
Docents enjoy field trips to other historical sites in the Central Coast. These trips expand their awareness of history and give them an
opportunity to pick up tips and techniques from other docents.
“For me, being a docent is about going back in time. Imagining people coming and going on the rancho. Feeling what it was like to sit on the veranda at a time when it was so quiet you could hear the bells of San Luis Obispo mission ringing in the distance.”
-Gina Bernero, Dana Adobe Docent
Docents Share
Docents are the face and voice of the Dana Adobe. They share their knowledge with each other and with the community. The stories they weave help people understand the history behind the Dana Adobe and how the adobe helped shape the California of today.
“We often start our school tours with Maria Josefa’s song. As the docents appear one by one in costume, you feel the students’ interest rising until they are completely caught up in the history of this place.”
-Dorothy Zehm, Dana Adobe Docent
Docents Inspire
Through the Discover the Rancho program, Dana Adobe docents bring California and U.S. history to life for hundreds of students from Central Coast schools. They also host families as well as business and social groups.
Docents inspire adobe visitors by giving them insight into our community’s history and a better understanding of our multicultural roots.
“It was so rewarding to see the excitement on the students’ faces as they ‘walked’ through history … and to see their enthusiasm when they understood that they were in the home of a famous person.”
-Susie Wray, Third-grade Teacher, Dana Elementary School
Become a Dana Adobe Docent
If you love history, research, cooking, crafts, teaching, performing, or sharing your time and talent, you’d make a great Dana Adobe docent. To become a docent,
call the Dana Adobe at 805-929-5679 or call 805-929-2606.
“The Dana Adobe has given me a sense of where my roots are. By being a docent here, I’ve found my personal place in California history.”
-Helen Daurio, Director, Dana Adobe Docents
Click here to view the
DANA Docent Study Guide.
