downtown fresno blog

Posted by Kim Schoelen

Our first Yellow Umbrella Tour of 2013 was lots of fun, which is good since this was my first time taking the lead as a tour guide.   Look at my tour group, they’re not asleep or angry or anything! (Yeah, that’s my daughter on the Renoir. You can try and try and no matter what your own kid ends up being the one climbing on the art.)

Last year I attended the Yellow Umbrella Tours and I’d think to myself “Man, this is a pretty sweet gig. I wish I could do that.”  I also was in awe of Joe Moore, the undisputed Human Encyclopedia of Fresno History.  When Kate asked if anyone wanted to lead the tour my hand went straight in the air as fast as possible, Hermoine Grainger style. Never mind that no one else was volunteering.  I was in it to win it.

My group met and we got started.  It only took the first few attractions before I got the flow of things and then it came easier and easier.  You know how it is, you start out wondering why you’ve suddenly lost all ability to articulate clearly and worry that you’re going to be stuck in a “like”-and-“stuff” loop while describing everything.  I overcame the loop though, and my group was wonderful and asked great, engaging questions- I even had answers!  Turns out that all of those previous tours weren’t just for kicks and I’d retained a ton of info that I hadn’t even crammed for in my pre-tour study sessions this week.

It was really wonderful to be able to share the things I love about Downtown Fresno, and speak about the work we do at the Partnership. We put so much time and care into our work and to be able to talk about it to strangers, well it’s such a personal thing, you know?

Thanks to everyone who came out this month.  Next month we’ll check out the great pieces in Courthouse Park and get to the third segment of the Fulton Mall that we didn’t get a chance to cover this time.  Look for the Yellow Umbrella, I’ll be there with a big grin waiting for you all on April 6th at 10:00 AM in front of the Warnor’s Theatre. You know, unless someone else in the office can out-Hermione me.