Photo Gallery: Recreation Department opens Heritage Park time capsule Friday

As it turns out, there were also a few emotional moments as the small crowd managed to get a little peek at a little slice of Lemoore life precisely 25 years to the week.

The audience was on hand to open a time capsule, buried at Heritage Park on June 4, 1996. Twenty-five years ago, the City of Lemoore decided to commemorate the official opening of the park with a time capsule and mandated that it be opened 25 years later.

While much of the visiting audience may have initially been unaware of the time capsule, some were. Former Lemoore councilmembers John Luis, Marshall Norgaard, and Ed Martin were on hand as was former Lemoore City Manager Allen Goodman. Luis, the city’s mayor at the time, remembered speaking at the time capsule’s burial and was pleased with how Heritage Park has made a difference. “I think it’s wonderful,” he said from his perch beneath the park’s picnic area. He said he drives by the park all the time. “It’s always being used.”

The contents of the time capsule, which some might say resembles a World War II vintage bomb, included a myriad of letters, photos, newspapers and a multitude of items and memorabilia from Lemoore and that era. Included in the capsule was also a letter from the time capsule’s builder, Tim Gomes, who just happened to be on hand Friday and helped to open his original creation.

It was also an opportunity for Lemoore Parks and Recreation Director Jason Glick to hype the park, seeking new ideas for future projects for Lemoore, including improving Heritage Park. He indicated that the city has applied for a grant from Proposition 68, a state parks grant. “This park has a real opportunity for grants,” said Glick as he set the stage for the time capsule’s opening.

There were a few emotional moments. A grandson received a letter and a small present from his grandfather. An emotional Rosie Marshall chocked up somewhat when reading a letter she had deposited in the capsule 25 years ago meant for her husband. He was there to hear her read it to him.

Ben Rico, the surprised recipient of a letter and a hand-carved car from his grandfather, Dan Rico, a well- known resident of Lemoore, was certainly surprised and appreciative. The elder Rico had a knack for such hand-made presents. He once presented the Lemoore City Council with a small replica of the city’s water tower, which once dominated the downtown area before being torn down many years ago.

The younger Rico, now 42, had no idea that his grandfather, who passed away 18 years ago, had left something in the time capsule. “I had no clue,” said a surprised Rico. “I found out through Sheila (Taylor, an employee of Lemoore Parks and Recreation). She reached out to me on Facebook and asked me if I knew Dan Rico. Yes, that’s my grandfather, and that’s when I found out that he had left a letter and a handcrafted car (in the time capsule). It’ s amazing. I love it.”

The time capsule isn’t retiring anytime soon. It will be returned to its resting place promptly with a whole new set of items, and it will be opened in June 2044, 25 years later.

 Photos by Gary Feinstein/Feinsteinfotos