Bear Flag Revolt Re-Enactment coming Sunday

Volunteer, amateur theatricals are always exciting, especially if you don’t “over-rehearse.” This is never a problem with the Bear Flag Revolt Re-Enactment, put on by the Sonoma Historic Re-Creation Society. That’s because this “we’re-winging-it-again” theatrical troupe only has one rehearsal per show.
The Re-Enactment is done three times a year, once in June for the Native Sons of the Golden West Flag Day Celebration, and twice in September for the Valley of the Moon Vintage Festival. This year, the Native Sons’ Flag Day Celebration will be this coming Sunday, June 10. Starting at noon in the Sonoma Plaza, there will be a barbecued chicken dinner, a micro-brew festival, and the Bear Flag Revolt Re-Enactment in Grinstead amphitheatre at 1 p.m.
Expect to see angry, whiskered revolters in period dress arresting General Vallejo. Our good General keeps reminding these unpleasant, large men that he agrees that Mexican California should be annexed by America, but wonders why they are not in uniform.
“C-c-cause we ain’t the U.S. Army!” is the response given by Ezekial Merrit, famed lieutenant of the revolt and a man known both for his stuttering and for his general air of alcoholic menace.
You might think that such a role would be beyond the acting chops of soft-spoken local cheese marketer Gary Edwards, but you would be wrong. Along with principals James Berry as William Ide, Ken Brown as William Todd, Justina Montano portraying Francisca Vallejo, Patrick Garcia as the General, and George Webber acting as Robert Semple, Mr. Edwards attacks his role with gusto. In fact, the re-enactment is a wonderful, realistic portrayal of one of the more curious military actions in American history.
It occurred on June 14, 1846, when 33 men from the Sacramento Valley rode at dawn into the unguarded pueblo of Sonoma and took over. There was no bloodshed and little looting at first. The General’s wife, Francisca Benecia, gazed at the motley crew from the second-floor balcony of their home Casa Grande, and famously called out: “Mariano! Escape out the back! I do not like the look of these men!” (Casa Grande burned in 1867, but the home stood on Spain Street, between the current Toscano Hotel and the Sonoma Cheese Factory.)
General Vallejo shortly emerged, saying, “And do what do I owe the honor of a visit from so many fine gentlemen?”
This phrase, almost certainly the exact one he uttered that day, has the ring of the General’s true personality. His comment was both pointed and amusing, as these men resembled nothing approximating “fine.” Half had no shoes, with dirty, long hair, coonskin caps, and leather tunics. Each was armed with Bowie knives strapped to his legs, and the men were brandishing pistols and rifles.
As the re-enactment unfolds you will see the confusion, conflicting desires, and hapless nature of this most ad-hoc of military actions. To this day, historians argue over whether Captain John Charles Fremont (who had stayed behind in the Sacramento Valley) had a part in this escapade, and Fremont’s own explanation changed over the years. What we can say for sure is that after hours of negotiation an agreement was reached between the revolters and General Vallejo. The General agreed to not take up arms against the men of the “California Republic” in return for a promise that the lives and properties of Sonomans would be respected. By 11 a.m. he was riding away to Fremont’s camp on the American River, expecting a formal arrest and a quick parole.
After he left, William Todd, admirably played by city councilman Ken Brown, made a crude flag, with a grizzly bear upon it, and raised it in the Plaza.
The script is fairly daunting, and with only one rehearsal per performance it has never been done correctly since its first year of 2005.
Curiously (and thankfully), the ad-hoc nature of the Bear Flag Revolt itself makes this amateur theatrical performance both entertaining and historically accurate. In last year’s performance on Flag Day, the script was left so far behind that a prompter hidden backstage stared in amazement at the script unable to whisper a single line! Several spectators commented after the show on just how well the actors portrayed confusion. And yet there is a certain perfection to the ad-libbing. Before each show, the director reminds everyone, “If we lose our place and make it all up on the spot, don’t worry. That’s exactly what happened!”
And for those of you who would like to join in the fun, there’s still time! Simply call George Webber at 694.5097, and you too can help relive that day in 1846 when a group of scruffy men took history into their own hands.
So come on down to the Plaza this coming Sunday, June 10 and enjoy a wonderful chicken dinner, delicious beer, and at 1 p.m, take in this delightful, true portrayal of Sonoma’s most famous day. Who knows, they might just get it right!