Press Releases
San Clemente, CA – Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens, a nonprofit southern California cultural center, has accepted a gift from Ms. June Yoder of San Clemente, CA to continue offering D. Yoder Family Sundays in 2018. D. Yoder Family Sundays, which began in January 2017, enables free admission for all visitors to Casa Romantica between 10 am and 2 pm on the first Sunday of each month for activities and a noon-time program thematically based on Casa Romantica’s Casa Captivating programs for all ages. Visitors also enjoy the beauty of Casa Romantica’s treasured ocean bluff home and gardens built by San Clemente’s founder, Ole Hanson.
D. Yoder Family Sundays were established to honor the memory of David Yoder, the son of Paul and June Yoder. David passed away in 2011 at the age of 46, leaving his wife Karen and children Molly and Lucas. Ms. Yoder has made significant contributions to develop Casa Romantica’s programs and property, including the dedication of $25,000 in 2007 to the Casa Romantica central courtyard garden (named the Paul A. Yoder Courtyard in memory of her husband). The $7,500 that she has now given two years in a row covers the operating costs of Casa Romantica on D. Yoder Family Sundays so that the institution does not sustain a loss without its usual admission. Twelve D. Yoder Family Sundays occurred over the course of 2017 with a total of 3,063 visitors: an average of 250 each day.
“Providing free access to our resources of art, history and culture is part of Casa Romantica’s mission to provide arts and culture for everyone, and we are thrilled that Ms. June Yoder, through her philanthropy, has made this a possibility,” says Casa Romantica Executive Director Berenika Schmitz.
The January 2018 D. Yoder Family Sundays will include a special performance by piano prodigy Vijay Venkatesh, a native of Orange County whose talent has earned him Grand Prizes in numerous national competitions. The artist, who is currently studying his Master’s Degree from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music as a recipient of the Barbara and David Jacobs Fellowship, will perform works from Chopin, Liszt, Beethoven, and Granados at 12:00 PM at the Grand Piano in Casa Romantica’s Main Salon. The concert itself is underwritten by Dr. Ron and Margaret Redmond, who sponsor the annual Casa Romantica Music Festival and Academy.
A full overview of D. Yoder Family Sundays events and mini-programs will be available online at CasaRomantica.org/Calendar and onsite at the Casa Romantica entrance beginning in early 2018.
