Free Electric Rail Demo in October

COMMUNITY NEWS Free Electric Streetcar Demo in October

Coast Futura announces a free demonstration of an affordable, accessible streetcar on the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line, presented by Roaring Camp Railroads, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 16-17, in Watsonville, and Thursday, Oct. 21 through Sunday, Oct. 24, in Santa Cruz.

Tickets for the 45-minute ride will be available online from Roaring Camp Railroads starting Friday, Oct. 1. Sign up at coastfutura.org

The Coast Futura demonstration rail vehicle was manufactured by Californiabased TIG/m, LLC., operating on batteries and hydrogen fuel cells.

The vehicles are wireless and are expected to move quietly through neighborhoods alongside the Rail Trail, portions of which have been completed or are forward.

The innovative streetcar is envisioned to help in the fight against climate change, producing zero emissions and powered by batteries and hydrogen — and recharged with clean energy sourced from Central Coast Community Energy.

The demonstration aims to provide a proof-of-concept about what car-free commuting would look like.

The Santa Cruz Regional Transportation Commission authorized the demonstration as an opportunity for the

Rides Oct. 16-17 in Watsonville & Oct. 21-24 in Santa Cruz

Image shows the electric passenger train made by TIG/m LLC public to see an example of a modern electric rail vehicle on two sections of the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line track.

Each demonstration routes will be approximately 4 miles, with the Watsonville route running from the intersection of West Beach and Walker Streets to Harkins Slough and back, and the Santa Cruz route running from the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk to Capitola and back. The demonstration, originally planned for spring 2020, was delayed due to the pandemic and will follow current COVID safety guidelines require all passengers to wear a mask. Tickets are free but reservations on the Roaring Camp platform will be required. Learn more at coastfutura.org or on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. n

“Refugees” from page 4

The men were recruited (forced) to work in a mine in the Harz Mountains digging for minerals necessary for the war effort. After the mine gave out — there was no other work available except the German army. My uncles and father joined the army, were captured, and were not heard of for a very long time after the war ended.

Of course, these events, as bad as they were, pale in comparison to the slaughter of thousands of Lithuanian Jews in Lithuania by the Nazis with the complicity of the Lithuanian population. Fortunately,

DNA testing was not known at that time. If it had been, my 2% Jewish DNA would have consigned me to the same fate.

We all know how this war ended. Thank God for the Americans who helped the Allies save Europe but at a great loss of American military lives. We are eternally grateful for their sacrifice!

After the war’s end, there was a choice for us displaced persons. We could stay in Germany and suffer the consequences of no shelter, no food, everything bombed out. Or, we could become refugees under the International Refugee Organization program of the United Nations and emigrate out of Germany. Between 1948 and 1952, 36,000 Lithuanians emigrated to the United States. Many more

Thousands, perhaps millions, of displaced Europeans emigrated to the U.S., Canada, Australia, Great Britain and South America.

For about two months we stayed in the Displaced Persons relocation camp barracks and were carefully vetted to be sure we were not war criminals. Then we had medical examinations every week. One week it was eyes, another week it was ears, then other parts of the body, and immunizations. During one of these examinations, it was discovered that our mother had nasal polyps. They operated to remove the polyps so she could be healthy to support herself and her two children. All of this was paid for by the International Refugee Organization, of which the United States was the biggest contributor.

On March 31, 1951 after a scary but thrilling nine-day sea voyage on the U.S.S. General Blatchford, we landed on Ellis Island. Once on American soil, we were expected, with the help of our sponsors, to pay our own way. We took a long train journey to Chicago where our sponsors lived. They had arrived in the U.S. a year or two before us and had agreed to shelter us, help Mom sign up for English classes, and take her to find work.

This Lithuanian married couple with two very young sons lived in a three-room basement apartment in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood, one of the poorer parts of Chicago. They naturally wanted to help Mom find work and get us our own apartment. In a month or so, Mom found a job and we were fortunate to rent our own two-room makeshift “apartment” built in the front of a garage.

I cannot say we were welcomed with open arms by the Irish-Americans in Bridgeport. We were not Catholic and we were competing for jobs. But, as we got to know each other and could speak English, we were accepted and became friendly neighbors.

Over time, as we immigrant families learned English and got better jobs, we were able to move into better places and to live in better neighborhoods. Our version of upward mobility.

I cannot say we were welcomed with open arms by the Irish-Americans in Bridgeport. We were not Catholic and we were competing for jobs.

In those years, from after the war to perhaps early ‘60s, every immigrant had to fill out an address form each January and submit it to the government. The U.S. government wanted to know where we were living in case they needed to contact us. We never questioned this process and did not feel it violated our right to privacy. We were just thankful to be in the United States.

So that was Immigration Old School. I am not saying it was a perfect system but it certainly worked for so many of us who arrived here in the U.S. after World War II. And, in spite of difficulties and setbacks, we all learned the language, became citizens, paid our taxes, educated our children, and wound up living good lives in this great land of opportunity! God bless America! n