After a hiatus of almost four years, the Santa Rosa Junior College and the surrounding community eagerly anticipated the return of the iconic annual event, Day Under The Oaks.

It was expected that the event would draw out the community to a day of educational and multicultural merriment, yet one thing no one expected was it would land on a day of gray melancholy weather. Years of anticipation outweighed the combined pressure of a thousand rain droplets, and in an hour everyone who had decided to wait and ride out the bad weather cut their losses and made their way to SRJC’s campus.

By noon the sky was dry and gray but lips parted to smiles when the clouds wouldn’t comply and the colorful garments of traditional Aztec dancers shone as vividly as though the brightest summer sun beat down overhead.

Practically every club was represented, and the diverse student body that makes SRJC great was on display for everyone in the community to see. The traditional Aztec dancers emanated a cultural strength as powerful as the force of a dozen kicks from the Wu Academy martial arts performers.    Representatives from multiple local Native American tribes showcased their unique culture and offered traditional arts and crafts for sale, along with their popular Indian tacos.

The Black Student Union grilled hotdogs and hamburgers all day in support of their mission to fund education for impoverished orphaned children in Tanzania.

Sonoma Hillel Jewish Student Connection brought information of the their heritage to the public and offered Jewish students information on how to apply for a birthright trip to Jerusalem.

Day Under The Oaks had something to offer for everyone, whether it was the chemistry department’s stand of “magic” tricks, the Oak Leaf’s cake walk, the desired food for the stomach, or possibly even a doggie bag of tomato plants, Day Under the Oaks delivered everything but a sunny sky.