Ready for another brief getaway, we met up with Bob and Jenny in Folsom, a town mostly known for its Prison (thank you Johnny Cash). Yet beyond that, the history is rich and the historic downtown is worth an explore.

After fueling up, we were off to the Farmer's Market held every Saturday all year through.
It was a taste and sight sensation!

The establishment of Folsom Prison came in 1880, when the Livermore family, owners of most of the area, made an agreement with the State to donate land for the prison in exchange for inmate labor. They planned to build a hydro-electric dam from the American River for a sawmill. Though the sawmill did not work out, the Livermores soon realized that the natural force of running water could provide enough power to transmit to Sacramento, and the Folsom Powerhouse, now a National Historic Landmark, was opened (1895).
At the time it was opened, it had the longest overhead run of electricity (22 miles) in the country. The powerhouse operated until 1952 and shortly thereafter became a California State Park.
Bob was shocked by how interesting it all was.
I thought this thing was pretty cool. To allow parallel alternators and power grid, a Synchroscope was added to the Switch Panel.
The two-story brick and granite Powerhouse looks much as it did in 1895. Its imposing generators, and the Tennessee marble-faced control switchboard stand as imposingly as they did more than a hundred years ago.
After hitting some garage sales and meandering about town, we met at our hotel pool for wine and cheese.
Seeing the historical depot at night was pretty magical. It was an ideal evening for a stroll.
We came to Folsom specifically for Opening Night of The 39 Steps in the Sutter Street Theatre. How fun that we were warmly greeted with wine and treats in this cozy performing arts space right in the heart of the Historic District.
On the way back to the hotel, we laughed out loud, recounting how much fun this entire day had been. New discoveries with old friends- fun stuff.