Children and parents visit Bidwell Mansion to learn about its history

CHICO, Calif. — A free educational program known as Bidwell Binocular 360 Quest was open to people of all ages at Chico's Bidwell Mansion on Saturday morning.

Although it was an all-ages event, young children were the biggest group in the crowd. A few of the kids were very excited to be on television, but even more excited to learn about history.

The idea behind the event is simple.

Groups of curious people arrived at the Bidwell Mansion Saturday morning and toured the mansion grounds with a guide. Binoculars were used to get a better look at the construction of the building, as the guide explained the history behind it.

One young group of visitors, which included John Kennedy, 8, were interested in the history for a slightly different reason.

"We like pretending we're in like old-time wars, so I want to see more about the old times so we could use them in one of our wars," Kennedy said.

The event gave people the opportunity to observe the natural and manufactured resources around the mansion, and the differences between those environments.

The goal was to teach people how to make connections between past and present resources that set the stage for modern life in Butte County.

Events like Bidwell Binocular 360 Quest are held at Bidwell Mansion on Saturdays and Mondays from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m..