Near this
cache is The Kingdom of Boomeria! “The Kingdom of Boomeria is
a magical place of just one hectare hidden in the forest in Bonny
Doon, California. Students who graduate from San Lorenzo Valley
High School go out into the world and tell tales of their
adventures in the Kingdom of Boomeria and find that no one believes
them. After all, how many people can claim their science education
included fighting medieval battles, building a pipe organ, and
digging an underground labyrinth?
Preston Q. Boomer has been teaching physics and chemistry at San
Lorenzo Valley High near Santa Cruz for over 50 years. He has a
passion for science and believes that hands-on experience helps
students understand scientific concepts. He also believes science
(and life in general) should be fun. His nickname is “The
Boom”, which they say is not because of explosions in
chemistry class, although there are stories of experiments that
went awry, like the time he drew the cops to the school after a
Tesla coil cut off police communications. Boomer taught the
grandparents of his current students, but has no plans to retire.
He is the crazy mad scientist that we all wish we had for a
teacher.
According to
The Boom, the idea of Boomeria was born the night he used water
guns to defend his home from students who planned to egg his house.
He began construction on the kingdom in the mid 1950s on his 2.5
acre yard nestled in the woods. There were no neighbors at the
time. Boomer’s two sons, Lawrence and Alex as well as many
students over the years helped construct a wooden castle with a
dungeon, battle turrets complete with water cannons, a pneumatic
system to power the kingdom’s pipe organ, and an underground
labyrinth that connects the different parts of Boomeria. The
property also holds a swimming pool (which The Boom calls the
“Main Aqueous Ammunition Bunker”) and a chapel built
around the organ.
The tunnels
beneath Boomeria were dug by students over a three-year period in
the 1960s. Now they are known as the Great Tunnel, the Catacombs,
and the Dungeon. While digging the tunnels, students found bones of
an animal that resembles a dinosaur but still hasn’t been
identified. The reconstructed skeleton now hangs in the command
center. Next to the castle stands a full-size working guillotine,
which is used only for watermelons. No one is allowed on the
guillotine platform except The Boom himself. The entire property is
wired with horns, sirens, bells, and other means of warning and
communication. The loudest is the Weapon Beulah, a Navy foghorn
that can be heard miles away. When approaching the castle,
you’ll be greeted by The Boom shouting “Who goes
there?” to which he expects a creative and intelligent
reply.
The students periodically try to conquer the kingdom using the
water cannons. These battles rage fiercely, but as the
kingdom’s motto states, “The King Always Wins”.
The water to the cannons is controlled from the Main Engine Room.
The Control Room holds the telegraph system used for communication
and steam engines that power other parts of Boomeria. There is also
a laboratory full of ancient chemicals and more recent
experiments.
The Brotherhood of Natural Philosophers is the science club The
Boom’s students founded in the 1960s. New recruits are taken
to a party in Boomeria where they are expected to give a short
science presentation, then are taken on a tour of the kingdom
before being formally installed. Participation is not mandatory, as
that would hint at hazing, but no one wants to miss it! There are
activities all year long for club members, both inside the kingdom
and elsewhere.
Preston Boomer’s great-grandmother gave an 1879 pipe organ to
the Trinity Paris Church in San Jose many years ago. In 1953 the
church replaced that organ, and The Boom took what was left of the
old organ (the console and two sets of pipes) and made it a part of
Boomeria. Over the years, Boomer and his students, under the
supervision of organ builders Bill Reid, John West, and Bill
Visscher, repaired and expanded the original organ. Now it has
2,500 pipes! You can hear a bit of organ music at The Boom’s
site.
There are several ways you can experience Boomeria for yourself.
The best way is to be a student at San Lorenzo Valley High School.
If that’s not possible, you can attend the annual Boomeria
Extravaganza, scheduled this year for July 10th. The event is a
fundraiser for the Santa Cruz Baroque Festival and will cost you
$50 per ticket, but that will entitle you to an afternoon of organ
music, refreshments, and a tour of the inside of the organ, as well
as a look at the rest of Boomeria. The public is invited to a
Christmas carol singing each year -the event for 2010 is scheduled
for December 18th. If you are between 7 and 13 years old, you can
attend the Celtic Music Camp held each summer at Boomeria.
Otherwise, you can contact The Boom ahead of time and ask nicely.
After all, it’s his kingdom.
A large tree fell during a storm and damaged part of the castle
last fall, but students and family helped remove the debris and
insurance will cover repairs. The Boom said he would use the
experience in his classroom lessons. It’s just another
example of how this teacher uses every opportunity to teach the
principles of physics.” (From Miss Cellania
mentalfloss.com)
The Boomers web site
Boomeria on
youtube