Say Cheese in Hilmar-

Company’s Visitor Center Satisfies Area Children

Hilmar Cheese Visitor Center in Hilmar, Merced County. Photo: Steve Newvine

Growing up in dairy country in upstate New York, a grade school class trip to a milk processing plant was always a possibility for me. Some things never change.

Whether it’s 1968 when I was in grade school, or fifty-five years later in Hilmar. On any given school day, it is not uncommon to find a busload of school children taking the tour of Hilmar Cheese in northern Merced County.

Grade schoolers from Ceres Unified take part in a make-believe ice cream making activity at the Hilmar Farms Visitor Center. Photo: Steve Newvine

The company’s visitor center is a hit for school groups who want something close to the home, full of interesting things to see, and that ends with ice cream.

On a breezy morning in early May, grade schoolers from Ceres Unified School District, their teachers, and several parent chaperones took the free tour in Hilmar.

The easiest way to get there is to head west for five miles at the Lander Road exit from highway 99.

“They love it here,” one of the Hilmar Cheese gift shop employees said as a customer acknowledged the large crowd of youngsters.

The view overhead looking down on the Hilmar Cheese Visitor Center Gift Shop and Café. Photo: Steve Newvine

Hilmar Cheese has been part of the northern Merced community since 1984 when eleven dairy farms banded together with an idea scribbled on a napkin at a coffee shop.

The Visitor Center honors that humble beginning with displays showing how the company has grown over the past four decades. The Center welcomes children and others just about any day of the year with the exception of the major holidays.

The tour is free, and ends at the gift shop and café. There’s also an outdoor waterfall with a walking path to give visitors a chance to walk off any extra calories from lunch at the café.

A giant mural on the side of one of the buildings at Hilmar Cheese. (upper) The same mural in a photo taken from behind the waterfalls feature at the Visitor Center. Photos: Steve Newvine

The company says twenty-percent of all the cheese sold in the US comes from Hilmar Cheese.

In many cases, the cheese is sold under a different brand name. Cheese from Hilmar Cheese is sold in over fifty countries.

In most of the tours given by the team at Hilmar Cheese, visitors learn how cheese is made with hands-on exhibits about cows. They can see workers packaging large crates of cheese.

The visitor center includes a timeline that tells the story of how Hilmar Cheese got started back in 1984. Photo: Steve Newvine

On this particular morning in May, the children were involved in a game that simulated the ice cream making process. The youngsters were wide-eyed and anxious about the game.

That might have been the result of a subtle promise by the group leader of real ice cream for everyone at the end of the tour.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

His books California Back Roads and Can-Do Californians are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at Lulu.com.

Both are also on sale right now at the Merced Courthouse Museum gift shop.

Steve will be the guest speaker at the Merced Senior Center morning meeting on May 12.

For more information, call the Center at (209) 385-8803 or email at tommysoto31@gmail.com

At that event, Steve will have his new book Rocket Reporter available.

The book is the true story of his two years in Huntsville, Alabama where he covered the first three launches of the Space Shuttle Columbia.

Cars, Coffee, and Memories-

Monthly Car Show is a Win for Everyone

A classic car from nearly ninety years ago on display at Cars and Coffee Merced. Photo: Steve Newvine

Tom Bustos remembers the day a car show provided a once-in-lifetime experience for a local woman. Back in 2022, a family cleaned up an old Dodge Dart that was exactly like the one their mom had back in her youth.

The family surprised the mom by taking her to the Cars and Conversation Merced show.

“They made sure the car was there before she arrived, Tom recalls. “She had no idea that this car was going to be part of their family that day. It was a joy to watch that reveal unfold.”

This Oldsmobile is one of many classics on display at the monthly Cars and Coffee Merced show held on the first Saturday of each month from March through October at the Merced Mall north parking lot. Photo: Steve Newvine

Personal stories like these keep Tom and his wife Emily putting on the monthly car show in the north parking lot at Merced Mall.

Cars and Coffee Merced started when Emily and Tom thought the time was right for a car show that was free, family friendly, and not too narrow in focus.

“There were a lot of shows, but they were very specific about car types or time periods,” Emily said. “We wanted a venue that was open to everyone, and any kind of car.”

From that basic concept emerged Cars and Coffee Merced. The property manager at Merced Mall offered the north parking area for displays, Merced Car Wash emerged as a partner to hold the events, and Jantz Bakery offered to provide morning coffee.

The couple use social media to let people know about upcoming car shows. Word-of-mouth has also helped spread the word.

On the first Saturday of every month beginning in March, Cars and Coffee Merced welcomes the cars, their owners, and the public for a few hours of nostalgia, reconnection, and car talk.

“We’ve been hosting Cars and Coffee in Merced since 2016,” said Tom Bustos. “We feel really blessed.”

The monthly activity provides all of the good things a car show can create and it helps community organizations along the way. The July event raises money for the Carlos Viera Foundation Race for Autism with a raffle for fireworks.

Other groups that benefit from the showcase of vintage cars include Cub Scout Pack 96 when the annual Pinewood Derby is staged on site alongside the automobile displays.

“That event includes a scavenger hunt where participants find cars with particular histories,” Tom said.

Tom and Emily Bustos along with their classic automobiles: a Maserati Granturismo and a Porsche 911. Photo: Steve Newvine

There are a lot of classic car enthusiasts in the Central Valley of California.

This monthly event provides the family friendly venue where everyone is welcome and any car can be displayed.

The Bustos get into the act with their two cars. One drives a Maserati and the other drives a Porsche. The other added bonus of Cars and Coffee Merced is the creation of new memories connecting people to a special set of wheels in their lives.

One car enthusiast shared a story about selling a classic car at a reduced price to a terminally ill friend so that the friend could enjoy it in what would be his final days.

Others can recall a specific type of car that was exactly like the car a close relative had back decades ago.

Still others just get a kick out of seeing all the cars.

A classic Chevy Corvette brightens the scenery at Cars and Coffee Merced. Photo: Steve Newvine

Cars and Coffee Merced is held every first Saturday morning from March through October in the north parking area at Merced Mall.

There is no entry fee for cars and no admission charge to the public. A raffle helps generate enough money to provide some light snacks, pay for the event insurance, and purchase additional prizes.

The purpose is quite simple according to Tom: “The goal is just to bring motor enthusiasts of all kinds together.”

That goal is reached every month during car show season. Memories continue to be made month after month, wheel after wheel.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

His books California Back Roads and Can-Do Californians are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at Lulu.com. Both are also on sale right now at the Merced Courthouse Museum gift shop.

Steve will be the guest speaker at the Merced Senior Center morning meeting on May 12.

For more information, call the Center at (209) 385-8803 or email at [tommysoto31@gmail.com][0]

[0]: mailto:tommysoto31@gmail.com

Back in the Buckaroo Saddle Again-

Classic Country Group Reunites After COVID-forced Break

The Buckaroos then with Buck Owens, and now. Photo Buck Owens Private Foundation

Over fifty years ago, Fresno musician Jim Shaw wanted to record his country band Nashville West in a new studio owned by the legendary Buck Owens in Bakersfield.

Little did he know he would meet Buck and be asked to record with him that very day. “Buck was recording and needed a piano player".

He was told there was a piano player in the building: "me.” While Owens did not know Jim, he came out of the studio to meet him and asked whether Jim could play in the session.

That session worked out, and would soon be followed by a few more before Buck asked Jim if he’d like to join the group. “By June of 1970, I was hired as a member of the Buckaroos.”

The Buckaroos with Dean Martin in a photograph from the 1970s. Buck Owens and the Buckaroos appeared on a number of TV variety shows in the seventies including the Ed Sullivan Show, and the Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour. Photo: Buck Owens Private Foundation

Jim has been part of the Buckaroos ever since. He played in the band during the Hee Haw TV show that Buck co-hosted with Roy Clark.

Jim was there for the road appearances, network variety shows, and in the recording studio.

He never left the group. Band members moved on over the years and were replaced by other musicians.

Jim along with Doyle Curtsinger, who joined shortly before Jim, have both remained with the band for over fifty years.

Jim Shaw in the foreground with two other members of the Buckaroos at the band’s reunion concert in March 2023. Photo: Steve Daniels.

The Central Valley’s country music heritage was on full display on the stage of the Buck Owens Crystal Palace in Bakersfield in late March.

The Buckaroos performed for the first time since COVID restrictions closed the place back in 2020.

While the Palace would reopen once restrictions were lifted, the band went into a sort of holding pattern.

Jim Shaw on the keyboards at the Buckaroos reunion shows at the Crystal Palace in Bakersfield. Photo: Steve Daniels

Buck Owens died in 2005, but the band continued performing at the Crystal Palace.

Jim has played with the Buckaroos along with serving as the managing director for the Buck Owens Private Foundation.

The Foundation runs the entertainment, publishing, and recording arms of the singer’s estate. When he signed on, he joined legendary guitarist Don Rich and bass player Doyle Holly who were stalwarts of the band. Holly left a year later to forge a solo career.

Rich died in a motorcycle accident in 1974.

Others became Buckaroos over the past five decades. So the reunion shows took on a special significance.

Vocalist and Buckaroo Kim McAbee was part of the reunion shows the band did in late March of 2023. Photo: Steve Daniels

Also on stage for the reunion was lead singer Buckaroo Kim McAbee.

On her Facebook page, she said of the reunion, “So much fun with the Buckaroos together again after three years.” Jim Shaw echoed the sentiments of Kim and others by saying the two shows at the Crystal Palace went very well. “Friday night was totally sold out and we had an enthusiastic crowd and a train-wreck-free performance.”

When he met Buck more than five decades ago Jim had no idea how his life would change.

“I moved into running Buck’s recording studio and took on other duties over the years. I’ve been a managing director of the Buck Owens Private Foundation for the past seventeen years.”

Buck Owens would perform at his Crystal Palace right up until his passing in 2005. Photo: Buck Owens Private Foundation

Jim describes recording for Buck as an experience that was at times challenging but also inspiring. “It was interesting,” he says of those years. “Buck was hard driving, a perfectionist. On the other hand, he brought out the best of us.”

The Buckaroos band was considered one of the best instrumental groups in country music. That’s due in part to that hard-driving leadership from Buck Owens and in part to the musical magic that can happen many times within a small band. Each member brings in something unique, and when the conditions are right, the results are almost magical.

The Buckaroos were co-founders of the so-called Bakersfield Sound, a distinctive style of country music that focused on a smaller number of musicians and the liberal use of electric guitars.

Buck Owens and Merle Haggard were the best-known country artists who delivered the Bakersfield Sound.

Behind those two country icons were the backup bands. Haggard had the Strangers. Owens had the Buckaroos.

“Back in our heyday, every major country artist had their own band,” Jim said. “Loretta Lynn had the Coal Miners, and Johnny Cash originally had the Tennessee Two. Now, an artist may have a band, but often the faces change, and rarely are they even named.”

It is different for the Buckaroos. They keep the flame burning. Thanks to reunion shows like the two performed in late March in Bakersfield, the Buckaroos continue to keep the Bakersfield Sound alive.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

He has written several Our Community Story columns on the Bakersfield Sound and has featured Bakersfield in two of his books: Can Do Californians and California Back Roads.

Both books are available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Lulu.com as well as at the Merced County Courthouse Museum Gift Shop.

Where Were You in 1973?-

Courthouse Museum asks the question and stimulates memories from 50 years ago

Merced Mayor Pro Tem Sam Pipes and Mayor Edwin Dewhirst view the plaque commemorating the opening of the M Street Bridge over Bear Creek in August 1973. The plaque remains at the bridge. It cost under three-hundred thousand dollars to build fifty years ago. Photo: Merced Courthouse Museum

If you’re over fifty, reminisce along with me for this column.

If you’re under fifty, read this anyway because your day is coming.

The Merced Courthouse Museum’s latest exhibit focuses on the year 1973.

Using photographs acquired from the Merced Sun Star and other sources, the rooms of the Museum come alive with memories from that particular time fifty years ago.

The photos include the successful completion of the Bear Creek Bridge at M Street, protests over a plan to build the County office building in front of the Courthouse, and other projects from that year. Even how the community dealt with the Arab Oil Embargo gets a photographic representation in the exhibit.

As the year began, gas was thirty-nine cents a gallon. By October, the price would go up and rationing would start thanks to the Embargo.

This ARCO station attendant stands next to a gasoline pump in 1973 Merced. Gas rationing started shortly after the Arab Oil Embargo began. Photo: Merced Courthouse Museum

The exhibit includes icons from 1973 within the display cases. There are vinyl record albums, a fondue set, and a sample of the fashions worn by the hip wannabees of the era.

Plaid pants for the guys and a polka-dot skirt for the ladies.

Among the photos is a series of three shots of the dissembling of the Westgate Plaza sign from downtown Merced.

The Sun Star photos are in glorious black and white.

Display cases show icons from 1973. In the background of this photo is a sampling of fashion choices from that time. Photo: Merced Courthouse Museum

But for many of us, especially those who did not live in Merced County in 1973, the exhibit affords an opportunity to look back on our lives fifty years ago.

I was a sixteen year old who just got a driver permit. Walking out of the Department of Motor Vehicles Department, then housed inside the Lewis County (New York) Courthouse building, my dad said to me, “Now you’ll have to learn how to drive.”

I ran my first red light within minutes as I was leaving the village of Lowville. That was not a great start. But somehow, I got better at obeying the rules of the road.

Steve as a teen. I’m in the top row center of this photo of the South Lewis High School Tennis Club from 1973. Photo: The Talon (South Lewis High School Yearbook)

On weekday mornings in my hometown back in 1973, the sounds of two announcers at radio station WBRV would help me get moving for the day.

George and Ed hosted a popular morning show with segments that served as signals for me to get myself in gear to make it to the school bus stop near my house.

Here was the routine: breakfast by the 7:00 AM news, brush teeth by the 7:20 Swap Shop program, homework papers and school books ready to go by the 7:30 weather report, and out the door to the bus stop by the 7:40 sports program.

The bus arrived shortly before 8:00 and I was on my way to high school.

Steve’s parents. My mom and dad from about fifty years ago. Photo: Newvine Personal Collection

In 1973, my family was among the fortunate to have cable TV. Gone were the days of using an antenna to capture two or three stations within range of the stations’ transmitting towers.

In 1973 with cable TV, we now had an amazing ten channels from which to choose.

One of those stations was WPIX in New York City where my brother could watch practically every Yankee game, and where my dad and I could watch reruns of The Honeymooners.

I can proudly say that I knew the dialogue of each episode of the original thirty-nine episodes before I entered college. Ralph and Ed from the Honeymooners were almost as common as the daily drop-in visits from my Grandma and Grandpa Newvine, my great aunt Myrtle, our neighbor Fred, and others who always found the Newvine home warm and welcoming.

Instant coffee with some kind of baked good was always served to our nightly visitors. If there was time, a game of cards would keep us entertained.

Courthouse Plaque. (Left) Local student Darcy Bentley looks at the plaque in front of the Courthouse Museum. A group known as the Merced Lawyer’s Wives conducted the first Courthouse Tour in 1973, (Right) The plaque remains in place with only the weather wearing the finish. Left photo: Merced Courthouse Museum. Right photo: Steve Newvine

While the focus on this exhibit is 1973, it is worth noting that the Merced County Courthouse Museum marks a fortieth anniversary this year. The Museum, established in part thanks to the efforts of the Merced Lawyer’s Wives group, opened in 1983.

1973 was a special year for the community of Merced. It was a time that made an impression on all of us, even if you did not live here then.
It was a pivotal time in our lives.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

His California books are available for sale at the Merced Courthouse Museum Gift Shop. His childhood memoir A Bundle of Memories is available at Lulu.com

Merced Knights of Columbus at 100-

Service Club Marks Centennial with Celebration

Here are the founding members of the Merced Council of the Knights of Columbus. The local Council was chartered in 1922.  Photo: St. Teresa of Calcutta Council, Knights of Columbus 

Put yourself into the year 1922 for a few moments and think about the men pictured in the black and white photograph above.  

They were the founding members of what was first called the Merced Council of the Knights of Columbus, a service club of Catholic men.

The Knights were started in 1882 by a Connecticut priest as a means for Catholic men to work together so as to help others and display patriotism.

From that humble start some one-hundred forty years ago, chapters of the Knights formed all over the country.  

In 1922, the Merced Council was chartered.  

The Knights founding principles are charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism. There are nearly two-million Knights throughout the world.

Displays of the accomplishments made by the St. Teresa of Calcutta Council of the Knights of Columbus in Merced, CA.  Photo:  Steve Newvine

The Merced group hosted receptions following church services on June 11 and 12 at St. Patrick’s Parish Hall.  Displays of some council projects and group history were set up for parishioners to see.

Longtime member Randy Starkweather says the local organization changed its name from the Merced Council to the St. Teresa of Calcutta Council around the time Mother Teresa was canonized as a saint in September of 2016.  The world-famous missionary died in 1997 and the canonization process began right away.

Locally, the Council provides support to the Alpha Crisis Center in Merced as well as a faith-based nonprofit organization known as Possibility Productions.  Local Knights also help seminarians as they study for pastoral roles in the church.  They provide service for a number of initiatives and organizations within the St. Patrick’s community.

The Merced Council of the Knights of Columbus changed its name to the St. Teresa of Calcutta Council to honor the missionary nun Mother Teresa upon her canonization in 2016.

In the years leading up to the Merced group’s founding, the Knights worldwide raised money and provided so-called “K of C” huts throughout Europe during World War I. 

The huts were rest and recreational facilities that offered social services to Allied servicemen of all faiths.

The huts sprung up throughout the United States and Europe providing religious services, supplies, and recreation under the motto, “Everybody Welcome, Everything Free.”

This effort led to the eventual development in World War II of the non-profit group known as the USO (United Service Organization).

Parishioners of St. Patrick’s Church attended celebration receptions for the St. Teresa of Calcutta Council of the Knights of Columbus.  Photo:  Randy Starkweather, Knights of Columbus

In the years following World War II, Knights all over America lobbied for public adoption of the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Those words were officially added to the Pledge following the signing of a bill into law by President Eisenhower in 1953.

“We have the Knights to thank for those two words,” said Randy Starkweather in remarks he made to those attending one of the receptions.

While the international organization marks its 140th anniversary, the local fraternal group celebrates a century of service. 

Back in September 1974, the Merced Council of the Knights of Columbus took part in the cornerstone ceremony for the new Merced County Administration Building in 1974. They joined Merced's Masons group in front of the Administration Building in a show of unity. Photo credit: St. Teresa of Calcutta Council, Knights of Columbus

Looking back, some of the senior members and club historians still recall the time in 1974 when the Merced County Administration Building was dedicated.

The Knights marched in one direction toward the building, while the local Mason’s group marched in another direction toward the same spot.

“They met in the middle, by design, right in front of the new County Administration Building,” Starkweather said.  “And together they helped dedicate the new building.”

As the St. Teresa of Calcutta Council of the Knights of Columbus begins a new century of service, they can look back on some impressive achievements over the last one hundred years.  

Who would have thought among the men in that 1922 vintage photograph that this organization would continue serving the community well into the next century?  

It took hard work, strong friendships, and a little faith to make it all happen.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced. 

He is currently working on a new book to be released later this year. 

Ten of his books are available at Lulu.com, Barnes & Noble.com, and Amazon.com.

This summer, he joins several presenters at the Principles-Based Lifestyle Training summer youth program being held at UC Merced.

That’s Where Starbucks Was –

As coffee chain builds new stores, the old locations are repurposed

The former Starbucks shop at the corner of Paulson and Yosemite Avenue is now vacant. A new tenant is being sought to occupy the space. Photo: Steve Newvine

A new Starbucks opened in Merced in May.  This one is the first beverage retailer in the new commercial development at the corner of G Street and Yosemite Avenue.

With the opening of the new location, the company closed the familiar shop just down the road at Yosemite and Paulson.

This is not the first time the coffee chain has moved to a bigger, and some might add a better, location.

When the original Olive Avenue Starbucks moved to a new spot near Merced Mall, the old space was leased to Pizza Hut.  The pizza chain moved across the street on Olive to take over the space while Dutch Brothers Coffee opened a brand new store at the former Pizza Hut spot.  Photo:  Steve Newvine

The store on Olive Avenue closed a few years ago and emerged in a bigger spot in the CVS commercial zone a block west of the former location on Olive Avenue.

In both cases, the public area inside the new stores exceeds the available space in the previous location.  Customers have more room for conversation, smartphone checking, and beverage drinking common in any coffee shop.

Both newer locations have drive-through service.  It’s common to see a line of vehicles idling away their nearly six-dollar gallons of gas as they order and wait on their five-dollar-plus cups of specialty coffee.

Merced’s Main Street welcomed the Seattle-based coffee retailer nearly two decades ago in what many considered a prime location: next door to the movie multiplex.  

That spot served downtown coffee drinkers for about fifteen years until a newer shop opened on 16th Street closer to the highway 99 exit. This location also has a drive-through window that the Main Street spot did not have.

ASIP Coffee now occupies the former Starbucks location on Main Street in Merced. Photo: Steve Newvine

A couple of years ago, a Starbucks opened on West Main Street.  That one also has a drive-through.

So it’s clear that the big game-changer for the company is moving to locations where a drive-through can be built.  

But the spaces vacated by the coffee giant generally don’t stay empty for too long.  Pizza Hut moved across the street on Olive Avenue to take over the former coffee shop spot.  Ironically, the former Pizza Hut location was raised and it is now home to Dutch Brothers Coffee.

The former Main Street Starbucks location next door to the movie theater is now occupied by a locally owned coffee brewer.

There’s no word yet on who will occupy the former coffee shop at the corner of Paulson and Yosemite Avenues.

That spot has a special place in my heart. I spent an hour there every week for about ten years having coffee with a good friend.  That friend passed away earlier this year, so maybe it was a good thing that a once-loved coffee shop should close and move to a new location a couple of blocks away.

Fresh starts are good for all of us.  

Steve Newvine lives in Merced. 

His new book A Bundle of Memories is available at Lulu.com.      

Student Innovation Flowing Forward-

Water reuse among many ideas at UC Merced engineering event

This student team from UC Merced’s Innovate to Grow event designed a water recovery solution for the campus.  Photo:  Steve Newvine

During their four years as students at UC Merced, Rosa Ruiz and Robylene Seapno, had a strong enthusiasm for environmental sustainability.  

As the newest campus in the state system, UC Merced was built to the highest sustainability standards in place back in the early 2000s.  

For Rosa, part of the attraction to this new facility was the focus on making the best use of natural resources.

“I had a real interest in this,” Rosa said.

So it did not surprise these two when they paired up with two other students with similar views on conservation to work on an engineering solution that could help the entire campus community.

The four comprised a team within the School of Engineering who, along with other student teams, developed engineering solutions to problems facing manufacturers, ag producers, and non-profit organizations.

The UC Merced student team with their test-of-concept solution site on the campus. L-R: Rosa Ruiz, Kainoa Ferguson, Robylene Seapno, & Steven Nguyen.   Photo:  Rainwater Irrigation Planning team, UC Merced

The workgroup was among sixty-six student teams that showcased their findings to teachers, clients, and business community representatives at the annual Innovate to Grow final presentations held on May 13.

The projects ranged from aggregating data from cropland microcomputers to improvements in early childhood learning tools.  More than two hundred students worked on these projects throughout the semester.  They met with real clients, traveled on-site when necessary, and worked on their problems collaboratively under the supervision of their professors.

“The students delivered great projects,” said UC Merced, Director of Innovation Stefano Foresti.  

The UC Merced Gymnasium was headquarters for a tradeshow like project presentation held in the morning of the annual Innovate to Grow event.  Later in the day, each group presented specific findings of their research to judges in individual classrooms.  Photo:  Steve Newvine

The problem facing this particular student team was rainwater, and how to engineer a way to capture what little rain falls on the campus, and use that water for landscaping and other needs.

Campus leaders are considering installing a rainwater harvesting system. 

Right now, the only source of water for the campus comes from the City of Merced.  The City’s water system does not utilize non-potable water. 

The engineering team was given the task to address the goal of UC Merced’s leadership to design a system that will capture and use non-potable water to irrigate green areas on campus. 

The proposed design location for the system is the Academic Office Annex building.  The team calculated that an annual rainwater collection of 54,000 gallons could happen with the right solution. 

To demonstrate the solution, a proof of concept a prototype was designed and installed at the UC Merced Community Garden.  That prototype is expected to collect about 400 gallons of rainwater annually.

The students created a rainwater capture and storage concept using a small storage shed already on the campus as their prototype location.  

Their analytics showed that saving the water and storing it can be done.  Recommendations for more water-resistant plants and shrubbery were also entered into the calculations.

The University and the School of Engineering are satisfied with the team that took on the challenge.  It’s hoped that their work can be passed on to another student team in the fall semester to take the research up to another level.

According to Rosa, “We are not giving up.”

The student team proved that a water capture and storage project can be done, but at this time the solution may not be cost-effective.  Right now, it is less expensive to buy the water the campus might need for this effort from the City of Merced than it would be to build and maintain a system for the project.

This project will likely be turned over to a future Innovate to Grow team in hopes that an even better solution can be found.

That’s what innovators do.  They keep trying.

For Rosa, Robylene, and the rest of their team, there was a great deal of satisfaction in knowing they were part of a much bigger challenge to make the best use of the Valley’s water supply.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced. 

His current book A Bundle of Memories is available at Lulu.com. 

Four of his books are now available via author search on bookshop.org where each purchase helps independent book store owners.

Sequoia Legacy Tree Stands Proudly in Visalia-

Challenges in providing proper care 

The Sequoia Legacy Tree in Visalia, California.  Photo:  Steve Newvine

In a sense, this is a story about two guys who shared an office and an idea.

Let’s go back to another time.  It’s wintertime in 1936 in the quaint small city of Visalia, California in Tulare County about ninety miles south of Merced.

Nathan was the Postmaster in a newly opened Visalia Post Office.  Guy was the Superintendent of General Grant National Park in the Sierra Mountains.  During the winter, the Superintendent shared workspace in the post office alongside Nathan.

Guy brought two small Sequoia trees to the office one day during that winter season of 1936.  The pair thought re-planting the three-year-old trees on opposing sides of the new post office building might give the downtown area a little natural beauty. 

They also hoped maybe the trees might encourage others to head up into the mountains to see more of the stately trees in the National Park.

The trees grew and grew.  

By 1940, General Grant National Park was folded into what we now know as Kings Canyon National Park.  The area where visitors can find the General Grant tree is now known as the General Grant Grove.

Nathan and Guy went about their work.  Both kept an eye on the post office trees throughout their careers and beyond.

One challenge lingered during the first fifty years the two sequoias adored the sides of the Visalia Post Office.  One of the trees became diseased and had to be cut down in the mid-1980s.

But the other one continued to grow.  Outliving both Nathan and Guy, that tree is now a very special part of the community.

With a history going back to the 1930s, the downtown Visalia Sequoia, better known as the Sequoia Legacy Tree, is a unique part of this city.

Four years ago, the City formally dedicated the Sequoia Legacy Tree.  

The Sequoia Legacy Tree can be found at the corner of of Acequia Avenue and Locust Street in downtown Visalia.  Photo:  Steve Newvine

The Tree is the focal point of a pocket park at the corner of Acequia Avenue and Locust Street in downtown Visalia.  Interpretive signs explain the story and get into some of the challenges in the care and feeding of a majestic tree that are normally found in the Sierra Nevada. 

The granite pathway the circles the tree is the approximate diameter of the General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park.  Sequoia National Park is adjacent to Kings Canyon National Park.

This tree has a lot more growing to do.

Keeping the Sequoia Legacy Tree healthy and growing is a complication as it grows on the floor of the San Joaquin Valley far away from the majestic Sierra mountain range.

In the mountains, the sequoias take in water that flows from the snowpack in higher elevations.  On the valley floor, the Sequoia Legacy Tree depends on water from the City of Visalia water department. 

It also depends on the time and attention paid to it from both the public works department and volunteers who keep watchful eyes on any signs of danger that might pose a threat.

There is a sign near the tree reminding visitors that it is really up to each of us to use our water wisely to protect and conserve.

That may have been what both Guy and Nathan were thinking back in the mid-1930s when they made it possible for a sequoia to have a regular presence in one of our valley cities.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced and travels throughout the San Joaquin Valley to find stories of interest to readers. 

He’s published several books including California Back Roads where he examines more than three-dozen special places throughout Central California.  The book is available at Lulu.com 

John’s and Josh’s Favorite Eatery-

Wool Growers in Los Banos Enjoyed by NFL Greats Madden and Allen

Los Banos Basque restaurant, the Wool Growers, was one of many favorite eating establishments of the late NFL coach and analyst John Madden.  It is also a favorite of Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.  

Lost in the many tributes and obituary pieces on the late John Madden was a connection he had to Merced County.

The former coach and retired television personality who died in December 2021, loved eating at the Wool Growers Restaurant in Los Banos.

Known for his hundreds of thousands of miles logged on the road in his custom-made bus (he hated airplanes), Madden had a lust for life both as a Super Bowl-winning coach and an Emmy-winning sports analyst.

He also had an appreciation for food and had favorite restaurants all around the United States.  Traveling from city to city to cover football games gave him exposure to where some of the best places to eat were in practically every region of the nation.

But his home base was the Bay Area, and one of his favorite places to eat was right here in Merced County.

“I hear people talking about him eating here,” says Wool Growers co-owner Ruth Reynosa who along with her daughter Talisa Vander Poel took over running the place a few years ago.  “He was a customer before we started here.”

Wool Growers Restaurant at 609 H Street in Los Banos is a family style French Basque establishment.   Photo:  Wool Growers Restaurant Facebook page.

As my writing colleague Tom Frazier stated in his Merced County Times column earlier this year, Basque country straddles the border of Spain and France. 

Many of the Basque people raised sheep and have been coming to California for over a century.  

The Wool Growers Restaurant began in late 1800s.  Specialties include roast lamb, pork chops, and baked chicken.  It is also known for a lamb stew that customers have enjoyed for years.

I ate lunch there once in the mid-2000s and immediately called my wife to let her know I would not be eating dinner.  That midday meal at the Wool Growers was filling.

“Running a restaurant is not easy,” Ruth says.  “Running it together with my daughter is much better this way as you need to trust your business partner.”

Daughter Talisa agrees.  “This place is set up family-style, our customers are like family, so it makes sense that a family runs it.” 

The interior of Wool Growers is set up for family style dining.  Photo:  Wool Growers Restaurant Facebook page.

While there are apparently no pictures of John Madden dining at the restaurant, Ruth shared one photo that was on Reddit.com showing what appears to be the back of his head wearing a Wool Growers hat. 

There’s also a reference to his affection for the place in a Sports Illustrated profile.  

Ruth says many people observed him at the restaurant on several occasions

.  “One customer who remembers him eating here told us he enjoyed the ambiance of the place,” Ruth says.  

Buffalo Bills quarterback and Firebaugh native Josh Allen dines at Wool Growers when he visits family in the off-season.  He’s flanked here by owners Ruth Reynosa and Talisa Vander Poel.  Photo:  Wool Growers Restaurant Facebook page.

That appreciation of the family atmosphere of Wool Growers seems to have been passed on to a new generation of NFL greats.  

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, a native of nearby Firebaugh, enjoys eating there when he’s in the area visiting family.

“He usually comes by in the weeks after the Super Bowl,” Ruth says.  “He likes our lamb stew and the last time he was here a few months ago he had a New York strip steak.”

Ruth and Talisa are happy their restaurant touched John Madden enough for him to keep coming back year after year. 

Now with Josh Allen making Wool Growers a regular stop when he visits during the off-season, both owners hope to see more of him in the coming years.

They hope all their customers feel the same way.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced. 

His book A Bundle of Memories combines two memoirs along with thirty pages of new material. 

The book is available at Lulu.com.  It is also available via author search on bookshop.org where each purchase helps independent book store owners.

Vintage Cars Ready for a Permanent Home-

Graffiti USA Museum takes another step toward 2023 Opening

This convertible is one of many vintage cars that will be on display when the Graffiti USA Classic Car Museum opens in 2023. Photo: Steve Newvine

As a young adult in Modesto in the 1950s and early sixties, John Sanders loved working on cars.

He and his buddies liked showing off their hot rods on 10th and 11th Streets in this city about forty miles north of Merced.

“I fixed up a 1960 Aston Martin DB4,” Don laughs. “And my wife and I took it on our honeymoon.”

That love of fixing up and showing off classic cars is what has propelled Don and some of his fellow business owners to help start a museum that will open in 2023 along Ninth Street in the city.

The Graffiti USA Classic Car Museum will celebrate the heritage of classic cars as depicted in the iconic movie American Graffiti directed by Modesto native George Lucas.

The Graffiti USA Classic Car Museum will showcase vintage automobiles. Some of the cars are owned by the Museum, while others will be loaned for a defined period of time. Photo: Steve Newvine

A non-profit corporation was formed a few years ago to take the idea of a showcase for cars and the Modesto way of life during the American Graffiti era and turn it into a museum.

Over a million dollars in monetary and non-monetary donations have been received.

The museum will get a local government grant for another million dollars over the next two years while more fundraising continues.

The corporation has purchased two former seed and grain warehouses and has been working to get the museum showroom ready for a 2023 opening.

The buildings have over forty-thousand square feet for museum displays, a banquet hall, and office space.

“The banquet area is already being used by local non-profits as well as our organization,” Don says.

Another feature of the Graffiti USA Classic Car Museum will be a tribute to the Modesto way of life as it was in the 1950s and 1960s. Photo: Steve Newvine

When the first phase of the museum opens, visitors will see an impressive collection of vintage automobiles. The main display area starts with a large mural showing the Modesto arch with a classic 1960s era convertible.

Beyond the classic car collection, phase two is planned as a recreation of the downtown area as it was back in the heyday of the cruising era of the fifties and sixties.

The Modesto Radio Museum hopes to occupy a spot in that section to salute local radio stations such as KBEE, better known at that time as the Bee.

The Bee played the rock-and-roll hits that might have been blaring on the AM radios in the cars cruising down 10th and 11th Streets.

The Radio Museum currently lives online (ModestoRadioMuseum.org)

“The Graffiti USA Classic Car Museum will celebrate cars, but it will also celebrate Modesto as it was back in the era of American Graffiti,” John says.

An artist rendering of the proposed front of the Graffiti USA Classic Car Museum along with a look at how the museum looks in the spring of 2022.

Architectural sketches for the museum pay homage to the drive-in burger joint style popularized in the movie as well as television programs like Happy Days.

The museum site along Ninth Street connects to another big part of regional history.

Ninth Street was part of the old highway 99 that remains following the construction of the highway 99 most of us know now.

That historic link to Highway 99 is part of an effort to locate a California Rest Area at the site of the museum.

There’s a lot more work that needs to be done before that idea can come to fruition, but the museum leadership is encouraged by the progress made to date.

While the Graffiti USA Classic Car Museum is not open officially, the gift shop serves customers two days a week (Friday and Saturday). Photo: Steve Newvine

In fact, there’s a lot to be proud of as the museum looks back on the effort to acquire the two buildings, oversee the preparation of the display space for the first phase, and look ahead to a grand opening in the near future.

The vision to celebrate Modesto’s car cruising history clouded over for a while when the pandemic hit in 2020.

“COVID just slowed things down,” John says. “But we are looking ahead to a 2023 opening.”

Fundraising will continue to be the primary focus as the museum moves forward.

A recent crab feed sold out with over 450 people in attendance. The museum gift shop is already open two days a week. Sales of tee-shirts, postcards, and even bottles of a specially labeled wine continue to bring in revenue.

The Graffiti USA Classic Car Museum now has a business license to sell cars, making for a unique connection between selling cars to raise money to celebrate cars. Photo: Steve Newvine

The museum recently obtained a California business license to allow for selling cars as a way to raise funds for the effort.

They will sell cars and accept qualified vehicles for donation to the museum.

While it may sound a little unusual for a car museum to be in the car business, this group is actually borrowing the idea from another organization doing the same thing.

The group has reached out to native son George Lucas as well as to former Tonight Show host Jay Leno for support and encouragement.

In the meantime, car guys like John Sanders will continue to pour more time and sweat equity into the project.

Not all his time though.

He’s currently working on restoring another car.

To paraphrase an often used saying, you can take the man out of his car, but you cannot take the car out of the man.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

His book California Back Roads includes two stories of people who kept their vintage automobiles in near-perfect condition for fun and necessity.

The book is available at Lulu.com.

Four of his books are now available via author search on bookshop.org where each purchase helps independent book store owners.

For more information on the Graffiti USA Museum, visit: graffitiusamuseum.com

Stepping Up for a Friend-

The passing of a good man offers an opportunity for reflection

Dennis Gillen had lived in Merced since 2004.  He passed away in February 2022.  

When a friend passes, we remember the good times, the pearls of wisdom, and even the challenging moments.

Thinking back on the life of my friend Dennis, there were plenty of items in each category.  He passed at age eighty-three.

We played golf dozens of times during the years after I moved to Merced.  We had weekly coffee breaks for about ten years straight.  You get to know someone real well when you have coffee with him every week.

Golf connected me with Dennis and we would enjoy a round from time to time including this time as we played one of the final rounds at the former Stevinson Ranch course in Merced County.  Photo:  Newvine Personal Collection.

When I think of the good times, there were the golf outings.  We met on a golf course in 2006.  We played one of the final rounds ever at Stevinson Ranch before it closed in 2015. 

Taking a vacation day from work, we said farewell to Merced County’s finest golf course before the owners closed up shop and converted the property to agricultural land.  

It was at Stevinson where Dennis offered a suggestion to help with a chronic slice in my drives.  The advice amounted to simple foot placement.  It worked.

With regard to wisdom, Dennis offered life experiences.  He lost his mom tragically when he was just five years old.  His marriage that produced three children ended in divorce. 

He had more than his share of financial setbacks.  As I brought up issues I was dealing with at work, he would share lessons learned from customers during his forty-plus years in his working career.

All of this and more shared between friends whether on the golf course or at our weekly coffee breaks at a local cafe.

Dennis gave me this 2018 photo he had another golfer snap for him at an area golf course.  

The challenges in this friend-to-friend relationship came in the final years of his life.

As his health declined I became aware of just what friendship is all about.  

At this stage of our decade-and-a-half friendship, I realized I would be carrying more of the investment in time and energy to help my friend. 

When he couldn’t drive, I (and other friends) would help him get to church, to a store, or to his credit union. 

Our weekly coffee breaks continued at his home as I brought in the beverages and visited him for a couple of hours each week.  

Every time I talked to him, he’d end the conversation with the words “God bless.”  

 I’m grateful that in what became the final months of his life, Dennis never let me forget how much he appreciated our bond. 

Rarely did one of those weekly coffee breaks end without Dennis telling me how thankful he was that I was his best friend.

I needed to hear that. 

So when a friend passes, we do recall the good times.  We extract tidbits of conversation that stick with us forever.  And we make sense out of the challenging moments realizing that it is in these darker times when real friends are called upon to step up.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced. 

Two stories featuring his friend Dennis are included in his book Course Corrections, and one of those stories is reprinted at the Can-Do Californians Facebook page ((3) Can-Do Californians- Book by Steve Newvine | Facebook) .  

Sleeping Bags and Merit Badges-

Reliving Good Moments from Scouting Adventures

I am among the Scouts attending a week of comradery at the former Camp Portaferry in Lewis County, NY back in the early 1970s.  I’m in the middle row in the center just above the scout at the top of the Boy Scouts sign.   The camp property was sold in recent years and divided into building lots.  Photo:  Port Leyden Historical Club.

A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, friendly, and courteous.

These are some of the attributes outlined in the official Scout Law.

I was a Boy Scout for a few years.  I earned some merit badges, packed a sleeping bag for a lot of campouts, and picked up some lifelong lessons.

I left scouting upon moving up to high school but the memories are still there.

Every summer, our Troop 41 would head up for a week to a Scout Camp in Lewis County in northern New York.  At Camp Portaferry, we’d earn some merit badges (I recall at least one for flag signaling), horse around at the dining hall following meals, and go on a hike or two.  We would enjoy nightly campfires with all the troops attending.  Most of those campfires featured telling ghost stories, performing in talent show competitions among the troops, and singing such classics as “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” and “Be Kind to Our Web Footed Friends”.

In case you are not familiar with the lyrics to that second title, here’s a sampling written to be sung with the refrain of Stars and Stripes Forever:

Be kind to our web-footed friends,

For a duck may be somebody’s mother.

Who lives in the deep of the swamp,

Where the weather is cold and damp (pronounced so as to rhyme with swamp)

Here’s what a properly attired scout would wear prior to heading out for either a weekend campout or a weeklong stay at scout camp.  Photo:  Newvine Family Collection

I left scouting long before even considering going after an Eagle Scout designation.  My friend Phil stayed with the program and became an Eagle Scout.  

I never fully appreciated the work and dedication that went into becoming an Eagle Scout until years later when, as a community leader, I was invited to a ceremony where the designation was awarded to a few local scouts. 

There was a part of the ceremony when the master of ceremonies asked all Eagle Scouts to stand.  Looking around the room, I saw several men stand, connecting with this new group of those receiving one of scouting’s highest honors.

There seems to be a special connection among the Eagle Scout community.  It doesn’t always happen, but when it does, it is really something to see.

Local scout leader Onis Lentz passed away in early 2022.  He served in practically every volunteer role of the Boy Scouts, including a stint on the Executive Council of the Yosemite Council.  Photo: Judith Alvardo, Rio de Oro District. 

I may not have stayed with Scouting as long as I would have liked, but I have been honored to know some outstanding people who were scouts.

Of special note is my friend Onis who recently passed.  Onis was a scout, scout leader, and steady advocate of the value of scouting to society. 

He earned his Eagle Scout designation and was also honored with such awards as the Silver Antelope, Silver Beaver, District Award of Merit, and the Order of the Arrow.

He was a member of the executive board for the Greater Yosemite Council of the Boy Scouts of America. 

He was among the first to welcome me to the community when my wife and I moved here in 2006.  He lived the Scout Law, particularly the part about a scout being loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, and kind.

“My grandfather was a very special person,” Tara Zampa said about Onis.  “He was loved by many.”

From the Camp Portaferry Trading Post, I purchased this mug during my time at Scout Camp.  Photo:  Newvine Personal Collection

There is no doubt that the Boy Scouts have had their share of negative press in recent years.  I do not excuse any of that, and hope that resolution comes to those harmed by the actions of some bad actors.

All I know is that for me, being a Scout made a better life for me.  A lot of the solid citizens I’ve known through service clubs and other community initiatives just happened to have scouting as part of their background.  

And that has made a positive difference in the lives of many.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced. 

His book Can Do Californians is now available in hard cover at Lulu.com.  

He is indebted to Judith Alvardo and the Rio de Oro District for providing information on the scouting career and honors bestowed upon Onis Lentz.  A celebration of life for Onis will be held March 5 at Camp Warren-McConnell, 11760 Livingston Cressey Road, in Livingston, CA

Easier Access-

Improvements to Merced Library branch help patrons

Workers recently replaced the railing in front of the Merced County Library Main Branch.  Photo:  Steve Nervine

If you have been to the Merced Library recently, you probably noticed a new railing leading up the walkway to the main entrance.

The railing is one of the more visible signs of physical plant improvements going on at the Merced branch as well as other branches throughout the County Library system.

“The handrail project has been in the works for a while and supports our strategic plan goal one,” says County Librarian Amy Taylor.

The work is being paid for from the Library general fund and with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars.  ARPA was the one-nine trillion dollar stimulus package that provided relief to area governments to address COVID impacts on public health and local economies.

The results of the 2021 strategic planning process done by the Merced County Library is available on-line at Strategic Plan (countyofmerced.com)

The objective to improve access at all library branches was called out as a top priority in the Library Strategic Plan.  The Plan was completed through a public process that began in the spring of 2021.  A planning team (called the Strategic Team) was formed in March.  

A survey was conducted in May and June with over three-hundred on-line and printed questionnaires returned.  The results helped feed the Strategic Team’s work to develop a study of the Library’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats; the so-called SWOT analysis.

The Strategic Team assembled to create the survey, analyze results, and implement the four goals worked on the project in 2021. Photo: Steve Nervine

The Strategic Team compiled four goals from their work: 1. Welcoming and accessible library spaces. 2. Programs that meet the needs of our diverse community.  3. The Library is visible, well supported, and a strong community partner. 4. Well-informed staff that embody the County’s mission, vision, and values.

The four goals are followed with three strategic outcomes.  The outcomes form the basis of the improvements seen in front of the Merced Library.  

With a goal of welcoming and accessible library spaces for each branch, there are projects slated throughout the system for the next two years.  Photo:  Steve Newvine

“The library will be working on several projects over the next two years,” Amy Taylor says. 

Improved public service counters are planned for the Atwater, Gustine, Livingston, and Los Banos branches. 

Roof projects are planned for the LeGrand, Santa Nella, and Snelling branches.

A heating and air conditioning upgrade, as well as a teen center, are in the works for the Merced branch.

Some patrons have raised the issue of improving the design of the entrance so that users might find it to be less intimidating. 

As it stands now, anyone entering the building has to walk up a long ramp to the “bridge” that crosses over an open-air patio on the lower level of the building.

That particular access issue was not identified as a top priority.  It may take more time and money to resolve.  

But the new railing is the first step.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced. 

His latest book is called A Bundle of Memories and it combines two of his memoirs along with about thirty pages of new material about his experiences growing up in a small town in the 1970s.  It is available exclusively at lulu.com

Farming is Center Stage at World Ag Expo-

Exposition returns to in-person format this year

Major farm equipment manufacturers, such as John Deere, have massive displays of their tractors and other implements at the World Ag Expo in Tulare.  Photo: Steve Newvine

Where is the largest John Deere tractor dealer in the nation this week? 

Try the exposition grounds at the World Ag Expo in Tulare County.

So is Massey Fergueson, Kubota, and just about every other name in agriculture equipment. 

They are all in Tulare.

For over fifty years, agricultural producers from all over the United States have been coming to the Expo in the heart of the state’s Central Valley.

The Expo is a showcase of the latest in farm equipment, the newest technology to help growers, and a social event bringing farmers together in a positive environment.

Ag producers in the tens of thousands come to the World Ag Expo to see the latest farm equipment and technology.  Photo:  Steve Newvine

The 2022 version of the event is special because it is the first time since COVID that the Expo is back as an in-person activity. 

The Expo was an online event in 2021. 

The pandemic forced organizers to rethink the presentation to protect attendees.  But this year, protocols are in place and the Expo is open for business.  

 “2020 was our last live show,” said International Agri Center Marketing Manager Jennifer Fawkes.  “We’re following outdoor show requirements this year.” 

Those COVID protocols require masks indoors.  No vaccine or test status will be checked.  

Public utility companies such as Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Gas, and Southern California Edison (not pictured) come to the World Ag Expo to meet their customers and help them save money.  Photos by Steve Newvine

The World Ag Expo is produced by the International Agri-Center , a non-profit organization dedicated to farm education and agriculture promotion.  What started in 1968 as a farm show on seventy acres has expanded over the years.  

The International Agri-Center has grown to over seven-hundred acres.  The Agri-Center, Expo site, and parking lots use up about forty-percent of the total acreage.  The rest is farmland where some of the Valley’s signature crops such as almonds, cotton, and hay are raised.

Over one-hundred thousand people attended the last Expo held in-person on-site in 2020.  Organizers expect this year will experience an even higher attendance.  There are nearly fifteen-hundred exhibitors showing off the latest in farm equipment, agriculture products, and business technology available to this segment of the economy.

An estimated thirty-plus area non-profit organizations use the event as a fund-raising opportunity by selling food to hungry Expo visitors.

“Tulare is a close-knit community,” one of the volunteers said.  “We have a legacy of giving back and this Expo has a tradition of giving back by letting groups raise money for their causes.”

These volunteers staffed a media center at the World Ag Expo. Over twelve-hundred volunteers are recruited to help with all kinds of duties such as directing parking, troubleshooting technical issues with vendors, and assisting attendees. Photo: Steve Newvine.

The International Agri-Center is led by an all-volunteer board of directors, a full-time staff, and more than twelve hundred volunteers who offer their time to work the Expo.

Without the volunteers, most of what happens during these early February days at the Expo would simply not be possible.

Seminars ranging from cooking to workforce challenges are offered over the course of the four-day World Ag Expo.  Photo:  Steve Newvine

The regional economy benefits from the deluge of visitors to the World Ag Expo.  Local hotels fill up, area dining establishments are busy, and other retail cash registers are ringing.

But more important to the economy is the activity among the vendors who connect with area agricultural producers to provide information on the latest equipment, software technology, and new ideas.

“We did an economic impact study on the event in 2020,” Jennifer Fawkes said.  “World Ag Expo had a fifty-two million dollar impact on California two years ago.”

That economic impact study measured hotel room nights, restaurant attendance, and miscellaneous retail among the attendees and vendors connected with the Expo.  Ag sales between vendors and farmers were not measured. 

But the vendors attest to the value of meeting their customers face to face to explain the latest in equipment, technology, and products.

“What’s important to us is making that face-to-face connection with the customer,” says Sheldon Litwiller of  Litwiller Fabrication, an ag building solutions company.  “A sale may come later, but for us the purpose of the show is to let the customer know how we can help them.”

Most of the vendors here agree there’s nothing quite like an in-person trade show to connect sellers to buyers.  

COVID forced many of these industry showcases to either postpone their events over the past year and a half or move them to an online format.

But everyone knew it just wasn’t the same.  

Trade shows get customers out of their businesses and into an environment with similar business operators. 

Vendors can establish a rapport with a customer from a brief greeting as they pass by a display booth. 

Questions may get answered. 

Trust begins to build. 

“Our customers are important,” says Matt Daley of Waikato Milking Systems, an automation solutions company for dairies.  “But equally important is our company’s support of the distributors and retailers who work with the customers.  This is our way to say thanks to them as well.”

So whether it’s the big equipment manufacturers who want the large exposition space, the non-profit organizations that earn a big portion of their annual budgets, or the farmer and his family coming out to meet other farmers, there’s a lot of support for the return of an in-person World Ag Expo.

The tradition continues in Tulare County.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced

His latest book A Bundle of Memories is available exclusively at Lulu.com at a special price.  

Branding Memories-

Ownership Change at Iconic Restaurant Stirs Reflections

The iconic neon sign for the Branding Iron Restaurant on 16th Street in Merced.  Photo:  Steve Newvine

“Let’s meet somewhere in-between,” the voice on the other end of the phone suggested.  “How about the Branding Iron in Merced?”

That voice from sixteen years ago was from the head of development for a national charity’s regional office.  He was setting up an appointment to meet me and to talk about a position the organization was looking to fill.

The year was 2006.  It was the first time I would drive from my home in Fresno to the City of Merced.  It would not be the last time. 

 I had never heard of the Branding Iron.  But upon entering the restaurant, it was clear to me this place was “the meeting place”  for Merced.

The job I drove fifty miles north to discuss was never offered.  But it was nice to see the inside of an authentic California steakhouse.  

The Branding Iron recently changed hands.  The Parle family sold the place to Raj and Jeena Kahlon. 

The Branding Iron was recently sold to Raj and Jeena Kahlon.  Photo: Steve Newvine

Now a new generation will assume stewardship over this beloved local dining landmark.

From the dark wood grain walls, to the cattle branding motif throughout the restaurant, the Branding Iron was a perfect meeting place for business settings, service club meetings, or a special night out.

There is a recent story about the history of the Branding Iron in the January 6 edition of the Merced County Times newspaper.  

Three months after my first visit to the 16th Street establishment back in 2006, I got another call from another organization. 

After discussing the job, I was asked to come up to Merced again.  “We’ll have lunch at the Branding Iron,” this new voice declared.

This time around, the outcome of the business discussed proved positive for me.  The lunch led to another meeting, and eventually to an offer to work in Merced.

The rest is history as my wife and I settled in, bought a house, got involved, and made this community our new hometown.   

Unique features of the Branding Iron are the branding symbols seen throughout the restaurant.  Photo:  Steve Newvine

Through it all, the Branding Iron was part of my Merced experience.  My first office was next door at the old railroad station.  Owner Greg Parle would frequently stop in to use the copy machine.  The Chamber held some special meetings there.

The Chamber would occasionally hold luncheon events in one of the banquet rooms at the restaurant.  The Parle family was always supportive of Chamber fundraising events.

In 2007, then Assembly Member Cathleen Galgiani spoke at one of the Merced Chamber’s issues luncheons held at the Branding Iron.  L-R:  Suzie Bubenchik (board chair), Cathleen Galgiani, and me.  Photo:  Steve Newvine

I recall one afternoon after then-Governor Schwarzenegger spoke at a luncheon held at the County Fairgrounds I got a call from one of the field assistants of an elected member of the legislature. 

That person asked whether I could join other field assistants for a late afternoon happy hour at the Branding Iron.  I joined the group briefly after work and I enjoyed connecting with this circle of professionals.  

It was one of the highlights of my time with the Chamber.

Most of my business lunches were held there not only for the convenient walk to and from the office but also for the statement the restaurant made about Merced.

That statement in my mind is this:  we’re a friendly place, most of the people here are honest to the core, you’ll be treated well, and you will want to stay here for the rest of your life.

  A smaller neon sign welcomes visitors to the Branding Iron entrance.  Photo:  Steve Newvine

It is a time to celebrate the continuation of a Merced tradition: the Branding Iron.  With all the community has been through during the COVID crisis, this could have been a farewell to the local institution.  Instead, it is a celebration. 

A tradition lives on. 

A new owner is ready to serve the local community as well of outsiders looking for a place that’s somewhere in between.

Who knows, maybe even another outsider like I was some sixteen years ago will stop in and discover his first view of Merced.

The Branding Iron made an impression on me then.  It is now time to make a lasting impression on a new generation of customers.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced. 

He came to Merced in 2007 first to head the Greater Merced Chamber of Commerce, and then to serve as the Senior Program Manager for Government Partnerships for a public utility.  

His new book, A Bundle of Memories, combines his first two memoirs (Growing Up, Upstate and Grown Up, Going Home) along with thirty pages of new stories.  It is available exclusively at Lulu.com 

Midway between Oregon and Mexico-

Highway 99 Group Seeks Support for Statewide Sign Effort

Proposed design of historical marker type sign for Highway 99.  Photo:  Highway 99 Association

Think of the Central Valley as having two highway 99s.

One is the highway many drivers love to hate.  While it may be the fastest way to get from Merced to Modesto or Fresno by car, construction and traffic snarls can ruin the best of plans.

Over the past twelve years, we’ve seen millions of dollars poured into more lanes, better access points, and a variety of other improvements. 

Then there is the other 99: what remains following the major overhaul of the route back in the 1960s.  Before the current stretch of concrete, rest stops, and traffic, Highway 99 wound north and south directly through many cities in the Central Valley.  

Some of those roads remain in use.

In the City of Merced for example, the original 99 is what we now know as 16th Street. Highway expansion that created the four-lane roadway most of us are familiar with took place decades ago.  

the palm and the pine south of the City of Madera on Highway 99.  Photo: KCRA Sacramento

The Historic Highway 99 Association of California has sought historic recognition for the highway that was known for a time before Interstate 5 as the transportation backbone of the state.

The Association is looking at local governments that have a portion of the old highway running through their jurisdictions to support efforts to add historic markers along the roadside.

“As we are a new organization and still getting established, what we qualify as a big accomplishment can seem a lot smaller,” says Michael Ballard who is president of the Historic Highway 99 Association.  

There is a lot of work for this 501(c)3 California Non-Profit Public Benefit Corporation.  But the rewards are worth it according to Michael.   

Historic 99 signs have been placed in seven locations along Gateway Drive in Madera.  Photo: Madera Tribune.

The mission of the Association is to make more people aware of the historical significance of the highway.   The group points to the iconic palm and pine trees in Madera.

“We are currently working on getting signs posted at the Pine and Palm location along Highway 99,” Michael says.   “Right now, we are in the early stages of exploring our options as to what we can accomplish.”

 The palm and the pine represent the geographic center of California.  The palm is to the south representing southern California.  The pine is to the north representing the northern section of the state.

As reported in the column over the past several years, the exact geographic center is in North Fork in eastern Madera County.  

We now have a sign design, one for each direction,” Michael says.  “We are currently working on getting more support for the sign and estimates for its fabrication as well as installation.”

You are midway through the state when you see the palm and pine in the median south of the City of Madera.  Photo:  Steve Newvine

Drawing attention to the historical significance of the original highway 99 laid the foundation for the establishment of the Historic 99 Association.  The group received tax-exempt status from the IRS, and can now raise charitable contributions to help achieve goals.

 The group was successful in 2021 in completing a project to get Historic US 99 signed through the city of Madera.  

Seven signs were posted along Gateway Drive marking the pre-1958 alignment of US 99 through the city of Madera.

They are building on that effort with the palm and the pine site.   The effort requires working with Caltrans, Madera County, and the City of Madera.

In the long term, the organization wants to see signs posted on both sides of 99 marking the location of the palm and the pine. The trees are in the median with no safe public access.

The Association hopes it can help secure a State Historic Landmark designation for the site.

“There is a near-perfect location for a marker off-site,” Michael says.

But the palm and the pine are not the only items on the agenda for 2022.  “We intend to get new signs posted north of Yreka through Shasta River Canyon along State 263,” Michael says.  “Which may well be the northernmost Historic Route signs in California.” 

The Historic Highway 99 Association of California is a Non-Profit Public Benefit Corporation that raises awareness as well as resources to purchase signs and clear government hurdles.  The group’s mission is to Protect and Promote Historic US 99 in California. 

The challenge now is getting the word out about our efforts and the goals of the organization. With more awareness, and hopefully more membership donations, the group knows it can achieve those goals. 

So it’s the former roadway once known as Highway 99 that the Association wants to support and protect.  The group sees the old highway as a perfect venue for car shows, swap meets, and historical tours. 

There may be if you pardon my play on words, a long road ahead for this group.  But with some early wins such as the sign project in Madera, the future looks promising.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced. 

He has written about the palm and the pine in this column for a number of years.  He spoke to the significance of the trees in the center median of 99 sound of Madera to KCRA-TV in 2020.

His new book A Bundle of Memories combines two early memoirs along with thirty pages of new memories from his years growing up in upstate New York in the sixties and seventies.

Celebrating Christmas in My Hometown-

A preview of my latest writing project

My Grandmother Vera with some of her grandsons.  My brother Terry is at the far right.  Photo: Newvine Personal Collection

My latest writing project is just that, a project.  I’ve combined two family memoirs plus about thirty pages of new stories from growing up in a small upstate New York village into one book.

Over the years, I’ve enjoyed sharing the stories of a close-knit family, relatives we could just drop in on at any time, friends who would do just about anything for another friend, and the store owners who somehow made a living from serving and selling the things all of us needed to survive back in a more innocent era.

For a preview, here’s a look at a typical Christmas celebration in one of the greatest hometowns in America: Port Leyden.

The Santa years were particularly productive with many gifts under the Newvine Christmas tree.  In early December, Mom and Dad would take us to nearby Boonville where Santa kept up a small workshop in the village square.  

I was really impressed with Santa; he kept a notebook and would actually write down what we asked him for Christmas.  He’d make it clear that he was only good for up to three items and that after the limit was reached, we better turn to our parents and relatives for anything else.  He really had his act together.

An early Christmas morning with me and my older brother Terry.  Photo: Newvine Personal Collection

Holiday baking was a big deal at our house too.  Grandma Snyder would usually package up a box of her homemade Christmas goodies as a family gift to us. 

Mom would jump into the game about a week before the holiday and create some treats of her own. As Grandma Snyder stopped baking in her later years, more of the holiday kitchen duties fell to Mom.  She took that responsibility seriously.

Christmas rituals included Mass either on Christmas Day or as we got older: Midnight Mass.  A typical Christmas Eve included holiday TV specials, eggnog, cookies, and the ceremonial opening of one gift. 

It wasn’t much of a ceremonial gift opening; usually, Mom would handpick the gift she wanted each of us to open on Christmas Eve.  Usually, the gift was an item of clothing that would “look just perfect” if worn that night to Midnight Mass.   

For us, Midnight Mass began around a quarter to twelve with the singing of Christmas carols along with the church choir. 

The Mass itself took about an hour.  The church was filled with holiday floral arrangements purchased by parishioners in memory of a loved one.  At least one year, I recall a picture-perfect Port Leyden snowfall as we all left the church. 

We’d go home after Mass and have a light snack of some holiday bread before turning in.

With Midnight Mass out of the way, we were free to sleep in on Christmas morning.  As a little boy, I would be among the first to get up.  As I grew older, I didn’t mind if we “got up when we got up.”

My brother Terry and sister Becky in a holiday photo from the late 1960s.  Photo: Newvine Personal Collection

Gift opening would be followed by breakfast with Dad doing the dishes for what’s believed to be the “only day of the year.”  I’m sure he would have done dishes other days of the year, but Mom never made an issue over whether he should help her out in the kitchen. 

She probably surmised he worked hard all year so that we could have this happy day among the other things we enjoyed in our household.  Still, it was amusingly strange to see my tough father with an apron on wiping dishes at the sink.

The ending ritual on Christmas day came around six pm. 

That was when Dad, sitting on the couch, would utter his annual “Christmas philosophy”.  It would go something like this: 

“Well, there you have it.  Another Christmas come and gone.  You work all year long.  You spend weeks shopping and wrapping gifts.  All for just a few minutes in the morning when everything is unwrapped.  Then it’s over for another year.”

It wasn’t Charles Dickens, but it was Dad. 

He wasn’t trying to rain on the parade, he was just observing the passing of the holiday.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced. 

His latest project A Bundle of Memories combines two memoirs (Growing Up, Upstate and Grown Up, Going Home) with about thirty pages of new stories about his youth in a small northern New York State village. 

It is available exclusively with special pricing at Lulu.com

Happy Cows, Delighted Chickens, and Optimistic Almonds-

Crop Values on the Rise in the County’s Ag Report

Merced County’s farm products dominate this mural above the checkouts at the Raley’s store in Merced.  

Many shoppers at local supermarkets like Raley’s in Merced are well aware of the contributions by local growers to agriculture.

Farming is a big component to the local economy.  It stabilizes other sectors during difficult times.  A former City Manager once described the agriculture sector in Merced as being a reliable delivery channel for economic activity.

Every year, the County Board of Supervisors gets the message loud and clear in the form of the annual Agriculture Report.

Farmers in Merced County might see some good news within the pages of the 2020 Merced County Report of Agriculture. 

The report is done in compliance with state Food and Ag Code.  It summarizes gross value of the County’s agricultural commodities, along with updates to the amount of acreage and production in the farming sector.

In 2020, agriculture commodities grossed $3,401,610,000 representing an increase of $240.632,000 or 7% from the 2019 total value . 

County Agriculture Commissioner David A. Robinson reports these figures represent only gross returns to the producer.  It does not take into account costs of production, marketing, or transportation.

As a result, net income or loss to the producer is not reflected in this report. 

It is a report that brought no surprise to Commissioner Robinson.

“Nothing notable in the crop report that is surprising,” was the department’s response to my questions.  “A trend we are seeing is field crop acreage is decreasing due to drought.”

The 2020 Merced County Report of Agriculture is available on the County’s website (https://www.co.merced.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/28218/2020-MERCED-COUNTY-ANNUAL-CROP-REPORT?bidId=) 

Once again, dairy is the biggest sector of agriculture in Merced County with the overall gross value of $1,050,940,000 representing a third of all commodities produced here. 

Behind those numbers is an increase in the amount a dairy farmer is paid for milk. While production increased in 2020, the price per hundredweight (one hundred pounds of milk) paid to farmers increased by $2.30 to $18.70 from 2019.

Almonds did well as a cash crop for area farmers according to the 2020 Agriculture Report.  Photo:  Steve Newvine

Almonds remain the second leading commodity in Merced County.  The gross production value of $470,603,000 for the commodity represents a 12% increase from 2019. 

Almond acreage increased, but prices fell 26% from 2019. 

Chickens rose to the number three position with a gross production value of $318,522,000 for 2020. There were ten million more chickens raised in the County in 2020 than in the prior year.

The report shows the values of cattle and calves moving down with a gross production value of $262,187,000. That is a decrease of 13% from 2019.  Herd sizes increased, but values decreased.

A breakdown of each category, along with graphs, and explanations, is available on the County website (https://www.co.merced.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/28218/2020-MERCED-COUNTY-ANNUAL-CROP-REPORT?bidId=)  

The report also contains summaries on Agriculture Commission programs such as pest detection, industrial help, and nursery inspection.

There’s also a summary of all the countries that buy farm products from Merced County.  It may be no surprise, but here are the top five countries that have been issued phytosanitary certificates. 

These certificates relate to the health of plants with respect to international trade requirements. 

1.India 

2.Spain 

3.Italy  

4.Japan  

5.Mexico 

While the 2020 report makes clear the crop values do not take into account grower costs, there will likely be some changes in the numbers in the 2021 report.  Those changes may the impact of reflect higher costs for transportation and all the necessities needed to grow and market crops.  

The department would not say what impact higher fuel prices might have in 2021 as they do not gather this kind of information.

There was no information on the impact of COVID 19 on the past year’s production.  But the department did acknowledge 2020 was a challenging year for agricultural producers.

“All farmers had challenges due to COVID and continue to have challenges due to one thing or another,” a department response stated.

This time next year, we should expect the report to reflect the impact inflation may have on grower production and profitability.  The long-term impact of the pandemic may also show up in the numbers for the future.

But it is clear from the report that agriculture continues to be a big cog in the wheel of the local economy and this is unlikely to change for quite some time.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced. 

His book Can Do Californians is available at Lulu.com, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.com 

History in Person, or On Line-

Settlement of Merced County Exhibit Brings the Museum to the Device

Some of the storyboards in the Merced Courthouse Museum exhibit Settlement of Merced County: From Homestead to Colonization.  Photo: Steve Newvine

Did you ever think about how the area we now know as Merced County got started? 

Have you ever given any thought to how certain communities seem to have a link to specific nationalities?

There’s an exhibit at the Merced County Courthouse Museum that offers some insights, shows many interesting photographs, and provides the tools needed to learn more about these communities.

Settlement of Merced County: From Homestead to Colonization is an exhibit that opened in October. 

Storyboard with old photographs and a synopsis of how Merced’s Chinatown community started.  Photo:  Steve Newvine

What started with homesteaders led to many making a commitment to live right here in Merced County. 

Their reasons were varied. 

In some cases, it was the availability of fertile land. 

Certainly, climate and water availability were factors. 

Throughout the County, these homesteaders were the foundation for colonies where ethnicity, national origin, geography, and religion created clusters of families settling into specific regions.

The exhibit looks at how these clusters led to the creation of Merced’s settlements which in turn became colonies within the greater community. 

With about fifteen maps and nearly three-dozen story panels, this exhibit represents the first comprehensive look at the early development of Merced County.

The Settlement of Merced County: From Homestead to Colonization exhibit includes an on-line feature so the visitor can drill down to get more information on each colony.  Photo: Steve Newvine

On the night the exhibit opened, Kristi Kelechenyi of the County Geographic Information System (GIS) Department showed attendees how to trace the settlements with a mobile device. 

The story behind these communities awaits amidst the rooms off the main hallway of the Museum:

• Merced Falls' Indian Reservation

• Snelling's Southern influence

• Robla's Irish settlement, Badger Flat's Italian farmers

• Buhach Colony’s Portuguese roots

• South Dos Palos’ Black community

• Delhi State Land Settlement

• Hilmar’s Swedish Colony

• Merced’s Jewish community

• Calpak’s Mexican migrant camps

The colonization of Crocker-Huffman land:

• British Colony (English)

• Merced Colony #2 (Mennonite)

• Rotterdam Colony (Dutch)

• Amsterdam Colony (Dutch)

• Yamato Colony (Japanese)

• Deane Colony (Easterner)

The black and white photographs bring the story alive. 

The visitor gets the opportunity to think back to what it must have been like when these Merced neighborhoods were formed. 

Those neighborhoods include: 

• Chinatown

• Little Snelling

• Spanish Town

• Spaghetti Acres

• Bradley Addition

• Ragsdale Addition

• South Merced

The Mennonite colony in Winton is one of several neighborhoods featured in the exhibit Settlement of Merced County: From Homestead to Colonization at the Merced Courthouse Museum.  Photo:  Steve Newvine

Thanks to the web enhancement, this exhibit is effectively available online. 

A visitor can see the exhibit without going to the museum by following this link: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/0455ea6a5c87451c8d880329670e4908/

 One might spend a great deal of time clicking on the images, recognizing features on the many maps, and appreciating the hard work of the forebearers who built the community. 

But nothing can beat going to the Museum, strolling through the exhibits, and experiencing the presentation in person.

On top of the specific exhibit, there are plenty of other rooms with more things to see and more history to appreciate.

This exhibit represents an investment of the visitor.  It is not an investment of money, but rather an investment of time.  Every minute spent looking at the storyboards, maps, and photographs helps to bring about a better understanding of what it took to build the community we know as Merced County.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced. 

His book Can-Do Californians is now available in hardcover as well as softcover from Lulu.com.  The softcover version is available as well at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com

Leaving Home to Find Work-

When my dad, grandfather, and uncle worked far away from home. 

My dad, grandfather, and uncle were carpenters.  In the early 1970s, they were sent by their union to work on New York State’s remaking of the State Capitol.  Photo: Newvine Family Collection

If you’ve ever been in a situation where you or someone in your family had to work a great distance from home, you know it can be difficult.

There’s the loss of daily connection with family, missing out on school events, and a general worry as to when it all may end.

At least that was the case when my dad, grandfather, and uncle worked on Empire State Plaza, a massive public works project in the state capitol of Albany some fifty years ago.

Former NY Governor Nelson Rockefeller who conceived the Empire State Plaza project in the 1960s.  The project was completed in the mid-1970s. Photo: empirestateplaza.ny.gov  

Then-Governor Nelson Rockefeller set out to remake the offices for state government with a plan to build four buildings, an underground parking and retail center, and a reflecting pool much like the one in Washington, DC.  

As with many construction projects, actual costs were under forecast and construction forecasts were grossly underestimated.  

An accelerated construction schedule led area trade unions to seek members well beyond the Albany boundaries.  One hundred miles north of Albany in Rome, New York, the Carpenters local number 277 offered jobs to their union members on the state office complex project.  

The Newvine carpenters were members of that union, and they got the call.

With local construction projects at a near standstill, the only prospect for some union members was to take the offer to work on Empire State Plaza.  

The three Newvine men, plus one non-family carpenter, would leave for Albany on a Monday morning, and return home on Friday every week.  They put in a solid week on the job during the day while living the bachelor life at night in a small mobile home in a trailer park just outside the city.  

That so-called bachelor life included making their own nightly dinner, keeping the mobile home clean, and venturing out to a telephone booth (these were, after all, pre-cell phone days) once a week to call home to see how their families were doing.

As a kid growing up in the sixties and seventies, I remember the Albany months whimsically.  Mom would make Dad’s lunch in is aluminum lunch pail for Monday, but for the rest of the week, he was on his own.

I would begin missing my dad on about Tuesday or Wednesday of each week.  I remember how excited my brother, sister, and I were on Fridays when he came bouncing in from that exhausting week away from his family.  

A post card image of a completed Empire State Plaza.

We never made more out of it than what it was to us in that moment of our lives. 

Dad had to work out of town because that’s where the job was. 

He was blessed to have his father and his brother fall into the same situation.  All three men did what they had to do to support their families.

That’s the way it was in 1970 and to some extent, that’s the way it has been ever since. 

Whether it was my brother retraining for a new job after the closing of his long time employer’s factory, my sister going all-in on a plan to support her kids in their career choices, or my own willingness to pack up and move a few times during my working career, the Newvines, like so many other families, were willing to do what it takes to make life better for our families.   

We got that spirit from our parents, our parents got that same dedication from their parents.  

Hopefully, our generation is passing on that same commitment to our children and grandchildren.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced. 

He will soon publish a fictionalized version of this story that will include an account of former Governor Rockefeller’s leadership style in the 1950s and 60s. 

His current book Can Do Californians, is available at BarnesAndNoble.com and at Lulu.com