Pedaling Police Escort-

Merced officers lead a community bicycle ride along the Bear Creek paths

Bicyclists are welcomed to the Pedaling with the Police event sponsored by the Merced Police Department. Photo: Steve Newvine

It’s not uncommon on a spring Saturday morning to see groups of bicyclists pedaling the trails along Bear Creek in Merced.

But on this particular Saturday, part of Memorial Day weekend, this group had a special escort.

Officers from the Merced Police Department provided the leadership and protection for participants in the Pedaling with the Police riding event.

The group met at the Merced Open Air Stage in Applegate Park, and then headed along the Bear Creek trail to Parsons Avenue and on to a rest stop at Rahilly Park.

Pedaling with the Police began at the Merced Open Air Stage. Photo: Steve Newvine

About thirty area bicyclists of all ages took part in the free event.

“This is something the Department’s Bike Unit wanted to do to for the community,” said Police Community Affairs Officer Emily Foster.

A pair of older cyclists liked the idea of a police escort along the Bear Creek trail.

“This is good for all of us,” one of the pair said.

The pace was kept with the help of officers from the Department’s Bike Unit. Photo: Steve Newvine

The group headed to the bridge on G Street, and then changed sides of Bear Creek to be in position for the eventual midway point at Rahilly Park.

Once at the park, the bicyclists had traveled three-and-one-third miles. It was time for a break.

“We think it’s important for everyone to know that police officers do a lot more for the community that what is seen in some of the media,” Lieutenant Foster said.

“We’re here now to have a lot of fun with our citizens.”

The group stopped at G Street to change sides from South to North Bear Creek. The switching of sides was made much safer with the Merced Police escort. Photo: Steve Newvine

All that was required for this six-and-a-half mile bike ride was a safe set of wheels, the stamina to complete the ride, and a positive attitude.

“C’mon dad,” one seven year old encouraged his father as the ride was underway.

Whether it was a son with his dad, a daughter with her mom, or a husband-and-wife pair, folks were taking advantage of perfect bicycling weather.

Sunshine and blue skies helped provide the ideal setting for a leisurely bike ride along Bear Creek for the participants in the Pedaling with the Police event. Photo: Steve Newvine

This is the second event the Department has done after enduring the worst of the COVID restrictions.

The first was Star Wars themed activity held on May 4th (may the forth be with you).

“We’re glad with COVID coming to an end, we can host more events like this one,” said Lieutenant Foster.

The returning cyclists had a good workout in the fresh air, a nice outing on a spring day, and hopefully a better understanding about the role police officers play in keeping everyone safe.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

His latest book, Can-Do Californians, is now available in a hard-cover version as well as paperback.

Steve Newvinelives in Merced.

His latest book, Can-Do Californians, is now available in a hard-cover version as well as paperback.

Tour Guide, Golfer, and Fisherman

Remembering a beloved family member

The high school yearbook photo of Ed. Photo: The Portal

Memories are churning away in the days following the passing of my cousin-in-law Ed.

Ed was older than my other cousins, so I never saw him as a cousin. He was younger than my uncles, so he was not like an uncle to me. But thinking back on the things we did, the conversations we had, and the laughs we shared, he was clearly my friend.

A shot of the Yankee outfield from the seats during Ed and my visit to the Stadium in the early 1970s. Photo: Newvine Personal Collection

I wrote about Ed in two of my books. In Growing Up, Upstate, I share the story about the time Ed took me to New York City to see the City for the first time, and to see the Yankees take on the California Angels.

In Growing Up, Upstate, I share the story about the time Ed took me to New York City to see the City for the first time, and to see the Yankees take on the California Angels. Ed's cousin suggested we drive into the city.

We drove all over midtown Manhattan well past midnight. When we got back that night we were introduced to the family St. Bernard. When the dog snarled at Ed, he punched it in the nose. The dog never bothered us for the rest of the weekend. As with most of life's adventures, it wasn't about the game.

It was about driving to New York, seeing the city at night, and getting to the stadium the next day. All of it made for a memorable weekend in my life.

In Course Corrections, I devoted a chapter to a family golf tournament Ed organized.

Here’s an excerpt:

In the 1980s, I played golf with Ed many times when visiting my folks in northern New York. Midway through the decade, he conceived an idea for a family-wide golf tournament. ..The Snyder side of the family, my mother’s side, took a lot of pride in our gatherings. Thanksgiving dinner was held at our matriarch Kate’s home then later at my mom’s house.

Easter dinner started with Grandma Kate’s home, then later moved to my aunt Tootie’s place. There was generally at least one outing every summer on Lake Ontario.

With frequent graduations, confirmations, and other special events, there seemed to be a lot of times when the extended family would get together… ..For a few hours on a Saturday, we played, we laughed, and we admired our tee-shirts (specially designed for the event) . ..non players like my Mom and Dad, showed up to provide moral support before heading over to Ed’s house for the post tournament picnic. There, everyone showed up with pot luck dishes in hand.

After our meal, Ed took on the role as master of ceremonies and awarded prizes to the outstanding golfers. It seems as though just about every player picked up some kind of prize. We had a few laughs. The children enjoyed the festivities. Some of us thought: wait until next year.

Ed did not teach me how to fish, but he sure made it a heck of a lot more fun.

I was a teenager when Ed and I were talking about fishing. His grandfather had a pond that had a lot of bullheads ready for the taking. We both had fishing poles so we decided to have a go at it. We must have caught at least a couple of dozen of them.

I say “we” caught them but Ed took them off the lines. Bullheads have a sting and like any fish, they are going to fight as they are taken off a line.

We caught so many fish that Ed made a third fishing pole out of a long tree branch. He tied fishing line to one end, attached a hook to the string and watched as the fish gobbled away.

When we ran out of space in our bucket, we left the pond and headed to my uncle’s house who cleaned the fish. My uncle’s family ate the fish the next day. I did not care about eating the fish; I just enjoyed the adventure of it all.

With his daughter’s help, Ed wrote a book about a memorable family member. He served our military by way of the US Air Force.

His father was killed in action in the closing months of World War II. All of this helped shape him into the man he became. He was a logger most of his working life.

His work was primarily done in upstate New York, but it took him out-of-state including the west for a brief time. Work injuries forced him to give up the job.

He died from heart complications that intensified following his second COVID vaccination. He leaves behind two children, his dear wife, a ton of relatives, and many friends.

I miss him, and regret that COVID concerns likely kept my dad and me from visiting him on my last trip upstate. But I have the memories. And they are good memories.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

His books: Growing Up, Upstate and Course Corrections are available at lulu.com

Long Overdue: The Library Reopens

Merced County branches welcome back patrons

The view of the Merced County Library Main Branch from the second floor. Photo: Steve Newvine

When the Merced County Library system reopened branches to in-person use at the end of April, it reopened my appreciation for the quiet solace of books and reading.

The hours of operation remain the same, but for the time being, the capacity is limited to twenty-five percent to comply with health department guidelines.

Computers are still available at the Merced Library, but they are socially distanced in compliance with health department guidelines. Photo: Steve Newvine

It is nice to be able to go back to the library.

The system made do throughout the COVID crisis with curbside service, but that was not the same for me.

I’m a library fan and have been since the days of going to the one-room community library in the village where I grew up.

The library was housed in a classroom at the local school.

It is now in a stand-alone building in my hometown.

I remember my library card, the book card inside each cover where you could see the names of others who had taken out the same book, paying fines, and our librarian always reminding us to be quiet.

My high school library was bigger, had essentially the same rules, but a strict librarian.

She’d terminate our privileges the moment she believed we were up to no good. Still, she must have instilled my love for libraries. To be fair to her, by the time I was a teen,

I did not use the library for purely educational purposes.

There’s a legend in my family about my going there early in the school day and eventually being “kicked-out” for the day by this librarian for talking too much.

Later in the day, as the legend goes, my older brother innocently entered the same place only to be told by the librarian “I kicked you out earlier. Get out of here.”

In college, my part time student job was at Bird Library at Syracuse University. I stocked shelves with books. That’s all I did for two years at that job: put books back to their rightful place on the shelves. As a father, I remember taking my daughters to the library in the small upstate New York village where we lived. The children’s section had a sandbox filled with books.

My daughters would often choose a few books each from that sandbox.

Along about this time, VHS video tapes made their debut as part of the library collection.

In a few years, DVDs would replace those tapes on the rack.

You won’t find many chairs in the County libraries thanks to COVID rules. Photo- Steve Newvine

Photo- library 3 no chair- Caption: You won’t find many chairs in the County libraries thanks to COVID rules. Photo- Steve Newvine

In recent years, I visited libraries up and down the valley in my job that took me out all over the Central California region.

Sometimes, I’d pop in at the library in a small city like San Joaquin in western Fresno County after a work meeting.

In Bakersfield, I made the City Library a regular stop during most of my monthly visits.

The Friends of the Library Bookstore where folks could purchase used books with proceeds going to the Library will remain closed until rules from the health department permits greater capacity levels. Photo: Steve Newvine

So I welcome the reopening of the Merced County Library branches. In Merced, the checkout desk has been relocated directly in front of the entrance.

The only chairs found are those at the computers, which are now socially distanced. And, according to County Librarian Amy Taylor, there’s a fresh coat of paint on the walls.

Some branches, such as the one in Atwater, received even more drastic changes.

The Friends of the Library bookstore did not reopen at this time. Amy Taylor says that will come as the capacity limits are raised.

The library is back, and it’s time to go back and rekindle some memories.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

His book Can Do Californians is available at BarnesandNoble.com or at Lulu.com