Stories from here.

Editorial stories

• Castle Air Museum-Atwater

  PHOTO BY ADAM BLAUERT Castle Air Museum Drawing visitors from across the country, Castle Air Museum is one of Merced County’s treasures.…

• Oakdale Cowboy Museum

  PHOTO BY ADAM BLAUERT Ranching continues today Ranching has always been a big part of the economy and culture of central California.…

• Local Performing Arts

  Photo by adam blauert Local Valley performing arts Within Merced County and an hour’s drive there are lots of venues to enjoy a wide range of performing arts and classic films.…

• Barn Signs and Bureaucracy Collide in Mail Pouch Sign Controversy

  PHOTO CREDIT: NEWVINE PERSONAL COLLECTION   You might recall my column from April 2014 about the refurbished Mail Pouch Tobacco sign at the barn on the east side of Highway 99 south of Merced.…

• Shinzen Japanese Garden

  Photo by adam blauert Shinzen Friendship Garden in Woodward Park Several times over the last few years, my wife and I have found ourselves in Fresno with time on our hands.…

• Best Books Ever

  PHOTO CREDIT: NEWVINE PERSONAL COLLECTION   My sister recently sent a message to her family and friends on Facebook asking to share the ten favorite books one has read.…

• Clovis Botanical Garden

  Photo by adam blauert Clovis Botanical  - PHOTO BY ADAM BLAUERT It’s popular and easy to make jokes about the Fresno area.…

• Moccasin Trout Hatchery

  Photo by adam blauert Fish and Game In order to provide fishing opportunities for 38 million people, the California Department of Fish and Game grows trout and salmon in 21 hatcheries throughout the state and then…

• Merced County Historical Society Museum

  photo by adam blauert Merced County Historical Society Museum Merced County’s history comes to life in the museum operated by the Merced County Historical Society.…

• Yosemite – The Other Three Seasons

  Photo by Adam Blauert Yosemite National Park The vast majority of Yosemite’s visitors arrive during the summer months.…

• McHenry Mansion and Museum

  Photo by Adam Blauert Mansions in the valley built by the same brothers in law On the corner of M Street and West North Bear Creek Drive in Merced stands the Hooper House Bear Creek Inn…

• Kevin Ward Junior and Community Spirit in My Hometown

  PHOTO CREDIT: NEWVINE PERSONAL COLLECTION   Growing up in a small town, I used to get a kick out of seeing my village’s name mentioned somewhere in the media.…

• Seeing Sinatra

  PHOTO CREDIT: NEWVINE PERSONAL COLLECTION Frank Sinatra Among the experiences I have appreciated in my life are the two times I saw Frank Sinatra in concert.…

• Henderson Park

  PHOTO BY ADAM BLAUERT Henderson Park popular for picnics Stretched along the bank of the Merced River in eastern Merced County, Henderson Park is shaded by tall trees and further back from the road than the facilities…

• Livingston Historical Museum

  photo by adam blauert Livingston Historical Museum Foundation On the northern edge of Merced County, the town of Livingston boasts an interesting historical museum.…

• A Letter to A T & T

  PHOTO BY STEVE NEWVINE   AT&T call center closing I read in the paper recently that the union representing some of the employees at AT & T’s Atwater Call Center was asking for letters to the company.…

• George J. Hatfield Recreation Area

  Photo by adam blauert George J. Hatfield Recreation Area: This state park has a mile of river frontage and plenty of shade.…

• Raymond Museum

  photo by adam blauert From 1886 until the completion of the Yosemite Valley Railroad in 1907, the closest you could get to Yosemite by rail was the town of Raymond in the foothills of Madera County.…

• Merced’s Multicultural Arts Center

  photo by adam blauert Downtown Merced’s Multicultural Arts Center is the local place to enjoy art, purchase art from local artists, and take art and dance classes.…

• Meux Home Museum

  photo by adam blauert The Meux Home Most nearby counties – Mariposa, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, San Benito, Madera – and our own, have museums of county history.  Surprisingly, Fresno County doesn’t.…

• Dos Palos Museum

  photo by adam blauert History in the valley Although the Merced County Historical Society Museum displays history of the entire county in Merced’s old courthouse building, it is augmented by history museums in other…

• No More Saturday Night Summer Music at Merced Mall

  PHOTO BY STEVE NEWVINE   No more summer concerts I found out this week that one of my summertime pleasures, the Saturday night music concert series at Merced Mall, has been discontinued.…

• Fossil Discovery Center of Madera County

  PHOTO BY ADAM BLAUERT Fossil Discovery Center of Madera County From Antiques Roadshow to American Pickers and Pawn Stars, popular TV shows have long featured treasures found in unlikely places.…

• Sierra Foothill Conservancy

  PHOTO BY ADAM BLAUERT Most of the best hiking trails between Merced and Yosemite National Park are located on land surrounding the large reservoirs that provide water for farms, businesses, and homes.…