New Heights, a World Record, and a Milestone-
Updates and an anniversary
Southern California climber Brennen Thompson at Mount Kilimanjaro. Photo: ValleyTough.com
Every now and then, stories require updates
Remember the young man who along with his friend, climbed ten mountains in California to raise money for two hometown charities?
Brennen Thompson did just that with the successful climb up Half Dome at Yosemite in June.
But that’s not all
In early July, Brennan and two others took their climbing gear and community spirit to Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
The ten California climbs were more than just build-ups to the big climb in Africa.
Each step embraced an effort to make an impact on Brennan’s hometown as well as his adopted new home in southern California.
“By the grace of God himself, we did it,” Brennan said in a video recorded after the Kilimanjaro climb. “I’m forever indebted for the place that makes us who we are.”
Brennen Thompson kept a video diary of each of his climbs, including one at the top of Half Dome in June. Photo: ValleyTough.com
We did two columns on Brennan: one in 2020 at the start of the effort, and one in June when he came to Yosemite.
What’s next for this young man?
Not even he knows.
But if this effort is any indication, we can be assured whatever he attempts will have impact, and make a difference.
You can see Brennan’s video from that Kilimanjaro climb on the website ValleyTough.com
A two-seater all-electric airplane that is part of a four plane fleet being used to demonstrate the feasibility of all-electric aircraft propulsion. The planes are based at Fresno Chandler Executive Airport. Photo: NewVisionAviation.org
We received a lot of attention from the column on the all-electric airplanes now at the Fresno Chandler Executive Airport.
The planes are part of a demonstration project to help develop policy on using all-electric aircraft regularly.
The non-profit New Vision Aviation imagines a future with all-electric planes traveling throughout California.
Smaller municipal airports, such as the one in the City of Merced, might someday be equipped with charging stations.
New Aviation President Joseph Oldham did a test flight in mid-July with the all-electric plane.
He flew round trip from Fresno to Sacramento, with recharging stops in Madera, Merced, Modesto, and Lodi.
As the portable chargers used to regenerate the plane’s power cells were energized by the sun, the flight actually set a record for the longest solar-powered flight in history.
That’s a record that New Vision hopes will be short-lived as more aviators get into the all-electric aircraft space.
The first column I wrote for MercedCountyEvents.com in 2011
That takes us to this brief column from ten years ago about the benefits of volunteerism.
It may not seem like much, and it probably did not make much of an impact when it was first posted in this space in February 2011.
But that column, and the more than two-hundred that have followed since 2011 represent my small contribution to MercedCountyEvents.com.
Webmaster Brad Haven has stayed on top of this effort to provide a forum for non-profits to list their events, for churches to post their hours, for service clubs to share their successes, and for local businesses to get the word out about their offerings.
It’s a tenth anniversary, plus another six months, for the Our Community Story column.
I look forward to many more.
Steve Newvine lives in Merced.
His book Can-Do Californians is available at BarnesAndNoble.com and at Lulu.com
Wings Up on All-Electric Planes-
Local Airports are on board creating capacity for the future
The four Pipistrel Alpha Trainers on display at Fresno Chandler Executive Airport. Photo: New Vision Aviation
Imagine a time when most airplanes will run off power cells that recharge in the same way electric cars do today.
All-electric aircraft are already in use here in the Central Valley of California as part of a demonstration project.
The non-profit group New Vision Aviation facilitated the creation of an eight-county coalition of local governments to apply for a federal grant that has effectively jump-started the concept.
The original idea came to Joseph Oldham, the former Sustainability Manager for the City of Fresno and former Executive Director of a transportation planning non-profit. His accomplishments include nurturing relationships between businesses and the government to get zero-emission buses into public transit fleets.
He reached out to the manager of the Fresno Chandler Executive Airport to brainstorm a plan to buy four experimental electric airplanes from a Slovenia company. The planes are manufactured in Italy.
Joseph did a lot of leg work in preparing the application for a grant to demonstrate advanced transportation technology.
He believes the planes, along with charging stations at airports within range, will do just that.
After presenting the idea to local governments, writing a grant proposal, and pushing the initiative forward, New Vision Aviation was successful.
The idea boils down to creating a network of chargers at local municipal airports such as Merced Municipal Airport and Castle Airport in Atwater.
The experimental aircraft has a two-hour flying range, so the need for a charging network is critical to the success of the program.
“When we asked local governments in the valley with municipal airports to support our grant application, Merced was among the first to sign on,” Joseph said.
The initial grant application was approved.
One of the four Pipistrel Alpha Trainers at the Fresno Chandler Airport getting recharged. Photo: New Vision Aviation.
Four two-seater planes, known as the Pipistrel Alpha Trainer, were purchased and are in use right now.
Joseph has been a pilot for over forty years and has been a passionate advocate for sustainable transportation throughout those years. He says this concept could create the next era of aviation.
“With chargers at these municipal airports, the San Joaquin Valley could support the operation of small all-electric aircraft,” he says.
Alongside the track of creating a network of planes and charging stations to support all-electric aircraft, New Vision Aviation is developing a second track: getting high school and college-aged men and women excited about careers in aviation.
Reduced maintenance and lower electric (as opposed to fossil fuel) costs create an opportunity to bring more diversity into aviation.
The New Vision website envisions a mentorship program where pilots become mentors for young people interested in aviation.
Joseph Oldham is the President of New Vision Aviation. Photo: New Vision Aviation
“We’ve worked with Boeing on identifying the need to increase interest among younger people in flying,” he says. “Especially in lower-income areas and among communities of color.”
All-electric aircraft offers the opportunity to lower the cost of flying when compared to conventional small airplanes.
Some in the industry estimate an hour of flying time now runs a student about $200. This is due primarily to the higher cost of fuel. With an all-electric aircraft, some observers believe that cost could be cut by half or more.
Joseph mentors a young student interested in aviation right now. That student is learning to operate small aircraft.
The student, his flight trainer, and Joseph were featured in a recent episode of the PBS series NOVA. The segment was titled “The All-Electric Airplane Race”.
Joseph Oldham pilots the Pipistrel Alpha Trainer with NOVA correspondent Miles O’Brien in a segment from the “All Electric Airplane Race” broadcast aired earlier this year on PBS. Photo from the NOVA segment.
Joseph intends to fly one of the Pipistrel Alpha Trainers to Sacramento later this summer.
He plans stops along the way from Fresno to the Capitol using existing technology to charge the plane’s fuel cells. That demonstration flight will include a charging stop in Merced County.
“We want to raise awareness of the potential of an all-electric fleet and charging stations throughout California and eventually throughout the nation.”
New Vision is awaiting F.A.A. approval to start a flight school with the planes.
Achieving that goal may be out on the time horizon, but the initiative to bring more young people into the world of aviation will continue to move forward.
It may not be too far into the future when a young Merced County teen can connect with a pilot mentor to help learn more about the discipline and rewards from flying as a career.
The relatively brief history of aviation has two revolutions so far.
The first was powered flight.
The second revolution was jets.
As Joseph told the PBS documentary reporter, “Electric propulsion is the third revolution.”
This entire effort is about making the most of the third revolution and making it more than just an alternative way to fly.
The NOVA documentary featuring New Vision Aviation’s electric airplanes is no longer available for viewing on YouTube, but a program transcript is available at: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/great-electric-airplane-race/
For more information on New Vision Aviation, go to NewVisionAviation.org
Steve Newvine lives in Merced.
His book Can-Do Californians is available at BarnesandNoble.com and at Lulu.com
Yosemite Welcomes and Challenges
-Southern California pair complete a dozen hikes, looking ahead to Kilimanjaro
Brennen Thompson at the bottom looking up Half Dome at Yosemite National Park. Photo: ValleyTough.com
What would you say if you hiked eleven mountains throughout California, and then stared at the bottom of the awe-inspiring Half Dome at Yosemite National Park.
If you were this former upstate New York transplant to California, there is just one sentence:
“It’s going to be long day!”
For the past year, Brennen Thompson and his climbing partner Garrett Wright have been climbing mountains.
Every month, the pair has been making their way through a series of climbs throughout California.
Starting with Sandstone Peak (southern California), they set their sights on a new mountain each month.
Over the course of twelve months, they made it to Mount Wilson, San Gabriel Peak, and Mount Whitney among others.
Half-Dome at Yosemite was number twelve.
They intend to wrap up this year-plus adventure with a climb up Mount Kilimanjaro this summer.
Brennen shortly upon entering Yosemite National Park. Photo: ValleyTough.com
Each climb has been done with purpose.
They raised over seven-thousand dollars to benefit charities in Brennen’s hometown in upstate New York.
But there was more to this effort than raising money for non-profit organizations.
As a new Californian in late 2019, Brennen was committed to making his time in the Golden State impactful. Once the COVID crisis hit, the resolve to succeed became even stronger.
In the Our Community Story column from a year ago when the climbs started, he said, “What better time to give back.”
The Yosemite climb began with a 4:00 AM wake up, a breakfast of pre-cooked oatmeal with fruit, and the trip to the trailhead.
“I was surrounded by massive shadows like El Capitan and, of course, Half Dome,” he said.
Brennen Thompson is originally from Herkimer, New York. He moved to southern California in 2019. Photo: ValleyTough.com
Midway up the cables of Half-Dome, Brennen’s awareness of the gift of life was heightened.
“After encountering trees the size of skyscrapers, waterfalls that couldn’t be imagined, and views that take your breath away, I was a little more thankful to be alive than normal.”
Peanut butter sandwiches, nuts, and granola kept the pair nourished during the adventure.
After five hours, they made it to the top. Brennen took it all in.
“Climbing the sub-dome cables was one of the dumbest things I’ve ever done,” he thought to himself. “Can’t wait to see what they’re like on the way down.”
Thinking initially they would take in a few moments with the solace of nature before heading down, they met another climber who has done the Mount Kilimanjaro climb the pair intends to do this summer.
“We stayed up there longer than normal, probably an hour.” By then, it was time to head back down Half Dome.
It took four hours to make it back to the valley floor using the same route.
“Going down the sub-dome was actually harder than going up!” Brennan explained. “Baby steps, and don’t look to the left or right.”
This was Brennen’s first time in Yosemite. “I was overwhelmed with the beauty and couldn’t have been more pleased with the hike.”
Brennen taking it all in at the top of Half Dome. Photo: ValleyTough.com
As spectacular as Yosemite was, and as ambitious as the total package of twelve hikes has been, the real challenge is coming up soon on the other side of the world.
The pair will head to Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa later this summer.
After that, who knows what is in store for this pair of Californians who promised to make an impact and who are delivering on that promise.
To paraphrase Brennen’s own words, it may indeed be a long and satisfying climb.
Steve Newvine lives in Merced
Brennen Thompson’s story is featured in his book Can Do Californians, available at BarnesandNoble.com and at Lulu.com
You can view summaries of the Valley Tough mountain hikes at YouTube.com and on the ValleyTough.com website
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
Seeing Half Dome from Merced-
A spot nearby where Yosemite is visible
Photograph of the Sierra Mountains where, if your eyesight is good, you can see Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. Photo: Flip Hassett
How many times have you heard that there are people who have lived in Merced for many years, and have yet to visit Yosemite National Park?
Even if you have seen the Park, you have to ask yourself how long has it been?
If you have not been to the Park in person, there’s an opportunity to get a view at the iconic Half Dome from a spot in north Merced.
Local photographer Flip Hassett recently posted to Facebook a shot he took along Golf Road in the area near Merced Country Club and UC Merced.
It’s there, a little spot in the upper right portion of the photograph.
With the sun just right, and the air unusually clear, Half Dome is shining in all its’ majesty. Another person reposted the shot and circled the spot.
The view where photographer Flip Hassett found Half Dome was obscured by Mother Nature in the days leading up to this column. Photo: Steve Newvine
Flip has been photographing the people and natural wonder of Merced and Stanislaus Counties for a number of years.
For the professional photographers who know these things, Flip reports he shot this particular photo with a 400mm with a 2.0 tele converter.
Yosemite gets a lot of visitors every year, but it’s interesting to note that the Park is not even in the top ten in attendance, according to the National Park System.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park heads that list with twelve million recreational visits in 2020. Yosemite stood at roughly four-million based on averages provided by the Park Service.
COVID definitely had an impact on all National Park attendance last year and in the first months of 2021.
The photograph taken in Merced by Flip Hassett with Half Dome circled.
Writing about Yosemite brings back memories of other columns and book chapters shared in this space over the past ten years.
In my book9 From 99, I shared the story of the first time I travelled into the Park.
Two Fresno area friends invited me to drive into the park in their convertible in March of 2005.
The view was stunning under normal sedan conditions, but with the convertible top down it was an extraordinary way to take in the grandeur of this special place.
I remember visiting the park on business at the time a California wildfire was being fought many miles away from the then Tenaya Lodge (now known as Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite following a copyright dispute over the name a few years ago).
That business visit was marked by the ever present smell of wood burning.
Even though our meeting was a safe distance away from the firefighting, the air let you know something was happening.
A few years ago, I wrote a column lamenting the overcrowding problem my wife and I experienced at Yosemite.
Some steps were taken to improve traffic flow, but I have not been to the Park since that time.
Finding the spot where Half Dome is visible on a clear day is relatively easy. Head north at this intersection of Lake and Golf Roads, and pull off to the right for the view. Good luck. Photo: Steve Newvine
Finding the spot where Half Dome may be visible is relatively easy. Take G Street in Merced about a mile north of Mercy Hospital.
Turn right on Bellevue Road and go about a mile to Golf Road. From there, head north on Golf Road less than a mile and park just north of the Lake Road intersection.
If you want to see Half Dome from that spot, go on a very clear day and consider bringing along binoculars.
Good luck. An alternative: make a plan to travel to Yosemite and see everything up close.
It may be more satisfying.
Steve Newvine lives in Merced.
He wrote about Yosemite National Park in his book 9 From 99. That book is available at Lulu.com
Let’s Go Fly A Kite
Two brothers bring joy to others with their high flying hobby
These larger than life kites entertain a north Merced neighborhood on a windy Saturday in March. Photo-Steve Newvine
One mile from my house, I knew something special was happening at a local park in north Merced.
Up close on the park grounds, the sight was nothing short of spectacular.
These are the kites Mike Macias and his brother Rob spend their free time putting up in sky on a windy day.
Mike started the pastime several years ago as a diversion from his regular job as a truck driver.
“A week behind the wheel is enough,” he says of his handling of an eighteen-wheeler on a California expressway. “On a weekend, I look for a place to put up our kites.
A shark kite lurks over the playground at Davenport Park as the Macias brothers entertain families in Merced. Photo: Steve Newvine
Mike goes big when he flies his super-sized kites. Some measure more than two-hundred feet from top to bottom, based on my own estimates.
All are powered by wind, and the steady hands of both pilots.
“My brother and I love putting them up, and keeping them airborne,” he says.
Mike and Rob Macias steady a big kite in Merced. Photo: Steve Newvine
The kites were a popular attraction at local events such as the Livingston Kite Festival that was held every spring until 2019.
The festival was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 as a COVID precaution. That’s a shame, as kite flying gets people outdoors and has social distancing practically built in as each kite flyer needs a lot of space to do the work that has to be done.
“We used to go all over the state,” Mike says. “Everyone likes to see these kites up in the air."
The brothers anchor the kites to trees and/or posts depending on the venue.
The wind keeps them up for as long as Mother Nature will allow.
The brothers kept the neighborhood crowd entertained for over two hours on an early March Saturday afternoon.
There were lawn chairs out in the open space, children on the playground equipment, and lots of heads looking upward.
Mike looks forward to the time when COVID restrictions ease up so that more public events can be organized by local groups.
In the meantime, Mike and Rob will continue to look for a warm, breezy afternoon and take their kites out of the storage cases. The fun continues.
Let’s go fly a kite!
Steve Newvine lives in Merced.
His latest book is Can Do Californians and is available at BarnesAndNoble.com and Lulu.com
COVID Coverage a Year Later-
Local media offers insight and lessons learned from covering the pandemic
Local media faced real challenges covering the COVID crisis. Photo montage: Steve Newvine
It was one year ago, March 2020, when life in our world changed forever.
The coronavirus pandemic changed life in many ways. Face masks, social distancing, hand sanitizer, outdoor restaurant dining, and so many other things were forced into everyday life.
It also changed the way our local media handled an on-going crisis. Five local media outlets were asked to share their perspectives on covering the COVID story over the past year.
The Merced County Times, KYOS Radio, and MercedCountyEvents.com responded. Repeated requests to the Merced Sun Star and KFSN-TV channel 30 were not answered.
“The biggest challenge in my opinion was the initial lack of press access to restricted government meetings that were broadcast instead of open for an “in-person” audience,” said Jonathan Whitaker, Managing Editor at the Merced County Times.
“Covering “virtual” meetings is no way near the same thing as actually being there as a reporter before, during and after the proceedings”
The Times petitioned the City of Merced to allow them access in the room for Council meetings as an emergency worker in the “communications” field.
After a week of review with the City Attorney, the local media was permitted to attend meetings in person.
“This was a natural disaster that caught everybody off guard to say the least,” said the Times Whitaker.
“I think maybe the media was not exactly the first thing on government leaders’ minds as they struggled with this deadly virus.”
Jonathan Whitaker believes local government relied too heavily on their own social media sites to get information out.
Brad Haven runs the local events and community organization website MercedCountyEvents.com .
Like the other media covering the region, his website adapted to the changing landscape. “I am not sure anyone thought that COVID would have been around for as long as it has once it was first reported,”he said.
“Our biggest challenge was staying up-to-date as much as possible,” said Radio Merced Operations Manager Christopher Moreno.
The company operates six stations in the Merced market including the news/talk station KYOS 1480.
“We sought to strategically place alerts throughout the day so as to not bombard our listeners.”
The station changed a lot of things during the early COVID coverage. Community Conversations, the weekly public affairs program, conducted guest interviews over the phone rather than in-studio.
Commercials featuring clients who traditionally came into the studio to record their spots were asked to record over the phone.
Live remotes, generally a routine activity for radio, disappeared in an effort to keep listeners and staff safe.
Some of the Our Community Story columns related to COVID over the past year included (clockwise top left) the initial reopening of downtown Merced stores, the Merced Symphony performing on-line concerts, Merced Mall letting shoppers know they were open, and the Courthouse Museum adjusting to the changes imposed to protect visitors. Photo montage: Steve Newvine
COVID forced the weekly paper and the radio stations to look at how their businesses dealt with change.
“We had to make various financial moves,” said the Times Jonathan Whitaker. “Some were needed, some we later learned, were not.”
“A radio station is a resource for information and a place of refuge for our listeners,” says Radio Merced’s Christopher Moreno.
“We did things like a COVID-free hour in the morning so that our audience could get a balance between information and entertainment.”
The local media outlets are proud of how their staffs functioned in the COVID emergency.
“A widespread pandemic was unprecedented for all of us,” says the Times Whitaker. “I doubt we would do anything differently with the resources we have.”
Radio Merced’s Moreno agrees.
“We did the best we could. I would like to see more live remote information like a vaccination drive, but we have to balance putting on an event while heeding health department advisories urging everyone not to engage in public activities.”
MercedCountyEvents webmaster Haven agrees that lessons were learned.
“The one thing which I would have done better is somehow helped more local businesses who needed free advertising and promoting.”
Covering a big story like this one brings back memories of other big stories over the years.
News media often carries out the routine stories such as a law enforcement briefing or a local government meeting all the time.
They record what they see, flesh out the story with perspective from all sides, and present the story in a final form.
A crisis like COVID forced everyone away from the comfort zones of routine story telling.
Parallels can be found in such stories as the California wildfires in recent years to el nino triggered flooding from several years ago,
Jonathan Whitaker looks back with a real sense of accomplishment.
“Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, our reporters were willing to put on a mask and go where news was happening.”
“We’re in one of those jobs where we can’t take the day off,” says Radio Merced’s Moreno. “We are an essential business.”
Life did indeed change in the early months of 2020. Like the rest of us, local media adapted to the change and did the best they could do with the resources they had.
And like the rest of us, lessons were learned. We all will be a little better prepared for the next time.
Steve Newvine lives in Merced.
His latest book Can-Do Californians is available at BarnesandNoble.com and at Lulu.com .
You can reach him at SteveNewvine@sbcglobal.net
Bees Work for a Good Harvest
-Hives are in place in many orchards throughout Merced County
Bee hives can be seen near dozens of orchards in Merced and other counties throughout the Central Valley. Photo: Steve Newvine
It’s a sight that is almost as welcome a sign of spring as the blossoms on an almond tree.
Bee hives are in place now at dozens of agricultural enterprises in Merced and Stanislaus Counties. The bees are pollinating the blossoms.
They feed feed off of pollen and transport pollen grains as they move throughout an orchard. Quite simply, the success of the crop yield is directly related to the success of the bees.
Greg Shved knows how important this link between bees and crop yield can be. He is a commercial beekeeper who is grateful this year’s bee season is winding down successfully.
“Bee populations are definitely still threatened,” Greg says. “The biggest issues are diseases within the honey bees themselves that are getting harder to treat year to year.”
Greg is part of Exchange Bees, a supplier of honey bees for almond growers in California.
Honey bees are a key component to a successful yield. Photo: Steve Newvine
Bees are not the only pollinators. According to the Pollinator Partnership, a non-profit group that sets out to protect and grow the bee population, bats, beetles, birds, butterflies, flies, moths and a few small mammals are also part of the mix of pollinators.
But all experts agree, bees are the largest category of pollinators for agriculture production.
Greg adds, “The bee season for spring pollination is currently coming to an end in mid-March. There are other seasons with lower demand throughout the year.”
The Pollinator Partnership states that one out of every three bites of food we consume comes from a source that needs pollination. That’s why any threat to bee populations is taken seriously.
“We’re able to do it (treat diseases that impact bees) with pollination money,” Greg says.
The Pollinator Partnership, also known as P2, points to relationships with research scientists developed over thirty years ago to study bees.
Conservation strategies have been developed, and many partners are making the effort to secure and grow the bee population.
A poster was created by Pollinator.org to help people better understand the importance of protecting the bee population. The non-profit organization is selling the posters with proceeds to be used to provide education on pollinators. Photo: Pollinator.org
In 2020, there was concern over the so-called murder hornets. These hornets made their way to the US by way of Asia, being discovered first in the state of Washington and later in Canada.
According to the Weather Channel ('Murder Hornets' Have Arrived in U.S.; State Works To Protect Beehives | The Weather Channel - Articles from The Weather Channel | weather.com), the hornets pose a threat to humans with a venom that in high doses, could be deadly to humans.
A typical hive of honey bees could be destroyed by these murder hornets in just a few hours.
The hornets eat the heads off of honey bees and take over the hives. That’s a scary thought for honey bees, growers, and the general population.
According to Greg, so far, California orchards have been free of this threat.
Soon the hives will be taken away from this orchard in the Central Valley and the next stage of the growing cycle will move forward. Photo: Steve Newvine
The bee season will soon come to an end by mid-March.
For now, many growers are hoping for the best in terms of keeping bee populations healthy, and their crop yields rising.
They will only know how successful the season will be as harvesting and processing resumes later in the year.
If all goes well, we can expect the cycle to resume again next year when the bees return to the orchards throughout California.
Steve Newvine lives in Merced.
His book Can –Do Californians is available at BarnesandNoble.com and at Lulu.com
For more information on bees and their impact on growers in California, go to PolinatorPartnership.org and ExchangeBees.com
Faded Images, Clearer Memories
Digital Film Transfer Offers Family Insight
My Grandma Vera Newvine shot dozens of reels of Super 8 home movies. This is a frame from one of those reels. Here, she is shown with my Grandpa in footage shot by my uncle Billy. Newvine Personal Collection.
I recently had some film my grandmother shot with a Kodak Super 8 camera transferred to a digital format. Grandma would shoot home movie film at lots of family events when I was growing up the 1960s.
We always knew she was filming indoors because she would turn on a powerful light that, some might argue, nearly blinded her subjects. Outdoors, she relied on daylight for illumination, and as a result, I think the film from picnics, amusement parks, and parades captured the Newvine family along with life in the sixties at its best.
My brother and I from an early birthday party on home movie film my grandmother shot. Newvine Personal Collection.
I’m featured in some of the film. Among the highlights, there’s a birthday gathering with relatives where my brother is helping me open presents.
It was a challenge to pull freeze frames from the movies to make into prints. Grandma came from the “we’re paying by the second” school of family filmmaking, and as a result a lot of the footage is kind of shaky.
At times, it appeared she was trying to get a little bit of everything happening in the room rather than shooting one particular scene.
Here is a shot from the home movie film showing sister taking early walking steps with a little bit of help from my mother. Newvine Personal Collection.
One exception to the “spray the scene” rule my grandmother used was the time she captured her granddaughter’s attempts at walking. My sister, who at the time was the only granddaughter, is featured shortly after taking some of her first steps as an infant.
Here, the film really helps the viewer see the beauty of an infant discovering a new form of mobility.
Also featured were four male cousins who grew up on a farm. We also see two male cousins who accompanied my grandparents on day trips to amusement parks in northern New York.
My mom and dad are shown in many of the scenes from birthday parties or other family gatherings.
My dad joined in on the snowmobile craze that introduced this pastime to the otherwise brutal cold and snow-filled days of an Adirondack Region winter. Newvine Personal Collection.
The film shows a relatively new phenomenon in northern New York: the snowmobile. I recall most of my family members had at least one snowmobile.
The home movies make it clear that the snowmobile was a game changer for winter life in a region of the state that saw lots of snow from December through April.
By the time I was in high school my dad, brother, and I each had one.
My uncle Billy was usually seen in military fatigues in several columns here on MercedCountyEvents.com. But before he was drafted in the mid-sixties, he was featured prominently in my Grandma Newvine’s home movies. Newvine Personal Collection.
It was great to see my uncle Billy featured in the more than ninety minutes of film I had transferred.
My writing about Billy focused primarily on his time in the US Army where he served in Vietnam. Six months following his honorable discharge, Billy was killed in a car accident.
The film shows Billy in his late teens. We see him walking with his dad, running to first base in a family softball game, operating a small fishing boat, and engaging in horseplay with his nephews.
In other scenes, he’s trying to set up a camera on a tripod he received for Christmas, standing next to a pick-up truck (probably the first vehicle he owned), and even taking a puff on a cigarette.
The film is special in being so ordinary. Showing Billy enjoying everyday life brings a lot of comfort to me. He only lived to be twenty-three, so seeing him content makes me happy.
Grandma put away the movie camera after Billy’s death, and it would be many years before she would even play the movies for the family.
Grandma and Grandpa bought the movie camera in the early 1960s. Some twenty years later, I would extend the tradition of recording family memories by buying one of the first home video cameras that came on the market.
I remember purchasing the camera when my first daughter was born. Over the years, we recorded lots of fun times with both girls. We’ve transferred a lot of the birthday parties, Christmas mornings, family get-togethers, and school concerts onto digital media.
Someday, I hope to pull out those disks for my grandchild to look back on those happy times when his mom and aunt were growing up.
I’m sure that’s how my Grandma Newvine felt nearly six decades ago when she decided to shoot some home movies of her family.
Steve Newvine lives in Merced.
His latest book, Can Do Californians, is now available at Lulu.com and at BarnesAndNoble.com
Revitalizing a Park while Reinforcing Legacies
Del Hale and Emory O’Banion. O’Banion Park in Dos Palos was named after former Merced County Supervisor Emory O’Banion in 1966. The community center inside the Park was named after former Parks and Recreation Commissioner Del Hale. Photo: County of Merced
Parks are much more than just open spaces.
In addition to the expanse of outdoors for families to gather or as a venue for recreational sports, parks can serve as community gathering sites for a variety of other activities such as food bank distributions and festivals.
Maximizing that potential is exactly what community leaders are hoping for in a grant request currently being proposed for enhancements to O’Banion Park in Dos Palos The County is seeking $8.5 million in state grant funding for a project renovation that would include adding picnic shelters, building on the existing Del Hale Hall, and moving the County Library branch in Dos Palos to the expanded space.
Another $3.5 million is being sought in Community Development Block Grant monies for the project.
Del Hale Hall in O’Banion Park. Photo: County of Merced
County grant writer Patti Dosetti says the request offers four alternatives for the Park that entail the rehabilitation of the existing Del Hale building all the way up to replacing the fifty year plus structure. “We’re excited about the prospects,” Patti says. “The current building was constructed in the 1960s.”
The County got a planning grant for designing the proposed changes.
Work with that planning grant is already underway. Patti Dosetti says the key to success for the grant is community involvement. The County has been seeking input from area residents and others about how the Park can maximize use by the public.
It’s hoped the state grant will come through in spite of heavy competition for the funds, including some competition within the County. In the last round, sixty-two projects received funding from four-hundred, seventy-eight applications.
The proposed for enhancements to O’Banion Park and Del Hale Hall offer a lot more than what is written in the grant application. Improving the community space may also draw attention to the legacies of the two men whose names are part of the Park and community hall.
Some of the architectural sketches of the proposed renovation of O’Banion Park. Photo: County of Merced
Often, parks are named after respected community leaders.
The names of Emory O’Banion and Del Hale do not immediately bring back memories from their work on behalf of Merced County citizens.
They were honored in the mid-1960s, so a long time has passed since the County Board of Supervisors dedicated the Park and community center in their respective names.
Emory O’Banion served on the Merced County Board of Supervisors for nineteen years. He represented the district that includes Dos Palos and Los Banos. He also served on the elementary school board and the War Ration Board.
His life work was farming and politics. Emory’s son Jerry served in the same district as Supervisor from 1990 to 2018. Emory’s grandson Jeremy is the current President of the Dos Palos Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees.
“My grandfather passed before I was born,” said Jeremy O’Banion. “But I know he and Del Hale were partners on some projects.”
Those partnerships included a cattle company and land holdings.
Del Hale was a County Parks and Recreation Commissioner who served from 1945 to 1975. His life work was in an insurance business now known as Stocking and Cozzi in Dos Palos.
In his lifetime, he was highly respected and well-liked by his colleagues and friends. Patti Dosetti shared a story she found about Del Hale in her work on the grant proposal.
“He was known to go to area hospitals on Christmas to bring presents and companionship to those who were unable to be at home for the holiday.”
Jeremy O’Banion says Emory and Del donated the original ten acres that helped establish the Park back in the 1960s.
After Emory passed, his children sold the remaining ten acres to the County. The Park spans twenty acres.
If the grant is approved, work could begin right away. The job would be completed by the year 2025.
When that happens, the community will once again know a little bit more about the two men who were honored more than fifty years ago with the naming of O’Banion Park and Del Hale Hall.
Just like the Park and community center, the legacies of Emory O’Banion and Del Hale will be revitalized as well.
Steve Newvine lives in Merced
His book Can Do Californians is available at BarnesandNobel.com and at Lulu.com
COVID Concerts-
Coping with streaming concerts in the lockdown era
The Merced Symphony Association posted a holiday concert to YouTube in late December. Portions of the concert, including this scene pictured, originated from the First Presbyterian Church of Oakland. Photo: Merced Symphony Association.
My wife and I were not big concert goers.
If we got out to an occasional Playhouse Merced community theater production or even a rare music performance at the Gallo Center in Modesto we consider ourselves lucky.
Like many people before March 2020, we took a lot of things for granted.
COVID 19 changed all that.
The virus altered everything. Face masks, social distancing, hand sanitizer, health department guidelines, vaccine wait lists, and the list goes on.
Add enjoying live music to that list.
I don’t mean the YouTube videos and Facebook concerts we’ve been seeing. They are fine, but nothing will replace being in the concert space as the music happens.
The Grand Ole Opry was the first to engage fans with live streaming concerts at the start of the COVID lockdown. Live weekly concerts have been streamed on Facebook since the start of the lockdown. Photo: Grand Ole Opry
In Nashville, Tennessee, the country music showcase Grand Ole Opry started streaming one-hour weekly concerts as soon as the crisis started in March 2020.
The shows were presented with the blessing of the local health department and that included no in-person audience at first as well as other COVID protocols.
The Opry prides itself on holding consecutive weekly shows since 1925. The Opry had a tradition to keep up. The weekly concerts have been broadcast on radio station WSM every week for ninety-five years.
The group Ellas will be performing live via live stream on January 29 as part of the UC Merced upSTART series.
Besides helping us remain safe by keeping us away from public venues, the move to streaming performances has provided other benefits.
Shows on social media sites allow viewers to comment as the performance takes place; providing instant feedback and a sense of shared experience.
Being able to pause to tend to an interruption is nice. There’s no need to dress up for the show. There’s also no chance of being annoyed by a rude attendee who either talks, texts, or gets up from their seat during the performance.
But I’m willing to accept some of those annoyances in exchange for having live music where I can be part of the audience in person.
It may take a little while longer for those days to return, but we are patient.
Once live in-person performances resume, I promise myself never to take them for granted.
Steve Newvine lives in Merced.
His new book Can Do Californians is available at barnesandnoble.com and at lulu.com
Dave’s Record Collection-
Father-in-law’s love for jazz lives on
Some of the music in my father-in-law’s collection. Photo: Newvine Family Collection
Three years ago, my father-in-law, Dave passed shortly before turning ninety-one.
He had a successful career, a prosperous retirement, and a devoted family. One of the blessings in my life was opening our home to my in-laws for these past few years.
Dave may have left but his love of music is still with us. He had acquired an impressive collection of long-playing records, cassette tapes, and compact discs.
With thanks to David Letterman’s writers who came up with the title of this column (named after a comedy bit on Letterman’s old talk show), here are some of the highlights from my father-in-law’s music collection:
Dave’s collection includes several discs from guitarists Tony Mattola and Chet Atkins. Photo: Newvine Family Collection.
Guitar players
Dave had three records and two compact discs of Tony Mattola. Tony backed up some of the finest singers of the Great American Songbook.
I saw him perform a duet with Sinatra in Las Vegas back in 1982. The solo works are glorious in their simplicity of arrangements mixed with the complicated fingerings of this master.
Chet Atkins was known primarily as a country guitarist, but he had an amazing career producing country singers for RCA Records in Nashville.
His guitar solos are featured in some of Elvis Presley’s early recordings (listen for it in the instrumental bridge of Hound Dog among others).
There’s a story I found in a book by Ralph Emery that recounts how Chet created instrumental acts at RCA primarily to keep the musicians he used in recording sessions working.
He was considered a musician’s musician and was widely respected in the industry.
The Singers
Dave was not a fan of my two favorite pop singers: Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. But he did appreciate the stylings of Ella Fitzgerald and Mel Torme. Both are well represented in his music collection.
The Bands
Most prominent throughout Dave’s collection are albums, compact discs, and tape recordings of jazz bands and swing orchestras. He turned me on to Count Basie back in the early eighties, and his collection shows that he tried to assemble as much of the Count’s music as he could.
The Duke Ellington and Stan Kenton orchestras frequently pop up among the tapes, as well as more contemporary groups such as Spyro Gyra and the Chuck Magione band.
In the home he owned until moving in with us, he liked to crank up the volume on his Bose music system. One of the first purchases made for him upon taking up residence in California was a set of headphones.
Over the past two years, I have occasionally transferred the audiotapes and vinyl recordings to digital.
I enjoy the music, and I appreciate the connection it gives me to the man who acquired it all for about seventy years.
My father-in-law, the late H. David Trautlein. Photo: Newvine Personal Collection.
One of Dave’s other hobbies was fishing. He enjoyed the solitude of fishing among many of New York’s lakes. I’d wager he would be listening to his music on the car stereo traveling to and from his favorite fishing spots.
Just as the memories of the jazz greats such as Oscar Peterson, Lionel Hampton, and Dave Brubeck live on through their music, the legacy of my father-in-law lives on within me through the music he collected.
Steve Newvine lives in Merced.
His book Can Do Californians is available at BarnesandNoble.com and at Lulu.com
A Look Back on 2020-
Why review a year many want to forget
The year 2020 will be forever marked as the year of COVID-19.
We are seeing a lot of “year in review” stories now as writers, news media, and the entertainment industry try to sum up the past year.
We are also hearing a lot of comments about why 2020 was a terrible year and how we might be better off to just forget about looking back.
There’s no doubt COVID and a divisive election made 2020 seem like the worst year in our lives.
But ask any family member who has been around long enough, and they might offer some alternative bad years.
Take 1968 for example. There were the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy, the violent protests at the Chicago Democratic National Convention, and the ever worsening story of American involvement in the Vietnam War.
We get annual memories around December 7th of what the end of 1941 was like in America. In the closing days of that year, the nation was reeling from the Pearl Harbor attack, the President had declared war on Japan, and men were enlisting by the thousands.
There’s no doubt many families feared the worst as that year came to a close.
My parents along with others who grew up in the 1930s and 1940s, faced difficult times. But they endured and left us with a sense of ingenuity and independence. Photo: Newvine Personal Collection
Anyone around when the stock market crashed in October 1929 would find out what a rough year or a string of bad years might be like.
My parents were born in the early 1930s, and from hearing their stories of growing up in the shadow of the Great Depression, I knew they endured true impoverishment.
This concern over where the next paycheck might come from influenced their lives, and the lives of the next generation.
Even in what could arguably be described as terrible years, there was still optimism. Both my parents were born in the early 1930s, so I expect that while their respective families worried about tough times, there must have been a sense of hope that better days might be around the corner.
The World War II years were trying, but as an allied front, people knew that we had to win in order to save democracy and enjoy freedom.
In 1968 with assassinations, violence in the streets, and Vietnam, we had Earthrise.
Earthrise, the photograph taken by the Apollo 9 crew that was the first to orbit the moon. The photo remains a symbol of hope and optimism. Photo: NASA
Earthrise was the name given to the photograph from Apollo 8. It’s that “bright blue marble” photograph taken by the crew as the spacecraft emerged from the dark side of the moon.
Looking back on the earth, the photo became symbolic with hope and optimism.
Times will improve. What COVID took from all of us may be partially restored by the vaccine, human immunity, and safer protocols.
While politics may continue to divide and separate, we will give our new government leaders a little time to try to make a difference.
We can still be looking for a few rays of sunshine. We must have hope.
Steve Newvine lives in Merced.
He will discuss his new book Can Do Californians with Roger Wood on the Community Conversations program on January 2 at 7:00 AM.
KYOS is at 1480 on AM radio, and also available at www.1480kyos.com
The book Can Do Californians is available now at Lulu.com and at BN.com.
A Little Voice Urging a Final Round-
Playing a Sentimental Golf Favorite One Last Time
The curved pine on hole nine at Modesto Muni Golf Course. Photo: Steve Newvine
When City leaders made the final decision to close Modesto Muni Golf Course, the timeline had the final days coming in December. COVID 19 restrictions moved up the closing date to the spring of 2020.
The course shutdown as part of the health department’s ruling in March. When other venues began to reopen in May, Muni remained closed.
“The City knew the end was coming, so it made little sense to reopen just for a few months,” John Griston of First Tee of the Central Valley told me in August.
The closed sign was displayed at the beginning of the COVID crisis at Modesto Muni Golf Course and the facility never reopened. Photo: Steve Newvine.
Fortunately, a little voice spoke to me in January telling me in effect, “You better get out there now.”
I discovered Modesto Muni in 2007 on my way back to my home in Merced from a meeting in the Bay Area. It was late afternoon, and traffic was jammed on Highway 99 at Modesto in Stanislaus County.
I pulled off the highway to get gas, and practically stumbled into the nine-hole course. As it was late in the afternoon so I reasoned with myself to play a round of golf and maybe the traffic would be easier in another hour or so.
That routine would be repeated many times as I would head back from the Bay Area from my twice-monthly meetings, reach Modesto around four o’clock, and head into the pro shop to pay for another round. Up until recent years, the course offered a six-hole rate at a slightly reduced price.
I could usually get a round done in about an hour. Also throughout this period of time, I’d hear from the regulars that once again, the City was “trying to close the place”. From the City of Modesto perspective, the economics were simple. The number of paid rounds never penciled-out in those final years.
Ideas were tried to increase efficiency, and maintain Modesto’s once proud statement that it had three City-owned golf courses. The other two are Dryden and Creekside Golf Courses. Near the end, a strategic alliance with the non-profit First Tee of Central Valley was formed.
On paper, it seemed like a win-win with the non-profit running the course and the City reducing some of the overhead.
It wasn’t enough. In January 2020, the City Council made the unanimous final decision.
The City of Modesto proudly stated on the scorecard at Modesto Muni that the course was the birthplace of public golf in the City.
There are a lot of ideas on what should be done with the property. Someday, we’ll likely see some housing, maybe a park, or maybe something no one has even thought of yet.
The land was originally the City’s first airport Coffee Field. The land now adjoins Thurman Stadium, home of the Modesto Nuts baseball stadium.
A scorecard from my early days playing there included a statement that read, “The birthplace of public golf in Modesto.” Modesto Muni played a key role in my adapting to the region north of Merced. I played there with a couple of golf buddies over the years, but most of my rounds were solo.
This allowed me to try different clubs, experiment with my short game, and find the solace I have enjoyed every time I play the game. That final round for me in January was like the dozens that preceded it. There were two holes with dogleg turns that I always looked forward to taking on.
Writing about the course in 9 From 99, Experiences in California’s Central Valley in 2009, I called attention to a small convenience store across the street from the flag on number three.
It was always amusing to watch a group finishing up at that flag by dispatching one member to cross the street and pick up a snack. There were good memories from Modesto Muni, as there were good reflections from Stevenson Ranch when it closed in 2015 or the French Camp RV Park and Golf Course that dropped the last two words from its name a few years ago when it closed the course.
Here in Merced County, many golfers still remember the former Merced Hills course that closed in the early 2000s.
That closing brought about the greater good. The land became the site of the University of California at Merced. Great memories remain. New traditions begin.
As I look back to that late January day when I played what would be my last outing at Modesto Muni, I’m glad I listened to that little voice. I enjoyed the final round.
Steve Newvine lives in Merced.
In 2019, he wrote Course Corrections, My Golf Truth, Fiction, and Philosophy.
His new book Can Do Californians, is available now at Lulu.com
A Brief Visit to California -
What the State May Have Looked Like for a Returning Vietnam Vet
My latest book: Can-Do Californians, will be available at Lulu.com in December
As the end of preparations for my upcoming book Can-Do Californians is now in sight, I’m going through those final steps of reading through the draft, making minor adjustments, and finalizing the project.
It’s also a time of thinking back to a family member who spent a very brief period of time in California as a returning soldier from Vietnam.
That soldier was Army Specialist Four, William Newvine. Billy has been featured in a number of columns here on MercedCountyEvents.com and is the subject of a book I wrote several years ago.
He died six months upon returning home from Vietnam. My book Finding Bill, features interviews with soldiers who knew him.
Bill Newvine spent two or three days in California upon his return from active duty in Vietnam in the fall of 1967, Photo: Newvine Personal Collection
One of those soldiers told me what it was like when Bill and some members of his unit returned stateside.
They returned to the Bay Area of California, where for two to three days, they were mustered out. Mustering out describes the process for a soldier to go through before he or she returned to civilian life.
The returning soldier is subject to medical tests, and counseling as to what to expect in civilian life.
They were being reminded that they had to drop some of their old military habits.
As Bill’s friend Paul Metzler told me about eight years ago, “A lot of us swore like bandits over there. We were in a strange world over there, so the military gave us suggestions on ways to adjust our behavior back home.”
Postcard image of the Oakland Army Base. Photo: OAB Military Museum
Paul remembers the time at the Oakland Army Base almost like it happened much less than the actual time that has passed. The time was October 1967. Vietnam was now a topic dividing the nation. While the men were inside acclimating to the return to civilian life, outside there were demonstrations from anti-war protesters.
“Protesters were there, but there were not too many of them and it really didn’t bother us,” he said. “We were so happy to be back in the states.”
Not everyone who mustered out at the Oakland Army Base was confronted by protesters.
Bud Stevenson who lives in Solano County, wrote an opinion essay published in the Daily Republic newspaper in 2016.
In that essay, Bud tells of his experiences July 20, 1968:
After a trans-Pacific flight aboard a Braniff Airways flight, with one stop in Hawaii, we landed at Travis Air Force Base and were taken by bus to Oakland Army Base, where we received our honorable discharge papers. Next stop was SFO, and then a commercial flight to New York, where my family still lived.
Oakland Army Base, archive photo.
After a day of doctors, counselors, and Army officials pitching for returning soldiers to “re-up” for another tour of duty, Bill Newvine, his friend Paul Metzler, and two others chipped in for a taxi ride from Oakland to the San Francisco Airport.
They likely took in the magnificent view from the Bay Bridge, where they could see the San Francisco waterfront, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Alcatraz off in the distance.
At the Airport, the men boarded a plane bound for Chicago. In Chicago, the four exchanged addresses, promised to reunite in the summer of 1968 in the Adirondack Mountains, and then changed planes to their respective hometowns.
My uncle died in a car accident just six months later. As near as anyone can tell, that planned upstate New York reunion in the Adirondacks never took place.
Bill Newvine was in California for just a couple of days. He took in what sites he could while in the San Francisco Bay Area. By all accounts, he liked what he saw but probably thought he would never return to visit California.
COMING SOON IN DECEMBER 2020
Once he got back to his hometown in upstate New York, he began to return his life to normalcy. He picked up his new automobile, got a job, and reconnected with friends and family. Indeed, he never did return to the Golden State.
Steve Newvine lives in Merced.
His new book Can Do Californians will be available at Lulu.com in December.
Veterans- Now Never Forgotten
How Merced and other Areas are Honoring those who Served
Mark Bolte, the son of Air Force Colonel Wayne Bolte holds the sign that honors his dad along M Street (Veterans Boulevard) in Merced. Photo: City of Merced
All around the nation, and right here in Merced County, the service and sacrifice of our soldiers who served the nation’s military is being recognized at Veterans Day.
In the City of Merced, a sign honoring Air Force Colonel Wayne Bolte was put up by a City work crew back in the spring of 2020. Colonel Bolte’s son Mark read a biography of his dad at a City Council meeting in May.
Wayne Bolte’s plane crashed in Vietnam in 1972. At the time, he was listed as Missing in Action. A search for remains proved unsuccessful.
Wayne was a Major at the time of the mission. He was promoted to Colonel following the incident. He is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii.
For an unknown reason, Colonel Bolte was not included in the original eighty signs that were placed along M Street (also known as Veterans Boulevard) in the City. He lived in Merced and was stationed at Castle Air Force Base.
At the time the original signs were put up in 2018, the City said more names would be added as City staff, working with local veterans groups, verified other Merced residents who were killed in action.
Field of Honor Caption: Merced’s Field of Honor recognizes service men and women. Photo: Newvine Personal Collection
Once again, the community will honor the men and women who served in our military with a special Veterans Day tradition.
In Merced County, Merced College’s Yosemite Avenue frontage will be the sight of the Field of Honor. Hundreds of American Flags honoring area veterans will be set up.
Merced Sunrise Rotary has been organizing the event for the past few years. Some activities associated with the Field of Honor, such as the Race for the Fallen 5 K run at Merced College, have been called off this year due to the concerns raised over COVID-19.
At least one runner from last year plans to do the 5 K anyway in support of veterans.
My hometown newspaper’s story about the veterans banner project
I’m particularly proud of what the people in my hometown of Port Leyden, New York are doing to honor veterans.
Funds are being solicited right now to purchase banners that will hang on utility poles throughout this village of six-hundred residents.
Those banners will honor dozens of veterans whose families and friends are supporting the effort.
There are two soldiers in my immediate family who served in the military. My uncle Bill Newvine served in the Vietnam War. My uncle Jim Newvine served in the Korean War. Photos: Newvine Personal Collection
In the Newvine family, banners will honor Specialist Four William Newvine. Billy served in Vietnam and returned home in 1967. He died tragically in a car accident in May 1968 within months of leaving the Army.
My other uncle, Jim Newvine served in the Korean War. Jim is the oldest son of my grandparents Art and Vera.
Army photographs of my great uncles Chester Dean (left) and Charles Dean. Both served in World War II. Chet was killed in a training accident in Wales one day before D-Day.
One generation beyond, my great uncles Chester and Charles Dean served in World War II. Charlie fought from Italy and returned home to raise a family. Chester died in a training accident, detailed in a column I wrote in May.
It pleases me that each of these four family members will be honored with banners in the project going on in my hometown.
For our veterans, recognition was never sought. But these displays of honor are no doubt appreciated by those still living.
For those who have passed on, banners and flags help keep memories alive among those left behind.
These are ways for communities to show the sacrifices of their soldiers will never be forgotten.
Steve Newvine lives in Merced.
He wrote Course Corrections in 2019. That book is available on Lulu.com. His new book Can Do Californians will be available in December.
Election Day and the Right to Vote-
Recalling memorable election contests over the years
California is all in on mail-in ballots in 2020. Photo: Steve Newvine
The election of 2020 is bringing back memories of voting from many years past I remember 1976 and voting in my first presidential election. Incumbent Gerald Ford, who finished the remainder of the second Richard Nixon term, was pitted against challenger Jimmy Carter.
We all know how that ended. But for me, the lasting memory was casting my first vote for President.
Steve Ford, the son of former President Gerald Ford, shared his reflections of growing up in the President’s family during a speech in Fresno back in 2018. Photo: Newvine Personal Collection
A few years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting President Ford's son Steve at an event in the Central Valley. As the keynote speaker, he shared with the audience his excitement of that campaign.
He told the audience that at one point in the late summer, Carter led in polling by over thirty-percent over Ford. But as the campaign closed in on Election Day, the race was essentially tied.
Steve Ford, son of the late former President Gerald Ford, told a Fresno audience in 2018 that the 1976 race tightened considerably in the closing weeks of the campaign. Photo: Newvine Personal Collection
I enjoyed Steve Ford as he talked politics as well as what life was like in the Ford family. At a meet-and-greet event prior to the speech, I shared with him my enthusiasm for finally being able to vote for President more than forty years ago.
A few years later, I participated in the election of 1980 when President Jimmy Carter faced off against Ronald Reagan.
I voted again, but this time it was through an absentee ballot as I was transitioning from one job to another, moving about eleven-hundred miles to a new opportunity.
I am very proud that I voted in every single presidential contest since becoming eligible, as well as every election in-between.
I believe it is an important duty of being a citizen in the US.
It is a privilege, but it is also an obligation that people should treat more seriously.
Two of the three voters in our household, my mother-in-law and my wife, show their ballots minutes before the envelopes were taken to the Merced County Board of Elections. Photo: Newvine Personal Collection
A few years ago, I wrote a column here on MercedCountyEvents.com about low voter turnout.
At the time, there was a lot of comment about the so-called “99-percenters”, individuals representing the overwhelming majority of the population but perceived by some at that time as not sharing fully in the wealth of the nation
I argued that we should be less focused on the 99-percent and more concerned about the low voter turnout we had recently experienced. The real power of the people comes through active engagement in the process.
And that should mean every eligible voter casting a ballot. Now we come to 2020, where it seems every television commercial break has advertisements for local candidates or ballot propositions, the mailbox is full of flyers and brochures from various candidates, and social media has exploded with opinions designed to energize each party’s base.
In the state and federal races, there is considerable negative messaging among the advertisements we are seeing this election season.
Now more than ever, we need to seek out information about the candidates and the issues, and then take that next step.
I remember what it was like growing up in a small town in upstate New York where Election Day turnout might have been three hundred people.
I remember going with my mother and father to the polls.
While I don't recall being taken behind the curtain of the voting machine, I do recall standing in line, feeling curious about all these people waiting, and looking forward to the day when I would be able to cast my ballot.
Voting remains a privilege that I hope will never be taken for granted.
Steve Newvine lives in Merced.
His current book Course Corrections, is now available in a special hard-cover edition at Lulu.com. In December, he will publish a new book about special Californians and their achievements.
The Palm and the Pine from the Air-
Sacramento TV Crew Show Unique Perspective of Local Icon
The view of the palm and the pine on Highway 99 south of Madera as seen through the drone video camera of KCRA-TV in Sacramento. Photo from KCRA video story
In case you have not heard or read about the iconic palm and pine on California Highway 99 south of Madera, here is the story summary: several decades ago, the state transportation agency Caltrans placed a palm and pine tree in the median to mark the spot close to the geographic center of the state.
The pine represents where northern California begins.
The palm represents where the southern half starts.
The story has been told many times.
The phrase “palm meets the pine” is part of a country song, the subtitle of my book California Back Roads, and a popular part of local folklore.
The story was recently retold with a new twist by reporter John Bartell and videographer Tyler Horst from KCRA-TV in Sacramento.
John interviewed me for the story. Here’s the video link:
Videographer Tyler Horst prepares the drone camera to help tell the story on KCRA-TV. Photo: Steve Newvine
When John invited me to a spot in a vineyard on the east side of the palm and the pine, I headed to Madera expecting to offer a few bits of history and perspective on the popular roadside attraction.
I was really impressed with the tools today’s television news crews have to tell their stories.
Full disclosure: I worked in television news for fifteen years, leaving it all behind in the mid 1990’s.
A lot has changed. John’s feature reports are called Bartell’s Back Roads, and air regularly on Sacramento television.
This particular feature was delayed from airing throughout the summer due to the heavy coverage of COVID and the California wildfires.
My fellow storytellers John Bartell and Tyler Horst at the site of the palm and the pine in Madera. Photo: Steve Newvine
After completing our interview and walking around the area for cover shots for use in editing the report, Tyler turned his attention to the station’s video drone camera.
Within minutes, he had the drone up in the air gathering impressive video of the scene.
Drone cameras are used in many television stations today. I first saw them in use during the earthquake aftermath in Napa County in 2014.
Drones got a heavy workout in recent years to help document the California wildfires that have burned hundreds of thousands of acres.
The Sacramento news drone showed the palm and pine on Highway 99, and then showed the actual geographic center of the state in North Fork about forty miles to the east.
“Scientific geological markers were placed here (North Fork) back in 1998,“ John reported in his narration of the feature.
“And unlike the palm and the pines on Highway 99, you can actually stand at the center of the state.”
John Bartell interviews Steve Newvine near the site of the palm and the pine in Madera County. Photo from KCRA video story.
While I was impressed with the storytelling techniques used by the pair in the piece, I was pleasantly surprised by a small clip of video that was not shot by Tyler.
To emphasize the somewhat ambiguous history of how the original trees came to be planted in the highway median, the KCRA crew found video from Huell Howser’s California Gold program from about a quarter of a century ago.
The late Huell Howser, interviewed a Caltrans spokesman in the mid 1990’s about the palm and the pine.
In that video clip, Huell asks a Caltrans spokesman about the origin of the roadside attraction only to be told by the spokesman that no one really knows.
Huell passed away in 2013, but his programs are still seen on public television. I was proud to share a little space in the video story with this charismatic storyteller.
I offer a thank you to Huell Howser for being among the first to bring the palm and the pine to television back in the 1990s. And thank you to John and Tyler, fellow California storytellers, for taking our local claim to fame to new heights.
Steve Newvine lives in Merced.
He wrote California Back Roads in 2017. That book is available at Lulu.com.
He is finishing a new book about California that will be out at Christmas.
To explore Steve Newvine's complete collection of books, simply click on the link below.
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Steve is also open to delivering speeches for service club programs and other public speaking engagements.
Contact him at: SteveNewvine@sbcglobal.net