History in Person, or On Line-

Settlement of Merced County Exhibit Brings the Museum to the Device

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Their reasons were varied. 

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

Certainly, climate and water availability were factors. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Merced Falls' Indian Reservation

• Snelling's Southern influence

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

• Buhach Colony’s Portuguese roots

• South Dos Palos’ Black community

• Delhi State Land Settlement

• Hilmar’s Swedish Colony

• Merced’s Jewish community

• Calpak’s Mexican migrant camps

The colonization of Crocker-Huffman land:

• British Colony (English)

• Merced Colony #2 (Mennonite)

• Rotterdam Colony (Dutch)

• Amsterdam Colony (Dutch)

• Yamato Colony (Japanese)

• Deane Colony (Easterner)

The black and white photographs bring the story alive. 

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

Those neighborhoods include: 

• Chinatown

• Little Snelling

• Spanish Town

• Spaghetti Acres

• Bradley Addition

• Ragsdale Addition

• South Merced

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Steve Newvine lives in Merced. 

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

Leaving Home to Find Work-

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A post card image of a completed Empire State Plaza.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Steve Newvine lives in Merced. 

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

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

Golf’s Ultimate Prize: A Hole In One-

 Enjoying the moments right after my first hole-in-one.  Photo: Newvine Personal Collection

Finally making the shot of a lifetime

After 35 years playing golf, I finally landed my first hole-in-one.

It happened on the number nine hole at St. Stanislaus Golf Course in Modesto in early October.

Using my nine iron, the swing was smooth, the ball sailed high and landed softly about six feet in front of the cup. At that point, the ball rolled to destiny.

It was an eight-seven yard finish to a thirty-five year journey. After calling my wife, I headed into the clubhouse. Golf tradition dictates that the golfer who makes a hole-in-one buys drinks for everyone at the clubhouse.

In my case, it was nine o’clock in the morning, and only Charlie, the manager on duty was there.

After telling him what happened, Charlie congratulated me and offered a free cup of coffee.

We talked for several minutes and he shared with me stories about the two times he got a hole-in-one.

One of those times was right there on the St. Stanislaus course. I thanked him, and headed home.

A flag-down view of the hole-in-one ball in the cup. Photo: Newvine Personal Collection

Later in the day, my wife and I celebrated with dessert at a local coffee house. She’s been sort of a golf widow in the months since my retirement when my golf outings intensified.

I’ve been sharing my accomplishment with friends on social media, at the coffee shop, and with golfers in casual conversations.

They have offered their congratulations. Some have been telling me of their attempts at golf’s greatest accomplishment.

My former golf buddie Mike, living in the east coast, told me that in his fifty-two years of playing the game, he has yet to land that special shot.

A non-golfer relative took a stab at our advancing years with the comment “With age comes perfection!” She added six exclamation points.

A friend from high school suggested I should buy a lottery ticket in hopes my lucky streak continues.

I did not buy a ticket.

Another friend challenged me with a gentle hope that I might get a few more before retiring from the sport.

It took thirty-five years to get this first one; I doubt there will be a second.

My wife’s cousin shared that her deceased dad would be proud. I saw her dad swing a golf club, and I knew he was a gifted golfer. She’s right.

Bob would be proud.

Another cousin of my wife said he got a hole-in-one while stationed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in the military a few decades ago.

He said it was a complete fluke as he had only played that one time in his whole life.

One last look at the hole where it happened. The mark on the green where the ball landed before rolling into the cup was repaired by me shortly after this shot was taken. Photo: Newvine Personal Collection

In a golf league one summer, I was a witness to that special golf moment.

It was nearly twenty years ago when our friend Les made a hole-in-one. It was an amazing thing to witness. It was like going through a ritual. Seeing what appeared to be the ball falling in from about one-hundred yards away, driving our golf cart up to the green, walking up to the cup, and seeing the ball sitting at the bottom.

I reached out to Les in the days following my lucky shot. We’re still lost in voicemail and old email addresses, but sometime soon I hope we can share that common bond that ties golfers together.

The hole-in-one club has accepted me, and now I’m a lifetime member.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

In 2019, he wrote Course Corrections.

The book includes stories of his adventures playing the game, some fiction related to golf, and reflections on how a great day at the course feels.

It’s available at Amazon and at BarnesAndNoble.com

Sorting, Scanning, and Learning-

Photo Archive Acquisition Project Underway at the Merced Courthouse Museum

Piles of photographs acquired by the Merced County Courthouse Museum from the Merced Sun Star newspaper. Photo: Steve Newvine

Tom Gaffrey is on a mission to preserve history.

Tom, who retired from the Merced County Public Works department several years ago, spends a good part of his free time as a docent at the County Historical Society.

His current project is sorting through thousands of photographs acquired from the Merced Sun Star.

Merced County Courthouse Museum docent Tom Gaffrey works on the multi-year project to categorize, digitize, and electronically store more than ten thousand pictures acquired from the Merced Sun-Star. Photo: Steve Newvine

When the paper sold their former G street building and moved to a much smaller office location, a lot of things had to go.

There was simply no space to store boxes and boxes of hard copy photographs.

“We’ve acquired items from the Sun Star in the past,” says Museum Executive Director Sarah Lim. “This was another opportunity for the Museum to preserve local history.”

The photographs arrived with very little information about the subjects depicted.

“We’d get a batch with the year written on the box or envelope.” Tom said.

Bound volumes of Merced Sun Star newspapers, are stored at the Merced County Courthouse Museum.  The books are being used now to provide more information about the photographs acquired by the Museum.  Photo:  Steve Newvine

According to Sarah Lim, museum volunteers went to the Sun-Star office and picked up an estimated ten-thousand photographs.

“They were in envelopes, folders, and boxes,” Sarah said.

The process is extensive with historical archiving protocols to preserve and protect the photographs.

“The first two steps (cleaning and organizing) were completed last year,” Sarah said. “Now, we are in the next major step of researching and accessioning hundreds and thousands of photos and negatives.”

Accessioning refers to the recording of the addition of a new item to the museum collection.

The photos cover a span from the late 1960s to the 1990s.

One of over ten-thousand photographs acquired by the Merced County Courthouse Museum. This photo is from December 1976.

As a volunteer, Tom adheres to a process set up to handle the photographs.

“We take a batch, sort them out by month, and then examine each photo. In most cases, we examine the actual hard copy of the Sun Star from that month and match up the photo to the story in the paper.”

From there, Tom notes the actual date, captures the printed news story associated with the photo, and then sends it on to the Museum Registrar who records the item into the Museum data base.

Museum Registrar Donna Lee Hartman records each photo from the Sun Star acquisition along with related information into the Museum’s computer. The process is referred to as accessioning. Photo: Steve Newvine

“Sometimes, it feels like the old game show Concentration,”Tom says.

“Matching up a small bit of information from the photo to the actual published information about the story from that time.”

On Concentration, contestants would match pieces of a puzzle and then try to solve the rebus behind the pieces.

In this museum project, Tom is matching photographs from as far back as the 1960s to find the news story that relates to the image.

Tom has been working on the project along with other docents and museum staff for about three years.

He expects it will take a couple more years before the entire acquisition of photos is archived.

Merced Sun Star front page. Museum Docent Tom Gaffrey refers to old issues of the Merced Sun Star for background information as he matches up photos from the acquisition. This particular issue is from December 1970. Richard Nixon was President, and Ronald Reagan was governor.

Museum Executive Director Sarah Lim says this will be a long term project.

“We accessioned eight-hundred photos into the archive for the year 1976.”

There’s another twenty years of images to work on, so she expects this mostly volunteer effort to take a while.

She adds, “It is an ongoing project.”

When completed, historians and other interested people will be able to come into the Museum and access the photographs.

For Tom, he plans on sticking around to see this project all the way to the end.

“Being a third generation Merced County resident,” he says. “I have a real attachment to the area.”

For Tom, it is a mission to preserve local history.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

The next exhibit at the Merced County Courthouse Museum is the colonies in Merced County and opens in early October.

Steve is writing a novel about the construction of the nation’s largest state government office complex and how it impacted a family of carpenters who had to travel a great distance to work on the project.

It will be available in late November.

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

Recall, Surveys, and Larry

Updates on 3 On-going Stories

California voters defeated the Recall vote that would have ousted Governor Newsom. The leading Republican among the candidates was Larry Elder. Photo: People.com

With homage paid to retired Modesto Bee columnist Ron Agonstini who came up with the concept of telling readers how long his sports feature would be, the total reading time for this piece is about four minutes.

Family and friends of mine not living in California seemed fascinated with the recent recall effort.

With voters soundly defeating the recall by about a three-to-one margin, it seems the issue is closed. There was a brief period of time when the polls showed a much tighter race.

I’m reminded of the first race for President in which I was eligible to vote. President Gerald Ford was defeated by Jimmy Carter in 1976. The polls showed President Ford closing in on Carter in the days leading up to the election.

Had the election been held a few days later, pundits believed Ford would have been successful.

In the case of the California recall, it appears if the race had been held about a month earlier, there might have been a different result. We’ll never know.

The American Recovery Plan Act survey document mailed to residents in the City of Merced.

The survey sent to homes recently on how to spend federal COVID relief dollars is a fast and easy way to let our City of Merced leaders know what we think.

The survey document includes the CityofMerced.org web address allowing for on-line entry of responses.

The survey features a ranking for priorities in order of preference, a question about the biggest challenge faced during the crisis, and a request for the top three priorities the City should address.

There is room to write in thoughts and points either not covered in the survey, or to expand on particular questions.

Former Merced County District Attorney Larry Morse passed away on September 14. Photo courtesy Roger J. Wyan Photography, used with permission from the photographer for this specific purpose of this column only.

The community is remembering former Merced County District Attorney Larry Morse who died on September 15.

While I did not know him well, we would often cross paths during the early years of his service as District Attorney and my year as CEO of the Greater Merced Chamber.

After I left that job for my work at a utility company, we’d catch one another at community fund raising dinners. He was often tapped as a Master of Ceremonies for these events; I was usually filling a seat from a table purchased from my former employer.

I recall one time watching him carrying a book and walking briskly up the steps to the Main Branch of the Merced County Library.

He looked at me and said the book was overdue. I asked “where was the investigative reporter when we needed it?”

He gave a quote to the Merced Sun Star at the time his office successfully prosecuted a murder case.

That quote provided the perfect introduction to my murder mystery novel Ten Minutes to Air.

I used that quote at the beginning of my book:

“Murders are almost always about the amount of time someone has to evaluate their actions to stop themselves.”

Larry Morse, Merced County District Attorney.

Larry’s quote was the essence of my fictional story. If a would-be killer could take a few minutes to think about what he or she was about to do, maybe he or she might change their mind. That can apply to a lot of things.

There’s going to be more about the life and career of Larry Morse in social media and our local news outlets.

I will be grateful to him for letting me quote him for the introduction to my third book.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

His novel Ten Minutes to Air is available at Lulu.com .

The Night Kenny Rogers Held Them in the Central Valley

Singer’s 2014 Merced Performance Brings Back Memories

Kenny Rogers belts out one of his classic hits at the Merced Theatre concert from October 2014. Photo: Merced Theatre Foundation

When Kenny Rogers sang the lyrics to his hit song The Gambler, “You’ve got to know when to hold them”, in a Central Valley show back in October of 2014, it was just another packed house for the entertainer. But it was a big deal for the Merced Theatre to host the singer.

It had been about two-and-a-half years since the Theatre completed renovations. A number of lesser known musical acts had taken to the stage during that time. But landing this Grammy and Country Music Association award winning artist was risky.

Would the crowds show up? Would the show be a success? As it would turn out, those fears about whether audiences would respond were erased.

“The Theatre re-opened after renovations in April 2012,” said managing director Heather Holt. “Kenny was our first sold out show.”

The marquee at the Merced Theatre points out that over one-thousand tickets were sold for the October 2014 concert by Kenny Rogers. Photo: Merced Theatre Foundation

Necola Adams remembers the night she met Kenny Rogers following that performance in Merced.

“We shook hands,” she said. “He had the softest hands I’ve ever touched.” Necola, who owns Mrs. Adams Gormet Cookies, had taken six dozen of her cookies to Kenny’s road manager.

The manager asked her to wait until the show was over so that he could introduce her to his boss.

“I heard the whole show from inside Kenny’s tour bus,” she said.

Necola Adams with Kenny Rogers. Photo: Necola Adams

After the show, Nicola was the first person Kenny met as security escorted him from the stage to his bus.

Following an introduction by the road manager, Kenny suggested a photo opportunity.

“I was the only person to get a picture taken with him,” she said.

Kenny Rogers had a career in music that dated back to the late 1950s. In the 1960s, he was the lead singer for the rock group First Edition (later to be called Kenny Rogers and the First Edition).

The group disbanded in the seventies and Kenny pursued a solo career in country music.

Kenny Roger’s October 2014 show at the Merced Theatre was a sell-out. Photo: Merced Theatre Foundation

He had a number of hit records in that decade including the iconic story song The Gambler.

That record sold three-million copies, led to a TV-movie career, and made him an arena-packing performer.

In 1983, he teamed with Dolly Parton for the song Islands in the Stream.

That hit record cemented his place in Country and Pop music. In the nineties and into the 2000s, he continued performing and releasing new music sporadically.

Then in the early twenty-teens he accepted the opportunity to play The Art Kamangar Center at The Merced Theatre

The Merced audience responded enthusiastically to Kenny Roger’s October 2014 show at the Merced Theatre.. Photo: Merced Theatre Foundation

By the time the Merced Theater show, he was just a few months away from announcing the start of a farewell tour.

“He was the first really big name to come to the Theatre since the renovation,” Heather Holt said.

That farewell tour started in 2015 and ended in 2018 with an announcement he would end performing on stage based on advice from his doctors.

A bladder cancer diagnosis led to his decision to end his touring.

He died in hospice care on March 20, 2020.

Nicola was saddened when she learned of Kenny’s passing, but she hangs on to pleasant memories of how nice he treated her right after his Merced show. “You can meet some really nice people if you don’t act crazy around them,” she said. “He was a genuinely nice guy.”

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

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

He had planned this column at the time of Kenny’s passing, but COVID closures kept him away from the Merced Theatre.

He thanks Tom Frazier and Susan Walsh for the information that helped this column.

A Friendship and a Stage for Bob Hope-

Comedian’s Legacy Honored in Stockton

The official logo of the Bob Hope Theatre in Stockton, CA. Image: BobHopeTheatre.com

While younger people may have never heard of him, to millions of Americans the name Bob Hope conjures up laughs and lightheartedness.

Earlier generations recall the television specials and the comedian entertaining military troops at Christmastime from years ago.

The Central Valley holds the distinction of being home to a performing arts venue named in honor of the beloved entertainer. Thanks to the generosity of the late Stockton developer Alex Spanos, the Hope name lives on in that city of over a quarter-million people about seventy-five miles north of Merced.

The Bob Hope Theatre opened in the early 2000s in a refurbished Fox Theatre in downtown Stockton.

The building was almost lost to the wrecking ball when Spanos stepped forward with an idea to honor his friend, and a checkbook.

Alex Spanos was good friends with Bob Hope. Here, the pair performed a soft-shoe dance routine for a charity function. Photo: AGSpanos.com

As I first wrote about the Bob Hope Theater.in my book 9 From 99, Experiences in California’s Central Valley, Spanos was primarily known as the owner of the National Football League's San Diego Chargers.

The Chargers are now based in Los Angeles, In the City of Stockton, Alex Spanos was a property developer and community philanthropist.

He passed away in 2018.

The Spanos name graces high school football fields, a college performing arts center, hospital wings, and other places throughout the City of Stockton. In addition, there are scholarship endowments, charity golf tournaments, and art exhibits that have been underwritten by the Spanos family.

The company website has a special section on the Spanos lifetime commitment to charitable giving not only in the Central Valley, but up and down the state of California and into the state of Nevada.

Around the turn of the new century, Alex Spanos was able to mesh his desire to give more to the City of Stockton with a symbol of his then thirty-year friendship with comedian Bob Hope.

Bob Hope was a frequent visitor to the owner’s box at San Diego Chargers games.

He gave a half-million dollar gift to the organization handling the rehabilitation of a former vaudeville theater and asked that the building be named after his friend.

That’s how the Bob Hope Theatre in downtown Stockton got its’ name. Bob Hope and Alex Spanos became friends following a charity golf function in 1969.

"Bob and I teamed up against Bing Crosby and his partner and we beat them,” Spanos said in an interview with television station KCRA in Sacramento well over a decade ago, “From that day onward, Bob and I played golf practically every week.”

The friendship grew over the years with Hope participating in charity events alongside Spanos.

The comedian was an occasional visitor to the owner’s box at Charger games in San Diego. Bob Hope died in 2003 at the age of 100.

A plaque inside the Bob Hope Theatre lists the elected leaders and key players in the reconstruction project. Photo: 9 From 99- Experiences from California’s Central Valley by Steve Newvine.

The theater site started as the T & D Photoplay in 1916, hosting vaudeville and other entertainment acts.

It was renamed the California five years later. The building was torn down at the start of the Great Depression.

The Fox California opened on the site in 1930. During the 1930’s, big stars such as Al Jolson and the Marx Brothers performed there. As vaudeville was replaced by radio as America’s primary source of entertainment, the Fox California relied on moviegoers as a primary source of revenue.

In 1973, the theater closed. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in the late 1970’s. The City and its’ Redevelopment Agency included the theater in a revitalization plan in the early 1990’s.

By the early 2000’s, a combination of the Spanos donation and government funds saved the project and resulted in the renovation that residents and others enjoy today.

While writing 9 From 99, I found a tribute to both Bob Hope’s gift of entertaining audiences and Alex Spanos legacy of charitable giving. On the company website at that time, there was special section on the site where a video of a soft-shoe dance routine with Spanos and Hope was featured.

It is not too often you see a world reknown entertainer alongside one of California’s most generous philantropists take to a stage to wow an audience.

You can find a brief section of the video on YouTube. It is no longer available on the AGSpanos.com site. Alex Spanos carried himself pretty well as a soft-shoe dancer, while Bob Hope showed that he still had the goods in his late eighties at the time of the video (circa 1980).

The comedian likely knew his friend was responsible for the renaming of the theater. Bob Hope passed away a year before the official grand opening. According to the theatre website, the comedian never performed there during his years as a vaudeville entertainer.

The chandelier inside the Bob Hope Theatre in Stockton, California. Photo from 9 From 99, Experiences in California’s Central Valley.

The Bob Hope Theatre was among the first California entertainment venues to reopen after the worst of the COVID pandemic. Audiences that assemble beneath the ornate chandelier inside the historic building may not know that much about the comedian’s legacy.

But thanks to the half-million dollar gift from his friend AG Spanos, and the vision of community members who would not let the wrecking ball take down the building, the Hope name remains part of the history of the Central Valley.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

He first wrote about the Bob Hope Theatre in his book 9 From 99, Experiences in California’s Central Valley.

Olympic Memories-

Lapel pins and a beer can offer tributes to the games

My collection representing over forty years as a working professional include these Olympic themed pins.  Photo:  Newvine Personal Collection

The Olympics have been dominating our television sets and the social media outlets this summer.  

It happens every other year since the summer and winter games moved to an alternating schedule in 1994.  For a few months before the games, and during the sixteen days of competition, it seems everyone is talking about the athletes, the new records, the brewing controversies, and the uniforms.

I need not look any further than to my collection of lapel pins collected over four decades of work.  Each of the near two hundred pins was worn on my suit lapel at least one time.

Part of the news team I worked with thirty years ago. I’m the guy in the white shirt, tie, and dark hair.   Inset: a special pin made in anticipation of the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France.  Photo: Newvine Personal Collection

One pin stands out from 1992. 

I was working for the CBS affiliate at a television station in Rochester, New York. 

The station was carrying the winter games.  That was the year of Kristi Yamaguchi and the US Women’s Figure Skating team.

My job then was as an executive producer in the station’s news department.

Our general manager determined that if we worked really hard we might be able to maximize the lead-in from those winter games on CBS to move our third place late newscast to second place. 

The manager gave us pins that displayed the Olympic rings, the CBS logo and our station call letters. The pins helped keep my focus on the big prize.

We succeeded, and at least for that particular local rating period, our late news made the jump in the ratings.

The years I worked in Rochester were linked to the Olympic games because of three major companies in the area. Kodak, Xerox, and Bausch & Lomb were all official sponsors of the games.  

They were really big companies back in the nineties. But success does not last forever.  Tech giants such as Apple and Microsoft dominate the Dow Jones Average today. 

While most people will remember the US Hockey team’s win over the Soviet team when thinking about the 1980 Winter Olympics, I have a much different memory from the year the games were held in Lake Placid, New York.  

1979 was the first year I was working as a television news reporter. 

The games would start in early 1980 so Olympic fever was high throughout upstate New York.

I was earning a decent paycheck so I wanted to give extra special Christmas presents for my family.  I forget what I got for other relatives, but I do remember getting my sister an Olympic ski cap with images from Lake Placid on it.  

The Winter Olympic Snow can, sold as a novelty during the 1980 Lake Placid games. Photo: Newvine Personal Collection.

Also acquired that year was a special beer can. 

There was no beer in it, but rather a unique souvenir of the Lake Placid games.  Printed on the back of the can of “Lake Placid Snow” was a message from the manufacturer saying that sealed inside the can, there was a small packet of moisture guaranteed to be 1979 Lake Placid snow. 

I took their word for it and never opened the can.

The can has been sitting on a shelf in my den or stashed away in a keepsake box wherever I lived for over forty years.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced. 

He wrote about his experiences as a television reporter in 1979 and 1980 in his book Stand By Camera One.  The book is available at BarnesandNoble.com, Amazon, and at Lulu.com

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.

(Click here to read it)

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.

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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