A Lunch Box Preview of Dreaming Big-

New Novel Inspired By Actual Events Growing Up

Dreaming Big- Ambition and Aspiration in 1970s Upstate New York is my latest novel.

My new book is a novel called Dreaming Big- Ambition and Aspiration in 1970s Upstate New York. It is a fictional account inspired by an actual event.

You may recall a column in this space about a year ago about my dad, grandfather, and uncle working away from home on a big construction project too far away for a daily commute.

For most of the construction season, they shared an apartment and would come home to their families every weekend.

The novel also examines the perspectives of the 1960s and 70s from the then Governor of New York Nelson Rockefeller and an up-and-coming state legislator who would eventually ascend to the Lieutenant Governor’s office.

But at a basic level, this is the story about a family coping with uncertain economic times, the strength of supportive relatives, and the hope for a better future. Here’s a preview:

After the grandparents left, Al tucked the boys in and started getting ready for bed. Greta remained in the kitchen to prepare Al’s lunch pail for his Monday midday meal.

Fixing up the lunch pail, as Greta often referred to as the chore, was a special task that she looked forward to doing. To her, it was much more than just making a sandwich and packing it in along with some cookies and a piece of fruit.

It was much more than something she did based on gender roles of the time. It was an act of affection for her spouse and of appreciation for what he did for a living as well as the sacrifices he made for his family.

Packing a lunch box was a daily occurrence for a blue-collar family living in upstate New York in the early 1970s. Photo illustration: Steve Newvine

It began with the aluminum lunch pail Al bought shortly after starting construction work back in the 1950s. It had a plastic handle, attached to the top of the container with metal loops that were riveted into the metal.

The top was curved so that a thermos bottle containing hot coffee could be stored. A firm wire holder kept the bottle in place so that it would not fall into the lower compartment where the food was packed.

The coffee would go in after it was brewed in the morning so that it would be as fresh as possible.

The family percolator was all ready for action the night before with the ground coffee and cold water already in the electric appliance. All Al had to do when he got up was plug the percolator in the wall socket.

The coffee pot was started ahead of time so that it could brew while Al shaved in the nearby bathroom. The soft popping sound of water flowing over the coffee grounds could be heard while the aroma from the fresh beverage began to take over the downstairs of their two-story home.

The water was visible through the glass bulb on top of the coffee pot lid. As the water transformed from clear to dark brown, the process would come to an end.

The book Dreaming Big is a novel based on the real event of (left to right) my father, grandfather, and uncle working away from their homes during a construction season back in the early 1970s. Photo: Steve Newvine

In the lower section of the lunch pail, Greta would place a sandwich, usually peanut butter and jelly as kept it fresh in the non-refrigerated container.

She would pack at least three cookies next to the sandwich. Al told her one time that he usually ate two of the cookies during lunch, and then kept the third one for a mid-afternoon break. The food items were wrapped in wax paper to maintain freshness.

Along with those two items, Greta would pack a piece of fresh fruit to complete the process.

Most of the time that fruit would be an apple as they were plentiful in upstate grocery stores, fruit stands, and even fresh from the trees at nearby orchards during the fall harvest season.

All of the items were made to fit the available space. If there was extra room, Greta might toss in a small chocolate bar or a couple of butterscotch hard candies.

All of it came together like clockwork every night before a working day.

For her, fixing the lunch pail was a combination of engineering wizardry (finding room for everything she wanted Al to have for his meal) and a shared journey toward building a better life.

She knew Al appreciated all she did to keep the house running. The fixing of the lunch pail was the denouement: the final part of this special activity.

All the preparations for living away from home were complete. Everything was ready for Al to leave the house for work.

Steve Newvine grew up in upstate New York.

He and his wife moved to Merced in 2006. His novel Dreaming Big is available now on Lulu.com and will soon be available at Barnes and Noble .com and at Amazon.

Steve thanks the members of the Merced Women’s Club for inviting him to speak at their fall meeting held at their clubhouse on 22nd Street. He’s available to speak for other civic clubs. You may reach him at SteveNewvine@sbcglobal.net

Medic Alert: Paying it Forward-

Non-profit organization started in Turlock in 1956

Medic Alert was founded as a non-profit organization in 1956 in Turlock, California.

This is a story about a teenager, her parents, and the start of a non-profit organization that has saved many lives over the past seven decades.

Thanks to the Collins family paying it forward, an estimated four million lives have been touched in life-saving ways.

The story begins with our neighbor city to the north of Merced County: Turlock, Stanislaus County, California. It was 1953 and thirteen year-old Linda Collins cut herself while playing with her cousins.

She was taken to the ER where the doctor followed standard procedure and administered a tetanus antitoxin.

Linda had an allergic reaction to the antitoxin and went into a coma. She nearly died. Had her parents been with her at the time, they could have told the doctor about the allergy.

Chrissie Collins and her husband Dr. Marion Collins shared the belief that medical information should be made available to emergency personnel. They started Medic Alert from their Turlock home.

Escaping a potential tragedy wore on the minds of Linda’s parents: Dr. Marion Collins and his wife Chrissie.

From that point forward, Chrissie attached a small note to her daughter’s bracelet stating what the allergy was in case something like what Linda went through should ever happen again.

But Chrissie and Marion knew there had to be a better way for medical professionals to get that kind of information. Their concern went beyond their own family.

They wondered how to prevent something like this from happening in any family. Within three years, the Collins’ formed a non-profit organization that we now know as MedicAlert.

It was all based in the family’s hometown of Turlock.

Medic Alert bracelets come in many styles, including a Citizens Watch version. Photo montage from various internet retail sites.

According to the MedicAlert website, the first bracelet was custom made by a San Francisco jeweler who inscribed Linda’s allergies (she was also allergic to aspirin and sulfa).

Upon entering college in 1956, classmates saw the bracelet and asked about having some made for others with similar needs. The MedicAlert Foundation was formed as the Collins’ family believed strongly that providing vital medical communication was a public service.

The bracelets led to other items of jewelry and eventually to the establishment of a 24-hour hotline for medical professionals to access critical information about the conditions of MedicAlert members.

Dr. Marion Collins was proud of the creation of Medic Alert.

On the MedicAlert website, he is quoted: “I believe I can save more lives with MedicAlert than I ever can with my scalpel.”

Dr. Marion Collins came up with the idea of a custom-made bracelet with information engraved on it to help emergency personnel know more about a patient’s allergies and conditions. Photo: MedicAlert.org

The Collins family remained in Turlock all their lives. Linda’s father, Doctor Marion Collins passed in 1977.

Chrissie remained in Turlock in the years following her husband’s death. She served on the MedicAlert board and was known to ask pointed questions about the non-profit’s operations and the foundation's huge computer system.

She passed in 2001. Linda graduated from Stanford University with a degree in nursing.

She married, had three children, and later divorced. Linda was a gifted golfer, winning amateur titles including the California Women's Golf Association Championship.

She turned professional and won the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) Senior Teaching Division National Championship.

She died from breast cancer in 2004.

A sign was erected at one of the entrances to the City of Turlock showing all the active civic clubs, and proudly reminding visitors that the City was the home of Medic Alert. Photo: MedicAlert.org

The community of Turlock has never forgotten the legacy left by the Collins family.

There’s a story in Chrissie Collins obituary about how the community of Turlock came together to get Medic Alert up and running in the late 1950s.

In 1960 after a story ran in This Week magazine, an insert in Sunday newspapers, the non-profit received one-hundred thousand orders for MedicAlert bracelets.

Chrissie was quoted at the time that the whole town of Turlock worked out of the family room of their home to sign up new members and ship bracelets.

In 1981 the Kiwanis Club of Turlock presented a stone marker that was placed in front of the non-profit’s office on Colorado Avenue.

On the marker, these words are inscribed:

Medic Alert Foundation International. Founded on March 26, 1956 in Turlock , California by Marion C. Collins, MD to provide a lifetime of emergency medical identification for all people.

Presented by the Kiwanis Club of Greater Turlock, March 26, 1981.

Medic Alert moved from Turlock to an office in Salida, Stanislaus County, in 2015.

Four years later, it moved back to Turlock occupying an office on Lander Avenue. A year later, COVID forced all employees to work from home.

Eventually, the non-profit moved out of the Lander Avenue office. Medic Alert is now exclusively on-line. From that humble start in the mid 1950s to now nearly seventy years later, Medic Alert has over four million members in fifty countries.

Members pay $35 to join, and $15 in annual dues. Over the years, the organization has entered into strategic alliances to expand the reach of the system.

For profit companies, such as Citizen Watch, license products such as the Citizen Eco Watch with the Medic Alert logo. Medic Alert demonstrated that a near tragic situation could be turned into something positive.

The non-profit estimates that four-thousand lives are saved annually thanks to the bracelet and the phone system that provides information on members to emergency personnel.

That original medical ID bracelet that Linda wore is now stored in the Smithsonian Institution.

It represents the story of a teenage girl and her parents who would not let a near tragedy go to waste. According to the non-profit website, over four million Medic Alert members may very well owe their lives to the thoughtfulness of the Collins family of Turlock way back in the 1950s.

The Collins’ story of paying it forward has established a seventy year legacy that began right here in the Central Valley.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

He first wrote on Medic Alert in his book 9 from 99-Experiences in the Central Valley.

On September 6, he will speak before the Merced Women’s Club at their facility on 707 W. 22nd Street in Merced.

He will talk about his writing for MercedCountyEvents and feature several of his books available for sale.

His latest novel is Dreaming Big, and it is available at Lulu.com The Medic Alert website is MedicAlert.org

How Did You Spend Your Summer Vacation-

Summer Prep Academy Helped Teens

Incoming sophomores, juniors, and seniors took part in the six-week Summer Prep Academy. Photo: Steve Newvine

When I was in grade school, one of the first questions asked on the first day of class was “what did you do on vacation?” Our school students are now back in class.

College classes will resume soon. For all intents and purposes, summer is over.

I spent some of my summer with a group of high school students in an enrichment program held on the UC Merced Campus.

The program was called the High School Summer Prep Academy. It was a program of the Harvest Park Educational Center, a non-profit based in Merced.

Harvest Park Education Center was created to provide at-risk, disconnected, and poverty-stricken children and older youth with supplemental education and new information to build on their basic skills.

Retired Merced County Director of Workforce Development Robert Morris helps students in the Summer Prep Academy research what they need to do in order to pursue their preferred career paths.  Photo:  Steve Newvine

The summer academy is the result of work by Gloria Morris, an educator who has been creating programs to help youth overcome the obstacles they face growing up and, in turn, provide an opportunity for these youth to prepare themselves for higher education and the workforce.

During the six-week session, incoming freshmen, juniors, and seniors were given a review of basic math, sentence structure, and parts of speech.

The four-hour, daily lessons included opportunities to explore career choices that the students were passionate about pursuing.

And there were guest speakers. That’s where I came in. I was approached by Gloria and her husband Robert to consider presenting a few lectures on my professional career and how higher education helped open doors for me to get better opportunities throughout my forty-year working career.

The three of us developed a three-unit set of lectures on college preparedness.

I provided insight on my career achievements, Robert showed the students how to research their career areas of interest, and Gloria presented sessions on her Principles Based Lifestyle Training or PBLT.

PBLT is an evidenced-based learning curriculum developed by Gloria that focuses on the development of a strong academic foundation.

The Harvest Park Education Center is a non-profit organization that houses programs such as the Summer Pre Academy.

In the first of my three meetings with the class, I told my story about being the first in my family to graduate from college.

I connected my education and work experiences to the success I achieved over four decades.

My second meeting with the group provided an opportunity to offer suggestions on how to succeed academically. I used real examples from my experiences as well as the experiences of friends and colleagues.

Many of the lessons and experiences shared in the Summer Prep Academy were first mentioned in my 2010 book Soft Skills for Hard Times

The third and final session was about soft skills. Soft skills are the work habits, communication strategies, and people skills an employee can develop to help succeed at work.

It meant a lot to me to be able to share my experiences with this group. Based on their feedback, their questions during the sessions, and their participation in the training, the program succeeded on many levels.

Those levels would include refresher sessions on math, language skills, and basic writing. We can all use a refresher on those topics from time to time.

It was good for the group to see adults who have enjoyed some measure of success in their lives come into a classroom and share their experiences.

Speaking of my own experiences growing up, a real person doing a real job always made an impression.

It was also a plus to have the sessions on the UC Merced campus. The sprawling array of buildings, athletic fields, and parking lots might serve to inspire many to see beyond the confines of their home and school.

So the answer to the question “what did you do this summer” can be answered by the participants of this program with a simple response.

“I went back to school to learn a little about the real world.”

---

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

His book Soft Skills in Hard Times was a source for his talks to the students at the summer academy.

On September 6, he will speak at the Merced Women’s Club about his books and his twice-monthly columns here on MercedCountyEvents.com

The Oak Fire Nerve Center-

Command Post Set-Up at the Merced Fairgrounds

Several hundred Cal-Fire personnel are watch, listen, and take notes at the daily Incident Report meeting for the Oak Fire . Photo: Steve Newvine

Listen to Steve Newvine on the KYOS radio show about the Oak fire nerve center - click below

While the public gets around the clock images and details about the Mariposa County California wild fire (the Oak Fire) near Yosemite National Park, information that helps firefighters battle the blaze is being passed along from a command post set up some fifty miles away from the fire.

The Merced County Fairgrounds has been transformed into a so-called Incident Command Post (ICP).

The ICP is the operational nerve center for the more than three-thousand fire fighters and support workers charged with putting out the Oak Fire.

“Ordinarily, a fire in the Mariposa County region would have an incident command post set up at the Mariposa Fairgrounds,” says Cal-Fire Public Information Officer Natasha Fouts. “But the Oak Fire required more resources so we needed the larger space.”

One of several Cal-Fire managers pointing out critical spots on the map of the Oak Fire during one of the daily incident briefings from the command post at the Merced County Fairgrounds. Photo: Steve Newvine

The command post is important to be sure everyone is getting the most accurate information at the same time.

During the fire-fighting campaign, the daily incident briefing starts at seven in the morning.

“All fire crews report to the ICP for the morning briefing,” Natasha says. “Crews come for breakfast, to get ice, pick up line lunches and attend the briefing.”

The briefing is set up like a staff meeting at a corporation; with an agenda that includes incident commanders reporting on progress, a weather forecast for the day, updates from outside agencies such as California Highway Patrol, operational updates, and even a report from the finance department.

After the approximate thirty-five minute briefing, some individual teams have smaller update sessions with their personnel.

An Incident Command Post like the one set up at the Merced County Fairgrounds includes several portable offices where managers can monitor information from the field and throughout the Cal-Fire system. Photo: Steve Newvine

With about twenty team leaders giving reports, the briefing comes across as well organized and efficient.

That’s due in part to a concept known as Incident Command System (ICS). The System is an all-risk incident management concept that provides a structure to match the complexities of an incident like a wildfire.

The success of a major wildfire fighting effort can sometimes be threatened by jurisdictional boundaries.

The ICS takes that threat into account with a standardized, on-the-scene management structure.

“The System would allow someone like me or one of my colleagues to step into any emergency situation anywhere and basically pick up the work immediately,” Natasha says.

Fire departments from all over the state working in coordination with Cal Fire, are on the scene at the incident command post at the Merced County Fairgrounds. Photo montage by Steve Newvine.

The daily incident update briefing prepares the teams with information they will need during their shift up into the region where the Oak Fire is destroying forests, threatening homes, and putting thousands of residents in danger.

As of the end of July, more than nineteen-thousand acres have burned, making this the biggest wild fire in California so far in 2022. Sitting in on one of the daily briefings drove home the complicated nature of a wildfire.

Leaders from the various aspects of the effort are brought up before the group for short updates.

Firefighters get updates on the weather (“lower humidity in the coming days will make our jobs tougher”), safety (“remember, you represent all of us when you’re traveling to the scene”), and even a pep talk from one of the partners in fighting the blaze. “Everyone in this room has chased this fire real well,” one of the speakers at the morning briefing tells the group. "We need everyone now to keep up the effort.”

An incident report packet is made available to anyone coming into the meeting. The report contains over forty pages of information the teams can scan, make notes on, and take with them as they leave.

Preparing breakfast for hundreds of fire fighters is all part of a workday for the people supporting the incident command center at the Merced County Fairgrounds. Photo: Steve Newvine

Following the morning briefing and the sidebar meetings, some crews head on over to another part of the fairgrounds where a dining area is serving breakfast.

The workers will have breakfast before heading up to the fire site. This might be their only meal break during the shift depending on conditions in the field.

There is a lot happening when a wildfire breaks out in California.

Fighting the spread is the top priority. While that is going on, other agencies are preparing such things as emergency shelter for displaced residents, access for medical attention, and managing traffic.

The team working inside the Incident Command Post information center handles new information coming in and going out to the crews on the scene. Photo: Steve Newvine

Throughout the day, updates on all that is happening surrounding the fire is coordinated through the information center set up in the parking lot at the entrance to the fairgrounds.

Inside, public information workers gather what’s coming in, and turns it around so that everyone is getting the news in real time. Cal Fire will keep this command post up for as long as it takes. In the early days of this particular fire, an expected end date was set for the end of July.

However, as the week of July 24th progressed, that date was removed from update reports.

That’s likely an indication as to the unpredictable nature of this particular California wild fire.

As one of the speakers from the United States Forest Service told the group at an earlier daily briefing, “It’s absolutely remarkable, thank you very much. But the next few days are going to be clutch.”

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

His latest book is called “A Bundle of Memories” and is available at Lulu.com , Amazon, Barnes and Noble.com, and at IndependentBooks.com where every sale benefits independent booksellers across the nation.

Steve recently completed a series of three talks about career readiness to older youth participants in the Summer Youth Academy sponsored by Harvest Park Learning Center.

You can reach him at SteveNewvine@SBCGlobal.net or at Facebook/Can-Do Californians

Traffic Circles and Straight Lines-

Campus Parkway Extension Reaches Yosemite Avenue and Includes Bike Path Bridge

Roundabouts are prominent along the Campus Parkway connecting Highway 99 to UC Merced. Photo: Steve Newvine

With local government leaders present and construction workers appropriately thanked for their labor, the latest extension of the Campus Parkway project was officially opened on July 8.

The roadway has the appearance of a beautiful, almost pristine, asphalt pathway that connects California Highway 99 to just south of the UC Merced Campus.

The primary characteristic of this latest extension of the Parkway is the near straight line it draws to Yosemite Avenue.

The road is a true connection of the 99 Freeway to the crown jewel of the Merced region.

“Government should and can do the big things,” Merced County Supervisor Josh Pedrozo said at the ceremony.

He represents the district where the new highway is located.

The one-hundred million dollar price tag is covered with state dollars from the Senate Bill 1 Transportation Package.

That transportation bill was cited by local leaders at the dedication ceremony as an excellent example of legislators working across the aisle on behalf of their constituents.

Local leaders were on hand for the grand opening of the most recent leg of the Campus Parkway road project connecting UC Merced to Highway 99. Photos: Steve Newvine

This highway expansion includes the addition of roundabouts at some of the intersections.

The roundabouts are junctions where traffic moves in one direction around a central island to reach one of the roads that meet the intersection.

They are also known as traffic circles. “When roundabouts started showing up in road projects, I hated them,” said County Board of Supervisors Chairman Lloyd Pareira. “But now I like them. They keep the traffic moving.”

The newly opened section completes the south-eastern portion of the so-called “Merced Loop System.”

The view from the new bike/pedestrian bridge over the Olive Avenue roundabout section of Campus Parkway.  Photo:  Steve Newvine

That loop system will one day run south of the City of Merced and connect with the City of Atwater.

Merced County voters passed Measure V, a countywide half-cent sales tax for transportation in 2016. This made Merced County a so-called self-help county.

Many leaders point to self-help counties as being in a better position to request state and federal highway monies because these jurisdictions have local “skin-in-the-game” through revenue streams such as dedicated local sales taxes.

The sales tax generates about $15 million annually for transportation.

This graphic from the Merced County Association of Governments shows the completed parts of the Merced Loop project. The Campus Parkway section is in the upper right.

Campus Parkway will help take traffic to and from the university. It will also help better connect traffic to Yosemite National Park.

Another special feature of the Campus Parkway is the bicycle/pedestrian pathway that runs along the western side of the highway.

The path includes an overpass at Olive Avenue so that cyclists, runners, and walkers may avoid crossing the street at grade level. The path helps soften concerns about road expansion projects taking away some of the quality of life issues neighbors around the area might have been inclined to raise.

A drone eye view of the new highway taken on the day of the dedication. Following the ribbon cutting, two Cal Fire engines led the way for the stream of vehicles belonging to attendees at the ceremony. Photo: Merced County Facebook page.

Local leaders said there was a lot of good to come about as the result of this one-hundred million dollar investment in the community.

With the bike path, the highway combines functionality with recreation.

It’s a long way from the first public hearings on the proposal to build the Campus Parkway highway 99 exit.

Those hearings started back in 1999. Our region has experienced a lot of change in those past twenty-three years.

There’s no doubt more change will be taking place in the coming decades.

* Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

His latest book is A Bundle of Memories, and is available at Barnes & Noble.com and at Lulu.com.

He recently completed a series of three lectures as part of the Principle Based Learning Training in the Harvest Park Educational Center summer youth work study program held at UC Merced.

Steve is a passionate golfer who is proud to have earned his second lifetime hole-in-one on Independence Day 2022.

Fireworks Sales Sparkle for Area Non-Profits-

Proceeds help Organization’s Bottom Lines

The fireworks stand benefiting Playhouse Merced is in the Raley’s parking lot on Yosemite Avenue in Merced. Photo: Steve Newvine

The Independence Day holiday brings out the best in our celebratory spririt when it comes to showing our love of country.

Flags will be waving, some communities will have parades, hot dogs will be grilling, and most of us will take in the sense of pride for the good things about the United States.

And don’t forget the fireworks.

This year, Merced County will join with others throughout the state in making the so-called “safe and sane” fireworks available to citizens.

The Merced Marching 100 benefits from fireworks sales from a prime location in the Merced Mall parking lot on Olive Avenue. Photo: Steve Newvine

The stands are sprinkled throughout the County and especially in the City of Merced.

Working with the fireworks wholesalers, non-profit organizations apply for permits, staff the booths, and raise a big portion of their annual budgets.

That's how it's done in California. “We have had a fireworks booth for 10 years or more,” a spokesperson for Playhouse Merced says. The Playhouse staffs the booth in the parking lot at Raley’s on Yosemite Avenue.

Some of the selection of safe and sane fireworks available at one of the many stands throughout Merced. Photo: Steve Newvine Getting a permit to sell fireworks is really not that hard for a non-profit organization.

The firework wholesalers coordinate the paperwork to secure the permits. The non-profit organization agrees to abide by the local rules governing the sale of the product.

Fire safety is part of the arrangement with the fireworks being stored in those metal storage containers that are nearby every stand. In exchange for agreeing to abide by the rules, the non-profit and their volunteers staff the booth right on through the July 4th holiday.

The profits are sizable, and the wholesaler takes back any unsold inventory.. “It does provide a large part of our operating income for our Youth Educational programs and our Community Theatre Live Productions,” the spokesperson for Playhouse Merced says.

These big boxes offer a variety of neighborhood ready fireworks. Some sell anywhere from $250 to $400. Photo: Steve Newvine

Most of the cities in Merced County handle the permitting and inspection of the fireworks booths through the local fire department. Merced County Fire performs this role in areas where either the city does not handle this role.

“This year, we did thirteen permits,” says Crystal del Toro from Merced County Fire.

It’s a big commitment for a non-profit organization to commit their volunteers and staff to working a shift at a fireworks stand. From my experience running a non-profit some fifteen years ago, it seemed as though the volunteers were eager to do a good job.

The staff did their best to pull a shift here and there while continuing to do their real jobs for the organization.

I recall doing an analysis of the profit versus expenses following the fireworks stand effort my non-profit organization operated back in 2006.

I recall the analysis concluded that while the profit helped the bottom line, it would not have happened without the tremendous amount of time committed by the volunteers.

The Merced Mall marquee promotes the fireworks stand operated by the Merced Marching 100. Photo: Steve Newvine

Some communities in northern California no longer permit sales of safe-and-sane fireworks due to the wildfire threats in recent years.

The City of Redding does not allow fireworks sales. City Manager Barry Tippen says the City has maintained this policy for the past several years.

Some of the local firework sellers will have a close-out sale on July 5, but by the end of the week, most of the stands will have been taken down and shipped back to the wholesaler’s storage sites. Another fireworks season will close.

That is unless some folks have put some of their fireworks away for a special occasion sometime over the next twelve months.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

He is currently working on a new book to be released later this year. Ten of his books are available at Lulu.com, Barnes & Noble.com, and Amazon.com.

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

Merced Knights of Columbus at 100-

Service Club Marks Centennial with Celebration

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

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

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

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

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

In 1922, the Merced Council was chartered.  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Steve Newvine lives in Merced. 

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

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

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

That’s Where Starbucks Was –

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fresh starts are good for all of us.  

Steve Newvine lives in Merced. 

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

Student Innovation Flowing Forward-

Water reuse among many ideas at UC Merced engineering event

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Campus leaders are considering installing a rainwater harvesting system. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That’s what innovators do.  They keep trying.

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

Steve Newvine lives in Merced. 

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

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

Sequoia Legacy Tree Stands Proudly in Visalia-

Challenges in providing proper care 

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

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

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

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

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

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

The trees grew and grew.  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This tree has a lot more growing to do.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

John’s and Josh’s Favorite Eatery-

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

They hope all their customers feel the same way.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced. 

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

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

Vintage Cars Ready for a Permanent Home-

Graffiti USA Museum takes another step toward 2023 Opening

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Radio Museum currently lives online (ModestoRadioMuseum.org)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Not all his time though.

He’s currently working on restoring another car.

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

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

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

The book is available at Lulu.com.

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

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

Stepping Up for a Friend-

The passing of a good man offers an opportunity for reflection

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I needed to hear that. 

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

Steve Newvine lives in Merced. 

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

Sleeping Bags and Merit Badges-

Reliving Good Moments from Scouting Adventures

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Be kind to our web-footed friends,

For a duck may be somebody’s mother.

Who lives in the deep of the swamp,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Steve Newvine lives in Merced. 

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

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

Easier Access-

Improvements to Merced Library branch help patrons

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But the new railing is the first step.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced. 

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

Farming is Center Stage at World Ag Expo-

Exposition returns to in-person format this year

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

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

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

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

They are all in Tulare.

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

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

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

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

The Expo was an online event in 2021. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But everyone knew it just wasn’t the same.  

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

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

Questions may get answered. 

Trust begins to build. 

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

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

The tradition continues in Tulare County.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced

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

Branding Memories-

Ownership Change at Iconic Restaurant Stirs Reflections

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A tradition lives on. 

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

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

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

Steve Newvine lives in Merced. 

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

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

Midway between Oregon and Mexico-

Highway 99 Group Seeks Support for Statewide Sign Effort

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

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

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

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

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

Some of those roads remain in use.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Steve Newvine lives in Merced. 

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

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

Celebrating Christmas in My Hometown-

A preview of my latest writing project

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The ending ritual on Christmas day came around six pm. 

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

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

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

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

Steve Newvine lives in Merced. 

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

It is available exclusively with special pricing at Lulu.com

Happy Cows, Delighted Chickens, and Optimistic Almonds-

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1.India 

2.Spain 

3.Italy  

4.Japan  

5.Mexico 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Steve Newvine lives in Merced. 

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