A roadside adventure - Weebly

VOLUME 41 NUMBER 52 WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015

25¢Inside This IssueSumma cum laude scholar p. 2Sheep project takes test .... p. 6Fellowship at barbecue ...... p. 8

............... p. 9The Voice of the Mountains

By PAT GALLEGOSMountain Press contributing writer

Something the foothills has been lacking is a place to get a refreshing cup of some-thing cool and tasty—a cup of frozen yogurt, with added treats on top. This past Friday, May 15, Kim and Sean Ashbrook opened Yo Town Yogurt, located in the Canyon Fork Center in Prather next to the Pizza Factory. A packed crowd of yogurt-lovers who were waiting for this day was ready to try out the new serve-yourself experience.

Some 12 flavors of yogurt are offered. All you have to do is get a cup and serve yourself: choose one flavor or mix it up, then top it off with fresh fruit, nuts and other tasty toppings. When you get to the cashier, he or she will weigh your cup and charge you for its weight. The Ashbrooks are true young entrepreneurs, own-ing or having owned sev-eral local businesses in the mountains and foothills of this community. In the past they owned Shaver Lake Piz-za, the gas station in Shaver Lake, and Shaver Lake Pow-

er Center. They continue to own Eagle Towing and AEI (Ashbrook Enterprises Inc.) potable water service, and have now added Yo Town to that list. Kim, a Clovis High grad-uate who once worked as an ob-gyn medical receptionist,

By PAT GALLEGOSMountain Press contributing writer

For years, the former site of Western Color Growers on Auberry Road had been sitting empty—until recent-ly, when Chris and Anthony Riojas decided they wanted to locate a business there. Chris said she came across the nursery location early last year, but “something happened” that delayed their venture. In 2012 she and Anthony, both motorcycle enthusiasts, decided to ride a motorcy-cle from Prather to Dayto-na, Florida, to attend “the world’s largest bike event.” “We mapped it out,” she said, and both agreed they could do it. While there, Anthony proposed to her. In 2013 they were married and traveled to the 110th anniversary celebration for Harley Davidson Motorcycle in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “That was our honeymoon,” she said. Through their experienc-es on these trips, they re-alized that they wanted to be vendors and sell “biker stuff.” And this is when the delay occurred: Anthony was deployed overseas. “When he came back, we decided this is what we wanted to do,” said Chris. “It is God’s calling for us.” On Saturday, May 16, the weekend open house began,

with vendors who had rented space displaying and selling their items. Many folks also shopped in the small store, where one may purchase biker apparel, accessories for men and women, jewelry, southwestern art, and gifts. On Saturday, a DJ set up and played music while peo-ple browsed the displays. On Sunday, a band entertained and there was a food area that kept everyone happy. The Riojas plan to hold a twice-a-month event with a band and vendors. A few bike rallies will also be held as fundraisers to meet needs in the community. Current-ly, only weekend events are planned. (For information call 250-6150.) Store hours are 10 am-7 pm. No alcohol is allowed at any of the events. Chris is from Cupertino, California and came to this area when her father, Fred Balmer, and her mother, Fran, bought a camp on the lower end of Pine Flat. After she earned her degree in An-imal Science at Chico State in 1990, she moved local and ran the campground for a while, then went to work for a local pump company. “That was sort of ag, because we dealt with wells and irri-gation pumps,” she said. She is now a buyer for small pumps. Chris has two children,

The Sierra Junior High Celebration of Learning and Fine Arts Night will be com-bined this year and will take place on Thursday, May 28. Celebration of Learning students will begin presen-tations at 5:30 pm in junior high classrooms. (Parents need to sign up with Heidi Parks or Brittany Collins.) The Fine Arts Finale will be in the small gym, begin-ning at 7 pm. Doors will open at 6:30 pm for viewing of artworks by second se-mester seventh and eighth grade students. These talent-ed artists will be displaying clay turtles, bears, fish, whis-tles and sea rocks. Paintings, drawings and wire sculp-tures will also be on display. You are also invited to come say farewell to art teacher Nancy Gaseor, as her art position will no longer be at Sierra Junior/Senior High. Both the choir and band

will be performing. Some of the choir pieces include “Lean On Me” and “I See the Light,” from the movie “Tan-gled.” Sophie Presser will be directing the choir for her senior project. Two of the band pieces are “Yellow Submarine” and “Wade In The Water.” The band will be performing under the direc-tion of music director Bruce Weinberger. Come out and watch these talented young musicians “strut their stuff!” Desserts will be offered during intermission for a donation to the Sierra Ju-nior High Arts. Parents of the art and music students will be donating goodies for the evening. A special group of Foothill 4-H parents will also be contributing desserts to the event as a community service project. Come join us and support the visual and performing arts!

By MARIAN FLANDRICKMountain Press contributing writer

Sierra High School stu-dent Emily Diamante was going job shadow a speech pathologist for her senior project. She thought that was direction her life was going after graduating. “But then my youth group was talking about a mission trip to Haiti,” said Diamante. “I had always wanted to go on a mission trip.” Diamante re-alized that she could use her Haiti trip for her senior proj-ect. That trip changed more that her senior project topic; it changed her life. Over spring break Dia-mante, with seven people from New Harvest Church in Clovis, went to Haiti and worked with children in three orphanages that are under the nonprofit orga-

Owners Sean and Kim Ashbrook with Jordan Gillihan (center), a Yo Town employee. GALLEGOS PHOTO

Emily Diamante with children at a Haiti orphanage.

A roadside adventure

Yo Town in Prather is a tasty delight

CONT. PAGE 7

CONT. PAGE 3

CONT. PAGE 5

Sierra Junior High School combines Fine Arts Night with Celebration of Learning

Hearts bond on Haiti trip

THE

MOUNTAINPRESSThe Voice of the Mountains

WEDNESDAYMAY 20, 2015VOLUME 41, NO. 52

THE MOUNTAIN PRESS is a weekly newspaper established in May, 1973 and published continuously since that date. Readership is approximately 6,000 in the foothill and mountain areas of eastern Fresno County. The service area includes the com-munities of Auberry, Big Creek, rural Clovis, Friant, North Fork, Prather, Shaver Lake and Tollhouse.MAILING ADDRESS is P.O. Box 97, Prather CA 93651. OFFICE is located at 33171 Auberry Road, Suite C, Au-berry, CA. TELEPHONE is 559-855-8100. E-MAIL is [email protected] ADJUDICATION is by the Superior Court of the County of Fres-no, State of Calif. HOURS are Mon-day-Friday, 10 am to 4 pm.

PUBLISHERSHomer & Marceline Scott

EDITORAlyson Nelson

CONTRIBUTORSPat Gallegos

Tom CatchpoleRachelle BedwellMarian FlandrickKaren Cheney

Advertising and copy deadline Fridays at 4 pm preceding publication date.“The MOUNTAIN PRESS (USPS 049150) is published weekly for $10.50 per year (in Fresno County) and $28.00 per year (outside Fresno County) by Homer Scott, PO Box 97, Prather, California. 93651. Periodicals postage paid at Prather, CA. POST-MASTER: Send address changes to Mountain Press, P.O. Box 97, Prather, CA 93651.”

By THOMAS W. CATCHPOLEMountain Press contributing writer

The Shaver–Auberry Post 2587 of the Veterans of For-eign Wars (VFW) held their Second Annual Rummage Sale Fundraiser on Saturday, May 16 in the former “Big D’s” parking lot next to CVS Pharmacy in Prather. “All of the items sold today were donated by individuals and organizations. Funds raised will help provide a scholar-ship for a Sierra High School student,” noted Jake Mar-shall, post commander. “We also help veterans in need in our local area.” (If anyone needs assistance, contact VFW Post 2587.) The rummage sale had a good selection of items someone might want to buy, ranging from clothing, books, furniture, kitchen accessories to office book-cases and desks. A least one customer stopped by the cashier and said they didn’t see anything they wanted, but thanked them for serv-ing our country in the Armed

Services and left a cash dona-tion. At the close of the sale, they had earned enough for the scholarship and more. Members of VFW Post 2587 are all from the foothill community, with many be-ing natives or long-term res-

idents. Marshall, for example is the grandson of the origi-nal Jake Marshall who settled around “Marshall Station” in 1881 where he owned 120 acres, was a cattleman, mail carrier and businessman. The post’s officers are elect-

ed and serve several years in office. VFW Post 2587 meets on the second Tuesday of each month. Post 2587 mem-bers mentioned that the post has been in existence for at least 50 years. The VFW is a national or-

ganization. The organization had its origin back in 1899 when veterans of the Span-ish-American War in 1898 and the Philippine Insurrec-tion (1899 – 1902) returned to find that there was no medical care or veterans’ pensions for them. Many were wounded or sick and needed care. Out of despera-tion, many of these veterans banded together, forming or-ganizations which later de-veloped into the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. The first posts were in Ohio, Colorado, and Pennsyl-vania but soon spread to ev-ery state, with a present day membership of 1.9 million men and women veterans. The VFW was instrumen-tal in the formation of the Veterans Administration, passing the GI Bills, Nation-al Cemeteries, compensa-tion for disabilities or illness brought on by recent wars, educational assistance bene-fits, memorials, plus millions of hours of volunteer proj-ects to local communities. Post 2587 officers appre-ciate all the help community members gave to make the rummage sale a success and thank all the donors, vol-unteers and purchasers for their support. (14.25)

This past week was a busy one for Prather resident Shauna Delaney. She took her final college exams and then celebrated her 22nd birthday, all of this happen-ing on May 12. That would be enough for most people, but not her. She then graduated summa cum laude from the Criminology Department at California State University, Fresno on May 15. Delaney also earned dis-tinction as being a Criminol-ogy Honor Student, which is only shared by about two percent of the 1,800 stu-dents in that department. Aside from her proud par-ents, Ed and Debora Delaney, her graduation was attended by Lynda Qualls, Leann Quig-ley and Debora Colliver.

During her college expe-rience, Delaney did an in-ternship with the Fresno Po-lice Department’s Financial Crimes unit. She travelled to Ireland with select crim-inology students to study their methods in the field of Criminal Justice. She was also able to visit friends in Scotland during that time. Aside from the usual re-quired classes in her major, she took pleasure in elec-tives like kick boxing, karate, fencing and judo. Delaney is taking a few weeks of rest before her next adventure, which is entering the Air Force Officer Train-ing Program that will be held in Montgomery, Alabama. After that it’s “up, up and away” to who knows where!

On April 30, the Sierra National Forest, the San Joa-quin Valley Chapter of the Wildlife Society, Southern California Edison (SCE), and the Central Sierra Historical Society (CSHS) teamed up with Ayer Elementary School to provide 75 second grade Fresno students a fun day of learning at Camp Edison in Shaver Lake, California. The field trip was part of the school’s Ranger Week pro-gram, which teaches young children about nature and introduces them to careers in natural resources. The field trip was made possible through the Wildlife Society, who provided funding to the school for transportation costs. The children learned that proper logging can improve the health of the forest and provide better habitat for many animals. They learned

Seventy-five second graders from Ayer Elementary School made the trek to Camp Edison for a day of fun and

table is post commander Jake Marshall collecting payments. CATCHPOLE PHOTO

Shauna Delaney (center) with parents Ed and Debora.

Shaver-Auberry VFW post earns funds for scholarship and more

Delaney is summa cum laude honor student at CSUF

Fun and learning for Fresno kids at Camp Edison

CONT. PAGE 5

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Tuesday, May 12 was a day of celebration for the members of the Sierra Women’s Service Club. Wel-come hugs, laughter, and excitement filled the room as members arrived with homemade potluck dishes in hand. This annual event, held every May, is a time for reflecting on the club’s accomplishments over the past nine months of month-ly meetings, volunteer work, and fundraising events. It was indeed a time to celebrate, for all the hard work paid off with another successful year for the club. This would not have been

possible if it were not for the many businesses and indi-viduals in our foothill com-munities who so generously support SWSC through their donations and by attending the club’s two fundraisers. Because of you and the hard work of the club, all pro-ceeds raised this year will be returned to those who live here in our foothill commu-nity. After lunch, an installa-tion ceremony for the new-ly-elected club officers was performed. Now the members can enjoy their annual summer break of June, July, and Au-

and husband Sean, a Sierra High graduate, moved down to the foothills from Shaver Lake four years ago, mostly to accommodate their two daughters, who needed more room to raise their cattle and horses. Pasture land is better down here than at the higher elevations. Daughter Hailee is in FFA, raising cat-tle, and daughter Megan is in 4H, also raising cattle. Megan also participates in volley-ball at the junior high level. As a youth, Kim was also in 4H and showed horses, and loved outdoor recreation. Sean spent his time in body shop, wood shop, welding and heavy equipment class. “I did not do sports,” he said. He served on the snowmo-bile search and rescue team before it was dismantled and 10 years on the Shav-er Lake Volunteer Fire De-partment (three as assistant chief). Sean’s father, Donny Ashbrook, was chief of the Bald Mountain Fire Protec-tion District for many years.

Kim commented, “Living in this area, we are more a part of the community. As a family we have always en-joyed frozen yogurt, and wanted to share that with the community, so we decid-ed to open a yogurt shop.” The shop will employ eight people, who will learn the business of cleaning the yo-gurt machines each night, cashiering, stocking invento-ry, and food preparation. All employees will be required to become certified in the “serve safe” food handling class. “This is a business that our children can be involved in with friends, while pro-viding jobs for high school and college students,” said Kim. “We enjoy the freedom of being self-employed.” Ac-cording to Sean, he has al-ways owned a business, and hasn’t worked for someone else since high school. This is a busy family, but when time allows, they enjoy snowmobiling, skiing and boating. Summer store hours are seven days a week, 11 am until 10 pm. For information, call 559-855-5700. (17.0)

Kathy Huebert, parliamentarian.

SHELLIE WILLIAMSRealtor®DRE # 01267964

Cell: (559) 906-6953

gust for family fun, vaca-tions, and relaxation. The club will gather together again on September 8, 2015, refreshed and ready to start SWSC’s 57th year of service to the foothill community. Outgoing publicity chair-person Evelyn Church not-ed, “We would like to take this opportunity to publicly welcome all the new SWSC members who joined this year: Sharon Anderson, Deb Correio, Cindy Garcia, Mary Hill, Corrine Rice, Margaret Sanders, Terri Sennett, and Cheri Neill. Like us on Face-book at facebook.com/sierra women’s service club!”

Yo TownCONT. FROM PAGE 1

Service club takes a summer hiatus

Community EventsMay 20-21: SUSD board governance workshop, 4:30-8pm.

May 21: Cat’s Birds of Prey, Auberry Library, 4pm. 855-8523.

May 23: Rock crawl, Huntington Lake.

May 23: TIP e-waste collection, CVS parking lot, 8am-3pm.

May 25: SOSCC closed for Memorial Day.

May 26: SHS Spring Concert, 7 pm, small gym, $5.

May 27: SUSD board budget/LCAP/special meetings.

May 28: Reunion planning meeting, 7 pm, EFCHS room in SHS dorm.

May 30: Foxes & Coyotes, Inter-mountain Nursery, 9:30am. 855-3113.

May 30: Bark beetle infestation meet-ing, Oakhurst Elem., 10am-noon.

June 3: Smokey and Cal Fire at SOSCC, 10 am.

June 5: Foothill Elementary School carnival, 4-8 pm.

June 5: SFYSL sign-ups, 4-8pm at FES carnival.

June 7: Baccalaureate service, 6 pm, Sierra High PC.

June 10: Big Creek School pool opens.

June 15: SUSD board meeting, 5:30 pm, Causey Ed Center.

June 20: All-School Reunion at Sier-ra High School.

June 27: SOSCC yard sale, 8am-2pm (breakfast 7-10am).

June 27: SFYSL sign-ups, CVS park-ing lot, 9am-noon.

July 6-10: Summer soccer camp at FES, www.challengersports.com

July 25: SFYSL sign-ups, CVS parking lot, 9am-noon.

Weekly:

Tuesdays: Chess program, 3-5:30 pm, Auberry library. 855-8523.

Tuesdays: Preschool Storytime, 10:30 am, Auberry library. 855-8523.

Thursdays: TAG! Teen Activity Group, 4:15 pm, library. 855-8523.

Thursdays: TAG TOO! “Tween” Ac-tivity Group, 4:15 pm, library.

Thursdays: Rotary Club meets, 8 am, Auberry library.

N E W S

events, and your noteworthy achievements in other areas such as sports, recognitions and awards, wedding and birth announcements, and obituary notices. There is no charge for these stories. Call 855-8100.

SHS SPRINGCONCERT

All are invited to the an-nual SHS Music Department Spring Concert and Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, May 26 at 7 pm in the small gym. Tickets are available at the door at $5 for people over 12 years old and $4 for those under 12 years old. This is a community event, featuring primarily music from the department’s recent annual Spring Music Tour, with performances from all sections of the mu-sic department. For informa-tion, call Bruce Weinberger at SHS, 855-8311.

BACCALAURE-ATE SERVICE

The families and friends of the members of the Si-erra High School Class of 2015 are invited to attend the Baccalaureate Service on Sunday, June 7 at 6 pm in the Presentation Center. Bacca-laureate is a non-denomina-tional religious celebration commemorating the mile-stone of our seniors gradu-ating. Special guest speaker this year is Gary DelSimone, retired Sierra High School teacher. There will be special music by seniors Emily Beat-ty and Malorie Owens. If you would like to at-tend this service with your senior student, please have them RSVP with their senior teacher (Rob Hastie or India Saude) by May 22.

ROCK CRAWL

Rock crawl at Hunting-ton Lake on May 23! Register Friday night on Lakeshore’s deck. There will be compe-tition in three classes: Nov-ice, Trail and Ultimate, with a cash prize. Enjoy food and beverages on the beach.

WORN-OUT FLAGS

Don’t forget to bring your worn American flags to the Sierra Oaks Senior Center. The center will host an of-ficial Military Flag Disposal Ceremony in June.

IntermountainAA MeetingsSunday & Friday .... 5:30-7:00Monday & Thursday ... 7-8:30Sierra Lutheran Church Rm 2

841-2393 Darrell / 246-5949 Donna289-0554 Tammy

FOXES AND COYOTES

Learn about the role that wild canines play in the health of eco-system at a class scheduled for Satur-day, May 30 at 9:30 am at Intermountain Nursery. Field biologist Burleigh Lockwood will teach participants how they can live in the foothill and mountain areas safely without harm to these ani-mals. Intermountain Nursery is located near the “Y” of Auberry and Lodge roads in Prather. For fees and other information, call 855-3113.

SMOKEY AT SOSCC

On Wednesday, June 3, Ryan Michaels of Cal Fire will be at the Sierra Oaks Senior and Community Center at 10 am. Michaels will talk about ways to reduce fire fuel around dwellings and the coming fire season. Smokey Bear will be on hand. The community is encouraged to attend.

BARK BEETLE INFESTATION

A public meeting on the bark beetle infestation in our forests and foothills will be held on Saturday, May 30 from 10 am to noon at the Oakhurst Elementary School Auditorium (49495 High School Road in Oakhurst). This meeting is hosted in partnership with CalFire and Madera County Board Super-visor Tom Wheeler’s office. Attendees will be giv-en detailed descriptions of the beetle infestation caus-es, measures to be taken to prevent tree loss, and more. They will also be provided a contact list for contractors skilled in mastication, fuels reduction, and tree removal. This event is free, but participants are encour-aged to register so there are enough materials for every-one. For registration con-tact Justine Reynolds, [email protected] or (559) 877-8663.

AMERICAN SNIP-ER SHOWING

On Friday, May 22 at 10 am, Sierra Oaks Senior and Community Center will show the movie “American Snip-er,” if there is enough inter-est. Call the center and let them know if you are com-ing — it’s free! The movie is quite lengthy (2 hours and 15 minutes), so you might consider ordering a lunch for that day. If you do order lunch, you must order before 11 am on Thursday, May 21 by calling 855-3300.

REUNIONPLANNING

A Sierra High School Alumni meeting will be held on Thursday, May 28 at 7 pm. The group meets in the East-ern Fresno County Historical Society room on Lodge Road, located in the old Sierra High School dormitory on the east side of the school. The All School Reunion is in the final planning stages, and your help is needed! The reunion will be held is June 20, 2015 on the Sierra High School football field.

SOCCERREGISTRATION

Sierra Foothill Youth Soc-cer League (SFYSL) will soon start its registration for the 2015 fall season. Players may register online at sier-rafoothillyouthsoccerleague.weebly.com (starting June 1) and in person. In-person registrations are June 5, 4-8 pm at the Foothill Elementary school carnival; June 27, 9 am-noon in the CVS parking lot; July 25, 9 am-noon in the CVS parking lot; and at FES back-to-school night (TBA). Cost is $85 per child, and $70 for second and subsequent chil-dren. $15 rebate for families working in the snack bar for two hours. With questions or com-ments, contact any of the board members listed on the website or call or text Mark Schlaefer at 905-8373. The league is always looking for board members, coaches, or referees.

ANNUALYARD SALE

On Saturday, June 27 Si-erra Oaks Senior and Com-munity Center will hold their annual Yard Sale and Coun-try Breakfast. The festivities start with the Country Break-fast—biscuits and gravy, eggs bacon and country po-tatoes—served from 7 am to 10 am. Yard sale hours are 8 am to 2 pm. Spaces are only $10! Call 855-3300 now to reserve your space.

TIP E-WASTE COLLECTION

The free semi-annual e-waste recycling event put on by the Trauma Interven-tion Program will be held Saturday, May 23 from 8 am to 3 pm at the CVS parking lot in Prather. For informa-tion call Yolanda Akers at 905-4785.

MEMORIAL DAY CLOSURE

The Mountain Press will close at 3 pm on Monday, May 25. All ad and copy deadlines remain the same.

SOSCC CLOSED

Sierra Oaks Senior and Community Center will be closed on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25.

SOCCER CAMP Sierra Foothill Youth Soc-cer League (SFYSL) will host a soccer camp at Foothill Elementary School on July 6–10. Challenger Sports will provide British coaches for this event. Half day option is from 9 am-noon for ages 5-14 and costs $136. Full day option is from 9 am-4 pm for ages 8-14 and costs $195. Sign up by May 22 and earn a free Challenger T-shirt in addition to the free ball that all camp participants will get. There is a link to sign up for this camp at the SFYSL website, sierrafoothillyouth soccerleague.weebly.com

SPECIAL BOARD SESSION

The Sierra Unified School District Board of Trustees will hold special sessions on Wednesday and Thursday, May 20-21 at the Causey Ed Center on the Foothill Ele-mentary School campus in Prather. The sessions will start at 4:30 pm both days. At the meeting, the board will have a discussion regard-ing governance issues, facili-tated by Calif. Board Associa-tion consultant Luan Burman Rivera. The session will cov-er board and superinten-dent roles, responsibilities and governance practices. Supporting documents, agenda and minutes can be found at the district website,

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nization called Chances for Children. “We did Vacation Bible School with the kids, played with them, sang with them, read the Bible with them,” said Diamante, “and we fed them. One of the or-phanages is so poor that the kids only ate three or four times a week. A week!” Before going, Diamante had to raise $2,000. Just get-ting to Haiti was expensive! She sent letters to friends and family asking for their help and she held an Indian Taco fundraiser. She and her mom, Lisa Diamante, went shopping to fill a suitcase with diapers, wipes, clothes, balls and other things for the kids. “Everyone took two suitcases. One with clothes for us and then one with stuff for the kids,” she said. “I loved the babies there because I love babies any-way,” said Diamante, who works in the nursery at church. “But I realized what I loved the most was talking and laughing with the older kids.” For the most part, the older children spoke English and Creole. They did sim-ple things with the children, like after a rainstorm she played soccer with the boys in the mud. Another time

they made bracelets with boys and girls. “The kids gave me a bracelet they had made for me. I lost it on my trip home,” said Diamante. “I cried when I couldn’t find it.” When it came time to leave Haiti, Diamante phoned her mom. “Can I stay three more days?” Actually she never wanted to leave but wanted to stay with the kids forever, but she realized she did need to go home. During her years at Sier-ra, Diamante has been active in the Fellowship of Chris-tian Athletes and Leadership class. She has played varsity basketball for two years, var-sity swim team for two years and varsity water polo for one year. This fall, Diamante has been accepted to go to Josh-ua Wilderness Institute at Hume Lake Christian in the Sequoia/Kings Canyon Na-tional Monument. Only 56 students from throughout the world are accepted each year. Their mission state-ment is “Transforming the Life Effectiveness of God’s People.” The yearlong pro-gram is a combination of theology, Bible study skills, philosophy and worldview training evangelism, charac-ter development, personal life skills and, close to Dia-mante’s heart, monthly mis-sion trips, including Mexico, Israel and, best of all, Haiti. (16.0)

that carefully managed pre-scribed fires can “clean” the forest of heavy fuels and pre-vent wildfires from destroy-ing large portions of the for-est. They hiked up and down various trails exploring and learning about the common trees and animals that live in the forest. By visiting the Native American village set up at the CSHS museum, they learned what life was like in the forest hundreds of years ago. They also learned how to be a forest firefight-er, while having fun squirt-ing water from the engine. Most importantly, they learned that they play an important role in keeping the forest, its wildlife, and themselves safe by following fire safety rules and prop-er camping and hiking eti-quette. All in all, it was a great day—and Smokey the Bear stopped by to thank them for learning how to take care of the nation’s public lands! A big “thanks” goes to the Wildlife Society for fund-ing the trip, SCE and the CSHS museum for hosting the event, the Forest Service and SCE presenters, and the teachers and parents who chaperoned.

Project HaitiCONT. FROM PAGE 1

Field tripCONT. FROM PAGE 2

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Sierra 4-H members held a car wash fundraiser to raise money for scholarships on Saturday, May 16. The schol-arships will go to two 4-H Sierra High School seniors: Rachel Watkins and Kendall Cardoza. Every year the 4-Hers work hard to raise money. This year’s car wash was held in the CVS parking lot in Prather. Caleb, Elisabeth, Julia Deniston, Sarah Mont-gomery and Josh and Rachel Watkins worked hard clean-ing cars. (2.5)

On Saturday, May 9, Sier-ra 4-H Sheep Project mem-bers completed their Live-stock Achievement Test at the Fresno County 4-H Fair held at the Reedley College Ag Farm. Members showed their knowledge about the care and keeping of sheep and lambs and earned awards according to how they scored. Some members earned a gold medal to put on their 4-H hat while others earned either a blue, red, or white ribbon. The members were asked to identify feed, show sup-plies, and management sup-plies. They also were judged on their ability to handle the sheep in a show ring and on daily care handling. Before members arrived at Reedley College to complete their Sheep Livestock Achieve-ment Test, a written test was taken at their project meet-ing held in Prather the week before. Other projects that have Achievement Programs are Horse, Beef, Swine, Meat

Goats, and Dairy Goats. Besides the Horse Project Groups, this is the first year the Livestock Achievement Program has been held for Fresno County 4-H Members. Community and project leaders around Fresno Coun-ty put the program togeth-er so 4-H members would have another opportunity to demonstrate the skills and knowledge gained in the project besides just showing animals at a County Fair. 4-H members of all ages (9–19) participated in the program. The Livestock Achieve-ment Program will continue to grow! Next year the com-mittee plans to add levels so that as Sheep Project mem-bers gain more knowledge and skills, they can continue to be challenged. Sierra 4-H also continues to grow and be a very active club, with members achiev-ing great things at 4-H events county-wide and state-wide! — article provided by Eliz-abeth Keledjian, Sierra 4-H 2014-15 club president

Charlie Keledjian earned a white ribbon on the Sheep Project Livestock Achievement Test at Reedley College.

Soap and suds for scholarships

Sierra 4H Sheep Project takes Livestock Achievement test

DISPLAY ADS START AT $12

FES CARNIVAL

Save the date! Foothill El-ementary’s End-of-the-Year Carnival will be Friday, June 5 from 4-8 pm. Volunteers are needed. To help, contact the Foothill PFA.

FOOD BANK

The Community Food Bank will hand out commod-ities the second Saturday and fourth Wednesday of every month from 9-10 am at Sierra Lutheran Church, 32410 Rockhill Lane, at the corner of Lodge Road and Rockhill Lane. Sign-in is re-quired. Eligibility guidelines will be displayed. With ques-tions, call 855-8989.

AuberryTransit

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Sydney and Derek Austrum, both Sierra High School graduates. Sydney played softball and soccer, and Der-ek played basketball. Anthony served in a con-struction battalion (Seabees) in the United States Navy from 1992, as a Petty Offi-cer First Class, until 1996 when he left the military, but was prompted to return following the 9/11 attack in 2001. He serves with the Port Hueneme Naval Con-struction Group One. He has served five deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Kabul. He was born and raised in Fresno. The Riojas are friend-ly people, and invite you to stop in and get acquainted on the weekends. (16.25)

(Left to right) Sydney, Chris and Anthony invite you to stop by The Roadhouse. Some of Sydney’s art is on display at left. GALLEGOS PHOTO

A SWEET REWARD — Early morning Seminary students had to be on time to enjoy an end-of-the-year break-

every morning before schoool for religious instruction. Seminary is a program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint’s Church Educational System. Pictured are (front row, left to right) Emily Beatty, Malorie

Haylee Renga, Ben Little, Caitlyn Little, London Little, former teacher Alyson Nelson, Emily Jennings and Ethan Luke. GALLEGOS PHOTO

RoadhouseCONT. FROM PAGE 1

Shaver Lake has been experiencing iffy weather, with off-and-on thunder-storms, but trollers are still showing up and are taking home some fish. Clients of Dick Nichols, of Dick’s Fishing Charters, averaged a single limit each trip this week, and on Nich-ols’ Saturday trip picked up a nice 5.2 pound rainbow. “The last day out we fi-nally found kokanee,” said Nichols, “but strangely they were hitting our side poles at about 18 feet deep. I saw at least one boat near me also do good on the kokes on Sunday. It looks like they are starting to wake up but fishing remains hit or miss.” Trout Busters tipped with crawler on the back hook and corn behind Mountain Flashers on the side poles and Orange Apex, tipped with corn behind a Captain Jack’s C.J. Dodger, provided all the charters’ fish. Most of the fish were on Eagle Point and Black Rock, with some near the island, mostly on the side poles at 18 feet deep with an occasional on the down riggers at 36 feet deep. Shore fishermen are having some luck with tro-phy-sized trout at Tunnel Creek, and a few at Road 2. A DF&W plant this week should help the bankies out as well as trollers in the Sier-ra Marina area. The Shaver Lake Trophy Trout Project has moved their meetings back to Edi-son Camp office at 9 am on the third Wednesday of each month. Nichols further noted, “I hear good things of Hunting-ton from the shore near in-lets.”

Shaver trollers finding success despite weather

AUBERRY

ChurchOf Christ

SUNDAY SERVICESBible Classes 10:00 amMorning Service 11:00 am

THURSDAY SVCS.

Sierra HillsBAPTIST CHURCH

INDEPENDENT BAPTIST

855-2480 Sunday Morn Svc 11AM

Wed. Eve Svc 7:15PMPastor: Andrew Billings

AUBERRY

CHURCH33896 POWERHOUSE RD.

855-2313Proclaiming the Living Word to a

Growing Community

Early Riser Service 7:45 amFamily Sunday Schl 9:00 amMid-Morning Service 10:30 am

Pastor: Blake SlaterNEW LIFE CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLY

Sunday School 9:30 / Worship Svc 10:30Wed Nite Youth Group 6:30 / Thurs Adult Study 7pm

Catholic MassTOLLHOUSE

Infant Jesus of Prague(Whispering Springs at Lodge Rd)

Saturday 6 PM855-4659

RELIGIOUS EDUCATIONTUESDAYS 7:00 PM

COWBOY BIBLE STUDY Sunday Worship ...............9 am Sunday Bible Study .....9:30 am15306 Stony Oaks Lane, Prather

Continuing to spread the Gospel!Sunday School .....................9:45 amPreaching Hour .................. 11:00 amWednesday Bible Study ........6:30 pm

37387 Mission Rd., Auberry CA93602 (Big Sandy Rancheria Gymnasium)

Speaker: Pastor Michael A. Alarcon Sr. Th.C.E., Th.B.“The Spirit and Bride Say, Come”Contact at: [email protected].

CELEBRATE RECOVERY

HOPE AND HEALING FOR A GROWING COMMUNITY

6:30 PM MONDAYEVENINGS

Meets atAuberry Community Church

33896 Powerhouse Rd, AuberryCall 855-2313

for directions / details

SIERRALUTHERANCHURCH

Experience the Difference

Sunday Worship ServicesSunday Schl for All Ages 9 amFellowship 10 amWorship Svc 10:15 am

Corner of Rockhill & Lodge Rd855-8989

www.sierralutheranchurch.org

Sunday School 9:15 am

Sunday Worship 10:30 am

“Where real people and realanswers come together”

Childcare for all services

PASTOR DALE FINK31701 Lodge Road

Saturday Evenings at 6pmSaturday Evenings at 6pm

27950 Tollhouse Road, Tollhouse, CA / 855-2106 / www.churchoftollhouse.org PASTOR ROB MORTON

Sundays: Morning Service & Kid’s Church: 10:00 AM Tuesdays: Jr. High/High School Youth Group: 5:30 PM

Wednesdays: AWANA is on hiatus until September

AUBERRY FIRSTBAPTIST CHURCHA Place to Call Home

Sunday School 10 AMSunday Morning Svc 11 AMSunday Eve Svc 6 PMWednesday Eve Svc 7 PM

Independent / Fundamental

Auberry Road to Jose Basin Roadto Auberry Mission Road

The Church ofJesus Christ of

Latter-DaySaints

Sacrament Meeting 10 amSunday School 11:20 am

855-8863

By KAREN CHENEYMountain Press contributing writer

The Infant Jesus of Prague Church in Tollhouse held a barbecue on Sunday, May 3. Tickets for the highly-antic-ipated event sold out, and attendance totals topped out at over 200 persons. Behind the scenes at the

annual event, Mac McGuire supervised the precise smok-ing of dozens of tri-tips as he has done at church barbe-cues for over 30 years now. According to McGuire, the secret to a good tri-tip lies in how it is carved. Accompa-nying the perfectly prepared tri-tip were several flavorful sides, with dessert rounding out the menu. To accent a perfect day,

several lucky parishioners walked away with prizes won during a raffle drawing. The afternoon held fun and fellowship for everyone. Mandy McGrath, who has attended Infant Jesus of Prague Church for many years, looks forward to the event every year. “This is al-ways a good time. It’s great to get together and we have fun,” shared McGrath. (5.25)

May is National Muse-um Month, and the Central Sierra Historical Society & Museum will celebrate by unveiling a new exhibit on Sunday, May 24, featuring items found when Shaver Lake was drained in 2011. The highlight of the exhibit is a stunning aerial photo-graph taken from a Cessna plane by local photographer Tina Quillin that shows Shav-er Lake almost completely drained. Quillin grew up in Big Creek and now resides in Clovis. She has generously donated the photo, printed on metal, to the museum. Other items in the new ex-hibit range from tools used where a lumber mill was lo-cated to a china tea cup. The celebration will in-clude crafts for children and demonstrations in the

museum’s hydroelectric powerhouse. Volunteers will also be on site to demon-strate the use of the Dolbeer Steam Donkey and visitors can learn about its place in logging history. The muse-um’s Mack Truck exhibit and restored caboose will also be open. Light refreshments will be served. The museum will be open from 11 am-3 pm, with events going on throughout the day. Admission to the museum is always free! The Central Sierra Museum is located at 42642 Tollhouse Road in Shaver Lake at the entrance to Camp Edison. For more information about this topic, please con-tact Lisa Crain at (559) 841-4478 or email at [email protected].

Tri-tip tenders take a break in the shade. MANDY McGRATH PHOTO

Church barbecue fosters fellowship

Exhibit showcases artifacts from the bottom of Shaver

CLASSIFIEDS START AT $8

By KAREN CHENEYMountain Press contributing writer

On Friday, May 8, the mul-tipurpose room at Foothill Elementary School (FES) was the place to be for over 170 moms who wanted to savor some special time with their school-aged children while enjoying the sweeter side of breakfast. On the menu were two entrée options featuring either a blueberry muffin, or a Sierra Unified School Dis-trict (SUSD) special cinnamon roll. According to Lori McLel-land, supervisor of Food Ser-vices at FES, SUSD cinnamon rolls reigned supreme, but those whose meals featured the berry-laden muffins were not too disappointed. The AM event, entitled “Muffins with Mom,” seemed to be a great way to start the day for everyone involved. Teachers and staff were on hand to lend a helping hand in the near-capacity room. Seated along festively-dec-orated rows of tables, stu-dents and mothers could be observed laughing, smiling and taking part in quiet con-versation. One such mom-and-me match-up was Kim Wilson and daughter Mary, a fourth grade student at FES. Each seemed to be enjoying the other’s company as well as their breakfast fare, which featured the less-sought-

after muffin option. When asked to rate the quality of the blueberry muffins served in their meals, Kim Wilson classified them as “yummy.” After the dust settled, Mc-Lelland compiled some as-tounding numbers: The FES cafeteria staff prepared 534 breakfast meals, and home cooked 416 cinnamon rolls! Numbers like these speak volumes about to the pop-ularity of breakfast events such as “Muffins with Mom”

Moms and students share quality moments over muffins. CHENEY PHOTOS

Foothill hosts ‘Muffins with Mom’at FES, and the goodwill that can been fostered when fam-ily members, students and staff get the opportunity to positively interact. Despite the additional workload that is placed on her staff and herself, McLel-land enjoys orchestrating these types of events. “This is worth the effort. I see the kids every day and it’s spe-cial when they introduce me to their parents,” said McLel-land. (10.5)

Dear Readers:We welcome stories and photographs about

organization’s commu-nity events, and your own noteworthy per-sonal achievements in other areas, as well as wedding and birth announcements, and obituary notices. There is no charge for these human interest stories. Call 855-8100 for details.

CARPET CLEANING TIRES WELL DRILLING RESORTS OPTOMETRIST

ATTORNEY CABINETRY INSURANCE APPL / HEAT / AC

PEST CONTROL INCOME TAX CONSTRUCTION ACCOUNTANT

FEED & SUPPLIES POTABLE WATER HOME AUTOMATION TANNING

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HANDYMAN FINANCIAL CONSULTANT PET GROOMING PAINTING

BEAUTY CONSULTANT SHIPPING & PACKAGING LOG HOMES CONSTRUCTION

VETERINARIAN JUNK FAMILY PRACTICE TREE SERVICE

Val Dornay, AttorneyVietnam Vet – Former Deputy D.A.

299-5300

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CUSTOM CABINETS

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SIERRA INCOME TAX

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BMF ELECTRICFast, reliable, low cost commercial and residentialelectrical serviceOFFICE: (559) 855-8995Josh Roberts – Owner/OperatorLicense #890461PO Box 70, Tollhouse, CA 93667

Mountain Communications

Bryan Johnson

559.281.4380DIYGreenHomeTechnology.com

[email protected]

1986

Painting, Plumbing, Drywall, Electrical, Carpentry, Sprin-klers, Water Heaters, Swamp Coolers, Appliance Replace-

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TesmerPainting Co.Interior, Exterior,Color CoordinatingCommercial and Residential

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Mary KayCindy Garcia

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FoothillMobile

LocksmithProfessional Security Consultant

LOCKS REPAIRED SCOTT ADAMSLic. No. 972972 559-960-1278

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SIERRAVETERINARY

HOSPITALSallie K. Phillips, D.V.M.Exceptional Care for Exceptional Pets

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Ozeme J. Bonnette, MBA Financial Coach 559-323-8300 [email protected]

CALL TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT

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Tillman’s Tree ServiceA healthy tree is a happy tree.

Ornamental Trimming

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Great work at fair prices!Barter friendly!

FOR A FREE ESTIMAT CALL TILLMAN AT:(559) 981-6041

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LEGAL NOTICES

Specializing in the Central Sierra

Mountain & Foothill Communities

Sandra R. Manning

£ Real Estate CA BRE Lic# 01126979

c. 559 905-2437 f: 559 [email protected]

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Bubba’s Water Truck Service

[email protected]

4 WD Grader – Loader – BackhoeDiscing – Ripping – Driveways

Brush RemovalNO JOB TOO LARGENO JOB TOO SMALL

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Serving the Mountain Community for 15 Years

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28488 TOLLHOUSE ROAD(559) 260-6420

HOURS: WED-SAT 9AM-1PMOTHER HOURS AVAILABLE BY

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Lic. # [email protected]

Same Great Service – Same Great People

Window Cleaning

We Make Your Windows SHINE!!

(559) 289-0999Father & Son Team!

Business License #BL10118014

Chris’s Handyman Service

(559) 841-2728

Flat Tires Fixed41579 Dinkey Creek Rd., Shaver Lake

Service and Repairs

Mountain Special! Oil Change5 qt - $49.95

12 qt - $79.95 Oil Filter Included

Sales Tax not included

Gary’s Tool RepairPaint & BodyShop ToolsSpecializing in

Spray Guns

GARY COOPER(559) 299-0954

Lic. #137115

$45 Off! $25 Off

1st Cleaning $10 Off

2nd Cleaning $10 Off

3rd Cleaning

All Phases of DrywallHANDS ON

Tape, Texture, Acoustical Removal / Big or Small Jobs

Lic. No. 403348

559-905-6497

Susan OsbornPhotographer

Portraits559-974-0455

[email protected]

DENTAL CARE PHOTOGRAPHER

Cory W.Nelson

PHOTOGRAPHER

— 559-250-4676 —www.corynelsonphoto.com

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