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Let’s Rodeo!

The 108th Clovis Rodeo is here! It’s time to get your boots and hats ready for the biggest event in Clovis! The Clovis Rodeo is running from Wednesday, April 20 - Sunday, April 24

RODEO SCHEDULE Apr. 20 - PBR Bull Riding and Mitchell Tenpenny Concert Apr. 21 - Parmalee Concert Apr. 22 - Jameson Rodgers Concert Apr. 23 - Clovis Rodeo Parade Apr. 24 - 108th Clovis Rodeo – PCRA Finals

MISSING DOG

Our puppy “Sophie” got out of the house at 10746 N. Armstrong between Copper and International and was headed north to Copper at 7:45 Saturday morning. She is a black and white yorkie and is microchipped. She was wearing a purple and pink collar with a Clovis dog license. We are offering a great reward for her return. If you have any information please contact Pam at (559) 960-9598.

Clovis Elks Easter Food Basket Give-A-Way!

Ready For Easter at Clovis Floral and Gifts

The Signifigance Of The California 9/11 Memorial Statues: Phase One Expansion

ADAM RICARDO SOLIS

@Adamsoliss

Opened to the public, the California 9/11 Memorial serves as an educational and historical site for community members and schools to visit throughout the year to use and educate future generations.

At the memorial site, community members and schools can visit the memorial which is located at 3485 Never Forget Ln. in Clovis and see multiple bronze statues of first responders and 1/100th scale replicas of the Twin Towers and the Pentagon that have the names of first responders and military personnel who died inscribed into the stone.

The bronze statues at the site created by John Parsons, a sculptor from Kansas, are part of the first of two phases of additions that the California 9/11 Memorial board added to the memorial which reflect the sacrifice and courage of firefighters and other first responders.

“I’ve been involved in a lot of memorials but nothing as nice and as large as this. It’s really coming from the heart with them and it’s been a pleasure working with them and they’ve done such a wonderful job,” Parson said.

Part of the creative process for Parsons involved doing research to make sure the uniforms and other small details were correct.

“I’m pretty detailed in the things I [did] like the ribbons on the marine are all correct,” Parsons said. “The firefighters have their badge numbers on their helmet fronts. One of them is 9/11 if you look close, the other one is 343 and 343 is the number of firefighters that were killed that day,”

Parsons said the effect the memorials have on people is “amazing”.

“You never know who you’re touching with these things and it’s always more than you think, and this whole [memorial] that they got going there, I think it’s

Marc Anthony Lopez/Clovis Roundup

Both the Twin Towers and Pentagon monument have a unique feature to them. At 8:45 a.m., when the sun is in position, the Twin Towers will cast a shadow over the site of impact onto the Pentagon replica.

magnificent and I’m just really proud to be part of it and proud of what they’ve done there,” Parsons said.

Throughout the memorial are small details that show different information throughout the memorial such as the positioning of the memorial, so that at 8:45 a.m. when the sun is in position it will show a shadow over the site of impact on the Pentagon replica.

Meant as a memorial to the lives lost on Sept. 11, the California 9/11 Memorial remains open for the public and has the ability to serve as an educational location to visit for schools.

To better serve as an educational tool and resource to the community the California 9/11 Memorial has created educational storyboards that outline and give visitors context about different areas of the memorial.

The California 9/11 Memorial is open to all schools throughout the year.

For more information on the California 9/11 Memorial, contact (559)375-3173 or visit their website for more information.

Meet Claudia Fletcher: The Woman Behind The Clovis Rodeo’s Posters

CAROLE GROSCH

cgg266@comcast.net

From 10-inch note cards to 60-foot murals, local artist Claudia Fletcher depicts western life with a flair and rapport that resonates with anyone who sees her work.

Originally from the San Joaquin Valley, Fletcher grew up on a cotton and alfalfa farm in Madera. She entered her first art show when she was only 8 years old and later studied art at Immaculate Heart College. From there, she went on to have a diverse and award-winning career.

“I started as a graphic artist for companies in Fresno, JC Penney, Duncan Ceramics, and did a lot of illustration work, hand painting,” said Fletcher.

In the 1970’s, she worked with custom bike and auto finishers and was featured in Custom Chopper Magazine.

Nationally, Fletcher is recognized for her western drawings, portraits and paintings. It’s obvious she has a special affinity with animals, horses being a favorite.

“The power and magnificence of the horse was my first channel for the expression of my talent in drawing and painting,” she said.

Since 1992, she has painted the Clovis Rodeo Posters, including the 101st poster honoring the special needs kids’ rodeo put on in conjunction with the non-profit, Break the Barriers. In recognition of her contributions to the City of Clovis, she received the Spirit of Clovis award at the Hall of Fame Dinner in 2004.

Among her many honors in acrylic work: Best of Show at the Veterans Fall Art Show, in Clovis, 2011; 1st Place, Old West & Rodeo Art Show, Clovis, 2010; 1st Place, ACA Major Open Show, Fresno, 2010; 1st Place, The Big Fresno Fair, Fresno, 2007; and 1st Place, Old West Show, Clovis, 2005.

Her artwork is available for sale at the ticket office of the Clovis Rodeo Grounds.

Among the murals she was commissioned to create are the interior and exterior walls for the Cattle Rustlers Restaurant in Old Town Clovis, Kerman’s Historic Gateway 10-foot by 25-foot steamboat billboard, Kerman’s historical blacksmith barn and the 21-foot by 60-foot exterior mural of 24 horses pulling a grain thresher in Exeter. In 2015, she painted a mural for the Clovis Rodeo Association at the Big Fresno Fair in the new museum building.

“I enjoy doing the murals,” added Fletcher, “but after a while, it gets harder physically.”

Working with pen and ink, oils, acrylics, watercolor or pastels, Fletcher is often commissioned to create portraits of people, pets, horses and western action scenes, usually from photographs. She is a versatile artist, able to capture the spirit of the moment, the energy and personalities of her subjects.

In 2014, she illustrated a book about a well-known local personality: “Great American Cowboy Wilbur Plaugher: My Home Town Hero” by Dot JB Powell.

To purchase a painting or to contact Claudia, visit her website at www.clovisart.com or email her at artistfletcher@yahoo.com.

CR File Photo

Nationally, Claudia Fletcher (pitchered above) is recognized for her western drawings, portraits and paintings.

Inspiration: 2022 Poster:

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J.T. GOMEZ

jt21gomez@gmail.com

The 84th Annual Big Hat Days festival took over downtown Clovis this past weekend. The event ran down Pollasky Avenue. to Third Street and all the way to Ninth Street.

Crowds filled the streets including booths selling products from wind chimes, food and drink and of course, hats.

Each day produced barely penetrable walkways throughout the streets.

People enjoyed dancing in the beer garden, they spoke to each other with smiles on their faces and relief in their sunglass-covered eyes.

Relief rooting in the lengthened response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Attendees lined up to purchase foods and products and laughs were enjoyed through the sips of straws and cold soft drinks.

One couldn’t help but be immersed in the jubilation of a city while also taking the moment to observe the collective sigh of a community.

“There are so many people,” said Clovis Chamber of Commerce Membership Director Diana Hunnicutt. “We haven’t had a [weekend] like this in a while.”

Hunnicutt explained that the large crowds were mostly due to people being confined to their homes for so long due to COVID-19.

This was a sentiment that was reiterated by a number of other vendors and patrons around the Big Hat Days event.

“I just wanted to get out of the house and go out and be around people,” was a sentence that was heard from multiple explorers of Big Hat Days. Being able to surround themselves in the presence of others

J.T. Gomez/Clovis Roundup

Crowds enjoyed the 2022 Big Hat Days event in Clovis. Saturday and Sunday both saw large groups of people walking about their booths and streets in Clovis.

really overcame the normal every-year festivities. “I think we all just missed going out to places,” said one visitor.

Vendors from around the event were happy just to be able to see people back, walking into and out of their tents.

Businesses like California Hats Company, Summit Spinners, Munch ‘n’ Grub and Floor & Decor shared this sentiment.

“We have a lot of variety out here which is nice, people of all walks. Kids, parents, grandparents, everyone’s very friendly,” said one employee from Floor and Decor, a tile installation company new to Fresno County. “They’re welcoming us very nicely.”

Board of Directors member for the Clovis Chamber of Commerce Ellie Huston spoke on the number of businesses in attendance for the event. “It’s just so nice to see people smiling,” Huston said. “If you just get people involved, you know they stay involved.” Huston’s sense of the businesses involved in this year’s event revolves around her experiences from past years in which she has experienced Big Hat Day firsthand. “It really is an explosion of people, and businesses in their booths have been killing it for both days,” said Hunnicutt. Big Hat Days is often considered the official start to the Clovis Rodeo. Big Hat Days happens in the beginning of April.

Clovis Ranch Rodeo Final Results

J.T. GOMEZ

jt21gomez@gmail.com

Local cowboys and cowgirls had the chance to compete doing their everyday activities they normally partake in and out of the ranch.

Considered one of the top ranch rodeos in all of California, the Clovis Ranch Rodeo attracts some of the better cowboys and cowgirls from around the area.

The competition is held between four-person teams and riders compete with each other doing everyday ranching activities. There were five judges and six timed events including team branding, team doctoring, individual ranch horse, individual trail horse, ranch cutting, team roping and team sorting.

Cowboys and cowgirls alike competed for more than $16,000 in prizes.

Results of the Ranch Rodeo are as follows:

Winning Team-Scott and Jessica Jones and their sons Trent and Tyler

2nd place Team- Billy Kelton, Sam Edmonsten, Donald Omellas and Will Wright

High Ladies Team- Cowgirls Nikki Clarot, Liz Hirdes, Heidi Lackey and Olivia Bennett

The Oldest Participant was Tucker Slender at the age of 88 and the Youngest Participant was Paisley Carver at the age of 10.

The 108th Clovis Rodeo has recently added concerts to their rodeo celebration this year with country music stars Mitchell Tenpenny, Parmalee, and Jameson Rogers, set to perform.

Clovis Rodeo’ Kicks Off The True Clovis Way of Life

LUIS BARRETO CARRANZA

Staff Reporter

There are more things that the City of Clovis is known for and prideful of than you can count on your hands and feet. From the vintage Old Town Clovis, which is littered with top-rated restaurants and antique stores, to the beautiful Clovis Botanical Gardens, there is quite literally something for everyone to enjoy.

The Clovis Rodeo is definitely no exception. The event itself is an ingrained piece of history and culture maintained by the City of Clovis, Fresno County, their people, and the Clovis Rodeo Association, and has been going strong for the past 108 years, starting with its foundation in 1914.

Although the rodeo took hits in finance and, especially, morale in 2020 due to the outbreak of COVID, which forced the event to be canceled, it found new footing in its reboot last year- 2021. The estimated number for revenue generated for the City of Clovis last year was $12 million, but that number is expected to be much greater this year, as the rodeo association is projecting record numbers in attendees.

Ron Dunbar was the President of the Clovis Rodeo Association from 2010 to 2012, yet took a leave from the position until this last year in 2021.

“I mean I just enjoy it. [It’s] a bit of a passion. I grew up around the Clovis Rodeo. I never missed

Jose Romo/Clovis Roundup

Cowboy Ryder Wright taking part in the Saddle Bronc Riding portion of the 2019 Annual Clovis Rodeo at the Clovis Rodeo Grounds on Sunday, April 28, 2019.

one as a kid; I was three months [or] four months [old] when I watched my first rodeo and ten was when I was actually in my first rodeo… it’s a long family tradition,” Dunbar stated when prompted for explanation on his return to the presidency.

With the rodeo projected to host significantly more attendees than years prior, it is no contest that the rodeo and her hard-working event organizers and volunteers are up to their horsenecks in preparation. This is especially true due to this year being the first year of the pandemic that there are significantly looser restrictions for entry to the event. “Yeah, we’ll expect a lot bigger turn-out this year... last year was a tough year but we did what we had to do to make it work and we’ll be expecting large crowds for all five days.” Although the association is anxious for how the event will turn out, nothing tops the excitement for the event’s preparation, and the feedback from the attendees that hold the rodeo so near and dear to their hearts. “The fruits of our labor are at the end of day- we get a lot of great feedback. I’m right in front of the bucking chute so I can hear everything and it’s, uh, pretty amazing when you hear the crowd go off.”

The projected number of cowboys and cowgirls participating in the event and competing for the sum of prize money is the greatest it’s been in recent history, with a staggering 741 competitors. “We got the greatest cowboys and cowgirls from across the country, and around the world, that come to Clovis, California. It’s a big event, so we want to make sure we give our fans only the best.”

Dunbar stated that the number of entries by cowboys and cowgirls submitted was well over 800, closer to the 900 range, but the event could simply not host that many entries. He said, “It’s flattering.”

On top of the magnificent rodeo, the event also, in a way, showcases what Dunbar stated are “only the best in stock.” Animals are brought in from regions such as Canada, Montana, Wyoming, and Washington. “We bring in good, strong animals for our cowboys and cowgirls to compete with.”

If the rodeo is not really your gig, the event also hosts a wonderful selection of ‘Clovis-famous’ entrees to enjoy and plenty of sights to help create memories that’ll last a lifetime.

The 108th Clovis Rodeo kicks off on April 20 and is here to stay until April 24. For more information and ticket-purchasing, you can visit clovisrodeo.com

GARDEN

CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE

the garden that was undeveloped. After the idea was pitched and unanimously approved by the Botanical Garden’s board of directors, Krüger was asked to spearhead the project.

“I mean so many years of work and all of a sudden I was just standing there I was just thinking, this is your dream. This is your dream come true,” Krüger said.

The Botanical Garden’s history dates back to the early ’90s. “We realized quite a while ago that this coming year, 2022, would be 20 years since the first tree was planted, which was a major thing,” said President of the Botanical Gardens, Anne Clemmons.

The Clovis Botanical Garden began as an idea by founder Gordon Russell in 1993. Russell saw the need for a botanical garden in the Central Valley. San Francisco and Los Angeles were the closest ones to valley residents and Russell wanted to change that.

Russell presented the idea to the Clovis City Council and after many meetings, in 2001 the City Council approved the idea.

The idea took many years to get approved due to the process of turning public land into private land. Conditions were negotiated and placed such as making the spot open to the public and the garden being a non-profit program.

Then City Council Member Pat Wynne and Planning Director John Wright suggested a one-acre spot inside the Clovis city park. By March 2002, ground would be broken.

“I thought that was just about the coolest thing since peanut butter and jelly sandwiches,” said Wynne who is now the Vice President of the Botanical Garden. “I just thought that was wonderful.”

Russell gathered enough volunteers to make sure the garden would be sustainable. The first tree was planted in November of 2002 and was named the Freedom Tree, in remembrance of those lost in the 9/11 terrorist attack.

By 2004, volunteers would begin greeting visitors every Saturday and Sunday morning.

After gaining huge success, the Botanical Garden went back to the City of Clovis and proposed an expansion from one acre of land to four acres. The city ultimately approved and in 2012, the first plants in the newly expanded areas were planted.

“The perseverance of the volunteers of the Clovis Botanical Garden is really unmatched..” said Clovis Mayor Pro Tem Lynne Ashbeck. “...It’s the best testimony to the impact of volunteers. Not a city, not money. Volunteers who just are at heart.”

Expansion is not yet over for the Clovis Botanical Garden. Within the next few years, the Botanical Garden will be adding an Ornamental Grass display and a permanent visitor center, designed by Art Dyson who designed Fresno City Hall.

Continuing a garden’s evolution.

“If you keep working at something after a real long time, it’s almost finished,” Clemmons laughs. “You just keep working and working and after a really long time. It’s almost done.”