22 minute read
Business & Service
Clovis Happenings
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MAY 2022
RUMMAGE SALE Location: Clovis Senior Activity Center 850 4th St., Clovis, CA Thursday, May 12 SHREDFEST Hosted by Clovis Police Department Location: Clovis Rodeo Grounds 748 Rodeo Dr., Clovis, CA Saturday, May 14 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. JEFFERSON ANNUAL CAR SHOW Location: Jefferson Elementary School 1880 Fowler Ave., Clovis, CA Saturday, May 14 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. CLOVIS’ MAY-GARITA PUB CRAWL Location: Old Town Clovis 453 Clovis Ave., Clovis, CA Saturday, May 14 4:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. 1ST ANNUAL CLOVIS ROTARY BBQ & BREW Location: P-R Farms, Inc. 2917 e. Shepherd Ave., Clovis, CA Saturday, May 14 5 p.m. – 10 p.m. SPRING WINEWALK Location: Old Town Clovis Saturday, May 14 5p.m. – 8:30 p.m. ANNUAL CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT Down Syndrome Association of Central California Location: Dragonfly Golf Course Madera, CA Register at www.dsacc.org Monday, May 16 at 1 p.m. CLOVIS MAYOR’S BREAKFAST Location: Clovis Veterans Memorial District 808 4th St., Clovis, CA Thursday, May 19 7 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. JOLLY TIMES Location: Clovis Senior Activity Center 850 4th St., Clovis, CA Thursday, May 19 at 9 a.m. ARTWORK OF HISTORIC CLOVIS SITES BY LOCAL ARTIST PAT HUNTER Location: Clovis Museum 401 Polasky Ave., Clovis, CA Friday, May 20 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. CLOVIS OLD TOWN MOTORAMA CAR SHOW 903 Pollasky Ave., Clovis, CA Friday, May 20 at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, May 21 – Classic Car Sunday, May 22 – Shop Tours CLOVIS MEMORIAL RUN 2022 Location: 4TH St., Clovis, CA Registration now open at clovismemorialrun.com Saturday, May 28 at 7 a.m. SAINT AGNES HOSPICE Vendor Fundraising Event Location: Dry Creek Park 855 N. Clovis Ave., Clovis, CA Saturday, May 28 9 a.m. – 2 P.M. GLORIOUS JUNK DAYS Location: Pollasky Ave., Clovis, CA Sunday, May 29 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
JUNE 2022
CLOVIS HIGH CLASS OF 2000 20 YEAR REUNION Location: Solitary Cellars Wine Company 14439 N. Friant Rd., Friant, CA Saturday, June 4 5:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. CMT SUMMER CAMP SERIES CHILDREN’S MUSICAL THEATREWORKS Ages 5- 16 - Registration at CMTworks.org Location: Sierra Vista Mall 1050 Shaw Ave., Clovis, CA June 6 – August 5
PLACES TO VISIT
CALIFORNIA 911 MEMORIAL Location: 3485 Never Forget Ln., Clovis, CA Open 365 days a year COMMUNITY HERITAGE CENTER Location: 3rd and Veterans Parkway OPEN Tuesday thru Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. CLOVIS MUSEUM Location: 4th & Polasky, Clovis, CA Open Tuesday thru Saturday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
CLOVIS FARMERS’ MARKETS
FRIDAY NIGHT FARMERS’ MARKET Location: Pollasky between 3rd St. & 7th St. Clovis, CA Friday, April 29 thru Friday, Oct. 28 5:30 p.m. – 8 :30 p.m. CLOVIS OLD TOWN FARMERS’ MARKET Location: Pollasky Ave., Clovis, CA Every Saturday Year-Round 9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. (weather permitting) HARLAN RANCH FARMERS’ MARKET HARLAN RANCH COMMUNITY CENTER Location: 1620 N. Leonard Ave., Clovis, CA Every Wednesday Year-Round 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. (weather permitting)
Business & Service Directory
ACCOUNTING
Teresa M. Stevens, CPA
(559) 326-7072 www.tmstevenscpa.com
ATTORNEY
Lance E. Armo
Over 20 years exp, Estate planning, Business Law (559) 324-6527
DISPOSAL
Recycing & Waste Solutions
“We’ll handle it from here” (559) 275-1551
www.RepublicServices.com
FINANCIAL INSTITUTION
NOBLE CREDIT UNION
FINANCIAL INSTITUTION
VALLEY FIRST CREDIT UNION
(559) 225-7228 645 W. Herndon Ave Suite 100, Clovis, CA www.valleyfirstcu.org
FUNERAL
Boice Funeral Home
308 Pollasky Ave (559) 299-4372
www.boicefuneralhome.com
Clovis Funeral Chapel
Family owned and operated HOME CLEANING
Peak Cleaning Home & Window Cleaning
CALL TODAY! (559) 421-5957
www.peakcleaningco.com
INFORMATION
Tarpey Depot Visitor’s Center
SERVICES
I.V. TREE SERVICES
17 YEARS EXPERIENCE
Residential - Commercial
Fully Insured - CA State - Lic#978186 • Trimming • Topping • Prune • Palms • Stump Grinding • 55’ Boom Available
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Ismael (559) 395-6757
SERVICES
WANTED
Looking for a position that allows flexibility in your schedule with the ability to help others?
HOME ASSISTANCE
Provide light housekeeping, run errands or provide transportation if needed. Accompany my Mother to appointments and assist with medications. Prepare meals, purchase food and provide personal assistance with general living needs. I am looking for a caring & compassionate person to Care for my Mother. Work Schedule is 5 days a week and 5 hours per day. Salary is $25/hr. Forward your email to William (yolielloyq@gmail.com) for more details.
2nd Annual Once Upon a Wish Event Raises Funds For Local Nine Year Old
J.T. GOMEZ
jt21gomez@gmail.com
The Make-A-Wish Foundation was granted their own special opportunity by a few of their volunteer families from the Clovis area. The Brandt, Castello, and Aalto families all worked together to throw their own event under the Make-A-Wish umbrella for the second time in as many years.
Their Once Upon a Wish fundraiser was thrown to fundraise for a little girl, Scarlett, who’s well on her way to beating acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She looks forward to “ringing the bell” around June 15th after almost 800 days of treatment. Her family hopes that everyone can remember this brave little girl just a bit more on that most magical of days.
Before that however, Scarlett’s family wishes to take a vacation to Disneyworld on the cost of the fundraising efforts by the three aforementioned families. In speaking with the Brandt family, the note was made, that just as was the case of Scarlett, over 85% of all wishes granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation are granted to children who end up overcoming their diagnoses.
The families housed a gathering at the Brandt residence, the setting of their 2nd Annual Once Upon a Wish event. The occasion was catered by the likes of Mad Duck Brewing Company, Diccico’s, Cork & Knife, and Raising Cane’s. The ambiance was set by groups of family and friends speaking aloud to each other over the background of water fountains, music, and an absolutely beautiful sky, not a cloud in sight.
In speaking with the Brandt family, both Troy and Julie wanted to remember that twenty-five youth volunteers were in attendance for their event and helped with things like serving food or greeting guests as they walked in. Their daughter, Brooke Brandt, helped to coordinate and work with all twenty-five volunteers. “Really a lot of it’s empowering the youth but then also we feel passionate about the kids.”
Those kids Troy was speaking about are the children that the Make-A-Wish Foundation works so desperately hard for including Scarlett. Speaking about Scarlett, Julie let it be known that she was just another student going to Bud Rank Elementary, not unlike many of the families that were at the event.
“A number of the kids here-the families here tonight, they have nine year olds, ten year olds.”
Troy reminded, “There’s no difference, just luck. It could have been us, it could have been any of these people,” when speaking about the chances of catching a life threatening disease like cancer.
But families like the Brandt family and even more importantly Scarlett’s family wouldn’t be in the position that they are in without the help and support of the community around them.
“The support really was about [the community] just being aware of it, and then the support has been amazing,” said Troy about getting the word out into the public for this second annual Once Upon a Wish event.
Julie continued by citing the support of local businesses in Clovis, “We have so many sponsors this year, we have not had to pay anything to throw this event…The generosity of local businesses in Clovis is overwhelming.”
Kim Aalto had nothing but great things to say about the Make-A-Wish Foundation. “It’s about the kids. So all of us have kids and we’re all blessed…With Make-A-Wish it’s about giving to people and kids they need hope, they just want something good.”
Before raffle items were given away to the charitable yet prospective crowd, the Brandt family and Karen Castello took to a stage in the Brant’s backyard and spoke to a then seated crowd.
“It was really exciting to go out in the community this year and have businesses want to support us. Everything you’re seeing tonight really was donated to the cause of the evening,” stated Karen Costello as she spoke to the crowd. “I would walk in [to businesses] and just tell them what we’re trying to do and they’d be like ‘Well how can we help?’”
The families then presented a video produced by Troy Brandt that told the story of Scarlett and her battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Through surgeries, bone marrow biopsies, blood and platelet transfusions, and chemotherapy, nine year old Scarlett still had the empathetic mind to think of others, as one day, while fashioning her new gifted purple princess wig, she told her mother, “Mom every little girl deserves to feel like a princess.”
With that thought, her mother ran with the idea and “Scarlett’s Princess Packs” was born. Through donations a “Princess Pack” is given to children battling cancer who themselves are looking to feel like a princess. They receive a first-aid kit, sunglasses, hand sanitizer, a water bottle, Kleenex, chapstick, stickers, a book, games or puzzles, play-doh, nail polish, crayons, a coloring book, temporary tattoos, fuzzy socks, a toy or doll, a bookmark, and of course a Princess dress, crown, wand and ring.
Between tight finances and having to put her career on hold, Scarlett’s mother relayed through the video that a nice vacation, which will include traveling to Disneyworld and meeting Queen Elsa, would be the perfect opportunity to “..get away from cancer for a few days and just have some fun.”
But Make-A-Wish doesn’t only grant wishes to help families blow off a little steam, but rather in studies done by the non-profit organization 87% of those who were granted wishes say that their wish was a positive point in gathering the strength to beat their illnesses. This was echoed by Troy Brandt, “There’s actual statistics that would tell you that granting a wish to children improves their prognosis.”
Julie Brandt recommends contacting the local chapter of Make-A-Wish and Cortney Snapp, Senior Development Manager for those who wish to help out with this extraordinary contribution to society. Troy explained, “There’s over 200 kids on the waiting list in the Central Valley…it can be six months before they hear back, so there are people who volunteer just to send cards or coloring books to say ‘Hey we’re working on your wish, we’re gonna get it to you soon.’”
The need for assistance is always desired, especially in non-profit organizations such as the Make-A-Wish program. Even though they do receive help from wonderful families such as the Brandt, Castello, and Aalto families, and their Once Upon a Wish event, there is always another child who can be helped. Just as Julie Brandt said at the event and repeated later on the stage, “Every wish needs a wish granted.”
Scarlett’s Princess Packs can be found on Facebook at this link: https://www.facebook. com/ScarlettsPrincessPacks/.
To become involved with the Make-AWish Foundation: https://wish.org/get-involved.
J.T. Gomez, Clovis Roundup
Julie and Troy Brandt stand on the stage speaking to their guests on the evening of their Second Annual Once Upon a Wish event. The event is a benefit falling under the reflection of the Make-AWish Foundation.
Working with a Mortgage Lender
NOBLE CREDIT UNION
@NobleCUFresno | Sponsor
Applying for a mortgage is a big endeavor. Most lenders require you to complete a mortgage application—a comprehensive financial statement. The information you provide on your application determines whether you qualify for a loan and how much you can borrow. The key numbers are your regular income, your debts., and the house price.
The application itself is fairly standard from lender to lender, usually because it meets Fannie Mae’s requirements. Fannie Mae is another name for the Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) and is designed to help make mortgages more available and affordable.
What the Lender Requires
Besides the application, you may need to pay for: • A survey, or official surveyor’s drawing, of the property and the buildings on it. • An application fee and an origination fee to cover the costs of processing the application. This includes an appraisal of the house by the lender to make sure it’s worth the mortgage loan. Plan to spend at least $250 to apply, plus 1% of the mortgage amount. • If your down payment is less than 20%, the lender may require private mortgage insurance (PMI) to guarantee payment if you default on the loan.
ApplicationInformation
A mortgage application is the lender’s way of evaluating your creditworthiness and determining whether to take the risk of lending you money. Although it can be an intimidating document, you’ll be ahead of the game if you keep good financial records. You’ll especially want a complete list of your investments, including money in your retirement plans.
Details of purchase helps the lender understand how much you want to borrow, how much down payment, or cash part of the purchase price, you have, and where the rest of the money will come from. Borrowing a large amount from another source—even from your family—could disqualify you.
Monthly income is a key figure for lenders. It can include non-salary income, such as earnings on your investments or money you get from rentals, but you’ll have to prove the income is regular. You can also count alimony or related payments to establish your eligibility.
Job information focuses on regular employment so you’ll probably need verification from your employer. If you’re self-employed, you often have to provide more information, including income tax returns, credit reports, and profit and loss statements for your ¬business.
Monthly housing ¬expenses show what you are spending now and what you expect to spend in the new house, including taxes, utilities, and homeowners insurance.
Your credit history asks: • Whether you’ve declared bankruptcy, • Whether there are any liens or legal claims against your salary or property, and • If you have outstanding debts.
Net worth is the total value of what you have, or your assets, minus what you owe, or your liabilities. Assets include cash, bank accounts, investments, and property. Liabilities include debts and loans, credit cards, leases, alimony, and child support. Mortgage loans usually require the numbers as well as the location of accounts, loans, and credit cards.
Find the Right Fit
If one lender says no, try another one. All lenders use the same basic information, but they may evaluate it differently. Your real estate agent or a mortgage broker can help you find mortgage sources.
Have a Conversation
Be honest with yourself while pursuing a home loan. If you feel nervous about making your monthly payments, discuss your options with your lender. They may be able to adjust your payments or you may discover that borrowing a smaller overall amount will work better with your budget.
Buying a home is a big deal and Noble Credit Union is here to help. They offer a variety of financial articles, interactive calculators, and virtual coaches that will help you get set to owning your next home.
Noble Credit Union, a Forbes Best-in-State Credit Union, has been treating each member with kindness, dignity, and honor while helping members make sound financial decisions for 81 years. The Credit Union offers members full access to a wide range of financial education and services, including low-rate auto loans, MyRewards Visa credit card, mortgage and equity loans, online and mobile banking, and more. For more information about membership at Noble Credit Union, call (559) 2525000 or visit NobleCU.com.
‘The Gallows’ Directors Meet With Clovis West Theater Class
J.T. GOMEZ
jt21gomez@gmail.com
Film directors Chris Lofing and Travis Cluff a graduate of Buchanan High School met with a class of students at Clovis West High School on Thursday during the class’s regular meeting time. The class also housed students that were in production of Clovis West’s version of Alice in Wonderland which will be performing for audiences live at the Dan Pessano Theater at Clovis North High School.
But not only did the directors meet with the students, they actually helped the class film a segment for the upcoming production. The introduction and a brief closing segment to the play will be shown digitally, both sequences with which ‘The Gallows’ directors assisted in producing for the Clovis West Theater.
These sequences as well as Lofing and Cluff were introduced by Clovis West Theatre Arts program teacher and director Sandra Hahn. Hahn remembered how Lofing and Cluff were able to film throughout Central California, more specifically Fresno and Clovis and asked the pair to extrapolate on that experience.
Travis Cluff responded, “It’s still magical here, people are still excited about it, it happens so infrequently that we are able to do a lot of fun things and have a lot of good will from the cities, Fresno, Clovis, and the surrounding cities.” He explained to the group that people in general love to have the “once in a lifetime” kind of experience when making a film in the Central Valley.
He then described to the group that Tremendum Pictures, the duo’s co-founded
At the McFarlane-Coffman Agriculture Center, the FFA held its weekly farmers market.
This week, FFA students chose to sell strawberries, artichokes, and lettuce as their fresh produce options, grown and catered to by the students themselves.
Steve Gambril, Agriculture Teacher and overseer of the Plant Science pathway at Clovis East High School acknowledged that he helped create the farmers market in 2010 and has been working with students at the farmers market ever since.
“Since 2010, we’d been going to the farmers market in Old Town. And the kids love going there and selling the stuff.”
Gambril explained that the trees planted in 2006 came into fruition in 2010 and ever since then has the FFA been selling to the community of Clovis.
Gambril went on to speak about the new facility at the McFarlane-Coffman Ag Center. “Our goal when we designed it and got this grant to build this building, we wanted a farmers market, facing Gettysburg.”
The neighborhood on Gettysburg and Leonard avenues is the perfect area of opportunity to sell to customers according to multiple staff and leaders at Clovis East. “This is our community, and they see what we’re doing,” said Gambril when speaking about possibly having an open
Photo courtesy of Tremendum Pictures
‘The Gallows’ directors, Travis Cliff and Chris Loving assisted in producing for the Clovis West Theater.
production company had recently filmed a television pilot in Fresno. “[We] spent four days, all in Fresno, at one of the buildings here in Fig Garden, a park in Clovis, Bicentennial Park…it was a fun experience. It only took a couple of phone calls to the city.”
They stated that shooting in the Valley was a lot of fun and in Los Angeles for the same process it would have taken triple the amount of time and cost upwards of a few hundred thousand dollars. Cluff called it the “perfect example of utilizing Fresno connections.” He also explained that
communication with the community on how they produce their yield.
He hopes to have posters on the outside fence of the Ag Center in order to educate and inform on the production of their crops. This would also assist in starting a dialogue between students and customers to “begin an outreach” as he calls it.
Gambril continued on the new building at the McFarlane-Coffman Agriculture Center: “It’s kind of a dream for all of us as teachers. And what we want kids the Valley is the perfect spot for multiple locations to shoot a film. “[People] don’t know that Fresno is this hidden gem in the middle of California.”
A few students filmed “Behind the Scenes” footage of the work that the pair along with students from the production completed for the play. In the behind the scenes footage, videos are recorded from a cellphone in which one can see the actors interacting with Cluff and Lofing throughout their time at a ranch filled with flowers, trees, and even a few cats. This was a location that Lofing and Cluff had scouted in
Clovis East FFA Holds Farmers Market at New Ag Center
J.T. GOMEZ
jt21gomez@gmail.com
Photo by J.T. Gomez/Clovis Roundup
Students stand behind one of their tables set up for their farmers market on Thursday. Students were selling strawberries, artichokes, and lettuce.
to learn and people to see is production agriculture.”
Gambril cites the food science lab and the opportunity it presents through different forms of food production such as preserving fruits into jams or freeze drying products. “That’s kind of one of the final goals of what I envisioned.
Taking our raw products that were perishable, minimally processing them, and then repackaging them and giving them back to our district.”
Being able to work at the farmers marthe past and remembered when the production asked if they would help them with their digital portion.
The group then got to see Cluff and Lofing in action, walking actors through sound and lighting checks and even helping some students work the equipment with which they shot the sequences. The group of students were then treated to a viewing of both the beginning and the ending sequences that were shot.
Alice In Wonderland looks to be performed with the digital introduction and conclusion sequences May 5-7 and 12-14.
ket has done wonders for his students in the FFA according to Gambril.
The thought behind this is that the farmers market involves the students in the community, and allows students to build on their “soft skills” as Gambril calls them.
Being able to speak with adults about their produce, and getting to have a discussion is something that the kids involved love to do. “Where are they gonna get that any other place?”, Gambril exclaimed when speaking about the opportunity the farmers market presents for his students.
A second major attribute of having the farmers market according to Gambril involves educating the community as a whole. ”It connects everybody with agriculture. So they realize where their food’s coming from and what healthy eating and fresh products should taste like.”
Gambril finished by stating how else the community can give their general support to the FFA.
“Everywhere from the county fair, purchasing animals the kids raise to ag mechanic projects that they display at the fair…We have fundraisers and drive thru dinners, there’s a lot of opportunities where people can help out.”
The Farmers Market will hold future dates and will now take place in front of the Mcfarlane-Coffman Agriculture Center at Clovis East High School. The FFA accepts cash and Venmo payments.
Clovis Community College Breaks Ground for New Technology Buiding
J.T. GOMEZ
jt21gomez@gmail.com
Clovis Community College held a groundbreaking for their new Applied Technology Building at their campus on Monday, May 2 to kick off the month of May.
The new building is a part of the Measure C funds that “[allow for the improvement] of the learning environment at Clovis Community College as well as other colleges in the district,” according to Deborah Ikeda, Vice President of the Board of Trustees for the State Center Community College District.
Ikeda then went on to thank former chancellor Dr. Bill Stewart for his lead as the Measure C Committee Chairperson and helped in the leadership to pass the “largest bond measure in the history of our district” according to Ikeda.
Dr. Carole Goldsmith stepped to the stage after Ikeda and spoke about how the new building will help add to the community.
“Our current students and our future students will have access to state of the art facilities and various short term career and technical education programs,” said Goldsmith.
Goldsmith continued with her thoughts on why she believed this and the fruition of the building to be so important. “As we think about our economy, what we do here, what we grow, we feed the world right? We grow all [sorts] of commodities, but we also grow college ready students.”
Under the leadership of Dr. Lori Bennett, President of Clovis Community College, Goldsmith reminded the crowd, “For the last four years [Clovis Community College] has been named by the California Campaign for College Opportunity as not only one of the fastest growing community colleges, but one of the best for transfer to a four year.”
Dr. Lori Bennet spoke about the work that has been done at the new site and future projects that she was specifically excited about.
“We plan to break ground soon on our new athletic field which will include our own soccer field and a track around it.” She then went on to say that Clovis Community will be adding a new entrance to their parking lots as well as extending those parking lots out to Chestnut Avenue. Bennett also mentioned that they will be adding a sidewalk and plants to the corner of Behymer and Willow Avenues. These improvements to Clovis Community will all occur within the next year according to Bennett.
The building itself should be a “U-Shape” that will house a science lecture hall that will also double as a performing arts theater. In addition, there will be classrooms, student study space, an open computer lab, office space, and a “large meeting room” where Bennett says groups will be able to finally meet on campus.
“We want students to choose Clovis Community College based on our academic excellence, our innovation and our student achievement. This building will help us continue our tradition of excellence and innovation in the classroom.”
Before the groundbreaking, Bob Petithomme, Managing Principal for Darden Architects, the architect firm selected for the design of the building, spoke about how he was excited for this building and to see the “next chapter in Clovis Community begin”. His hopes include that the large collaboration space in the new building will “become a real hub for academic and social activities on the campus for years to come”.
A number of elected officials and dignitaries including Clovis Councilmember Vong Mouanoutoua, Shannon Major representing Senator Andreas Borgeas, Andrea Soto Alvarez representing Senator Melissa Hurtado, and Dan Marano representing Assemblyman Jim Patterson handed out proclamations celebrating the groundbreaking for the new building.
The program ended with an invitation for a photo opportunity at the site of the groundbreaking, just in front of the space
Photo by J.T. Gomez/Clovis Roundup
The SCCCD Board of Trustees joined Dr. Lori Bennett in a groundbreaking for Clovis Community College’s new Applied Technology Building on Monday, May 2.
