See MEMORIAL RUN

from Clovis Roundup - June 8, 2022

Let’s Talk Clovis

Clovis City Council Reviews Multiple Topics

J.T. Gomez

jt21gomez@gmail.com

With multiple topics discussed at Monday’s City Council meeting, the following article will be presented in a summarized format.

To begin the council meeting, City Councilmembers took the time to proclaim the month of June as “Men’s Health Month”. The proclamation read by Councilman Bob Whalen, a proponent for exercise and health in his own right, read “Whereas despite advances in medical technology and research, men continue to live on average five years less than women.”

Whalen went on to state in the proclamation that Native and African American men have the lowest life expectancy. Upon mentioning the Men’s Health Month Website that has been established at www. menshealthmonth.org, Whalen finished the proclamation by stating that the City of Clovis will ” …focus on a broad range of men’s health issues including heart disease, mental health, diabetes, prostrate, testicular, and colon cancer.”

Then, the council brought up the TOT tax they intend to place on November ballots.

Presented to the council as a public hearing, City Clerk Karey Cha summarized the past discussions and events taking place regarding the approval of this tax. What started with a call for help from Police Chief Curt Fleming morphed into six meetings of the Citizens Advisory Committee in which discussion was held into how they could give the police department the proper funding with which the Chief had asked for.

The City’s final decision came at their May 9th City Council meeting in which they decided to propose a Transient Occupancy Tax that will affect those buildings housing mostly out of town visitors to the community of Clovis. A 2% tax increase will be proposed on the ballot as a general tax come the time of the November 8th General Municipal Election. The City Council approved this action at Monday’s council meeting.

There was discussion on the proper wording for the ballot to which Mayor Pro-Tem Lynne Ashbeck had concerns. With the possibility of asking for further funds in future elections, Ashbeck believes that asking for $500,000 dollars at a time is going to be too demanding on the public and won’t last as a long-term solution.

As of now, the $500,000 the council is asking for from the public on the November ballot is only the start and nowhere near the original numbers the police department feels it needs to be properly staffed.

The public works department held a vote for multiple districts.

A short discussion was had on the recent diagram and assessments for the 2022-2023 Annual Levy for Landscape Maintenance District Number 1. A vote to improve the lands through proper funding was held in two zones, zone #1 and zone #5. In zone #1, the vote passed with 63% but in zone #5, they missed the vote by two votes at 50.09%. Because of this, Assistant Public Utilities Director Glenn Eastes reported that the public works division will resort to reducing watering, mowing, edging, and will only remove playground equipment without replacing if damaged or broken.

Finally, the council discussed the possibility of creating a Historical Preservation Commission.

One of the last items on the agenda also turned out to be one of the most important for a select group of citizens that were also present at the meeting. The item on the agenda was to consider a request to create a Historical Preservation Commission.

The request came ultimately from citizens’ push to fight against the tearing down of the Carnegie Library, a building that now stands under the Clovis Chamber of Commerce’s discretion.

Historically, the City of Clovis has never had any type of historical preservation society, and it’s due to those who wanted to save their Carnegie Library that there looks to be one now in Clovis.

The council considered the item and directed staff to get started on creating the commission, a move that the council deems “will get done”.

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remembrance of those who have fallen reminds Lorenzo Rios, CEO of the Clovis Veterans Memorial District.

Rios spoke about the importance of the organizations that were in attendance to the Memorial Day event.

“Look at the organizations that are here. You’ve got Boy Scouts, you’ve got Girl Scouts, you have veterans organizations, you’ve got service club organizations. That’s not by accident.”

He went on to explain that these groups were at the Memorial District deliberately to “bring Americans together” and to make the community a “better place”. This also comes at the mention of COVID-19 which he called an event that “divided our country, and instilled fear and suspect of the other.”

In pushing politics aside, Rios said the only agenda the Memorial District has is assisting in making the community of Clovis the “greatest community to live in” and by letting the veterans in the community understand that their sacrifice matters, and “making sure everybody understands how blessed we are to live in this great nation.”

The Clovis Veterans Memorial District was established in 1946, a move that Rios calls “a will of the people”. On this Memorial Day, Rios stated that the Memorial District stands as a “permanent living memorial”, that seventy-six years later stands at the center of a number of community activities including this Memorial Day Event. Bringing the people to interact with each other is something that Rios calls “something novel” of the community of Clovis.

“This day is about remembering the fallen…Those who pay the ultimate price in defending our freedoms would be, I would offer, happy to see that their sacrifice made a difference. That we can celebrate.” said Rios.

He represented the fact that the community as well as the nation is allowed to celebrate is something that he hopes those who have passed would have been able to realize. “While you see the celebration, you don’t forget what today is about.”

“Some people will tell you, the order is Armed Forces Day are those in uniform, Veterans Day are those who had the opportunity to take off the uniform, and Memorial Day is for those who never had the opportunity to take off that uniform because they laid it down while in uniform.”

Rios explained this distinction between the three days of observance, something that one writer had learned within the two days of covering Memorial Day events.

In speaking about the community’s support that the Memorial District has received, Rios also mentioned that the community has been fully supportive, “very generous” and has “never forgotten the district”. He replied that the Memorial District has made it a point to honor the community of Clovis and each hold a symbiotic relationship where “you can’t have one without the other.”

“When you walk in [into the Memorial District’s vicinity], there’s this very warm, welcoming experience. And that’s to everyone, which I would offer, is part of the Clovis way….There’s this sense of welcoming, and appreciation for the other, and that’s what you’re seeing here. A number of organizations were in attendance at the Memorial Day Event. Many of their missions were similar in that they were supporting veterans and the Memorial District. This includes the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association who’s mission includes “supporting veteran organizations through financial and physical support”.

The motorcycle organization is organized by those who love to ride, yes, but also through their efforts they support veterans through opportunities like CalVet homes where affordable long-term care to aged and disabled veterans is possible.

Inside the Memorial District was both the Concert by the Clovis Community Band as well as the Memorial Day Luncheon that took place from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. All free to the public, the Memorial District gave a celebration like no other and is happy to do it in remembrance of those who gave even more for the nation.

MEMORIAL RUN

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and continue to make for them.”

Halterman also mentioned the two year absence of the event due to COVID-19 concerns. “Well I would say it’s a rebuilding year, we haven’t had it the last two years because of COVID.” She then went on to speak about the turnout of runners as well as spectators. “We have a pretty good turnout but I think it will continue to grow as the years go by. I mean at one point we had about 600 to 700 people.”

There were about 300-400 runners at the 2022 Memorial Run and about eighteen vendors according to Administrative Assistant for the Clovis Senior Community Center and leader of the planning for the Memorial Run, Moniqua Randolph. Being there since the inaugural Memorial Run in 2009, Randolph illustrated that the run got started when those at the Community Center “..wanted to do something to give back to our local vets, our active military. So we decided to try to do a memorial run and eleven years later we’re still up and running.”

In thanking the sponsors and the community for their support of the run, Randolph stated, “They’ve given us 100% of their support. I think the fact that it’s more of a family orientated event brings in a lot of families with their children because we also provide a Kids Race as well as the Walk and Roll Race.” She explained that the thought here is to find ways to get as many people involved from children to the seniors who can participate in walking or rolling their wheelchairs across the finish line in the Senior Walk and Roll race.

The point of the runs continues to be an opportunity to show respect, reverence, and give remembrance to those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice as well as those who have served or are currently serving in the armed forces. Moniqua spoke on the significance of the run to commemorate veterans, “I think because with the veterans and active military they’re always active, they’re always doing something, there’s always movement involved in whatever they do for our country.”

“I’m just glad that we had enough out here to have a good group and get the people out here to start their Memorial Day Weekend the right way.”

Results for the race can be found on the Memorial Run website.

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Clovis Way of Life: Preserving Our History

Adam Ricardo Solis

@Adamsoliss

The Clovis Museum in Old Town Clovis has served as a guide for many visitors who want to revisit the history of Clovis, but oftentimes many overlook the historical significance the museum itself holds.

Created by the Clovis Big Dry Creek Historical Society, the Clovis Museum is located on Pollasky Avenue in Old Town Clovis where visitors can see the history of Clovis on display free of charge.

The museum’s purpose, according to Cheryl Aguilar, one of the museum docents, is to help take steps in preserving the history of Clovis so future generations can visit and learn about the founding of Clovis.

On display in the museum are a variety of artifacts that hold historical significance to the Clovis community. Artifacts that range from a portion of the Shaver Lake flume on display in the museum to an entire section dedicated to the veterans from the Clovis community.

All artifacts on display in the museum come in as donations from community members who used to, or still, live in the Clovis area.

Donations such as the class photographs of Clovis Union High School, which go back through the 1950’s.

Aguilar said throughout the year, families would visit the museum to see their relatives’ pictures on display and share stories that help give a background to them. Aguilar and others would document the stories with the photos.

A unique aspect of the museum is the history of the building itself. Originally a bank that was later transitioned into a court-

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The Clovis Museum is located in the heart of Old Town Clovis on 4th and Pollasky Avenues.

house, the building now continues a legacy of serving as a beacon of historical significance to the Clovis community.

Visitors who walk into the museum will notice the original tile from when the building was a bank, which was preserved when the building was transitioned to a courthouse and had the original flooring covered with linoleum.

The museum boasts a colorful history of events surrounding the famous 1924 bank robbery that is documented and on display in the museum. Each year the museum performs a melodrama reenactment of the robbery, where robbers broke into the bank vault and stole money that was never recovered.

With the vault still in the building, the museum repurposed it to hold different types of valuables. Inside the vault, the museum stores an impressive catalog of historical documents that detail contributions and stories of many Clovis families.

According to Aguilar, people often come and add new information to their family binders, which in turn, adds to the history of Clovis. What also happens often is when families visit the vault, as a reference for their family tree or to look back on their family history, they walk out with new information they didn’t know such as discovering a new branch on their family tree.

Aguilar recalled a time where a young lady discovered she was related to May Case, former founder and reporter for the Clovis Independent. Case is one of many whose legacy is preserved at the museum.

“She didn’t actually know how she was related to May Case. So we were able to find that information for her [using] the information we had here and what we researched online so we could give her some more information about her family that she didn’t know,” Aguilar said.

The Clovis Museum continues to serve the community each year with docents who greet visitors at the door and are prepared with educational lecture tours that give an indepth look at how Clovis started with agricultural roots and slowly grew to what it is today.

Steve Larkin, another docent of the museum, said that the museum continues to be an important part of the community because of what it teaches people when visiting.

“You don’t know where you’re going, if you don’t know where you’ve already been,” Larkin said.

The museum this summer is hoping to draw in more schools and younger children with some programs that they hope make the museum more appealing to a younger crowd.

Parents who bring their children can play a scavenger hunt throughout the museum that helps the children and family get a tour of the museum while completing the game but also provide an educational perspective while also having fun. At the end those who complete the scavenger hunt receive a prize from the museum.

The museum is also in talks to start a two half-day summer camp for kids that would serve as a recreational program that would teach them about the history of Clovis.

“We’re just trying to find other ways to get children in here and make it more attractive for them and make thighs more hands on,” Aguilar said.

The Clovis museum is located in Old Town Clovis on 4th and Pollasky Avenues and is open 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

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Clovis Roundup Community Newspaper . 7 Pioneers in Business: Sassano’s Mens Wear

Adam Ricardo Solis

@Adamsoliss

The “oldest” family owned business in Clovis has been defining the “Clovis way of life” since opening in 1907.

According to “The History of Sassano’s Men’s Wear”, Sassano’s has served the Clovis community since 1907 when owner, Aniello Sassano opened a shoe repair shop in Front St., which is now known as Clovis avenue.

Bob Parks, manager at Sassano’s Men’s Wear, said that small businesses are at the core of what he thinks the “Clovis Way of Life” is.

“It’s the small businesses that keep the way of life in Clovis going,” Parks said.

The level of service Sassano’s provides to customers is an aspect that Parks attributes to why they have been able to stay open for so long.

“We feel it’s been the personal service that we added all these years that people come in and they compliment us on that,” Parks said.

Serving the community remains important to Sassano’s and is displayed each year when they award the “Sassano Blanket” award to the outstanding senior athlete in each of Clovis High’s 23 sports.

Presenting the blanket to athletes is a tradition that started in 1936, during which Clovis High School only had four sports.

“It’s very coveted, everybody wants to win it for their child or the child wants to win it,” Parks said.

As is the case for many businesses, COVID-19 left a lasting impact on the way Sassano’s is able to operate. Because of supply chain issues, Parks said there was an instance when the store was unable to get their supply of denim jeans from Levi, Lee, and Wrangler because they all had the same issue with their supply. Each company was unable to send the jeans because the zippers and buttons that were meant to go on the pants were made at a second site and were taking longer than usual to be transported.

Because of delayed shipments from supply chain issues, Parks said Sassano’s is still facing issues receiving shipments.

“There’s products that we can get and some of the stuff that is now showing up that we look back in our books and we see that we ordered it in May, June, July, August, or September of last year and now it’s showing up,” Parks said.

Since opening in 1937 and then reopening in Feb. 1932 after the great depression forced the store to close in 1931, Parks said that the products sold by Sassano’s have remained the same for the most part.

“We’ve always been just basic jeans and work boots and cowboy boots and some western shirts and some basic shirts but now there’s a lot more competition,” Parks said.

Looking back at how much has changed since working at Sassano’s, Parks said the fashion of the Clovis Rodeo has changed since he started working at Sassano’s.

“It used to be everybody had a cowboy hat, cowboy shirt, some jeans, and now we do some of that business but not what we did back then,” Parks said.

Families used to come into the store, according to Parks, and buy matching outfits and cowboy hats to wear to the rodeo and now Parks said, the trend is tank tops and baseball caps.

“Well, he’s a cowboy for that day,” Parks said.

Working at Sassano’s Parks said he’s