GOOD NEWS REAL NEWS HOMETOWN NEWS
SINCE 1916 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CVIII, NO. XLIII
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2023
atascaderonews.com • $1.00 • WEEKLY
HALLOWEEN
Community shows up in costume for all the Halloween festivities in North County
There were multiple Halloween events for all ages to enjoy By CHRISTIANNA MARKS and CAMILLE DEVAUL
N O R T H CO U N T Y — Atascadero got into the Halloween spirit early by kicking off its Halloween festivities on Saturday, Oct. 28, with Charles Paddock Zoo’s Annual Zoo Boo. Little kiddos and their families dressed in their adorable, creepy, and fun costumes and showed up to hang out with all the animals. “Zoo Boo was wonderful, and everyone who attended truly enjoyed the event. Many families and children were dressed up and enjoyed the “not-tooscary” Haunted House and the Hay Maze too,” said Director of Community Services & Promotions Terrie Banish. Zoo Boo was followed up by the return of the second Annual Trunk or Treat in the Sunken Gardens on Sunday, Oct. 29. The event, which brought in tons of local littles and their families, was put on by a group of local Atascadero churches. But the ghoulish fun didn’t stop there. Halloween night, the
TRAVEL
Growing SLO County Airport anticipating heavy traveling season Fall is the busiest time of year; airport anticipates more than 300,000 passengers departing this year By BLAKE ASHLEY FRINO-GERL Atascadero News Contributor
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — Since November 2016, when the new terminal at the SLO County Airport (SBP) was established, the airport has continued to advance to meet the demands of travelers, as well as keep up with maintenance. SBP Deputy Director of Operations Craig Piper oversees the airport’s operations and maintenance. 2019 was the
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NEWS
(Above) Mirac (right) and Maximus (left) Mattson posing at the spooky Halloween Spooktacular at the Russo’s in Atascadero. Photo by Hayley Mattson; A family (top right) dresses as characters from “Beauty and the Beast” and friends (bottom right) dressed as a pirate and fairy enjoy the fun and haunts on Entrada Avenue in Atascadero. Photos by Becca Sligh
party continued with Trick or Treat on Entrada. Local businesses showed up to provide a fun and safe place for the community to roll in and show off their best costumes while having a great time. “It has been really cool to see all the kids out and about in all their costumes. I love it. It makes me so happy,” said Michelle Cendro, owner of
Masons. “I just appreciate that Atascadero does this for the kids because it’s so fun. It’s safe. It’s a nice place for everybody to come, and I love that about our town.” On top of a bunch of local businesses lining Entrada to hand out candy, there was also a haunted house for brave souls to wander into, and Traffic Records hit the street to DJ
some delightfully spooky tunes. “It’s always a beautiful, powerful experience watching our community come together in this very wholesome, family-oriented manner,” said Traffic Records owner Manuel Barba of the night’s fun. In the next town over, families filled Main Street in Templeton for their annual trick-or-treating extravaganza. Main Street
businesses were ready with candy and it was truly a smalltown Halloween. The streets of Downtown Paso Robles were filled with families trick-or-treating at local businesses for the Paso Robles Main Street Association’s annual Safe and Fun Halloween. Downtown merchants were ready for the fun with plenty of
candy to hand out, and in the center of the park, the Downtown Witches were ready for their close-up at the Holiday House. Streets were closed off to cars from 11th to 13th Street, offering a safe and exciting return of Halloween to Downtown Paso Robles. New owners of Spare Time Books, Clio Bruns and Carla CONTINUED ON PAGE A7
MUSIC
GOVERNMENT
County Atascadero Community Band debuts the world premiere of Atascadero tribute song ‘Tent City Rag’ supervisor faces recall over alleged abuses of power
The song is written by Atascadero resident H. Jack Dexter By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
ATASCADERO — On Sunday, Oct. 9, at their concert, “Around the World in 80 Notes,” which took place at the Atascadero Bible Church, the Atascadero Community Band debuted a song dedicated to Atascadero. The song, which had its world premiere at the end of the concert, is titled “Tent City Rag” and is written by local H. Jack Dexter. “ Tent City Rag was composed by Howard Jack Dexter, a relative newcomer to Atascadero. However, his parents, Roland and Rosemary, arrived in town in the late 1970s,” said the afternoon’s second conductor, Carol Kouklis. “Jack writes original works for various instruments, sings in the church choir, and arranges music
as opportunities arise.” The song came at the conclusion of a trip around the world in musical form. The 13 songs prior to “Tent City Rag” took the audience from England to Russia and all the way to Japan before returning back to Atascadero. “I was just impressed by the quality of this band, first of all,”
said Dexter as to what spurred wanting to create the song for the band. “We came to many, many of their concerts at the lake over the years. I take my mom there for dinner on Tuesday nights, and so I thought, you know, I’ve never really written anything for a band before, so I thought, why not give it a shot, and so I did.”
Dexter studied music theory and composition in school before deciding to ultimately get a degree in fine arts. He followed that up with getting a doctorate in administration and working in a medical school for most of his career before retiring. “Music has just been the
CRIME
NORTH COUNTY LIFE
SPORTS
WEATHER
SLO Countybased real estate development company executive arrested on a federal grand jury indictment Conductor Carol Kouklis leads the Atascadero Community Band in the second half of its “Around the World in 80 Notes” concert. Photo by Christianna Marks
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By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — A San Luis Obispo County supervisor is facing a recall after a citizen’s group launched a recall campaign. District 2 Supervisor Bruce Gibson was served with an intent to recall last week. The papers, which were
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TOY DRIVE By Delta Energy for Nonprofits | A3
MAN CONVICTED For Intimate Partner Violence | A4
BIKE GIVEAWAY From Sheriff’s for Holidays | B1
GIRLS CIF Wins at Atascadero High | B8
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