GOOD NEWS. REAL NEWS. HOMETOWN NEWS.
SINCE 1916 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CV, NO. XI
THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2021
COMMUNITY
atascaderonews.com • $1.00 • WEEKLY
SPORTS
CITY
Friday Night Lights Return
Council Proclaims Wednesday, Mar. 24 as Equal Pay Day City Manager announces the Atascadero Rock Snake now holds around 5200 rocks
After 30 years of cutting hair together, partners Tim Lyons (above left) and Don Pushea have decided to go their separate ways. Photo by Camille DeVaul
By MELISSA MATTSON melissa@atascaderonews.com
Headhunters Barbershop Closes after 58 Years Johnny Gates, Cletis Moore, Tim Lyons, and Don Pushea shared memories of their time on Spring Street By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@atascaderonews.com
Templeton quarterback Tyler Kaschewski runs away from the Wasco defense on Friday night. Photo by Rick Evans
H
eadhunters Barber Service closes its doors after 58 years of service in Paso Robles, and Atascadero gains an experienced barber. At one time, there were barbershops around almost every corner in Paso. And for many of us who grew up in Paso, Headhunters have always been there right on Spring Street. Johnny Gates and A.J. Brown (Brownie) opened Headhunters Barber Service in November of 1963, approximately two weeks before the Kennedy Assassination. When Headhunters initially opened, it was inside the Paso Robles Hot Springs Hotel. Not long after opening, the shop moved to its current location at 1220 Spring Street, which turned out to be pretty good timing because the Hot Springs Hotel burned down on Nov. 22, 1963. Recently, I was able to visit Headhunters. Inside was a living timeline of the barbershop. Johnny Gates, Cletis Moore, Tim Lyons, and Don Pushea sat around the shop they all owned a portion of at one time. Seated in the shop was Gates, one of the original owners of Headhunters. Gates got his start working for Henry Frisby at Frisby’s Barbershop on Park Street. Long-time Paso residents have said they remember a new sign in front of Frisby’s saying CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
Templeton Eagles Kaschewski, Berna, lead prolific ground attack By CONNOR ALLEN connor@atascaderonews.com TEMPLETON — The Friday Night Lights made their long-awaited return to the Central Coast this weekend as all three North County teams were suited up and playing in their season openers. The Templeton Eagles and Paso Robles Bearcats were able to start their seasons at home in front of small smatterings of fans while Atascadero traveled to Arroyo Grande in a last-minute matchup against the Eagles. Templeton enters this season as new members of the Mountain League after they cruised through the Ocean League in 2019, earning their first league championship since 2005. Not only did the Eagles roll through the Ocean League with an undefeated record, but they also did it with juniors as their two top playmakers in quarterback Tyler Kaschewski and running back Josh Berna. This spring season, Kaschewski and Berna are once again side-by-side in the backfield and are already giving defensive coordinators nightmares as they combined for over
300 yards rushing and five touchdowns on Friday night. The Eagles picked up offensively right where they left off a year ago, scoring points on each of their four first-half drives. While the Eagles are capable of long, sustained drives, it is not often they have to, as was the case against Wasco. Templeton first got on the board thanks to a 15-yard scamper from Kaschewski, who simply bounced the ball outside and was too fast and elusive for the Tiger defense. On the next drive, on only the second play, Berna took the handoff, stuck his foot in the ground, and sped straight through the heart of the Wasco defense for an untouched 37-yard touchdown run, and the Eagles were off. With their third drive of the evening, the Eagles decided to take to the air. Kaschewski zipped a bubble screen out to Kale Loppnow, who outran everyone to the pylon but was somehow called down at the one-yard line. Berna would punch it in on the next play, and Templeton was up three scores before eventually tacking on an additional three to go into halftime up 25-0.
After a nearly perfect first half, the Eagles stumbled a bit in the second half as Wasco took to the air in desperation. Templeton, who is very young on the outsides of both their offense and defense, gave up some explosive plays but gained some much-needed experience as they will face passing offenses in the Mountain League, most notably, St. Joseph. “I loved how hard we played. They have never been a throwing team, that is the most they have ever thrown, and we have never seen them do a lot of that,” Templeton head football coach Don Crow told the Atascadero News after the game. “All of our receivers and DB’s [defensive backs] are new. We have some sophomores playing, so there is a lot of baptism under fire tonight, but the key is, when we watch film, do we get better?” When the final horn sounded, the Eagles walked away with a 39-22 victory and some valuable lessons to build on. Kaschewski finished the game with 164 rushing yards, and three touchdowns on 20 carries, barely outgaining his running CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
HERITAGE
Lessons from Santa Margaritas Historic Street Trees By SIMONE SMITH For The Atascadero News SANTA MARGARITA — The historic street trees of Santa Margarita have been providing shade and shelter for residents and visitors alike since their first planting over 120 years ago. Elm trees grow strong, tall, have beautiful arching canopies, and can live between 100-150 years, but Santa Margarita’s Elms (and residents) have been plagued
SPORTS
by the invasive and non-native Elm Leaf Beetle, which have weakened trees and pestered locals since the 1920s. The Elm tree population of Santa Margarita has been in decline, but the mystery of the missing Elm Leaf Beetles has people wondering... Elms became a popular choice for street tree plantings after a New York physician’s 1870’s groundbreaking research project (later referred to as the Washington Elm Study) was able to
EVENT
calculate and illustrate the “vast potential of a single large tree’s foliage to absorb carbon dioxide, emit oxygen and provide shade” and thereby launching the street tree planting movement across the country in order to “mitigate oppressive heat and save lives.” Since the arrival of non-native Elm Leaf Beetles to the area sometime after 1924, Santa Margarita has been CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
COVID-19 UPDATE
ATASCADERO —The Atascadero City Council met on Tuesday, Mar. 23, at 6 p.m. for a regularly scheduled meeting. The meeting opened with a reading from Atascadero Councilwoman Susan Funk and AAUW member Linda Baker, who requested the Mayor’s support, to proclaim Wednesday, Mar. 24 as equal pay day. “It is my great honor to present this proclamation virtually,” said Funk. Atascadero Chapter of AAUW has advocated for local women and girls and raised awareness of issues like equal pay for more than 80 years. Mar. 24 symbolized the time in 2021 where the wages paid to women catch up to the wages paid to men in the year before. Linda Baker spoke to the council, expressing her excitement over the proclamation. “Mar. 24 recognizes the vital role that women play in their families and our community…When a worker isn’t earning to capacity, simply because she’s female, everyone is held back… Paying women is not solely a women’s issue. It’s a family issue. It’s a national issue. Wouldn’t it be great if next year, we didn’t need to have equal pay day.” The meeting proceeded with approving the consent agenda 4-0, which can be found in full here: records.atascadero.org/ weblink/ElectronicFile.aspx?do cid=105436&dbid=0 Next, the City Manager, Rachelle Rickard, gave an update on some items. The rock snake in atascadero and the potential to be added to the Guinness Book of World Records. Currently the longest record is 8000 rocks held in UK, and the Atascadero Rock Snake now holds around 5200. The potential for a concessionaire for paddle boats at the Atascadero Lake, where applicants can apply until Apr. 26. Farmer’s market is open each Wednesday from 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Apr. 7, they will celebrate their 4 year anniversary of returning to the downtown. Brew at the Zoo - Saturday, Apr. 24 from 12:30-3:30 p.m. This event will bring ciders and beer to the
Historical photo of main street in Santa Margarita circa April 1942. Contributed photo
SENIOR LIVING
CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
atascaderonews.com
WEATHER
twitter.com/ @AtascaderoNews facebook.com/ @AtascaderoNews
NORTH COUNTY SPORTS ATASCADERO CHAMBER RECENT STATISTICS kick off Tennis, Football, Baseball, Softball of Commerce virtually hosts their Annual released as those 50+ are approved to and Swimming in dramatic style | A3 Gala and Awards | A4 receive the vaccine | A5
DON’T LOSE SLEEP over caffeine if you understand its affects and where you’re getting it from | A14
The Atascadero News
High 56° | Low 37°
atascaderonews.com
67808 24135
Support Local Journalism Only one local newspaper.
Atascadero. Real News. Good News • Real News • Your Hometown News
5
Ranked No. 1 online by alexa.com Traffic Metrics. Employs professional journalist. Owned by local publishers. The Atascadero News
Subscribe today!
7