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SINCE 1889 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CXXXII, NO. XIX
EDUCATION
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021
pasoroblespress.com • $1.00 • WEEKLY
EVENT
Central Coast Craft Beer Festival Huge Success
PRJUSD Trustee Jim Reed Resigns From School Board Over 1,000 PRJUSD students participated in Statewide Sit-Out By CAMILLE DeVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
PASO ROBLES — It was announced at the Oct. 26 Paso Robles Joint Unified School District meeting that board trustee member Jim Reed has resigned from the Board. Board President, Chris Arend, explained Reed and his wife had a “grandchild epiphany” and are moving to be closer to his son and grandchild. The San Luis Obispo County Office of Education issued instructions to the Board with the next steps to fulfilling a board vacancy. Procedures to find Reed’s replacement will be done entirely in open sessions, with public attendance welcomed. Before public comment, Superintendent Curt Dubost addressed the public. He understands there are some emotional things to discuss but said, “Let me clarify that this is a business meeting of the Board held in public. It is not technically a public meeting, so please show due deference to the people at the microphone and comport everyone in a respectful manner this evening.” Starting at this week’s meeting, some changes have been made to the translation services for the board meeting. On Feb. 23, the District added a live translation of the meetings from English to Spanish on Zoom to help increase the participation of Spanish speaking family and community members. Then on the Jul. 13 meeting, an attorney from Lozano Smith explained their legal requirements for a district like Paso Robles. While the attorney told the Board translation is not a legal requirement for board meetings, it is encouraged to reach as many community members as possible. However, the District has had difficulty getting a consistent group of Spanish translators to cover all bases during meetings. The Board requires three translators during each meeting. Since live translation began, the IT department for the Board meetings has counted zero to two participants using the Spanish translation services. As a result, the Board CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
FESTIVAL
Over 2,100 guests attended the Central Coast Craft Beer Festival to taste brews, ciders, seltzers, kombuchas and wines. Contributed photos
Festival featured over 55 independently owned breweries, ciders, seltzers, kombuchas, and wines By CHRISTIANNA MARKS For the Paso Robles Press
CENTRAL COAST — On Saturday, Oct. 23, the Sunken Gardens in Atascadero was filled with over 2,100 guests. The reason they were there; The Central Coast Craft
Beer Festival! The third annual Craft Beer Festival, luckily, beat out the rain, and the people were ready for the festivities. “The City of Atascadero has such a wonderful charm to it, and the Sunken Gardens [where the festival is held] is a perfect space to gather everyone for the day to celebrate craft beer along the central coast,” said Central Coast Brewers Guild president, Tony Grimes. The Festival had to be canceled last year due to COVID-19 restrictions, and this year it was rescheduled from Spring to Fall;
however, that didn’t have an effect on the event at all. “Everyone was super excited that we were finally able to host it [The Central Coast Craft Beer Festival]. They didn’t mind that it happened in October instead of March,” said event organizer Andres Nuno. “Our hopes are to keep it in March [next year], but we will make our final decision in the next couple weeks,” he continued. This year, The Central Coast Craft Beer Festival featured over 55 independently owned breweries, ciders, seltzers, kombu-
chas, and wines on site. The event includes alcohol-makers from Monterey through Ventura Counties. So there was something for everyone. The event also featured live entertainment to keep the crowd pumped. Resination (a local reggae band), semi-finalist Will Bremen from The Voice, and DJ Hecktik all performed. “The bands were fun, and everyone truly had a fun time,” said Atascadero Deputy CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
HONOR
HOLIDAY
Local Veteran Henry Barba Honored At Dodger Game Barba also turned 108 years old on October 19
Families enjoy the annual Zoo Boo event and kidfriendly Halloween fun. Contributed photo
Boos At The Zoo
By CAMILLE DeVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
SANTA MARGARITA — World War II veteran Henry Barba was recently honored at the Dodger game in Los Angeles on October 11—just a few days later, he celebrated with 108th birthday on Oct. 19. The LA Dodgers aired a presentation honoring Barba’s contributions to the country. As a life-long Dodger fan, he enjoyed the day, complete with a Dodger Dog and a Bud Lite. “He had a grin on his face the entire time. He was in Heaven,” said family friend Carrie Zeidman, who went to the game with Barba and his grandson Danny Barba. She added, “He has been a Dodger fan his entire life.” Barba began listening to Dodger games on the radio when they were based in Brooklyn (1884-1957). During a Dodger losing streak, Cheri Roe of the Santa Margarita Historical Society asked Barba why he didn’t pick another team. He replied, “Because that’s not what a fan does. You don’t just leave your
EVENTS
Over 1,000 people attend the annual event at Charles Paddock Zoo
O hear Barba complain once about feeling any pain in his hip. He was too busy having fun! For the past eight years, Zeidman and Roe have been working on getting Barba honored at a Dodger game. By chance, Zeidman ran into a sports agent
ver the weekend, families pulled on their costumes, jumped in their cars, and headed out for some kid-friendly Halloween fun at Charles Paddock Zoo. A little over 1,000 people were in attendance at this year’s annual Zoo Boo event, which was held on Saturday, Oct. 23. Zoo Boo is a North County favorite and has been an October staple in Atascadero for the last twenty-plus years. “It was an event that was already happening when our Zoo Director, Alan Baker, started working for the Zoo about 19 years ago,” said Atascadero’s Deputy City Manager, Terrie Banish. With over 200 animals calling the Zoo home, Zoo Boo is the perfect blend of experiencing family-friendly spooks while hanging out with your favorite animals. Who doesn’t want to watch the antics
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Barba and family enjoy the game from their seats between home plate and third base. Contributed photo
team because they are losing.” In fact, Barba is such a fan of the Dodgers that even a broken hip wouldn’t stop him from missing a game. On the morning of Oct. 11, Barba fell and broke his hip, yet he insisted he still go to the game and declined pain medication to avoid “brain fog.” According to Zeidman, she didn’t
COVID-19 UPDATE
By CHRISTIANNA MARKS For the Paso Robles Press
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