June 2013

HOME TOUR

The WALKER Home Leaving It All Behind

CHARITY

Horses, Hats and Helping Fight Hunger:

FoodLink’s Fifth Annual Kentucky Derby Party NEXT GEN

Brilynn Rakes

Dancing a Dream ECRWSS RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER LOCAL

June 2013

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PAGE

24 HOME TOUR The Walker Home

CHARITY

Horses, Hats and Helping Fight Hunger: FoodLink’s Fifth Annual Kentucky Derby Party

8

Letter from the Executive Editor

10 Business Cents: Still Bullish 12 Word Play 14 Local Adventure: Fly Fishing 16 Literary Arts: Harvesting Grass with Cattle 22 Next Gen: Dancing a Dream

PAGE

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40 History: Jasper Harrell, The Man

and His Building

NE X T GEN

44 Spirits: Recipe for the Second

Visalia Craft Beer Fest

Brilynn Rakes

46 Profile: Dr. Ian Duncan

Dancing a Dream

48 Fashion 50 Kudos: Louis F. Ruiz Golf Tournament 51 Kudos: Kaweah Delta’s Helipad 52 Chamber: Visalia

PAGE

22

54 Chamber: Exeter 56 Chamber: Tulare

C U L IN A R Y

58 Happenings

Some Like It Hot South of the Border Feast

PAGE

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ABOVE: Nestled in the middle of 40 acres of their own almond orchard, the Walker family home appears at the end of a 424-foot concrete driveway in Hanford, CA.

JUNE 2013 PUBLISHED BY DMI Agency 801 W. Main St. Visalia, CA 93291 ART & PRODUCTION Art Director ROSS YUKAWA Graphic Designer CHRIS BLY EDITORIAL Executive Editor Karen Tellalian Assistant Editor KYNDAL KENNEDY Staff Photographer TAYLOR JOHNSON Copy Editor DARA FISK-EKANGER CONTRIBUTING WRITERS ANDRE GODDARD CHERYL L. DIETER Diane Slocum ELAINE DAKESSIAN JORDAN VENEMA SHARON MOSLEY TERRY L. OMMEN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT Malkasian Accountancy LLP Gary Malkasian CPA JEFFREY Malkasian EA Operations Manager Maria Gaston

RACK LOCATIONS

DMI Agency Evolutions Fitness Center, Tulare Tazzaria Coffee & Tea Tulare County Library The Lifestyle Center Visalia Chamber of Commerce Visalia Convention Center COUNTERTOP LOCATIONS

210 Cafe Creekside Day Spa & Wellness Center Exeter Chamber of Commerce Exeter Golf Course Holiday Inn Kaweah Delta Hospital Red Carpet Car Wash Smiles by Sullivan Tiffany’s Luxury Medispa Tulare Chamber of Commerce V Medical Spa Velvet Sky Visalia Community Bank (Downtown) Visalia Eye Center Visalia Imaging & Open MRI Visalia Marriott Visalia Medical Clinic Wildflower Cafe-Exeter Dr. Keith Williams Williams, Jordan, Brodersen & Pritchett, Attorneys at Law Windows Plus, Inc.

ADVERTISING SALES Advertising Director Bridget Elmore Account Executive BRYCE McDONALD SALES OFFICE 801 W. Main St. Visalia, CA 93291 559.739.1747 • Fax 559.738.0909 E-mail: lifestyle@dmiagency.com VIEW THE MAG ONLINE! issuu.com/lifestylemagazine

Facebook.com/LifestyleMag

Visalia Lifestyle Magazine is published monthly and is distributed via direct mail to nearly 13,000 homes in the upper-middle and high-income neighborhoods in Visalia and Exeter. An additional 2,000 copies are distributed at various distribution points around both communities. Views expressed in columns are those of the columnist and not necessarily those of DMI Agency or its advertisers.

Circulation of this issue: 15,000 © 2013 DMI Agency

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LEFT: A neutral palette can be found throughout the Walker home, creating a cohesive look among rooms and a calming effect overall.

COVER: The Walker’s front door entry leads the viewers right into the heart of the home – the living room.

E EDITOR NOTE

Photo by Becca Chavez | Hair and Make-up provided by Velvet Sky

Recently the air conditioning went out on the east side of our office and after several days of grinning and bearing it, I relocated my work area to the front conference room. We packed up my computer, grabbed a couple of client files, and soon I had taken over the entire space. I didn’t do this for any reason other than I just couldn’t take the heat any more, and it didn’t take long to adapt to the more comfortable environment. Although my motives might have been selfish, being in the front taught me a few things: our phones ring a lot more than I realized, and almost every day someone stops in the office to pick up a copy of Lifestyle. Sure, these are small realizations yet part of a much bigger perspective on life – if you change even just one thing in your routine it can lead the way to better understanding.

Sometimes it’s just so easy to get caught in the cycle of feeling as though what’s happening today is the way things are going to be tomorrow … and the next. One of the reasons I didn’t move my workstation sooner was because it’s hard to let go of the negative and look for a positive solution. Why was sitting in a sweat-inducing environment, lamenting about the heat, preferable to actually doing something about it? Either I was overly optimistic about how soon the repairman would arrive, or more likely I wasn’t able to think beyond the now. After moving it took two weeks for the air conditioner repairs, but in the meantime I had more interaction with staff, met a few loyal readers, and enjoyed looking out onto Main Street.

The Central Valley can get pretty hot during the summer months, but not all heat is bad, especially if you’re talking spicy. Chef Elaine Dakessian’s “Some Like it Hot” recipes starting on page 34 will get your mind thinking about spicing up your summer with creations such as Pork Taquitos with Spicy Tomato Sauce or Short Rib Tacos with Corn Salsa. Not only are her recipes delicious, some of our past Culinary Features have won awards for outstanding photography and creative design. When you see one you particularly admire, please let us know and we’ll make sure we flag it for future entry.

We’d also like to congratulate our own (and my daughter) Taylor Vaughn, on her recent marriage. Taylor’s photography frequently graces the pages of Lifestyle but starting this month you’ll notice her credits listed as Taylor Johnson. Taylor, and her new husband, Tim, will be making their first home in Porterville, but she promises to continue with her stunning photography. We’re very excited about that, and for her as she starts a new chapter in her life.

Thanks for reading and when the summer heat becomes too much, remember it’s only temporary.

Karen Tellalian, EXECUTIVE EDITOR For more information or to submit a story idea email Karen@dmiagency.com or www.facebook.com/LifestyleMag call (559) 739-1747 or fax (559) 738-0909.

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B BUSINESS CENTS

Still Bullish Text by Andre Goddard, VP – Investments, Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC

S

omewhat like a modern Rip Van Winkle, imagine you went to sleep on October 9, 2007, and didn’t wake up until yesterday. On October 9, 2007, equities were at record highs: 14,165 for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and 1,565 for the S&P 500.

You slept right through a housing bust, a financial panic, the deepest recession since the Great Depression, the passing (and upholding) of Obamacare, multiple bouts of debt-limit brinksmanship, two fiscal cliffs, the European financial “crisis,” a tsunami in Japan, the BP oil fiasco, and a long list of other mediaobsessions over the past 67 ½ months.

You woke up, and the Dow and S&P 500 were up 8.4 percent and 6.5 percent, respectively, from when you fell asleep, with both at new record highs. Including dividends, the S&P 500 has returned 3.3 percent per year since you went to sleep, while consumer prices rose two percent per year and short-term rates averaged 0.5 percent.

Now … imagine that no one would tell you what happened in the past six years. All you could do was compare current market data to what it was when you fell asleep. Would you buy equities, or sell them?

Corporate profits rose 34 percent during the deep sleep, so Price-to-Earnings (P-E) ratios are lower. Short-term interest rates were four percent, now they are near zero; yields on long-term Treasury notes were 4.5 percent back then, and now below two percent. Gold has jumped from $740 per ounce to $1,350; oil from $73 per barrel to $96.

In a nutshell, relative to fixed income and commodity markets, equities look significantly cheaper today than they did in 2007.

There is even more reason to buy.

The unemployment rate was only 4.7 percent when you fell asleep: now it’s 7.5 percent. Believe it or not, that is good news.

Historically, high unemployment means things are going to get better, while periods of low unemployment suggest things are about to get worse. We get the flu when we feel good; we get over it when we feel bad.

It was this focus on fundamentals that motivated our forecast that equity values would rise this year. At the beginning of 2013, we forecast the Dow at 15,500 and S&P 1,700 by year-end. We felt that this higher-than-consensus forecast was realistic and, yet,

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conservative. We’ve been proven right. Equities have gone up even faster than we thought and we see no reason the bull market won’t continue.

As a result, we are raising our forecast. We now expect a year-end Dow of 16,250, with the S&P 500 at 1,765. That’s an annualized gain of almost 10 percent for the rest of the year, with dividends boosting the total return to 12 percent annualized.

This would boost the 2013 return for the Dow to 24 percent, the most for any year since 2003. So even though bearish forecasters are saying the 2013 increase in equity prices is “insane,” it is actually well within historical norms.

We use a capitalized-profits model to find fair-value for equities.

We divide corporate profits by the current 10-year Treasury yield (1.95 percent), and then compare the current level of this index to each quarter for the past 60 years. This method gives us a fair-value for the Dow of 48,000 – three times the current level.

Obviously, this is crazy.

But it’s what happens when the Fed holds interest rates at artificially low levels. So, we adjust by using a 10-year Treasury yield of 4.5 percent – the same as the Federal Reserve’s estimate of long-term growth in nominal GDP (real GDP growth plus inflation). Using 4.5 percent as our discount rate suggests a much more reasonable fair value of 21,000 on the Dow and 2,250 for the S&P 500.

But what if record high corporate profits – 12.7 percent of GDP – revert to their historical norm of about 9.5 percent, at the same time the 10-year Treasury yield moves to 4.5 percent? If that happened, the fair value of the Dow would be 15,650, and the S&P 500 would be 1,700. In other words, if profits fall 25 percent and interest rates more than double, broad stock market indices are still slightly undervalued. That said, this scenario is highly unlikely. If rates are rising, it will most likely be because the economy is doing well, which means corporate profits will not collapse.

This does not mean markets will rise in a straight line. Volatility is part of life. But, if you can find a way to sleep through the next few years, and be long equities at the same time, you should wake up wealthier. Stay bullish.

This article was written by First Trust Advisors L. P. and provided courtesy of Andre Goddard, Vice President-Investments in Visalia at 559-636-8590.

Investments in securities and insurance products are: NOT FDICINSURED/NOT BANK-GUARANTEED/MAY LOSE VALUE Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC, Member SIPC, is a registered brokerdealer and a separate non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company.

Consensus forecasts come from Bloomberg. This report was prepared

by First Trust Advisors L. P., and reflects the current opinion of the authors. It is based upon sources and data believed to be accurate and reliable. Opinions and forward-looking statements expressed are subject to change without notice. This information does not constitute a solicitation or an offer to buy or sell any security.

W WORD PLAY

NEWS ON WRITING, BOOKS AND THE WORLD OF PUBLISHING Text by Diane Slocum

I

t’s summer! Let’s go camping, fishing, maybe visit the zoo or an aquarium, all of which are celebrated with their week or month in June.

Camping with the Corps of Engineers: The Complete Guide to Campgrounds Built and Operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers by Don Wright is available in paperback or in a newer edition on Kindle. The book lists all Corps of Engineers campgrounds by state and gives a brief summary of each.

Captain Phil Harris: The Legendary Crab Fisherman, Our Hero, Our Dad by Josh Harris, Jake Harris, Blake Chavez and Steve Springer (Simon & Schuster, April 2013) tells the story of the Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch star whose life was as wild off-screen as it was on.

Panda Panic by James Rix is the latest in the Awesome Animals series published by Barron’s Educational Series this April (previously published in England by Harper Collins in 2012) for readers seven and up. Ping, An and their mother Mao Mao live tranquil lives in a preserve but Ping wants more adventure and hopes to go to the London Zoo. On the way to the aquarium, youngsters might enjoy Aquarium Addition: Math Activity Kit from Flash Kids Editors (March 2013) or The Adventures of Anna … At the Aquarium by D. L. Bentley (DLBM Enterprises, March 2013). Anna also has adventures at the zoo.

and A More Perfect Heaven: How Nicolaus Copernicus Revolutionized the Cosmos by Dava Sobel.

Contests Entries are open for the Edgar Awards for mystery writers with work published in 2013. Categories include Best Novel, Best First Novel, Best Paperback, Best Fact Crime, Best Short Story, Best Juvenile Mystery and more. The work must make the author eligible for membership in Mystery Writers of America, though it is not necessary to join. All books must be received by the judges by November 30.

Details at: http://tinyurl.com/n3loepz.

Awards Some of the Edgar Awards presented this May for works published last year went to Dennis Lahane for Live by Night (Best Novel), Chris Pavone for The Expats (Best First Novel), Ben H. Winters for The Last Policeman (Best Paperback Original) and Jack D. Ferraiolo for The Quick Fix (Best Juvenile).

Online Publications Writers 50 years of age and older are invited to submit short stories to Huff/Post50. Stories must be 5,000 words or less and only one can be submitted per person per year. Stories should be sent to 50fiction@huffingtonpost.com.

Details at: www.huffingtonpost.com.

Self-published authors and small publishing houses can announce their books and post reviews on Authorlink.

Details at: http://tinyurl.com/lnspvt9.

Vegetarian Times offers its readers an opportunity to share their stories of when and why they became vegetarians on the anniversary of their commitment. Details at: www.vegetariantimes.com/vegiversary/.

Valley Writers Sally Stallings will read her stories “The Yellow Dressing Room” and “Back Stage” on Valley Writers Read on KVPR on June 19. Both stories are about a Fresno performance of the Nutcracker Ballet. On June 26, Steve Yarbrough will read “A Life of Ease,” about a minister of a small Mississippi church who is attracted to a parishioner. Yarbrough was an instructor in the Master of Fine Arts program at Fresno State. For more information on these and previously read stories on KVPR, go to http://kvpr.org/valley-writers-read-2013-schedule.

News from Native California is a quarterly periodical published

by Heyday, a nonprofit, independent publisher focusing on California. Features include a calendar of Native American events, articles on ceremonial regalia and environmental issues, poetry, short stories, plays and more by California Indian writers. Local writer Sylvia Ross is among the contributors.

Former Fresno Bee artist and CSUF instructor Doug Hansen has adapted two children’s classics to the Golden State.

Mother Goose in California puts the classic stories into pictures featuring whimsical California details ranging from Half Dome to Calaveras’ jumping frog. Aesop in California uses such Californians as blackberry-munching grizzlies and Hollywood house mice to translate the Greek tales to their new locale. Both books are from Heyday.

Audio Books The Tulare County Library has a wide selection of audio books complete with their own player available for listening.

A few of the selections at the Visalia branch are A Lawman’s Christmas by Linda Lael Miller, Heartwishes by Jude Deveraux

The Last Word “Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books.”

— John Lubbock (1834–1913)

Literary Agents Agents currently looking for young adult or children’s fiction include Rachael Dugas of Talcott Notch Literary, Danielle Smith of Foreword Literary, J.L. Stermer of N.S. Bienstock, Jamie Bodnar Drowley of Inklings Literary, and Kimiko Nakamura of Dee Mura Literary. Mystery writers are invited to submit to Dugas, Drowley and Nakamura. Writers of women’s fiction or romance can try submitting to Dugas, Stermer, Drowley and Nakamura.

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LOVE THAT

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L LOCAL ADVENTURE

Fly Fishing What comes to mind? Brad Pitt? A River Runs Through it? Then, we are on the right track … well, sort of.

First, some facts: a fly fisherman is called an angler. The artificial “fly” is cast using a fly rod, reel and specialized weighted line. Casting this nearly weightless “lure” is quite different from traditional fishing, so if you are a practiced fisherman, but haven’t tried your hand at fly fishing, this is sure to be a treat.

One more fact: Sierra Fly Fisher is the first National Parksapproved Sequoia fishing guide service to ever be permitted to fish the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

Along with the experts at Sequoia Fly Fisher, you’re only a short drive away from hooking your next trophy.

Get out of the heat and take the short drive to the mountains where the weather is cooler and the water is sparkling to try your hand at fly-fishing in the beautiful Sequoias. Not only does this adventure take you to the beautiful outdoors, you have a chance to explore areas of Sequoia National Park many will not. Streams and rivers you’ll be enjoying could include sections of Clover Creek, Wolverton Creek, various stretches of the Kaweah and Kings rivers, and more. Several are very near Wuksachi Lodge, Lodgepole, Cedar Grove and Mineral King.

Whether or not you are a die-hard fish-and-game enthusiast and want all the daylight you can get on the water, or you just aren’t too sure about what you are getting yourself into, you have options. Sierra Fly Fisher offers guided half-day and full-day excursions. All gear is provided and Sierra Fly Fisher’s expert guides offer a great introduction to the sport for beginning anglers as well as a lot of fun for experienced fishers.

On this adventure you’ll want to wear neutral-colored clothing – nothing flashy or bright to scare the fish away – comfortable, quick-drying shorts and shirt, a light jacket, hat, sunscreen, and extra socks. Sierra Fly Fisher will provide wading shoes but for a short hike to the water front, you’ll want to wear a trusty pair of tennis shoes. They will also provide rods, reels, leader, tippet and of course, flies.

Angling is a different approach to traditional fishing, but one that can be mastered by anyone at any age. The goal of the constant push and pull of the fly line is to imitate an insect on the water – which the fish are accustomed to seeing just before they strike. Expert anglers at Sequoia Fly Fisher will help you get down the right technique and then it’s up to you.

After you’re all geared up, in location, and you’ve got the technique down, what will you be catching? There will be plenty of Rainbow Trout, and with help from the experts you may catch wild brown trout, brook trout, and if you’re lucky, golden trout.

The fish in the High Sierras are not known to be picky – bad for them, good for you.

To fish anywhere in California, you must have a fishing license. They are available online to purchase. All angling adults over 16 must carry one. There are one-day licenses as well as several options so pricing varies, to suit your needs. Go to: www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/fishing/fishdescrip.html.

For more information and to reserve your adventure, visit www.visitsequoia.com/sequoia-fly-fishing.aspx.

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L literary arts

harvesting

Grass with cattle Text by Diane Slocum | Photo by Earl McKee

J

ohn Dofflemyer’s family has been in the cattle business for a long time – he’s the fifth generation from a family who settled in Visalia in 1853. John Cutler, his mother’s great-grandfather, was a doctor and Tulare County judge in addition to owning property near the town that now bears his name. Dofflemyer is

following the ranching tradition on his Lemon Cove property on Dry Creek which originated in his father’s family in 1938, but he has added a twist. In addition to “harvesting grass and water with cattle,” as he puts it, he is also harvesting awards with his words.

Dofflemyer recently returned from Oklahoma City where he received his second Wrangler Award from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum for Best Poetry Book. Proclaiming Space brought him the award this time around.

His first award was for Poems from Dry Creek which was the 2009 winner. Two of his competitors for the 2009 award were Linda Hussa and Luci Tapahonso, both well-respected poets.

“I was really surprised and shocked,” he said of his first win, “and of course on cloud 16

LIFESTYLE | JUNE 2013

nine at the same time. I was thrilled, but accolades do encourage people to try to do better. I took my writing more seriously and approached it in a more disciplined fashion.”

He was deeply honored to be recognized a second time. It was even more thrilling and more sobering.

“The first time you think maybe they made a mistake,” he joked. “I think I can see a bigger picture now than I was able to see in the past.”

He not only has won for his own poetry, but through his Dry Crik Press has provided

a forum for the works of eight different Wrangler Award winners.

Winning one of these western awards puts Dofflemyer in some heady and diverse company. Among this year’s winners were the Hollywood contingent – Kevin Costner’s Hatfields & McCoys; Ken Burns’ The Dust Bowl; and actor Wes Studi, who was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers. In music, Jim Ratts won Best Western Traditional Album for “The Usual Suspects,” while Waddie Mitchell and The Gillette Brothers received Outstanding

literary arts L Original Composition for “Trade Off.” D.B. Jackson’s Unbroke Horses took the award for Outstanding Western Novel, and the Outstanding Nonfiction Book award went to Robert M. Utley for Geronimo. California cattle ranchers John Lacey and Kenneth L. Eade were inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners. A special award went to 80-year-old cowboy, Boots O’Neal, from Guthrie, Texas, who still spends every day on horseback as the brand inspector for the Four Sixes Ranch.

Dofflemyer gives credit to Gary Snyder for awakening his latent interest in poetry.

Snyder was a beat poet who went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1975 and the 2008 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize. As a 17-yearold, in the 1960s, Dofflemyer was packing mules in Mineral King. One evening after a hard day on the trail, he sat down with a girl who helped clean the cabins in the area and they read Snyder’s Riprap and Cold Mountain Poems by lantern-light.

“You’re there in the country he’s writing about,” he said, “and some of the people who show up in those poems – they were still working the trail crews when I was packing.

It really had a personal touch to it.”

He described Snyder’s poetry as minimalist. Though it is sparse, it is open to significant depths of interpretation. Even though he loved the Elizabethan and other old forms of poetry he studied in school, this spoke to him at a different level.

“It was something about his open form – I realized a hands-on, common kind of guy could write poetry,” he said. “He could have an effect and an impact. Reading his poetry gave me permission to write poetry.”

He met Snyder at an Art of the Wild writers’ workshop at Squaw Valley in 1992.

“He kind of liked my poetry,” he said.

“Naturally, that made me feel good. We’ve corresponded since.”

Snyder wrote a blurb for the back of Poems from Dry Creek, which said, in part, “That’s good stuff .... Reminding me again it’s not that there need be a ‘cowboy’ poetry but, as we move toward it, a poetry of work and daily life and the land.”

Dofflemyer started writing poetry in the cowboy tradition as a lark. Despite his ranching heritage, he had never been exposed to much of the oral tradition of cowboy poetry. He wrote three poems and submitted them to the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada in 1989.

“They invited me and I panicked because I didn’t know how many poems I was supposed to have,” he said. “I just started

writing in that vein. I think I’ve kind of evened out. Most people probably wouldn’t consider my poetry cowboy poetry; it just so happens that’s usually the subject of most of my poetry. It’s either the land or the cattle or wildlife. It’s all the things that seem to have some kind of meaning to me in the day-today life on this ranch.”

When he first attended the gathering in Elko, he noticed there were only a few books for sale there. Cowboy poetry was almost exclusively an oral tradition of reciting classics of the Old West. Very few poets were writing contemporary poems or publishing.

“I just thought there was a real need for somebody to publish contemporary stuff and to see the words on paper,” he said. “Poetry on the page has a different impact than just the strict recitation.”

He began putting together Dry Crik Review of Contemporary Cowboy Poetry, getting it published by a friend of a friend who had a little print shop in his garage.

The print format lasted from 1991 to 1994 and Dofflemyer believes it had an impact on popularizing the contemporary poetry. Some of the more prolific writers on its pages were J.B. Allen, Laurie Wagner Buyer and Shadd Piehl. The Review resumed publishing online in 2010.

He also started Dry Crik Press and produced Blood Trails in 1993 by Rod McQueary and Bill Jones, two cowboys who were Vietnam vets. The book was rather controversial but well accepted.

“The poems were therapeutic for both men,” he said. “Probably the best thing Dry Crik Press put out.”

Dofflemyer continued to publish McQueary’s poems in his Dry Crik Review and McQueary’s work appeared in many other anthologies until his death last December at age 61.

Dry Crik’s latest publication is Dofflemyer’s own Gate Left Open, published this year. His new poems continue to appear in issues of the Review and in his online drycrikjournal.com.

Margo Metegrano, of cowboypoetry.com, wrote that Dofflemyer’s work “grows from the dirt and sweat of the land.”

Dofflemyer said, “I think in my poetry people can see that I’m writing not necessarily through my eyes all the time.

It’s through the eyes of the landscape and what else lives here along with us. If it makes people think a little bit – great. If it makes people feel good – great. It’s an outreach of sorts to urban America. We’re just trying to bridge that rural/urban gap.”

L I F E S T Y L E | J U N E 2 013

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C CHARITY

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charity C

Horses, Hats and Helping Fight Hunger:

FoodLink’s Fifth Annual

Kentucky Derby Party Text by Jordan Venema, Photos by Studio 317

I

t’s “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports,” but even an event that lasts only a few minutes can be a great reason to throw a grand party On May 4, nonprofit FoodLink for Tulare County, Inc., hosted its fifth Kentucky Derby Party at the Visalia Country Club, lakeside and under white tents and the brims of extravagant hats.

The actual “Run for the Roses” race is a tradition more than 100 years old, held more than 2,000 miles away. Even so, the Kentucky Derby couldn’t be more relevant to the hungry of Tulare County.

FoodLink is a nonprofit food bank that has served the hungry of Tulare County, especially its children, since 1978 by providing food and nutritional education.

You could say events like the Kentucky Derby Party are FoodLink’s bread and butter, since they provide FoodLink with both financial support and community exposure. The Derby Party isn’t just FoodLink’s most exciting party, but also its largest fundraiser. And it has grown exponentially since its first year in 2009, which was held at Visalia’s Cellar Door and sold about 40 tickets, garnering about $2,500 in sponsorship.

This year, approximately 325 guests attended the party, and local sponsorship nearly reached $30,000. Overall, the party raised about $44,000, and Becky Kennedy, programs manager at FoodLink, conveyed “although this represents only about five percent of our total operating budget, the exposure these events bring to FoodLink and our mission is immeasurable.” That exposure is immeasurable because “with the never-ending cuts we see in the majority of our funding sources, including grants, foundations, individuals and government

funding, FoodLink must continuously make our presence known and try to establish new relationships with donors, volunteers and community advocates,” said Kennedy.

Even though the Kentucky Derby Party is one of the nonprofit’s largest fundraisers, its real purpose is to educate guests about FoodLink, according to board member Tony Casares. Casares estimated “about 30 percent of the people attending don’t really know what FoodLink is,” which is why guests were provided programs that included information about the nonprofit.

The program also included 1,000 “Derby Bucks,” good both for betting on horses like Mea Maxima Culpa, Ritmo Criollo, and Frac Daddy, and for bidding on items during the live auction following the race.

Inside the program was a list of the names of horses and their odds, a sequence of numbers that – to the uninitiated – looked like an indecipherable code.

Casares insisted guests didn’t need “to know a cotton-picking thing about horse racing” to enjoy themselves, however.

“Heck, I didn’t know anything about horse racing until I started coming to this as well.” If ever Casares didn’t know a thing about horse racing, it would have been impossible to tell. Casares, also the master of ceremonies stood out in the crowd of bow ties and plumed and ribboned hats, wearing a blue-checkered silk jockey suit.

Before the two minutes of racing had come and gone, the Dustbowl Kids, a bluegrass quartet, serenaded guests who sipped on champagne. Guests participated in the silent auction, bidding on dozens of items that had been donated by local sponsors, while waiters served appetizers on silver platters. Guests could watch

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the races from a number of large projectors set up under the white tents, but most guests seemed content to sip on cocktails in the shade, mingling with friends and acquaintances, while keeping themselves cool with paper fans.

As for the actual race? Ernest Hemingway said the last 100 meters of a race could be “like pulling a cork out of a bottle.” In such a short race, as one horse pulls ahead, the action can be like a sudden, quick jerk and a loud pop – something explosive, full of force. The Derby’s winning horse, Orb, won just like that in the last 100 meters, pulling ahead of the pack, all mud and straining sinews, and finishing with a two-and-a-halflength victory ahead of the other horses.

The party may have been ostensibly about a horse race, but the real show was the guests’ outfits. “People have gotten into planning their hat ahead of time, planning their outfit,” said Hollis Fernandez, a FoodLink board member and committee

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chair for the event. Not just a few guests, but most, if not all, came dressed to the nines, wearing better than their Easter best, decked out in purple polka-dot bow ties and hats heavy under the weight of bouquets of flowers.

The best dressed and bravest guests participated in the Fancy Hat and Bow Tie Contests. Casares used wit and humor to present the contestants with unique “show” names: Mint Julep for a gentleman in green, and Looking Good in Stripes for another.

Leslie Richie won this year’s Fancy Hat competition, even though she joked that her homemade butterfly-topped hat would only win her the nonexistent “Ugliest Hat Award.” Richie competed under the given name Butterfly My Goodness.

Hollis attributed the success of this year’s Kentucky Derby Party to the support of the community, including the large amount of contributions from sponsors. Unexpected hurdles were followed by unexpected

generosities, such as a large donation of wine from the Shannon family. “It’s an amazing community, Tulare County, in general,” Hollis said. “We have so many nonprofits but we have so many people who are willing to step up and go to, support and sponsor these events – and we’re a relatively small community.”

The FoodLink for Tulare County, Inc., Kentucky Derby Party brought a little bit of Kentucky to Visalia. And while people came for the party, they also left with a new awareness of the nonprofit and its mission.

Casares was hopeful the guests who came for a fun event would also leave with a new perspective. “Hopefully,” said Casares, “they enjoy it so much that they say, ‘You know what, not only do I want to come back next year but I also really want to find out what this FoodLink thing is all about and possibly become a supporter.’”

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N next gen

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next gen N

BRILYNN RAKES

Dancing a

Text by Jordan Venema Photo by Leslieandre Photography

T

he thing about dancing is anybody can do it. People will tell themselves they can’t, but the moment they stop thinking and start feeling the music the foot begins to tap, the shoulders bob, the head sways.

Anyway, nobody said dancing had to be pretty. It’s true not everybody can be a good dancer, but that may be why dance reality shows are so popular: we all wish we could be that good. So you think you can dance?

Well, think again, because in a real world, there are limits, right?

But what to make of Brilynn Rakes, a 17-year-old Visalia native, who appears to dance without the same limitations that keep most people confined to the couch – limitations like a total lack of rhythm. To watch Brilynn dance is to wonder if classical ballet comes as effortlessly to her as walking down the street. But that’s the hallmark of a good dancer, to make it look easy. Nobody should think about the six hours of class a day, six days a week; and certainly nobody would think, watching Brilynn pirouette like a top, that she is legally blind.

Brilynn Rakes was born with Nystagmus, a condition commonly called “dancing eyes” that causes rapid and uncontrollable eye movement. The rapid movement of her eyes means Brilynn looks out into a constantly shaking, shifting world. Not only is Brilynn color blind, but she is also extremely sensitive to light due to conical dystrophy. Colored contact lenses improve her vision to 20/200 but objects farther than five feet appear to her as a blur. It is difficult to imagine how anybody with such a condition could balance on one foot, let alone pirouette.

“It’s 10 times harder dancing without your eyes,” said Brilynn. “Everything we do revolves around focus, like, look at that spot, that’s how you balance, that’s how

you turn.” Brilynn has worked through her disadvantage. “I’ve figured out my way of dancing, from the inside, internally,” she explained, admitting it was difficult to describe but that it involved the use of her core muscles. “It’s a process I’ve created for myself,” she added. Mostly, Brilynn has to pay attention, to listen, to use other senses.

Brilynn has spent the majority of her life figuring out her own way of dancing. At four she began taking a mixture of dance – tap, jazz, and ballet – from Lisa Hinds at Kid’s Edition in Visalia. She began to focus on ballet when she turned eight, taking classes at The City Performing Arts Academy of Visalia, and later at Fresno’s Severance Ballet Conservatory.

At an age when most kids are trying to figure out what video games they’d rather play, Brilynn was thinking about her future. “I’ve been thinking about my career ever since I was 12,” she said. “I’ve always been thinking about it, as long as I can remember.” Her parents, aware of Brilynn’s potential, obviously considered their daughter’s career as well. They supported Brilynn by moving her to San Diego where she attends the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts.

The move worked out for Brilynn.

Through the contacts of her personal choreographer, Brilynn got the opportunity to dance with Derek Hough on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. Her dance, one of the show’s Spotlight Performances, aired on April 10 and was preceded by a two-minute biographical segment. This “dream come true” opportunity brought a new level of attention to the dancer’s “dancing eyes.”

“Most of the time I forget,” she said, referring to her condition, “I just don’t have time to feel bad for myself.” Before Brilynn’s publicity on Dancing with the Stars, her vision just hadn’t been a topic of

conversation. “I go in like anybody else,” she said about competing and rehearsing.

But her experience on the show has helped Brilynn to see herself in a new light and to appreciate the obstacles she has overcome.

It wasn’t difficult for people viewing the show to appreciate Brilynn’s accomplishments. The day after the show aired, Brilynn received hundreds of messages from parents of children diagnosed with Nystagmus and similar conditions. While it was “cool to see myself on TV,” the real reward for Brilynn was hearing her story told back to her through the eyes of people inspired by her performance. “They told me I inspired them and gave them hope” for their children, said Brilynn, “and that was my goal, to inspire people.”

Brilynn still dreams to dance “at the highest level,” to travel the world and perform in famous theaters. Since she was accepted to both the Boston Conservatory and The Hartt School (of the University of Hartford), she is only left to decide what comes next: to pursue a BFA in dancing or try to join a dance company. But, she added, “I also want to be a thoughtful teacher.” Considering Brilynn’s talent and story, there probably are not many limits to where she can go or what she can do.

It was after Michael Rakes, Brilynn’s father, ever proud of his daughter, spoke to his Rotary club about Brilynn that the idea for a Next Gen feature about her inspired the editors of Lifestyle Magazine. Not but a half week after interviewing Brilynn, her father passed away while in emergency open-heart surgery. Lifestyle Magazine offers its sincere condolences to the Rakes family, and humbly appreciates Michael Rakes’ memory by publishing the article that was inspired by his love for his daughter.

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H HOME TOUR

The WALKER Home

PICTURED: An open-concept living and kitchen space was at the top of the list for Elizabeth Walker, while her husband Steve took to designing the custom cabinetry and fireplace modeled throughout the home.

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HOME TOUR H

Text by Jordan Venema | Photos by Forrest Cavale, Third Element Studios

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S

teve and Elizabeth Walker have long been accustomed to country living. That happens when you build your house in the middle of a 40-acre almond orchard in Hanford, California. Their children, Bree and Reed, like most kids who grow up with space to roam, spend their free time racing Kubota tractors about the orchard. Reed’s 4H projects, a goat and two full-sized turkeys – birds you hear before you see – are penned up on the side of the home. Add four dogs and two cats and the Walker residence is complete.

The Walkers are accustomed to country living, but they certainly don’t have a country house. At the end of their 424-foot concrete driveway, the cluster of hip roofs rises unexpectedly above a line of almond trees, and a circular fountain spurts a cascade of arches. The Walkers admit they likely would have built a country home earlier in their marriage, “but I think as we’ve gotten older and exposed to more things in life our style has changed,” explained Elizabeth. Still, the almond trees

brush up against their home.

Those almond trees aren’t the only things that have roots growing in Hanford soil. Both Steve and Elizabeth grew up in Hanford, and Steve’s family has lived here, “oh, forever.” Steve also grew up “about a mile from here,” he showed the general direction with a wave of his arm over the tops of the almond trees. The first home they owned was “the little grey one with the white fence” that borders their property just down the road. It’s like the Walkers couldn’t get away from this space of land.

“When we lived in the little house, there used to be a walnut orchard here,” said Elizabeth. “I always told him, ‘I want to build a house in the middle of that 40 acres,’ and he said, ‘Not on your life. You’ll never build a house out in the middle of that 40.’” Why not? “Because it’s the stupidest thing to farm around your house if you don’t have to,” Elizabeth smiled.

“Guess who won?”

Steve and Elizabeth probably walked through about 500 track homes and looked over as many plans before they decided

upon the right home for them. Once they found their plan, they personalized it: converting the two-story house to a single story, making the roof line a little steeper to complement the 10- and 12foot ceilings, adding a wraparound porch and a covered breezeway. As for the layout of the approximately 4,000 square-foot home, “everything sits on an angle,” said Elizabeth. The bedrooms fan out from the front entrance like extended wings, with the conjoined living room and kitchen separating the two wings of the home.

“We grew up in a house kind of similar,” said Steve, describing the layout of his childhood home. “Our rooms were on one end and our parents’ on the other.”

Similarly, Elizabeth and Steve wanted their master bedroom and children’s rooms to be at different ends of the home, to provide a large enough space “to get away, to get mom time,” laughed Elizabeth.

Steve had a hand with redesigning the home’s floor plan, but as for everything else “she really designed everything,” said Steve, giving credit to his wife.

ABOVE: The dining room of the Walker home features a circular table, making it possible for everyone to communicate with one another with ease.

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H HOME TOUR

All the floor tiles, the colors in every room, the granite tops in the kitchen, Elizabeth did it all. She purposefully wanted a neutral home, choosing browns and beiges for the tiles and paint. Her approach was minimalist, installing built-in hampers and walk-in closets to reduce the amount of furniture in the rooms.

The children’s rooms mirror each other, sharing a Jack-and-Jill bathroom. Reed’s room is decorated with gears, trucks, metallic colors, all suggesting machinery.

Bree’s room is detailed with floral patterns on the pillow and the duvet covers, and a framed painting on the wall.

Besides the neutral colors throughout the home, there is another consistency of design. “I wanted everything to look like it was furniture,” said Elizabeth, describing the wood-stained trimming and paneling that covers many of the appliances in the house, like the refrigerator and dishwasher.

The kitchen’s black granite-topped island looks like it stands on the legs of a table, carved and detailed from a block of wood.

The living room’s fireplace uses the same trimming and paneling, as does the covered hood above the stovetop. Steve even had the hutch in the dining room and the desk in the office custom-built to match the color

and detail of the wood found elsewhere in the home.

The Walkers put a lot of attention into the conveniences and details of their home, even though Steve joked, “All I really cared about was a bed.” But when asked what he wanted most from his home, he quickly admitted he wanted the wraparound patio, a place to sit outside. He purposefully had the front of the house face west, so the 11-pillared, covered patio would provide plenty of shade. The Walkers’ favorite spot outside is a couch off the side of their back patio, covered in its shade, from where they can watch their kids swimming or their dogs lying on the warmth of the black glass of the fire pit.

It’s an almost universal phenomenon that families who build their own homes put most of their energy and concern into its backyard and what lies outside its walls.

Yes, people care about their floor plans, the size of the bedrooms, the convenience of the kitchen, but what they really want is a comfortable place to sit outside, a place to relax. Living in the middle of an orchard, obviously the Walkers had a great “backyard” to work with.

“I grew up in town but once he got me out [in the country] I never wanted to go

back,” said Elizabeth. She said it’s the peace and quiet she loves, but it’s also the security that her children can roam freely and safely.

Then there’s the chorus of frogs at night, and the roar of the jets as they fly over the home on their way to and from the airbase.

“The squadrons come in and we hightail it outside. I still run out like a little kid,” said Elizabeth smiling. For Steve, whose punishment as a child was to stay indoors and off the farm, he said, “There’s no cons about [living in the country].”

Steve planted the almond trees four years before they built the home, but had to uproot many of them to clear a space for the house. Since then, he’s had to remove one or two here or there to make additional space for other projects, but it’s never been easy for him. Like any farmer, Steve seems to have a special bond with his land, born out of familiarity perhaps.

When Steve laid their concrete driveway, Elizabeth got a call from a friend who was helping with the masonry. “‘Elizabeth, you gotta bring a 12-pack out to your husband.

He’s having a meltdown that he had to take out one more of his tree,’” Elizabeth recalled, laughing.

“That was one of my buddies,” said Steve, while Elizabeth added, “We tease him

TOP LEFT: The chandelier above the bathtub in the master bathroom was one of the many features on Elizabeth’s wish list when designing her home.

TOP RIGHT: The man cave, which doubles as the entertainment room, separate from the main house, wouldn’t be without Steve’s collection of NASCAR memorabilia.

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HOME TOUR H

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H HOME TOUR

that we have to pull out a rosary and say prayers over the trees.”

Perhaps that’s what happens after 27 years of farming.

There is a framed photo of the Walkers’ house and orchard hanging on the wall of their office. Below the picture of the blossoming almond trees a caption reads “Our labor of love.”

Elizabeth might tease her husband about his love for each individual tree, but she acknowledged the orchard is “part of our landscape, our livelihood.”

Most people prefer to keep a world between their home and their work, to leave it behind them each day when they clock off. But for the Walkers, who have made their livelihood part of their landscape, the orchard is a reminder of their labor of love, of Steve’s 27 years of hard work, of the safety it has provided for their children. For the Walkers, the orchard that presses up against and surrounds their home represents a kind of physical and metaphorical security: “[It’s] the security of having our home, our own home,” stressed Elizabeth. “This is ours. If all the world falls down around us, this is still our home.”

That sense of security explains why Elizabeth calls the home her haven, or why her friends will tease her when she doesn’t leave the “compound.” Elizabeth doesn’t mind. “Really right now our lives are centered around our kids,” she said: fundraising, volleyball, sitting on school boards, driving Bree and Reed to and from their schools in Fresno and Lemoore.

ABOVE: The master bedroom of the Walker home exudes comfort and peace – on the opposite side of the house as the kid’s rooms – creating a secluded “mom” getaway.

LEFT: The heavy glass, wrought iron and wooden door of the Walker home allows for easy sightlines into the almond grove right outside the property line.

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HOME TOUR H

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PICTURED: Perhaps the most stunning room of the Walker home is the kitchen, with its rich dark-wood colored cabinetry, glass tile backsplash, black granite countertops, and furniture-like appliances.

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HOME TOUR H “The one thing I’ve wanted for my kids is a safe place,” she said. “So when we leave the whole world, coming home from Fresno, coming home from Hanford or Lemoore, this is our safe place, this is our home. This is where we can leave everything behind.”

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Some Like i Hot 34

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L

et’s spice up this summer weather a little more with some south of the border-inspired dishes, perfect for a summer fiesta! Make all or one of these taste bud pleasers at your next get together. We’ll bring the margaritas!

Recipes by Elaine Dakessian | Photos by Taylor Johnson

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Pork Taquitos with Spicy Tomato Sauce Ingredients

¼ C olive oil 1 onion, diced 2 jalapenos, minced 2 cloves minced garlic 3 lbs. pork shoulder, boneless, cubed ½ T chili powder 1 tsp. cumin ½ tsp. Mexican oregano ½ tsp. ground coriander ½ tsp. ground cloves 2 T tomato paste 28 oz. stewed tomatoes 2 C beef broth 1 bay leaf ½ C cilantro, chopped 16 corn tortillas Oil for frying 12 oz. shredded fontina or cheese of choice

Directions

Ingredients

Heat Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add oil, onions, jalapeno and garlic, cook until soft, stirring occasionally, about five minutes.

2 C good quality mayonnaise such as Hellman’s or Best Foods 2 to 3 chipotle peppers in adobo or more if you like heat 1 lime, squeezed into mix

Add pork that has been cut into two-inch cubes and cook to brown on all sides. Mix in chili powder, cumin, oregano, coriander and ground cloves. Cook for two minutes. Add tomato paste and cook two minutes longer. Stir in stewed tomatoes, beef broth and bay leaf. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer one hour or until pork is tender and shreds easily.

Using a slotted spoon, remove pork, cool and shred.

Meanwhile, increase heat and reduce liquid by half. Let cool.

Mix cilantro into cooled, shredded pork and mix well with reduced liquid.

Heat the oil to 360 degrees in a deep fryer or heavy bottomed pan. Take tongs and one by one, dip corn tortillas in the hot oil and blot with paper towels. This will keep your tortillas from drying out and cracking before you deep fry. Take a couple of tablespoons of beef and lay along the center of the tortilla. Add shredded cheese, roll the tortilla and secure with toothpicks, I use two. Repeat the process until you have as many taquitos as you desire.

Make sure your oil is hot and drop in three to four at a time, browning. Drain on paper towels. Serve with cilantro and chipotle aioli.

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Chipotle Aioli

Directions

Mix all ingredients in food processor

CULINARY C

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CULINARY C

Short Rib Tacos with Corn Salsa Ingredients

2 lbs. boneless short ribs Salt and pepper Olive oil for searing 1-quart water 6 flour tortillas, fajita size Cilantro for garnish Cotija cheese for garnish Lime wedges for garnish

Corn Salsa Ingredients

2 ears fresh corn 2 jalapenos, chopped ½ red onion, chopped ½ C cilantro, roughly chopped 2 avocado, chopped 1 lime, squeezed 1 T olive oil Directions

Mix all ingredients together and set aside.

Directions

Season short ribs with salt and pepper, brown on all sides in olive oil, put in Dutch oven and cover with hot water, being sure that the water comes half way up the sides of the short ribs. Place Dutch oven, covered, in a 350-degree oven for one and a half hours or until tender to shred.

Warm tortillas in a non-stick skillet, no oil. Just move around to warm on both sides. Remove and add shredded rib meat and top with the corn salsa.

Top with additional cilantro, garnish with Cotija cheese and a wedge of lime.

Ahi Tuna Tacos with Slaw in Peanut Dressing (shown on pages 34-35)

Ingredients

1 lb. good quality ahi Sesame seeds Canola oil for searing Corn tortillas with oil to lightfry tortillas Directions

Press ahi into the sesame seeds to adhere to the flesh of the tuna on both sides. Heat oil in a non-stick pan until quite hot. Sear fish on both sides and remove from heat.

Heat oil in sauté pan, warm tortilla in oil, bending with tongs to shape into a half shell.

Fill the tortilla with slaw tossed in peanut dressing.

Slice ahi and place atop the slaw. Serve with peanut dressing on the side for garnishing and Serrano chilies if you want additional heat.

Peanut Dressing This is a Bobby Flay creation. I love it and use it for all kinds of dishes. I take poetic license and up the heat, add this or that to alter it, but it is a great base.

Ingredients

1/4 C rice wine vinegar 2 T smooth peanut butter 1 T chopped fresh ginger 2 tsp. chipotle pepper puree 1 T soy sauce 1 T honey 2 tsp. toasted sesame oil 1/2 C canola oil Salt and freshly ground pepper Directions

Add all ingredients into a food processor. Toss with slaw.

Slaw Ingredients

1 bag slaw mix 1 bag shredded carrots ½ C cilantro 1 red bell pepper, julienned 1 T mint, chopped 4 green onions, chopped on the bias Directions

Add all the above ingredients into a medium sized bowl.

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H history

Jasper Harrell, The Man and His Building

F

Text by Terry L. Ommen

Refle

or nearly 75 years, the stately three-story building etched with J. Harrell’s name, stood at the corner of Court and Main streets towering over Visalia. It was impressive and for many years it was a source of community pride. But in 1962, the landmark structure suffered a serious fire. Although it survived the blaze, the building was forever changed and so was Visalia’s skyline.

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history H

ections of Main Street

Jasper Harrell was born in Georgia in 1830 and came to California in 1850.

Drawn by the lure of precious metal, he sought his fortune in the rich gold fields of Tuolumne County. He found some “color,” but in about 1854 the young man gave up mining and took his $1,400 to Los Angeles. There he purchased cattle and drove them north to his homestead near Visalia. In the decades that followed, Harrell added an estimated 10,000 acres to his Tulare County real estate holdings and thousands of head of cattle, making him one of the biggest cattlemen in the west.

In 1857, Harrell married Martha Bacon, the daughter of Fielding Bacon, another large Tulare County landowner. The couple had a son, Andrew J., and a daughter, Victoria.

His cattle empire eventually stretched into Nevada where he reportedly had 30,000 head spread over much of the northern portion of the state. His holdings even spilled into Texas where he had over 3,000 head. In 1883, John Sparks, a future Nevada governor, bought Harrell’s Nevada livestock for nearly $1 million.

Harrell also made real estate investments in Los Angeles and traveled frequently to the city. He was often mentioned on the society page of the newspaper there, and almost always was referred to as a Visalia capitalist.

His investments in Visalia were numerous. A group led by Jasper Harrell decided to establish a small, short-line railroad between Visalia and Tulare. The Visalia & Tulare Railroad Co. took shape in 1887 and was operational by 1888.

Unlike most of Harrell’s business

ventures, the V&T RR was not a financial success and ended in 1900 when a cow wandered onto the track and derailed the train.

In 1889, Harrell constructed a threestory bank and office building on the southeast corner of Main and Court streets. The $35,000 brick building was designed by Kysor, Morgan & Wells of Los Angeles and included two large safes, one in the basement and one on the ground floor. It was in this building he and Andrew started their banking firm known as Harrell & Son. This building also became the Visalia terminus for the railroad line.

While he was engaged in numerous business ventures throughout the West, he took time to manage the affairs of his large ranch a few miles north of Visalia. He was a big wheat grower and his crop was regularly being damaged by rabbits. In the 1880s, he purchased over 60 thoroughbred hounds and let them run on his land hoping to eliminate the pesky rabbits. It

worked, and the savvy businessman sold the valuable fur, using the proceeds to offset the cost of the dogs.

His ranch property had numerous sloughs and ditches providing him access to considerable water. He built diversion dams, but his actions oftentimes impacted downstream landowners, especially in Kings County. The upset property owners secretly trespassed on Harrell’s land and blew up his dams. On at least one occasion after rebuilding a sabotaged dam, Harrell hid nearby and saw two armed riders approaching. Before they could do any damage, Harrell stepped out and confronted them. The two men retreated and Harrell announced that if the maliciousness continued “somebody is going to get hurt.”

Harrell led a full life. He had been a miner, rancher, cattleman, railroader, banker and investor and by 1901 the 70-year-old millionaire’s life was coming to an end. In May he became ill and spent a week trying to recover, but died on

LEFT: This shows the Harrell Building with the Visalia & Tulare Railroad train on the track at Court Street.

RIGHT: Intersection of Court Street and Main Street today, with only the bottom floor of the J.Harrell building remaining.

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May 13 in Visalia, the victim of Bright’s Disease. The newspaper obituary called him one of the wealthiest and most honored residents in Tulare County, and even though he was extremely rich, he was called a “plain, unassuming businessman.”

He was buried at the Visalia Cemetery.

Even though the man was gone, his impressive building in Visalia remained.

Over the years it has been home to many businesses including financial institutions and various retail establishments including drug and cigar stores. The upper floors offered office space and living apartments for many.

But in 1962 the tranquil life of the old building changed dramatically. On Monday evening, September 2, a fire broke out on the third floor. The fire department responded quickly, drenched the building with water and within 45 minutes, the blaze was under control. The top floor was totaled and even though the second floor sustained no fire damage, the 20,000 gallons of water used to fight the fire took its toll.

When Ernest Smith, the Harrell Building owner since 1923, assessed the building’s damage, he knew both the second and third floors were beyond repair.

The resulting demolition left the one-time imposing structure with just one level and that is how it stands today.

For over 124 years, the Jasper Harrell building has been part of Visalia’s landscape, but for the last half century, it has been reduced to a third of its original size. Regardless, this symbol of Visalia’s pioneer days is a reminder of the prominent businessman who helped put Visalia on the map.

PICTURED: The safe used in the 1800s at the Harrell & Son banking firm can still be found today.

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history H

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S SPIRITS

Malts, Hops and (Beer) Geeks:

Recipe for the Second Visalia Craft Beer Fest Text by Jordan Venema | Photos by Taylor Johnson

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he Visalia Craft Beer Festival came to Mooney Grove Park for its second year in a row. A mere $30 bought admission to the event and unlimited two-ounce samples of different beers from breweries located as far as Oregon and as near as Main Street, Visalia.

Beer aficionados kept cool under the canopy of the park’s historic oaks, while sipping craft brews and listening to the low-fidelity sounds of Electric Grease and Central California Bluegrass band, the Mother Corn Shuckers.

Between the music, the food and the beer, the fest felt like a laid-back picnic without that nagging worry: who’s going to buy the next six-pack?

Though the festival is still in its infancy, the promoters put forth a well-organized event. “We try to put as much energy into the fest as the brewers do into their beer,” said Kenny Hildebrand, chairman of Craft Beer Coalition, the nonprofit that hosted the event. According to its website, the nonprofit is “dedicated to the preservation of the history and culture of craft beer through education and awareness.” In other words, the Beer Fest wasn’t just some Bacchanal, all-you-can-drink binge. “The Craft Beer Coalition has put on this fest for the beer geeks,” said Hildebrand, and its purpose is to “educate your palate and mind.”

“Geek” is a term endearingly applied to a small, passionate group of people with an extensive, almost esoteric knowledge about one particular thing. In this case: beer.

One only had to listen to a few conversations to realize most of the fest’s attendees were what Hildebrand called “beer geeks.” Acronyms slipped from the lips of fest goers with a kind of scientific pedantry: “Could you tell me the IBU rating of this imperial ale? What about its SRM, or its ABV?” A representative from Fresno’s TiogaSequoia Brewing Company described the General Sherman IPA as “cask-conditioned in a firkin, and dry hopped with whole cone citra hops.” Whole cone what? The truth is most beer drinkers separate their brews into two categories, Bud and Bud Light. Which is precisely why the Visalia Craft Beer Festival exists: to make craft beers more accessible to the community.

Doug Dresser, the Central California sales representative for Firestone Walker Brewing Co., explained while craft beers make up a smaller percentage of the market, they offer more flavor and variety. Last year, explained Dresser, “total craft brew consumption

SPIRITS S

reached only six and a half percent. So everybody here is weird, a little out there.

But they’re all looking for flavor, and that’s what craft beer is about.”

Dresser, “the pale ale professional,” compared drinking craft beer to drinking specialty coffee. After trying a French press or pour-over, would you ever go back to instant coffee? Of course not, and the same goes for beer. “Once you get used to that fresh, full-flavored beer, you’re never going back,” he said.

According to the definition of the Brewers Association, a craft beer must be traditionally brewed by an independent brewery with an annual output of less than six million barrels. It might seem like a large number, but for craft breweries like Firestone Walker, that means its distribution is relatively limited to its locale.

Californians may take the Firestone Union Jack for granted, but outside California, which makes up 80 percent of Firestone’s market, their beer would be difficult to find.

Craft beer makes up a small percentage of total beers brewed, but it represents the majority of its variety. Dresser pointed out that there are over 90 different styles of beer that get judged at major competitions, and most of those styles are perfected by craft breweries. That’s good news for beer geeks and the Visalia Craft Beer Fest, since there should never be a shortage of beers to sample. Lagunitas, Ninkasi, Stone, Speakeasy, 21st Amendment, Sierra Nevada, and Brewbakers were just a few of the breweries represented at the Visalia Craft Beer Fest.

The success of this year’s local fest, and other festivals like it, suggests the rise in popularity of craft beer. Most people know at least one person who has dabbled in brewing their own beer. And home brews, upon occasion, have grown into independent craft breweries, like Brewbakers. But the growing number of independent craft breweries doesn’t appear to create a conflict of interest between

small businesses.

Stephanie Dyer, a manager at Visalia’s Brewbakers, expressed rather a growing sense of community among craft breweries.

“The beer community is all about sharing with each other. We’re not competing with 21st Amendment, we’re not competing with Tioga. [The Visalia Craft Beer Fest] is about getting people together and enjoying each other,” she said.

That’s exactly what the fest did: it provided an environment where people could come together, enjoy each other, have fun, and appreciate beer as a craft, as an art.

Also, attendees learned a thing or two about new beers. Maybe this year’s attendees will have left the fest better prepared to answer the question, “What’s your favorite beer?”

Or, maybe not. For Dresser, his favorite beer “depends on the time of the year, where I am, the temperature, how I’m feeling and – most importantly – who’s buying.”

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P PROFILE

Dr. Ian Duncan | Photo by Taylor Johnson

H

e’s an adventure junkie, selfproclaimed sports nut and family man who loves spending time with his wife, Nicole, and three kids, Sierra, Nathan and Kaden. He’s also a downto-earth, genuinely nice-guy. Meet Dr. Ian Duncan, Visalia’s newest orthopedic surgeon.

RIGHT: Peter Deluca, head team physician for the Philadelphia Eagles, Dr. Ian Duncan, and Paul Marchetto, the assistant team physician.

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PROFILE P

Dr. Ian Duncan Text by Cheryl L. Dieter

Ian Duncan grew up in Santa Rosa, California, the son of an artist (dad) and musician (mom). Even as a young child Dr. Duncan knew he wanted to be a doctor. As a high school athlete he also knew he wanted sports to figure predominately in his career. But it wasn’t until a visit to the ER with then-girlfriend Nicole who had dislocated her wrist, that he realized orthopedic sports medicine/ surgery was his calling.

“There was an orthopedist in the ER who had me pull on Nicole’s arm to help pop her wrist back into place and I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. I fell in love with the field and decided right then and there I would do whatever it took to become an orthopedist,” said Dr. Duncan.

But first he had to get through junior college.

“My first semester at Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) I earned a 2.58 GPA because I was working full-time as a bagger at Albertsons and doing lots of social things instead of putting the time in studying. One semester of that and it dawned on me I was really going to have to get serious about my education if I wanted to accomplish the goals I had set for myself. I also realized it really wasn’t that hard to go from being a B student to an A student; I only had to put in a couple of extra hours per week others didn’t want to,” explained Dr. Duncan.

To increase his chance of getting into medical school, Dr. Duncan decided he needed to gain medical experience, so he took a job in environmental services at Santa Rosa Hospital. From there he moved up to nursing assistant, then became a phlebotomist, and finally a telemetry tech on the cardiac floor.

“Since I have had experience working in all areas of the hospital, I think it gives me a unique perspective, which enhances my ability to relate to all sorts of people – from patients to hospital staff,” said Dr. Duncan. “I have found that there is something to be learned from everybody if

you just take the time to listen.”

Post junior college Dr. Duncan headed to UC Davis where Nicole worked to put him through school, in addition to a small stipend his father provided. Not working allowed him to graduate from UC Davis with high honors and a GPA of 4.0. After two years at Chicago Medical School, from which he also graduated with high honors, the Duncan family headed east to Temple University for his residency. It was an orthopedist’s dream come true.

Working at Temple meant Dr. Duncan had the opportunity to complete his sports medicine fellowship training as one of the doctors responsible for taking care of the pro athletes on all three of the city’s professional sports teams: the Phillies, Eagles and Flyers. He also tended to the injuries of the gymnastic team at Temple along with many local high school sports teams throughout the city. In Visalia for less than a year, the doctor is already working with COS and Central Valley Christian sports teams. For Dr. Duncan, working with amateur athletes is more rewarding because he can focus on the athlete’s health and not putting big sports teams’ bottom lines ahead of their players’ health.

“Working with professional teams is something very few doctors get to do.

One of the benefits of working with these teams is that it exposes you to the newest innovations in medicine and to unusual injuries that many people are not trained to pick up on,” Dr. Duncan said. “I think that experience also makes it easier for me to relate to kids. They often know more about the athletes than adults around them do, so I find I can help relieve their anxiety by talking to them about the pro athletes I know and about sports in general. For me, getting my patients comfortable and earning their trust is one of the most important things that I can do as a physician.”

When deciding upon a location in which to start a practice, Dr. Duncan admits he had a lot of offers, as orthopedic surgeons

are in high demand. He chose Visalia because he felt it was a great up-andcoming city with a wonderful downtown ambiance attractive to his family. In addition, Dr. Duncan feels Kaweah Delta Health Care District “is an amazing place with state-of-the-art technology. They are also there to help new doctors establish a practice, which is something many hospitals don’t offer. I appreciate what they have done to help me succeed.”

In addition to recruiting Dr. Duncan, Kaweah Delta has made great strides in bringing the best minds in medicine to the Central Valley. The Graduate Medical Education (GME) program, which kicks off this summer, brings a group of top-notch medical doctors to Visalia to complete the final phase of their residency training. “This program is going to improve patient care and create more local doctors,” said Lori Winston, M.D., associate director of the Emergency Medicine Residency Program. In addition to Emergency Medicine, the GME program will roll out this summer with the Family Medicine Residency Program, followed next year by a Psychiatry Residency. In following years, there will be General Surgery and Transitional Year Residencies. When the residents complete their training they will have all the tools they need to start a practice of their own – hopefully here in town.

“I am a doctor who talks to his patients, lays out their options and has them be actively involved in the decision-making process. Giving people enough time so they feel they are being cared for and not being rushed out of the office is what is in the patients’ and my best interests,” said Dr. Duncan. “Ultimately, the more I know about a person the better I can do my job.

Getting people back to the things they love and their lives is the most important thing I do. I strive to do it well.”

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F FASHION

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FASHION F

S u mm e r

White Out Text by Sharon Mosley

O

K, everyone, it’s official. Memorial Day has come and gone, and it’s time to bring on the white, right? And although many fashion experts extol the virtues of wearing white all year long now, it still seems that this basic of “non-colors” just fits more into the summer swing of things. After all, sliding through the dirty snow in white suede boots doesn’t really make sense even to this go-go girl of the ‘60s.

This summer, white is one of the hottest fashion trends making the rounds at retail.

And it’s easy to incorporate it into your wardrobe. It goes with practically anything and any color. Here are a few tips on how to wear white right now: Go graphic. This year, white looks right with the bold punch of black – this classic combo has long been a favorite, but now it’s gone graphic and mod. In everything from color-blocked sandals to wide striped handbags to those rockin’ round sunglasses of Korean pop star Psy, black and white just looks right for summer style.

Wear it head-to-toe. A white pantsuit can be a modern “go-to” outfit for all sorts of occasions this summer. Mix tailored trousers and jackets with a white ruffled blouse for the office or with a metallic tank for cocktails.

Think of this white-on-white look as an alternative to the black tuxedo. And of course there’s nothing more classic than the crisp white blouse teamed up with a slim black pencil skirt.

Mix it up. Combining different shades of white in one outfit can be tricky. There are the bright shades of pure white and then the darker shades of creamier whites. These can be a sophisticated pairing, as a Moto-jacket and

pencil skirt, or more casual in off-white linen pants and a white linen tunic.

Get dressed. The white dress is another hit this summer, and it’s not just the garden party dress that’s brightening up the fashion landscape. These dresses have detail with a capital “D” – texture is the key – sheer panels, lace overlays and cutouts galore (in all the right places, of course). Knee-length is the way to go.

Do denim. White jeans have also become must-haves for summertime style for both men and women. The cropped Capri promises to be a great addition this season, if you don’t already own a pair. And of course, white denim shorts are another “go-witheverything” fashion staple.

Add accessories. If wearing white headto-toe just scares you right out of the line at Starbucks, then there are plenty of white extras available to brighten up your summer wardrobe without adding a dime to your dry-cleaning bill. Again, remember you can wear white with just about everything. So go ahead and invest in these neutral accessories – an oversized white satchel, white gladiator sandals, white enamel cuff bracelets, even a bold French manicure.

Remember, you’ve got until Labor Day!

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K KUDOS

LOUIS F. RUIZ GOLF TOURNAMENT

Teeing Off for the Kids Photo by Taylor Johnson

A little rain never hurt anyone. And it surely didn’t affect the turnout for the 2013 Louis F. Ruiz Golf Invitational on May 7.

In fact, 260 golfers participated in this year’s tournament, an energizing and inspiring event to support the Ruiz 4 Kids Scholarship Program.

The event isn’t just any golf tournament.

Sure there are categories for closest to the pin, longest drive, and more, but what really makes the event unique are the other categories … funniest hat, whitest legs, dirtiest clubs, oldest clubs, etc.

So really, even if you aren’t the next Phil Mickelson, your chances of winning could be quite high. Bring on the rain! What could it hurt?

A highlight of the event was the return of the “Chopper Dropper.” As each golfer registered, they were given a golf ball to initial. The balls were then taken to the nearby Visalia Municipal Airport and loaded onto a helicopter. Once golf was complete and the awards were distributed, everyone walked to the practice range where a large bulls-eye was marked on the grass.

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Suddenly the helicopter appeared, circling the excited golfers on the ground. It finally hovered low over the bulls-eye and 260 golf balls rained down. The course’s resident pro determined which golf ball was closest to the center of the bulls-eye (talk about some serious bocce ball scoring). Bruce Lott, of Overhill Farms, won the grand Chopper Dropper prize – an exclusive Orlando, Florida, trip for two to golf at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club and Lodge.

Another unique component to the tournament is the prizes were not awarded to the top three teams; instead, prizes were awarded to first place, 10th place, 20th place, 35th place and the 45th place teams.

Of course, the focus of the event wasn’t much about golf at all. The focus for Ruiz Foods and the Ruiz Family has always been on the kids.

Ruiz 4 Kids Scholarship Program is not just a little boost for qualifying students.

Ruiz Foods scholarship money awarded to selected high school seniors can be the deciding factor between whether or not they will be able to attend higher education.

Over $262,500 in scholarships was awarded as a result of the generous golfers and sponsors this year. Since 1985, Ruiz 4 Kids has awarded over $2 million in scholarships.

Along with the effort put forth by the golfers, sponsors and event organizers, the high school seniors who apply for the scholarships also must demonstrate effort.

“Selection for a Ruiz 4 Kids scholarship is based on academic excellence, community involvement and need,” explained Kim Ruiz Beck, president of Ruiz 4 Kids and chairman of Ruiz Foods.

“We received over 600 applicants this year, each submitting an essay, resume and letter of recommendation,” she continued.

“While the review process is tedious, it is definitely rewarding. This year, over one-third of the applicants were awarded a scholarship.”

Ruiz 4 Kids is committed to both children and education. They have two fundraisers each year. One raises money for scholarships while the other raises money for a grant program – all in an effort to make a difference in the life of a child.

KUDOS K

Kaweah Delta’s First

Helipad Landing Kaweah Delta Medical Center welcomed its first helicopter landing; the first of many landings to help save lives in the South Valley.

With the helipad, a person who is traumatically injured in Springville could land at Kaweah Delta in just 12 minutes.

A newborn in need of a higher level of care could be at Children’s Hospital Central California in just 18 minutes or Stanford Medical Center in 69 minutes.

“The helipad’s installation will have far reaching effects for the region,” said Dr. Nichole Meissner, director of trauma at Kaweah Delta. “It will help trauma victims get treatment faster and treatment in the first hour has a significant impact on survival.”

In April, Kaweah Delta Medical Center celebrated the completion of its $2.7 million helipad, a project completed on time and on budget. Meanwhile, Kaweah Delta staff are undergoing several months of intensive training to assess patients who arrive by helicopter, Dr. Meissner said. By late summer, the helipad is expected to be fully operational.

Kaweah Delta has one of the busiest emergency departments in the state and treated 86,000 patients this past year. It is also the only level III trauma center in Tulare and Kings counties. Since the designation in 2011, the number of trauma patients has increased over 200 percent to over 1,000 trauma patients each year.

Photo By Ryan Krauter

The community, which helped bring the helipad to Kaweah Delta through $2.3 million in donations to Kaweah Delta Hospital Foundation, will benefit greatly from the helipad, said Dena Cochran, vice president of Development at Kaweah Delta. The Foundation raises money to increase the level of patient care at Kaweah Delta.

“The need for a helipad was great because when it comes to a person’s life, minutes matter,” she said. “If we can treat trauma patients in the golden hour – the first 60 minutes after their injury – their chances for survival are greatest.”

Photo by Ryan Krauter

LIFESTYLE | JUNE 2013

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C CHAMBER

IN THE

C OMMUNI T Y

The mission of the Visalia Chamber of Commerce is to preserve, model and advance business vitality and prosperity for our members and the community.

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AT THE BUSINESS AFTER HOURS EVENT AND THE ANNUAL STATE OF THE CHAMBER BREAKFAST MIXER 1. Loretta Miller – Miller Memorial Chapel recieves Ambassador of the Year award from Chamber President Steven Peck at the Business After Hours Mixer.

2. Chamber President Stephen Peck and Chamber board member Vincent Salinas, at the Business After Hours Mixer.

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3. Elena Sellers – Auspice Home Care and Mike Cox at the Business After Hours Mixer.

4. Armondo Apodaca, – Holiday Inn and Beth Bruegman – Visual6 Graphics at the Annual State of the Chamber Breakfast.

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CHAMBER C

Martindale - Hubbell Per Review Rating:

“BV® Distinguished™” Rating for 16 Years!

Very High Rating in both Legal Ability & Ethical Standards

“Because of Leadership Visalia, I am more confident in the abilities I have as a leader to make improvements in both the community and my company.”

CRystaL WiLLiams-JoRdan

Communication. strategy.

Vision.

Learn to Lead. appLy today.

Armstrong Property Management Class of 2012 - 2013

“Leadership Visalia has provided me not only with the tools to improve my leadership skills but with an overall understanding of how our community works, and how we can collaborate towards a better Visalia.”

RafaeL andRade HueRta Family Healthcare Network Class of 2012 - 2013

220 N S a N ta F e S t 9 3 2 9 2 • ( 5 5 9 ) 7 3 4 -5876 • www.v iS a l iac h a mber.org

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AT A FESTIVAL of Arts, GARDEN PARTY AND THE FULL BLOOM GARDEN WALK 1. Barbara Sally bidding on an item at the 2013, A Festival of Arts, Garden Party.

2. State Farm Insurance owner Ben Weldon and wife Carrie, enjoying the 2013, A Festival of Arts, Garden Party.

3. Dave and Debbie Engstrom and JoAnn Dodson having a good laugh at the 2013, A Festival of Arts, Garden Party.

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4. Exeter Chamber Board of Directors, John Guinn (president/owner of Evans Miller Guinn Exeter Chapel) and wife Diane greeting Garden Walk participants at the Sansom Home.

5. Exeter Chamber Ambassadors Makayla McMurtry, Kelly Rider, Denise Albright and Judy Anderson working at the Chamber booth for the 2013 10th Annual Full Bloom Garden Walk.

Our mission is to promote, support, and enable Exeter to prosper.

CHAMBER C

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C CHAMBER

IN THE

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5 AT THE UNITED WAY MIXER 1. Heath Beavers (BG Origin Group), Rosemary Caso (UW) and Michael Young (Valley Financial Group).

2. United Way of Tulare County Staff (l to r) Rosemary Caso, Alison Recendez, Claudia Prado and Lynn Gilliland.

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3. Anna Green and Betty Luna (Central California Family Crisis Center).

4. Guests enjoying their time at the mixer.

5. Laura Scott and Diane Phakonekham (Big Brothers/ Big Sisters).

The Tulare Chamber of Commerce, Inc. exists to serve its members and the citizens of the Tulare area and surrounding rural areas of Tulare County.

CHAMBER C

Tropics by design

Interior plantscaping and some simple design elements can make your place of business or home more warm and inviting.

Call 559.734.4920 to see what we can do for your interior.

Staging | Design and Installation | Live Plant Rental and Leasing

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h happenings

Les Misérables Boasting a cast of 120 of the Central Valley of California’s greatest artists, an internationally renowned production staff, full orchestra and epic sets, Les Misérables will come alive at the College of the Sequoias Theatre in Visalia, California. Tickets are $18.50 – $22.50.

When: June 19-23 Where: College of the Sequoias Theatre, 915 S. Mooney Blvd., Visalia Contact: 732-1851 or www.brownpapertickets.com

THEATER & PERFORMANCES

JUN 21

JUN 22

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Michael Jackson HIStory II Show

“Michael Jackson HIStory” is a recreation of what fans want but can never again see – a Michael Jackson concert – which will take fans right back to the Jackson 5 era before continuing on a thrilling journey to the current decade. Together with a live band of talented musicians, fully choreographed dancers, authentic costumes and a light and screen show. HIStory features more than 20 songs performed live by World #1 Impersonator Kenny Wizz. Tickets $49, $59 and $69.

When: June 21; 8p Where: Williams Saroyan Theater Contact: www.fresnoconventioncenter.com or www.ticketmaster.com

Downtown Summer JAM

Featuring Motel Drive, Indosurf, Not Perfect Humans, Leaving Austin, and CVL, this new downtown event will be fun for all to attend and enjoy live, local music.

When: June 22; 5-10p Where: Garden Street Plaza, Visalia Contact: Downtown Visalians, 732-7737

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JUN 25

Martina McBride

Contemporary country singer Martina McBride rose to stardom in the late ‘90s, starting out with a more traditionalist approach and later moving into pop-friendlier territory. Tickets $45-$125.

When: June 25; 7:30p Where: Visalia Fox Theatre, 300 Main St., Visalia Contact: www.foxvisalia.org

Miss California Pageant

The Miss California Organization promotes the further development of the fundamental life skills within each participant. The program encourages active involvement in community service and is fully committed to motivating and assisting young women in the state of California to fulfill their individual and professional goals by rewarding its participants with significant college and university tuition assistance.

When: June 25-29; 7p Where: Williams Saroyan Theater Contact: www.fresnoconventioncenter.com or www.ticketmaster.com

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G.I. Jukebox During WWII, Hollywood stars and starlets made it their duty to entertain “the boys.” Reminiscent of the Bob Hope USO tours, G.I. Jukebox is a night at the Stage Door Canteen.

Come and enjoy this retrospective piece of nostalgia with songs like “They’re Either Too Young or Too Old”,” Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”,” Don’t Get Around Much Anymore”, “Chatanooga Choo Choo”,”In the Mood”, and many more.

When: June 21-23, 28-30, July 5-7 Where: Ice House Theater, 410 E. Race Ave., Visalia Contact: 734-3900 or visaliaplayers@wirelesstcp.net

JUN 28

All Sons & Daughters

All Sons & Daughters is more than a worship band … they represent us as people who are still on a journey. And they are creating the soundtrack for that journey. David & Leslie have found a way to capture the thoughts, emotions and sounds of their local church and put them into songs. Tickets $10.

When: June 28; 7p Where: Radiant Church, 316 NW 3rd Ave., Visalia Contact: (Tickets) www.tinyurl.com/k8s958z

Shrek The Musical

Come out to the theatre and enjoy this fun, family friendly performance of everyone’s favorite animated film, Shrek. Presented by TCOE Theatre Company.

When: July 19-20, 25- 27; 2p/7:30p showings Where: L.J. Williams Theater, 1001 W. Main St.,Visalia Contact: Brian Roberts, brian@tcoe.org or 651-1482

JUN 20

Art in the Alley

Check out this ongoing seasonal event to display art pieces, listen to music and provide hands-on fun activities for children and the whole family.

When: June 20; 5-8p Where: Garden Street Plaza, Visalia Contact: 625-1520

Hidden in Plain Sight

Local art advocacy group ShadeqARTer has put together a collection of artwork called Hidden in Plain Sight, which is currently on display at Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group’s Downtown Visalia office. Small groups can stop by from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For larger tour groups, please call ahead.

When: Through end of June Where: Provost & Pritchard, 130 N. Garden St., Visalia Contact: 636-1166

Spring Favorites

ART EXHIBITS Creatures Great & Small

Visalia Art League Annual Members Exhibition.

When: June 5-28 Where: Arts Visalia, 214 E. Oak Ave., Visalia Contact: 739-0905

A Main Gallery art exhibit. This virtual art gallery and mobile group of well-known local artists exhibit their work together, provide wonderful, unique art as gifts and for art collections, and help organizations with art activities to promote their mission and events.

When: Through June 30, Saturdays & Sundays: 10a-4p Where: Exeter Courthouse Gallery, 125 S. B St., Exeter Contact: www.maingalleryvisalia.com

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h happenings

KJUG Concerts in the Park KJUG will once again bring the free summer concert Concerts in the Park event back to Exeter City Park. What a great night listening to big name country artists and enjoying the smell of “Small Town Charm.”

When: June 28; 7p Where: Exeter City Park, E. Chestnut St. and S. “E” St., Exeter Cotnact: 592.5262 or lwachter@exetercityhall.com

JUL 6

Food, fun and fabulous art. Every first Saturday of the month, the artists, restaurants and merchants of Three Rivers open their doors and invite you to join in a town-wide celebration. You can pick up a map and schedule at Anne Lang’s Emporium or the Historical Museum – art to see, locations and times for special events.

When: July 6; 10a-5p Where: Anne Lang’s Emporium, 41651 Sierra Dr. (CA 198), Three Rivers Contact: Nadi Spencer, 561-4373 or www.1stSaturdayTR.com

Gengi’s World in Japanese Woodblock Prints

Featured in this exhibition is a rich array of woodblock prints by many of Japan’s leading print artists, predominantly drawn from the foremost collection of prints of this subject, the extensive holdings of Paulette and Jack Lantz.

When: Through July 27 (Tuesday – Saturday, 1-5p) Where: The Clark Center for Japanese Art & Culture, 15770 10th Ave., Hanford Contact: 582-4915

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DIVERSIONS & EXCURSIONS

First Saturday

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JUN 29

Porterville Freedom Fest

This annual Independence Day celebration welcomes residents and visitors for an old fashioned family event at the Sports Complex.

Food vendors, carnival games, music, water activities, and the finale fireworks show make for an authentic Americana experience. Kids Zone includes: water slides, bounce houses and more, $3 in advance, $5 at the event.

Entry fee is $5/car.

When: June 29; 5-9:30p Where: Porterville Sports Complex, 2701 W. Scranton Ave., Porterville Contact: 782-7499

Tulare Farmer’s Market

Weekly event open to the public featuring free live music, kids’ activities, cooking demonstrations and local, fresh produce available for purchase. The market also accepts EBT and WIC. When: Tuesdays; 5-8p Where: 1407 Retherford Street, Tulare Contact: 967-6722 or www.visaliafarmersmarket.com

happenings H

JESSIE CASAS designer (p) 559.287.3678 jjbloomswholesale@sbcglobal.net

FLORAL DESIGN & EVENT PLANNING

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h happenings

4th of July 10K/2M Race The City of Exeter with the Exeter Kiwanis sponsors this event on the 4th of July. Registration: $25; Day-of registration (closes at 6:30 a.m.): $35. The first 100 participants receive a free t-shirt.

When: July 4; 7a Where: Exeter City Park, E. Chestnut St. and S. “E” St., Exeter Contact: 592.5262 or lwachter@exetercityhall.com

CHARITABLE EVENTS

Visalia Farmer’s Market – Mooney

Weekly event open to the public featuring free live music, kids’ activities, cooking demonstrations and local, fresh produce available for purchase. The market also accepts EBT and WIC. When: Saturdays; 8-11:30a Where: Sears parking lot at Mooney and Caldwell, Visalia Contact: 967-6722 or www.visaliafarmersmarket.com

Visalia Farmer’s Market – Downtown

Weekly event open to the public featuring free live music, kids’ activities, cooking demonstrations and local, fresh produce available for purchase. The market also accepts EBT and WIC. When: Every Thursday (March – October); 5-8p Where: Church St. and Main St., Downtown Visalia Contact: 967-6722 or www.visaliafarmersmarket.com

JUN 29

Dreambuilders’ Bash Summer Fundraiser

A fundraiser for ImagineU Interactive Children’s Museum, the evening promises to entertain and enlighten everyone with the possibilities ahead.The proceeds of this benefit will to complete the new facility, develop exciting programs, and ensure the future of the museum. Join them for coctails, dinner and auctions.

When: June 29; 6p Where: Visalia Country Club, 625 N. Ranch St., Visalia Contact: 733-5975

WRITERS & READERS Tulare County Library

First Tuesday Book Club (June 4, 6:30p) Mystery Readers (June 19, 6:30p) Where: Tulare County Library, 200 W. Oak Ave., Visalia Contact: 713-2700 or www.tularecountylibrary.org

Event Listings If you would like to have your event considered for a free listing in our “Happenings” section, please email your submission to lifestyle@dmiagency.com or fax to 738-0909, Attention Happenings. Please note, we do not guarantee listing of any submission.

Submissions are due six weeks prior to publication.

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