Former Major League Baseball legend and World Series champion of the New York Mets and New York Yankees, Darryl Strawberry, has a new position he plays now and that’s being an ordained minister. He came to CrossCity Church in Fresno on April 23 and 24 to do a service for those in attendance with the message of how God turned his mess into a message.
The Fresno State Bulldogs football team beat Nevada 34-32 on October 23. The game featured the two-highest scoring teams in the conference. The teams combined for 984 yards of total offense. The Bulldogs (6-2 overall, 3-1 Mountain West) snapped a two-game losing streak to the Wolf Pack (5-2, 2-1) and lead the all-time series 30-22-1. Quarterback Jake Haener completed 26 of 38 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns. Jordan Mims filled in for starter Ronnie Rivers who didn’t play in the second half due to an injury.
A lot of things have returned since the lockdown has been lifted, and the one event people have been most looking forward to was The Big Fresno Fair. It’s been a local mainstay for 137 years and is the fourth largest in the state; the community marks on their calendar every October. When the pandemic happened, citizens were relegated to a free, drive-thru pickup of fair food out of desperation to keep the spirit of the fair going. It’s 2021, and the fair came back in full form. All the familiar activities, sights, and smells took place that it didn’t feel like a year had passed.
When the pandemic hit, friends Michael Broderick and Jorge Negrete were at a loss on what to do next after they were furloughed from their hospitality jobs at Tenaya Lodge. The two share an interest in biking, so they decided that since there wasn’t one in their native town of Oakhurst, they decided to give the community it’s only go-to bike shop in quite some time. That became the origins of the Pedal Forward Bikes & Adventure shop.
The Academy Award-nominated film Minari (2020) tells the story of a family of South Korean immigrants who try to make it in the rural United States during the 1980s. There have been very few stories like that told on the big screen, but the truth of the matter is that there are so many accounts of immigrants coming to this country for a better life and to live the “American Dream.” They come from all walks of life and represent different cultures. That is one of the things that makes this country amazing.
Life, Art, Business, & Entertainment is the motto that defines the local startup marketing agency, The Method. It’s run by Stephanie DuBois, the licensed hairstylist of sixteen years who formerly owned the salon, The Paint Room, which unfortunately went under due to the pandemic. Having seen and lived through the year where businesses and people struggled because of the lockdown, she took the initiative to switch to a passion she’d always wanted to pursue which was public relations. With that drive, she wanted to help local businesses, big/small/local/independent, by expanding their social media presence and have them get involved with in-person events to drive their brand and generate profit.
People in the Central Valley are odd when it comes to their perceptions about the Valley. This is an area where the youth beg to leave to experience life whether it be going to college, traveling, finding a career, and the list goes on. They have good reasons to depart, and no one really enjoys the heat much. But yet, at the same time, no matter how long people are a way from the area, people always find a way to come back. Whether to visit or move back. The famous line is true, “There’s no place like home.” And for Demetrius Porter, he would agree.
In the state of California, when you think of the havens that are considered vegan, you would imagine cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles. Rarely would you think of the Central Valley. And by reputation, deservedly so. We are the agricultural capitol of the world, especially when it comes to meat and dairy. You can’t go a square mile in this area and not see a farm of some sort.
The majority of us have dreams of traveling the world. There’s so much out there we want to see. So many different cultures, customs, beliefs, ways of life, food, the list goes on. Those dreams are usually dashed by the aesthetic that is “so little time” to do all the things we want to do and see. For adults, more often than not, it’s our obligations—mostly our jobs and careers—and the time we dedicate to those commitments that don’t make room to travel. Another fantasy to add to that list is playing professional sports.
We’re in the 21st century and still we hear about hate crimes taking place. After all this time, there are even now people out in the world committing acts of racism, discrimination, Islamophobia, homophobia, xenophobia, etc., and it seems like we never progress. It’s like the 50s and the 60s all over again.
