Jim Bulls

Jul 2011 9

Summer and the Evolution of the Skateboard

2011 Articles, Contributors, Hometown History, Jim Bulls, Reedley News

by Jim Bulls

Heat parched soil, thirsty plants bought for reasons unknown as this gardening hobby is new to me, constantly moving the hose or the sprinkler—it must be summer. One thing working in your yard does, it brings you closer to your neighborhood. School is out and the boys down the street are playing half-court basketball in the road. The couple around the corner pushes their twins’ stroller around the block while walking their dogs. A girl on a skateboard with an I-Pod plugged into her earphones has made at least four laps around the block, swaying to the music as she dodges ruts, potholes, obstacles and practices improving her balance and skill.

Jun 2011 25

Let’s Grow Organic!

2011 Articles, Food Fun, Going Green, Jim Bulls, Reedley News

by Jim Bulls

As a west Texas farm boy, where five families shared a communal garden to the “Victory” garden at Pantex Ordinance Plant to the backyard garden at our new home in California, I have been around organic produce for a long time. In fact, organic farming has been around since the Revolutionary War and could be considered the primary farming method until World War II. Around that time, farming became a lot more technical and there was an explosion of new chemical products, many based on German patents that resulted in potent insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides used by farmers to control pests and increase yields.

Jun 2011 18

Roundabouts: New For Reedley, But Not New

2011 Articles, Community, Contributors, Jim Bulls, Reedley News

by Jim Bulls

In the last century they were known as traffic circles, and the most well-known in our area was Bakersfield’s gateway to Highway 99. Thousands of mid-westerners fleeing the dustbowl entered the San Joaquin Valley via this traffic circle. Built in 1932, it has gone unchanged and was bypassed when the new Freeway 99 was built.

Jun 2011 1

Reedley Farmers’ Market

2011 Articles, Community, Hometown History, Jim Bulls, Reedley News

by Jim Bulls

Years ago, at the height of the family farm, the farmer planned his chores around the weekly trip to town on Friday night. This is when the family would do the week’s shopping and catch up on the local gossip. Stores were generally open from 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and catered to the farmer’s needs. In the mid-1960s, as the family farm became less and less profitable, the stores stopped staying open late and many closed or left town. Now the tide has turned.

May 2011 28

The New Reedley Hotel, Now Home to Uncle Harry’s & El Monte

2011 Articles, Food Fun, Hometown History, Jim Bulls, Reedley News

by Jim Bulls

By the 1890s, the little town of Reedley had grown enough that the town site developer hired by the Pacific Land and Improvement Company suggested building a new hotel. This would be the first brick business building on G Street. Constructed by the Betteridge Company of Visalia for the sum of $23,000, the building stood five stories high at the tower, with verandas off each room. It opened for business in 1892 and was an attractive lure for prospective residents.

Apr 2011 23

Reedley Street Faire, Then & Now

2011 Articles, Arts & Entertainment, Community, Hometown History, Jim Bulls, Reedley News

by Jim Bulls

The Reedley Street Faire, and its counterparts in Dinuba, Kingsburg and Porterville, are all geared to the auto enthusiast. In order to write about the beginning of today’s street faire, we have to go all the way back to the beginning—tracing events that took place at the end of WWII and the return of servicemen to civilian life.

Apr 2011 9

McCahill’s Reedley Sandwich Shop

2011 Articles, Community, Food Fun, Hometown History, Jim Bulls, Reedley News

by Jim Bulls

As soon as you open the door of 1154 G Street in downtown Reedley, the aroma of fresh-baked cookies hangs heavy in the air. I was immediately transported back to Grandma’s kitchen, but it wasn’t Grandma behind the counter. Jessica McCahill, along with husband Josh, has recently taken over ownership of the restaurant formerly known as “Melinda’s Place” and then “JJ Dukes.” Under the new name “The Reedley Sandwich Shop,” the McCahills have extended the hours and added to the menu. I can tell you from personal experience, that the changes are good ones.

Apr 2011 2

A Snapshot In Time: Reedley Photographer George Besaw, An Early Pioneer of the Postcard

2011 Articles, Hometown History, Jim Bulls, Reedley News

by Jim Bulls

When was the last time you were at Radio Shack, Best Buy or the electronics department at Wal-Mart? We take computers, laptops and cell phones for granted and something new and revolutionary is introduced almost weekly. Items a year old can be obsolete and grammar school children are more savvy and computer literate than I could ever hope to be.

Feb 2011 5

Tulare Farm Show Circa 1910 & Now

2011 Articles, Contributors, Hometown History, Jim Bulls

by Jim Bulls

Let’s step back into fantasy land, to the hypothetical Farm Show of 1910, when farmers traveled from Bakersfield, Fresno, Coaling Station A, Stone Corral, and Reedley. Back then, just as it is today, there is the threat of rain in the air. That is not going to stop the contingent from Reedley though; they have some of the newest farm and commercial equipment, plus skills, to exhibit.

Jan 2011 8

The Hotel Burgess: Putting Out the Welcome Mat Since 1918

2011 Articles, Community, Hometown History, Jim Bulls, Reedley News

by Jim Bulls

The history of the Hotel Burgess lies not only in her turn of the century architecture or in the locally made bricks of her walls, but in the people whose lives touched hers. It all starts in 1889 when one of Reedley’s earliest residents came to town.