A California Online Magazine with Local Focus and Global Appeal
It’s that time of year again, time for Reedley’s biggest event of the year-the Reedley Fiesta! Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce Erik Valencia took a moment out of his preparations to chat with us about this year’s event, which takes place on October 10-12.
{ 0 comments }
Of all the days I’ve spent watching parades this year, December 5 was the most challenging – it was a Christmas parade double-header! That’s right, I attended two very different parades in one day and lived to tell you all about it.
{ 0 comments }
There are three more parades on my schedule – let the countdown begin! On December 12 I headed south on 99 once again, this time to the tiny town of London. If you’re confused, it’s London, California I’m talking about. I’d be willing to bet most Central Californians have never heard of this community of 2500, located 20 miles southeast of Kingsburg and nestled in the middle of acres of vineyards, peach and nectarine orchards and citrus groves.
{ 0 comments }
Christmas is on the way, and Central Valley towns are getting into the spirit of the season with parades, parades, and more parades! Last weekend I attended three in a row, each representing the values and histories of the communities in which they took place.
{ 0 comments }
“Welcome to Selma, Raisin Capital of the world!” That’s where I was on an unusually warm Halloween, waiting for the start of the 51st Annual Selma Rotary Marching Band Festival Parade. I’d really been looking forward to this, because not only do I love parades, I’ve got a thing for marching bands, too. This was going to be awesome! Bring ’em on!
{ 1 comment }
Once a year Fresno’s Tower District goes to the dogs – in a good way – and this time I was there to see it with my own eyes.
{ 0 comments }
The cheery voice on the PA wished us “Valkomen!” and invited us to “celebrate mid-summer, Swedish style!” I was in the picturesque town of Kingsburg and that’s exactly what I planned on doing.
{ 1 comment }
In 1964, Barbra Streisand had a hit song in which she declared that nobody was gonna rain on her parade. Had Babs been in Clovis in 2015, she would have been disappointed. The 98th Annual Clovis Rodeo Parade was the third on my list of parades to see this year, and it was a wet one. A steady downpour made the cancellation of this popular event a definite possibility. But this is Clovis, rough and tough, a way of life! The show must go on! So, appropriately attired in boots, cowboy hat, and red raincoat, I staked out my place deep in the heart of Old Town.
{ 0 comments }
Gung hay fat choy! It’s the Year of The Ram, and he was honored, curly horns and all, with his very own parade in Fresno’s Chinatown. The 15th Annual Fresno Chinatown Chinese New Year’s Parade was the second on my list of parades to see in 2015.
{ 0 comments }
This year will be the 87th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and it is the biggest annual event NYC has to offer. Millions of people line the streets to see this amazing display, while even more people view the parade on TV. It is a spectacular event that officially brings Santa Claus to town, and when the merchants begin to cry out to the public, “Let the shopping begin!”
{ 3 comments }
Ever wonder how the Kingsburg Swedish Festival got its start? As stated in the official Chamber of Commerce pamphlet from this year’s Festival, in 1924, a group of women from the Concordia Lutheran Church presented a mid-summer festival for residents of the Concordia Home, a retirement home located near the present Kingsburg Hospital.
{ 3 comments }
Most residents of Kingsburg know there are a handful of events that are important to the City of Kingsburg, and more specifically to the downtown. If the Swedish Festival is number one, then the Santa Lucia Day celebration might be next.
{ 0 comments }
One of the most successful events held by the Reedley Downtown Association, the Electric Farm Equipment Parade, was the brain child of local auctioneer Ed Croissant. Sometime in the fall of 2000, Ed was talking with daughter Daniele, owner of the former Coffee and Candy Shop, about ways to promote Reedley’s downtown for the upcoming holidays.
{ 2 comments }
