Serving the community since 1970
Serving the community since 1970
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The Wasco High School Class of 1974 will hold its 50th reunion on Saturday, Oct. 5. It's been 20 years since the last reunion, and it promises to be a time to reconnect, reminisce and celebrate the significant milestone. Denise Hamlin is the event committee chair. "We are looking forward to everyone having a wonderful evening, reuniting and creating new memories," she says. When asked what the night's highlight will be, she said, "It's hard to say. It will be specific for all there. It may be ju...
Father Jose Padron has become the first known ordained priest from the St. Therese Church in Shafter. The celebration of Padron's ordination took place July 13 and was witnessed by over 100 parishioners from Shafter who had made the trip to see Padron become ordained. He is now the priest for St. Anthony's Church in Fresno. Padron said that he is excited in fulfilling his lifetime dream to one day have a parish and allow God to work through him. The Mass of Ordination took place at St. Charles B...
The First Southern Baptist Church of Shafter held their Vacation Bible School this week, taking the kids on a Jungle Journey that took them all over the world, in search of the 7 Cs of History. Those Cs include creation, corruption, catastrophe, confusion, Christ, cross and consummation. The 7 Cs of History are intended to be a memorable way of showing that the Bible is a history book, and its events connect with real history. This framework helps to understand fossils, rock layers, people group...
The Shafter Mennonite Brethren Church is holding its annual Wrestling Camp this week, teaching kids on and off the mat. There were over 30 kids on hand, from novice wrestlers to competitive wrestlers looking to get back into form. Led by Pastor Pat Coyle, the camp has been helping children for over 15 years with basic workouts to intricate moves on the mat. Coyle had the assistance of wrestlers from the Shafter Spartans youth wrestling team, as well as members of the Shafter High Generals. The...
"James Garner's Tribute to Johnny Cash" will be returning to Shafter's Ford Theater on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 17 and 18. Garner appeared at the Shafter Ford Theater last year in a sold-out show that entertained the crowd with nostalgic songs and storytelling by Garner. "We're excited to bring our show back to Shafter," Garner said. "We played to a sold-out crowd, so we are glad to be playing three shows over two days to give more folks a chance to see the show." The showtimes are Saturday at...
The Shafter Rotary Club hosted the history-making Shafter Generals Baseball team at their meeting on Wednesday. The club held a luncheon in their honor and listened to Head Coach John Hill and a couple of players as they celebrated a historic season for the team. The Shafter High Generals baseball team did what no other Generals baseball team had done when they captured the Central Section Valley title, beating Madera Matilda Torres in the championship game. This was especially sweet for the...
All major social media accounts for Wasco City Mayor Alex Garcia were taken down Saturday, a day after a Facebook post emerged alleging that he came to an arranged location to meet an adult posing as a 15-year-old boy “to do horrific things to the kid.” The post, originating from a Facebook page called Bakersfield Crime Watch and written by “Davonn Bradley,” claims that Garcia arrived with “poppers for him to try, he brought condoms, marijuana,” and other sex paraphernalia. “Bradley” s...
The Wasco Task Force, led by Mayor Pro Tem Valentin Medina and Councilmember Eddie Saldaña, alongside dedicated community members Ruby Gutierrez, John Pallares and Orquidea Ocampo, is on a mission to engage the community on matters that are important to residents. "One of them is keeping Wasco clean, including keeping the streets free of tagging and any other issues that might be important to community members. We welcome all community members to attend our monthly meetings to really engage...
The Wasco City Council received an update regarding the Downtown Wasco Streetscape Project, which is to be completed by early fall 2024. They also decided to repair a clock tower, place it in the plaza and install a mini water tower replica in the center of a roundabout. "It's exciting to see staff working diligently to finish the downtown beautification project. There have been many delays, from covid to the weather, but I'm confident its completion will be well worth the wait," Mayor Alex...
Hector Avila has been named Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus, St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church Council. He was previously a deputy Grand Knight and a family committee leader. He has been a member since 2020. He also sings with the church choir. "I love music. I love to sing and practice my piano and my saxophone. Whenever there is no choir, or the choir director is not there, I sing a cappella and lead the congregation in the hymns for the Mass." Avila said being a part of the...
On Saturday, Sept. 7, the Elks Lodge 2419 will present its first Casino Night, an exclusive 21-and-over event. "We are hosting this annual Casino Night and opening our doors to the Wasco-Shafter communities to raise money to support our local veterans, seniors, community youth and scholars. The Elks Lodge is a proud supporter of our local youth sports programs, FFA and 4H, and with the help of those who attend this event, we will take the money raised and use it to contribute to those programs...
The application period for The Wonderful Company's $1 million Wonderful Central Valley Community Grants is now live. Over the last nine years, the company and its co-owners, Lynda and Stewart Resnick, through their foundation, have awarded nearly $7 million in grants to more than 122 nonprofits and 165 schools in the San Joaquin Valley. Expanding on Wonderful's enduring dedication to aiding local organizations and schools in California's Central Valley, these grants will directly support...
The city celebrated its new skate park with an opening on Friday evening, welcoming a large group of skaters who couldn't wait to try out the new complex. There had been a skate park at the location, on East Euclid Avenue, that was created in 2015. The facility closed in 2020 when the equipment was vandalized. Thanks to several concerned residents, including Councilmember Gilbert Alvarado and former Councilman Cesar Lopez, the new park is now a reality. The facility has brand new equipment, ligh...
It's summertime again, and that means the Shafter Children's Summer Theater program is putting on another production at the Shafter Ford Theater. For this year's musical, love is certainly in the air, as they have been working on Roger and Hammerstein's "Cinderella." The "Cinderella" cast is sure to both tug on your heart strings and have you folding over with laughter. They have been working tirelessly since April, and they are finally ready to present it. Although "Cinderella" is a story that...
Shafter celebrated the reopening of Stringham Park with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday evening. The event marked the completion of a major renovation on the park. Stringham Park now has all-new playground equipment, as well as new grass and restrooms. The park is now at the Regional Transit bus stop. The stop was formerly located at the intersection of Pacific and Central Valley Highway, where the Shafter City Hall building is located. There is also a new parking lot at the park site,...
The Shafter City Council Tuesday night approved a service agreement with Diversified Product Services International to complete the North Shafter Improvement Project, at a cost of no more than $400,000. The entire project has a budget of $1.2 million, a grant from the state. This leaves $800,000 for the remainder of the project, which includes putting in a bike lane on Highway 43 on the southbound side of the road. It also includes shoulder improvements and a sidewalk. Councilmember Pete...
After four decades of teaching and coaching at Wasco Union High School, Edward Moreno has accepted a position as the athletic director at North High in Bakersfield. This is a personal milestone for Moreno and a significant chance for North High to benefit from his proven leadership and commitment to student success. Moreno's tenure at his alma mater has been marked by many achievemenst. As a golf coach, he accomplished four undefeated SSL Championships, one Sectional Championship and one...
The City of Wasco Historic Downtown Business District Transformation initiative is nearing completion. The beautification project intends to revitalize the streetscape and public spaces along 7th Street from G Street to D Street. "The current project is nearing completion pending final art installations, the installation of a swing in the plaza, the completion of items in Veterans Park and other minor contractor punch list items," Community Development Director Keri Cobb explained. Elements...
Bradley Parrott, approaching his fourth year of teaching at John L. Prueitt Elementary School this August, continues a family tradition that spans three generations. Like his grandfather and father before him, he has committed to educating the children of Wasco. Patriarch Arthur Parrott taught Spanish at Wasco High School. He was hired in 1948 and taught there until 1967, working in different capacities as an educator. When he left WHS, he was a secondary coordinator for migrant education for...
Dr. Wendy Castañeda-Leal is the new superintendent of Semitropic Elementary School and is poised to lead with a deep commitment to equity and inclusivity. Her appointment promises a focus on student-centered policies, community engagement and a nurturing environment where every child can thrive. She said she is very excited about her new role. "Working with brown and Black students has always been a passion of mine. That is what I have focused on throughout my career; getting an opportunity to...
A public ribbon-cutting for Central Avenue Park is set for Friday, July 19, from 9 to 11:30 a.m. This new park is the result of years of planning and months of construction. Many organizations and individuals contributed to the project, and this celebration allows recognition of all the hard work. The park provides a new recreation facility for the southwest part of town and connects the existing walking paths on Central Avenue and Filburn Avenue. The park's numerous trees and other plant...
Gossamer Grove is not the only development bringing homes, parks and future retail development to the city. The Marcona Preserve Development, also to be built by Lennar Homes, is beginning a construction phase that will bring about 400 new residences to the city, right down Seventh Standard Road from Gossamer between the Friant-Kern Canal and the Calloway Canal. The area will include single-family residential development, a middle school, recreation amenities that include four parks, meandering...
The Shafter Chamber of Commerce held its annual July 3 Fireworks Celebration last Wedensday, lighting up the night sky with a spectacular show. The event was much more than a fireworks show, with a lot of fun things for the kids to do while waiting for the sun to go down. There was plenty of food at the event, with tacos and burritos, as well as fair food such as funnel cakes and corn dogs. There was also the mainstay kettle corn, and a variety of flavors of shaved ices, cooling the crowd off...
Though it places most of its dogs with rescue organizations, the Shafter Animal Shelter is looking for good homes for their feline residents needing a loving home. Animal Control Officer Nick Riddick said that the shelter has some loveable cats who would make a great additions to welcoming homes. "Cats are great family members and can be as loyal and loving as a dog." Riddick also wanted to let the public know that the shelter does have dogs for adoption as well. If they know someone is cooking...
On Saturday, the Wasco Recreation and Park District's Red, White and Boom Fireworks Festival, celebrating the Fourth of July, was a day of patriotic fun and community spirit. An engaging line-up of activities and a grand finale lit up the sky. The evening started with a flag ceremony led by Boy Scouts Troop 950, which set the tone for the event and reminded everyone of the holiday's significance. Next followed the bike parade, in which entrants adorned their bikes, trikes, strollers and golf...
