Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
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The Shafter Christmas Store was held last weekend, a return from the online store that was available last year, with parents participating in a program that enables parents to buy presents for their children at heavily discounted prices. This program has been helping Shafter residents have a merrier Christmas for a few years now. Began in 2017, the idea was born out of a desire by the City of Shafter's Brittney Neal-Soberanis to change a Christmas program that she was involved in. She wanted...
Lavender has become a big passion this year, with the fragrant plant being used for many things, including perfumes, lotions and culinary items, as well as a tool for pollinating other crops and plants. The Lavender Garden in Lost Hills has announced its opening of a new gifts shop and Dinosaur Park just in time for the holiday season. This popular attraction has been delighting travelers for quite some time now, with its fragrant acreage and varieties of products made from the plant. The new...
With the Shafter Generals in the news with their remarkable run to the State Championship game, there was also another Kern County football team in the hunt. Liberty High School in Bakersfield made an outstanding run in the playoffs, including a rematch with Clovis-Buchanan, a team that beat them during the regular season in a game that was called in the fourth quarter because of lightning. A Shafter youth, Matthew Jude Maldonado, was a part of the Liberty team taking the State title as a...
Maple School is offering a special program that is giving its students a head start in preparing them for possible careers in the engineering and mechanical fields, by participating in Chevron's Project Lead the Way program. This program has been helping Shafter High students get prepared for technical careers as they learn all aspects of the challenging fields in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) areas of learning. At Maple, Jan Cranfill is heading up the program, which is open...
Shafter Animal Control would like local residents to meet their beautiful girl Mandy. She is a 2- year-old brindle hound mix and has shown shelter staff that she is good with other dogs and just wants to be a lap dog. Mandy is a little timid at first but when she warms up to you, she is super sweet. She is strong, so they would recommend a strong handler. Some obedience training would be a good idea. Mandy has passed all of her Safer Dog Evaluation tests and is ready to be adopted. If you are...
The Shafter Generals football team continued their historic run in the playoffs, earning Shafter's first shot for a state championship in the school's history. The Generals traveled to Walnut High School and beat the Mustangs, 20-16, in the Southern Regional Championship game. It was another come-from-behind win from a team that has earned the moniker "The Kardiac Kids." It was a replay of the Valley Championship game in Caruthers, with the Generals coming out in the first half and having...
The Shafter Lions Club, together with sponsor The Wonderful Company, held their annual Shafter Christmas Parade on Friday night, with entries coming down Central Avenue from Mannel Park. Hosted by Angel Jimenez, who does the sound for the majority of special events in Shafter, welcomed the large crowd lining the streets, awaiting the entries of floats, cars, trucks and bands. The Shafter High School Band was on hand, playing seasonal favorites, as well as putting on a demonstration by the...
Mayor Cathy Prout has expanded her lead in the newest update done on Dec. 3. Prout leads her nearest competitor by around 500 votes. Gustavo Olvera maintained his lead over incumbent Cesar Lopez, getting 1,218 votes, compared to Lopez’s 1182 votes, a lead of 36 votes. In other area races, David Valadao is ahead of Assemblymember Rudy Salas in a tight race for the Congressional 22nd District, and is projected to take the seat by The Associated Press. Valadao was beaten by Salas in Kern County, b...
The City of Shafter held its annual Tree Lighting Ceremony on Monday night, lighting up the night downtown in the gazebo area. Mayor Cathy Prout welcomed the crowd, and, with assistance from Shafter's Distinguished Young Woman Faith Bazaldua, lit up the Christmas trees surrounding the gazebo. Also on hand at the event were representatives of the Shafter Library and Learning Center, giving away books and information about their for students and adults. Refreshments including hot cocoa and...
A Shafter mother and daughter have taken a leap of faith, opening a booth in a popular antique shop in Bakersfield. Michelle and Adrianna Pompa have a display at the Timeless Antique Shop, 1415 19th St. The duo offers a great variety of items, from timeless décor items to homemade items that are created by Adrianna. Adrianna, who works for the county superintendent of schools, has had her own business for a few years now, creating her own soaps, scrubs, loofahs and earrings. She was having...
Marcona Preserve will be the newest addition to Shafter's south side, joining Gossamer Grove. The City Council approved the name change for the new housing development located off of Seventh Standard Road, from its original Heritage Ranch. Another change is the removal of provisions for a gated, age-restricted neighborhood with privately maintained infrastructure. Lennar Homes is also removing the swimming pool and private recreation building that was in the original plan. They also changed and...
Being an SHS graduate of 1981, I have spent the last 41 years watching the Shafter Generals football teams compete on Friday nights, giving us a great time, with a lot of highs, and yes, a lot of lows as well. But, as Principal Shipley says, “Once a General, always a General.” We love our Generals, win or lose. Well, this year, we received an early Christmas present, able to watch this year’s Generals win the first Valley title in 65 years. This year’s team isn’t the most talented team on p...
The Shafter High Generals, for the first time since 1955, are Valley Champs in football. The Generals pulled one more victory out in their incredible playoff run by beating Caruthers, 41-35, on Friday night. Freshman quarterback Ezekiel Osborn had another outstanding game, going 22-37 for 372 yards in passing, with three touchdowns. Maryon Sloan, just one of a slew of weapons for Osborn, led the corps of receivers with 199 yards with 10 receptions. This included a 65-yard touchdown pass play...
In the race for the two open seats on the Shafter City Council, Mayor Cathy Prout has kept her large lead in Nov. 8’s election, gathering 34% of the vote for a total of 1,682 votes, easily outdistancing all of the other candidates But, the race for the remaining seat has tightened since the last update. According to the Kern Elections Office, incumbent Cesar Lopez has closed the gap with Gustavo Olvera, with only 31 votes separating the two. After the previous update, Olvera had taken a 1...
There is an adage that has been around Shafter High throughout its history, “Once a General, Always a General.” This adage is no more evident this past week with the Shafter High Generals football team bringing the school’s first Valley championship since 1955. The city is full of Generals, young and old, rejoicing the victory. From store clerks, students, teachers, business owners, everyone is a proud General. The win has touched the entire city in a very positive way, giving all SHS alumn...
The Shafter Lions Club will be holding their annual Shafter Christmas Parade on Friday December 3 at Mannel Park. The event will begin at 4:30p.m., with a bounce house, food, music, and other activities for the kids. There will also be a Christmas Tree raffle. At 6:30p.m., the Christmas Parade will take center stage, full of floats, cars, trucks, and of course, a visit from Old St. Nick. At 7:30 p.m, the festivities at the park will continue, with the addition of Santa Claus, who will be there...
The Minter Field Air Museum will be getting a special visitor on Saturday morning, and they are preparing for the VIP. Santa Claus will be landing at Minter Field in an airplane, giving his reindeer a rest, as they prepare for the long trek on New Year's Eve. Santa will be accompanied by Mrs. Claus and will be handing out stuffed animals to all children attending the event. The stuffed animals are courtesy of Pets Smart on Ming Avenue in Bakersfield. According to Minter Field Air Museum...
The Shafter Mennonite Brethren Church held their annual Takedown Tournament recently, drawing 160 competitors, the largest field in the tournament's history. Pastor Pat Coyle, along with a team of volunteers, put on the tournament, the season-opening event for most of the wrestlers. The tournament is affiliated with the Kern County Youth Wrestling Association, helping it draw wrestlers from all over the county and the Central Valley. Wrestlers came from as far as Selma, Fresno and Clovis, as...
The Shafter High Generals are bound for the Valley Title Division IV game with an overtime win over the Matilda Torres Toros on Friday night, 42-41. The Shafter defense, which had trouble stopping the Toros in the second half, came up big and stopped Torres on a two-point conversion in overtime, giving the Generals the win. The No. 8 seeded Generals upset the top seed, Liberty Madera, last week to get a place in the semifinals. In the first half of Friday's game, Shafter used a ball-control...
The Shafter High Generals, for the first time since 1955, are Valley Champs in football. The Generals pulled one more victory out in their incredible playoff run by beating Caruthers, 41-35, on Friday night. Freshman quarterback Ezekiel Osborn had another outstanding game, going 22-37 for 372 yards in passing, with three touchdowns. Maryon Sloan, just one of a slew of weapons for Osborn, led the corps of receivers with 199 yards with 10 receptions. This included a 65-yard touchdown pass play...
The historic Green Hotel in Shafter is open on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for tours, giving residents a peek back into the rich history of Shafter. Built in 1913, the Green Hotel no longer accommodates overnight guests, but it is often open to events approved by the Board of Directors, including lunches, dinners, weddings, reunions and other special occasions. Indoor special occasion dinners or lunches can accommodate up to 18 people, and outdoor events, under the iconic large oak tree,...
The Shafter Kiwanis Club hosted Coach Mike Ayon of the Shafter Boxing Club and a couple of his boxers at their regular meeting last week. Ayon and his group have put the city of Shafter on the boxing map for over a decade, with numerous regional, state and national champions. On Wednesday, "Fast Eddie" Rodriguez and Jerikah Wilson Argueta were on hand to give the members a boxing demonstration, as well as answer a questions about their sport and their club. Both Eddie and Jerikah are great...
With the challenges owners face in caring for their pets, a local business is doing its part to giving customers a healthy and safe option for their four-legged family members. Bob Vella and Jennifer Carroll operate Penny Pet Products, based at the Minter Field complex. Vella said that the company has been operating for over a year and the business is doing very well, with customers enjoying having a healthy option for their pets locally. Penny Pet produces a wide variety of pet food, toys,...
With the newest update from the Kern Elections Office, candidate Gustavo Olvera has widened his lead over incumbent Cesar Lopez in the race for one of two open City Council seats. Mayor Cathy Prout has a wide lead for the first seat. Prout has 33% of the vote, with a total of 1,162 votes. Olvera increased his margin over Lopez by 75 votes, leading Lopez now by 100 votes, 879 to 779, as of the Nov. 15 update. Rafael Zamudio has 18%, with 620 votes. An unknown number of mail-in ballots continue...
First in an occasional series on local farming. Shafter farming has had a rich and varied history, with big booms mixed with years of harsh winters and challenging harvests. Local farmer Geordy Wise, who has his own acreage and manages 22,000 acres for other clients as part of Pacific Ag Management, has seen the best and worst of times in the 25 years he has been involved in farming in the area. Wise said that the evolution of crops has depended on, among other things, water, and even more...
