Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
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Kern County Public Works is encouraging Kern County residents to recognize Earth Day by participating in the Great American Clean Up, with a number of clean-up events taking place throughout the county on Saturday, April 23. Among the events is a Community Clean Up event taking place in Shafter, from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Residents are encouraged to start from your house,and pick up trash in your neighborhood, gathering the litter as you make your way to the Tin Cup, where...
Mannel Park was the site for the Shafter Community Sunrise Service, celebrating this Easter Sunday, gathering for the first time at Mannel Park in two years. The return was a triumphant one as more than 60 people gathered together. Valley Bible Pastor Carlos Jerez was the speaker this year, with a praise and worship session held before his message. Coffee and donuts were offered as the crowd took in the sunrise as the music began to play. Jerez told the gathering what a price...
A new transplant to Shafter, All Seated in a Barn, a horse and donkey rescue organization, hosted an Easter event that gave children of all ages the chance to hunt Easter eggs, meet a variety of animals up close and personal, and also entertained the adults in the family, with music and food. The event attracted hundreds to the complex on Imperial Street on Saturday,. The eggs were replenished continuously, giving kids a chance to hunt and find their share. The egg hunt was...
The Shafter Generals softball and baseball teams had rough outings on Tuesday, both squads losing to rivals Wasco, 5-2 and 8-1 respectively. The Lady Generals took a 3-1 league record into the contest, with their only loss to Chavez High School. Shafter could not get their bats going, and fell into a hole early. Wasco scored one run in the first inning, getting a hit off of Shafter's top pitcher, Serenity Angulo. The Tigers added a second run in the fourth inning. Wasco broke...
If you happen to see a gentleman walking his way through the streets of Shafter any weekday morning, it is a good bet that you have met up with local historian, farmer, and owner of the Shafter Press, Stan Wilson. Wilson and his wife Nancy started an effort to improve their overall health, including the heart, endurance and overall fitness. Nancy said that they started the effort over a year ago, and it includes watching what they eat and exercise. "Stan has lost about 40...
The Tin Cup in Shafter was the spot for a great time on Saturday as they hosted The Easter Bunny, attracting a large crowd of families who had their pictures taken and had a delicious lunch. Every child who attended also received a cookie decorating kit to spruce up their cookies in a variety of ways, letting their creative juices flow. There were tons of sprinkles, glitter, frosting, and candies as all of the children had fun decorating their own creations. The coffee shop...
The Shafter Recreation Department held a Drive Thru Easter event on Saturday, giving away 700 bags of goodies and eggs to local families. This is the second year that they have held the Drive Thru event. Before the pandemic, they would hold an Easter Egg Hunt on the complex, letting local children hunt for eggs and get their picture taken with the Easter Bunny. According to SRPD District Manager, Philip Jimenez, they decided to keep the event as a drive thru this year, erring...
The Shafter Learning Center will host a lecture by Stan Wilson, local historian, about the German prisoner of war camp located in Shafter over 75 years ago. Wilson is also a local farmer, the curator of the Shafter Depot Museum and the owner of The Shafter Press. The lecture will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Learning Center on Thursday night, April 14. Wilson said that the concentration camp was utilized by the U.S,gGovernment during the war. It was located where the Sierra...
The Shafter High Generals will have a renovated home come this fall, with a total rebuild progressing despite a number of challenges. The new stadium project has been underway for over a year, but delays have caused the project to push back its completion dates. According to Principal Russell Shipley, one reason for the delays is the attention to detail that the leaders of this project have. With demolition and new construction underway, they saw modifications and...
If you happen to be looking in the sky around Shafter in the early evening on a calm night, don't be alarmed if you happen to see a giant balloon-like structure floating in the sky. The aerospace company Lighter Than Air is housing one of their airships at Minter Field. According to Minter Field Air Museum President Ronald Pierce, the company is certifying pilots on the airships, as well as renewing their certifications. They also are teaching ground crews how to operate the...
Richland students were able to attend the 22nd annual Leaders in Life Conference, held at the Mechanics Bank Arena. The event, which was not held last year because of the pandemic, returned in a condensed version, with the conference a little smaller but still full of valuable speeches, information and inspiration for the future leaders of Kern County. The conference picked up Thursday where it left off before the pandemic, inspiring and guiding students from across Kern...
Faith Bazaldua was named the Distinguished Young Woman of Shafter for the class of 2023 on Friday night, winning out over five other young ladies to earn the title. Bazaldua is the daughter of Constance Rubio, and was sponsored by San Joaquin Roofing. The competition, at the Ford Theater, was the return of the annual event with a full audience, with it a limited seating available last year, and the event virtual the year before that. The evening was hosted by KGET's Maddie...
The Shafter City Council held a special meeting to receive an update on budgetary progress and status for the city, learning what is on track and what needs improvement for the growth of the city. City Manager Gabriel Gonzales told the council members that the city has seen growth, and has acquired funding for new projects to help operations. One key grant was from from Clean California. "This grant will allow us to do improvements on the Shafter Aquatic Center, as well as imp...
Richland School District students prepared last week for the Kern County Oral Language Festival. Students have advanced through classroom, school and district competitions to vie for the titles of Kern County Champions. There are several different categories in the festival, including solo monologue, group monologue, drama and comedy divisions. Those Richland students who placed in the District competition performed for the CHAMPS Program students for preparation for the Regio...
At last week's Shafter Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet, Mayor Cathy Prout presented the State of the City Address, giving an update and report of the progress in Shafter. With the city reopened and starting to resume regular operations, the city is in a lot better position than many valley cities, in large part due to the leadership that was proactive in their decisions, looking towards the future as well as the present when making decisions for Shafter's future, Prout...
Lennar Homes at Gossamer Grove held a ribbon cutting ceremony recently to celebrate the opening of the newest dog park in Kern County. The park had been in the planning stages for a couple of years, with the aim to dedicate the park to the service dogs who serve in the United States military. A bronze statue of a military service dog guards the entrance to the park, which includes an area for large dogs, as well as a special area for small dogs. The event also brought in used...
The Cinco de Mayo Festival is returning to Shafter after a hiatus due to the pandemic. The event will be held on Saturday, April 30, with a parade and a full day of fun and activities at Mannel Park. The Grand Marshall for the festivities this year is Shafter native and former City Council member Manuel Garcia. Garcia said that he is very humbled by the honor and loves the community of Shafter. "I love the people of Shafter and am very proud to be the Grand Marshall," said...
The Shafter Chamber of Commerce held their annual Awards Banquet on Thursday night, honoring the outstanding individuals and businesses who made an impact in the city in 2021. The banquet included a silent auction and a dinner before the awards were presented. Among those honored were the five girls who had a dream of beautifying a blank wall across from the Shafter Learning Center. The girls received the Arts Group Award. Alondra Montalvo, Khloe Verdugo, Sierra Albiar, Brinle...
The Shafter Distinguished Young Woman program will be held on April 1 at the Ford Theater. The Shafter program is one of the oldest in the state, giving over $1 million dollars in scholarship money in the past 40 years. The program combines college and career readiness, life skills training, mentoring, friendships and fun. Participants meet regularly for months in preparation for the event. They learn new skills, work hard, and put in hours rehearsing, culminating in a live...
Charles Hildebrand, a man who spent decades working and teaching in the Shafter and Wasco area, recently donated a group of books that he wrote to the GROW Academy. Hildebrand donated copies of a series of books that he wrote, each containing a story that is geared towards middle school aged children, one of which is titled, "I Could Have Been a Hero, In the School Yard." Hildebrand, who retired from the teaching profession years ago, has used writing as an outlet that keeps...
Two years ago, a group of community members, a local business and staff at the Shafter Learning Center met with a dream of expanding the Shafter Learning Center. Flash-forward to two years later, and the City of Shafter, together with the Shafter Learning Center and GAF Roofing Materials, cut the ribbon on the new expansion. On Wednesday, March 16, the public was invited to check out the new facility, with a new outdoor shaded space, along with new classrooms, a lab for techni...
National Vietnam War Veterans Day is March 29 and will be commemorated with a special ceremony at the Portrait of a Warrior Gallery in downtown Bakersfield. Local author Barry Bongberg will be on hand to help celebrate the event. Bongberg wrote a book of his experiences in the Vietnam War titled, "Dear Mom and Dad: Letters from Vietnam War." It recounted his daily struggles as a teenager forced to grow up quickly in the field of Vietnam. Bongberg said this ceremony is special...
Local restaurant Don Pepes has recently undergone a renovation to beautify the space. Renovations included new tables, paint, murals and light fixtures. Owner Jose Martinez has worked hard since opening the restaurant in 2017, reopening the restaurant after it had declined with its previous owners. During the pandemic, Martinez took the extra food, cooked it and gave it away to the community. The response was so great, Martinez said, he bought more food to finish the week and...
A Shafter High student was injured after he was stabbed by another student Monday afternoon after school, Shafter Police reported. According to Shafter Assistant Chief Diana Barnett, the department were dispatched to the high school, but they are not the investigating agency. “I can tell you that the kid is okay, but we are not doing the investigation,” said Barnett. “That is being conducted by Kern High School District Police. According to a release sent out by the Kern High...
The City Council approved a lease agreement that will allow American Refuse to utilize the old Corporation Yard to store their waste containers during the transition of the city going to a three cart system. Mayor Cathy Prout asked if the agreement was flexible if someone was interested in purchasing the property. Public Works Director Michael James said something could be worked out if there was interest in the property. James said the project should take no longer than one...
