Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
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The Mennonite Brethren Church of Shafter held a Christmas Festival event on Sunday night, giving the community several ways to celebrate this holiday season. "This was a special time for our church and the entire community," said Pastor Pay Coyle, who was one of the leaders of the event. There was something for just about anybody, including hay rides, Christmas music, story time, arts and crafts, and more. "I just love this thing," said Fred Marsh, who was at the event with...
The Wasco High Tigers saw their season end on Friday, dropping the State title game to St. Vincent de Paul, 27-6, at Pasadena City College. The Tigers played a tough game, and the contest was actually a lot closer than the score would indicate. Led by Head Coach Chad Martinez, the Tigers sparred with the Mustangs in the first half, holding the powerful offense of the Mustangs to just one score. The Mustangs opened the scoring with a short touchdown run in the first quarter....
The Shafter Police Department is asking the public for information regarding a shooting incident that took place at Veterans Park on Thursday night, Nov. 30, at approximately 9:43p.m. Officers were dispatched that night to the neighborhood adjacent to the park regarding a report of shots being fired in the area. When officers arrived, no suspects or victims of any shooting were found. A short time later, the police received information that a 19-year-old man was reported to...
There is a new barbershop in town, located at the site that once housed Elro's Barbershop, on Central Avenue. Ayala'a Barbershop has been open almost a month, and is excited about this new opportunity to cut its way into the community's hearts. Owner Alfredo Ayala, along with barber Brent Martinez, opened the shop to give the residents of Shafter a new option when it comes to hair styles. They are ready to give you any type of cut you want, being well-versed in all of the new...
The Planet Dance company held their annual Winter Recital Saturday night, bringing a bunch of pop icons to life through music and dance. Dancers ages 4-18 dazzled the packed house at the Fred Starrh Performing Arts Center at Shafter High School. The title of the show was "Icons," with the dancers moving to the sounds of some of the most famous voices and performers in history, from Franki Valli to Janet Jackson. The studio, operated and directed by the Hernandez family, put on...
Shafter held its annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on Monday night, with a large crowd gathered at the Downtown Square. Host Chad Givens, the mayor, welcomed the attendees and thanked them for coming out to celebrate the beginning of the holiday season with them. Shafter's Distinguished Young Woman Emily McGuire had the honors of flipping the switch to light up the tall and beautiful tree, adorned with silver ornaments and over 1,000 lights. There were also several...
Christmas came early for Shafter residents who ventured out to Minter Field on Saturday morning. A visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus gave the parents and children watched Old St. Nick arrive in an airplane, with Mrs. Claus and a helper to assist him with his gift giving. The event was sponsored by the Minter Field Air Museum, which holds the event each year. Each child gets a stuffed animal, courtesy of Santa and Mrs. Claus, and a big thank you to Petsmart of Bakesfield, which...
The Wasco High Tigers continued their march through the playoffs, punching their ticket to the State Championship game. Wasco beat Southern Section champion Cerritos High School 7-6 Friday night, capping a playoff run that saw the Tigers roaring back in the second half for the third straight game. The Tigers were down early, as Cerritos scored first, taking a 6-0 lead. The point-after was blocked by Jacob Robledo, which turned out to be the difference in the game. But, in the...
The Shafter High Generals lost the chance to repeat as Valley Champions when an official blew a call during the overtime period, giving Madera's Torres High a 43-42 last-play win in Shafter Friday night. The Generals had scored on their first possession of overtime. Torres scored a touchdown and were going for a two-point conversion. But Torres was flagged for a penalty, pushing the ball back five yards. Torres then decided to kick the extra point. A high snap forced the...
Details continue to be ironed out for the upcoming Colours Festival, slated for Feb. 24-26. The event will mainly be held at the Tin Cup and Ford Theater, with a couple of exceptions. The festival is returning after a long hiatus, with the event being focused this year on local talent. The opening event will be the Spaghetti Dinner held by the Community Chest on Friday, Feb. 24. Other events slated for Friday are the opening of the Art Gallery, which will feature several...
The Mennonite Brethren Church of Shafter held its annual Youth Wrestling tournament on Saturday, attracting almost 100 wrestlers from all over the valley. There were several wrestlers from the Shafter Spartans who participated, along with wrestlers from Wasco, Bakersfield, even Fresno. The event was run by Pastor Pat Coyle, who also leads a wrestling camp every summer. The tournament is for mostly novice and beginners to the sport, who use this tournament as a way to get...
Chris Mathys, a congressional candidate for California's 21st District, made a visit to Shafter on Saturday, spending the day talking to constituents about their concerns and needs as he attempts to unseat Congressman David Valadao in the next election. Mathys said that this district needs a man in office that will be a Republican that will support his colleagues and his party." Mathys pointed out that Valadao was one of only two Republicans who had voted to impeach former...
The Wasco Tigers punched their ticket to the Valley Title game with a 13-7 win over the Liberty Hawks of Madera Friday night. The game was a bone-crunching contest that was won on the line of scrimmage. The Tigers' double-wing offense kept the Hawks' defense off balance and on the field for the majority of the game. A star of the game was the Tiger defense, who kept Liberty's powerful running attack in check. The Tigers scored first with a touchdown run by Nomi Lopez. The...
The Shafter Generals saw their football season come to an end on Friday night with a heartbreaking 43-42 loss to the Torres Toros. This was a rematch of the semifinal game last year, in which Shafter traveled up to Madera and beat the Toros in overtime, 42-41. The upsetting point in this game is that the game was given to the Toros on a blown call. The Toros tied the game with a little over a minute to go in the game. In overtime, the Generals' quarterback Ezekiel Osborn hit A...
The Shafter High Generals football team played one of their best games of the season on Friday night, pounding their rivals, the Wasco Tigers, by a score of 49-6 In a standing room only crowd at SHS stadium, the Generals gave their fans a lot to cheer about. Wasco managed to take the lead on their first drive of the game, making the score 6-0. Then they threw a scare into the Shafter fans when they recovered an onside kick that gave the Tigers the ball with great field...
The Shafter Depot Museum unveiled its newest exhibit on Saturday, opening a bright red caboose that was donated to them over two years ago. James Frances, who had a passion for trains, had built his own railway of sorts on his property in Terra Bella. The display consisted of train track, the caboose, a hand pump and many other railroad artifacts. Frances passed away in 2021, and his family was looking for somewhere to give some of his collection that would appreciate the piec...
The Shafter Kiwanis Club held its annual Harvest Festival on Tuesday night, giving the entire community a chance to have a safe and fun holiday. There were numerous vendors on hand selling a great variety of food, including tacos, burritos, funnel cakes, kettle corn and more. There was not a parade this year, but all of the children who dressed up were invited to walk across the stage, giving their name and the costume that they were wearing. Everything from a fairy princess...
The communities of Shafter and Wasco celebrate at their respective schools and neighborhoods something which is known Wasco Week, or Shafter Week, if you happen to be a Tiger. The week leading up to the football game was filled with different activities at the respective schools, each with their own unique theme. At Shafter High, there were Dress Up Days every day of the week, concluding with Friday's blue and gold theme, where students wear their best blue and gold attire....
The Wasco Tigers kept their SSL title hopes alive with a 26-21 victory over the Taft Wildcats on Friday night. The win gives the Tigers a chance to share the title with a win over Shafter in the annual rivalry game this Friday night. The Tigers used a powerful running game for the win, outgaining Taft by over 150 yards. Wasco amassed over 300 yards on the ground, including a 67-yard touchdown run by Nomi Lopez. Michael Dominguez also had a big game for the Tigers, with a...
The Shafter High Lady Generals volleyball team ended their best season in over a decade on Tuesday night as they dropped a heartbreaker to Camarillo, 3-2. The team came into the playoffs as the fifth seed, going up against Camarillo, which was seeded number 12. Shafter ran out to a lead late in the first set of the match, capturing the set by 6 points. In the second set, Camarillo came back and tied the match at 1-1. The Lady Generals, who had closed out their SSL season with...
The Shafter Generals clinched at least a share of the SSL title with a 28-21 win over host Kennedy High School last week. The win gives the Generals a perfect 9-0 record heading into its rivalry game with Wasco High on Friday night. The game was a title fight between two heavyweights, trading blows. Kennedy struck in the first quarter, breaking out on a long touchdown run to take a 7-0 lead. The Generals answered back with a touchdown late in the first quarter, tying the...
Every year for the past 90 years, the Shafter Generals and Wasco Tigers have faced off on the gridiron, battling for bragging rights for the next year, with a victory over their oldest rival. This year, there is even more on the line than bragging rights and a great story to tell children and grandchildren. This year, Shafter comes into the game undefeated and ranked #1 in the Central Section in Division IV. The Wasco Tigers, after a couple of hiccups early in the season, are...
The Minter Field Air Museum recently received a facelift, with a new coat of paint thanks to a generous donation from a foundation that offered to help them with their project. According to Museum Director Ronald Pierce, the project was a success and the facility has a bright new look to it. "We are thankful for this gift and we are very proud of our museum and its staff for all of their hard work on this project." The assistance came from the Charles Johnson Foundation,...
For the 89th time, the Shafter Generals and Wasco Tigers will face off on the gridiron, competing for bragging rights for the next year, continuing the longest rivalry in the county, if not the state. For what is known simply as "Wasco Week," the students at Shafter High will be participating in games during lunch, Dress Up Days throughout the week and other activities. The festive week concludes on Friday, beginning with the annual Exchange Breakfast, which this year is...
Charges against former Shafter code enforcement officer Mathhew Maldonado have been dropped by the Kern County District Attorney’s Office. Maldonado had faced five counts of felony child molest/annoy. He was arrested in January 2022 and had his case continued for over a year. Judge had ruled that Maldonado’s three previous investigations could not be introduced during this trial, making it more difficult for the prosecution to move forward with their case. The prosecutor als...
