Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
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The Shafter Recreation and Parks District's annual Summer Tennis Camp has attracted a full roster of campers eager to learn the love of the sport. Headed up by director Nelson Salinas, the camp is teaching the kids the basics of the sport, including the different strokes, as well as the other components of the game that are often overlooked. Before the campers even hit a ball on the Shafter High courts, Salinas taught them the importance of proper footwork, as well as fitness...
Local farmer Marc McCaslin was featured on the television show American Pickers recently, showcasing his relics for the nation. McCaslin, who has a hobby of collecting antiques and fixing up old vehicles and older mechanical items, contacted the History Channel over four years ago when he found out that the Pickers team, including hosts Mike Wolfe and "Jersey Jon" Szalay, would be on the West Coast. The channel contacted him and said that they wanted to come out and check out...
The Shafter City Council approved extra striping and signage to protect pedestrians on a stretch of West Tulare Avenue from Poplar Avenue and Highway 43. Residents have voiced their concerns on the amount of speeders on West Tulare, especially at the intersection of West Tulare and Santa Maria avenues, near a church and an apartment complex. Councilmember Gilbert Alvarado said at Tuesday night's council meeting that he is very concerned about the safety of pedestrians at this...
The Shafter Recreation and Parks Department's summer sports program is underway, with the first week of volleyball action and the beginning of the Summer Tennis Camp beginning this week. After the first week of action, the league, with 19 teams competing in different divisions, saw the 11U team coached by Rosamaria Villagomez in first place with a 2-0 record. Luz Pelayo's team is 2-1 to end the first couple of weeks in second place. In the 14U division, Isabel Gonzalez' team...
The Richland School District is welcoming three new teachers at Sequoia Elementary School for the coming school year. Superintendent Rosa Romero said that the new teachers come with years of experience and a passion for helping students reach their full potential. "We are excited to welcome these wonderful teachers to our family," said Romero. Jill Morrison will be the new principal at Sequoia Elementary School, bringing with her 24 years of educational experience, in a...
The Shafter Children's Summer Theater presented the Roald Dahl classic "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," this past weekend. Headed up by Cris Starrh, the theater group has been entertaining audiences for over 25 years, showcasing the local children's passion for the arts. In this production, the title character was portrayed by Camryn Yasenchek, who brought a vulnerable edge to the character that touched audiences. In the story, Wonka decides to open the doors to his fa...
The History Channel's "American Pickers" will be returning to the West Coast soon and are looking for local collectors who would be interested in having their collections on display for a national audience. Joshua Kerlin, producer of the popular show, said that they will be looking to meet with collectors who might have some unique and interesting items for their show to feature in an upcoming episode. "We are looking for different, unusual and unique items, something we have...
The Shafter City Council approved a contract with Chandlerthinks LLC to "build a story" for the city, showcasing its assets and its vision. Business Development Director Bob Meadows told the council Tuesday night that the city needs to take steps to increase and broaden its economic development. This includes creating a brand, a competitive identity that shares with the world the story of Shafter. This is common practice in private business, even for smaller companies, and is...
The Shafter Mennonite Brethren Church held its annual Summer Wrestling Camp this week, with about 30 kids wanting to learn the basics of the sport. Headed up by Pastor Pat Coyle, the camp is designed for beginners, as well as those who have a little wrestling experience. It teaches the kids basic techniques, such as the proper stances, takedown moves, and escapes. It also touches on different workouts they can do to improve their flexibility, endurance, and fitness. Coyle,...
The seniors who live in Shafter have a chance to stay healthy and active with participation in programs offered by the Shafter Recreation and Parks District, all free of charge. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, participants work out in the activity center at the Walker Senior Center, doing a chair fitness class that keeps their muscles moving as they do exercises to music, while sitting in a chair. The routines help the seniors with flexibility, endurance and coordination....
The Shafter Children's Summer Theater group is preparing to put on their production of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" late this month, bringing the entertaining classic to real life in Shafter. The production will be featured from July 28-30, with performances Friday, Saturday and Sunday night beginning at 7 p.m. Prices are $15 each. The production features a cast of veterans, with the majority of the players having experience in past efforts. Camryn Yasenchak will...
Each school district in California received a portion of over $5 billion in emergency funding to help repair the state’s educational system and get the students back on track after the covid crisis that saw students suffer setbacks in learning. One of the highest allotments went to the Kern High School District, which received over $106 million. This funding is going to extended hours of learning, more extensive summer school programs, tutoring, and a host of other programs th...
With the volleyball season ready to begin next week, the spring baseball and softball teams celebrated the end of the season with All Star games and awards presentations this week, crowning the champions in each division. And there is no rest for those on the diamond, with the sign-ups for Fall Baseball and Softball beginning on July 10 and goes to Aug. 18. The cost is $70 per player, with payment plans for those who cannot afford to pay the entire amount at once. The first pl...
July is Purple Ribbon Month, in observance of Kaitlyn’s Law, which was passed in 2001, making it a citable offense to leave children under the age of 6 years old in a vehicle without the supervision of someone at least 12 years of age. The law was named for Kaitlyn Marie Russell, who died on Aug. 15, 2000, after being left in a hot van by a caregiver. Kern County has designated July as Purple Ribbon Month in memory of Kaitlyn and all the children who have lost their lives t...
Nancy Guardado has been helping the community celebrate for six years, be it parties with pinatas, inflatables, a bunch of candy and whatever items needed to make a great party. Candyland has been open in Shafter for six years, thriving even during the pandemic, which challenged a lot of store owners in Shafter and Wasco. When we visited Guardado in 2022, she was just opening her second store, in downtown Wasco. She was there just over a year, but closed the store to...
The Tracy family has a history in the farming and cattle industry, with their operations going back into the 1800s, beginning with William Tracy. Today, their family-held operations consist of the growing of cotton, wheat, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, almonds and pistachios. Beef-raising rounds out the operations of the Buttonwillow Land & Cattle Company, a partnership made up of three families: the Freys, Selvedges and Tracys. Tracy Ranch Inc. is a family-held corporation...
A traffic stop led to an arrest of six people, the recovery of nearly 500 pounds of methamphetamine and the destruction of a drug lab in Shafter last Thursday. California Highway Patrol officers initiated a traffic stop on Wible Road in Bakersfield. The officers and a K9 Bart discovered about 97 pounds of methamphetamine inside the trunk of a Honda Accord being driven by Luis Cecena, 32, of Mexico City. This discovery led officers to conduct a search warrant at a suspect's...
The Shafter Mennonite Brethren Church is holding its annual Vacation Bible School this week, with the theme "Stellar- Shine Jesus's Light." There were over 70 kids on hand to participate in a week of fun and learning, as the children learned how to shine Jesus's light to the world. Pastor Pat Coyle, assisted by Music Director David Bloemhof and Song Leader Stephanie Bloemhof, helped children learn several songs, as well as choreography to go with them. The children learned in...
The Shafter Recreation and Parks District's Pony League baseball and softball seasons are entering the home stretch, with plenty of great games being played. The leagues, which have enjoyed the highest registration numbers in the last decade, have just a few weeks to go. With the end of the 2023 season approaching, the friendly competition in both 14U and 11U baseball and softball continues to grow. In these divisions, there are 22 teams, 12 in the Pony division and 10 in the...
The Shafter Mennonite Brethren Church will be holding its annual Summer Wrestling Camp next month, Monday-Friday, July 17-21. The camp is operated by Pastor Pat Coyle and a staff of volunteers that teach children basic techniques, such as takedowns and escapes, and also some exercises and workouts that will help develop their endurance and overall fitness. Coyle is a former competitive wrestler, competing in high school and college, carrying that passion into his desire to...
A local almond farmer has been wearing several hats, living a life that is an example of hard work and its rewards. Jenny Holtermann is a farmer, an executive, a wife and mother, all while working to preserve a bright future for future generations. Holtermann is a fourth-generation farmer, beginning her career up in Chico on her family's almond ranch. She attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where she met her future husband, Tim. After graduation, they moved to Shafter,...
The Shafter Colours Festival planning committee met again last Thursday, with plans for the festival moving forward and getting a little more specific. The committee designated members in the different departments of the committee, using different residents’ experience and strengths. After the dissolution of the festival a few years ago, a large number of residents were voicing their aim of revitalizing the event. The new festival will highlight the talents of residents and o...
The city of Shafter will be holding its annual Fireworks Show this year on Monday July 3, with the gates opening at 6 p.m. and fireworks beginning at dusk. The event will be held at the Shafter Recreation baseball fields, right next to Shafter High Football stadium. Many will be familiar with the location even from years when the event was held at the stadium, since that's where they camped out to watch the show. The Shafter Chamber of Commerce is once again the sponsor of...
Derric Kirschenmann was a teenager when he started working with his family on their farm, doing a little of everything, learning as he went. When he graduated from high school, he went off to college. "I tried the college thing,but it just wasn't for me," said Kirschenmann. He went back to work for his family's farm and has been getting a real education that he uses every day. Kirschenmann is a fourth generation farmer, following in the footsteps of farmers that began with...
The City of Shafter held its inaugural First Friday event last week, attracting hundreds of people to downtown Shafter. Centrally located at the downtown square, the event had numerous vendors, music, food and entertainment. Included in the entertainment was a dance performance by a group of seniors from Shafter's Walker Senior Center. Dressed in colorful costumes, the group danced to a traditional Spanish number, complete with streamer-covered batons. The event was presented...
