events art dining - Downtown Visalia

Transcription

EVENTS
GET OUT AND HAVE
SOME FUN!
DINING
SAVOR THE
BOUNTIFUL HARVEST
OF OUR VALLEY
ART
EXPLORE AND CELEBRATE
OUR CREATIVITY
www.downtownvisalia.com
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Destination Visalia, CA | 2015 / 2016
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Publisher
(559) 732-773
[email protected]
Creative Director / Graphic Designer
Eric Cribbs - www.cribbsproject.com
(559) 308-6277
Project Manager / Editorial
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Carolina M. Evangelo
www.evangelocommunications.com
(209) 777-8995
Advertising Sales
Christi Metzner
[email protected]
(559) 732-7737
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Editorial Contributors
Carolina Evangelo, Steve Pastis and
Downtown Visalians
Photography
JJ Fry
[email protected]
(559) 799-8603
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
6 WELCOME
8 THE FOX THEATRE: CELEBRATING 85 YEARS AS VISALIA’S
GREATEST TREASURE
12 VISALIA OFFERS A RANGE OF SHOPPING EXPERIENCES
14 EDITOR’S PICK’S: SHOPPING
16 AEROSOL ARTIST ERIK GONZALEZ USES FREEHAND TECHNIQUE
20 BIG ENTERTAINMENT
24 IMAGINEU INTERACTIVE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
26 LOCAL EVENTS – COME ON OUT AND HAVE SOME FUN!
29 EVENTS CALENDAR
34 DOWNTOWN VISALIANS OFFER NEW SMART PHONE APP
36 THE NEW ‘FARM TO TABLE’ CAMPAIGN IS BASED ON AN OLD IDEA
41 FUGAZZIS OFFERS AN ORIGINAL DINING EXPERIENCE
44 MAP
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45 VISALIA COMMUNITY PLAYERS
46 TWO MICROBREWERIES ADD TO DOWNTOWN DINING EXPERIENCE
47 PURSUIT OF HOPPYNESS
48 EDITORS PICK’S: FOOD & DRINK
50 PALACE HOTEL BUILDING’S RICH HISTORY TO BE PRESERVED
52 VISALIA TROLLEYS OFFER A CONVENIENT WAY TO SHOP, DINE AND
SEE THE CITY
54 VISALIA: WHERE URBAN CHARM MEETS THE LAND OF GIANTS
56 VISALIA: A COMMUNITY OF SERVICE
57 STAYING HEALTHY
58 SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY COLLEGE OFFERS CAREER FOCUSED PROGRAMS
60 DESTINATION KAWEAH OAKS
62 SEQUOIA SHUTTLE OFFERS EASIEST RIDE TO SEQUOIA
NATIONAL PARK
Advertising, Business and
Editorial Inquiries call, email
or write us at:
Downtown Visalians
119 S. Church Street
Visalia, CA 93291
(559) 732-7737
[email protected]
Every effort has been made to ensure the
information within this publication is
complete and accurate at the time of
publication. Downtown Visalians, and
all parties associated with producing this
publication do not warrant such
accuracy or the claims of its advertisers.
Reproduction or reuse of any photos and/
or written material contained within this
magazine is prohibited without the expressed
written consent of the publisher.
Destination Visalia is published annually.
15,000 copies are distributed by:
Downtown Visalians
DowntownVisalia.com
(559) 732-7737
OFFICIAL VISITOR CENTERS
Downtown Visalians
119 S. Church Street
Visalia, CA 93291
(559) 732-7737
Visalia Chamber of Commerce
220 N. Santa Fe Street
Visalia, CA 93291
(559) 734-5876
www.visaliachamber.org
Visalia Convention Center
303 E. Acequia Avenue
Visalia, CA 93291
(559) 713-4800
www.ci.visalia.ca.us
VISALIA - WHO ARE WE?
Visalia is rated in the top 100 communities in America by Relocate
America for its great music, culture, arts and entertainment, as
well as the many shopping and dining venues. Visalia’s Downtown
received an honorable mention as one of California’s Best Downtowns
(according to population) on the Best and Worst Downtown’s list
saying, “It’s the one to watch”.
Downtown is the transportation hub of the community. The newly
expanded transit center accommodates local bus
services, a downtown trolley, service to Amtrak
and Greyhound Bus services.
The results of a city-wide cultural arts survey
conducted by the City of Visalia, residents
chose downtown as their second favorite place
to take visiting friends and family. Their first
selection is the National Parks. Downtown has
two locations where the shuttle
to Sequoia National Park
can be boarded. For more
information on the Sequoia
Shuttle, call (877) 287-4453.
SACRAMENTO
SAN FRANCISCO
FRESNO
Visalia
KINGS CANYON
SEQUOIA N.P.
BAKERSFIELD
LOS ANGELES
Visalia supports the use of
alternative transportation.
We are a designated bicycle
friendly community offering
miles of bike routes. And
downtown scored a 98 out
of a possible 100 rating for
being a pedestrian friendly
downtown.
Convention & Visitors Bureau
303 East Acequia Avenue
Visalia Ca, 93291
(559) 334-0141
www.visitvisalia.org
DRIVING DIRECTIONS
Coming from the North
• Take CA-99 South toward Bakersfield
• Take exit 97 for CA-198 West
• Merge onto CA-198 East
• Take exit 107A to merge onto CA-63 N/W
Noble Ave toward Cutler Orosi/Kings Canyon
• Turn left at South Court Street
Coming from the South
• Take CA-99 North toward Fresno
• Take exit 96 to merge onto CA-198 East
toward Visalia/Sequoia National Park
• Take exit 107A to merge onto CA-63 N/W
Noble Ave toward Cutler Orosi/Kings Canyon
• Turn left at South Court Street
FLY VISALIA
Visalia Airport
Non-stop Flights to Burbank & Sacramento
www.seaportairlines.com
1-888-573-2767
SAN DIEGO
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WELCOME
TO VISALIA
DOWNTOWN VISALIA,
THE HEART OF THE
CITY, BEATS STRONG
V
isalia’s downtown is its
core, and at its core are
dedicated business and
property owners committed
to maintaining its vibrancy,
diversity, and vitality. A small
town atmosphere is balanced
with a mix of professional
office space, unique boutiques,
culturally diverse restaurants
and entertainment venues for all ages.
Its mix of historically preserved buildings and newly
renovated spaces combine to showcase the area’s
rich history and promising future. Located just north of
State Highway 198, Downtown Visalia has served as
the city’s epicenter for social culture and local business
prowess since the City’s founding in 1852.
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Home to more than 130,000 residents, Visalia is a
diverse community that has preserved its small-town
friendliness while still being the medical, commercial,
educational, cultural and government center of a
two-county area. Once a creekside settlement, the
City has grown into a thriving community with bigcity amenities. Its location in the foothills below the
majestic Sierra Nevada Mountains puts it on the map
as the Gateway to the Sequoia and Kings Canyon
National Parks.
The pride of our citizens in their community is apparent
throughout the city – it’s a place to live, play and work.
City of Visalia Mayor,
Steve Nelsen
WELCOME TO
TULARE COUNTY!
T
he City of Visalia and Tulare
County have much in
common. Where ever you are
planning to spend your time while
here on vacation, we know you will
enjoy your stay here.
We know you have choices and
are glad you have chosen to
stay here. Let me share a few of
my favorite sites to see in Tulare
County. I grew up here in Visalia and it was normal to take
a day trip to the mountains. Just a short ride up the hill and
you can be at the General Sherman Tree in Grants Grove.
Our mighty redwoods and giant sequoias are quite a site
that you will never forget. If you don’t want to drive yourself,
take the Sequoia Shuttle. This wonderful and affordable bus
ride includes the cost of admission into the park and allows
everyone to experience the great views during the ride.
While in the park there is also a transit system that is free of
charge to move around the park.
There are many smaller communities in the county that have
beautiful murals and great restaurants. The cities of Exeter
and Lindsay both have nice downtowns with murals and off
the beaten path restaurants to enjoy. Just
outside of the community of Strathmore on Highway 65 is
the Orange Works Cafe. They are well known for their tri-tip
sandwiches and fresh made daily orange sherbet. My family
will take the twenty minute trip there just for
the sorbet.
Last but not least on my list of favorite places to go is the
many farmers markets held throughout the county every
week. Friday evening is the city of Lindsay, Thursday evening
and Saturday mornings in the city of Visalia. The freshest and
best fruit and vegetables available anywhere in the United
States.
Again thank you for choosing to stay here in our community.
We know what ever your plans are, you will have a wonderful
time experiencing the beautiful place we call home.
Supervisor
Phil Cox
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THE FOX THEATRE:
CELEBRATING 85 YEARS
AS VISALIA’S GREATEST
TREASURE
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By: Erin Olm-Shipman
t’s difficult to miss the Visalia Fox Theatre; the image of its iconic clock tower adorn flags hung from nearly every
lamp post along Main Street, it is the favorite subject of many local artists, and it towers above the Sierra Nevada
mountains in the City’s logo. It is the symbol chosen by the community to represent our city.
From the Spanish Colonial clock rising above the downtown skyline (it was the largest electric clock of its kind when
it was installed), over a hundred hand-painted elephants marching along the ornately carved plaster beams, and the
soft glow of the dazzling chandeliers, it is clear the space was intended to transport theatre-goers to another world
as soon as they stepped through the lobby doors. Sink into the soft velvet cushions that fill the courtyard of an East
Indian palace, surrounded by manicured gardens, underneath a blanket of stars that twinkle in the ceiling above.
Twilight fades into night as the heavy curtains flanking the stage are drawn open for a movie, a ballet, a community
theatre performance, or a big-name rock band.
Each year, the Visalia Fox Theatre presents a wide variety of programming that represents the diverse community
found throughout Tulare County, and it has a long history of doing so.
On February 27, 1930, William Fox opened the doors of his namesake theatre for the very first time. Little did he know
when construction of the Visalia Fox began in early 1929, however, just how badly the people of Visalia would need
this escape in the years to come.
Just a month before the originally anticipated opening of the Visalia Fox Theatre, the Stock Market Crash forever
changed the course of American history, and the nation quickly plummeted into the Great Depression. For ten years,
citizens of nearly every industrialized western country suffered, and the 7,000 residents of Visalia were no exception.
With the arrival of the new Fox Theatre, however, they were at least provided some relief – an entertaining distraction
at the very least.
For $0.50, an adult could purchase a ticket to the theatre and spend the afternoon inside its “scientifically
refrigerated” interior, laughing along to a Laurel & Hardy comedy, tapping along to live organ renditions of popular
music, and experiencing the magic of “talkie” films on the big screen – a phenomenon which had only just been
introduced in 1927. Within months of opening, the experience was enhanced by the addition of live entertainment.
Talent competitions, vaudeville skits, and various music performances became a regular fixture before every main
cinematic feature.
To further entice the public, every Wednesday was designated “Ladies’ Cream Night”, wherein every woman in
attendance received a free jar of beauty cream, which undoubtedly paired quite well with her buttered popcorn.
Random drawings were periodically held for IGA Stores gift certificates, a General Electric refrigerator, and even a
brand new Chevrolet. None of these promotions, however, compared with the theatre’s brilliant marketing plan to
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drum up business on slow evenings with the inauguration of
“Ham ‘n Bacon Night”, which consisted of weekly drawings
that sent the lucky winners walking away with armfuls of free
ham and bacon.
The day before Thanksgiving and Christmas, parents would
drop their kids at the theatre for a full day of children’s
programs while they finished their holiday cooking and lastminute shopping. Late at night, one local high school boy
would let himself into the theatre to play the organ, teaching
himself chord progressions until he was good enough to
perform for the audience. The balcony is where generations
of Visalia residents had their first kiss…and second…and third.
But the theatre wasn’t just a place where people would
retreat in solitude; it was also a place where the community
gathered to be together. Long before televisions became
a staple in American homes, people caught up on current
events by watching the Movietone newsreels that played
before nearly every film. When the United States formally
declared war on Japan following the attack on Pearl Harbor,
the National Guard reported to the Visalia Fox lobby before
being ordered to active duty, and throughout the course of
the war, dozens of bond drives held at the theatre raised
money to support the efforts overseas. In June 1944, days
prior to the D-Day invasion of Normandy, a community prayer
was held in the auditorium, and attended by over 1,000
citizens.
The Visalia Times Delta newspaper once described the
Visalia Fox Theatre as, “a landmark, an emblem, a place of
our identity,” and it is undeniably that. Want to create your
own Visalia Fox Theatre story? It’s never too late to escape
to the Visalia Fox Theatre and make one!
For a complete list of upcoming events, visit
www.foxvisalia.org
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MORE ART &
ENTERTAINMENT
THE ENCHANTED PLAYHOUSE
Over the past 16 years, The Enchanted
Playhouse has presented more than 50
stage productions, including such beloved
stories as “Charlotte’s Web,” “Beauty
and the Beast,” “The Velveteen Rabbit,”
“Cinderella,” and “The Hobbit.” The
company also presents community events,
concerts, workshops, and fundraisers.
The Enchanted Playhouse receives an
enthusiastic attendance of over 3,000
children and adults at each production, of
which 1,600 are school children attending
special morning performances with their
teachers, parents and schoolmates.
The Enchanted Playhouse Theatre is
located at 307 E. Main St., Visalia.
ICE HOUSE THEATER
The Visalia Players have been providing
live theater presentations at the Ice
House Theater for the enjoyment of
Visalia and the surrounding communities
for the past 50 years. Their 2014-2015
season featured a variety of productions,
including: “Bonnie & Clyde: A New
Musical,” “The Trip To Bountiful,” “Side By
Side By Sondheim,” “The 39 Steps,” and
“The Graduate.”
For information about the Visalia Players’
2015-16 season, visit
www.visaliaplayers.org or call
(559) 734-3900.
THE CREATIVE CENTER
The Creative Center, a non-profit
community arts center for adults with
developmental disabilities, is dedicated
to fostering self-expression, self-worth
and personal growth through the
arts, community integration, providing
cultural resources to the community, and
recognizing the individual’s value and
contribution.
In addition to presenting art exhibitions,
the center hosts a Gift Faire; an Art
Showcase, a juried show for Visalia High
School Visual Arts Students; and the
Creative Center Players’ Spring Show.
For more information, call (559) 733-9329.
TULARE COUNTY SYMPHONY
The Tulare County Symphony performs
eight concerts a year, kicking off with a
Pops in the Park in September and also
including a popular Holiday Pops.
The symphony was organized in 1960
by the Tulare Union High School band
director. Today, under the direction
of music director Bruce Kiesling, the
orchestra consists of almost 80 musicians
who live in Visalia and surrounding
cities. The orchestra also performs youth
concerts for just under 9,000 elementary
school students each year.
For more information, visit
www.tularecountysymphony.com or call
(559) 732-8600.
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VISALIA OFFERS A
RANGE OF
SHOPPING
EXPERIENCES
T
he City of Visalia has most of the large
stores you would expect to find in a city
of its size, but it also has many intriguing
one-of-a-kind shops and boutiques. The
result is a shopping experience for every
taste.
“If we look at just our downtown
area, it’s a pretty unique scenario
where you can walk to get a coffee
and then meander through all the shops,” said
Suzanne Bianco, tourism and marketing manager
for the Visalia Convention & Visitors Bureau. “And
the people who own and operate these shops
have a special interest in making the customer feel
welcome.”
The downtown shopping experience is one of
the city’s selling points to visitors. The Visalia
Convention & Visitors Bureau suggests a
“Girlfriends’ Getaway” in its travel brochure, starting
with a meal at The Lunch Box, and including
downtown boutique shopping, a visit to Antique
Row on East Main Street, a cocktail at Café 225,
dancing at the Cellar Door, and a spa experience to
finish the day.
“Friends like to go and have a weekend away,” said
Bianco, adding that this is the kind of ‘girlfriends’
getaway’ that might encourage her girlfriends from
L.A. to come up for a visit.
The same brochure also promotes “The Ultimate
Man Tour,” actually includes shopping destination –
the Sequoia Cigar Company. For those with other
shopping interests, Downtown Visalia also has
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stores for those interested in sports apparel, coins,
records, and board games.
Mooney Boulevard offers a different shopping
experience, or perhaps “experiences” is more
accurate.
The Visalia Mall, located at 2031 S. Mooney Blvd.,
features Macy’s and J.C. Penney department stores,
along with a variety of smaller stores including
Old Navy, American Eagle Outfitters, All American
Sports Fan, PacSun, Forever 21, Victoria’s Secret,
Aeropostale, and Hot Topic, as well as restaurants and
a children’s play area.
The Sequoia Mall, a few blocks south at 3355 S.
Mooney Blvd., includes a Sears and a Hobby Lobby,
and for those looking to keep family members busy
while they shop in peace, a 12-screen movie theater.
Other large retailers located along Mooney Boulevard
include Walmart, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Big 5 Sporting
Goods, Staples, Office Depot, Big Lots, and Toys R Us.
-D
O
Prese
nted B
OWN VIS
NT
A
W
ALI
Further south, the Packwood Creek Shopping Center
features a Target, a Tilly’s, and a Sport Chalet, along
with several restaurants, including Chipotle Mexican
Grill, Chili’s, and Panera Bread. Across Mooney
Boulevard are Lowe’s Home Improvement, PetSmart,
Michael’s, Best Buy and Guitar Center, along with Olive
Garden to complete the experience.
y
-V
SINTA
G E C H RIS T M A
November 30
December
3rd, 10th & 17th
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EDITOR’S PICK’S
SHOPPING
ZIAYA’S
Bird houses $30-65
Scarves $10 or 2 for $15
MARCELLA’S
King Bed $2,799
VELOURIA
Records $5-7
MICHAEL’S JEWELERS
Simon G Collection
Items $1540 +
BROWN’S SHOE FIT
Uggs $220
JANEEN’S
Linen Side Chair $999
Queen Bed $2,399 with Night
Stands $999
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PACIFIC TREASURES
Lodge Cast Iron Skillets
$18.99-$79.99
MIDTOWN SPORTS
Sport Baseball caps $9.95-14.99
Visors $11.99
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AEROSOL
ARTIST
ERIK GONZALEZ USES
FREEHAND TECHNIQUE
E
rik Gonzalez has been an active aerosol artist for more than 15
years. His work has been shown throughout California, as well
as in Mexico, Oregon, Seattle and St. Louis. In May, he painted
two street art murals in El Paso for a citywide beautification project.
Locally, Gonzalez’ art has been on display at such venues as Arts
Consortium, Arts Visalia and the Lumber Yard. He enjoys watching
people as they look at his work.
“I really get a kick out of folks’ expressions when they realize my work
was painted with all spray paint – no stencils, no tape, no brushes,”
said Gonzalez. “Not that there is anything wrong with using those
tools, but I take some pride in my freehand technique. It’s what sets
me apart from other spray can artists.”
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Depending on the scale of a project, Gonzalez will
spend “anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple
of days” to complete it. The biggest challenge is
accomplishing ‘can control.’ “Manipulating spray paint
to do what you want it to do is not always easy,” he
explained. “In addition to the challenge of keeping your
form, you are also working against the elements.”
Gonzalez, who has been interviewed about his art
in newspapers, magazines, web media, television
and radio, is inspired by typography, shapes, colors
and “the challenge of painting whatever images I am
working on.”
“Growing up in Los Angeles, I was very lucky to
experience graffiti art in the late ’80s,” he recalled.
“I was extremely attracted to the colorful large scale
works I would find throughout the city. Like most
professional graffiti artists today, my roots were
founded as a young rogue artist.”
“One memorable moment that stands out was when I
painted on the large skateboarding quarter-pipe from
the ‘Thrashin’ movie set in Venice Beach,” he added.
“It was left behind for the locals after the movie to
skate and to paint on.”
“In the ’90s, I moved to the Bay Area where my craft
progressed as I matured,” he continued. “By this point, I
was well invested in the artform and was here to stay.”
Occasionally, Gonzalez has to deal with the
misconceptions “that we all destroy property or that all
vandalism you see in the streets is gang-related. One
thing I get asked often is, ‘Are you an ex-gang member
that turned your life around and now serving youth and
community?’ False. I have never been in a gang.”
Through his work, Gonzalez tries to deliver positive
and meaningful messages to young people about the
importance of art and education, youth empowerment,
risk behavior prevention, and more. He has also been
involved with various organizations to deliver creative
outreach, including exposing young artists to the urban
art career opportunities that exist in contemporary
advertising and design markets.
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ART
FIRST FRIDAY
“As an artist, I believe I have the opportunity to communicate
messages through my artwork – so why not make them positive
ones?” he said. “I have been very fortunate to work with organizations
that serve youth, such as Pro-Youth HEART, Boys & Girls Club,
and others. Working with youth on a regular basis allows me to
communicate positive ideas in depth.”
In January 2012, Gonzalez founded the Urbanists Collective, which
he describes as “an art group with a focus to promote the education
and positive expansion of urban art within the community.” Members
include spray-can artists, photographers, a tattoo artist, writers, poets,
vocalists, and screen printers.
“A few of us painted a street art veterans mural in downtown
Fresno and, we have showcased our work at the Lumber Yard for
#lumberyardsessions during the Visalia First Friday event,” Gonzalez
said.
The Urbanists Collective is also busy planning its participation in the
Visalia Taste the Arts festival on October 17.
For more information about the Urbanists
Collective, visit urbanistscollective.com. More
information about Gonzalez is at erik85.com
Every month, First Friday brings together
artists, patrons, experienced collectors,
curious beginners, and the community at
large.
As the name implies, events take place
during the first Friday evening of each
month, from 6-8 p.m. During this time,
downtown galleries, arts organizations,
studios, and other businesses open their
doors and invite the community to enjoy
the work of a variety of artists, ranging
from musicians and sculptors to poets and
painters.
A special project of the Arts Consortium
and funded in part by the City of Visalia’s
Community Arts Grant, the program is free
to the general public and for participating
artists.
ARTS CONSORTIUM
The Arts Consortium brings together
artists, organizations and art enthusiasts
to advocate, promote and provide
opportunities to create and celebrate the
arts for all Tulare County residents and
visitors.
Its projects include: First Friday; My Voice
Media Center, a collaboration with the
Tulare County Health and Human Services
Agency to bring those with lived mental
healthcare experience and their families
access to the digital media they need to
tell their stories and express their artistic
aspirations; The Visalia Visual Chronicle,
a privately-funded, publicly-owned art
collection that helps define Visalia’s icons,
culture and quality of life; and the Visalia
Opera Company.
IMAGINEU CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
ImagineU is a hands-on place of
imagination that engages children with
interactive exhibits and meaningful family
experiences. Created by Head Start
educator Angela Huerta in 2002, the
museum has been housed in a former car
dealership in Visalia. This fall, it will move
into a state-of-the-art building at Oak and
Tipton in Downtown Visalia.
ImagineU, currently located at 700 E.
Main, Visalia, is available for field trips,
birthday parties, and family camps. For
more information, call (559) 733-5975 or
visit www.imagineUmuseum.org.
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01
ER
SOUND N VISION FOUNDATION
,2
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Sound N Vision Foundation is a unique
Visalia-based non-profit organization that
exists to bring top-tier national touring
music, art, and multicultural events to the
Central Valley. The organization hosts
over 100 concerts each year. Additionally,
the organization hosts free summer music
and art classes for the area’s youth.
snvfoundation.org.
B
O
CT
O
/TastetheArts
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BIG
ENTERTAINMENT
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106.7 KJUG COUNTRY turned
up the heat again in 2015 on the
largest Country Music Festival in
Central California with the annual
JUGFEST concert May 30th at the
International AgriCenter.
The star-studded lineup included
American Idol Alumni Lauren
Alaina, Tennessee Native Chase
Bryant, Craig Campbell, crowdfavorites Big & Rich, and headliner
Chris Young.
The annual music festival has
long been the go-to event for the
biggest names in Country Music,
having hosted performers like Eric
Church, The Band Perry, Easton
Corbin, Justin Moore, Clay Walker,
Gary Allan, Travis Tritt, Ronnie
Milsap, and Lee Brice.
The gates opened at 1pm, with
a long line of country music fans
already waiting to stake a great
viewing spot near the stage. As
in years past, KJUG set aside
over 500 seats in the reserved
section for active, retired, and
veteran members of the military.
A highlight of the show was when
Big & Rich brought second class
petty officer Chris Taylor of the
U.S. Navy on stage to represent
the brave men and women of our
armed forces in a salute to what
John Rich called the “true heroes of
our country.” Taylor was invited to
remain on stage for the rest of the
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EVENTS
IRISH FEST
The Visalia Breakfast Lions host this
annual event at Rawhide Ballpark
following the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in
Downtown Visalia. Guests hear music
from local bands while enjoying a
sampling of craft beer from a variety of
craft breweries, along with food supplied
by local businesses and organizations.
This event is open to all guests 21 and
over with all net proceeds benefiting local
charities. For more information, visit www.
visaliabreakfastlions.org.
TASTE THE ARTS FESTIVAL &
STREET FAIR
Taste the Arts, an annual festival
presented by the Arts Consortium to
celebrate the rich cultural and artistic
heritage of our community, will be held
from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, October
17, at the Garden Street Plaza and the Old
Lumber Yard, and along Garden Street
between Main Street and School Avenue
in Downtown Visalia.
The event offers a full day of free
activities, showcasing 70 regional visual
artists and their paintings, sculptures, steel
work, photographs, gourds, and jewelry.
Entertainment on two stages will feature
musical acts, dance troupes, and cultural
performers.
For more information, visit www.
artsconsortium.org/tastethearts.
DOWNTOWN SUMMER JAM
Come down to the Garden Street Plaza
in downtown Visalia on Saturday June 11,
2016 and enjoy the 4th annual Summer
Jam. There will be four bands performing
at this free concert sponsored by Avedian
Properties. Wine, beer (provided by
Sequoia Beverage Company), kettle corn
and Visalia Brewing Company’s BBQ
sandwiches will be available for purchase.
www.downtownvisalia.com or call
559.732.7737.
WORLD AG EXPO
The World Ag Expo will celebrate its 49th
year on February 9-16, 2016 in Tulare.
The largest annual agricultural exposition
of its kind, World Ag Expo features more
than 1,500 exhibitors displaying the latest
agricultural technology and equipment on
2.6 million square feet of show grounds.
An estimated 100,000 individuals from 70
countries attend the expo each year.
Over 40 seminars will be offered in
beef, dairy, hay and forage, international
trade, irrigation, and general agriculture
categories.
More information is available at
www.WorldAgExpo.org.
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performance, enjoying what was truly the best seat in the house.
Over 25,000 country music fans braved the heat to enjoy the show, a
new attendance high for the festival. After staging the show at Plaza
Park in 2014, and at Twilight Park in Woodlake in 2013, KJUG Country
inked a new location and found a great partner in the International
AgriCenter in Tulare, ensuring plenty of parking and room for this
longtime local tradition to grow.
With the new location and biggest crowd to date, KJUG took steps to
make sure the crowd had a great view of the action no matter where
they were sitting by adding new outdoor jumbo video screens for
viewing the show.
Numerous vendors were on hand selling food, drink, and artist
memorabilia. Attendees were encouraged to bring lawn chairs or
blankets to sit and enjoy the event.
As always, admission for the show was free, but attendees had the
chance to purchase reserved seating for just $20. The planning for
this annual event starts immediately after the festival each year, and
negotiations for touring acts are already in the works to bring JUGFEST
2016 to the South Valley.
106.7 KJUG COUNTRY is one of the California’s oldest and longeststanding country western music radio stations, serving the VisaliaTulare-Hanford area.
For more information, and behind the scenes
photos of JUGFEST, visit www.KJUG.com
23
IMAGINEU
INTERACTIVE
CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
By ImagineU Staff
OUR HISTORY
The ImagineU Interactive Children’s Museum was
founded in August 2002. Since then, the museum has
provided a learning center of possibilities and
promise, a family place where children and parents
can learn about themselves, each other and the world
we live in through explorations, interactions,
role-play and direct experiences.
MISSION
Our mission is to inspire children through interactive
educational experiences by providing multicultural,
hands-on learning through the sciences,
environmental conservation, and the arts. By
empowering children and their families in a fun
environment, we can transform lives and enhance
our community.
FIELD TRIPS
ImagineU is an ideal field trip destination for schools,
Head Start and after-school programs. We look forward
to helping your students explore and learn in an
exciting and educational environment. When your
24
school group visits ImagineU, teachers and students
will be treated to several hands-on exhibits and
interactive activities. We are starting an Educational
Committee to make the field trips fit the needs of
Common Core curriculum. Call the museum to reserve
a field trip for your students.
BIRTHDAY PARTIES
ImagineU has become a very popular venue for
birthday parties. The museum can be rented for parties
and other private events Our birthday party packages
offer flexibility, privacy, and full access for 50 people to
over 20 interactive children’s exhibits. Bring your own
cake, food, refreshments, and decorations if you
choose. We will provide five tables with chairs and will
take care of the post party cleanup!
For more information about
ImagineU visit:
www.imagineUmuseum.org
25
LOCAL
EVENTS
COME ON OUT AND
HAVE SOME FUN!
22ND ANNUAL TASTE OF DOWNTOWN VISALIA
Get ready for the 22nd Annual Taste of Downtown
Visalia on Tuesday October 6, 2015 from 5:00-8:30pm
for delicious treats. Downtown’s fabulous community
of restaurants open their doors once a year and offer a
taste of their favorite menu items. A ticket admits you
to all of the participating Downtown restaurants as well
as entrance to wine tasting by the Bank of the Sierra
and beer tasting hosted by Suncrest Bank. Spend the
night strolling the streets enjoying culinary delights
and live music or jump on the Visalia Towne Trolley for
a lift to your favorite restaurant. Guests from all over
the United States have come to this popular event that
some have “dubbed ” a grown-up’s trick or treat. But
there are never any tricks, only treats. The challenge
is to visit all of the participating restaurants. Ticket
holders are encouraged to wear comfortable shoes
and loose waist bands.
26
Ticket price remains at $35 until September 20th, then
the price increases to $40. Tickets purchased need to
be picked up at the Downtown Visalians office located
at 119 S. Church. Tickets will not be mailed.
CANDY CANE LANE PARADE
Visalia’s Candy Cane Lane Parade will celebrate
its 70th year bringing holiday spirit to the streets of
Downtown Visalia on Monday November 30, 2015 at
7pm. This year’s theme is “Vintage Christmas” with Mrs.
Charlotte Wittig as Grand Marshall. The 1½ mile route
proceeds west on Main Street from Liberty to Conyer,
where is turns south to unload passengers at the
Conyer and Mineral King parking lot. Winning floats will
receive cash prizes provided by Groppetti Automotive.
Please DO NOT ROPE your chairs together to save a
curbside space.
HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE
Enjoy exceptional shopping and dining while listening
to your favorite holiday tunes from our local high
school musicians on Thursday evenings (December 3,
10 and 17, 2015) from 5-8pm in Downtown Visalia. Take
a ride on our horse drawn carriages for just $5 (up to
4 people) then stop by Santa’s Village at 209 W. Main
Street for your $5 photo with Santa. On December
3rd, the movie “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” will
be shown at 5:30pm at the FOX theater. The Visalia
Grinch will also be there to greet patrons prior to the
movie. Bring 4 canned good items or non-perishables
per person to help support the Visalia Rescue Mission
and receive a free ticket to the movie. The Visalia
Rescue Mission will also have bins set up at all of the
Holiday Open House evenings. For more information,
visit downtownvisalia.com.
BLING IT ON –
LADIES NIGHT OUT
Ladies -- Dress in your favorite ‘bling’ and bring
your mothers, sisters, daughters and girlfriends to
Downtown Visalia for lots of shopping fun, live music,
special deals, and more! Your $10 purchase includes
a glass of wine or cider and a shopping bag. Walk
around our downtown stores and enjoy shopping,
discounts and games. With every $10 purchase made
at one of the participating stores you will receive a
raffle ticket. The more stores you visit and the more
purchases made, the greater your chance to win.
When you are done shopping, enjoy a glass of beer,
wine or margarita (available for purchase) in our Beer
Garden along with dancing to a live band. Gentlemen
are always welcome to join us too! Watch for more
information next spring 2016 for our first annual Ladies
Night Out at downtownvisalia.com.
27
28
WINE, CHOCOLATE & CHEESE WALK
Come downtown and enjoy one of our best Downtown
Visalia events! The 5th Annual Wine, Chocolate &
Cheese Walk will take place on Thursday April 7,
2016 from 5:30 to 8:30pm. Stroll though shops and
boutiques while sipping on wine and enjoying delicious
cheeses, chocolates and appetizers at each shop. Live
music will also fill the air downtown. Tickets are $35.
For more information, visit downtownvisalia.com.
SUMMER JAM
Music will be the centerpiece at the Garden Street
Plaza on Saturday June 11, 2016 from 4:30-10pm. Come
out and dance all evening long to some great live
music at Downtown Visalia’s 4th Annual Summer Jam
sponsored by Avedian Properties. Enjoy a variety of
food, beer and wine (available for purchase). This is a
free event, for more information, visit
downtownvisalia.com.
DOWNTOWN EXPO
Bring your family down to our 6th Annual Downtown
Expo and Car Show, sponsored by BMW of Visalia,
on Friday May 20, 2016 from 5-11pm. Enjoy the
latest fashions from our downtown boutiques, the
Breakfast Lions Car Show classic cars & hot rods, food
demonstrations and several vendors. Dance to live
music performed by Run 4 Cover. Tickets are $10 and
children 12 & under are free. A portion of the ticket
sales benefit Breast Cancer Research. Purchase tickets
online at downtownvisalia.com.
PURSUIT OF HOPPYNESS
Gather your friends together and be ready to sample
your favorite beer. Enjoy a fun-filled evening at
Downtown Visalia’s first annual craft beer tasting. Your
purchase will include: a souvenir beer tasting glass,
bottomless craft beer tastings, live music, food and lots
of fun! Watch for more information in 2016 about this
fun Downtown Visalia event, “Pursuit of Hoppyness”, at
downtownvisalia.com.
EVENTS CALENDAR
OCTOBER 2
GAITHER CONCERT TOUR
A full evening of entertainment and
meaningful music
www.gaither.com/tour/gaitherconcert-tour
SEPTEMBER 3-26
KENNETH CONN:
SOLO EXHIBITION
www.artsvisalia.org
SEPTEMBER 19-20
ROCKY MOUNTAIN GUN SHOW
Something for every outdoor
adventurer, gun enthusiast and
hunter.
www.rockymountaingunshow.com
SEPTEMBER 24
23RD ANNUAL VISALIA
WAITERS RACE
Downtown Visalia on Main Street
between Garden and Court Streets,
beginning at 5:15 pm, with $7,000
in cash prizes.
www.visaliabreakfastlions.org
SEPTEMBER 25-27
VISALIA HOME EXPO
www.visaliahomeshows.com
OCTOBER 1
OKTOBER FEST
Vossler Farms, 5:30pm
www.visaliachamber.orgoktoberfest
OCTOBER 1-31
2015 NORTH AMERICAN PRINT &
DRAWING
www.artsvisalia.org
OCTOBER 6
TASTE OF DOWNTOWN VISALIA
OCTOBER 9-11
VISALIA COWBOY CULTURAL
COMMITTEE 25TH ANNIVERSARY
AT RITCHIES BARN
Tri-tip dinner with our worldfamous dutch oven peach cobbler
2015 september playoffs
WWW.RAWHIDEBASEBALL.COM 559.732.4433
29
for dessert will be served at
5pm Dinner each evening will
be followed by a concert at 7pm
with performances by renowned
cowboy band, The Comstock
Cowboys, and gifted cowboy poets
Dave Stamey and Gary Robertson.
All are welcome to attend our
Non-denominational Cowboy
Church service in the barn on
Sunday morning, October 11 at 9am
Pastor Russ Highfill will present the
message.
www.visaliacowboys.com
OCTOBER 17
TASTE THE ARTS
Free downtown street faire from
11am – 5pm with more than 70
artists, local entertainers and
activities for the whole family!
www.artsconsortium.org
OCTOBER 17
TASTEMAKERS FESTIVAL
Festival of food and live music at
Rawhide Stadium
thetastemakermag.com/
tastemakersfestival
OCTOBER 21-25
VISALIA SENIOR GAMES
www.visaliaseniorgames.com
OCTOBER 30
THE VISALIA OPERA COMPANY
PRESENTS, “CARMEN”
Visalia Lumberyard/Arts District
(Corner of Oak and Garden Street)
www.visaliaoperacompany.org
30
NOVEMBER 1, 7 AND 8
THE VISALIA OPERA COMPANY
PRESENTS, “CARMEN”
Visalia Lumberyard/Arts District
(Corner of Oak and Garden Street)
www.visaliaoperacompany.org
NOVEMBER 5-28
ADRIANNA LUNA: SOLO
EXHIBITION
www.artsvisalia.org
NOVEMBER 14-15
HOLIDAY MARKETPLACE
www.facebook.com/
CVWNHolidayMarketplace
DECEMBER 11
CHRISTMAS TREE AUCTION
www.visaliachamber.org
NOVEMBER 30
CANDY CANE LANE PARADE,
“VINTAGE CHRISTMAS”
DECEMBER 19-20
DISCOVER THE DINOSAURS
Experience moving and replica
museum quality dinosaurs
www.discoverthedinosaurs.com/
DECEMBER 1-24
ARTS VISALIA HOLIDAY SHOW
AND SALE
www.artsvisalia.org
DECEMBER 31
GI FORUM NEW YEAR’S EVE
PARTY
www.visalia.org
DECEMBER 3, 10, 17
DOWNTOWN VISALIA HOLIDAY
OPEN HOUSE
FEBRUARY 12-14, 2016
23RD ANNUAL SPRINGFEST
HOME & PATIO SHOW
Over 350 home and patio product
displays, unique gifts and crafts,
and great food
www.visaliahomeshows.com
DECEMBER 5-6
GATEWAY TO CHRISTMAS
PROGRAM
www.gatewayvisalia.com/gatewayto-christmas/
SPRING
BLING IT ON: A LADIES
NIGHT OUT
MARCH 2016
FARMERS MARKET BEGINS,
EVERY THURSDAY NIGHT ON
CHURCH STREET. (RUNS MARCH
–OCTOBER)
www.visaliafarmersmarket.com
MARCH 3-5
SPRING SIDEWALK SALE
MARCH 12
ST. PARTICK’S DAY PARADE
MARCH 12
VISALIA IRISH FEST
31
APRIL
VISALIA RAWHIDE BASEBALL
SEASON BEGINS
www.rawhidebaseball.com
APRIL 28-30
GREAT WESTERN GOSPEL FAN
FESTIVAL
www.fanfestivals.com
MAY 21
BREAKFAST LIONS CLUB CAR
SHOW
APRIL 7
WINE, CHOCOLATE
& CHEESE WALK
MAY 14-15
ROCKY MOUNTAIN GUN SHOW
Something for every outdoor
adventurer, gun enthusiast, and
hunter.
www.rockymountaingunshow.com
JUNE 2016
SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK
SHUTTLE SERVICE BEGINS
(June – September)
www.sequoiashuttle.com
APRIL 14-16
INTERNATIONAL DX
CONVENTION
For DXers or anyone interested in
ham radios
www.dxconvention.org
MAY 20
DOWNTOWN EXPO
A fashion, food and music event.
JUNE 11
SUMMER JAM
Local made artisan food
and gifts
O U R P R O D U C T S T E L L S TO R I E S .
32
505 W. Center Street
Visalia • 559-901-3135
Mon-Fri 10am-5:30p/Sat 10am-4pm
Enjoy the Store Visalia
@enjoythestorevisalia
33
DOWNTOWN
VISALIANS
OFFER
D
owntown Visalians now offer a
free app for your smart phone
that provides information and
updates on events and businesses,
including restaurants and lodging, in
the downtown area.
The app’s event information includes
a map, and reviews, comments and
photos of past events. Information
about businesses includes locations,
phone numbers, and reviews of
businesses such as restaurants, spas
and salons, as well as clothing, bridal,
import, cigar and game stores.
The app provides information about
arts and entertainment venues,
including Arts Visalia, the Enchanted
Playhouse, the Ice House Theater,
and the Visalia Fox Theatre, as well as
links to local movie listings and Visalia
Rawhide Minor League Baseball games.
The app enables users to receive
special offers and updates, and
purchase gift certificates. They can also
34
take and send photos to Downtown
Visalians through the app’s camera
feature.
NEW
SMART
PHONE
APP
The application was created to
promote the events that are happening
in Downtown Visalia, as well as to
streamline information about downtown
restaurants and other businesses,
according to Jeff Whitworth, the owner/
operator of J & J Quality Apps, LLC, the
Visalia business that created it.
“All members of the association have
a space on this app,”
said Whitworth. “It’s a
great resource and a
great tool to access
businesses and find
out what’s happening
downtown. It’s a great
way to make events
downtown more fun
and engaging.”
The app played an
important role in the
prize giveaway at the 2015 Downtown
Expo sponsored by Downtown
Visalians in May. The app was used to
send congratulatory messages to the
hourly raffle prizewinners through the
app’s “push notification” feature.
The app is easy to find online and
download. If you have an Android
phone, search for the keyword
“Downtown Visalians.” If you have an
iPhone or iPad, you can conduct that
search in the App Store.
Downtown Visalians
The Downtown Visalians Mobile Application allows users to search for Events
happening in the surrounding area, find local Restaurants, Lodging and so, so
much more! We also feature: -Receive special offers and updates through
push notifications! -Purchase gift certificates! -Connect with us through Social
Media! -Take photos and send them to us with our camera feature! -Access
useful information about Downtown Visalia!
35
T
here’s a campaign in cities across the country to get
people to buy locally grown food. Whether it’s called
“farm to table” or “farm to fork,” advocates are working
hard to promote the benefits of getting people to buy
healthier food, because it’s fresh and because it strengthens
the local economy.
Here in Tulare County, which is ranked as the most
productive agricultural county in the nation, the campaign is
also important in promoting local tourism.
As a result of incorporating the bounty of locally produced
food into the cuisine of its restaurants, the City of Visalia was
recently named as one of “America’s Best Small Towns for
Food” by USA Today and Rand McNally.
“People enjoy the local experience, and for most of us, food
36
is that experience,” explained Suzanne Bianco, tourism and
marketing manager for the Visalia Convention & Visitors
Bureau. “When people come to the Central Valley, I think
they expect that their food is grown here.
“It’s only in the last few years that people have really taken
an interest in where their food comes from,” she said.
“There’s an emotional quality to it when the restaurateur
knows the person he’s doing business with, and he can say
he knows the person he bought his food from.”
Knowing where your food comes from is actually the way
things were a long time ago.
“It used to be that people were pretty familiar with farms and
farming,” said Bob McKellar, owner of McKellar Family Farms,
Family Farm Fresh, and Historic Seven Sycamores Ranch,
which offers visitors a chance to walk through orchards
THE NEW
‘FARM TO
’
TABLE
CAMPAIGN IS BASED
ON AN OLD IDEA
loaded with oranges, and pick their own citrus. “Nowadays,
people have no idea where their food comes from.”
But apparently, the demand for fresh food is growing.
“From our farm, we have a delivery service program where
people sign up and we deliver food,” said McKellar, whose
farm delivers 150 baskets a week to people in Tulare,
Kings and Fresno Counties. “It’s called CSA – Community
Supported Agriculture.
McKellar only grows oranges and mandarins, but has formed
“kind of a co-op” with other farmers who add their avocados
or other vegetables to the baskets. He believes that interest
in fresh fruit and vegetables is growing.
“You can’t pick up the newspaper without someone saying
they have the freshest sandwich or they have the freshest
something or other,” he said. “There’s a lot more people
today who are interested in where their food comes from
than there were five years ago.”
“CSA’s started a long long time ago,” he continues.
“The concept was that a small farmer on the edge of town
came to town and found people who would pay him in
advance for fruit or vegetables, and later each person would
get their share.”
Other local opportunities to experience farm to table include
visiting a farmers market, stopping at a roadside fruit stand,
and picking fruit on a farm (with permission, of course), or to
attend a nut butter tasting on the farm of local grower John
Oneto.
37
FARMERS MARKET
DOWNTOWN VISALIA MARKET
E Main St & N Church St
Visalia, CA 93291
Thursdays, 5pm to 8pm
VISALIA MARKET
Sears Parking Lot
on S Mooney Blvd & W Caldwell Ave
Visalia, CA 93277
Saturdays, 8am to 11:30am
Farmers markets allow visitors to buy
products such as fruits and vegetables
directly from the grower, which results
in fresher and less expensive goods
going directly from farm to table. These
events also provide an opportunity for
consumers to talk directly to growers, and
ask them about their products.
The Visalia Farmers Market Association
holds farmers markets every Saturday
morning year round – and every
Thursday evening from mid-March through October. There are also Tuesday
evening markets at Tulare Outlets from May to October. The markets also
feature locally produced honey and cheeses, breads, and even handmade
soaps and arts & crafts. Visit www.visaliafarmersmarket.com for more
information.
McKellar Family Farms is located at 32988 Road 164 in nearby Ivanhoe.
For more information, visit www.mckellarfamilyfarms.com or
www.familyfarmfresh.com, or call (559) 798-0557.
Information about additional farm to fork programs,
including cooking demonstrations – and the previously mentioned nut butter tasting – can be found
at the Visalia Convention & Visitors Bureau website,
www.visitvisalia.org
38
Visit any one of our four conveniently located
Banking Centers for more information!
39
FUGAZZIS OFFERS AN
ORIGINAL
DINING
EXPERIENCE
40
A
mong the most popular and
unique places for lunch or dinner
in Downtown Visalia is Fugazzis,
a California Restaurant Association
and People’s Choice award-winning
restaurant. For ten consecutive years, it
has been a Taste of Downtown Visalia
award-winner, and it has been voted
Central Valley’s Best Caterer.
Fugazzis is a California bistro with a
menu that includes fresh produce and
seafood such as salmon, tuna, and
halibut, as well as pork, chicken, filet
mignon, New York steaks and prime rib.
“My favorite is our pistachio-crusted
halibut in lemon butter sauce, served
on a bed of couscous and grilled
vegetables,” said Gabriel Diaz, general
manager and catering manager.
Fugazzis also serves light salads, wraps,
and pizza, and more than 20 different
pasta varieties, including Portobello
ravioli and al pesto tortellini. The
restaurant’s gourmet pizzas range from
traditional pepperoni to garlic chicken
to Cajun.
Fugazzis’ chicken dinners are made
using only breast meat. “We don’t mess
with legs or thighs,” said Diaz.
“We’re known for our bread and sauce,”
said Diaz, describing the combination as
a multigrain ciabata bread and an olive
oil and tomato-based sauce.
Fugazzis California Bistro is located at
127 W. Main Street. The company’s other
locations include Fugazzis On The Go,
for people who want to pick up their
dinner, at 5347 W. Cypress; Fugazzis
California Grill at 1441 E. Prosperity
Avenue in Tulare; and Fugazzis at 601
W. 7th Avenue in Hanford. Although all
of Fugazzis locations offer the same
menu, “all have their own niche as far
as décor,” said Diaz, adding that all have
their own private dining rooms.
The company’s newest location is
Victorian Garden, billed as Visalia’s
premier wedding venue. Fugazzis
acquired the property in August 2014
41
and held its first wedding there in
October. “A Victorian house actually sits
on the grounds, surrounded by large
oak trees,” said Diaz.
He added that with all the services
provided by Victorian Garden, “the only
thing you’ve got to do is find is a DJ,
florist and wedding cake.”
The staff at Victorian Garden work with
the bride and groom – or anyone else
planning an event there – to help them
select a menu by hosting a tasting
party. The staff also works to ensure
that the décor and colors are perfect for
the event.
Mike Fligor and his wife, Debbie,
opened the first Fugazzis in 1997. Mike
had operated U-Bake Pizza locations in
the South Valley before hearing about
the availability of the Downtown Visalia
site from a friend.
Fugazzis is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Monday through Thursday, and 11 a.m.
to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays for
most of the year. During the summer,
the restaurants stay open an hour later.
“He came to this location and we’ve
been doing well ever since,” said Diaz,
who has been with Fugazzis for 15
years.
For more information,
call (559) 625-0498 or
visit fugazzisbistro.com
“We just hosted a wedding where the
bride’s color was blue, so in addition to
blue decorations, our bartender made a
cocktail that was blue,” said Diaz.
42
People often ask where the name
“Fugazzis” comes from. “Mike was in
Seattle and saw the name on the side
of a building,” explained Diaz. “He just
liked the way it sounded.”
FUGAZZIS’
PEAR AND
WALNUT
SALAD e
p
i
c
e
R
INGREDIENTS
3 OZ. GRILLED BLACKENED CHICKEN
1 OZ. FETA CHEESE CRUMBLE
3 OZ. HONEY MUSTARD DRESSING
3 OZ. ROMAINE LETTUCE HEARTS
2 OZ. SPRING MIX LETTUCE
3 SLICES OF RED ONION
10 SLICES OF PEARS
5 SLICES OF ROMA TOMATOES
1 OZ. WALNUT PIECES
¼ OZ. PARSLEY
PROCEDURES
PLACE ROMAINE LETTUCE HEARTS AND SPRING
MIX LETTUCE IN A SALAD BOWL AND ADD HONEY
MUSTARD DRESSING. TOSS UNTIL MIXED WELL.
ADD FETA CHEESE, WALNUT PIECES, AND GRILLED
BLACKENED CHICKEN ON TOP.
PLACE THE SLICES OF PEARS AND ROMA
TOMATOES AROUND SALAD.
TOP OFF WITH RED ONION SLICES.
SPRINKLE PARSLEY AROUND THE SALAD AND
SERVE.
43
Murray Ave.
Visalia
Fox
Theatre
Stevenson St.
Johnson St.
Willis St.
West St.
Floral St.
Encina St.
Library
Murray Ave.
School Ave.
Oak Ave.
Center Ave.
Locust St.
Court St.
DTV Office
Church St.
Garden St.
Bridge St.
Parking
Structure*
Parking
Murray Ave.
Center
Convention
*Parking rules are posted within each structure
2-hour All-Day
School Ave.
Acequia Ave.
MAIN ST.
Center Ave.
Oak Ave.
Visalia Convention Center
Locations
DTV Office
Hospital
Hotel
Theater
Library
Police Station
Fire Station
Regal
Cinemas
Willow St.
Tipton St.
Parking
Structure
Visalia
Convention
Center
Comfort
Suites
Garden St.
MAIN ST.
Acequia Ave.
Church St.
ATM
Tipton St.
Encina St.
Parking
Structure
Santa Fe St.
Willow Plaza
$
Santa Fe St.
School Ave.
FIND YOUR WAY AROUND
DOWNTOWN
Oak Ave.
Center Ave.
MAIN ST.
Americas
Best Value
Inn
Acequia Ave.
Willow St.
Bridge St.
Convention Center
Parking
Stevenson St.
Johnson St.
Johnson St.
Willis St.
Willis St.
West St.
West St.
Floral St.
St.
ral
Flo
Locust St.
Locust St.
Court St.
Court St.
Bridge St.
Santa Fe St.
Tipton St.
Mineral King Ave.
Marriott at the
Convention Center
Mineral King Ave.
Hwy 198
Parking
Structure
Hwy 198
Hwy 198
Kaweah Delta
Health Care
District
Hwy 198
Hwy 198
Mineral King Ave.
Hwy 198
44
Stevenson St.
VISALIA
COMMUNITY
PLAYERS
The Visalia Community Players is a California nonprofit corporation dedicated to the development of
community theatre in the greater Visalia area. The
organization is entirely supported by ticket sales
and tax-deductible contributions. Each year, The
Players members put in thousands of hours of their
own time to bring community theatre to Visalia.
Every job needed to run the theatre — from acting
to ticket sales, from building sets to maintaining the
building — is performed by volunteers dedicated to
community theatre. Membership in the organization
is open to anyone who shares an interest in
community theatre. http://visaliaplayers.org
45
MICROBREWERIES
ADD TO DOWNTOWN
DINING EXPERIENCE
A
TWO
DTV
Hops n Shops Logo
Logo
04.24.15
mong the many unique dining
experiences in Downtown Visalia are
those offered by two microbreweries,
Brewbakers Brewing Company and Sequoia
Brewing Company.
Brewbakers Brewing Company, which opened its
doors at 219 E. Main St. in Downtown Visalia in
1999, is a microbrewery, but its owners prefer the
term, “brewpub,” defined as a pub or restaurant
that brews its own beer for sale on the premises.
“There aren’t any other brewpubs in town,” said
Randy Dyer, who along with his brother Rod, own
and operate Brewbakers Brewing Company at
219 E. Main Street. “We’re the only brewery in
Visalia.”
Visitors can see their four large stainless steel
fermenters and one brass brewery the moment
they walk into the restaurant. Brewbakers uses
them to brew between 350 and 400 gallons of
beer during late night brewing sessions, which
usually happen twice a week.
“We have to do it at night because it’s real loud,”
said Dyer. “It’s also messy because we have to
take out parts.”
Brewbakers’ most popular beers are Sequoia
Red, I.P.A. (India Pale Ale), Honey Wheat Beer,
and Apple Beer. “We usually have seven
different beers at all times,” said Dyer. “We have
10-15 beers that rotate.”
Along with beer, Brewbakers offers “typical pub
grub,” such as pizza and burgers, said Dyer. “We
have a real good smoked tri-tip and we sell a lot
of sandwiches.”
Although Brewbakers is the only micropub
in Visalia, it is no longer the only restaurant
46
serving its own craft beer. Sequoia
Brewing Company opened its
doors at 124 W. Main Street in
Downtown Visalia in June.
Owners Scott and Michele Kendall
purchased Butterfield Brewing
Company in Fresno in early 2000,
and soon changed the name to
Sequoia Brewing Company. They
own and operate two successful
restaurants in Fresno.
“Visalia has always been on our list,”
said Kendall about the company’s
recent expansion. “It’s the gateway to
the Sequoias so it’s a good fit with our
beer.
“We make all of our 20 different beers,” he
added. “Our beer that you get here is fresh.
In other places when you have ‘X,’ ‘Y,’ or ‘Z’
beer, you’re not sure what you’re getting.
Ours is typically fresher than what you’re
getting next door.”
Among their most popular beers are Big Horn
IPA, Sequoia Pale Ale, and General Sherman
IPA. To accompany the beer, Sequoia Brewing
Company offers burgers, steaks, pizza,
seafood, and salad.
Sequoia Brewing Company is also distinctive
for its décor. “Our idea was when you walk
in, you feel like you’re in the Sequoias,” said
Kendall, adding that visitors to Sequoia
National Park might want to add to their
park experience by “having a General
Sherman IPA on the way up or when
they come back down.”
pursuit
of
hoppyness
MICROBREWS
MICROBREWING
MOVEMENT FINDS
HOME IN VISALIA
Microbreweries, or craft breweries,
are breweries that produce what is
considered a small amount of beer,
usually less than 15,000 barrels annually.
Definitions vary, but microbreweries are
known for emphasizing quality, flavor,
and brewing technique, and, because
their beer is brewed on a smaller scale,
there is more flexibility, adaptability, and
experimentation.
Traditional artisan brewing, which would
fit the modern definition of microbrewing,
has existed in Europe for hundreds of
years. The microbrewing movement
that began 40 years ago in the United
Kingdom, however, is credited for
launching its current popularity.
PURSUIT OF
HOPPYNESS
OFFERS AN EVENING OF BEER
TASTING AND SHOPPING
D
owntown Visalians are planning to launch a new annual event, Pursuit of
Hoppyness. Plans call for this opportunity to treat your taste buds to an
evening of beer tasting and discover your new favorite craft beer.
The expectation is that this new event will be as popular as other Downtown Visalia
events, such as the annual Taste of Downtown and the Wine & Cheese Walk.
Watch for more information in 2016 about this fun Downtown Visalia event, “Pursuit
of Hoppyness”, at downtownvisalia.com.
The purchase of Anchor Brewing
Company in 1965 by Maytag, and the
company’s quick turnaround, helped
revive the popularity of craft beer in the
U.S. The microbrewing movement was
jumpstarted in 1979 when President
Jimmy Carter de-regulated the beer
market.
The Tulare County Homebrewers
Organization for Perfect Suds, or
TCHOPS, was formed about 23 years ago,
according to one of its members, David
Spencer, who explained, “The charter
is for education in beer styles and beer
brews.”
“We are a homebrewing, wine and mead
making club in the Tulare County area of
Central California,” according to the home
page of its website, tchops.org. “Our goal
is to share our craft with each other, build
an awareness of craft brewing in the area,
and create an educational environment
for beginner, novice, and experienced
homebrewers alike.”
47
ct
es subje
ic
r
p
ll
A
*
nge.
to cha
CAFÉ TOMMY
Sweet Potato fries - $5
Bread Pudding - $7
Facebook.com/cafetommy
PITA KABOB
Classic Lunch Combo: Chicken
Shawarma Wrap with garlic sauce
and feta fries - $13.25
Pitakabob.com
FUGAZZIS
Coconut Prawns - $7.95
Fugazzisbistro.com
CHAR
Glazed Cronut - $3.52
Char-cu-te-rie.com
48
FIGARO’S
Mango Salad with Chicken - $9.55
Taquitos - $6.45
Figarosmexicangrill.com
KATHY’S KERNELS
Cinnamon Pecan White Chocolate
Caramel Corn 8oz. - $8.00
Kathyskernels.com
BREWBAKERS
Raspberry Apple Beer - $3.50
Garlic Fries - $6.99
Onion Rings - $9.99
Brewbakersbrewingco.com
A&W
Cheese Curds - $3.99
facebook.com/awcentralvalley
ROOKIES
Raspberry Lemon Drop - $8.00
Downtownrookies.com
VINTAGE PRESS
Wild Mushrooms in Puff Pastry - $13.95
Gin Orange Press - $10.00
Thevintagepress.com
HENRY SALAZAR’S
Burrito Fantastico with Green
Sauce - $10.29
Henrysalazars.net
ROSA BROTHERS
Chocolate Milk - $4.39
Rosabrothers.com
CV HEALTHY SNACKS
Med. Orange Work’s Ice Cream - $3.25
Centralvalleyhealthysnacks.com
TAYLOR BROTHER’S
Chili Hotdog - $1.60
GOODIES COOKIES
Assorted Cookies - $2.00
Goodiescookies.com
49
PALACE
HOTEL
BUILDING’S RICH
HISTORY TO BE
PRESERVED
T
he Palace Hotel building, a part
of Downtown Visalia’s colorful
history, was sold to developer
Danny Freitas, president of Dan Freitas
Electric, Inc. in April.
“It’s probably the oldest commercial
building still in service in Visalia,” said
local historian Terry Ommen. “In its day,
it was plush. It’s certainly well built. It
was considered one of the best hotels
in the southern San Joaquin Valley.”
Visalian Solomon Sweet, a major figure
in the agricultural development of the
area, hired Kenister and Baun of San
50
Francisco to design the hotel. Albert
Washburn of Stockton was hired as
contractor. The lower story of the
building was designed with four main
business rooms. The upper story had
52 guest rooms, seven of them suites.
California Governor William Irwin
attended the hotel’s grand opening
on October 12, 1876, where the Palace
Hotel was described as “the largest,
finest hotel outside San Francisco.”
The hotel quickly became the lodging
of choice for entertainers who
performed in town, often to headline
the Armory Hall, which was a block
south of the hotel.
One of its prominent guests was Edgar
Wilson “Bill” Nye, a popular journalist
and humorist in the late 1800s. “Many
people said it was impossible to bring
him to Visalia,” said Ommen, adding
that a $275 guarantee managed to
get him to headline a downtown show
on Saturday, February 25, 1893. He
performed for two hours to a capacity
crowd.
When the baseball team from Fresno
played the Visalia baseball team on
Sunday, April 22, 1894, the Visalia
pitcher “basically beaned” Fresno
player Frank Chance, according
to Ommen. “He was knocked
unconscious.”
Chance was taken to the Palace Hotel
where he stayed until he was well
enough to be taken back to Fresno. He
“It’s a unique building,” said
new owner Freitas. “We want
to preserve it.”
He was surprised by how
well previous owners had
preserved the building. “The
history of it, with the hotel, is
all still there,” he said. “The
alleyway shows how it was
used 80 years ago.”
Morris M. Estee
Bill Nye
Frank Chance
Freitas plans to repaint the
would later become a Hall of Fame first baseman for the
outside of the building and put in new glass windows, which
Chicago Cubs, a member of the famous Tinker to Evers to
are currently boarded up. He is waiting for a report from
Chance double play combo.
engineers before deciding whether to make the building’s
second floor into residential apartments or a restaurant.
Dance instructor S.J. Millington, who billed himself as a
“Pioneer Teacher of California,” held his popular dancing
“Other than that, we’re not going to change much,” said
classes throughout the state. In 1882, he booked a room at
Freitas. “It will look the same as it does today. We want to try
the Palace Hotel, where he ended up committing suicide.
and keep the historic feel as much as we can.”
“He was terminally ill and he decided this was the place he
wanted to kill himself,” Ommen explained.
Many historians have reported that the Palace Hotel
was where the notorious Black Bart, known for robbing
stagecoaches (and leaving his poetry behind), was last seen
on February 28, 1888.
“That’s a point of dispute,” said Ommen, who believes that,
based on newspaper accounts at the time, Black Bart might
have been at the Visalia House, which was at the northwest
corner of Church and Main Streets (the current site of a Bank
of America).
The search for the well-known local outlaws Chris Evans and
John Sontag was good for business at the Palace Hotel in
1892-1893. “All the lawmen and the bounty hunters looking
for them were staying at the Palace Hotel,” said Ommen.
“They would strategize there about how to capture them.”
In 1894, a formal reception was held for Republican
gubernatorial candidate Morris Estee. He lost the race, his
second unsuccessful try to become governor, and he also
lost twice as a candidate for U.S. Senator. He eventually
became the first U.S. Federal District Court Judge for the
Territory of Hawaii.
The Visalia Historic Preservation Advisory Committee and
the Kaweah Collectors of Questors unveiled a plaque on the
Palace Hotel building on October 13, 2011. The plaque was
the first to be installed through the city’s Historic Recognition
Program.
(Historic photo predit: Tulare County Public Library)
51
VISALIA
TROLLEYS
OFFER A
CONVENIENT
WAY TO
SHOP, DINE
AND SEE
THE CITY
52
T
The price to ride the Visalia Towne Trolley is only 25¢.
Unlimited monthly passes are $5. For more information
on the Visalia Towne Trolley, call 1-877-404-6473 or
visit www.visaliatransit.com.
The trolley also stops at other downtown locations
near more than 50 restaurants, shops and boutiques
along Main Street. Riders can use the trolley to attend
events at the Visalia Fox Theatre and the free concerts
at Garden Street Plaza.
During the holiday shopping season, Visalia Transit
offers free rides on its “Holly Trolley,” which offers 40
stops, shopping and dining destinations along Main
Street, Visalia Mall, Sequoia Mall, and Packwood Creek
Shopping Center. For more information – and to hear
two Holly Trolley holiday songs – visit
www.hollytrolley.com.
he Visalia Towne Trolley takes riders to a variety
of destinations in the Downtown Visalia area,
the Visalia Transit Center, the Visalia Convention
Center, the Tulare County Civic Center, as well as
to Recreation Park for home games of the Visalia
Rawhide Minor League Baseball team.
The trolley connects with bus routes to cities in Tulare
and Kings Counties, and to Greyhound, Orange Belt,
and Amtrak.
53
VISALIA: WHERE
URBAN CHARM
MEETS THE
S
LAND OF
GIANTS
equoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
are both celebrating their designations as
National Parks in 2015: 75 years for Kings
Canyon and for Sequoia it is 125 years since
President Harrison sign the legislation, forever
protecting this land of unrivaled beauty. That is
definitely a reason to celebrate with a trip to the
Parks. Visalia is a Gateway town to these two
National treasures and is a wonderful home base
for visitors wanting to explore the majestic beauty
of two of our National Parks and to discover more
about the region.
54
Just a few short hours by car from Los Angeles
and San Francisco, Visalia’s central location makes
it an easy drive and a great stopover for visitors
to the Parks. Visalia’s charm and strong sense of
community, welcomes visitors from around the
globe to explore our downtown and our agricultural
heritage. Whether your idea of a perfect vacation is
escaping to the great outdoors or discovering our
quaint downtown, a visit to Visalia will leave you
wishing for more time to explore. And there are lots
of things to explore here.
As the nation’s leading dairy producer and home
to over 250 different crops, a visit to Visalia simply
wouldn’t be complete without some exploration into
our County’s leading industry-agriculture, known here
simply as “ag.” Visit cheese making facilities, and the
world’s largest orange maze. Take a farm tour and do
a nut-butter tasting. Not just peanut butter, but also
cashew, walnut, pistachio butters and more. Dig a little
deeper into the ag industry with a visit the AgVentures
museum or the Antique Farm Equipment Museum.
But to really get a taste of our county’s bounty stroll
through our local farmers’ markets or stop by the many
roadside stands that sell ripe-from-the-fields fruits and
vegetables.
Kings Canyon National Parks. The Parks are calling,
especially in this anniversary year. And with 2016
being the centennial of the National Park Service the
celebrations will continue.
We invite you to come and play in
our backyard!
Join us in town for a trolley ride, professional baseball
game at the Visalia Rawhide stadium, live music,
great restaurants and more. Or take a short drive to
hundreds of outdoor excursions including everything
from golfing to fishing, hiking, biking, camping, boating,
horseback riding, skiing, and even spelunking in a
place of unmatched natural beauty.
When it is time to head to the Park, summer visitors can
leave their cars behind in Visalia and use the Sequoia
Shuttle as an easy, stress-free way to get to Sequoia
National Park. Round-trip tickets are a nominal $15
and include park entrance. With various pick-up points
and times throughout the day, this convenient mode
of transportation takes visitors into the park for a day
spent among the Sequoias. Once in the parks, riders
use the inter-park shuttles to get to all the popular
destinations like Moro Rock, Tunnel Log, Lodgepole
Visitors Center and the absolute must-see: General
Sherman Tree, the largest living thing on earth.
Whether you spend a day, or spend a week, Visalia
will welcome you on your way to the Sequoia and
55
VISALIA: A COMMUNITY OF SERVICE
VISALIA HAS SEVERAL SERVICE GROUPS, WHICH SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY
THROUGH FUNDRAISERS AND PROGRAMS.
LIONS CLUBS
Visalia Breakfast Lions Club chartered in 1959, and the largest Lions
Club in Visalia has 80 service driven members. Going above and
beyond the Lions Club motto “WE SERVE”, the Visalia Breakfast
Lions Club financially contributes to numerous local charities.
Currently, they organize 21 local events that donate time and
treasure to individuals and organizations in need. Some of their
annual community events include: the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Irish
Fest, Downtown Visalia Car Show, Waiters Race, the Turkey Drop
(donating over 700 turkeys), and they flip pancakes on their own
authentic chuck wagon for organizations that include: Happy Trails
Riding Academy, Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Walk to End Alzheimer’s
and the SPCA.
Visalia Host Lions Club was chartered in 1926 as one of Visalia’s
first service organizations. They organized the start of the annual
downtown Visalia Candy Cane Lane Parade. Sequoia Lions were
also among the original Visalia Lions’ Clubs founded in 1956. Our
other dedicated Visalia Lions Clubs include: Charter Oaks Lions
Club, Visalia Sunset Lions and Visalia Pride Lions Club.
CASA OF TULARE COUNTY
CASA of Tulare County (Court Appointed Special Advocates)
mission is “to speak up for the innocent children who are victims of
abuse and neglect – advocating for their safety and well-being by
training community volunteers to represent their best interests and
be their voice in court.”
The purpose of CASA is to humanize the complicated, unfamiliar
and often frightening legal and child welfare system for the child
victim. CASA provides a trained child advocate volunteer who
serves as a consistent caring adult with one mission; to represent
only what is in the child’s best interests. Unfortunately, there are
always more children waiting than volunteers available. CASA does
make a tremendous difference for each child we serve.
For more information visit: www.casatulareco.org
SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL OF VISALIA
Soroptimist is a global volunteer organization working to improve
the lives of women and girls through programs leading to social
and economic empowerment. The word “Soroptimist” is a coined
term meaning “Best for Women.” This is accomplished through
education, scholarships and involvement in community and
international service projects. Soroptimist of Visalia is actively
involved in volunteer work and contributing to Karen’s House,
Family Services of Visalia, ACT for Women and Girls, Boys & Girls
Clubs, CASA of Tulare County and over 30 more organizations in
the Visalia Area. Meetings are held the 2nd and 3rd Monday of
each month at Sue Sa’s Club House Deli at the corner of Center and
Johnson.
For more information, visit www.sivisalia.org
56
ROTARY
Visalia is rich in Rotary! We’re five clubs strong, with more than 400
members coming together every week to have fun, raise money and
support the amazing community of Visalia.
Rotarians build parks, supply clean water to those without, feed
neighbors, clean-up streets and bike paths and river ways. We
work to enrich the lives of children and support other non-profits.
We are part of an international service organization more than 1
million members strong! We fight to END POLIO globally. We help in
disasters.
Locally, our Visalia Rotary Community Foundation – founded by the
Rotary Club of Visalia and made up of all five clubs – has given out
more than $1 million since 1997 in grants to other non-profits and
scholarships to students. As you drive or stroll along town, keep an
eye out for our trademark Rotary wheel. It marks the spot where
we’ve worked to make the lives of Visalians a little better… and
hopefully a lot brighter!
Rotary Meeting Details:
• Visalia Sunset Rotary visaliasunsetrotary.org – Meets Mondays
@ 4:45PM – Holiday Inn
• Visalia County Center Rotary vccrotary.org – Meets Tuesdays
@ Noon – Lamp Liter
• Rotary Club of Visalia visaliarotaryclub.com – Meets
Wednesdays @ Noon – Marriott
• Visalia Latino Rotary - Tulare County Latino/Facebook – Meets
Wednesdays @ 6:30PM – The Club House
• Visalia Breakfast Rotary – vbrotary.org – Meets Thursdays @
6:30AM – Visalia Country Club
KIWANIS
Sequoia-Visalia Kiwanis and West Visalia Kiwanis are two of
Visalia’s Kiwanis Clubs.
Their mission is to serve the children of the world. Kiwanis and its
family of clubs - nearly 600,000 members strong - annually raise
more than $100 million and dedicate more than 18 million volunteer
hours to strengthen communities and serve children.
Members of every age attend regular meetings, experience
fellowship, raise funds for various causes and participate in service
projects that help their communities.
For more information visit: www.sequoia-visaliakiwanis.org and
www.westvisaliakiwanis.org
STAYING
HEALTHY
KAWEAH DELTA RESIDENCY PROGRAM
To help meet the community’s growing healthcare
needs, Kaweah Delta Health Care District launched
its residency program in 2013, adding to its surgery,
family medicine, emergency medicine, and psychiatry
programs. Thirty-one residents have been added so
far this year, bringing the total number of resident
physicians to 59.
The program increases access to care for patients,
according to Lori Winston, M.D., designated
institutional official of Kaweah Delta’s Residency
Programs.
Visalia Medical Clinic was originally formed in 1940 as
a medical partnership between Dr. I. M. Lipson and his
son-in-law, Dr. William S. Neal, and with the addition of
Dr. J.H. Brady in 1941, the roots of what would become
the clinic were established. The practice established
a clinic in 1942, eventually moving to its current
44,000-square-foot clinic at 5400 W. Hillsdale Ave. in
1974. The building undergoes continual changes to
accommodate additional physicians and staff, imaging
and other ancillary services. Visalia Medical Clinic is
now the largest physician-owned clinic in the South
Valley.
“It improves the quality of care by focusing on the
latest in evidenced-based medicine,” she said. “It
ensures a better culture of patient safety and increases
the number of doctors in the hospital to care for sick
patients at all hours of the day or night. The residency
program also helps recruit more physicians, not only
because physicians enjoy academic careers but also
because residents tend to remain in the areas that they
train.”
Kaweah Delta is focusing on starting residency
programs in the specialties that are most needed in the
area, such as family medicine, she added.
OTHER HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS
Family HealthCare Network is a private nonprofit
organization that operates federally qualified health
centers. It has 18 sites; 14 of them are community
health centers located in Tulare and Kings Counties.
FHCN is recognized by the National Committee for
Quality Assurance as a Level 3 Patient Centered
Medical Home, and is dually recognized by The Joint
Commission with its Gold Seal of Approval for Patient
Quality and Safety, and as a Patient Centered Primary
Medical Home.
57
EDUCATION
VISALIA’S COMMUNITY AND PRIVATE
COLLEGES PROVIDE RANGE OF DEGREES
In addition to San Joaquin Valley College, several
other private colleges and one community college
have campuses in the City of Visalia, offering
degrees in a wide range of fields, including
business, education, healthcare, accounting, and
computer science. Available degrees include
associate, bachelors, masters, and doctorate.
COLLEGE OF THE SEQUOIAS
College of the Sequoias, with its main campus at 915
S. Mooney Blvd., is a two-year community college
offering educational and enrichment programs. The
school serves 13,000 students per semester, some
seeking vocational training and others planning to
continue on to a four-year university.
The college was established in 1925 and moved
to its current 62-acre main campus site in Visalia
in 1940. In addition to its Visalia campus, COS
operates full-service centers in Hanford and Tulare.
BRANDMAN UNIVERSITY
Brandman University, 649 S. County Center Dr.,
focuses on catering to the needs of working
professionals by offering degree programs that
allow them to pursue their educational goals while
continuing their part-time or full-time job. The
Visalia campus offers associate, bachelors, masters’,
doctorate, and credential programs through
its Schools of Arts and Sciences, Business and
Professional Studies, and Education.
FRESNO PACIFIC UNIVERSITY
The Visalia campus, 245 N. Plaza Dr., offers
accelerated bachelor’s degree completion
programs, as well as master’s degrees and
credentials. All courses are offered in the evening
and taught by experienced faculty. For more
information, call (559) 302-4100.
MILAN INSTITUTE
Milan Institute, 6500 S. Mooney Blvd., offers shortterm educational programs in accounting, massage
therapy, and medical assisting, and training for
careers as a computer and network technician,
administrative medical assistant, administrative
specialist, nursing assistant, and registered dental
assistant.
THE UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX
The Visalia Learning Center, 301 East Acequia
Ave., offers both bachelor’s and master’s degree
programs in a variety of subjects, and has programs
for those seeking California teaching credentials.
The university offers a range of business degree
options, as well as other programs, including health
administration and nursing.
COSMETOLOGY
For those seeking a career in cosmetology, the
Estes Institute of Cosmetology, 324 E. Main St.,
has cosmetology and manicurist programs, and
the Marinello Schools of Beauty, 2335 S. Mooney
Blvd., offers programs in cosmetology, esthetics, nail
technology and makeup artistry.
58
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
COLLEGE OFFERS
CAREER
FOCUSED
PROGRAMS
S
an Joaquin Valley College, which has 13 campuses in California, as well
as an online division, was founded in the Visalia by Bob and Shirley
Perry in 1977. Shirley was one of the first certified medical assistants in
the state.
SJVC started by offering a medical assistant program.
“Within the first year, they also offered a dental assistant program,” said
Joseph Holt, SJVC’s chief administrative officer. “In the early ’80s, they started
a business program. They opened the Bakersfield campus at the same time,
and then the Fresno campus soon after.”
The school’s flagship campus, located at 8344 W. Mineral King Avenue,
offers accelerated programs in the medical, dental, business, criminal justice,
technical, and industrial fields.
“We offer more than 20 different programs,” said Holt, who has been with
SJVC for 15 years. “Our instruction employs hands-on training. Our medical
assistant program, students learn venipuncture, (giving shots inside the vein).
In our externship programs, students actually work in a doctor’s office.”
As with community colleges, SJVC degree programs include general
education classes. “But it differs from community college because we focus
very specifically on a career,” said Holt.
“The main difference between us and other career colleges
is that we are regionally accredited,” said Holt. “Very few
career colleges are. Also, we offer primarily degree programs
while other vocational colleges offer mostly certification
programs.”
SJVC, which is now owned and operated by the founders’
sons, Mark and Mike Perry, offers accelerated, careerfocused program options, as well as small class sizes and
flexible schedules.
Courses are offered year-round to best serve the
professional needs of its students. Classes are available
in the morning, afternoon, and evening to accommodate
working students. Most associate of science degree
programs can be completed in about 14 months, and
certificate programs in approximately seven months. All
general education, theoretical coursework, and practical
experience (including externships and clinical time
requirements) are included in this accelerated system.
SJVC will offer bachelors and masters degree programs in
the near future, according to Holt. “We are currently a junior
college, only offering associate of science degrees,” he
said. He expects SJVC to continue to grow and have more
campuses in the state.
The business and criminal justice programs offered at the
Visalia campus include: business administration, criminal
justice: corrections, and human resource administration.
The medical and dental programs are: dental assistant,
dental hygiene, licensed vocational nursing, medical
assistant, medical office, pharmacy technology, registered
nursing, and respiratory therapy.
The three technical and industrial programs are: computer
systems administration, industrial maintenance technology,
and heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration
technology.
The Visalia campus also features a variety of clubs to help
students meet new friends, ranging from American Medical
Technologists Club to Dental Assistants Club, from Pharmacy
Club to Future Nurses, and from American Criminal Justice
Association to Computer Club. Campus events include
holiday events and fundraisers.
Other SJVC campuses are located in Antelope Valley,
Bakersfield, Fresno, Hanford, Madera, Modesto, Ontario,
Rancho Cordova, San Diego, Temecula, and Hesperia.
For more information about San Joaquin
Valley College, call (559) 651-2500 or visit
www.sjvc.edu
59
DESTINATION
KAWEAH OAKS
By Aaron Collins
J
60
ust a few minutes east of Visalia,
one finds present-day Kaweah
Oaks Preserve on land that
was nearly leveled in 1982. It’s hard
to imagine that happening now,
considering the thousands of annual
visitors -- school children, hikers and
others who come to see the region’s
native species found among Kaweah
Oaks’ broad canopy of old trees. But
this ancient forest came very close to
vanishing forever.
Several well-maintained trails traverse
the preserve. Among the most popular
are The Skip Pescosolido Wild Rose
Trail and Grape Trails. The former was
so-named by Pescosolido’s surviving
philanthropic family members in honor
of the late Exeter area citrus business
owner so-named for the native rose
and grape species found on each. The
Sycamore Trail is also popular, featuring
native Sycamores and more than a few
Valley Oak.
Gladly, Kaweah Oaks Preserve (KOP)
recently entered its fourth decade. Now
trekked by school field trippers and
visitors who make year-round use of its
well-maintained trails, Kaweah Oaks’
trees are in some case several hundred
years old. The forest overall, countless
thousands of years old, is the last
remaining riparian native Valley Oak
forest of its size and kind in the region.
The forest has not only been spared;
it recently expanded by 22-acres, with
open ground to be reforested thanks
to a successful $552,000 capital
campaign conducted by its presentday owner, the Visalia-based nonprofit
Sequoia Riverlands Trust. In 2015, The
Timothy Blaine Tashjian Deep Creek
Fitness Trail at KOP was established by
the late Tim Tashjian’s daughter Hayley
Tashjian on the new parcel, to be
developed further once fitness features
and the long-anticipated riparian
restoration are completed along
the creek that forms the preserve’s
northern border. The elder Tashjian,
like Pescosolido, was an Exeter and
Ivanhoe area citrus farmer.
A Children’s Trail, too, is in the works
and will feature play-based learning
features for younger visitors.
KOP may have received new resources,
but it also faces new challenges dealt
by the climate, the economy, increased
visitors, and the realities of the region’s
philanthropic culture.
With more than 10,000 visitors per year
using KOP for a variety of disparate
uses from wedding photographers, to
university researchers, day hikers, yoga
classes, increased visitor numbers have
meant the need for sanitary restrooms
facilities, which are being designed by the preserve’s
architect of record, Fresno-based Thom Black.
The annual Kaweah Oaks Earth Day 5K Run organized by
Soul 2 Sole Sports turns out hundreds of visitors. “There are
very few local trails that are as accessible as the Kaweah
Oaks Preserve,” said Sole 2 Soul owner and race organizer
Scott Newton. “This event combines a distance that anyone
can enjoy and allows many to experience a trail run for the
very first time. The great thing is that not only is the venue
beautiful, but that the event is to raise funds to preserve it for
future generations,” Newton said. “It is great that you get to
run in a preserve that is like going back in time.”
The land gets more use than ever, and one cannot help but
wonder what the forest’s fate might be today, had it remained
in private hands. It might still have been the last of its kind,
but quite likely it would be a forest felled, a ghost of centuries
past offering no further shade, recreation, educational
opportunity nor beauty from its increasingly rare animal
habitat.
Just like KOP, much of the Kaweah River Delta was once a
vast riparian Valley Oak woodland habitat replete with deer
and elk, big cats – even grizzly bears formerly found among
the abundant flora and fauna in the Kaweah River Delta until
the mid-1800s.
Fortunately, Kaweah Oaks Preserve still stands to offer
echoes of that not-so-distant past. For the sights and sounds
of a vanished era and humanity’s primeval habitat, come out
and walk or sit among these massive trees and ponder the
persistent thrum of the ancients who have dwelt there before
you.
For more information on Kaweah Oaks
Preserve or Sequoia Riverlands Trust’s
Campaign for Kaweah Oaks, please visit:
www.sequoiariverlands.org
61
SEQUOIA SHUTTLE OFFERS
EASIEST
RIDE
TO SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK
T
he Sequoia Shuttle offers riders the most
convenient and comfortable way of travelling
from Downtown Visalia to Sequoia National Park.
The shuttle saves riders money on gas and reduces
congestion in the park.
The 2015 Sequoia Shuttle season runs from May 21
through September 27, departing from the larger hotels
and other convenient locations throughout Visalia,
before taking riders to the park’s Giant Forest Museum.
From the museum, visitors have access to the in-park
transit system.
“Riding the Sequoia Shuttle to the park offers so many
advantages,” said Visalia Transit Manager Monty Cox.
“It is easy, convenient and economical, plus it reduces
private motor vehicles in the park. Each 16-passenger
shuttle is wheelchair accessible, features comfortable
seats, luggage space, and an informative video during
the trip.”
The Sequoia Shuttle runs seven days a week, offering
several trips throughout the day starting at 6 a.m. The
$15 round-trip price includes park entry and unlimited
shuttle service inside the park.
62
THE IN-PARK TRANSIT SYSTEM OFFERS FIVE
ROUTES THAT STOP AT ALL MAJOR TRAILHEADS
AND ATTRACTIONS:
Route 1 (Green Route, The Giant Forest Route):
This is the most popular route within the park. Starting
from the Giant Forest Museum, this route takes guests
to the General Sherman Tree and to the Lodgepole
Market & Visitors Center.
Route 2 (Gray Route, Moro Rock/Crescent Meadow):
This route provides access to Moro Rock, located
between the Giant Forest and Crescent Meadow. The
view from the rock encompasses much of the park,
including the Great Western Divide. This route also
stops at Crescent Meadow, considered by many to be
the gem of the Sierras.
Route 3 (Purple Route, Lodgepole/Wuksachi Route):
This route goes from Lodgepole to Wuksachi Lodge.
Located in the heart of Sequoia National Park, the
Wuksachi Lodge is where many park visitors unwind
for a multiday getaway.
Round-trip tickets on the Sequoia Shuttle can be
booked as a day trip or a multiday vacation. Groups
also receive a special rate.
Route 4 (Orange Route, Wolverton Route):
This route is in operation during peak season (July to
September) and provides access from the General
Sherman Tree to many of the backcountry trailheads
located at the Wolverton area.
www.sequoiashuttle.com
Route 5 (Red Route, Potwisha Route):
This route departs from the Giant Forest Museum and
stops at Potwisha campground.
63
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