Page 7 - Mid Valley Times 8-5-21 E-edition

Thursday, August 5, 2021
Sanger Chamber awards, a night to remember
The View From Here
I stared blankly at the clothes in my clos- et. It had been such a long time since
I attended
a banquet
that I didn’t know if I had the right attire.
Jeans and t-shirts have taken over my closet, I don’t work in television anymore so there’s really no need for a full face of makeup, unless I want to wear a full face of makeup of course, which does hap- pen on occasion.
Most of the dresses or tops I would wear on air have since been donated.
After a few outfit chang- es, I decided on a royal blue dress. It was a knee length dress, somewhat comfort- able enough to withstand the evening. I had to fig- ure out where the Belmont Country Club was located. I was on my way to attend the Sanger Chamber’s 96th Annual Awards Banquet. I found the location with no problem. Looked around at the homes surrounding the country club, very nice.
I walked into the venue and waited in line for my ticket. As I took my seat in- side I noticed an industrial sized fan near the front of the club. The bartender told me the a/c had gone out just days before the event. Some people didn’t look happy, but in the end everyone made the best of it and the evening was re- ally nice.
I’ve personally met most of the recipients with the exception of two or three. I had the pleasure of meet- ing both the 2020 and 2021 Educators of the Year a few weeks back.
Lori Hawkyard was the 2020 recipient and Laurie Bianchi was the 2021 re- cipient.
Both were nominated from their peers and both told me they faced multiple challenges, Hawkyard dur- ing the pandemic, and Bi- anchi toward the end of the pandemic and during the onset of in person instruc- tion.
"First they were at home, then they came back and we had to be very flexible during that time,
said Laurie Bianchi on July 15. "We did what we needed to keep our kids step and were always looking ahead to what our next step was."
Congratulations to all this year's winners and the winners from previous years on a job well done.
Juanita Adame
Scott Fitzgerald novel, The Great Gatsby.
Emcee, Sanger Police De- partment Lieutenant, Joshua Johnson, played the role of Jay Gatsby, the main charac- ter in the novel.
“While a lot has changed, one thing has remained the same, that is that many of us want to achieve the American dream,” said Johnson during his introduction. “For me the American dream is more than money, its about helping people.”
"Trying to teach our stu- dents through Zoom was a challenge for us," said Lori Hawkyard on July 15. Hawk- yard was the 2020 Educator of the Year.
Other recipients includ- ed; Sanger Fire Depart- ment EMT, Kelly Fields and Sanger Police Department officer Dario Salazar. For a full list of the winners visit the Sanger Herald Facebook page.
Juanita Adame / Mid Valley Times
From left, Toni Avila-Sanchez, the 2021 Mother of the Year, stood next to Betty Shafer-Pryor, the 2020 Mother of the Year as Shafer pointed out a long time friend from the crowd.
Holly Willet, Lincoln Elementary School principal, spoke about Lau- rie Bianchi shortly before Bianchi took the stage and accepted the chamber's award for the 2021 Educator of the Year.
Reedley Rotary back to in-person meetings
By Juanita Adame
Mid Valley Times
It had been more than one year since the Sanger Cham- ber of Commerce and its members gathered for their yearly awards banquet to honor the city’s outstanding citizens.
That all changed on the evening of July 30 when members gathered at the Belmont Country Club to honor some 2019 recipients as well as 2020 through 2021 recipients.
The event featured a “Roaring 20’s” theme. The theme paid tribute to the 1920’s era and the 1925 F.
"I'm still in shock, but so excited, this is such a great honor."
Laurie Bianchi Educator of Year 2021
Photo Courtesy / Reedley Rotary Facebook Page
From left, Sue Reynolds Buckley, Miriam Aleman, and Tracy Ara- kaki, posed for a photo following the July 22 in person meeting. Aleman is the pastor at the LIFEhouse Valley Church and shared her story of hope for making it through difficult times.
Parlier receives water donations
The Parlier Police Department received 500 bottles of water from R&N Market for their National Night Out event that was held on Aug. 3 at Earl Ruth Park.
Contributed
A photo of Xavier Parisi -who traveled from Tacoma, Wash. to encourage his great grandma, “Gigi” Mae Ewert from Dinuba who'd been hospitalized for 10 days at Adventist Health in Reed- ley, was sent in by-Janet Pauls. Have a photo you'd like featured? Email juanita@midvalleypublishing.com.
Cooking event scheduled for Reedley senior citizens
Contributed
The Reedley Senior Cen- ter will be hosting a live cooking event on Aug. 18 at the community center in Reedley. "We will be pre- paring Cowboy Salsa and
the deadline to sign up for this event is Monday, Aug. 16," said Jodi Botello, Senior Services Coordinator.
The Senior Center is open Monday through Fri- day. For more information, contact (559)637-4207
Photo of the week