Page 7 - Mid Valley Times 9-17-20 E-edition

Thursday, September 17, 2020
Sanger students host Creek Fire donation drive
The View From Here
I never realized how difficult it is to remove the smell of smoke from a vehicle, from cloth- ing, or even from my hair.
Juanita Adame
"The response has been amazing, we have the best community,"
Kirstin Coronado, SHS Principal
“We’ve been out here for about an hour and a half now and we’re certainly getting a lot of donations so it’s looking good,” said John Pena, student body president.
“We’re getting a ton of wa- ter and Gatorade, toiletries are the things we’re getting less of and we need.”
The Creek Fire began burning on Sept. 4 and as of Sept. 15 had burned more than 200,000 acres in the Big Creek Shaver and Auberry areas.
“Obviously we have the need, and we came together as a Sanger Community with some of the suggestions from our employees,” said Coro- nado. “We then decided we needed to do something now.”
I’ve been up to the Creek Fire two times in the last week. The first week, evacu- ations in the area were ram- pant.
Reedley Police along with multiple other agencies were working quickly to evacuate residents from the Auberry area. That was on Labor Day, Sept. 7.
My second visit to the Creek Fire was on Sept. 13. Almost a week into the enor- mous wildfire, the air quality near the incident was horri- ble and hazardous.
The sky looked orange, the trees were burnt and black. The landscape looked like a scene from a Tim Bur- ton film.
One of the first stops that local photographer, Joseph Vasquez and I made was to Cressman’s General Store on Highway 168.
A pile of charred rubble was all that remained. Jo- seph wasted no time. He quickly grabbed his multiple cameras and began to take photos.
I grabbed a few photos and some video and walked uptowhatusetobethe store. Except for the sound of chain saws cutting trees on the other side of the mountain ridge, the area was quiet.
In the middle of the rub- ble, I noticed a pile of what looked like exploded soda cans. Upon closer observa- tion I read the labels. “Mon- ster Energy Drinks.” My guess was the pressure from the heat caused the cans to explode.
We grabbed our stuff and met up with a couple of local law enforcement units.
As we drove up to the town of Shaver the silence was palpable. The town of Shaver looked like a ghost town, eerily quiet. No one dining at Shaver Lake Pizza, no one laughing at the Pub- N-Grub. No one setting up their barbecue grill by the lake. Nothing.
The only splashing that could be heard was coming from the lake itself. A small school of fish swam near the surface. Almost happy that no human interaction was interrupting their daily feed.
After taking some more photos, we headed up to- ward Dinkey Creek. Sur- prisingly, the campground was untouched and the air was clear.
As we drove through the campground, the officer
SEE COLUMN on page A8
Photos by Juanita Adame / Mid Valley Times
Sanger High Students stood in front of their donation collections. The group set up the event and ASB President John Pena, said they were pleased with the turnout and support from the community.
John Pena Sanger High School ASB president, unloaded dona- tions on the afternoon of Sept. 8.
By Juanita Adame
Mid Valley Times
The outpouring of support from the Sanger community during Sanger High’s Creek Fire donation drive could only be described with one word from Kirstin Coronado, principal.
“Amazing!” she said on the afternoon of Sept. 8. “We
have the best community and we always take care of each other, everyone has just been pouring in we have three vans and now we have our band truck.”
The event, organized by the student body was geared at helping evacuees affected by the Creek Fire and first responders working at the Creek Fire.
'Walk of Faith' event held at Mueller Park in Reedley
Contributed
Several Reedley church- es, their members, and other locals gathered on Sept. 12 for the Walk of Faith event at CF Mueller Park in Reedley.
Walk of Faith is geared at praying for faith, health, fi- nances, youth and education.
Participants from sur- rounding communities came to walk and show their sup- port for the cause.
Aside from the walk itself, there were also inspirational messages from Joe Garza, Reedley Police Department police chief and other local
dignitaries.
"Cruising for Jesus Min-
istries International and Reedley Mennonite Brethren Church would like to thank Reedley's Police Chief, Joe Garza and the City of Reed- ley for assisting us with our Walk of Faith," said Horacio Aleman with Cruising for Je- sus.
"We would also like to thank all the bikers, volun- teers, and those who attend- ed."
For information on up- coming events with Cruising for Jesus, contact (559) 708- 2351, or (559) 638-8123.
Contributed
A thumbs up from Horacio Aleman as he and his wife, Betty, posed for a photo during the Walk of Faith event on Sept. 12 in Reedley.
Photo of the week
Contributed
A country kid at heart. Laura Marie, 5, shows off her little feet after spending an entire day running around the Dream Big RanchoutsideSanger. Haveaphotoyou'dlikefeatured? Email juanita@midvalleypublishing.com.
Reedley College Ag Department steps in to help
Juanita Adame / Mid Valley Times
The Reedley College Ag Department opened its doors on the af- ternoon of Sept. 8 for evacuees. "Frank" the cat at the ag center, waited patiently for evacuated animals to arrive.