Page 7 - Mid Valley Times 11-14-19 E-edition

The View From Here
I walked up to the Per- forming Arts Theatre on the Reedley High School campus on
the after- noon of Nov.
6 and pulled on the door handle. Locked.
Juanita Adame
By George Villagrana
Mid Valley Times
Dinuba resident Dorothy Takako Mayeda celebrated her 100th birthday last week as friends trickled into her home to be part of the joyous occa- sion with cake and appetizers.
“She just amazes me," said Mayeda’s daughter, Donna Valentino. “My mom and dad were very careful of what they ate.”
Dorothy was born and raised in Stockton. She mar- ried Hiroshi Mayeda in Fresno as the couple made their home on a ranch just outside Dinuba.
“My grandfather owned that ranch and my dad farmed it,” said Donna. In 1942, the couple was sent to an intern-
ment camp for Japanese- Americans in Arizona. They were put on a train and had to leave all their belongings be- hind, recalled Dorothy.
“They had to leave every- thing behind and were separat- ed from family,” Donna said.
The ranch was being cared for by a German couple, said Mayeda. After spending a year at the internment camp, they were not allowed to re- turn to the ranch and lived in Chicago.
“We lived with a couple who did not have a family and included us,” Dorothy said.
A German family tended the ranch and occasionally would bake cookies and cakes
See MAYEDA on page A10
Walked around the back of the building and tried a different door, also locked. Finally after a few min- utes, a group of students showed up and waited out- side the building. I went over to introduce myself, and met Kyndall Murray and Richard Avila, two of the students who will be in the upcoming production of “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown.”
Everyone was smiling, happy, until it was time to practice. They immediately became the characters they were set to play, Kyndall will be Charlie Brown, Richard Avila, Schroeder, and Heidi Harris will be Lucy. Just to name a few.
They sang a quick run through of the introductory song to the musical. They sounded amazing and I am sure they will do a great job on opening night.
Kyndall said she is excit- ed to play the role of Charlie Brown. I hope everyone has a chance to see these stu- dents hard work pay off on stage.
Dorothy Mayeda, 100.
Rick Curiel / Mid Valley Times
Lt. Colonel Katherine Corliss of the 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno was the guest speaker at the Nov. 8 Sanger Ro- tary Club meeting.
By Rick Curiel
Mid Valley TImes
Lieutenant Colonel Kather- ine Corliss of the 144th Fight- er Wing in Fresno was the guest speaker at the Sanger Rotary Club meeting on Fri- day, Nov. 8.
Corliss, who serves as the 144th Munition Flight Officer- In-Charge, gave the club an overview of the Fresno base and how the unit serves the
state and country.
The base, Corliss said,
serves the southwest sector of the United States and is al- ways prepared to be in the air within 7 minutes of any given notice.
The 144th Fighter Wing started in Hayward in 1948 and was moved to Fresno in 1954. It consists of 1,100 au- thorized personnel who work at the unit, many of them part-time reserve officers. She said that of that number, about 35 percent are full time Air Force officers.
During her presentation, Corliss recalled an incident back on July 4 of 2015 where fighter jets from the unit re- sponded to the Pacific Ocean to intercept a Russian bomber.
“Russia was working on some of their exercises on the eastern side of their country,” Corliss explained. “We scram- bled to intercept and the crew on their bomber wished ‘Hap- py Birthday to America’.”
She went on to state that
SEE ROTARY on page A10
Rick Curiel / Mid Valley Times
Pictured behind this year’s winners, along with 2019 Miss Dinuba, are Friends of the Dinuba Library members (left to right) Mae Ewert, Susan Abair, Shirley Stormont, Miss Dinuba Katelyn Oyervidez, Winona Campbell and Carol Meinert.
By Rick Curiel
Mid Valley Times
After holding their annual drawing at the Dinuba Branch Library on Nov. 1, the Friends of the Dinuba Library gave out prize baskets to library pa- trons on Nov. 6. Baskets con- taining books and prizes were given out in five age groups.
In one of the luckiest draws in the drawing’s history, broth- er and sister were drawn in the youngest categories. Eli- ana Torres (transitional kin- dergarten) and brother Eze- kiel Torres (2nd grade) both won baskets after their names were drawn.
They are pictured front and center in the first row. Next to them is Jasmine Rodriguez, a 5th grader who won the basket in the 4th – 6th grade category.
Winning in the upper grade division (7th – 12th grade) was Maicee Reyes, a 10th grader. Mary Ellen Woodcock was the winner in the adult category.
Dinuba's Dorothy Mayeda celebrates 100th
Reedley High theatre students prepare for opening day
Photo by Juanita Adame / Mid Valley Times
Kyndall Murray, left, looks toward her cast mates as the group prac- tices the introductory song to "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown."
By Juanita Adame
Mid Valley Times
Kyndall Murray, a senior at Reedley High School said she’s curious to see how she’ll look as the popular and beloved Peanuts character, Charlie Brown.
“I might wear a bald cap,” said Murray on the afternoon of Nov. 6. “We’re going to try that, but if not, just slick my hair back, but I want to see how I’ll look in a bald cap.”
Murray will be playing the lead role of the 5-year-old com- ics character- known for his yellow and black t shirt- during the theatre departments up- coming production of “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown.”
“I was a bit shocked when I got the part,” she said. “I was asked if I was comfortable playing the role of Charlie Brown, and for me, not only performing as a 5-year-old, but as a boy, is a really cool challenge and it’s really fun to play.”
Fellow cast mates, like Hei- di Harris who will play Lucy and Richard Avila who will play Schroeder said this pro- duction has its own set of chal- lenges, but they are having fun learning the characters.
“Lucy is very aggressive,” said Harris. “She loves to yell, so my voice has taken a toll, but otherwise it’s been really
See PEANUTS on page A10
Sanger Rotary Club welcomes Lt. Colonel Corliss as speaker
Friends of Dinuba Library announce raffle winners