Page 9 - Reedleyt Exponent 7-5-18 E-edition

The Reedley Exponent BPanorama
Friends from RHS Class of 2018 enjoy "movie in the park" event See B8
Section | Thursday, July 5, 2018 www.reedleyexponent.com Learning to swim
Reedley (Fresno County) CA 93654
Lincoln students get free swim lessons from Kings Canyon Unified
Jodie Reyna/The Exponent
Vivian Dueck wears one of her fa- vorite aprons that reads, "Welcome to our bar-b-que." She has collected almost 400 aprons over the past 20 years. About 200 of them will be on display at the West Coast Mennonite Central Committee museum on G St. through July.
Vintage apron collection on display at MCC By Jodie Reyna
Mid Valley Publishing
Vivian Dueck is a collector of many things.
Toys, buttons, nesting dolls... and aprons.
Her collection of aprons has grown to almost 400. About half of them are on display this month at the West Coast Mennonite Cen- tral Committee museum, 1010 G St. in downtown Reedley. Dueck is a volunteer at the museum.
“Vivian is a great collector of all things and appreciates his- tory,” said West Coast MCC man- ager, Marci VanderGriend. “This displayissomethingdifferent. It used to be that aprons were pretty commonineveryhousehold. You never cooked without one.”
The museum’s displays change each month, typically featuring hand-crafted items.
Dueck has spent the past 20 years collecting aprons, picking them up here and there at thrift storesandyardsales. She’snever paid more than $2 for one.
However, some of Dueck’s most treasured aprons were passed down from her husband’s grandmother’swedding. Shewas married on Valentine’s Day, 1932. The aprons, made of crepe paper, were worn around the waist by the hostesses. Theyareheart-shaped with purple trim.
The wedding was during The Great Depression and Dueck guesses that crepe paper was less expensive than fabric.
Each of Dueck’s aprons un- doubtedly has a unique story be- hind it.
One apron that Dueck pur- chased from the West Coast Men- nonite relief sale and auction came with a note. The note said that the apron was hand-stitched by a lady in her teens in 1940 when she lived in Germany.
Most of the aprons in Dueck’s collection are from the mid-20th Century. Another favorite of Dueck’s is an apron that was worn frequently by her paternal grand- mother. It’s a simple apron, but Dueck likes it for sentimental rea- sons.
“My grandmother always wore it when we went to her house for Thanksgiving,” Dueck said. “It reminds me of all those homey smells.”
Dueck said she is fascinated with “old stuff.”
“There’s a few people in the world that get excited about old things like I do,” she joked.
Her love of history is evi- denced by her recent move into the “Eymann house” on the cor- ner of Reed and Eymann Avenues. The “Eymann house” was one of the first houses built in Reedley, constructed in 1905. Dueck and her husband, Mel Dueck, pur- chasedthehomein2016. Theyare remodeling it to reflect its original “turn of the century” style.
By Jodie Reyna
Mid Valley Publishing
When asked if he likes taking swim lessons, 7-year-old Antonio Chavez shouted with a smile, “I love it!”
Chavez is one of 90 students from Lincoln Elementary School that is receiving free swim lessons this summer paid for by Kings Canyon Unified School District. The children belong to Lincoln’s summer afterschool program or- ganized by Community Youth Min- istries (CYM).
Most of the students come from low-income families that would not otherwise be able to af- ford swim lessons.
“Some of these students have never been in a pool or even seen one,” said Don Reimer, CYM chief executive officer. “This is a first experience for a lot of these kids.”
The pilot program is a partner- ship between KCUSD and the City of Reedley. The students receive six 30-minute lessons at the Reed- ley High School Aquatics Complex over a span of three weeks. The lessons are taught by certified swim instructors hired by the city.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the students walk a few short blocks from Lincoln to the pool on Manning Ave. When the kids ar- rive, they are anxious to cool down in the pool. After-school program teacher, Lauren Klassen, said the children look forward to the swim lessons.
See SWIM page B8
Photo Contributed
City of Reedley swim instructor Claire Santos (center) with Lincoln Elementary School students (from left) Mikayla Castillo, Rodrigo Guzman Duenas, Hailey James, and Evelyn Perez. These students are participating in a pilot program this summer that provides 90 Lincoln students with free swim lessons at the Reedley High School Aquatics Complex. The program is a partnership between Kings Canyon Unified School District and the City of Reedley.
See APRONS page B8
Jodie Reyna/The Exponent
ABOVE: A young girl watches in amazement as Brandon Gray from Wild Child Adventures performs a "bubble show" at the Reedley Library On June 20.
RIGHT: Brandon Gray (right) from Wild Child Adventures wraps a young volunteer from the audience in a large bubble. Gray gave a per- formance at the Reedley Library on June 20. His show is one in a series of shows for children offered by the Fresno County Public Library system this summer.
Jodie Reyna/The Exponent
Staff Report
The Reedley Library is an ex- citing place to be this summer.
On Wednesday, July 11 at 10 a.m., the Fresno County Public Library system is sponsoring an animal science class in Reedley, presented by the Discovery Cen- ter based in Fresno.
The free event will be held at Pioneer Park on G St., across from the Reedley Police Department, to accommodate a large crowd.
Representatives from The Dis- covery Center will give children a hands-on educational experience with animal skeletons and skulls.
The Fresno County Public Li- brary system is offering a series of activities to children this sum- merattheReedleyLibrary. June’s performances included a magic show by Tim Mannix, a bubble show by Brandon Gray from Wild Child Adventures, and a presenta- tion by Eric Johnson from E & M’s Reptile Family.
“It brings kids into the library, and gives them a reason to come in and see all the things we have to offer,” said Terrance McArthur, a representative from the Fresno County Public Library system.
Several more events are planned for July. Tickets are re- quired due to limited space. The tickets are free and can be picked
See LIBRARY page B2
ABOVE: Two boys try to pop a giant bubble from Brandon Gray's "bubble show" attheReedleyLibraryonJune20. GrayistheownerofWildChildAdventures.
LEFT: Olive Lacey, 5, (left) participates in a magic show performed by Tim Mannix (right)attheReedleyLibraryonJune13. Mannix'sshowcombinesfamily-friendly
magic tricks with humor.
Summer fun at the library