Page 7 - Reedley Exponent 4-25-19 E-edition

The Reedley Exponent PB anorama
The latest news and events in the senior community
See B2
Section | Thursday, April 25, 2019 www.reedleyexponent.com
'Farewell Reedley' Fritz to perform final concert
Reedley (Fresno County) CA 93654
The View From Here
I hope everyone had a great Easter holi-
day.
I had the
opportunity to interview Albert Ro- driguez on the af- ternoon of April 18.
JuanitaAdame
Contributed
The Norman Zech Orchestra will be performing their annual Spring Concert on May 6, and along with the great music, the concert will hold a special meaning for an- other reason.
It will be Tom Fritz's "farewell to Reedley" act. The conductor will end his 53 years of music in Reed- ley. "I am sad to leave Reedley and all of the wonderful students and friends," said Fritz. "But the concert is still about honoring one of the greatest men of Reedley, my mentor and friend, Norman Zech."
Fritz was born in Texas but grew up in Illinois. He said he then moved to Reedley in 1966 after his parents, Lloyd and Mary were hired by the then newly formed Kings Canyon Unified School District.
He has a sister, Becky Brown and she still lives in Reedley.
He attended Reedley High School, Reedley College and Cali- fornia State University Fresno be- fore returning to teach with KCUSD alongside Burl Walter for nearly 33 years. Fritz then returned to teach at Reedley College and has been the conductor for the Norman Zech Orchestra for the past twelve years.
The spring concert will begin at 7:30 p.m in the Reedley High School
The full story will run in the May 2 issue of the Exponent. Al- bert is a captain with Reedley Fire and also works as an EMT with Se- quoia Safety Council and now has a full-time job as a firefighter with the Selma Fire Department.
Albert also has a twin brother named Martin. I wrote about Mar- tin in the Exponent's April 11 issue.
We have been highlighting Reedley's firefighters, most of them have jobs outside the depart- ment since Reedley is a volunteer department. Albert not only vol- unteers with Reedley Fire, but he now works full-time with the Sel- ma Fire Department and works as an EMT with Sequoia Safety Coun- cil. He's a busy guy.
He was also telling me that fit- ness is a big part of his life. "I eat healthy, I try and stay away from food that has carbs and sugar," he said. "But I do have cheat days, I love my pizza, I love burgers."
Albert said he likes to lead by example, and that's a great thing. I also believe healthy eating is im- portant whether you work in fire or not.
I know nowadays we have such busy lives, busy schedules that fast food is often the only option.
As much as I try to eat healthy, I oftentimes find myself walking over to the Main Street Cafe and ordering a slice of their peach, blueberry pie with ice cream.
I feel like there is a strong force pulling me to there, and I can'tsayno. WhenIdogiveinand have a slice, I try and make up for it the next day by working out a lit- tle bit longer. If could have a slice of that pie every day, that would be amazing, I would however have to be at the gym more often and that would not be so amazing.
According to stateofobesity. org, the obesity rate in California is currently at 28 percent. Califor- nia has the fourth lowest adult obe- sity rate in the nation, and the 24 th highest obesity rate for youth ages 10 to 17. California's adult obesity rate is currently 25.1 percent, up from 18 percent in the year 2000 and from 9.9 percent back in 1990
One thing Albert talked about is having balance. I found that is extremely important when trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Yes it's good to eat healthy and not overdo it but not over indulge and over do that either.
I was happy to hear Danny Jimenez tell me he had given up soda after he read our story about Fun Fitness Fridays.
Danny I'm proud of you and keep up the great work. Some- times it only takes one step to be- gin a life of health and fitness.
It was easy for me to give up soda, it always gives me an upset stomach for some reason.
The Main Street pie however, I am not sure if I'll ever be able to give that up.
ABOVE: Tom Fritz, conductor for the Winter Concert in Decebmer.
Noman Zech Orchestra during the annual
File Photo / Reedley Exponent
Performing Arts Building. It will be free to the public however donations will also be accepted at the door.
The "pops style" concert will feature music for all ages and will include musical numbers from Mi- chael Jackson's greatest hits, the William Tell Overture (the Lone Ranger), LeRoy Anderson's Synco- pated Clock, St. Lawrence Overture, as well as a Minuet from Mozart's Symphony #40, Vivaldi Concerto and many more.
Photo Contributed
ABOVE: Charles Bolding, police officer with the Parlier Police Department was one of the honorees at this year's dinner.
Contributed
The Reedley Elks Lodge #2699 honored first responders at their annual Officer Appreciation / First Responder's Dinner. Various local departments were asked to choose an individual from their depart- ment they wanted to honor. In all 12 departments were recognized including Reedley Fire and Reed- ley Police, Sequoia Safety Council and the Parlier Police Department.
This was the eighth year the event has been held.
Contributed
The Reedley YMCA will be host- ing their annual Pets and Storybook parade on Saturday, May 4, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The parade will be open for all ages. There will be one week of community camp and one week of YMCA camp. Organizers are en- couraging participants to be cre- ative with their entries. The parade route will be on 13 th and F Streets in Reedley.
There will be a total of 10 cat- egories. Entry categories will be as follows: First will be costumes for 6 years and younger, second for cos-
tumes for 7 years and older; third for tricycles and small bicycles; fourth will be small animals, pup- pies, birds, hamsters.
Fifth will be dogs. Sixth will be the small floats and wagons catego- ry. Seventh will be stuffed animals and dolls. The eighth will be large bicycles, skateboards and scooters followed by comic book characters, and finally large animals (horses, goats, etc.)
There will be food vendors, and entry for the parade is free. Cash and prizes will be awarded, for more information contact the Reed- let YMCA at (559) 637-7191.
Reedley High's Pirate Pillars honored
RIGHT: This year's Pirate Pillars were recognized at the April 9 Kings Can- yon Unified School Board Meeting. From left in the back row are Jus- tin Fonseca, Clare McGahan, Em- ily Booth, Julie Scott, Donglin Song. Front row from left are Reese Kubo, Alexandria Moncada, Rhianen Calla- han, Madeline Gates. Not pictured: Jenelle Jaramillo. The Pillars are se- lected based on their range of activi- ties, which include academic distinc- tion, community service, athletic suc- cess and campus spirit. In turn, those chosen express appreciation to their parents, family members, RHS teach- er and staff members who have sup- ported and guided them.
Photo Contributed
English learner students to be recognized at special ceremony
"I am sad to leave Reedley, but this concert is still about honoring my mentor and friend, Norman Zech."
- Tom Fritz Conductor
Contributed
A special ceremony will be held on April 25. at Jefferson School to celebrate the achievement of nearly 400 students being recognized for their English learning achieve- ments.
The students, who at one time spoke a language other than Eng- lish have spent significant time taking specialized classes to learn the English language and they have recently met all the requirements to be classified into the Reclassi- fied Fluent English Proficient level or RFEP.
“This is a special honor for our
students and their families who have come to the United States and worked so hard," said Veleda Oltjenbruns, the Migrant Services Coordinator and event organizer. "This achievement will provide more opportunities for students to study, participate in pathways and make strides at becoming college and career ready. We are excited to celebrate this achievement with them.”
The special ceremony for the RFEP students will begin at 6 p.m. The Children's Day event will go from 4:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.
For more information contact (559) 305-7240.
Reedley Elks Lodge honors first responders
ABOVE: Participants posed for a photo during the 2017 Pet Parade.
Exponent File Photo
Pet parade coming to downtown