Page 7 - Mid Valley Times 8-15-19 E-edition

National Night Out celebrates safety
Mike Nemeth / Mid Valley Times
ASangerfirefighterdemonstrateshowtoremoveawindshieldwithanax. First-re- sponders showed how they rescue victims involved in an automobile crash.
Dinuba first-responders make it fun
Rick Curiel / Mid Valley Times
Dinuba Police Volunteers used the National Night Out on Aug. 6 to distribute various materials on public safety. They also provided free fingerprinting for children, allowing parents to take copies home with them for their own records. The event was held at the downtown entertainment plaza and featured games, information booths and a live band.
Good times
at Sanger
Park
By Mike Nemeth
Mid Valley Times
Just 12 months ago, Xavier “X-man” Carrillo, 14, embraced the challenge of suiting up in a firefighter’s full gear of heat-repelling jacket and pants, boots, helmet and
breathing apparatus. As a civilian.
This year, he was
among the explorers helping others quickly dress in the yellow outfit as if they were headed to a fire or related disaster. His station was one of many staffed by emergency responders at Sanger’s National Night Out on Aug. 6 in Sanger Park. The event, meant to promote public safety and crime prevention,
drew hundreds of community members and featured vendors of all sorts, entertainment and even a raffle.
“I always wanted to become a firefighter, and I always tried on the suit,” Carrillo said of past Night Out celebrations. “Last year when I did this, I found out I could become an explorer.”
And he did. Sanger’s
SeeSangeronpage A8
Local landmarks, place names abound in Sanger-Opoly
By Mike Nemeth
Mid Valley Times
We broke into Sanger- Opoly in the meeting room at the Sanger City Hall annex, prepared for anything.
The game, structurally similar to Hasbro’s Monopoly, was sent by manufacturer Late for the Sky in Cincinnati, Ohio to the offices of the former Sanger Herald, which has now merged with sister newspapers the Reedley Exponent and Dinuba Sentinel to become the larger Mid Valley Times. Michael Schulte, Late’s marketing manager, said the game had been stocked in Sanger’s
Wal-Mart and was selling for $19.98.
It was released by the game maker last month.
Back when newspapers were dominant media in an area, manufacturers, record companies and advertising executives would send all sorts of stuff for reporters’ consideration and hopefully some ink, which is another word for review.
I was intrigued. After all, this is Sanger. Hardly a big market. And newspapers haven’t been dominant media in at least a decade. Usually, the only out- of-the-ordinary mail we get comes from
conspiracy theorists. So I emailed Karen Pearson, administrator of the Sanger Chamber of Commerce. My plan was to play the game with people who could appreciate its Sanger centrism. The game board is full of Sanger references and landmarks like Tom Flores Stadium, Hobb’s Grove and the Nation’s
Christmas Tree. Karen put together
a group. The players included myself; Tammy Wolfe, the chamber’s president and chief executive; Mason Visser, an eighth-grader at Washington Academic Middle School who’s as big as an Apache linebacker; and
Mike Nemeth / Mid Valley Times
Jasnoor Sandhu, left, and Mason Visser help test the Sanger-centric game, Sanger-Opoly at the Chamber.
around California to make a very localized game about a specific area,” Bill Schulte said. “We always make sure that the locals love their town before we take on a project. We make the content as authentic as possible. To reach as many people as we can, we launch the sales exclusively at the local Wal-Mart store.”
The game is made in the United States, and Late for the Sky started in 1985 making licensed collegiate board games based on a property-trading theme. The company has no affiliation with Hasbro and doesn’t
See Game on page A8 Ruiz Foods provides backpacks, shoes to more than 150 kids
Jasnoor Sandhu, a chamber intern and Sanger High student.
We read the instructions. Tammy served as banker and Mason as land bank, or the guy in charge of properties.
introductory letter from Schulte, which included a comment from Bill Schulte, who is described as one of the owners. He explained how the game came about.
I brought an
“We research several cities and communities
A group of students showing off their nse stuff.
Some of the backpacks that were collected for kids.
Ruiz Cares photo
Contributed
Dinuba-based Ruiz Foods found a way to give back, coordinating with Court Appointed Special Advocates of Tulare County to help 157 children get new shoes and backpacks with supplies.
The effort was done through Ruiz Cares, a program which allows Ruiz Foods employees to give back to their
community in various ways. Company employees "adopted" school-age children to help them prepare for the school year.
“Foster children are often left without the tools and resources necessary to ensure success,” said Melissa Maria Murphy, marketing coordinator for CASA of Tulare County, in prepared remarks..
Ruiz Cares photo