Page 7 - Mid Valley Times 3-25-21 E-edition

Thursday, March 25, 2021
Annual 'Railfest' event at Hillcrest
The View From Here
I arrived at Dick Shep- pard’s memo- rial a little af- ter 11 a.m. on the morning of March 20.
At the
podium
was former
Sanger Po-
lice Department chief, Tom Klose sharing memories about Sheppard and the im- pact he had on his life.
I may not have said this before, but the former police chief was one of the first “of- ficial” people I interviewed. Iwasdoingastoryonagun store coming to Sanger if I remember correctly. And I remember feeling nervous.
The interview went as planned but I remember shar- ing with Sheppard that I was nervous and he reassured me that officials are people just like everyone else. “Just be yourself, ask questions and move on,” he said.
That was one of the many life lessons I learned from Dick. During the memorial we also heard stories from former Sanger mayor Joshua Mitchell. Josh shared some funny stories about Dick and how he once wrote a story about the city council called “Ready, shoot, aim.”
I vaguely remember Dick writing that story. And Dick had a way of doing his job as an excellent journalist all the while being one of the most popular names in town. Ev- eryone wanted to be friends with him.
I believe the reason why is because he made every- one feel listened to. He made us all feel heard. He was so good at pointing out peoples strengths instead of their weaknesses. I have a feeling that Dick Sheppard, the leg- acy will be one we will talk about for years to come.
I will forever be thankful for knowing him and working alongside him for many years. As the military honors were taking place, a voice began to play over the loudspeaker. The voice was talking about the history of the Marine Corps. Ball and the history of the U.S. Marine Corps in gen- eral. As I listened, I realized it was Dick’s voice.
I remember when he read the passage during the Ma- rine Corps Ball a few years ago. He had the perfect radio, newscaster voice.
When I returned to work on Monday, I was cleaning out some old voice mails from my phone. Technology now days allows us to save messages from up to a year ago. And there in a message from April 2019 was a message left to me by Dick Sheppard.
He was asking me about the Sanger High Hall of Fame Dinner that would be taking place the following month.
SEE COLUMN on page A8
By Juanita Adame
Mid Valley Times
The weather conditions were near perfect on the af- ternoon of March 21 as guests from all over the Central Val- ley made their way to the Hill- crest Tree Farm in Reedley for their annual “Railfest” week- end celebration.
The two day event began on Saturday, March 20 and in- cluded food vendors, live mu- sic and train rides.
“This is the one weekend where a lot of these railroad guys come from several states and all over California and it’s the one weekend a year where we all get together,” said Me- lissa Bautista, Hillcrest own- er.
Bautista said numbers were a little lower this year because of COVID-19 restric- tions but they still had a good turnout nonetheless.
“We fire up everything on the property,” said Bautista. “Usually we have several people bringing engines in but because of COVID-19, there aren’t a lot of people bringing them in.”
Bautista also said they currently have an exten- sion project on the property which includes adding onto the tresses at the end of their newest train track.
Juanita Adame
Photos by Juanita Adame / Mid Valley Times
ABOVE: Railfest featured a variety of trains including some from the Sacramento area. The event started on March 20 and continued through March 21. It included food vendors, live music and train rides.
BELOW RIGHT: Guests were able to ride the various steam trains throughout the event. (More Photos on page A8)
"This is the one weekend where a lot of these railroad guys get together."
-Melissa Bautista Hillcrest Farms
Sierra Kings Health Care awards grants to local agencies
Members with the Community Youth Ministries Teen Mom program received a grant for $5,000 on the afternoon of March 23. They were among the local agencies to receive the grants from Sierra Kings Health Care District.
Sanger Police K9 receives donation of body armor
By Juanita Adame
Mid Valley Times
The Sierra Kings Health Care District awarded over $100,000 in grant funding to local agencies on the after- noon of March 23.
"Accountable to the tax- payers in Reedley, Parlier, Squaw Valley, Dunlap, and Miramonte, the district aims to improve health outcomes related to obesity, diabetes, and behavioral health in ru- ral areas throughout the com- munity," the district said in a statement.
Among the recipients were Community Youth Ser- vices who received a $30,000 grant. Sierra View Homes, the California Health Collab- orative and Adventist Health all received grants in the amount of $25,000.
The City of Reedley re- ceived a mini grant of $5,000 to offer swimming lessons to 140 low income children. The program offers physical fit- ness opportunities in the pool while also promoting water safety.
To learn more about the programs funded by the dis- trict visit skhcd.org.
Photo of the week
Photo Courtesy / Sanger Police Facebook Page
A Sanger Police Department K9 named, "Skye" received a bullet and stab protective vest from non-profit organization called "Vested In- terest in K9's." The vest is stab and bullet proof.
Contributed
This photo of "Milo" a yorki poodle mix, breaking in his new walk- ing shoes was sent in by Lillie Valencia. Have a photo you'd like featured? Email juanita@midvalleypublishing.com.