Page 7 - Mid Valley Times 7-8-21 E-edition

Thursday, July 8, 2021
The View From Here
an.
He turned to her and
proudly held up a red white and blue hat that he'd found in the seasonal aisle.
The young man took the hat and tried it on. The wom- an looked at him in admira- tion, “yeah that's the one, it looks good on you.”
He gave her a thumbs up, put the hat in their shopping cart and they were off.
It was just after 10 a.m. on the Fourth of July holi- day. I figured I’d get to the store early enough to get some shopping done.
AsImademyway through the Walmart aisles, I was thinking of the fire- works that were to come that evening, and how much I’ve disliked them for some time now.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the Fourth and what it stands for, but the way we've started to celebrate the Fourth is not what I con- sider patriotic.
I'm talking about the overload of illegal fireworks the fires they cause, the pets, they scare and the Veterans they trigger.
The last couple of years, illegal fireworks have illumi- nated the night sky around Fresno county.
People have taken the show into their own hands, and have probably blown off their hands in the process.
Setting off aerial fire- works for everyone to see, and hear. All hours of the night in the days leading up to the Fourth and the days following.
As I went about my day I braced myself as the sun began to set. I made sure to keep my dogs inside and turned on some fans for the white noise effect.
I was expecting to hear fire calls, those are typical and extremely common on the Fourth. Inexperienced people set off illegal aerial fireworks, the embers fall in a yard or a tree and start a fire.
It was really bad last year in Sanger. This year I live in Reedley and was also brac- ing myself for the worst.
As soon as 7 p.m. came around and dusk turned in- to night. The 911 fireworks calls, just as expected, be- gan.
“Fire in the front yard of a resident's home.” “Vegeta-
SEE COLUMN on page A15
Photos by Juanita Adame / Mid Valley Times
Denny Mason of Reedley (pictured here in center) had many reasons to celebrate during the July 2 senior luncheon.NotonlywasitMason'sbirthdaybutshewasabletofinallycelebrateamongfriends. From left, Cheri Witter-Lawrence, Joyce Huebert, Denny Mason, Dolores Edwards, Marie Metcalf.
Reedley locals enjoy live events again
The young man inside Walmart stood near the en- trance of the store alongside a young wom-
Juanita Adame
By Juanita Adame
Mid Valley Times
The Reedley Community Center was filled with local se- niors on the morning of July 2 as they gathered for a Fourth of July luncheon to celebrate the upcoming holiday.
“So this is a barbecue burg- er luncheon that was supplied by Sierra View Homes and we are so excited that there are so many people here,” said Ni- cole Zieba, Reedley city man- ager. “So many smiling faces and for some this is their first event back.”
Zieba and other city person- nel attended the event to help out and show their support for the local senior community which has been holding off on live events since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
“This is going to be hope- fully, the first of many events back,” Zieba said. “We of course had to follow all the protocols and regulations from the state so just as soon as we could we wanted to get every- one back together.”
In all more than one hun- dred local seniors attended the luncheon.
“The mayor, a council member and some of the com- munity services commission- ers are here because they are so excited to have everybody back together.”
For more information on the Reedley Senior Center events, contact Senior Citizen activities coordinator, Jodi Botello at (559)637-4207.
Seniors filled the Reedley Community Center on the morning of July 2 to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday with a luncheon. This was the first live event back for the group and many said they were happy to see all their friends again in person.
Dahlberg joins Adventist pediatric team in Reedley
Laurie Dahlberg Contributed
The Adventist Health Medical Office in Reedley Children’s Health welcomed board-certified pediatric nurse practitioner Laurie Dahlberg, CPNP.
"Dahlberg provides a full range of pediatric care and services such as well child checks, sports physicals, sick childcare, attention deficit hy- peractivity disorder (ADHD) and more," Adventist wrote in a statement.
"She has a particular inter- est in improving adolescent mental health and working with patients who have eating disorders, weight manage- ment concerns and metabolic syndrome."
The health clinic also stat- ed that Dahlberg has practiced medicine for 25 years, twenty of them as a pediatric nurse
practitioner. Dahlberg was inspired to pursue nursing as a profession because she loves connecting with fami- lies and helping them learn more about improving their children’s health.
Dahlberg earned both her bachelor’s and master’s de- grees in nursing from Califor- nia State University, Fresno and is certified by the Pedi- atric Nursing Certification Board.
"When not caring for pa- tients, Dahlberg enjoys spend- ing time with her children and husband of 25 years. Other in- terests include biking, paddle boarding, swimming and vis- iting the beach," the health clinic stated.
New patients can enroll at Adventist Health Medical Of- fice , located at 1433 N. Acacia Ave. or call (559) 391-3100.
Contributed / Photo by George Armenta
A firework American flag display was one of the features at this year's 4th of July Spectacular event in Sanger. Story in A section.
Photo of the week
Contributed
A third generation Pirate. A photo of Ann Burton, shown here in her letterman jacket with its track and field league patch, was sent in by her mother Amanda. Ann is a 2021 graduate of Reed- ley High, Ann's grandfather graduated from RHS 50 years ago and her mother Amanda graduated from RHS 23 years ago. Have a photo you'd like featured? Email juanita@midvalleypublishing. com.
Sanger's 4th of July Spectacular event