Page 7 - Mid Valley Times 7-7-22 E-Edition

Thursday, July 7, 2022
Upgrades continue at Reedley College By Juanita Adame
The View From Here
I s a y this every year, but the Fourth of July has become one of my least fa-
vorite holi-
days. This
year how-
ever was
a little different and my dislike for it diminished a bit. I do believe it’s be- cause the amount of ille- gal fireworks in Reedley went down significantly. My day began with a boat ride on the Kings River. My fiancé and I decided to take a ride along the river for the holiday. It was a nice ride, the weather was perfect. The only problem we had on the river was ironically with an American flag he had positioned on top of his boat.
As we left the “no wake zone” he kicked up the boat to high speed. As we glided across the wa- ter I suddenly heard him yell, “My flag!” I turned to see the American flag floating on the surface but quickly began to sink.
He turned the boat around and we began the search. At first the search seemed easy enough, the flag was in a general area and we didn’t go too far ahead of it. As the water settled, I realized it would not be easy to find. As we floated across the water I tried my hardest to find the flag and I ended up seeing it at the bottom of the river. We quickly turned the boat around only to lose it again.
As we continued to search for the flag I re- membered back to the double drowning incident of 2020.
I've covered several drowning in the last few months.
And I couldn't help but wonder how awful it must have felt for the victim's families.
The first moments of when someone goes under the water are somewhat hopeful.
The immediate goal is to go back to the exact spot where it happened. In most of the sad cases I've been to, the family can do nothing more but wait.
Just moments ago their loved one was with them and now they were gone. It's important to al- ways wear a life jacket and follow safety rules when in the water. For us it was only a flag that we lost, but for others it's been something far more priceless.
Mid Valley Times
Reedley College shared progress photos of several construction projects on cam- pus.
Photos taken on June 29 and posted to the college's Facebook page show the up- dated gymnasium floor, as well as the new McClarty Cen- ter for the Fine and Perform- ing Arts as well as the Center for Early Childhood and Edu- cation.
According to information from the college, the McClar- ty Center for Fine & Perform- ing Arts facility is planned to seat over 500 people for per- formances, with a secured art gallery, green room, confer- ence room, concessions and an event gathering space.
The performing arts facil- ity is estimated to cost $27-30 million.
Juanita Adame
Photo Contributed / Danny Jimenez
Locals attended the "Celebrate America" event in downtown Reedley on July 1.
Garden Checklist: Rinse foliage underneath leaves
By Juanita Adame
Mid Valley Times
The city of Reedley held its annual "Celebrate Ameri- ca" event in downtown Reed- ley on the night of July 1.
The event included live music, food and vendors fol- lowed by an aerial fireworks show.
"We had about 2,000 to 3,000 people attend," said Erik Valencia the Greater Reedley
Chamber of Commerce pres- ident. "This was the second year it was held downtown, last year was the first year we the event since the CO- VID-19 pandemic."
The fireworks show began at dusk and train rides were available for families and children.
For more information on the Greater Reedley Cham- ber of Commerce contact (559) 638-3548.
Photo Courtesy / Reedley College Facebook Page
The gymnasium floor is just one of the many projects to upgrade and improve the Reedley College campus.
Photo Courtesy / Reedley College Facebook Page
Constructionforthe EarlyChildhoodandEducationCenter buildinghascontinuedthroughthesum- mer.
Reedley celebrates Fourth of July with downtown event
Photo of the Week
Contributed
Tasks for this time of year include watering camellias regularly to avoid bud drop during bloom season.
If you have nematode prob- lems in your vegetable garden, summer is the time to solarize your soil. Rinse dust off foli- age, especially the underside of leaves, to discourage spider mites.
Wash white flies off plants with insecticidal soap. When pruning don't forget to cut spent canes of caneberries to the ground after harvesting berries. Attach new cane to the trellis for next year’s crop.
Fertilizing: Apply high po- tassium fertilizer once fruit starts to form on pepper, cu- cumber sunflower and tomato plants. Planting A few winter vegetables may be planted by seed this month. Consult the California Garden Web for more information.
If not already done, pump- kins may be planted in July. Enjoy now, annuals and peren- nials: Russian sage (Perovskia), annual phlox (Phlox drummon-
dii), moss rose (Portulaca), glo- riosa daisy (Rudbeckia), mari- gold (Tagetes), zinnia. Bulbs, corms, tubers: Daylily (Hem- erocallis), tiger lily (Tigridia). Trees, shrubs, vines: lantana, oleander (Nerium). Fruits and vegetables: peaches, plum, to- matoes. , zucchini. Things to ponder Rebuild water basins around deep-rooted permanent plants; water deeply and less frequently.
Watch for the bright orange twining stems of the parasitic plant dodder. Remove any af- fected plants. Source: Adapted from A Gardener’s Companion for the Central San Joaquin Valley, 3rd edition, currently available from Fresno County Master Gardeners for $30.
These can be purchased at our demonstration garden- Garden of the Sun (1750 N. Winery (McKinley/Winery), open Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9 am to Noon and via email at mgfresno@uc- davis.edu.
Gardening questions an- swered as well at mgfresno@ ucdavis.edu.
Contributed
This photo of Claire Santos and Gregory Quintanilla, celebrating their UC Santa Barbara graduation, and whom both attended St. LaSalle School and graduated from Reedley High School in 2018, was sent in by Veronica Barragan. Have a photo you'd like fea- tured? Email jadame@midvalleytimes.com.
Water safety tips for river visitors
The city of Reedley is urging those who plan to vis- it the Kings River this year to practice water safety.
Some of the following safty tips are suggested. Know how to swim and al- ways wear Coast Guard ap- proved life vests.
Swim with others – nev- er by yourself. Only swim in designated areas. Watch children closely at all times, keep them in your line of sight.
For addditonal informa- tion contact the city at (559) 637-4200.