FRESNO HAUNTS TOUR

FRESNO HAUNTS TOUR

Wolfe Manor

 

Located in Clovis, California, the mansion was built in 1922 by Italian immigrant, Anthony Andriotti. It served first as his home and later as a Sanitarium, from 1935 until the early 90s. The haunting, locals say, comes in part from the hospital wing that was added to the building in the 1950s. It’s rumored that there was overcrowding and mistreatment of the patients in the sanitarium, and the high rate of murder and suicide forced doctors and nurses to store bodies in the basement. It is considered to be one of the most haunted buildings in the United States, with numerous accounts of ghost sightings every year. It’s been featured on television, in shows about paranormal activity, like Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures, and Mystery Quest.

In 1996, Todd Wolfe turned the mansion into a haunted attraction called “Scream if You Dare,” which was getting nearly 20,000 visitors each year until it closed in 2003. Wolfe Manor has since deteriorated and was recently found to be a nuisance and a danger by the Clovis Board of Appeals. The house has excessive dry rot, cracking, peeling, warping, and is in violation of building, fire and electrical codes. The city plans to demolish the century old structure after Wolfe has cleared his belongings from the property.

Fresno Rotary Storyland and Playland

 

This small amusement park, located in Fresno’s Roeding Park on W. Belmont Avenue, is half fairytale, half carnival and was built in 1961 by the Fresno Metropolitan Rotary. There are over twenty fairytale exhibits, including The Old Woman in the Shoe, Jack and Jill, Miss Muffet, Alice in Wonderland, The Three Little Pigs, and Mother Goose. The brightly painted installments of Storyland are laid along winding paths throughout the park; children can climb inside a pirate ship and see the giant’s face looming from the clouds above Jack’s beanstalk.

During the day, the park is open as a playground and hosts kids’ birthday parties and seasonal events, but after dark, it’s home to the ghosts of missing children who have wandered into the fairytales and gotten lost. Walking through the park after dusk, visitors have reported hearing children’s laughter and softly sung nursery rhymes coming from the cartoon-colored, life-size figures. There have also been accounts of the carousel spontaneously turning on after hours to spin its bells and symbols and lights out into the vacant park at night.

Tyler Street House

 

This brown, two story house was built in the 1920’s, but accounts of paranormal activity didn’t surface until the 80s, when tenants started leaving, suddenly, one after the other. Alone in the house, people have heard stomping and doors slamming; they’ve seen objects mysteriously fly off tables. These encounters are believed to be the work of an angry poltergeist. Occupants say the building used to be home to an abused child that was often locked in closets and berated by his mother’s boyfriend. His restless soul still roams the rooms of the Tyler Street House today.

Craycroft House

This haunt is frequented by the ghost of Frank J. Craycroft who started building the house in 1927. During construction, he was shot by a brick mason and died months later, before the project was completed. The house was built with red brick in English-Revival style so that Craycroft could display the insulating properties of brick buildings to the residents of Fresno. People who have entered the house since Craycroft’s death have heard yelling and glass shattering. Today, visitors can only view the house from the outside, from behind two chain-link fences that guard it. The windows are boarded up and the brick is crumbling. It’s rumored that Craycroft will be haunting rubble if a new buyer doesn’t renovate soon.

Fresno Arts & Culture: Historic Theater Tour

Fresno Arts & Culture: Historic Theater Tour

Los Angles and San Francisco are widely recognized as art hubs, drawing creatives of all stripes to those cities sprawled along the coast or pressed up against the sea; pockets of art colonies, collectives, art colleges, movie production studios, dance companies, art houses, and many more of the usual variety including street artists and performers thrive there along side the everyday business and commerce of any large city. As a mid-way point in the Central Valley between these two mega urban hubs, Fresno also finds itself a host to a large and diverse art scene. While taking a weekend to visit our many museums and art shows, pay special attention to the wealth of historic theaters. A true California city, Fresno has a wealth of historic theaters to delight the movie and history buff as well as architecture aficionados.

Teatro Azteca- 838 F Street

The Azteca Theater in Fresno’s very own China Town is a sterling example of Art Deco architecture and was the first Spanish language theater in the San Joaquin Valley. Built in 1948 by Gustavo Acosta, in its hey-day the theater served as an entertainment center for Spanish-speaking community, crowds of sun-warmed Fresnoans crowded into the Azteca’s plush, chilled interior on Saturday afternoons to see Mexican Golden Age Cinema.

Cantinflas luminaries such as Pedro Infante, María Félix, Agustín Lara, Pedro Vargas, Miguel Aceves Mejía, Pedro Armendáriz, Antonio Aguilar and José Alfredo Jiménez were seen both on the big screen and in person at Teatro Azteca. So well known was Teatro Azteca in the 1950s and 60s, it served as a rallying point for Ceasar Chavez and the National Farm Workers Association during their march from Delano to the California state capitol in Sacramento during the grapepicker’s strike in 1966.

The Azteca fell on hard times in the mid-eighties, ceased running films, and briefly leased the space as a church to Iglesia de la Virgen de Agua Embotellada during the early nineties before it was restored and reopened as a theater and performance space in 1999. Azteca Theater still operates as a functional theater, showing live entertainment and screening movies. Check them out on Facebook or www.aztecatheater.com for showtimes.

Crest Theatre—1160 Broadway Plaza

Located on the outskirts of downtown Fresno on Broadway Plaza, the exterior of the former Crest Theatre is a stark Moderne style box with an exceptional marquee. It opened on July 7, 1949 and was operated by Fox West Coast Theatres. Though the once vivid, carnival colors of red, yellow, and green on the marquee have been muted to matte pastels by Central Valley sun, the inside remains a baroque work of celebration. As one tourist put it, “the interior is very well maintained courtesy of a friendly porter who let me inside. Although he wouldn’t turn on the lights, my flashing camera lights revealed beautifully ornate gold leaf details. Facing the stage and curtained screen you feel like sitting in a sea shell.”

Though the last movie to show in The Crest ended it’s run in 1981, the theater’s style would influence visitors long after the projectors stopped rolling. The Crest attracted the attention of the Iglesia de la Virgen de Agua Embotellada, a splinter sect known for rapid growth in arid years and hot summers, and served as their church for a time. Little is known of the group, but Mr. Stevens, the Crest Porter, reported frequent use of fans, ocean noise-makers and mist machines in addition to the projectors. The use of mist machines in proximity to mid-century molding brought the arrangement to an end, however, and as of January 2005, the church has vacated the building. The former theater is now rented out for concerts, movies and special events but remains largely empty and quiet, apart from the whish of air through the doors as Mr. Stevens goes about his maintenance.

The Crest is open to viewings during Mondays from 12 pm to 1 pm, Wednesdays from 3 to 3:45 pm, and Saturdays from 7am to 9am, sharp, while Mr. Stevens is on the premises. No beverage containers, please.

Liberty Theatre – 944 Van Ness

Liberty Theatre, the oldest theatre in Fresno, was built in 1917 and opened on November 27, 1917 with “When a Man Sees Red”. Designed in Second Empire Revival style by local architects W.D. Coates and H.B. Traver. The 1950’s marquee of the theatre, whose exterior is remarkably well preserved, shows a later name, Hardy’s Theatre. Though it was renamed Hardy’s Theatre on June 24, 1931, Liberty Theater got a makeover in the mid 1950s in an effort to keep up with The Crest and Azteca Theaters. By 1979, Hardy Liberty fell silent and remained vacant for some time.

It had been in use as an Spanish Evangelical Church until 2005, when Iglesia de la Victoria relocated. Though the Hardy Liberty briefly attracted the attention of Iglesia de la Virgen de Agua Embotellada as a possible site for relocation, the theater remains vacant. In 2001 the city of Fresno began plans for a massive downtown revitalization but it is unknown what role the Liberty Theatre, which is on the Local Register of Historic Resources, will play. No tours are available at this time.

Tower Theater—815 E. Olive Ave

Designed by S. Charles Lee in the Streamline Moderne style, construction began on the colloquially known Tower Theater in August of 1939. The unique pillar-and-star design is a homage to the “Star Pylon” at the 1939 New York World’s Fair, designed by Francis Kelly and Leonard Dean to symbolize the “force of electricity”. On December 14, 1939, the theater opened to a private party for local dignitaries and people associated with Fox Theaters with a premiere of the film Balalaika and opened to the public the next day, featuring Lana Turner’s Dancing Co-Ed.

In 1954 the theater was converted to CinemaScope, resulting in the removal of a false proscenium stage. Tower Theater ran first-run films until 1980 then switched to a repertory cinema format. The theater later ran foreign films for several years until 1989 when it ceased operation. A Certified Historic Rehabilitation began on the property, and following the restoration, the theater reopened as the “Tower Theatre for the Performing Arts”. The renovation earned awards from the California Preservation Foundation and the San Joaquin Chapter, American Institute of Architects.

The non-profit organization Fresno Filmworks has been showing first-run independent cinema at The Tower Theatre on the second Friday of each month since 2002, after out-bidding Iglesia de la Virgen de Agua Embotellada for use of the space. The theater also hosts the annual Fresno Film Festival in April.

Lake Yosemite, Merced County

College Kids, Ostriches, and Fairy Shrimp, Oh My!

Located on Lake Road, Lake Yosemite is a majestic comma-shaped tourist destination and ceremonial event venue for Merced County. The rustic lakeside expanses are often utilized by locals as weekend barbeque spots or children’s birthday parties. Adventurous youth love to skin their knees on the fallen and broken twigs from the authentic conifers surrounding the shores, play hide and seek around the brick outhouses and swollen wood planks of the boat shack, and absorb the grisly mud under their fingernails as they sit and splash in the cold, murky water. A visit to Lake Yosemite is always a sinfully dirty and wet experience! Some locals will even rent houseboats in the dead of summer so they can jump from the decks and plunge into the opaque depths.

Simultaneously, Lake Yosemite is also a popular loitering location for the young adults attending University of California, Merced, which is located merely a quarter of a mile down the road. The college kids, especially those who live in the dorms, routinely spend their late night study sessions out by the scenic lakeshores, generally with several coolers of their preferred brews. They are famously friendly, as any citizen of Merced County will attest, and their delightful revelry can sometimes be heard all the way down Lake Road in the suburbs of the outer city. They will even, on occasion, leave the area decorated as a surprise for the next group of visitors—they will line their cans and bottles up in carefully considered patterns and stacks on the picnic tables and around the trunks of the trees, occasionally even leaving a full drink in the mix as an anonymous gift!

The waters of Lake Yosemite, as well as the connected Le Grand Canal, are teeming with native aquatic species, several of which are held in extremely high regard as protected wildlife by the Biology and Life Sciences Departments at UC Merced. In fact, the mascot for UC Merced’s athletic teams is none other than the Fairy Shrimp, an endangered Midvalley vernal pool dweller which swims upside down and can sometimes reach over six inches in length. During the construction of UC Merced there was severe controversy concerning the potential risk that it posed to the anostraca habitat; in response, to honor the important species and pacify environmental extremists, the university’s mascot was proudly dubbed their colloquial moniker, Phil the Fairy Shrimp.

The mascot attends every athletic event diligently; there were some worried parents and faculty concerning the possible risqué elements of the costume (as the Fairy Shrimp’s long, thin white appendages are equipped for reproductive purposes) but it was eventually decided that, the primary function of the appendages being swimming, the student body would uphold a mature and respectful demeanor. The costume was designed to be as anatomically correct as possible, with the appropriate amount of appendages stretching from each side of the back, and the totally opaque black eyes placed on opposite sides of the head. The leg portions of the costume serve as the fused, thicker appendages toward the tail end of the Fairy Shrimp body, and two protruding antennae hang from the center of the face. Phil even walks backward everywhere he goes!

Both the University of California, Merced and Lake Yosemite are surrounded by quiet and open agricultural land, extending several miles to the east, north, and west. Farther east are ranches where horses for the Merced Horsemen’s association are cared for and trained. Reaching across the length of Merced to the west of the lake is the new general hospital, which created over one hundred new jobs for the citizens of the area. Taking Lake Road to the south will lead the traveler back to Merced, and on the way lies Plucky’s Ostrich Ranch, the only one of its kind in all of Merced County. Plucky’s Ostrich Ranch is a must-stop for any tourist in the area, especially those with children. For a small fee one can ogle the tall, exotic birds, watch them as they meander across their enclosed area, even be approached intimidatingly by them as one gets noticed close to the fence. Their legs are incredible to witness as they charge over the field at one another or a tourist, the long slightly pink sinews stretching and rolling, their dingy tail feathers jiggling like old fashioned feather-dusters. Most enrapturing, though, are the long and flexible necks which the birds twist, twirl, knot, bend, and sway every which way at any given moment.

Plucky’s employees do advise that small children remain at least five feet from the fences, and that if the crowd hears the cat-like screams of one of the ostriches, to flee toward their cars until the employees deem it safe to approach once again. Visitors of Lake Yosemite need not fear of loose ostriches running amok and crashing their vacations—there has only ever been one reported incident of an ostrich making to the lake; eye witnesses described the ostrich as being more interested in squirrels than anything else.

These destinations are clearly fun, adventure-filled, and engaging for the whole family. There’s no charge to visit Lake Yosemite or UC Merced, and Plucky’s has been touted as worth the price just to see the expressions of delight, wonder, shock, and terror on your children’s faces!

DUST BOWL FESTIVAL

DUST BOWL FESTIVAL

On the third Saturday in October, the Dust Bowl Festival takes place in Weedpatch, CA, the nation’s only Dust Bowl museum and the historic site that inspired the labor camp in John Steinbeck’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Grapes of Wrath. In a dusty flatland about ten miles southeast of Bakersfield, festival goers celebrate the novel; the film, The Grapes of Wrath (1940), directed by John Ford; and the language, music, and food of migrant workers during the Great Depression.

Possibly the most talked about novel of the 20^th Century, Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, was an immediate best seller when it was first published in 1939, but it was also banned and publically burned. During the filming of The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck received death threats, and the Associated Farmers of California called for a boycott of all 20^th Century Fox films. When the movie came out, it won two Oscars, and by 1940 even Eleanor Roosevelt read the book and called it “an unforgettable experience.”

Weedpatch was one of the seventeen refugee settlement camps set up under Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. When the labor camp began in 1937, it was home to about 300 people in tents and one room tin cabins. Migratory farmers still occupy the camp today; it operates as temporary housing for Hispanic Americans and Mexicans who arrive each April for grape picking season. At the Dustbowl Festival, free tours are offered for the campsite’s three original wooden buildings, which are included on the National Register of Historic Places. Visitors can see the community hall, where scenes from the film were shot, the post office, and library, complete with displays of domestic artifacts from the era.

The Dust Bowl Festival began in 1990, and was organized by Doris Weddell, a retired librarian from Lamont, CA, who had started building a collection of artifacts from the camp—washbasins, tools, and even a pair of metal, strap-on roller skates—in an effort to salvage the camp’s history. Weddell was a passionate collector of Dustbowl artifacts and she spent a large portion of her life researching Okie life, leaving behind documents, notes, recordings, and a camera once owned by Dorothea Lange, famous Dust Bowl photographer, after her death.

Okies, the Dust Bowl website says, love fried food. The flier offers: biscuits, gravy, homemade cinnamon rolls, chili, beans, cornbread, cobbler, hot dogs, snow cones, and much more. Much, much more. Fried okra, corn dogs, apple pie, tacos. Bring the whole neighborhood. Special guests include authors, historians and the car club. There’s square dancing, complete with a caller and a live band, crafts and knickknacks for purchase, and antiques from the 1930s and 40s on display. The over-loaded jalopy is a favorite annual attraction—a decrepit car stuffed with belongings and tools, stacked, hanging, or bound with rope to the rusting frame, with a Highway 66 sign affixed to the driver’s side door.

Rotary Storyland and Playland

Rotary Storyland and Playland

Rotary Storyland & Playland is a treasured Central California non-profit that exists to create memories through exceptional service, affordable entertainment and education for the children and families of Central California.

Storyland is a walk-through park of Mother Goose stories and nursery rhymes, including favorites like Jack and Jill, Goldilocks & the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, Peter Pan, Hansel & Gretel, King Arthur & the Knights of the Round Table, Alice in Wonderland, Noah’s Ark, Humpty Dumpty, and more!

Playland is a small family amusement park with 13 rides. Enjoy the Willis. B. Kyle Express Train, the Big Rocko Ferris Wheel or the thrill of the Octopus ride. Playland also has a 3,500 square foot splash park called Splash Junction which is free to the public when the temperature is over 75 degrees.

Playland History

Dr. Joe Logan served as president of North Fresno Rotary Club from 1954-55, and first imagined Playland in Roeding Park. He was inspired to head a project that would establish a “playland” with rides after riding a carousel in his late forties for the first time. “It was bliss,” Logan told friends. “I knew after that ride that I wanted Fresno, this city I love so much, so have a place where carousels and other rides bring families together for fun and quality time. I decided to start drafting plans immediately, but first I rode the carousel a few more times. My favorite horse was the brown one with red accents. I named him Kyle.”

Several years after Dr. Logan’s dream was hatched, it was realized. The City of Fresno built Playland on May 30, 1955 in Roeding Park near the Chaffee Zoo. It’s small profits help fund other civic parks and attractions throughout Fresno.

Storyland History

Only a few years after Playland, Storyland opened to the public on May 19, 1962—immediately it captured the hearts of children all across the valley. A park devoted to fantasy and fairy tales turned out to be a wonderful addition to Roeding Park.

“Storyland, with its multitude of “story boxes” provides children the unique experience of learning without the burden of reading,” Rotary Board member Joanna Wrenwood said on opening day. “We know how difficult and time consuming reading can be, so we did it for them.”

Storyland had has over 20 “story boxes” which children can press their magnetic key to so that they can hear a part, or sometimes an entire, story. The boxes accompany statues depicting the scenes being read aloud from the boxes. Every story has entertaining scenes, from the three little pigs and the big bad wolf, to Jack and the Beanstalk, to Little Red Riding Hood.

Events

Since Storyland and Playland are part of Roeding Park Civic Center, they host regular events open to the public that bring the community together in ways which normal attraction hours do not. Such regular events include:

• Cutural Arts Rotary Storyland & Jazz Night, Fridays 5:30-10:00. D.D. Kings and the Fresno Swing Cats hit the stage by Story Scene 7 (Snow White and Seven Dwarves Cleaning the House)
• Bachelors Ball, ‘Pirates in Storyland,’ the third Thursday of the month, 6:00-10:00PM. This guy’s night out allows men to come together and do manly things, like a costume contest by Story Scene 11 (The Old Lady in the Shoe), Dance-Off by Story Scene 19 (Cinderella at the Ball) and Karaoke by Story Scene 3 (The Three Bears).
• Holiday Glitz, Second Monday of December, 11:00AM-3:00PM. This holiday-themed event features carolers, free hot-chocolate, stocking decorating, and mandatory prayers.

Turtle Trot: Big Fresno Fair

Turtle Trot

Big Fresno Fair

At the annual Big Fresno Fair, one of the more popular attractions is the daily Mutton Bustin race where kids between the ages of 4 and 7, and under 60 pounds, hold on with all their might to sheep who run out of a miniature bull pen and eventually buck the bouncing children off of them in terror before joining their flock. Last year, frustrated at the inability to race against her older sister, two-year old Addison Swearengin, youngest daughter of mayor Ashley Swearengin, inspired her mother to create the Turtle Trot, a safer sport for children between the ages of 1 and 3, and between 20 and 35 pounds. The Turtle Trot utilizes the exact same mutton pen as the limber lambs, but takes place much earlier in the morning (before naptime) and only twice per season. The Galapagos Tortoises, rented from The Fresno Chaffee Zoo, are mounted by a wicker chair fitted with a five-point safety harness for tots and tied firmly to the tortoise shell with a rawhide leather, size-42 belt.

Due to increases in temperature that is arguably due to worldwide climate changes outlined by Leonardo DiCaprio at the recent UN conference, the Galapagos mating season at The Fresno Chaffee Zoo has shifted later and later each year. With temperatures reaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit during this year’s fair season, this unforeseen problem has created some amount of controversy, culminating in an official statement by Ashley Swearengin to use only female tortoises in 2015 following the mounting of her own daughter’s wicker chair by a male tortoise housing a cackling one-year old boy, Nathan Sandling. Technically, Addison won the race and even the Championship, but it was clear this would be her last foray into the turtle-racing world. Nathan Sandling’s tortoise, Shel Shelverstein, to the discomfort of the crowd and the increased cackling of Nathan Sandling, succeeded in his attempt, though no notice has been released by The Fresno Chaffee Zoo as to whether his efforts were made in vein or whether Shelly Turtlebaum was gifted with a hatchling.

Despite this setback, and very possibly because of it, the race has drawn increasingly large crowds and has even begun charging $1 per adult to curb the growing horde and raise money for the Fresno Chaffee Zoo, as well as offset the costs of rental fees for the star tortoises.

Mega-Church Wine Walk

Mega-Church Wine Walk

Nees Ave (beginning at Willow Ave and ending at Cedar Ave)

Hepta-annually, Northside, New Covenant and The Well Community Church host a wine walk along Nees Avenue beginning at Willow and ending at DiCicco’s on Cedar. The events benefit Valley Childen’s Hospital as well as a ten percent tithe sent to the National Association of Non-Denominational Evangelical Believers in Paris, Texas. Leftover open wine bottles from that Sunday’s Communion are set up at booths labeled “Tabernacle 1,” “Tabernacle 2,” and “Tabernacle 3,” set up respectively at each church along the walk. In accordance with the Non-Denominational List of Shoulds and Shouldn’ts, no alcohol is allowed inside the church buildings with more than a “smidgeon” of “drink” in a parabolic 1 ¼” plastic cup. In accordance with the law, no alcohol is allowed in hand along the way, so wine-drinkers must finish their drinks within boundaries mapped by red paint splatters made to look like lamb’s blood; the markers and Tabernacles indicate an area far enough away from the church to encourage some excess in drink and ensure that the event is guilt-free, but also far enough away from the street so to avoid the small gathering of picketers whispering loudly so as not to have the cops called on them by owners of the houses in vicinity, but holding signs that say such quips as “WWJD?” and “Stop Wining and Start Praying” and the persistent uncannily specific banner, “Boom! That’s the Sound of Hitting Rock Bottom! This isn’t a Trial, This is God Telling You to Wake Up and Think About Who You Are if You Say You’re a Non-Denominational Believer.”

Along the way, local newscaster Kopi Sotoropulos hosts and tells jokes on a loudspeaker system, and the bands from all three churches perform a set of popular songs with ambiguous enough messages that a word or two can be altered to create a worship song. Creed re-unites and performs at least once a year, opening and closing with their hit song “Higher.” DiCicco’s offers a free pizza to whoever can legibly recite the Be-attitudes by the time they’ve finished visiting the Three Tabernacles, a promotion generated to deter the more often than not inebriated confessionals that take place at the hostess booth.

Rent-A-Pet: Fresno Chaffee Zoo

Rent-A-Pet

Fresno Chaffee Zoo

At the end of every fiscal quarter, the non-profit Fresno Chaffee Zoo conducts a program whereby patrons and organizations are able to “Rent-A-Pet” based on availability, seasonal temperament of the animal they wish to attain, their ability to host said animal, and the Zoo’s own fiscal need at that time to offset costs and keep the zoo running in prime condition for the next quarter.

As the zoo was loosely formed circa 1908 as a sanctuary for unwanted pets, Eldon “Curly” Blocker suggested a form of this idea when he became the zoo’s first foreman during its expansion throughout the 50’s. At the time, the idea was to “adopt” a pet by donating funds in exchange for a plaque naming the animal of the attendee’s choice, as well as the chance to take part in the feeding of their adopted animal. This idea stuck and served the park well until about four years later, when 6-year-old Deborah Gannin was attacked by a female chimpanzee whom the establishment was forced to put down, thus garnering a lawsuit both by the family of the living but permanently maimed Gannin, as well as by the ASPCA for the unnecessary “murder” of Bobby the chimpanzee.

It took a decade to recover financially from the incident, and left the zoo in a sad state, until Paul S. Chaffee took over in 1965 and was able to procure enough donations to bring the establishment to a better state than it had ever been by offering to name various structures and sections of the park after the wealthy patrons donating (thus, The Charles Widmore Jungle Land, The Winston Federline Reptile House, The Richard Kiel Shark Shack).

Moving forward, the zoo overcame various transformations and exchanges of leadership until 2006, when ownership was transferred to what is now known as The Fresno Chaffee Zoo Corporation, who still runs it to this day. Upon becoming current CEO/Director in 2009, Scott Barton came up with the idea to fill in the gaps in erratic quarterly reports by allowing patrons to literally take a pet deemed safe home with them for a day (along with a caretaker from the zoo to monitor and report back to the legal team). Now staffed with some of the best lawyers in the Valley, and along with a daunting amount of paperwork, patrons are able to literally rent any (or all) of the animals from Dick Samson Petting Zoo, any (or all) of the Galapagos Tortoises, the smaller primates, the non-poisonous reptiles, the larger birds, and, on one occasion in 2011 during a time of desperate fiscal need, an alligator (which required two zookeepers, extra paperwork for liability, and an on-site lawyer throughout).

So far, the program has fulfilled its purpose with, I am happy to say, no harm done to either animal or patron or child of patron. With the upcoming Africa Expedition expansion that will nearly double the size of the zoo, it is reported that the corporation is opening up more slots this coming Summer and will begin to allow more dangerous pets as a challenge (along with extra precaution, of course) that will be streamed live via the internet in order to garnish the increasing amount of money needed to keep an ever-increasing zoo in business. No word yet on the lineup of animals offered, but rumors have begun circulating that Jersey the Bear may be in the mix.

The Central Valley Hall of Fame

The Central Valley Hall of Fame

Mission Statement:

The Central Valley Hall of Fame (CVHF) seeks to provide the larger valley community as a touchstone, where artistic, cultural, historical, and educational exhibits and displays showcase accomplishments and contributions from Central Valley residents that can be enjoyed by locals and tourists alike.

History:

The CVHF was founded in 1999 by former Senator Alan Cranston just before his death in 2000. Most of its initial funding came from various “pork” provisions in bills that passed with Sen. Cranston’s help and vision. Since 2010, however, most of the funds come from state-issued grants and private donations.

The CVHF was originally founded in Sacramento, CA. Cranston thought it best that the CVHF be in the state’s capitol. However he soon realized his mistake when he started receiving letters from residents in Fresno, Kerman, Visalia, and elsewhere at his office, expressing outrage that the CVHF was not actually located in the Central Valley. After a committee of Central Valley residents voted on the issue, the CVHF was moved to Selma, CA where it remains today.

General Information:

The CVHF is housed in a former Bob’s Big Boy just east of Highway 99. General Admission is $7, student/seniors $5. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday 11:00AM-6:00PM; Saturdays 10:00AM-5:00PM.

Exhibits and Events:

The CVHF has several permanent exhibits, as well as rotating and new exhibits that change quarterly.

Permanent Exhibits:

• The Cesar Chavez Room—The first permanent exhibit is in honor of one of the Central Valley’s most revered heroes, Alan Autry. Autry is a former player in the NFL, actor, Mayor of Fresno, and radio host. In this room visitors can see artifacts donated by the Autry Fan Club spanning the breadth of his various careers. Some of the more popular items include the Green Bay Packers jersey Autry wore during his last start as quarterback before being fired, the mirror from his dressing room trailer from the set of In the Heat of the Night, and a life-size wax replica of Autry complete with interactive buttons that when pressed cause Autry to say one of his catch-phrases such as “Good Morning!” and “I’m the mayor, motherfucker!” (voice not actually Autry’s but performed by Ray Appleton).
• Smittcamp Annex—Funding for this annex which was added on to the original Bob’s Big Boy was provided by the Smittcamp Foundation. The annex hosts an array of artifacts, documents and photos of the Valley’s rich agricultural heritage and the people who are responsible for providing the world with so much of its food. Such people as Cesar Chavez (whom the Cesar Chavez Room is named after) who helped organize and lead a united farm worker strike and unionize throughout the 1960’s and 1970’s. Among the artifacts in the Annex are original letters from farmworkers, farming tools used in the fields, and union membership forms.
• Gift shop—The third and final permanent fixture of the CVHF is the gift shop where visitors can purchase everything from an Alan Autry action figure to bubble gum.
• Kevin Federline Hall—Named after the famed dancer and hip-hop performing artist, this hall is one of two rotating exhibit halls. This hall is primarily reserved for exhibits dedicated to art from the Central Valley. Previous exhibits include: Chican@ Voices, an exhibit promoting art and writing of Chican@s from the Central Valley; Do You Hear What I Hear?, an interactive exhibit of Central Valley high school marching bands; Nowhere Like Home, an art installation of Mr. Federline himself, performing a one-man reenactment of the Wizard of Oz.
• Saroyan Hall: This hall doubles as both a lecture hall as well as a performing arts venue. This small yet intimate atmosphere stages plays by both established and up-and-coming playwrights who are from the Valley as well as plays about the Valley. Previous plays include Grapes of Wrath, The Human Comedy, and Parlier! The Musical.

Drinking in Fresno

Drinking

 For those seeking a uniquely Fresno experience, the city boasts nearly three hundred bars, pubs, nightclubs, and cocktail lounges. Whether your poison is beer, wine, or hard liquor, there’s something for everyone, with an average of 106 bars per fifteen square miles, where tourists can observe the locals in their “natural habitat” in the city USAToday reported as being the “Drunkest City in America” in 2010.

One of the ideal neighborhoods for tourists wishing to observe Fresno’s drunk culture is the Tower District, located just north and west of downtown, which boasts some local favorite watering holes such as: The Landmark, Livingstone’s, Spokeasy Public House, Sequoia Brewing Company, Audie’s Olympic Tavern, Das Bierhaus, Veni Vidi Vici, Pinot Wine Bar, Cuvée Spirit & Wine Parlor, Tower Sports Club, Million Elephant Café & Bar, Strummer’s, North Tower Circle, Bobby Salazar’s, Essence Lounge, Bourbon & Taps, and Score Sports Café & Lounge—all within one square mile.

Tourists are encouraged to participate in the festivities, but should be sure to be alert at closing time (2:00 AM for most establishments) so as not to miss the end-of-the-night spectacle of locals carefully plotting their routes home so as to avoid DUI arrests. Each night is certain to be an exciting game of cat-and-mouse as police cars cruise up and down the streets with astounding frequency, park in front of or around the corner from bars, sit in the middle of the street with flashing lights, or set up orange cones and bright signs announcing DUI checkpoints (a real treat for those new to the city to stumble across; experienced visitors will have planned out the most likely locations). However, as Fresno is the self proclaimed “toughest city in the nation on drunken drivers,” due to its near one hundred regular checkpoint locations (the highest of any city in the United States) and an average of around 5,000 DUI arrests per year in Fresno County, visitors’ chances of observing a DUI arrest are quite high.

In order to help facilitate the best visitor experience possible, included below is a link to a map of possible DUI checkpoint locations throughout the city. (NOTE: This map does not include surrounding areas such as Clovis, Kingsburg, Sanger, Parlier, or Selma.)

Fresno DUI Checkpoint Map