ModestoView

Thomas Downey High School Class of 1962, If you happen to receive a “Save the Date” postcard in the mail that the TDHS 60th Reunion has been delayed, that is for a second Reunion party next year. Happening soon, The TDHS Class of 1962 Celebration of our 60th...

MODESTO, CA (JULY 5, 2022) Ryan Foy has been named Director of Produced Theatre and Special Programming at the Gallo Center for the Arts beginning July 18. The newly created role will be part of the Center’s senior leadership team reporting directly to Chief Executive Officer Chad Hilligus. Foy will oversee all in-house produced and special programming projects, including the artistic leadership of the Gallo Center Repertory Company following the retirement of longtime volunteer GCRC artistic director Jim Johnson at the end of the 2022/23 season.

This is going to be a fabulous July here in Modesto. We have just come off of a great Graffiti Summers last month. There were cars and people visiting Modesto from all over the world, enjoying our community, checking out our cars and feeing right at home. I love sitting on my deck playing my guitar and hearing the sounds of hot rods all over town It is a very cool Modesto soundtrack. I got to cruise this year for the first time. Last year I was lucky enough to be the Grand Marshal, but this year, I got to cruise in a big ole long Catalina with Jeremiah Williams and Harrison Power. The Graffiti USA Museum was hosting visitors and Graffiti Con 2022. It was so fun. Now, we need to support the efforts of our local Lowrider and customs community to make cruising legal again! This community is so very important to our Graffiti USA future and making sure that we include all of our communities and cultures in our classic story. We will keep you posted on the next steps.

I want to give a huge shout out to the crew at Flying Turtle for making the Legends of the Cruise Walk of Fame Markers. This is an absolute labor of love for them to do this for our Cruise Legends and our city. They are a busy company, making cool concrete creations for homes and businesses and they take time to make these 18 x 18 markers to celebrate our local people. Thank you to Mat Rogers and his crew for being so amazing. Our Legends, the Graffiti USA Museum and the City of Modesto thank you. If you need amazing concrete work, these are your people.

The best thing about getting older is that we may actually learn from our mistakes and change the way we have been thinking. I love how Abraham Lincoln puts it: “Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.” Looking back on my own life I can say that being less selfish and keeping the focus on the larger picture has been so much more rewarding.

Summertime pairs warm sunny weather with many things to do in the sun. But there is also plenty to do while staying cool. Ms. M’s sipping an iced tea lemonade and trying to keep up with her summer reading challenge from the Stanislaus County Library which ends in August. Don’t worry, it’s not too late to catch up on your reading and summer fun. Here are some ways to spend your time in July, without spending too much money.

From Saigon to downtown Modesto, Bubble Tea has never tasted so good. Bubble tea is very important to Thanh “Joe” Dong. This was one of his favorite things growing up, and when he was trying hard to woo his eventual wife, Lucia Tran, he would travel to the Bay Area to get the exact bubble tea she liked.

I hope you are all enjoying this hot summer. Recently, I visited our Farmers Market, one of my favorite activities, especially in the summertime. The Modesto Farmers Market has been around since 1979. The locals who grow fresh produce for sale are there. You can also find fun homemade items for sale. My favorite booth that I always come back to is the Bolani. The Bolani is Afghan stuffed flatbreads with dips and sauces. It’s delicious. I also love picking up a pretty bouquet of fresh flowers from Kelly Flower Farm for my loved ones and myself. Please help support our local farmers by showing up Thursday and Saturday mornings. When you shop here, you support our local growers, who provide fruits and veggies straight from their farm to your table. The Modesto Certified Farmers Market is located on 16th street between I and H, next to the Stanislaus Library. It is open from 8 am to 1 pm.

When I think of a Recumbent bike, I think of our Uncle Bob. It wasn’t too long ago when Uncle Bob got one and it was the first time I had ever seen anything like it. At first look I thought of it being odd and it reminded me of an adult tricycle. Boy was I totally wrong. These 2 and/or 3 wheel bikes are actually ingenious. For example an athlete on a good low racer with rear fairing has about 30% less drag than a racing cyclist. An amateur cyclist on a full recumbent bike can be really fast reaching speeds of more than 50 mph. The current recumbent world record for the 200 meter sprint is over 87-mph according to hovelotechnic.com. I’m not one that would want to go that fast on any bike, heck I don’t even drive over 70-mph. Still the thought of being able to get on a bike and go from here to there as quick as I would in a car does sound intriguing.

For nearly 150 years, Modesto has had a 4th of July Parade and that continues in 2022. Modesto has one of the longest running 4th of July Parades in the western USA. Even during the pandemic, there was a scaled down parade through 10th St Plaza with a proclamation from Mayor Brandvold. This year, the parade is back and bigger than ever, on the 4th.

Besides the 4th of July parade, there is probably no greater Modesto tradition than MoBand’s Concerts in the Park. Since the 1940s and 50s, the Mancini Bowl in Graceada Park has been home to MoBand. As long as I can remember it has been a tradition and I was fortunate to play in MoBand during the late 70s. Mancini Bowl is a special place, actually built by hand by Frank “Proof” Mancini.

As America celebrates our independence from Great Britain, we need to take time to remember that it was the support of France, both diplomatically and financially that allowed us to win our independence. The French Monarchy recognized the independence of the United States and George Washington had a good relationship with Marquis de Lafayette and we have been allies since. The French celebrate Bastille Day, Le Fete Nationale, as the beginning of the French Revolution. It will be celebrated July 14, 2022. It is an amazing day in Paris and I have been fortunate to have experienced this day of revolution a few times. Vive le France.

Modesto’s best summer festival is back for 2022 and you will be amazed! This is a showcase for the VMI School of Music and features many of the newly formed bands that that will be the foundation of our musical future. This year, Modstock be back and bigger than ever in Mancini Bowl. Many of our local bands that have been making music for a long time, will be mixed in with the newer bands and showing how it is done. There will be music all day, with vendors, food, drink and more. This is a free event thanks to Roberts Auto and the hard work of the VMI crew and Darin and Kristie Morris. Don’t miss this great day for Modesto music.

It is the top of the summer and there are some great shows happening in these air conditioned places. From great Broadway shows, to cool intimate performances to some classic rock and roll, and even a red carper premier, we have it all. The new Gallo Center season is out now and tix are available for all shows. Check out the Gallo website. There is a new season lined up at the Prospect Theatre Project and this is truly some of the best intimate theatre you can get, AND they have a full bar. Become season ticket holders and make a difference.

During Modesto Summers, there’s nothing better than classic All-American frozen treats to cool down and enjoy the sunshine. This month we are breaking down the some of our fave local places to get ice cream and milkshakes!. 920 16th Street Modesto, CA. MV PICK: Maria at Mocha Magic has...

Into the heart of Summer, no drought in Art in Modesto. Summer classes and workshops going on at Mistlin Gallery, Carnegie Arts Center in Turlock, Dragonfly Art for Life. First Friday Market will open the month, July 1, an extended 4th of July weekend. Kristy Moore and the BlackHearts artists among the vendors on the hot pavement of Tenth Street.

Well things are beginning to turn to normalcy a little at a time and the “smile is returning to their faces” as the song goes. Blue Monday Party now goes to twice a month with good turnout and the band plays on! In the band: John Adey and Conrad Johnson Bass, Andrew Rosenblum guitar and Sax, John Burt Sax, Dave Hawks and Jacob Goulat Drums and Eric Benson and Pat governor Keys.

We are off to a warm start in 2022 and as I write this, the faint smell of smoke is in the air. There are a few ways to beat the heat this summer. With this drought, we need to be careful for the fire risk and watch our air quality this summer. Even though our nights get a delta breeze, you need to take care during the day. Please remember to stay hydrated and that does the most good. There are many things to do in nice cool air conditioning like checking out a movie at the State or the Brenden, or find your inner Royal Robbins at Stonehenge Climbing or Alpine in Ripon, but being outdoors is the best. Take advantage of a restaurant’s covered patio and when you bike along the trails, there are many tree-covered places to take a break. But here are some fun destinations to enjoy some wetness.

Pageo Lavender Farm, owned and operated by George & Patty Kapor, has a romantic back story. The Kapors bought the property in 1998, with an inkling that they wanted to have a herb farm. They had visited a herb farm-restaurant combo in Connecticut called Capriland, and wondered if a small farm in Connecticut could support a year-long venture like that, one in California with gorgeous weather 11 months of the year certainly could thrive, too! Patty’s dad visited to check out the property and surprised the family by stating he used to live there in high school! Patty’s dad met her mom on the same property when he went to rescue one of her family’s cows that got out of the yard. So how cute is it that people both fall in love on this farm *and* seal their love with a marriage on this farm, too!? They got started on their project and in 2007 hosted their first wedding on the farm. Their son Josh graduated from college and became the events manager, and one of their daughters-in-law, Tina, makes most of the lovely items in the gift shop like the soap, sprays and teas. While weddings might be what they’re known for, their first passion is lavender. It’s everywhere! Imbued in every crevice possible, gracing us with its scent and beauty. And did you notice “Pageo” is a combination of both their names? Super cute!

The 610 KFRC Mobile Studio, “The Sturgeon” comes to Modesto on 6-10 Growing up in Modesto, the “other” AM radio station we listened to most in the 60s, 70s & 80s was 610 KFRC from San Francisco with Dr. Don Rose, Bobby Ocean and more! The KFRC Sturgeon was a mobile broadcasting studio, launched on November 1, 1980 for the KFRC Holiday Food Fair at the San Mateo County Fairgrounds. The Sturgeon became a Northern California Radio landmark broadcasting from hundreds of locations including the beaches of Santa Cruz, The Golden Gate Bridge, Cal Expo California’s State Fair, The USS Coral Sea, Cesar’s Lake Tahoe and all points in between including Dr. Don’s Rose live broadcast from just up the street in Stockton, CA in 1983.