If last weekend’s Van Halen concert didn’t give you that old time feeling, then this weekend’s homecoming events are sure to take you back a few years! 30 to be exact! Madera High School is celebrating the class of 1977 Reunion with cocktail parties on Friday September 28th at 7 p.m. at The Chateau Lasgoity and Saturday the 29th @ 7 p.m. at the Vineyard Restaurant. That’s the Coyote spirit!

Back then it was all about football and beer, and maybe a little romance. Now we’ve graduated to the finer things in life. More on these 2 fabulous establishments on Wednesday. Stay tuned.

Coyote fans, we’ll give you something to howl about. No, you are not seeing double! Both Chowchilla High School and Madera High School are both having homecoming parades at 2 p.m. Friday, with the game to follow at 7 p.m. Good, old fashioned home comings. That’s what it is all about!

You out-of-towners may want to check out the downtown and see how things have changed. We’re not older. We’re better. Browse our listing for great buys throughout the area and open houses this weekend. You never know who you might meet!

There is an urgent need for volunteer English tutors in Madera County. Immigrants eager to learn to speak, read and write English are anxiously waiting for tutors. To meet Madera County’s growing need, the Mountain Area Literacy Council (MALCO) has scheduled a two-part tutor training workshop. The workshop will be offered on consecutive Saturdays, September 22 and 29, at the Oakhurst Branch Library located on 49044 Civic Circle Drive in Oakhurst, California.

• Part 1: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, September 22
• Part 2: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, September 29

MALCO currently has 19 adults awaiting tutors on its waiting list. Volunteers are urgently needed. For information or to sign up for the workshop, contact Agnes Frye at 559-641-7691.

Madera County has long followed our nation’s path as a melting pot. Our descendants are a diverse lot including many nationalities: Mexican, German, Irish, African Americans, English, Italian, American Indian, Filipino, Asian Indian, Danish, Polish, Scottish, Norwegian, Swedish, Portuguese, Dutch and French. First lured by the Gold Rush and then the timber industry, people of diverse cultures flocked to Madera County in the mid 1800s. The stunning natural scenic beauty of the Sierras and lush fertile soils of the San Joaquin valley enticed them to stay. Our thriving agricultural and recreational industries continue to draw people to Madera County.

If you’ve always wondered what a Scotsman wears under his kilt, there will be plenty of people to ask this weekend at the 30th Annual Fresno Highland Gathering & Games. Madera County Scotsmen will be wearing the plaid this Saturday, September 15, when the games kick off at 8 a.m. at Fresno Roeding Regional Park. The park is located at 890 W. Belmont (Highway 99 and Belmont, just east of SR99) in Fresno, California. General admission is $12, seniors and military $10, children 6-12 $6, under 6 free; parking is $3. For more information and a map, visit the Scottish Society of Central California website.

If you’ve never been to a highlands games, you’ll find them fascinating. This is your chance to witness unusual sports like the hammer throw and caber toss, which looks like a telephone pole being hurled. Scottish athletics are not for the faint of heart. The tradition of the highlands games dates back to the Roman invasions in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. Ancient chieftains and kings used the games to test the agility, cunning and physical strength of their clansmen. To the victors went the spoils: leadership in the clan and on the battlefield.

But highland games are not only about brawn. There are wonderful high-stepping dance competitions, a living history stage where Scottish stories are be told in the old oral tradition, great food, fabulous celtic music, plenty of celtic merchandise and special tents for clans and societies. And don’t forget the pipe and drum competitions. There is no sound in the world quite so spine-tingling as the sound of bagpipes played en masse.

This weekend, September 15-16, Madera County residents can explore their mountain heritage at the 11th annual Mountain Heritage Days celebration in Oakhurst, California. A parade, Country Fair, contests and Sluice Box Derby are among the events planned. The celebration kicks off at 10 a.m. this Saturday with a parade along School Road (Road 427) and Crane Valley Road (Road 426) in Oakhurst, California.

Before the parade, stoke up on flapjacks at the Sierra Oakhurst Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast. Eggs, ham, sausage, steaming, golden stacks of pancakes, juice and coffee are on the menu. Breakfast will be served from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Oakhurst Community Center Pavilion located at 39800 Road 425B. Adults meals are $5; children 12 and under, $2; and children under 5 are free.

After the parade, don’t miss the exciting Sluice Box Derby. It starts at 11 a.m. on Saturday and features three divisions for derby racers aged 4-14.

You can spend a delightful day at Mountain Heritage Days. Watch pioneer demonstrations in candle dipping and blacksmithing. Check out award-winning displays of wood carving and needlework. Shop the many arts and crafts booths at the Country Fair. Sample some good old down-home country cooking. Return to the 1850s when Fresno Flats was a booming mountain town.

The festival will be held on the grounds of the Fresno Flats Historic Park. The park is located near Oak Creek Intermediate School and Yosemite High School on School Road (Road 427). Click here for a map and driving directions. For more information, call 559-683-6570.

RIS Media, one of the leading media sources for the real estate industry, recently hosted their annual leadership conference held in New York City.
Brandon Fairbanks of The Fairbanks Real Estate Group at Montecino & Associates, participated as a speaker for an informative session on building a champion real estate team.
Brandon was honored to share the stage with several of the industries top Realtors and speakers including Ralph Roberts, Dominic Manchesi, Marilyn Shwartz, and Chip Nueman.
The opening session, titled “Critical Issues Facing the Real Estate Industry” featured an incredible lineup including, Ed Krafchow, Hoddy Hanna, Sherry Chris, Dottie Herman, Ron Peltier, Alex Perriello, J. Lennox Scott, Brenda Shipplett and Merle Whitehead, all of whom shared strategies for succeeding in any climate.

Join members of the Coarsegold Historical Society Saturday, September 8 for a walking tour of historic downtown Coasegold. Participants should meet at 10 a.m. at the teepee in the Historic Village located on the northwest corner of Highway 41 and Road 415 in Coarsegold, California. Wear comfortable shoes. The tour takes about an hour. Donations are appreciated. For more information, call 559-642-4448.

Coarsegold has a rich and varied history. Chukchansi Indians once inhabited not only the Coarsegold area but the entire San Joaquin Valley into the Sierra foothills. Mexican explorers and American fur trappers traded in the area in the early 1800s. In 1849 the discovery in area creeks of big, rough gold nuggets — coarse gold –brought prospectors in droves and gave the early boomtown town its name, Coarsegold. Gradually, gold became scarce and miners turned to cattle ranching which is still the area’s prime industry. The growing popularity of Yosemite National Park and the extension of a wagon road through Coarsegold in 1876 brought an increasing number of tourists through the small town.

The Coarsegold Museum contains a collection of 1800s artifacts from the town’s pioneer and gold rush days. Built at the site of a horse-drawn freight wagon road (pre-Highway 41), the museum centers around the originial 110-year old packed adobe way station. Visitors can view ongoing restoration of the structure.

A restored barn houses artifacts and a fascinating history of the Madera County region, as well as a research library and Historical Society office. Visitors can view vignettes of early Eastern Madera County life.

Madera County residents will Go Hog Wild this weekend. That’s the theme of the 70th annual Madera District Fair which opens today, September 6, and runs through Sunday, September 9, 2007. Admission is $7 at the gate, $4 for senior citizens (62 and older), $4 for children 6 to 12, children 5 and under are free. Parking at the fairgrounds is $3. Fair hours are 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

You’ll find lots to see and do at this year’s fair. Clowns, a hypnotist, fantastic Wild Science, the Alphabet Soup puppets, a very cool Energy Machine, and amazing trained lions are just some of the things to watch for. And, of course, you’ll find lots of wonderful farm animals.

First class entertainment is on tap at the annual fair. General seating at concerts is free with your fair admission. Premium seating is available for some concerts at an additional cost. Click here for more information.

• Thursday, September 6 at 7:30 p.m. Los Lonely Boys
• Friday, September 7 at 8 p.m. Terri Clark & Kellie Pickler
• Saturday, September 8 at 8 p.m. Smash Mouth
• Sunday, September 9 at 7:30 p.m. Los Rieleros Del Norte

If your kids love to ride all the rides, you can purchase a wristband for $20 that allows unlimited rides at the carnival, Midway of Fun and Kid’s Town. Wristbands will only be offered on Thursday and Friday. Discounted ticket packages will be available on all fair days. 

Special admission and rides discounts are being offered this year:

• Buddy Day is Thursday, September 6. Free fair admission for kids 12 and under and for seniors 62 and older. Buy one carnival wristband for $20 and receive a second one free.
• Early Bird special is on Sunday, September 9. From 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. all children 12 and under will be admitted free and carnival wristbands will be half price, just $10 per child to ride all the rides.

For more information, contact the Madera District Fair office at 559-674-8511 or visit the fair website. You’ll find a helpful map and directions on the website. See you at the fair!

Face it. Americans are fat and getting fatter. Obesity rates rose in 31 of our 50 states last year and decreased in none. With a 30.6% obesity rate, Mississippi weighed in as the heaviest state with West Virginia (29.8%) and Alabama (29.4%) panting close behind. The annual rankings were compiled by the Trust for America’s Health, a research group devoted to disease prevention.

Colorado hiked in as America’s leanest state with an obesity rate of 17.6%. California didn’t fare too badly, weighing in at 22.7%. Still, that means that one out of every 4 to 5 California adults is morbidly overweight. Health officials warn that obesity is quickly becoming America’s most threatening public health crisis. Obesity increases the risk for diabetes, heart problems and other chronic diseases that significantly decrease quality of life and raise health care costs.

While many argue that weight is a personal choice and responsibility, Trust for America’s Health believes the government should play a larger role in combating obesity. “If we want kids to eat healthier food, we have to invest the money for school nutrition programs so that school lunches are healthier,” said the organization’s executive director, Jeffrey Levi. “If we want people to be more physically active, then there have to be safe places to be active.”

Schools are particularly concerned about growing child obesity rates. Many schools now offer more nutritious lunches and have replaced soda and candy bars with healthy snacks and beverages in school vending machines.

The University of California Cooperative Extension service offers a unique program that uses school gardens to teach children about healthy eating. Funded by a $100,000 grant from the California Department of Food and Agriculture, UC Davis will start holding trainers’ workshops for the Children’s Garden Program in September and October. Click here for more information on classes how to bring the program to your Madera County school.

Hop aboard the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad for an exciting trip back in time. The railroad offers exciting 4-mile excursions aboard vintage wood-burning steam locomotives like the ones that served

Madera
County’s early logging industry. You can board the train at

Yosemite
Park’s south gate on Highway 41. 

From 1899 to 1931, miles of narrow-gauge track brought sugar pines from the high Sierras to busy lumber mills in
Madera. A section of the original railbed was faithfully constructed using turn-of-the-century techniques to serve as a historic reminder of the county’s rich logging history. Two vintage Shay steam locomotives now ply the four-mile track, giving visitors and tourists a taste of life in long ago

Madera
County. 

Click here for a copy of the 2007 schedule and fares. For more information, contact the railroad office in Fish Camp, California at 559-683-7273.

The Zoomobile is coming to the Madera Library on August 23. Space is limited and there are only a few days left to sign up. Make sure you reserve your space by Thursday, August 16. Please remember, children must be accompanied by a parent or caregiver. To sign up, call the Madera Library at 559-675-7871.

Come meet some of our animal friends from the Fresno-Chaffee Zoo. You’ll learn about the animals and might even get to pet a few. It’s an event that’s sure to bring a smile to your child’s face.

The Zoomobile presentation is part of the Madera Library’s weekly children’s storytime program. Every Thursday at 11 a.m. younger children gather to enjoy a story, songs and fun during storytime at the library. The Madera Library is located at 121 North G Street in Madera, California.

After you wave good-bye to the animals, take some time to look at books with your child. Pick out some favorite animal stories to take home and read together. Reading to your child is a wonderful way to spend time together. Through books you and your child can explore faraway places, have silly adventures, learn about amazing animals, and enjoy being together. Books can open a whole new world of possibilities to your child that you can explore together.