Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
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All TV screens in the Police Department Community Room were playing the cartoon "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and all that could be heard were the excited voices of the 22 boys and girls who knew they were going to have a pizza dinner and then go Christmas shopping at Kmart with their law enforcement escorts. The Dec. 13 event was held for the fourth year here in Tehachapi and the seventh year all across the country. The Tehachapi Police Foundation was the primary organizer of the local...
Two new trustees joined the Tehachapi Unified School District (TUSD) Board of Trustees on Dec. 11 as Mary Graham, who served on the board for 12 years – nine as president – ended her tenure on the board. "When you are a board member it's a continuous learning curve," Graham said. "You deal with different situations. The learning never ends." Interim Superintendent Paul Kaminski also honored outgoing trustee Carrie Austin, who lost her seat to Nancy Weinstein. The board elected Trustee Jeff Ker...
This week's Grassroots Tehachapi, looks at an actual "grassroots" project ... through the eyes of young students. The groundbreaking for the new sixth grade building at Jacobsen Middle School took place Nov. 15. Representatives and ASB leaders from the community's elementary schools were at the event and even got to help dig some of the first holes. The new building is said to be 13,175-square-feet and will hold 10 classrooms. I spoke to some of the students, and their enthusiasm for the project...
I have two very sweet and polite kids, but like all children, I know their attention span and ability to stay quiet when others are talking requires saintly patience. So, it was incredible for me to watch a group of elementary school children remain completely captivated by the stories and songs of Richard Oldenburg. In honor of Veterans Day, Oldenburg visited Golden Hills Extended Daycare on Nov. 15 to share stories of his time in the service. The kids were quiet as he talked about life at...
Extensive information on the Tehachapi Valley Recreation and Park District Measure R $43 million revitalization bond proposal is available on the www.tvrpd.org website. Arguments for and against the measure as well as the full text are in the Kern County sample ballot. The proposed revitalization would bring $1.3 million in improvements to Brite Lake (the district's biggest revenue producer), $1.3 million to Meadowbrook Park, $500,000 to Central Park, $4 million to West Park, $8 million to...
Two candidates vieThe City Treasurer is a civilian watchdog who reviews all city financial statements, revenue and disbursements. Two candidates are running for the position. Incumbent City Treasurer Susan Showler, who was appointed in 2018, is a marketing analyst for World Wind and Solar. A native of upstate New York, she left snowy Minnesota for California and was drawn to Tehachapi. "I could have lived anywhere," she said. "I like to tell people why we are this little gem." Showler regularly...
Desirable assisted living facilities are in short supply everywhere, including Tehachapi. One such local gem can be found on a corner in Golden Hills. Mountain Vista Senior Care has been operating at near capacity in Tehachapi since opening in March of 2011. Property owner, Dan Hunt has owned the property since 1989 and still lives upstairs. When Dan purchased the house, it was a small 1,460-square-feet. The now-retired associate warden at CCI and father of five began to enlarge the house that...
How many Tehachapi residents have driven Steuber Rd. between Tehachapi Blvd. and Highline Rd. and noticed a little sign on the east side of the road that said "Ha's Apple Farm" and wondered, " are they ever open?" Starting on Sept. 28, Tehachapi's best kept secret will be open every weekend for local residents to sample the products that have represented our area in Los Angeles and the rest of Southern California for over 30 years. According to owner, David Ha, it is not unheard of for a Los...
How many Tehachapi residents have driven Steuber Rd. between Tehachapi Blvd. and Highline Rd. and noticed a little sign on the east side of the road that said "Ha's Apple Farm" and wondered, " are they ever open?" Starting on Sept. 28, Tehachapi's best kept secret will be open every weekend for local residents to sample the products that have represented our area in Los Angeles and the rest of Southern California for over 30 years. According to owner, David Ha, it is not unheard of for a Los...
Last school year, 140 children were registered to attend Tehachapi's Good News Clubs and 20 adults from seven local churches volunteered every week. Throughout Kern County there were 14 clubs, 561 registered children and 63 volunteers. Good News Clubs are found in every country except North Korea. Clubs are not a school district activity, but are allowed under the Constitution and Supreme Court decision of 2001 to have equal access to public schools as an after school program. Good News Clubs...
Our local bird club is having their next quarterly meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. in Golden Hills Elementary School Cafeteria, 20215 Park Road. Guest speaker: Bob Barnes. "Beginning Birders" Barnes, a world famous birder, has agreed to start off our new year with his encore instructional class on beginning birding. New pictures, tips and techniques and hopefully new audience questions will be the talk of this meeting. Come join us for an enjoyable evening all about bir...
Years ago when one traveled to Bakersfield over U.S. Highway 466, it involved going down what is known as the "Old Road" which, at one time was the only way one could travel to Bakersfield. To navigate this historic route today, one must proceed west on Highway 202 for nearly three-miles, then turn right on Woodford-Tehachapi Road. This will put you on the old road that we all traveled moving northwest, down past Keene and into the great San Joaquin Valley. On this route, leaving the Tehachapi...
As Tehachapi youngsters are enjoying the remaining days of summer, the Tehachapi Unified School District is preparing for the first day of school on Aug. 15. "There are 10 new teachers but there will be more," Interim Superintendent Paul Kaminski said on July 31. "New teacher orientation is Aug. 10." Kaminiski said the district will welcome back classified and certificated employees in a ceremony at the Tehachapi High School gym on August 13. Long-term employees will be honored for their...
On July 24 at their regular board meeting, the Board of Tehachapi Valley Recreation and Park District voted unanimously to place a $43 million bond measure on the Nov. 6 ballot. On hand to answer questions were Jon Isom of Isom Advisors, a division of Urban Future, Inc. who conducted the survey and analyzed the data. It was Isom's recommendation that although slightly shy of the two-thirds vote needed to pass the bond, it was close enough to move forward. Since that survey, TVRPD has held five p...
A few days ago I drove up our Golden Hills street to our mailbox. I had quite a bit of mail and was putting it into a bag when I noticed a Package Box key on the ground. Thinking I had dropped it as I picked up my mail, I opened the package box wondering what I had waiting for me. Oops! The package was not for me! Someone else had dropped the key. I could not just leave it in the box with the key there for anyone to find. The person to whom it was addressed did not even know she had a package,...
Excitement was on overload as Tehachapi 4th and 5th graders were treated to a rewarding rocket launch day May 30 at the Tehachapi Municipal Airport. Their model rockets were launched amid loud cheers. Sponsored by Arts Science & Technology (AST), the Intermediate Space Challenge (ISC) is a program that provides model rocket kits for the students to build in their classrooms. This helps teach kids about the science involved in rocketry. Kids get the experience of building a small rocket to be...
One of the great benefits of being a school kid in Tehachapi is the presence of so many dedicated volunteers from aerospace, aviation, engineering and related fields. These volunteers regularly present programs where students can gain hands-on experience and learn about subjects where career opportunities abound. Enter AST, the Arts, Science and Technology Educational Corporation of Tehachapi, and the program they have brought to the schools, the Intermediate Space Challenge. This is a program...
Contractor Scott Crooke and his wife Susie bought Tangleweed Farm in Golden Hills last October. The couple had been living in Orcutt, on the Central Coast, and was looking for more room to raise a family and their two boxers, Sunnie and Summer. Scott had been coming to Tehachapi for years. He has a friend living in Paradise Valley, near enough to Tehachapi Mountain Park to hike there. About two years ago the Crookes bought a piece of property in Alpine Forest thinking they would build there....
Dalton and David SteeleReed of Tehachapi and Rachel Newkirk of West Golden Hills have taken the concept of Tehachapi hiker hospitality to a new dimension with the opening of their Hiker Depot in a house at 115 S. Mojave St. At the house, named "Wits' End," Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) hikers can relax, make connections, use the wi-fi, recharge their devices, collect and send packages of supplies or grab a snack. "This is a new thing for Tehachapi," Dalton SteeleReed said. "We are open 8 a.m. to 4...
Kiwanis Club was fortunate to hear from two historic women, American Association of University members who participated in Women's History presentations. Diane Bergstrom portrayed poet Edna St. Vincent Millay and Laura Amstead was Beverly Cleary, children's author. Both were informative and entertaining. Millay was an American poet and playwright who received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1923. She was also known for her feminist activism. At 102 years old, Cleary is America's most...
Mountainbase, a private weather reporting station located at Oak Knolls in Golden Hills, reports that the total rainfall in March through the 28th was 3.06 inches, which is 1.41 inches more than usual for the month ("departure from the norm"). The first two months of the calendar year were considerably drier than usual, with 0.91 inches in January (1.26 inches less than normal) and 0.14 inches in February (1.59 inches less than normal). The days and days of the persistent but gentle March rain...
Thanks to the Tehachapi Lions Club, first graders in the Tehachapi Unified School District received their own U.S. flags along with some flag education during the week of February 20-24. The "Flags for First Graders" program is an annual youth project of the Lions and is done in conjunction with President's Day. Over 500 first graders received small flags, heard a brief history of the flag and also watched a demonstration on the proper way to fold a flag. To find out more about your local...
Police Dept. School Resource Officer Amy Smith knows the students Tehachapi Police Department Officer Amy Smith is a visible presence at the six Tehachapi Unified School District (TUSD) sites. As the School Resource Officer, Smith handles law enforcement problems that arise among the students as well as providing support for the students and staff. "The kids are great," she told Forde Files. "They are personable, friendly. The kids talk to me." Smith spends most of her time on the campuses of...
Golden Hills School held their annual science fair on January 31, 2018. We had a record 258 projects entered. Congratulations to the kids and parents for taking on a big project and completing it. The overall winners were Emma Gonzales and Joshua Boles. They now get to compete in the Kern County Regional Science fair. A big thanks to the judges who volunteered their time: From Mrs. Evansic's science department at Tehachapi High School, there were Chloe Shadduck, Meghn Daffern, Magnus Loken,...
"Chasing spring on the Pacific Crest Trail" In 2016 Bob and Susan Steele thru-hiked the 2,650 mile-long Pacific Crest Trail with a different goal than anyone else-counting all the birds. Their trek passed through magnificent scenery, diverse habitats, and afforded the chance to see birds moving northbound, from spring migration to summer breeding. With stunning photography and storytelling, this evening presentation with guest speakers Bob and Susan Steele will take you along the mountainous...
