Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
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The speaker for the weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Tehachapi on July 18 was Jerry Munson. Jerry joined the Rotary Club of Tehachapi after transferring from the Santa Clarita Rotary in December 2023. Jerry delivered a presentation known as a "Rotary Craft Talk," in which a Rotarian shares the essential elements of their approach to the craft of living, including their life stories and experiences that have shaped their character. Jerry grew up in the San Fernando Valley in typical Southern...
At the weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Tehachapi on July 25, the club welcomed Carol Gates, a member of the Tehachapi Group of the Kern Audubon Society. The Kern Audubon Society was founded in 1973, and since there were so many members from Tehachapi, the Tehachapi Group of the Kern Audubon Society was created in 2009. Carol's interest in birds began early, as her father was a founding member of the Kern Audubon Society in 1973. Their mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems,...
On July 11, Jennifer Palakiko presided over her first official meeting as the 2024-25 President of the Rotary Club of Tehachapi. Jennifer welcomed everyone and shared the Rotary International Theme for the year: "The Magic of Rotary." Jennifer shared an inspirational video of Rotary International President Stephanie Urchick explaining the choice for the 2024-25 Rotary theme. "The Magic of Rotary" was inspired by a trip that President Urchick made to the Dominican Republic, installing water...
At the weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Tehachapi on July 11, the Club welcomed Kay Pitts, chief operating officer of Rotary District 5240 and member of the Bakersfield Breakfast Rotary Club. She presented two awards to President Jennifer Palakiko and Past President Paul Kaminski, which were earned by the Tehachapi Rotary Club during the 2023-24 year. Pitts presented a Bronze Medal to the Club for meeting five of the required criteria to achieve special recognition. The Club met the...
At the weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Tehachapi, President Jennifer Palakiko welcomed Anya Norton as a new member on July 11. Anya's husband, Bill, was also in attendance for her presentation. Anya was introduced and sponsored by Jerry Munson, the Club's International Projects Chair and Co-Sargent-At-Arms. Bill and Anya Norton are retirees who moved from Lancaster to Bear Valley Springs in 2019, and they say it's the best idea they have had to date! Anya's career in education began when...
On June 27, at the home of Don and Marian Stephens, the Rotary Club of Tehachapi held its annual Step Down event to honor outgoing President Paul Kaminski. Rotary also formally welcomed incoming President, Jennifer Palakiko, who will serve for the 2024-25 year. The Rotarians and their guests enjoyed a delicious meal provided by Red House BBQ, with lovely desserts made by Linda Pettitt. Kaminski presented Paul Harris Fellows recognitions to five Rotarians for their contributions in the past...
Annmarie Huppert moved to Tehachapi in May from Gig Harbor, Washington, to join her son Stephen Sturm and her three grandchildren. Annmarie was born in Washington and had lived there off-and-on for most of her life, but had also spent time in Tehachapi and on the Nicoya Peninsula region of Costa Rica. Annmarie graduated from Evergreen State College in Washington with a degree in Liberal Arts, emphasis on Public Policy and Psychology. She was a Washington State Legislative Intern, worked in the...
On June 13, the Rotary Club of Tehachapi welcomed guest speaker Michael Puffer from Have a Heart Humane Society. Michael oversees the adoption room with a quiet determination and a heartfelt commitment to animal welfare. As a retired air traffic control supervisor, Michael said he was surprised how a career in air traffic control actually prepared him to run an adoption room because he utilizes his decision-making skills every day. He is continually looking at the needs of animals, as well as...
A favorite project of the Rotary Club of Tehachapi is the annual Kindergarten Book Giveaway. At the end of the school year, Rotarians visit kindergarten classrooms throughout the community and present the students with a personalized book to take home and keep. This project has been sponsored by Rotary for many years, and the students often look forward to receiving their special book, just like their older brother or sister. A project like this takes a lot of people helping to make it happen....
The featured speaker at the June 22 meeting of the Rotary Club of Tehachapi was Scarlett Sabin, house director at the Ronald McDonald House in Bakersfield. Scarlett has worked at the Ronald McDonald House since it was established in December 2008. The Bakersfield Ronald McDonald House is located on the property of Bakersfield Memorial Hospital; however, they accommodate families who have children in any hospital in Bakersfield. It provides a comfortable alternative to sleeping in a chair or...
Over 60 seniors from the Tehachapi area gathered on June 6 to attend the annual Tea Party, hosted by the Rotary Club of Tehachapi. It was a day of style and elegance, as the participants donned fancy attire and fabulous hats for high tea served in the lovely shaded garden of The Woods Pavilion. The venue was elegantly staged with linens and china table settings. Members of the Rotary Club of Tehachapi prepared and served all the food and beverages. As is the tradition, the high tea began with a...
The Rotary Club of Tehachapi awarded $2,000 scholarships to four deserving high school seniors during ceremonies held at the conclusion of the school year. Scholarships were awarded to three seniors from Tehachapi High School and one student from Valley Oaks Charter School. Rotary President Paul Kaminski presented awards to Olivia Loyd, Davery Pogon-Cord and Priscilla Sturz at the scholarship awards night at Tehachapi High School. For Valley Oaks Charter School, Elliott Gonzales, Interact Club P...
On June 6, the Rotary Club of Tehachapi welcomed students from the local Interact Clubs to share their experiences attending RYLA, a Rotary-sponsored leadership retreat for high school students. RYLA was held from April 12-15 in Ojai, California. Over 230 students from Rotary District 5240 were in attendance. Rotarian Judy Trujillo works with advisors from both Tehachapi High School and Valley Oaks Charter School to support the local Interact Club at each school, as well as attending the RYLA...
Serena Thornburg was presented with a special award for winning the Rotary District 5240 Essay Contest during the Rotary Club of Tehachapi's meeting on June 6. Club President Paul Kaminski introduced Jacque Jans, executive assistant governor for Rotary District 5240 and member of the Rotary Club of Bakersfield West, who made the presentation. After winning the essay contest at the local level, Serena went on to win the Middle School Division of the contest, competing against winners from 70...
On May 30, the Rotary Club of Tehachapi welcomed Dr. Mike McCoy, the executive director of the Kern County Museum, who gave an engaging and informative presentation about the museum and their plans for the future. The Kern County Museum has been in existence for 80 years, which makes it one of the oldest and largest museums in the state. Mike has been the director for seven years, and it is impressive to see the way the museum has grown and changed under his leadership. Although born in Texas,...
"I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by." – Douglas Adams. This was Kyler Sparling's answer when asked for his favorite quote, one that touches on one the most important lessons Kyler has learned in high school ... to not waste time worrying about the little things. "Progress is doing better than you were doing, not better than others are doing," said Kyler. Kyler has attended Valley Oaks Charter School for 7 years. A young man who has developed his mind, body, a...
Valley Oaks Charter School held its Senior Awards Reception on May 8. Students received various awards, including Presidential Excellence Awards, Presidential Achievement Awards, American Citizenship Awards and California Scholarship Federation awards. Students were also recognized for completion of A-G requirements, completion of two or more college classes, Interact club official membership and scholarship from Rotary Club of Tehachapi. Those honored were Kyler Sparling, Charlotte Deaver,...
At the April 25 meeting of the Tehachapi Rotary Club, MaryBeth Garrison gave an interesting and inspiring presentation on the history of Cheers to Charity. Cheers to Charity, whose motto is "Eat, Drink, and Help Change Your World," began in 2014 in the parking lot of Veritas Tapas & Wine Bar, and the event continues to grow in size and popularity each year. Cheers to Charity is held second weekend of August, and they are celebrating 2024 with a theme of "A Decade of Doing Good." Their mission...
On Thursday, May 16, the Rotary Club of Tehachapi welcomed guest speaker, Ben Eshbach. Ben is a local Tehachapi resident who started the "Tehachapi Now" channel on YouTube. When he moved his family to Tehachapi in 2022, he was researching on YouTube to see what Tehachapi had to offer, and he found two things: 1) real estate and 2) trains. He knew that there was so much more to the community, so he set about finding the little local gems, businesses and stories that make Tehachapi a wonderful...
On May 2, the Tehachapi Rotary Club welcomed Yolanda Crowe, administrative officer at the Bakersfield National Cemetery. Crowe is a 20-year veteran of the United States Navy, and worked at the National Cemetery in Riverside for 13 years, before relocating to Kern County in 2023. The Bakersfield National Cemetery is located on Bear Mountain Road, on land donated by Tejon Ranch. Although the entire cemetery property encompasses 500 acres, currently only 50 acres are developed and used, allowing...
The Tehachapi Rotary Club presented a Service Above Self award to South Street Digital at their April 18 meeting for donating the creation of Rotary's annual Kindergarten Books. The books containing facts about each child's life are presented to all kindergarten students in Tehachapi's elementary schools. The children supply the information that is used to create personal books for each child. From left is Audrey Post, Lydia Chaney and Eric Horn. The Rotary Club of Tehachapi is a volunteer...
The featured speaker at the April 18 Rotary meeting was local celebrity James Carhart, who is recognized locally as part of the BeeKay Theatre community. Carhart has designed sets for such plays as "Baskerville," "The Importance of Being Earnest," "Young Frankenstein" and the "The Addams Family," as well as the current play, "Murder on the Orient Express." Born in New York, James spent much of his childhood traveling the world. His interest in the theater developed during his studies at...
On March 27, the Tehachapi Rotary Club invited Pastor Jonathan Plasencia from Mountain Bible Church to attend the meeting to receive a special recognition from the club. President Elect Jennifer Palakiko and Rhonda Brady, chairperson of the "12 Days of Christmas" food drive, presented Mountain Bible Church with a $500 donation in appreciation of the support the church gives to the Rotary Club's annual holiday food drive. The church helps by giving Rotary the space to store and box up donations t...
At the March 27 Tehachapi Rotary meeting, the speaker was Rotary Treasurer Chris Naftel. Chris worked for NASA for over 36 years, and since his retirement in 2015 he enjoys traveling, scuba diving and photography. He gave an interesting and colorful presentation on underwater photography, highlighting photographs taken on recent trips to Cozumel, Mexico and Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean, with his wife and dive partner, Dody. Chris learned to dive about 10 years ago on a trip to Guam, and in that...
The Rotary Club of Tehachapi is gearing up for an evening of music and philanthropy as they host a fundraiser concert featuring James Lee Stanley, a renowned Beachwood Recording artist, alongside other talented performers at the historic BeeKay Theatre, 110 S. Green Street, Tehachapi, on May 18 at 7 p.m. With tickets priced at $25 each, attendees will not only enjoy a night of entertainment, but will also be contributing to a crucial cause. Every nickel raised from the event will directly...
