A Tehachapi Family Reunion

Do you remember having to park in a dirt lot across from the train station to find the only radio signal in town? Did you ever live in a tent in your backyard after the 1950 earthquake? If so, you would be classified as a Tehachapi Oldtimer. Don't worry, the term is a respected one and is shared by the three hundred plus Oldtimers that met for the annual Oldtimers Reunion this past Sunday, August 3rd at West Park Activity Center. Some of Tehachapi's longest-living citizens traveled to the event from places like San Francisco, Calif., Des Moines, Idaho, and, of course, from right down the street.

Tehachapi Valley Parks and Recreation District (TVRPD) partnered with the Tehachapi Oldtimers Committee to provide an afternoon of free food, wine tasting, photos of Tehachapi's past, and plenty of space to chat about days gone by. TVRPD Supervisor, LeAnn Williams, said the event's definition of an Oldtimer is, "people born here 40 or more years ago, or those who have lived in Tehachapi for 40+ years consecutively." The award for oldest female born in Tehachapi was given to Esther Blair, a 96-year-old who is the only surviving member of her Tehachapi High graduating class.

As Oldtimers lined up in the foyer, old friends embraced and asked about others by first name–not unlike a grand family reunion. Mrs. Laura Martinez MeKemson, a graduate of Tehachapi High's class of '54 hugged her classmates with tears and laughs as she recounted, "I can remember the tennis courts used to be next to the highway during the war. We just loved going to practice and waving to the army boys that passed." The happy memories brought with them sad ones as Mr. Carl Brooks, Jr. remembered moving to Tehachapi directly after the devastating earthquake of 1950. "People were living in tents in their backyards," he said. "Everyone was afraid of aftershocks. " The Brooks family moved to Tehachapi to shorten the commute his father made to Monolith each morning. Carl Jr. has lived here ever since. Monolith employed many Oldtimers and their families after the quake and the city has continued to grow and change. "Tehachapi attracts a broad spectrum of people," stated Mr. Ed Grimes, former Tehachapi City Mayor and Oldtimer himself. "There is a lot of talent here, which makes for a healthy community."

Nikki Cummings, member of the Oldtimers Committe, a coordinator of the event, and daughter-in-law of the first Oldtimer Master of Ceremonies, Bud Cummings, wanted to honor her father and, "say thank you," to the Oldtimer community for their positive influence on Tehachapi.

The Oldtimers reunion has been an annual affair since 1959. TVRPD plans to host the event next year.