Forde Shorts

Full circle – The husband and wife physician team of Dr. Harold Schlotthauer and Dr. Madge Schlotthauer, who established a hospital in Tehachapi in 1934 and served the community until 1969, were Seventh Day Adventists. Today, it is Adventist Health that is proposing to fund completion of the new hospital and lease and operate the Tehachapi Valley Healthcare District properties (Proposition H, on the June 7 ballot, seeks voter approval for affiliation between Adventist Health and the healthcare district). Adventists, whose hospitals are ranked among the best, believe in living balanced, healthy lives. Tehachapi historian Del Troy mentioned the Schlotthauers' faith in her presentation to the Kiwanis Club on April 20 at Pacino's Restaurant.

Female docs rock – On the Tehachapi Valley Healthcare District web site: "In 1924 Dr. Clara Rinehart spent several years as Tehachapi's only medical doctor and was often accompanied on her rounds by local resident Mary Rodriguez."

Seen while shopping – A group of kindergartners on a field trip from California City, each one wearing a paper crown, listened raptly and eagerly asked questions as Save-Mart Manager Tim King gave them a tour of the supermarket on May 10. Perched in front of the produce display with the youngsters seated on the floor, King discussed various fruits and vegetables, giving a geography lesson in the bargain ("Who knows what this is? It's a pineapple. It was born in Hawaii. Do you know where that is?"). Forde Files couldn't stay for the rest of the tour but sure wanted to.

Emotion – Speaker Marget Willer at the 30th Annual Kiwanis Prayer Breakfast at McMullan Hall at St. Malachy Catholic Church on May 5, transfixed attendees with her description of growing up in a household that fell on hard times and received help from the Salvation Army. Willer, who now is director of the Tehachapi Salvation Army Service Center, has built on her childhood experience as an advocate for others who need help. Taking a moment to conquer the tears and compose herself, she pleaded with the audience to see the Salvation Army clients as ordinary people who need help rather than dangerous outcasts and addicts. The near-capacity crowd gave her a standing ovation.

A museum like no other – A visit to the Kern County Museum is a remarkable trip through time. The museum is not a building, but a community of buildings that have been rescued from the dustbin of history and placed in a compound at 3801 Chester Ave. in Bakersfield. A schoolhouse, carpenter's shop, banks, hotels, a log cabin, oil rigs and other old structures offer a glimpse into how our predecessors in Kern County lived. That the whole place is a bit rough around the edges, with weeds and dust here and there just adds to the museum's gritty charm. Forde Files was there on Saturday pre-Mother's Day, and a big outdoor wedding was taking place in a section of the park. A hundred years ago, industrial structures were made of heavy iron and massive pieces of wood; one is compelled to admire those who labored on the oil rigs and in other industries, using tools that most men would not be able to lift today, much less know how to use. Some of the redwood beams are awesome three-foot square heart wood that emit the lost cries of ancient forests. Hours are Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 12 noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

Kids to camp - The Tehachapi Salvation Army Service Center is sending 11 teenagers and 37 youngsters aged 8 to 12 to summer camp at Redwood Glen near Santa Cruz, July 25 -30. It's a real treat for children who otherwise would not be able to pay for six days of hiking, swimming, crafts and life in the mountains free of worries. It costs the Salvation Army $218 to send each camper, with the exception this year of one youngster, who is self-paying. "We are seeking sponsorships," Center director Marget Willer said at the May 11 Kiwanis Club meeting. "It's tax deductible." The children leave and return in a 50-passenger chartered bus. Anyone who wishes to sponsor a camper and help ease the costs to the Salvation Army, call 661-823-9508.

Soooie! – Kern County Animal Control removed 35 pigs from a pig rescue operation in Stallion Springs on May 9. "Animal Control received a call that the pigs were not being fed or watered," Stallion Springs Police Chief Mike Grant said. "We accompanied them and found pigs running loose in the street. They were emaciated and the property was filthy with urine and feces." The animals were loaded onto a truck and now are under observation by a Kern County veterinarian. Animal Control set traps for the pigs they couldn't capture that day. "It was an illegal rescue operation," Grant said. "There have been dozens of complaints from the neighbors. The pigs would get out, going on years." He said the pigs had been confined by makeshift fencing. The pigs represented a variety of breeds, including hybrid, feral, domestic and Vietnamese Potbelly. The next day, Grant said, Stallion Springs Code Enforcement red-tagged the home on Buckpasser Drive as uninhabitable.

The property is bank-owned, Grant said, and the resident, although not evicted, is not allowed to live there because of the red tag.