That was the year

Elizabeth Gabriel

(Updated: Friday, January 02, 2009, 12:24 PM)

The biggest story of 2008? It had to be the Oakhurst incorporation attempt. That was a hard-fought battle -- much of which took place in 2007 in the run-up to the Feb. 5 vote that decided it.

There were 2,827 registered voters (and 4,179 residents) in the 13.1 square miles that would have become the town of Oakhurst. The attempt was defeated 1,014 to 763.

Six candidates for town council were on the same ballot, with five slots available. They were Ron Bucherger, David Linn, Doug Macaulay, Beverly Scott, Dave Wolin and Bryce Shears. Because the town wasn't voted in, the candidates weren't voted in, either. It took nine years of effort to get the incorporation on the ballot.

The ups and downs of the Boys & Girls Club also garnered a lot of ink. There had been numerous stories in 2007 about the financial precariousness of the club and that culminated with the announcement Feb. 1 that it was closing temporarily.

The summer was full of fund- raisers, hard work behind the scenes and a great deal of concern on the part of supporters and parents. Officials had been scrutinizing budgets and operations, and working closely with the Fresno Boys & Girls Club, they came up with some changes.

Finally, in late summer, the club publicized a big party in Oakhurst Community Park at which a big announcement would be made.

There were two announcements, really: the club would henceforth be known as the Boys & Girls Club of Oakhurst (Harry Baker's name was removed from the banner) and it would reopen Nov. 3.

Fires surrounded the Mountain Area during a long, dry summer.

In June, lightning ignited dozens of fires in the area. The Oliver fire in Mariposa County threatened homes and in the Yosemite neighborhood, the Silver Fire Complex brought firefighters from all over the country. Scenes of convoys of fire equipment were common on the highways.

Yosemite High School and the Mariposa County Fairgrounds became campgrounds for crews and "Thank You Firefighters" signs bloomed on every corner.

The Telegraph fire in Mariposa erupted on July 25 and was declared 100 percent contained Aug. 26. It destroyed 30 homes.

In the North Fork area, the Cascadel fire broke out on Sept. 11 and was contained Sept. 17 with no loss of homes. It was believed to have been started in an illegal marijuana plantation.

Big news for us at the Star was the switch back to publishing once a week. Like just about every other business, the newspaper business has been hit hard. All year, there have been stories of cutbacks and layoffs at big papers and small, and the Star was not immune.

Features

Feature stories are sometimes fun, sometimes sad, sometimes informative. We had a pile of them for 2008. Some favorites:

Dixie Naaktgeboren and Steve Wade invited the whole town to their Feb. 16 wedding. Because both have so many friends in the community, they didn't want to chance leaving anyone out. And because they met while playing petanque, the wedding was an outdoor affair at Oakhurst Petanque's "Two River Stadium," across the Fresno River from Oakhurst Elementary School. The couple, in snazzy capes, tied the knot with friends galore standing by.

The Pines Resort at Bass Lake got a new general manager in May. While Paul Ratchford was new to the Pines, he was not new to the Mountain Area. He had not only been general manager at Tenaya from 1993 to 2000, he had maintained a home here while pursuing other hospitality opportunities. Then in December, it was leaked that he is leaving to join DNC, the folks who have the concessions at Yosemite, among other places. No official details have been revealed.

Lynn Northrop loves Raymond and its history. So when she found out she could buy the town's first house and turn it into a museum, she was thrilled. The Raymond Museum opened in the spring and Northrop continues to find more and more items to install in it. "It" is the Charles Miller home, built in 1886 by the man -- only 23 at the time -- who staked his claim to the town.

Ponderosa Telephone of O'Neals and Sierra Telephone celebrated 100 years of business in 2008.

Ponderosa is still owned by the founding family. It was formed by Harmon Bigelow.

Sierra Telephone started out as Raymond Telephone Company and was later bought by Harry H. Baker and the name was changed.

We did several stories about new pastors at Mountain Area churches. Kelley O'Connor came to New Community United Methodist in Oakhurst. Paul Colbert is the new vicar at St. Raphael's Episcopal, which meets at Fresno Flats. New pastor Steve Crotinger and his wife, Sarah, have big plans for Hillside Baptist Church in North Fork. And at Ahwahnee Chapel, Jason and Trish Enger are taking over the youth group.

Pastor Bill Rushing was excited as could be about the opening of the new home of the Yosemite New Life Church of the Nazarene in Oakhurst. The grand opening was Sept. 21 on the hill above the Sears store. The congregation has sold its previous site in 1995 and had been working toward the new church since then.

Death claimed many local people in 2008. Gary Pence, known for his involvement in Oakhurst activities, died at 59 after a seven-year battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Curtis Kirk, 57, the garrulous and philanthropic face of the Buckhorn Saloon and Restaurant in North Fork, died Aug. 1. Danny Zibicki, 17, lost his long and public battle with cancer on Oct. 10. The son of the owners of Crab Cakes Restaurant and the Cakery, Danny was vocal and active in anti-cancer fundraisers and rallies.

In business news, there were a few notable changes. Rusty and Sara Murphy, who owned the MET Cinemas in Oakhurst, decided it was time to take it easy. They introduced audiences to new owners Ray and Irma Martinez. Dan Cunning was named the new executive director of the Sierra Yosemite Visitors Bureau. And Brad Ditton, returned to the real estate business that bears his name in 2008.

Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino opened its expansion Aug. 1 with a spa, pool and hotel tower.

Williams Gallery West owner Jon Bock moved his endeavor to Gallery Row. But the building didn't stay empty for long. It became the new home of the Wild Wonderful Vintage Museum, which threw a party Nov. 29 to celebrate the new digs.

Oakhurst officially be- came a winemaking town when Anna Marie Dos Remedios was given permis- sion by the county to make wine headquartered at the Queen's Inn, a cozy hostelry that also features a beer and wine bar.

The Coarsegold Historical Society came up with a clever fundraiser. It sold sponsorships for a deck of cards to feature local historical photos.

Peace Yosemite began holding Friday afternoon anti-war demonstrations at the intersection of Highway 41 and Highway 49. The demonstrations were mostly peaceful.

The Oakhurst Senior Center celebrated 25 years of serving seniors, but some wondered if enough seniors know about its services.

As part of the settlement with a lawsuit between Madera County and Chukchansi, the tribe and its casino announced 2008's $1 million in county grants. The money, in 19 grants, went to such things as the Oakhurst Community Center, several schools and the Eastern Madera County Jr. Livestock Committee.

Continuing sagas

There are projects in the Mountain Area that have been going on for years, but it looks like at least one of them may at last move out of that category.

Work continues apace at Ahwahnee Hills Regional Park and it is expected to open in the spring. The nearly 250 acres has a lot more to offer than most people have seen from Highway 49. The property rolls down away from the highway and you'd never know there were cars streaming by when sitting on one of the benches that have been installed.

There is still work to do, and the old buildings on the site must be fenced because they present a hazard, but all agree it will be a major asset to the area.

The possibility of a new fire station for North Fork has been on the books for years, as has the cleanup of the site of the old lumber mill. The two are linked. It has been the assumption for the last couple of years that the station would be on the mill site, with the land granted by the North Fork Community Development Council. That's still the plan and it now looks like it will happen. Throughout 2008, the county and the CDC jumped from one site to another, but have apparently found just the right spot.

The sheriff and fire stations are a go. In December, the county Board of Supervisors even approved a color scheme -- they picked the green option. Plans should go out for bids in the spring. The sheriff's substation and a new fire station will be next to the earthen dam in back of the True Value Homecenter off Highway 49 in Oakhurst. A satellite county building is also planned for the site.

The traffic light at Highway 41 and Yosemite Springs Parkway is in, but not yet operating. Caltrans is almost finished with the long-longed-for light.

Honors

It's nice when people get recognition from the community. Here are a few who raised praise in 2008.

Augie and Cindy Capuchino were North Fork Citizens of the Year.

The Yosemite High School team won the county academic decathlon.

Tia Thomas of Coarsegold won the county portion of the National Spelling Bee and went on to Washington D.C. for the national finals, coming in third.

Gere and Ed Menter were grand marshals for the Raymond Parade.

Don Williams received the first lifetime services award from the Yosemite Gateway Association of Realtors.

Yosemite High School senior Wesley Jackson attended Gov. Schwarzenegger's academic recognition dinner. He was invited after being named outstanding scholar at the Madera County Academic Decathlon and being the top-scoring student in the county.

YHS students Caroline Fruth and Jessica Fulmer were the only high school students selected to present research to the eighth annual Stanford Undergraduate Psychology Conference.

The Flaming Pink Fluffy Bunnies of Chawanakee school district and the Yosemite Destination Imagination teams came back from global finals with prizes in their pockets.

Dale Drozen of Coarsegold was chosen for a Man of the Year bear at the Angels Amongst Us dinner which honors people for their service to others. Rima Runtzel of Oakhurst was Woman of the Year, Paul and Ila Barnes of North Fork were Couple of the Year and area firefighters were named Group of the Year.

At the Oakhurst Area Chamber of Commerce party in December, Ron Foster of Sears was named Man of the Year, Rhonda Salisbury was named Woman of the Year, Three Sisters Cafe was Business of the Year and Ed and Shirley Bailey took volun- teer of the year honors.

Arts and festivals

The Mountain Area is rife with entertainments large and small. Here is just a smattering.

"An Unfinished Life," a series of vignettes focusing on teens was the YHS featured play in January.

A Grand Night for the Arts, a fundraiser for Vision Academy, made a return.

The North Fork Community Art Gallery opened for the season in April, but by fall's end, owner Paul Abram announced it would be closing. However, the activists of North Fork hope to keep it open with volunteers.

Golden Chain opened its season with "La Rue's Return," which also marked the return of longtime villain J.R. Froelich as the evil La Rue.

The Oakhurst Community Band was on the move. Its "Americana" concert was scheduled for the YHS gym, but firefighters had taken the gym over. Then it was to be in the school's theater, but there were electrical problems. It finally settled into the Mountain Christian Center.

"Once Upon a Mattress" was Vision Academy's summer show.

Golden Chain did "Arsenic and Old Lace" in September.

North Fork's Squirrel Cage Theatre opened the melodrama "Showdown on the Rainbow Ranch" in November.

YHS theater tackled "The Taming of the Shrew."

Traditions and festivals

Is there an area with more fun things to do than this one? From music to food to pets, we have our share. Maybe more.

In February, Fresno Flats hosts the annual Ragtime and Vintage Music Festival.

The honorary mayor campaign had three candidates in 2008. Laura Bean (the ultimate winner) campaigned to raise funds for the EMC SPCA; Jackie Orpe worked hard for Helping Hands and Mat Sands supported the Boys & Girls Club.

The Sierra Historic Sites Association, which runs Fresno Flats, hosted an all-day John Wayne Film Festival, with a JW look-alike contest and four cowboy films.

One tradition almost wasn't in 2008. The annual Easter egg hunt in Oakhurst Community Park was saved by Donna Davis of Have a Ball. And that's what the egg-grabbers did.

In May alone, the mountains had the Bass Lake Fishing Derby, the Bass Lake Crafts Fair, a Civil War reenactment in Mariposa, a Wood Carving Rendezvous, the Coarsegold Rodeo and the Antique Wooden Boat Show at Bass Lake.

May also brought the Relay for Life, a weekend of dedication, hope, joy and sadness. It was held at Wasuma School and raised funds for fighting cancer.

Memorial Day weekend had the Coarsegold and Oakhurst peddlers fairs. Then there was Art, Dinner and Music in the Meadow to help the Coarsegold Historical Society.

The legacy of loggers is not forgotten although the mills are long gone. North Fork puts on the Loggers Jamboree each year in July, and in 2008, the town put up a directional sign that looks like a totem poll and unveiled a historical mural downtown just in time for the festivities.

Crowds flocked to Bass Lake for the annual Fourth of July fireworks (Mariposa's pyrotechnic were postponed twice because firefighters were camped at the County Fairgrounds.

We love our cars, too. North Fork had its Mountain Classic Car Show in August, and the Run For the Gold show was at Oakhurst Community Park in September.

Sierra Mono Museum Indian Fair Days were celebrated in North Fork in August.

With August came the fall installment of the Peddlers Fair in Coarsegold.

Oakhurst came out for Heritage Days (which was cut back to just one day in 2008) and its parade and festival at Fresno Flats, which is a park full of buildings from the town's past.

It doesn't get any cuter than the Tails on the Trail Dog Walk and Animal Fair in October. The Oakhurst Community Park event featured a costume contest, fetch contest, talent contest and more pups than you're likely ever to see in any one place.

Kiwanians old and young gathered in Oakhurst to note the 50th anniversary of the service organization.

October's Sierra Art Trails seemed to be the biggest and best yet. The self-guided studio tour takes art lovers all over the Mountain Area. The same weekend, was the Chocolate and Wine Festival, the Bass Lake Arts and Crafts Show, and a Hobo Stew dinner to benefit Soroptimist of the Sierras.

The North Fork Womens Club and North Fork Boosters revived the Chili Cookoff and Pie Baking Contest.

Schools

All the districts in the Mountain Area faced horrendous cuts in state funding. On Feb. 15, the Star ran a story that said they were "bracing for cuts." They've been doing that ever since.

Minarets High School in O'Neals broke ground in March on Road 200 just off Highway 41 and later a principal was named. He's Michael Neihoff.

Some $300,000 in scholarships were given to Yosemite High School students at Community Awards Night.

In September, Yosemite Unified School District superintendent Bill McCabe, in his quest for ways to save money, suggested investigating ways of scheduling -- including a four-day week -- that might help. A district wide committee was formed to study alternatives.

Four people ran for three spots on the YUSD school board. Greg Schoonard and Christine Wilder were returned and Tammy Loveland replaced Priscilla Pike.

In October, McCabe was put on executive leave after an unspecified complaint was filed against him.

County government

Like the schools, the county wrestled with cuts in state funding.

In February, the county adopted a new schedule of fees for such things as permits. The charges were to reflect the actual cost of doing business, but they caused considerable consternation. Public meetings were conducted to explain the situation.

The Integrated Regional Water Management Plan, commissioned in 2006 and covering the management and protection of water resources was instituted. The plan is a guideline through 2030.

After waiting a year, the Oakhurst Branch Library got a new librarian in June. Dale Rushing had worked at the branch.

July's county budget hearings were carried off in record time.

Police and fire

"It's a very safe place to live," said County Sheriff John Anderson after releasing crime stats for the preceding year: homicide, 1; rape, 13; robbery, 18; burglary, 505; motor vehicle theft, 13.

Pot raids, pot raids, pot raids. The big push started when 1,000 plants were destroyed near Bass Lake. In September, the Star did a four-part series on pot plantations in the national forests and the harm the plantations can do.

Danielle Hale was sentenced to 180 days in jail and five years' probation for embezzling $70,000 from the Sierra Historic Sites Association.

Neighbors in the Hillsborough Loop area of Oakhurst created a special watch network after numerous small fires broke out. The Fires dwindled almost immediately.

And the pigs were back in the fall. Each year when the acorns fall, the wild pigs invade. It's another Mountain Area tradition.