DECEMBER 16, 2005

HE SAID...  SHE SAID...

Who said working together or, for that matter,

living together was going to be easy?

The editors, a husband-and-wife team,

face off on the following issue

recently in the news.

Death penalty debate is

raging at home and work

The pros and the con:

Stanley Tookie Williams

by John Elliott

  Since 1978, when California reinstated the death penalty, 12 inmates have been executed. None have provoked more controversy or international attention than the latest: Stanley Tookie Williams.
   Williams, 51, died Tuesday, Dec. 13, at 12:35 a.m., from a lethal injection administered by doctors at San Quentin State Prison. Outside the prison gates were Williams’s supporters and protestors who wanted clemency for the co-founder of the notorious Crips street gang from South Central Los Angeles. There was also a contingent that agreed with Gov. Arnold’s Schwarzenegger’s refusal to spare such a notorious life.
   It was Arnold’s clemency statement that said without an apology for the execution-style murders there could be no redemption. Williams never admitted to being the triggerman when he was convicted in the 1979 shotgun slayings of four people nor would he ever snitch on his fellow gang members.
   Williams lived by a tough code of honor necessary for survival, he claimed, for a homeboy raised on L.A.’s meanest streets. But killing Tookie may actually do more harm than good for those that wanted to silence the reformed gang-banger who for the last decade has advocated non-violence for African-American men and youth.
   That’s the sentiment of Barbara Becnel, a spokesperson and co-author with the convicted killer.

  “If they think they [state officials] succeeded by killing him into getting people to forget about him they have done just the opposite,” Becnel said.
   As Becnel planned for a Los Angeles funeral befitting a statesman, his supporters vowed to continue his work discouraging youth from following the gang lifestyle. Williams has published several books on the subject and had another in the works with rapper Snoop Dogg, another reformed Crip.
   In 2000, Mario Fehr, a member of Swiss Parliament, nominated Williams for the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize, saying that Tookie had changed the lives of countless others through his books and efforts to strike a lasting gang truce. That was the first of six Nobel Prize nominations.
   In his writings, Williams admitted that he was a megalomaniac who had beaten and shot at innocent victims. But what he said he regretted the most was helping to launch the Crips — originally called “Cribs” — who have been terrorizing urban ‘hoods for three decades.
   Gang violence, its rap music, gestures, video games, and defiance permeate our society to its core and via the media have reached every community in America. So by killing Williams what kind of message are we sending to our children?
   Foremost, I think we are saying in circumstances like capital punishment its okay to kill another human being. Not only is it the right thing to do, it’s necessary. Like terrorism of the other kind, we cannot tolerate gang violence and those who kill innocent people.
   But capital punishment is still cold-blooded murder, and the graphic accounts of the IV going into Tookie’s arm in a converted gas chamber with dozens of witnesses only serves to desensitize us all even more to violence and death. Violence begets violence; murder begets murder and retribution.
   Every day, our children are besieged by murderous violence on TV, movies, video games, and on city streets. How do we stop the killing?
   The voices of compassion and reason say that we, the people — the good people who do not break the law — must take the lead in ending the violence and the killing. Like all of you, I feel for the victims who have suffered at the hand of Tookie and his Cribs. But I believe we must have compassion for those less fortunate if we are ever going to figure a way out of this violent world we have created.
   Imagine a world with no death penalty, no need to send troops anywhere, and a place where everyone is getting ready to celebrate the remarkable birth of a little baby boy. Wouldn’t that make for a merry Christmas?


The punishment fit the crimes

by Sarah Elliott

  When I became a mother 17 years ago my stance on crime and punishment took a severe shift to the right. This, I believe, is one mother’s way of further protecting her family from harm, something that all moms instinctively do in various fashions.
   I have never been a staunch supporter of the death penalty because it is barbaric and, generally, I’m not willing to risk even one innocent person’s life who may be mistakenly put to death, even if it guarantees the death of all murderers.
   In the case of Stanley Tookie Williams, justice was served in denying him clemency in his 11th-hour appeal. The evidence against him was overwhelming when he was convicted 24 years ago by a jury for the murders of four innocent people, ages 26 to 65.
   Although he has now spent almost half his life in prison and claimed redemption, he never admitted to his crimes or showed remorse. When facing a choice of the death penalty or making amends, then redemption becomes the obvious choice that many behind bars select, especially as they grow older and presumably wiser.
   However, if Williams had been found not guilty or never even been arrested for his heinous crimes, would he be the person today that he became in prison — drug-free, law-abiding, denouncing gang activity? Most likely not.
   Four victims paid a high price for this alleged reformation of the co-founder of the notorious Crips gang in Los Angeles, as have others who are victims of his gang’s continuing violence and for whom Williams also has a moral responsibility. The victims’ families might forgive but won’t forget and, certainly, will never understand why such a sacrifice of their loved ones had to be made in the name of Williams’s rehabilitation.
   Instead of being immortalized by his supporters as an author of meager-selling children’s books and as a Nobel Peace Prize nominee (past “nominees” of this unselective process include Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Benito Mussolini, and Fidel Castro), Williams’s legacy would be better served if his punishment would deter even one such senseless murder in the future, therefore taking one giant step forward in the ultimate safety of my family and yours.

DECEMBER 9, 2005

VISITING AROUND TOWN:

A tour of troubling issues

by Sarah Elliott

  ‘TWO FRESNOS’… On page 30 of the November 28-December 4 issue of The Washington Post’s “national weekly edition” is a story of some of the Central Valley’s poorest residents. The article is entitled “The Tale of Two Fresnos: Officials confront a problem after a report shows 40 percent live below the federal poverty line.”
   The article cites a recent study by the Brookings Institute, a nonprofit think tank, that said “a higher proportion of poor people in Fresno (population 456,000) live in areas of concentrated poverty than in any other major city in the country — pre-Katrina New Orleans was number two.”
   Currently, Fresno ranks 16th among the nation’s largest cities in terms of its overall poverty rate. What makes this city different from others at the top of the rankings, such as Miami and Atlanta, is that the city’s chief industry is agriculture, which “depends on a cheap, seasonal workforce…”
   The article also cites the city’s high dropout rate that, as a result, ensures that these job-seekers will remain unqualified for more skilled — read: higher paying — jobs.
   Here’s how Post staff writer Evelyn Nieves described her tour of the city for the nation to read:

  “A drive through south Fresno found streets with wilted, squat wooden and concrete houses, a handful of prostitutes standing dejectedly on corners, huddles of young men standing outside a weedy lot drinking beer, and mothers with children, but few children playing on the streets.

  “North Fresno appeared like a suburb, with gated communities, shopping centers, and traffic heavy with late-model SUVs.”
   Why the poverty is so concentrated, the article explains, is because of the real estate boom in the Central Valley’s largest city has caused a lack of affordable housing and a 15-percent increase in rents, with the cheapest rents being in south Fresno.
   Mayor Alan Autry also says illegal immigration is a huge challenge for the city that is draining its resources. “The vast majority of the tenants in the worst housing in the worst neighborhoods are immigrants, presumably including illegal immigrants,” the article quoted.
   These days, even full-time workers are lining up at soup kitchens, unable to afford food on minimum wages.
   The rest of the Central Valley needs to keep an eye on Fresno because what’s happening there is, or will soon be, occurring in other like communities. It’s a sad statement on our society today that there is such a blatant divide between the haves and the have nots.
   Illegal immigration, poverty, gang activity, crime, teen pregnancy, and low graduation rates are all issues that need to be recognized and dealt with proactively by citizens, civic leaders, government officials, and the state’s and nation’s lawmakers. The nation’s watching us…
   KING OF THE ROAD… How ironic that while preparing to publish last week’s story entitled, “Fatal crashes caused by animals at all-time high,” the youngest driver in our household had a wildlife-involved collision while driving home at night around Lake Kaweah.
   Apparently, an owl got caught in the headlights, flew in front of the truck, and was hit. The impact of the crash dented and bent in the front grill.
   Granted, we are more distraught about the demise of the grand bird. But judging from the damage to the vehicle, if it would have hit the windshield, it would have completely obliterated it, and no telling what may have happened as a consequence.
   In August 1983, I also had a wildlife encounter near Lake Kaweah. I was on my way out of town at about 5:30 a.m. and I rounded a corner to see a deer on the shoulder, preparing to head off the road.
   I slowed and gave him a wide berth by going into the other lane and darned if that deer didn’t turn a 180 and run directly into my path. As I slammed on the brakes, the truck caught the deer on the hop and he slid on his back across the hood and through the windshield, where he crashed into my face before coming to rest on top of me.
   I knew I had to get out from under the deer immediately because if he was still alive and started thrashing, I would be in an even more dire situation. Without even thinking, I punched my fist through the windshield that was also now in my lap to unfasten my seatbelt and got out of the vehicle.
   I opened both doors of my Volkswagen pickup truck, and stood alongside the road, Fleetwood Mac still blaring on the stereo and head wound dripping blood.
   The first car to happen along was George Tomi of Three Rivers. He pulled over to assist. It was the slamming of his car door that jolted the deer from his state of shock and caused him to scramble out of the truck and down the embankment, where he hopped a barbed wire fence and bounded off, seemingly no worse for wear except for one missing antler.
   I assured George that I was okay and he went on his way. This was in the day of no cell phones and, I soon found out, no payphones around the lake, so I climbed back into my truck, turned it around, and made a slow and very chilly drive back to Three Rivers.
   I showed up on my parents’ doorstep bruised and bloody, but alive. Later that day, after some medical attention, my dad and I went looking for the deer and found no sign of him or even his antler so, hopefully, he survived his hitchhiking escapade.
   These days, driving is not a choice but a necessity. But, for those who care deeply about other living creatures, the automobile is a deadly weapon.
   Driving to and from such a wild area as Three Rivers becomes a juggling act between our consciences and our need to travel from here to there… often and fast.
   So, since we have to have our beloved cars, then we need to take responsibility for ruling the roadways:

  —Drive with increased awareness, especially between dusk and dawn, when wildlife traffic is highest and a driver’s visibility is the lowest.

  —Heed wildlife-warning signs on the highways. Ironically, my accident occurred a stone’s throw from a deer-crossing sign.

  —Reduce your speed in wildlife areas. This increases response time.

  —Don’t litter. Some species will be attracted to roadsides solely because they smell food, whether fast-food containers, an apple core, candy wrapper, or beer can.

  —Contact local law-enforcement if you are involved in a wildlife-vehicle collision so wildlife agents can treat injured animals, remove dead ones, and search for any orphaned young. If you hit an endangered species (the San Joaquin kit fox is an endangered species that calls these foothills home), immediately report it.

  —Write to Cal Trans and encourage them to incorporate wildlife considerations — such as corridors, underpasses, and other crossings — into future transportation planning and the renovation of existing infrastructure.
   On July 29, 2005, Congress approved and the president signed into law a transportation bill that, more than ever before, addressed the detrimental effects that roads have on nature. It contains key sections that direct the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a national study of methods to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and the “addition or retrofitting of structures” to eliminate or reduce accidents involving vehicles and wildlife.
   In the northern Rockies region (Idaho, Montana, Wyoming), the bill introduces the “Corridors of Life” that mandates any new highways maintain interconnected corridors for safe wildlife travel. Hopefully, that model will soon reach to all rural areas of the West.

DECEMBER 2 , 2005

VISITING AROUND TOWN:

Model citizens and Thingerie things

by Sarah Elliott

  The Thingerie has been in continuous operation in Three Rivers for 30 years, managed by the Woman’s Club. From argyle and boucle to corduroy and herringbone; cargos and capris; birettas and berets; and espadrilles and pumps, the thrift store has seen every fad and fashion trend come through its doors, then go back out again with a new owner.
   The Three Rivers Woman’s Club hosted a luncheon last month and the guests of honor were the club’s faithful Thingerie volunteers. On Monday, Nov. 14, approximately 30 women gathered at the Three Rivers Memorial Building, all of whom have donated time and effort to this Three Rivers institution.
   The luncheon was catered by the new Sierra Subs and Salads. And, move over Naomi Campbell, Iman, and Heidi Klum because while enjoying this fresh fare, the women were treated to a fashion show in which the lovely Thingerie supermodels walked the runway wearing ensembles and accessories obtained from the thrift store.
   All the inventory at The Thingerie is from donations by community members who have cleaned out a closet or cupboard. Proceeds from store sales benefit the projects of the Woman’s Club, which include community betterment and assistance, as well as financial scholarships for Three Rivers students.
   In addition to the counter sales positions during Thingerie operating hours, many behind-the-scenes volunteers work to sort, clean, and stock the items that are donated. Granted, these tasks aren’t as glamorous as the Thingerie supermodel responsibilities, but they are no less important.
   The Thingerie is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The store is closed Sundays, Mondays, and the first Wednesday of each month.
   Information: 561-4883.

NOVEMBER 18, 2005

MAKIN' HISTORY :

The great college search

by John Elliott

  Ah! November in Kaweah Country. It’s the best of times and the worst of times all rolled up into one frantic month. The best of times if you are spending those warm, sunny afternoons outside enjoying all that great football weather working out or, maybe, just working. Yard work, clearing rain gutters, cutting wood, or even tending a burn pile can be especially satisfying this time of year… and then on November 24, we all give thanks and count our blessings.
   If you’re one of the thousands of Californians with a high school senior, then November can also be a frantic time, preparing a half-dozen University of California or Cal State college applications that are due on or before November 30. Essays are required for each with the exception of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, a popular choice for local students due to its proximity and one of the most highly competitive of the state colleges.
   By this time in the process, you and your student have probably visited a few colleges, perhaps even zeroing in on a number-one choice. If you haven’t done the campus tours portion of the search, the “apply sight unseen” means applying, then perhaps waiting to see which campus accepts your student (March 2006) and then visiting and choosing the best fit by the end of the school year.
   However a family chooses to find the right college, it’s become a very complex and costly process.
   Application fees alone can range from zero at a community college to $60 for a UC and $75 for a private institution like Stanford University. At $47,000 per year, most students need to work out some substantial financial aid to attend “The Farm” and become a part of the Cardinal tradition.
   Trying to navigate how financial aid works is nightmarish but that annual paperwork is not due until March. So, for now, it’s time to focus solely on where we want our not-quite-ready-for-primetime players to do their thing while getting the best education money can buy and maybe even find a job or a career that they can pursue with passion.
   When we took over ownership of this newspaper, our oldest child was in first grade. Now, in the blink of an eye, she’s a senior in high school.
   Attending Woodlake High, she’s had the benefit of Sally Pace, who has counseled her students down the right college tracks for more years than she wants to admit. This school year marks her farewell as she will retire in 2006 after 35 years at WHS.
   My wife, Sarah, had “Mrs. Pace” in the 1970s as her Home Economics teacher. Now, as Dean of Students, Sally is pointing our kids to the resources they will need to make the most of being Woodlake High graduates.
   It is no coincidence that Woodlake students have a reputation for impressive collegiate achievements. That is an important part of Sally’s legacy and the commitment of the staff at Woodlake.
   Here are a few things that we have learned about the admission process that might help. The bottom line is cost, so let’s begin by getting the painful part out of the way.
   On the average, a frosh year at any of the 10 University of California campuses will cost $20,000 to $22,000. That is tuition, room and meals, books — the whole nine yards.
   At a state college — Cal Poly, for example — an average freshman year will cost $16,000, more or less depending on the living situation. Cal Poly currently has a shortage of dorms so, unlike a UC campus, some Cal Poly frosh do not have the option of living in the dorms.
   Any student who has ever lived in “the dorms” will have tales to tell and memories that will last a lifetime. They are the obvious place to make new friends but in most dorms, students who want quiet find they need to stake out a cozy corner of the library. All campuses anticipate this need and also provide group study areas where even a pizza can be delivered for extended sessions during finals week.
   As parents, we have been carefully inspecting housing options, knowing that a bad living situation can really start a student off on the wrong foot. The California campuses we have visited all have decent dorms, but there’s no guarantee at any that a student will get their first choice. The key is to apply early and pay the first-quarter’s dorm fee by deadline.
   The UC campuses have a program where students can meet their prospective roomies and plan out who brings the TV, fridge, and so forth. In addition to the usual orientations, there are also summer classes with small enrollments so that incoming frosh lessen the transitional shock from, say, small high school to mega-university.
   The University of California, like the new SAT exam, is big on essays. Several of the college recruiters I spoke with explained that so many students apply with excellent grades that the essay is often the determining factor.

  “The essay, more than any part of the application, allows us to hear your voice,” said Andrea Helfer, UCSB admissions counselor. “You don’t need to summarize everything in your application, but rather we want to know what you are passionate about and what you bring to the university experience. That passion is so important as we try to determine the best fit for each student according to his or her academic aspirations.”

october 21, 2005

VISITING AROUND TOWN:

Right on the money

by Sarah Elliott

  Most people would give anything to have a copy of her signature although, if told the name, would say they’ve never heard of her.
   Take a look at one of the newer dollar bills in your pocket and there it is: The signature of Anna Escobedo Cabral.
   On July 22, 2004, Anna Escobedo Cabral was nominated by President Bush to serve as Treasurer of the United States. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Nov. 20, 2004.
   Anna is the cousin of Greg Mendoza of Three Rivers. And she is a heartwarming story of triumph and success.
   She was born and raised in the California heartland, the daughter of migrant farmworkers, that is, before her father was injured and couldn’t work at all. Ironically, money was sparse when Anna was young and, today, she is a financial-education expert and in charge of all the money in the United States.
   In 1975, at the age of 16, Anna graduated from high school in San Bernardino County. It was a high school teacher who helped her get to college by convincing her dad and providing scholarship opportunities.

  “I had never met anyone who went to college,” she told a women’s gathering in Lodi on Tuesday, Oct. 11.
   Anna went on to major in Political Science at the University of California, Davis. She earned her Master’s degree in Public Administration with an emphasis in international trade and finance from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
   She’s been married to Victor Cabral since 1979 and the couple has four children. Despite her immense success, she has never forgotten her roots and has been a staunch advocate of Hispanic issues in and around the federal government.
   Prior to being appointed the 42nd U.S. Treasurer, Anna most recently served as Director of the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for Latino Initiatives where she put priority on improving Latin American representation in exhibits and public programs at the Institution’s 19 museums, five research centers, and the National Zoo.
   Before this prestigious position, she was president and CEO of the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility, a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., that partners with Fortune 500 companies to increase Hispanic representation.
   Other positions include Deputy Staff Director for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and Executive Staff Director of the U.S. Senate Republican Conference Task Force on Hispanic Affairs.
   As Treasurer, Anna advises the officials of the United States Mint and the director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. She was instrumental in the design of the new $10 bill, soon to be in circulation, and will be instrumental in the design of a proposed new $100 bill.
   As new denominations enter circulation, her signature will appear on those as well.
   As Treasurer, her short-term goals are to ensure payments reach hurricane victims on time and that money contaminated by the residual floodwaters is taken out of circulation. Long-term, it’s Social Security reform, about which she has had the chance to speak with President Bush regarding the various options.
   Greg is very proud of his cousin and rightly so. And the moral of this story is: Never give up on a child.
   Look around you while at a school or walking through a mall. Any one of those kids could be a U.S. Treasurer one day… or, perhaps, president.

SEPTEMBER 16, 2005

VISITING AROUND TOWN:

What to watch and read

by Sarah Elliott

  ON TV… A new reality show on NBC will premiere Friday, Sept. 23, at 9 p.m. and feature a segment on Abby Castleberry, the granddaughter of Charlie and Darla Castro of Three Rivers.

  “Three Wishes,” hosted by Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Amy Grant, will begin the first of its 10-episode run in Sonora where, in April, wishes were granted to area residents with tales of inspiration or woe.
   Abby, now 11, was critically injured in a November 15, 2004, car accident. The “wish” of a playhouse and rehabilitation center came true when built adjacent to her home in rural Sonora earlier this year.
   In addition to Abby, watch for her mom, LeAnn (Castro) Castleberry, who was raised and educated in Three Rivers. Also, Three Rivers family members — grandma Darla and cousins Kylie and Phoebe Castro, to name a few — might also be spotted in the footage.
   When Amy Grant was interviewed on the Today show about Three Wishes, she commented on how much she adored the Castleberry family. Promotional spots with images of Abby have also been featured in commercials on NBC and in People magazine.
   Other wishes to be featured in the premiere episode are the new artificial turf donated to replace the worn grass at Sonora High’s football field and assistance provided to ensure that a Tuolumne County sheriff’s deputy could quickly adopt his stepson.
   Whether the show will continue beyond the first 10 episodes will depend on its ratings. Remaining episodes of the show were shot in Iowa, New Mexico, and Utah, among other locales.
   IN A NEWSPAPER… The Los Angeles Times was back in the southern Sierra this week with the story “Big trees, brown skies,” which appeared in the Sept. 13 Outdoors section.
   But where the section’s August 16 feature about Bearpaw and August 23 story about Slicky promoted the region, this article won’t exactly convince the Southern California masses to pack up their Hummers and hybrids and head for these hills.
   Sadly, this Sierra installment reveals our dirty little secret — air pollution — and announces that Sequoia-Kings Canyon is the smoggiest national park in America. An accompanying graphic shows that Sequoia-Kings Canyon is second only to L.A. in the number of smoggy days in the state over the past three years.
   Now, I should add an editorial comment here about the over-dramatized incidents allegedly caused by bad air that park personnel spun for this L.A. Times story. I should also mention that on the same day the article hit newsstands, the local Park Service gave the go-ahead to ignite a prescribed fire in Giant Forest that has had Three Rivers residents choking on smoke each subsequent morning. I should, but I won’t, because I think most can see the irony for themselves.
   IN A MAGAZINE… Proving that a Three Rivers lifestyle is good for your health, Anjelica Huston appears on the cover of the October 2005 issue of Architectural Digest, looking absolutely stunning. And her home doesn’t look half-bad either.
   Entitled “Architectural Digest visits Anjelica Huston: The actress is right at home on her rustic California ranch,” the article about the Three Rivers property begins on page 224. More than a dozen photos depict the inside of the main house with Anjelica’s eclectic decorating touches, the outbuildings, and grounds.
   The article never mentions Three Rivers by name, but says that it is a “remote ranch near Sequoia National Park.” Also, a major hint of the location that Three Rivers residents will pick up on is when the article discusses the hand-painted windows and door frames that are “symbols for protection from rattlesnakes, fire, flood, scorpions…”
   Coincidentally, another feature in the current issue of the magazine shows a room in the Ireland castle owned by the late John Huston, famed Hollywood director and Anjelica’s dad.
 

SEPTEMBER 9, 2005

MAKIN' HISTORY :

New Orleans must be rebuilt

by John Elliott 

  As we all struggle to make some sense out an unprecedented tragedy — Hurricane Katrina — we can look to the history of these devastated places for clues on what we must do, especially in the case of New Orleans.
   Just the mention of the name of this great melting pot of American culture conjures myriad images. Unfortunately, much of what Americans think about New Orleans will now be influenced by the news media and even Oprah after she choked on the stench of the Superdome following its use as a shelter for 11,000 souls seeking refuge from the monster storm of August 29.
   What complicates this story is that the majority of those who are suffering, and the thousands of dislocated families, are poor blacks. I don’t want to believe that racism was the reason why FEMA and the powers that be were slow to mobilize but, undeniably, it is a factor. New Orleans, a city of 600,000, is predominantly black (62%). It is also arguably the best place to understand the history of African Americans and it happens to be the birthplace of one of its unique contributions to our culture — jazz music.
   For the more than a decade that Sarah and I have produced a Three Rivers newspaper, one of the enigmas that I have pondered and written about on occasion, is how Three Rivers, more than 2,000 miles away, has become a bastion for the preservation of traditional New Orleans music. Of course, I am referring to the evolution of the High Sierra Jazz Band and the local Sierra Traditional Jazz Club with its several hundred members.
   People have asked me at Jazzaffair why aren’t more black musicians playing traditional jazz today? When High Sierra plays any of the dozens of Dixieland festivals on the circuit, it’s almost exclusively with all-white bands for all-white audiences.
   There is no simple explanation for this resurgence of New Orleans music. But one way to understand this phenomenon and appreciate the role of New Orleans in our history is to check out Jazz: A Film by Ken Burns.
   The six-set VHS series first aired on PBS in January 2001. It was difficult to watch all of the 90-minute segments when it first appeared but I saw enough to recommend to the local jazz club that they purchase the documentary and make it available at the Three Rivers Library.
   Now more than ever, the series is relevant and should be required viewing for all us, but especially students of American culture and history. Episode one, entitled “Gumbo,” is a penetrating overview of Black American history and the development of New Orleans in the 19th century.
   Ken Burns is a master at retelling the past through archival film, historic photos, music, and interviews. He chooses his on-camera personalities with aplomb, employing historians, writers, music critics, and musicians to set the stage for the birth of jazz ca.1900.
   But it is Burns’s presentation of the rise of the Negro race and the cultural implications of their emancipation from slavery that is especially brilliant. Wynton Marsalis, an accomplished trumpet player and composer who hails from a musical New Orleans family, serves as a key consultant for the project.

  “If you were a slave you had to learn to improvise right from the beginning,” Marsalis said. “You had to eat different food, work at new jobs, and adapt to a whole new life just to survive.”
   The ability of these people to survive tremendous hardships is nothing new. Blacks were not the only Americans exploited and discriminated against, but they were the only people who were enslaved.

  “There was something so resilient in black people,” Marsalis continued. “You had to do some degrading things to come to terms with this terrible affront to humanity.”
   After the Civil War, black people were supposed to be free, but soon Jim Crow laws created “separate but equal” facilities throughout the South. For a time, New Orleans escaped these segregation laws and developed as a free and unique city in the Deep South.
   Rural blacks left the plantations and sought work in New Orleans. It was in the latter years of the 19th century that people of color became the majority of the population.
   Jim Crow laws were passed in New Orleans in the 1890s and this sizable population of free blacks was forced to take several giant steps backward in time.

  “Blacks continued to be denied access to being recognized as Americans,” Marsalis explained. “But that doesn’t change the fact that they were Americans. In the way that profound things always happen when opposites are meshed together, New Orleans gave birth to jazz music.”
   Of course, New Orleans has given birth to a lot of things and not all of them the prim and the proper. It is America’s best-known place for debauchery but has also been the site of historical events of national significance, unique architecture, and expressions of our society and culture that, quite simply, do not exist elsewhere.
   Maybe the best lesson of all as we all come together to do what is right by these people is what we learn about ourselves.

  “Race for this country is like the thing in mythology that you have to do for the kingdom to be well,” Marsalis conjectured. “It’s always something you don’t want to do… It’s always that thing that is so much about you confronting yourself that is tailor-made for you to fail in dealing with it. The question of your heroism and of your courage in dealing with this trial: can you confront it with honesty and do you have the energy to sustain an attack on it? The more you run from it the more we run into it. It’s an age-old story. In this instance, it is race.”

SEPTEMBER 2, 2005

VISITING AROUND TOWN:

Overwhelmed by Katrina

by Sarah Elliott 

Shortly after the tsunami hit southeast Asia in December, our family was in New Orleans. At this time, it was evident through the local media coverage and in personal communication with residents how much the city was pulling together to assist victims of the tsunami.
   What we also learned by touring the outlying regions of the city, there are many, many underprivileged people living simply… or simply living. Now, however, the playing field is level as both rich and poor in this city are left without shelter or basic sustenance and services.
   New Orleans and the entire Gulf Coast are reeling due to the mass devastation left by Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster to ever hit the nation. The Category 4 storm struck three Gulf states — Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama — on Monday, Aug. 29. Besides the sustained winds of more than 150 miles per hour, the following storm surge and unprecedented flooding have left death and destruction in its wake.
   The scope of the damage won’t be fully known for weeks to come. There is no landline or cell phone service or email, no electricity — lights, refrigeration, air-conditioning — no safe drinking water, no showers, no flushing toilets, no schools, no banks, no gas, no businesses, no medicine, no hospitals, no airports, no bridge access, no grocery stores, no restaurants or fast food. New Orleans has ceased to be a functioning city.
   Think about it. When, in your lifetime, have you witnessed an entire U.S. city being rendered uninhabitable? Not even on 9/11.
   There are dead bodies, gas leaks, polluted water, sewage, dangerous debris, stray animals, breeding mosquitoes, violent looters, and conditions that are ripe for a rampant outbreak of disease.
   There are entire parishes that have just disappeared. They were there on Sunday; gone on Tuesday.
   Those in Three Rivers know what it’s like to live in an area prone to natural disaster. Not a hurricane, certainly, but fire and flood. If you feel the call to help, here’s how:
   The American Red Cross is in the midst of its largest mobilization ever. Call 1-800-HELP-NOW to help the Red Cross in its efforts to provide food, water, shelter, medical supplies, counseling, and other assistance.
   The Salvation Army is also on the scene. To donate monetarily or to volunteer to assist, call 1-800-SAL-ARMY.
   And, remember, to watch out for those who use such disasters for their own profit. There are those already gearing up via phone and email to try to con generous donors out of their hard-earned money.
   Research your charity thoroughly to avoid donating to a phony one. Make sure that at least 70 to 80 percent of your dollar will be going directly to Hurricane Katrina victims.
   Never give your credit card number or any personal information to a telephone or email solicitor.
   If in doubt, visit the Better Business Bureau’s website — www.bbb.com — for a list of reports on the various and numerous charities.

TKC VIEWPOINT:

It's time to sack

the plastic bags

  More than one billion single-use plastic grocery bags are provided to consumers worldwide for free everyday; about 90 billion annually in the U.S. alone or about 8.1 pounds per person.
   Free? Hey, everything comes with a price. Here are some of the costs of using this one-time convenience.
   Production— The production of plastic bags requires petroleum and often natural gas, both nonrenewable resources that further our dependency on foreign suppliers. Additionally, drilling for new resources contributes to the destruction of fragile habitats and ecosystems around the world.
   The toxic chemical ingredients needed to make plastic produce pollution and create global-warming emissions during the manufacturing process.
   Consumption— The annual cost of plastic bags to U.S. retailers along is about $4 billion.
   Nice of the retailers to give away free bags, huh? The costs are actually passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices.
   Disposal— An estimated eight billion pounds of plastic bags, wrap and film, and sacks are disposed of “properly” every year in the U.S. But in a landfill, plastic bags can take up to 1,000 years to degrade.
   And we’ve all witnessed where many of the improperly disposed of bags can end up after traveling on the wind: billowing from tree branches, along roadsides, and in waterways. As litter, they break down into tiny pieces and contaminate the soil and water for the next millennium.
   The bags are often mistaken for food by wildlife, domestic animals, and marine mammals, and if ingested, they can cause an agonizing death as the plastic chokes them or blocks their intestines.
                                                    * * *
   Just five percent or so of the grocery bags will ever get recycled into another useful plastic product. It is time to reduce the bags’ presence on the planet.
   Taking the lead is California, of course, and more specifically, the city of San Francisco, where discussions are being held on placing a 17-cent fee on plastic grocery bags to discourage use.
Sacramento, San Juan Capistrano, and San Jose are planning to add bundled plastic bags and film (such as dry-cleaning bags) to the cities’ curbside recycling programs.
   At many supermarkets — Savemart in Visalia, for example — there are recycling bins for the return of plastic bags.
   So, paper or plastic? That has been the question ever since the plastic alternative was introduced in the early 1980s.
   Plastic bags cost about a penny apiece to manufacture, compared with 5½-cents for a paper bag. They also take less space at the checkout counter and adapt to odd shapes.
   Both types of bags use energy and create pollution to make, so the best option of all is to use reusable bags of canvas, cotton, or other materials.
   Because of the manufacturing process (petroleum… nonrenewable… when it’s gone, it’s gone), plastic bags are considered more wasteful than paper. Paper bags are more likely to contain recycled paper and to get recycled themselves.
   The life of a grocery bag is measured in minutes. It goes from the store to the car to the house to the garbage.
   So, even if they are handed out for free, there is a tremendous cost to the environment and society. Join the global push to reduce the prevalence of these plastic bags.
   It’s time to BYOB (bring your own bag).

AUGUST 16, 2005

MAKIN' HISTORY:

Oregon trails: One family's

voyage of discovery

by John Elliott

  For the past several years, our family has traveled up and down to Oregon so our son could attend a basketball camp in Vernonia. We’ve written before about this exceptional camp hosted by Chris Dudley, a Yale grad and former 16-year NBA player who, like our son, has Type 1 diabetes.
   Dudley’s camp, now 10 years running, teaches kids with this condition how to cope playing sports, but mostly how to succeed in life. Our son, Johnnie, now 15 and in his sixth year at the camp, came back inspired after his most recent experience.
   The best part is that he spends the week with 74 other kids (ages 10-17) from all over the country who also have Type 1 diabetes. They are the chosen few (the camp has a huge waiting list) who for one week get to forget the loneliness of their lot.
   We use the to and fro to sample some of the best places of this unique region of the great Northwest. In past trips, we’ve pedaled trails that have replaced historic rails, climbed Mount Whitney in a day, compared California’s sequoias to its redwoods, studied volcanoes up close and in-depth, been soaked by coastal deluges, and witnessed two of the West’s most tragic wildfires way too close for comfort.
   The 14 days spent traveling each summer are always enlightening and never fail to furnish a fresh perspective in what we do. Sarah, who Oregon-izes everything so we never miss a beat of a rigorous publication schedule, is also an expert at planning the logistics of our adventures.
   This year, there was little discussion as to where to go with our little 1963 teardrop trailer and dome tent. It was time to get coastal after we had ventured inland for the last couple of years. The fact that the mercury climbed into the triple-digits for most of July made us realize the prudence of our decision.
   Choosing where exactly to camp along several hundred miles of rugged coastline from Point Reyes to Astoria, Ore., is always a challenge. There is so much to do and so little time.
   The decision for choosing at least a part of the trip was made easier by a tip from Lee Crouch, a Three Rivers resident who was raised in Charleston, Ore. Lee informed us that Sunset Bay, located west of Highway 101 and Coos Bay, and just five miles from Charleston, is one of the best-kept secrets of the Oregon coast.
   Located several miles off the highway on a scenic loop at the outer edge of Coos Bay, visitors do not routinely venture to Sunset Bay State Park unless they are planning an extended stay. We are big fans of the Oregon State Parks system so on Lee’s recommendation we booked three nights, sight unseen.
   Those three nights were among the highlights of a trip packed with astonishing sights: rugged coastline and wildlife in an ocean setting — sounds: the crashing of the thunderous surf that was so comforting for sleeping tent-side — tastes: fresh seafood procured each and every afternoon right from the docks and cooked nightly at our campsite — and smells: where the rainforest meets the sea.
Sunset Bay, a sheltered cove, offered a nice change from most of the rugged coastline where we encountered daytime temperatures in the 50s at places like Abalone Point and Fortuna in California and then two more nights after Sunset Bay at Cape Lookout near Tillamook and its famous cheese factory.
   One part of Oregon that we have yet to explore is Astoria, located where the mighty Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean. Astoria, the oldest town west of the Rockies, is a loaded with history, Lewis and Clark lore (it’s the bicentennial anniversary), romance, seafood, and plenty of potential for adventure.
   We did, however, do a cursory visit on one afternoon last week, taking time to climb the 164 spiral steps to the top of the Astoria Column. Our party was in agreement that in the future Astoria and Oregon’s most northwesterly coastal corner should also be further investigated.

JULY 15, 2005

MAKIN' HISTORY:

Fourth of July

musical memories

by John Elliott

   Wow! What a busy and eventful July 4th weekend. The spate of sensational news in the July 8th issue had something to do with the fact that we stayed home so we were local when the North Fork auto theft bust went down (July 3). For most of the past decade, we’ve opted to use the long weekend for some Mineral King time so if we had been in the mountains, we would have had to compile the “hard” news from second-hand information without benefit of photos.
   This year, we had plans the next day (July 4) for me to be the designated driver for an SUV-load of teens with advance tickets to an all-day music event in Fresno. Attending a concert or at least listening to music, a picnic in the park, a baseball game, water sports and, of course, fireworks in the evening are how most Americans celebrate Uncle Sam’s birthday.
   Like most folks, I’ve done all of the above but this year it will be the music I remember most, having attended Warped Tour ‘05. This was one of several Fourth of Julys when I celebrated with music.
   My musical memories of the Fourth of July date back to 1970. As a fledgling student at University of Tennessee that summer, attending a music festival seemed like the best way to diffuse the collective anger of a generation still smarting from the horrific shootings at Kent State in Ohio a few months prior.
   The festival, held on a farm near Byron, Ga., owned by the Allman Brothers, was billed as the Great American Pop Festival. Organizers were expecting even more music fans than had gathered at Woodstock the previous July.
   As it turned out, so many “hippies” showed up, the event’s promoter quit selling $20 tickets at 375,000. As of Friday evening, the three-day event was declared a “free festival.”
   There were many highlights, but outstanding sets that I recall were performed by Grand Funk Railroad, Poco, Mountain, Goose Creek Symphony, Richie Havens and, of course, the Allman Brothers Band. Sunday’s lineup, timed to begin just after dark on July 3, featured a rousing rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner by Jimi Hendrix with some awesome fireworks. It was the next to last concert before the rock icon’s untimely death.
   My next musical Fourth of July memory was in 1978 after leaving Miami, having just completed my college years. I was en route to Southern California to job hunt and live near family who, by this time, were scattered about Orange County.
   On the way, I decided to make a stop in New Orleans and visit the French Quarter. I timed my arrival with the Fourth of July. A huge crowd had gathered on Bourbon Street to watch a Satchmo look-alike contest in which some of the Crescent City’s finest street musicians were impersonating native son and the grandpappy of jazz, Louis Armstrong.
   The fierce competition, featuring dozens of trumpets, was great fun. When it ended, many of the performers joined with a local brass band playing some of America’s finest marching music under the rocket’s red glare. It was as American as apple pie, only on this night, I ordered pecan.
   On this most recent Fourth of July, along with 8,000 mostly-teenage alternative music fans, I wandered around the parking lot at Save Mart Center in Fresno. The grounds had been converted by an entourage of 800 touring warpsters into a huge swap meet dubbed “Superhero City” and clustered around 10 sound stages.
   The show, or mini-festival, was a menagerie of 70 bands that each played 30-minute sets at what seemed like “warped” speed. The music was louder than any concert I can remember — louder than The Who, Led Zeppelin, Blue Cheer, Black Sabbath, anyone from back in the day.
   I noticed all the musicians were wearing earplugs so I headed straight to the customer relations table inside the arena where ticket holders were allowed to chill out and, of course, buy stadium-priced beverages and food. Earplugs were free for the asking and were indispensable for my being able to cope with the maxed-out Marshall amplifiers.
   I never saw much of any of the kids I brought to the show during the entire nine hours of music. They were busy going from stage to stage seeing one act or another.
   Headliners among the 70 bands were Dropkick Murphys, The Transplants, The Unseen, All-American Rejects, Avenged Sevenfold, My Chemical Romance, Hawthorne Heights. These bands are, according to my teens, some of the really big and rising stars of the genre.
   To this grizzled musical veteran, most of the groups sounded way too loud, very angry, and had so many tattoos it spoiled the effect. One group, Bedouin Sound Clash, actually was quite talented with upbeat vocals and a sound that the nifty program described as street punk with an international splash of reggae.
   What was novel about this touring format, which has really prospered in its 11 years of existence, is that after each set the musicians report to their respective booths to sign autographs, pose for photos with fans and, of course, hawk CDs and T-shirts.
   The Warped Tour was very cool, literally, for parents as it provided an air-conditioned “Reverse Daycare,” where parents could get free soft drinks, watch a movie, and kick back while waiting for their teens to do their thing. There was also an MLB trailer with all the day’s baseball games on monitors via satellite and free batting cages.
   Warped Tour was a safe and reasonably sane, albeit commercialized, environment in which to celebrate the new music of the Fourth of July. The only thing missing was the fireworks, but we saw plenty of those on the drive home.

JULY 1, 2005

TKC VIEWPOINT:

Between Iraq

and a hard place

  On this Independence Day weekend, as we all freely choose where we want to go and when, it is fitting to reflect on why these freedoms and so many others are ours to enjoy as Americans.
   For several centuries and among each generation, so many have given their all and even paid the ultimate price to ensure life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in America.
   Currently, it has been more than two years that the American military has been fighting in the so-called War on Terror in Iraq.
   To date, more than 1,700 Americans have lost their lives there; more than double the toll of a year ago. In addition, nearly 12,000 Americans have been severely wounded and hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians have died as a result of this American cause.
   Today’s troops are just as brave, patriotic, and capable as their military predecessors. Although there has been no discovery of weapons of mass destruction and no evidence that Iraq had the ability to build a nuclear weapon — the reasons a preemptive strike was waged — our troops have accomplished so much, including deposing and imprisoning a tyrant and giving Iraqi civilians the chance to shape their country’s destiny.
   On this Independence Day, we recognize our military’s patriotism and thank each and every soldier for putting their life on the line on a daily basis.
   But, currently, it is the pretense of this war that is causing many Americans to question the motives of the Bush administration. It is becoming evident that this war had nothing to do with Osama bin Laden and 9/11.
   It is becoming quite evident that military occupation of Iraq will not turn that country into a democratic nation. And as long as there is American military in Iraq, there will be insurgents to protest that action.
   The hard part is that in Iraq there are no front lines. Even if there were, terrorists know no borders.
   In this war, there is no enemy that will wave the white flag and surrender. In fact, it’s quite the opposite because the enemy is invisible, but continuously growing in number due to a common mistrust and hatred of the United States.
   Even though it is believed we want to help the Iraqi people, our motives can easily be interpreted as greed. After all, the U.S. is the largest importer of Iraqi oil.
   Being at war definitely brings out the worst in both individuals and governments on all sides. To name just a few infractions against humankind recently, there has been the withholding of information about the death of former NFL player Pat Tillman, an Army Ranger in Afghanistan; a false Newsweek story about alleged mistreatment of the Quran, abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, and the gruesome beheadings of hostages, many of whom who are civilians.
   By limiting our military resources to one country and continuing to fight there indefinitely, we will eventually alienate all allies in the Muslim world and hinder efforts to create a united global front against Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.
   In this age of technology and terrorism, the rules have changed and adaptation is necessary. Wars need to be fought with intelligence and psychological tactics more than weaponry and boots on the ground as this is not a war that’s about conquering lands but, instead, of winning minds and hearts.
   Being in Iraq has created additional hostility toward our country and its citizens. In contrast, the U.S. needs to work for peace throughout the world, ensure Americans are safe on U.S. soil and abroad, and rebuild our reputation as a fair yet powerful nation.

may 20, 2005

TKC VIEWPOINT:

Three Rivers Memorial Building --

An asset worth keeping

  It’s the only item for local voters to decide via the inaugural touch-screen voting machines on Tuesday, June 7. At issue is whether or not Three Rivers property owners should be levied a $23-per-parcel annual tax to be used for the maintenance and operation of the Veterans’ Memorial Building, and the precinct place is, as always, yet ironically, the Veterans’ Memorial Building.
   Fifty years ago, foresightful Three Rivers civic leaders recommended withdrawal from the Woodlake Memorial District so that this community could have a memorial building of its own instead of sending tax dollars to support a building 18 miles away. When the Three Rivers Veterans’ Memorial Building was constructed a few years later, it became the community center for an array of functions.
   This was the sole reason that taxpayers consented to this local district — the promise of the building that came with it.
With this building, Three Rivers for the second time became the beneficiary of one of California’s unique contributions to government. A “special district” was formed solely to manage the facility.
   As of 2000, there were 3,361 special districts that applied focused services from airports to zoos in specifically defined areas (unlike counties and cities that provide services throughout their boundaries). In the small town of Three Rivers, there are three special districts — memorial (since 1960s), cemetery (since 1940), community services (since 1970s) — that provide specific services that the local population has deemed necessary.
   In an unincorporated area such as Three Rivers, special districts are vital because they tailor services to local demand. Without special districts, decisions, funding, and facilities would be at the discretion of county government.

LOSS OF FUNDING
   That the Three Rivers Memorial District has made it this long without turning to taxpayers directly is commendable. Special districts have faced tough financial times for more than 25 years.
   Before Proposition 13 (1977-78), special districts received $945 million from property taxes; in 1978-79, the property tax revenues dropped to $532 million, a loss of almost 50 percent.
   Responding to this financial hardship, the state Legislature created the Special District Augmentation Fund (SDAF) to provide a supplemental income for special districts. The state government sent state money to the SDAF in each county based on a formula in state law.
   The county supervisors, in turn, allocated the SDAF money to the special districts within their counties. Concurrently, the State took over a greater percentage of funding for schools from local governments to help local governments get through the Proposition 13 transition.
   This practice lasted from 1978 to 1992. Faced with huge state budget deficits in 1992-93 and 1993-94, state officials shifted almost $4 billion annually in property taxes from local governments (cities, counties, special districts, and redevelopment agencies) to an Educational Revenue Augmentation Fund (ERAF) in each county.
   The property-tax revenue in the ERAF supports schools. ERAF helps the state government fulfill its constitutional duty to fund schools.
   When the Legislature abolished the SDAF in 1993-94, the state transferred $244 million in special-district property-tax revenues to schools. Because non-enterprise special districts (those who don’t collect fees) rely almost entirely on property-tax revenues, many were fiscally devastated as a result of the ERAF funding shifts.
   Although state legislators have granted some partial relief to special districts, ERAF’s fiscal consequences remain especially harsh for non-enterprise districts. Currently, the ERAF issue remains unsolved.
   So, basically, the question is not about $23 a year for a local special district, but instead about where the rest of our tax dollars are going that were supposed to support it in the first place.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF
A ‘MEMORIAL’ BUILDING
   Preserving the Three Rivers Memorial Building at district taxpayers’ expense is understandably a difficult decision.
First of all, it is no longer the only venue for events in the community. Unlike a half-century ago, today there are other options in Three Rivers for certain events.
   So is the local memorial building dispensable? With a full-service kitchen, stage, bar, large and small meeting rooms, indoor restrooms, two outdoor patios, barbecue, and well-manicured landscape, it still provides an unparalleled gathering place for specific events and remains an incredible asset to the community.
Just imagine what a few upgrades — aesthetic, technological, etc. — could do to enhance this 40-something-year-old facility.
   Maintaining the memorial building as a local public-events venue makes economic sense because the facility is a draw to groups of people who will also spend their money elsewhere in town — lodging, dining, shopping, gas, and other services.
   Most importantly, as Americans, we have a duty to never forget the sentiment of an entire nation that was the impetus for the development of memorial buildings in the first place. The movement began after World War I and really took hold following World War II.
   Americans paid a debt of gratitude to all those who fought in those wars. Various communities said thank you in perpetuity by constructing buildings in honor of everyone who went to war — to those who came home and especially, to those who did not.
It was important then; it should continue to be a priority.
   Finally, on a personal note, as I was driving to the Three Rivers Memorial Building last November 2, I was thinking out loud on how I would vote on the current attempt for a parcel tax.
   The last thing I wanted was a higher property tax bill because, within a few years, I will be paying college tuition for two and, thus, my spending habits have become quite conservative. But my son was accompanying me on this trip and just by being in his presence I realized that there is no way to vote but “yes” on issues that rely on local taxpayers for the betterment of the community.
I realized that this issue is not just about me and my use of the memorial building, but rather ensuring that I am sustaining it for the next generation. In addition, my vote would also fulfill my obligation to teach my children to vote with their conscience rather than their bank account.
   I have learned over the years that hording my money is not the key to being “rich.” Riches come in many forms, one being the quality of life for one and all — locally and globally — in this generation and those that will come.
   Please vote YES on local Measure C.  --sbe

APRIL 8, 2005

MAKIN' HISTORY

Jazzed for Jazzaffair

by John Elliott

  Welcome, jazz fans! It seems like only yesterday we were celebrating the 2004 finale, and now here it is, Jazzaffair 2005. During my favorite weekend of the year, I often wonder how I landed in Three Rivers and in the publisher’s chair at the local newspaper office.
   It’s a tough job but somebody has to do it (and I’m not kidding when I say that). My assignment again this week: to cover one of the premier small-venue jazz festivals on the West Coast or anywhere for the matter.
   For the last five years, the weeks and days leading up to the Thursday night Recognition Night opener have settled into somewhat of a routine. Unfortunately, I don’t usually get to be there Thursday night at Lions Arena because there are last-minute details to ensure that this newspaper performs its Jazzaffair role.
   Not only have we been responsible for the official program the last five years, more importantly, we provide the visitors with a glimpse into what life is like in a town that doesn’t have traffic lights or a McDonalds and that ebbs and flows with the natural rhythms of the Kaweah River.
   It’s obvious that hosting Jazzaffair is very important to this community and, in one way or another, touches all who live in Kaweah Country.
   As a newspaper, this is our 11th Jazzaffair. In that span, I’ve written myriad related topics, history, news, and jazz idiosyncrasies. It’s like I prepared to do this job all along in my career as a writer.
   Among my earliest memories of Jazzaffair was 1995 and experiencing then-leader Al Smith’s High Sierra opening set Friday night at the Memorial Building. Jean Kittrell’s outfit followed the host band and in those days featured Jimmy Haislip on trombone and, just like this weekend, Red Lehr on sousaphone.
   Another evening’s final set was reserved for the Alamo City Jazz Band from San Antonio, Texas. There were only a hardcore few left for the last set and the Texans didn’t disappoint playing one rousing New Orleans-style performance.
   I was hooked. But my love for Jazzaffair was natural because I had been a fan of jazz since the 1970s. By 1978, I made the New Orleans connection when I spent a few nights in the French Quarter.
   At the time, I was relocating to Southern California after graduating with a history degree from Florida International University in Miami. I was en route solo with my clothes and a trunk full of books and not in a hurry to start that new job in the Los Angeles area.
   After watching an incredible Louis Armstrong look-alike contest on Bourbon Street, I garnered some standing-room-only in Preservation Hall. The Hall wasn’t so much for tourists only like it is today. There were some old masters up on the stage, and some of their peers and protégés were in the audience.
   That night, it was members and alumni from Papa Dejan’s old Olympia Brass Band. They were black, beautiful cats dressed in white shirts, and they played the very essence of New Orleans jazz — trumpet marches, Creole trombone tunes, amazing clarinet solos, barrelhouse and stride piano, and oh that banjo — rhythmic, but with some finger-pickin’ solos.
   I remember not knowing exactly what I was experiencing at the time (I later figured out it was traditional New Orleans-style jazz), but was totally stunned by how each musician was equally adept at a solo or playing a part in the group’s tight, collective sound. This is precisely what the musicians of Jazzaffair do and is essentially the jazz tradition they all work so hard to preserve.
   A Jazzaffair audience at our cozy venues can really get up close and personal with some of the finest jazz musicians of our time. We can see, hear, and feel the music and, most importantly, celebrate right here in Three Rivers what some call the only truly-American art form — jazz.

MARCH 4, 2005

TKC VIEWPOINT

TKC at 10: The good,

the bad, and the ugly

by Sarah Elliott

Report the news and raise hell.

                                      --19th century news mantra

  This month marks the 10th anniversary of The Kaweah Commonwealth.
   On my calendar for this week in March 1995 is scrawled in red marking pen, “Hell Week.” I’ve saved that page and have never forgotten what was endured in order to put out the first issue of the newly revived Commonwealth on March 1, 1995, nor will we forget how far we’ve come since that time.
   As a business owner and publisher with my husband, the past 10 years with The Kaweah Commonwealth has been a life-changing experience. If I were to chart these years on a graph, they would look a bit like the stock market — lots of ups, many downs, some straight lines but, overall, trending upward.
   We had moved to Three Rivers from Southern California in April 1993. I was raised in Three Rivers and it was our goal to provide our children with the same wholesome upbringing.
   We both loved our well-paying jobs, but we left them behind in exchange for a higher quality of life for our children. In an effort to not only live in Three Rivers, but work here as well, we became involved with and eventually purchased the former Sequoia Sentinel.
   This career was not something we had dreamed of nor even planned. It instead had more to do with, I think, destiny and fate.
   We made the decision to purchase the community newspaper because we knew Three Rivers was a unique place and felt that the weekly publication could do more to reflect that to both residents and visitors. At the time, people who we queried were mostly apathetic or indifferent about the Three Rivers newspaper and we made a commitment to change that perception.
   What we didn’t know is that this goal wouldn’t be accomplished in the first issue, or even the first 50 issues. The learning curve on this job was a long, uphill climb.
   We handed over payment and, in exchange, were given a blank canvas and required to fill it in within a few days. And then, when that was done, we had to do it again and again and again.
   Meeting the publication deadline that first week required several days with no sleep. This was accomplished while also caring for our children, then ages four and six.
   In those first frantic months, we were like deer caught in the headlights. There were so many people who assisted and supported us but, sadly, this was overshadowed by some who never gave us a chance, didn’t trust us, or would not cut us a break.
   Publishing this newspaper has proved almost too challenging at times but, we soon discovered, John and I both thrive on challenge. We fell into our separate job descriptions rather naturally and have found the greatest reward to be in the personal and professional lessons we have learned from going through the most difficult experiences.
   This is not a job that gets left at the office when it’s 5 p.m., so it has been significant in shaping our family dynamic. We’re all a little more high-strung than we may have been otherwise but, I tell you, our kids are very informed about their community.
   We have never intentionally angered or hurt anyone, so we are always surprised when we receive communication from someone who is livid because of the interpretation of one paragraph or one sentence or even just one word in an article. Just remember, we disseminate so much information each week that it’s mind-boggling, literally.
   Over the years, dissatisfaction and resentment have been expressed anonymously, from others we have never met, and even from those we considered our friends. Since we never publish a news story with malice or intent to personally harm anyone, such angry feedback is like a punch in the stomach — it’s that intense.
   Then again, there are times when we write what we think is a blockbuster piece of journalism and don’t receive one single word of praise or criticism. Some weeks, we just have to wonder if anyone is reading at all.
   Although we have taken editorial positions on many issues that are important to us, we are open-minded and intelligent enough to know there are two sides, at least, to every issue. We have never hesitated to print opposing views and those contrary to ours in the newspaper, and it has made us better people as well as taught us and our readers so much.
   Consider this: There are those who could publish a newspaper in Three Rivers — and have in the past — who wouldn’t be so impartial and would solely present their own agenda and that, folks, is freedom of the press as well.
   We’ve learned from our mistakes, which means we should be really smart by now because, oh boy, have there been a lot of mistakes. Let me count the ways: headline misprints; typos, omissions, transposed phone numbers, incorrect dates, typos, misinterpreted facts, misspellings, misstatements, last lines disappearing, dark photos, photos with wrong captions, upside-down photos, lost photos, typos and, the worst, committing a complete error in judgment.
   Mistakes will happen, and they do, on a weekly basis. When they do, we correct them, quickly and apologetically. But mostly, because so much thought, care, and discussion goes into the most controversial of issues, we stand by everything we print.
   Publishing a newspaper in a small-town creates its own challenges that a larger newspaper doesn’t have to consider. There’s the two of us and we have to answer for everything that’s printed.
   We can’t publish a controversial story and expect to remain unrecognized as writers at the big-city newspapers can do. And we usually know the subjects of each story.
To that end, we put our name on every issue. If we don’t feel our writing is worthy of that, then it doesn’t get published.
   We ask that contributors uphold that same sense of responsibility, so nothing, including a letter to the editor, is anonymous.
   Over the years, we have received many letters from unknown sources asking us to investigate certain aspects of Kaweah Country life. But, think about it, if the writer won’t put their name on a letter to us or make their complaint public for fear of reprisal, then how fair is it to ask us to put the complaint in writing with our names on it?
   This is a newspaper and we realize the responsibility that comes with that, but the rules are changed a bit when it comes to small-town journalism. After all, we have to live here, too.
   When you think about it, there are no prerequisite skills required to buy and publish a newspaper. Anyone who can pay for it is allowed to do it. That has actually been the demise of many attempts at a Three Rivers newspaper in the past.
   What we brought to the job were writing skills, a business sense, an immense knowledge of Three Rivers and the region, a dedication to the community, and a strong work ethic. Our goal has always been to report the local news — the mainstream, the offbeat, the hilarious, the devastating.
   We require of ourselves to uphold a high standard of accuracy, professionalism, morals, and principles while, at the same time, having to maintain our own peace of mind during events that may involve great suffering or trauma.
   It is also in our hands to provide a narrative of our time and the many people, incidents, elements, interests, conflicts, and developments that make up Kaweah Country life. After all, in a century and beyond, where are people going to look first when researching Three Rivers’s past? The community’s newspaper, of course.
                                               * * *
   Today, the paid circulation of the newspaper is more than seven times what it was when we bought it. The Classifieds/public notices have grown from a few inches to an entire page.
   The Letters to the Editor page is unprecedented for a small-town newspaper. We receive dozens of letters each month, and that is a commendable statement on the vitality and healthy exchange of communication within the community.
   The reputation of the Commonwealth has become such that there are no regular ad sales at all (except for special publications); advertisers come to us. Worthy of mention, however, are the 15 advertisers — nine display ads and six Kaweah Network advertisers — who have been with this paper for the last 10 years.
   We can’t stress enough that a newspaper, any newspaper, can’t survive in a community without a loyal ad base. It’s these advertisers that ensure you have a paper each week and, in turn, are making an investment in the entire community of Three Rivers. They are deserving of the readers’ support.
   For our part, we attribute our success to hard work, honest business practices, credible news reporting, and an intelligent, faithful readership. We are constantly thinking of ways to capture our readers’ attention — some ideas work, some disappear.
   We have seen great changes in technology in the past 10 years. We started by cutting and pasting copy onto layout sheets. Now, for better or worse, the newspaper is sent digitally to the printer.      And to join a cultural shift from print toward electronic media, we are in our third year of publishing selected portions of the newspaper online via The Kaweah Commonwealth’s website and, in doing so, have received feedback from people worldwide.
   But does advancing technology mean the erosion of community newspapers? Probably not because, after all, we print on paper the things you won’t read, see, or hear anywhere else!
   These days, we have fallen into some semblance of a rhythm in publishing the newspaper week after week.
   For the most part, I enjoy my routine of getting up each day before dawn and walking to work… which entails going downstairs to my home office.

february 18, 2005

TKC VIEWPOINT

George Washington's

Rules of Civility

& Decent Behavior

in Company

and Conversation

  In this wartime era of terrorism and in a world beset by starvation, disease, and immorality, a man who was born 257 years ago on this week and faced countless challenges in his 67-year life reminds us that etiquette and good manners are timeless in a civil society.
   By the time he was 16 years of age, George Washington had hand-copied the 110 Rules of Civility and memorized them, as was assigned to schoolchildren at the time. Washington’s handwritten copy of Rules of Civility is now in the Library of Congress.
   Though Washington faced sorrow, cold, hunger, persecution, and violence in his life, he based all his actions and conversations on these simple guidelines.
   To pay tribute to George Washington on what is, on February 22, his 257th birthday, here is a selection of the rules by which he lived his life, preceded by a contemporary translation:

   TREAT EVERYONE WITH RESPECT:
1st. Every action done in company ought to be with some sign of respect to those that are present.
2nd. When in company, put not your hands to any part of the body not usually discovered.
   BE CONSIDERATE OF OTHERS. DO NOT EMBARRASS OTHERS:
5th. If you cough, sneeze, sigh, or yawn, do it not loud but privately; and speak not in your yawning, but put your handkerchief or hand before your face and turn aside.
6th. Sleep not when others Speak, Sit not when others stand, speak not when you should hold your peace, walk not on when others stop.
8th. At play and at fire its good manners to give place to the last comer, and affect not to speak louder than Ordinary.
22d. Show not yourself glad at the misfortune of another though he were your enemy.
   DON’T DRAW ATTENTION TO YOURSELF:
24th. Do not laugh too loud or too much at any public spectacle.
28th. If anyone comes to speak to you while you are sitting, stand up though he be your inferior...
   BE CONCISE:
35th. Let your discourse with men of business be short and comprehensive.
38th. In visiting the sick, do not presently play the physician if you be not knowing therein.
39th. In writing or speaking, give to every person his due title according to his degree and the custom of the place.
   DO NOT ARGUE WITH YOUR SUPERIOR. SUBMIT IDEAS WITH HUMILITY:
40th. Strive not with your superiors in argument, but always submit your judgment to others with modesty.
41st. Undertake not to teach your equal in the art himself professes; it savors of arrogance.
   BE KIND AND THOUGHTFUL:
43rd. Do not express joy before one sick or in pain for that contrary passion will aggravate his misery.
   WHEN A PERSON DOES THEIR BEST AND FAILS, DO NOT CRITICIZE:
44th. When a man does all he can though it succeeds not well, blame not him that did it.
   WHEN ADMINISTERING CRITICISM:
45th. Being to advise or reprehend anyone, consider whether it ought to be in public or in private; presently, or at some other time, in what terms to do it, and in reproving, show no sign of choler, but do it with all sweetness and mildness.
   WHEN RECEIVING CRITICISM:
46th. Take all admonitions thankfully in what time or place so ever given, but afterwards not being culpable, take a time and place convenient to let him know it that gave them.
   DO NOT MAKE FUN OF WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO OTHERS:
47th. Mock not nor jest at anything of importance...
   WATCH YOUR MOUTH:
48th. Wherein you reprove another, be unblameable yourself, for example is more prevalent than precepts.
49th. Use no reproachful language against any one, neither curse nor revile.
   DON’T BELIEVE ALL YOU HEAR:
50th. Be not hasty to believe flying reports to the disparagement of any.
   CLEANLINESS AND FASHION:
51st. Wear not your cloths foul, unripe or dusty, but see they be brush'd once every day at least and take heed that you approach not to any uncleanness.
52nd. In your apparel be modest and endeavor to accommodate nature, rather than to procure admiration. Keep to the fashion of your equals such as are civil and orderly with respect to times and places.
54th. Play not the peacock, looking everywhere about you to see if you be well deck'd....
   ASSOCIATE WITH GOOD PEOPLE:
56th. Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; 'tis better to be alone than in bad company.
   ALWAYS ALLOW REASON TO GOVERN YOUR ACTIONS:
58th. Let your conversation be without malice or envy, for 'tis a sign of a tractable and commendable nature: and in all causes of passion admit reason to govern.
   BE A POSITIVE ROLE MODEL:
59th. Never express anything unbecoming, nor act against the rules moral before your inferiors.
61st. Utter not base and frivolous things amongst grave and learn'd men nor very difficult questions or subjects among the Ignorant...
62nd. Speak not of doleful things in a time of mirth or at the table; speak not of melancholy things as death and wounds, and if others mention them, change if you can the discourse, and tell not your dreams but to your intimate friend.
   BE SENSITIVE TO OTHERS:
63rd. A man ought not to value himself of his achievements, or rare qualities of wit; much less of his riches, virtue, or kindred.
64th. Break not a jest where none take pleasure in mirth and laugh not aloud, nor at all without occasion, deride no man’s misfortune, though there seem to be some cause.
65th. Speak not injurious words neither in jest nor earnest and scoff at none although they give occasion.
   GIVE OTHERS THEIR DO AND DON’T BE OVERBEARING:
67th. Detract not from others; neither be excessive in commanding.
   DO NOT GIVE UNSOLICITED ADVICE:
68th. Go not thither, where you know not, whether you shall be welcome or not. Give not advice without being ask'd and, when desired, do it briefly.
   DON’T TAKE SIDES:
69th. If two contend together take not the part of either unconstrained; and be not obstinate in your own opinion. In things indifferent be of the major side.
   DO NOT CORRECT OTHERS:
70th. Reprehend not the imperfections of others for that belongs to parents and superiors.
   DON’T STARE, AND THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK:
71st. Gaze not on the marks or blemishes of others and ask not how they came.
73rd. Think before you speak, pronounce not imperfectly nor bring out your words too hastily, but orderly and distinctly.
76th. While you are talking, point not with your finger at him of whom you discourse nor approach too near him to whom you talk, especially to his face.
77th. Whisper not in the company of others.
   DON’T MAKE CONVERSATION ABOUT YOURSELF:
78th. Make no comparisons and if any of the company be commended for any brave act of virtue, commend not another for the same.
   GET THE FACTS STRAIGHT:
79th. Be not apt to relate news if you know not the truth thereof.
   MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS:
81st. Be not curious to know the affairs of others nor approach those that speak in private.
   KEEP YOUR PROMISES:
82nd. Undertake not what you cannot perform, but be careful to keep your promise.
   IF YOU DON’T HAVE ANYTHING NICE TO SAY…:
87th. Be attentive to that which is spoken. Contradict not at every turn what others say.
88th. Be not tedious in discourse, make not many digressions, nor repeat often the same manner of discourse.
   DON’T BE A BACKSTABBER:
89th. Speak not evil of the absent for it is unjust.
   MIND YOUR TABLE MANNERS:
90th. Being set at meat, scratch not, neither spit, cough, or blow your nose except there's a necessity for it.
91st. Make no show of taking great delight in your victuals; feed not with greediness; cut your bread with a knife, lean not on the table, and neither find fault with what you eat.
95th. Put not your meat to your mouth with your knife in your hand neither spit forth the stones of any fruit pie upon a dish nor cast anything under the table.
96th. It's unbecoming to stoop much to one’s meat. Keep your fingers clean and when foul, wipe them on a corner of your table napkin.
   DON’T CHEW WITH YOUR MOUTH OPEN:
97th. Put not another bite into your mouth till the former be swallowed. Let not your morsels be too big for the jowls.
98th. Drink not nor talk with your mouth full; neither gaze about you while you are drinking.
99th. Drink not too leisurely nor yet too hastily.
100th. Cleanse not your teeth with the table cloth napkin, fork, or knife, but if others do it, let it be done with a pick tooth.
101st. Rinse not your mouth in the presence of others.
103rd. Lay not your arm but only your hand upon the table.
104th. It belongs to the chiefest in company to unfold his napkin and fall to meat first.
   DON’T TALK WITH YOUR MOUTH FULL:
107th. If others talk at the table, be attentive, but talk not with meat in your mouth.
108th. When you speak of God or his attributes, let it be seriously and with reverence, honor, and obey your natural parents although they be poor.
   PLAY FAIR:
109th. Let your recreations be manful, not sinful.
   IT’S WHAT’S INSIDE THAT COUNTS:
110th. Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience.

                                    — Finis —

MAKIN' HISTORY

Minding your own business

by John Elliott

  In Kaweah Country, changes in the local business scene are typical for the first quarter of any year. There are closings and openings as entrepreneurs, for myriad reasons, try to make a go of it in Three Rivers or somewhere near the Highway 198 corridor. Some are success stories while others learn that maybe the grass is greener elsewhere.
   In general, the future looks bright. Why not make a local investment as a means to live and work in Three Rivers, one of California’s last best places?
   Population growth in the region is projected during the next decade and, of course, Sequoia National Park remains a viable attraction, though the character of its visitation has greatly changed in the last two decades.
   Be sure to watch for the April issue of Sunset magazine, due on newsstands in March. It will contain an interesting article that describes how others view Three Rivers. The writer, who gathered material on two separate visits, depicts Three Rivers as an outstanding, off-the-beaten-path, springtime destination.
   No doubt, a few more Three Rivers reservations will be booked by some first-timers who use the venerable glossy publication to plan their vacations. If the thorough effort by Sunset’s fact-checker is any indication, it should be an informative, intriguing piece.
   No matter when the visitors come or how many, Three Rivers remains a quirky, finicky place to own a business. In our 10 years of covering Kaweah Country, never before have we seen more closings, more businesses changing owners, and more preparing to do something new and different for the approaching season.

QUITTING BUSINESS
   Last Sunday evening, after one final “blowout” sale, Candy and Marcos Guzman, owners of Whitewater Contemporary Art and Crafts, shuttered their gallery and store located between Three Rivers Chevron and Cort Gallery on the river. Candy said the couple had decided to return to Cambria, the place from whence they had come.
   In 2000, the Guzmans rented the former digs of Angelina’s Restaurant because they had been enchanted by the Kaweah River. That enchantment eventually turned to a seasonal annoyance as they became caught up in the local trespassing to access Slicky situation.
   As a showplace of a variety of arts and crafts, the Whitewater gallery did a creditable job. Jim Mathias of Three Rivers, who displayed some of his woodworks there, said the shop had one of the best wood-turning collections to be found anywhere in California. Marcos, who worked in the construction trades as a carpenter, had a genuine affinity for wood.
   Marcos is also deserving of credit for starting the annual Polar Dip at the Gateway Restaurant on New Year’s Day. Since he and a handful of hearty souls that included Petit Pinson took the inaugural plunge in 2002, a growing legion has joined in each year in what has proven to be a fun way of shaking the effects of too much New Year’s Eve.

STARTING ANEW
   Dedicated to making Three Rivers even more scenic is the newly opened TRU Salon and Day Spa. A new salon has for sometime been a dream of TaMara Dutro, formerly of the Cutting Room. TaMara, who developed quite a following in nine years at her familiar Cutting Room chair, finally took the leap into a new occupation as a small-business owner.
   Through all it takes to open the doors, TaMara has had the unwavering support of her husband, Scott, and her father, who helped remodel the former Epicenter Market (in the rear of the Century 21 complex) into an attractive beauty shop.

  “Opening my own place is something I’ve wanted for quite some time,” Tamara said. “What we’re doing here will appeal to our regulars, new clients, and guys who just want to come in for a haircut.”
   There are several more new businesses that are now open or gearing up to open soon, including an “authentic” taco stand, a cyber café, a souvenir shop, and more. Stay tuned!

february 11, 2005

MAKIN' HISTORY

Mardi Gras: Let 'em party

and eat king cake too

by John Elliott

  As I write this on the morning of Fat Tuesday (February 8) while monitoring a live video feed from the French Quarter in New Orleans, I can’t help but wonder how all those wacky tourists ended up at the 256th Mardi Gras. The New Orleans celebration, the largest in this country, certainly has its bawdry side, but it annually attracts more than a million visitors in a season when many destinations like Three Rivers are begging for tourists.
   Ironically, when the old Creole carnival of the 18th century waned, it was eventually revived by a group of white, wealthy Americans who resided in the Garden District of New Orleans. These early pranksters, calling themselves the Mistick Krewe of Comus, first appeared in 1857 on floats after dark illuminated by torches. (Comus, and the krewe in general, had a connection historically to Mobile, Ala., which had some sort of Mardi Gras-like celebration as early as 1831.)
   The Mistick Krewe was soon being mimicked in New Orleans by other krewes, giving the celebration an essence of theatre on wheels. It wasn’t long before pompous parades presided over by kings became a local Mardi Gras tradition.
   It was the Twelfth Night Revelers, who in 1871, began the practice of throwing trinkets from floats. The practice disappeared for a time but was later revived in the 20th century. The aim of the krewes on floats is not just to entertain but also to give souvenirs away — mostly cheap yet colorful plastic beads in the Mardi Gras official colors of purple, gold, and green — to the throng of revelers lining the parade routes.
   Among the most valuable throws are the hand-painted coconuts tossed by the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club krewes in the Jackson Avenue/St. Charles Avenue parades. These black krewes affiliated with Zulu first appeared in 1909.
   Preceding King Zulu were the Mardi Gras Indians, who first organized parades in the 1880s. Black street gangs masquerading as Plains Indians started these krewes. The first of these, called the Creole Wild West, were followed into Mardi Gras annals by others like the Wild Tchoupitoulas, Yellow Pocahontas, and the Wild Magnolias.
   Chiefs of these Mardi Gras Indians — like Chief Jolly, Tootie Montana, and Bo Dollis — have become legendary and inspired an entire genre of Mardi Gras music. The Neville Brothers, one of New Orleans’s all-time favorite rhythm-and-blues bands, sing a heart-warming anthem that immortalizes the day the hearse took Chief Jolly away.
   The ornate costumes and headdresses, and the role of the Mardi Gras Indians in the parades, have become a source of pride among New Orleans’s predominantly Black population.

  “Mardi Gras Mambo,” a catchy jazz tune written by Art Neville in 1955 is among the classic carnival standards. It is a part of the repertoire of Blue Street Jazz Band, a Fresno outfit that annually plays Jazzaffair in Three Rivers.
   Mardi Gras music has become synonymous in recent years with a funky R&B style. Its most famous proponent and father of Mardi Gras music is the New Orleans piano legend Professor Longhair.
Traditional jazz remains an important part of the Mardi Gras celebration but to a lesser extent in the era of modern carnival. In 1949, Louis Armstrong, a native son, returned to New Orleans and, in Zulu costume, performed on a Mardi Gras float.
   The float on which he was riding broke down and the great Satchmo just continued to play in the street to the delight of the thousands who witnessed the impromptu jam session.
   Viewed in its context of carnival, Mardi Gras is actually the culmination of a chain of events and activities that begin January 6. That day, known as King’s Day or Twelfth Night in the Catholic Church, celebrates the arrival of the three kings at Jesus’s birthplace.
   In New Orleans, this symbolic end of Christmas in three centuries has been considerably paganized and signals the start of Carnival. The first part of the season is marked by the profusion of king cakes and invitations to lavish coronation and masquerade balls.
   King cake is an oval spongy Danish pastry with gooey icing topped by purple, gold, and green sugar. It contains a plastic peanut-sized baby inside. Whoever is served the piece with the baby is supposed to buy the next cake.
   One more tradition, and one in which every Mardi Gras visitor is expected to respect, is the costume contest. On Fat Tuesday, two famous civic-sponsored contests are among those held in the French Quarter, offering prizes for original costumes. Visitors, whether they participate in a contest or not, are expected to wear a costume for Mardi Gras.
   The closest thing to a local Mardi Gras celebration is held in Fresno the week before in the Tower District, and a Mardi Gras Jazz Festival (February 10 to 13), sponsored by the Fresno Dixieland Jazz Society. At this weekend’s jazz event, the 21st annual Mardi Gras festival, there will be a great lineup of nine bands, including High Sierra Jazz Band; a king and queen coronation ball; a huge king cake; lavish costume parades; and merrymaking.
   Fresno’s Dixieland Society Mardi Gras 2005 festival is headquartered at the Radisson Hotel in the downtown district. For ticket information, call 292-3999. Single-day admissions may be purchased onsite.


JANUARY 28, 2005

MAKIN' HISTORY

New Orleans and its 3R connections

by John Elliott

  It seems irreverent to be writing about Mardi Gras when so much of this issue is devoted to aid for the tsunami victims. But, in truth, more than a million people are preparing right now to descend on New Orleans, La., for the zaniest party in the world.
Mardi Gras, which this year occurs on February 8, is always celebrated on “Fat Tuesday” the day and night before Ash Wednesday. That Wednesday, in the Roman Catholic faith and for Christians everywhere, marks the beginning of Lent or the six weeks preceding Easter Sunday.
   So how then did Mardi Gras, the epitome of irreverence and everything bawdy, come to be synonymous with New Orleans? The answer to that question lies in the history, the people, and the culture of that unique crescent-shaped city situated in the delta of the Mississippi River.
   In Three Rivers, we have a direct link to all that history and culture — the High Sierra Jazz Band. That’s because these humble purveyors of traditional jazz play the music of New Orleans.
In part, the complexity of this relationship is why some people who hear this music — and by this music, I mean mostly Dixieland and classic jazz — don’t immediately grasp the significance of what these California musicians are playing or doing musically.
In other words, when we hear these guys in Three Rivers, it’s slightly out of their New Orleans or Dixie context, hence the term “trad” or traditional jazz. In certain ways, High Sierra Jazz Band has remained more in tune to the roots of jazz than many of the more famous New Orleans musicians playing today.
   Jazz actually began in a red-light district in New Orleans. I’ll tell that story when we get closer to Jazzaffair (April 7-10), because it furnishes such a great way to understand and appreciate our own festival, one of the finest small-venue gatherings in the land.
   For now, some history of New Orleans — often called “the only truly European city in America” — will help us understand the context of Mardi Gras, the place itself, and this incredible local link we have with one of the most musical and soulfu