OAKHURST — Leave the fancy clothes at home and arrive hungry for a night of food, friends and fundraising, as the celebration of messy faces known as Rib Fest takes place on Saturday, June 22. The evening is a milestone: the event’s 20th year. This all-you-can-eat barbecue dinner offers more than 500 pounds of pork ribs prepared by teams from ...

LONG BEACH — Former Oakhurst resident and 2012 Yosemite High School (YHS) valedictorian Riley Cooks has emerged as a top contender to make the 2020 U.S. Olympic heptathlon team. Riley, 25, is now living in southern California and working as a substitute school teacher while training to compete in the Tokyo Olympics. Her next major hurdle — and javelin throw ...

OAKHURST — Summer’s a-comin’ and you know you need room in your garage for toys, so take advantage of this annual chance to clean out that storage area or shed, get rid of that broken TV and dispose of paint and dangerous chemicals. Madera County is sponsoring a one-day hazardous waste disposal event on Saturday, June 15, from 9 a.m. ...

COARSEGOLD — Graydon Kennels has been family-owned and operated since 1975, but with the untimely passing of longtime owner Michael Steen in January 2018, his 30-year-old twin daughters — Amanda and Alison — were left with the challenge of keeping the family business running. “It’s been a stressful time for us but we’re trying very hard to carry on my ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — The return of much warmer weather Sunday through Tuesday will cause an increase in snowmelt over the higher elevations of the Sierra — leading to a rise in water levels on rivers and streams during the early part of the week, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The normal water rises each night will heighten the ...

OAKHURST — Twenty-five summers ago, when the Yosemite Jazz Band first began playing on the patio at The Pizza Factory, Berl Howell and his buddies Ted Strauss and Jimmie Kirin had no idea their Thursday night gigs would become an Oakhurst tradition. “Back then, we just enjoyed getting together and practicing our music in public,” Howell says. “They used to ...

AHWAHNEE — Well known local artist and former landscaping contractor Ronna Adler is leaving the area — and on Sunday, June 9, friends and fans are gathering at Rev’s Farmhouse in Oakhurst to give her a proper send-off. Ronna, 83, has lived in Ahwahnee since 1990 and now she’s moving to Oklahoma next month to live with her daughter. “This ...

Harry Martin Borreson, 89, of Santa Cruz, passed away on May 30 in his home in Coarsegold, California. Mr. Borreson was born in Osceola, Iowa to John Conrad Borreson and Caroline Edda Schotka on January 27, 1930. He married Mary Helen Valencia on September 27,1965 in San Diego, California. In 1974, he purchased a family grocery store, B&H Market on ...

OAKHURST — Not far from Yosemite, one of the area’s most treasured other parks is celebrating its golden anniversary this year. At Fresno Flats Historic Park, stakeholders behind the scenes have chosen the milestone as the perfect time to bring new life to the landmark establishment. The official birthday party is on Heritage Day and will be marked by an ...

A man of faith and commitment to his Lord and Savior, Witt O. Hawkins Jr. enjoyed a life was well lived and he was well loved! Born in 1939, the Lord called him home on May 12, 2019, in Oakhurst, California. Witt was born in Chicago, Illinois to father Witt and mother Catherine 79 years ago. Witt, his wife Pam ...