Learning to drive is a challenge, one that begins before teens ever put foot to pedal. The process of getting a license to operate a motor vehicle may be confusing, and requires navigating a series of steps in the proper order. Ray Delgatto is an expert on the subject of teen driving. He and wife Tami own All American Mountain ...

Goodbye old Fire Station, hello new community room – OAKHURST – Good news in a time of budget cuts – the Oakhurst Branch of the Madera County Library is expanding, thanks to Friends of the Oakhurst Branch Library (FOBL), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and smart planning over 40 years ago.

OAKHURST – Spuds and fancy table duds are elevated to new heights as Mountain Community Women (MCW) invite the public to gather for the 23rd annual Tables and Taters charity luncheon, planned for November 5 at the Oakhurst Community Center. Guests are encouraged to arrive at 9:30 a.m. for an abbreviated MCW meeting beginning at 10 a.m., followed by lunch ...

NORTHFORK – Families are invited to a fabulous Fall Festival at North Fork School on Friday, Oct. 26 from 6 to 9 p.m. in NFS Kennedy Hall. Admission is free and tickets for attractions and concessions will be sold at the door for 25 cents each. Visitors can stroll through a patch where pumpkins are available for purchase from $1 ...

AHWAHNEE – Prepare to be scared as the creaky doors open at Camp Pacifica, summoning ghouls and ghosts to the sixth apparition of the Oakhurst Mountain Lions’ Haunted House and Night of Terror. Horrible hosts welcome all specters, 13 up, on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 26 & 27, from 7 to 10 p.m. The chilling charity event costs $10. Monsters, ...

Tarantula Season In The Foothills COARSEGOLD – A little rain goes a long way towards coaxing hairy eight-legged creatures from their holes and onto trails in search of mates. Fall precipitation in the foothills usually brings about the appearance of Aphonopelma Iodius, known to some locals as the Fresno brown tarantula. Nowadays, arachnophobes need pay attention, as fist-sized fuzzy spiders ...

OAKHURST – Two Glacier High School Charter students are helping rescued animals in the mountain area by holding a bake sale fundraiser for the Eastern Madera County SPCA (EMC SPCA). On Friday, Oct. 19, a table laden with delightful confections will be set up from noon to 6 p.m., between Vons and CVS, at the Vons shopping center in Oakhurst.

Heifer Pancake Breakfast Benefits Families NORTH FORK – Can eating a big plate of pancakes help another family to survive? Find out why the answer is yes at the Annual Heifer Pancake Breakfast on Sunday, Oct. 21, at Grace Community Church, where volunteers will serve guests from 8 to 10 a.m.

CHOWCHILLA – The Fossil Discovery Center has a new exhibit that shows what life was like in California’s San Joaquin Valley thousands of years ago. At the center of the installation is a model lodge, a permanent dwelling known to have been used by the Yokuts tribe of first people, said to be the largest tribe with the largest territory ...

Women’s Group Helps Mom of Cancer-Stricken Baby OAKHURST – Glasses will be raised and tears shed over a shared story as mountain area women are invited to attend a Helping One Woman (H.O.W.) dinner and fundraiser at the Queen’s Inn Wine Bar on Wednesday, Oct. 17, at 6 p.m. H.O.W. is a nonprofit woman’s organization that meets monthly for an ...