YOSEMITE – On Sunday, Aug. 25, Yosemite National Park will celebrate Founder’s Day. In commemoration of this special day, entrance fees will be waived for all park visitors. Founder’s Day marks the birthday of the National Park Service (NPS). This year, the NPS will be celebrating its 97th birthday. “Late summer is a wonderful time to visit Yosemite National Park,” ...

BASS LAKE – The Bass Lake Lions Club have announced their 8th Annual Bass Lake Home Tour on Saturday, Sept. 14, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The annual tour showcases some of the unique and impressive homes that have been built around the popular resort destination located just a short distance from Yosemite National Park.

NORTH FORK – Congressman Tom McClintock will be the speaker at a Town Hall style meeting sponsored by the North Fork Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, Aug. 28, at the North Fork Rancheria Community Center from 2 to 3 p.m. Issues of concern that the congressman will be addressing include the yellow-legged frog and Yosemite toad, proper management of the ...

YOSEMITE – Yosemite Conservancy is contributing $1.8 million to 12 Youth in Yosemite programs “to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards.” The programs are created so that young children learn about nature through the Junior Ranger program, under-served high school students experience the wilderness for the first time, and college interns work side-by-side with park staff to repair trails ...

NORTH FORK – Phyllis Overstreet will present a free demonstration of the techniques of watercolor painting on Sunday, Aug. 18, from noon to 3 p.m. at the Greater North Fork Gallery at the old mill site. Overstreet is a North Fork artist who paints a variety of subject matter including landscapes, still life and florals. She paints both local scenes ...

OAKHURST – The Golden Chain Theatre is holding auditions for their fall drama, “Jack the Ripper,” on Monday and Tuesday, Aug 12 and 13, at 7 p.m. The play will be directed by Jason Turner, and will run the last three weekends of October. The cast is very large in size, and producers are looking for a wide variety of ...

MADERA COUNTY – Officer of the Year Deputy Sheriff Richard Gonzales is recovering from an injury he sustained while chasing a fugitive on foot, according to the Madera County Sheriff’s Office. Saturday night, Aug. 10, shortly before 9 p.m., Deputy Gonzales was attempting to locate a fugitive at a home in Oakhurst. Cody Crossman, 29, currently on probation and wanted ...

OAKHURST – Girl Scouts will be gathering in Oakhurst on Saturday, Aug. 10, to make a traditional treat in a non-traditional way – they will be roasting marshmallows in solar funnel cookers and making S’Mores in a solar pizza box oven. This is just one of the many activities the girls will experience at Girl Scouts of Central California South’s ...

On Sunday, June 30, at 11 a.m., the leader of a climbing club staying at Camp 4 in Yosemite Valley contacted the Yosemite Emergency Communications Center, reporting that two members of his club were overdue. The two hiker-climbers, one male and one female, had started their journey on Saturday, June 29, with the intention of hiking, scrambling, and down-climbing through ...

Written & Photographed by Don Grove – We arrived at the Berkeley Marina on Saturday morning looking forward to spending time with old friends and learning about kites. These are not the ordinary paper kites you used to buy at the local variety store. These highly efficient kites can soar, dive, stop abruptly in mid-air, and then make a 90 ...