COARSEGOLD – This is the third year that the folks at G’ma and Pappas have made Christmas extra-special for mountain area kids. Mitch Riegelhuth and Lori Brown teamed up with the Sierra Shadow Casters Motorcycle Club to give shiny bicycles, sturdy helmets and brand-new toys to about 300 kids at a very special event on Dec. 15 at G’m and ...

OAKHURST — The spirit of giving was predominant as teachers and school representatives convened by request to celebrate one of the year’s highlights: Sierra Oakhurst Kiwanis Mini-Grants for education. Local Kiwanis and others gathered on Tuesday, Dec. 18 at El Cid Mexican Restaurant to give and receive money in support of projects and products that help mountain area students. Eighteen ...

OAKHURST – The mood will be especially festive this particular holiday season for anyone connected to the Outpouring in Oakhurst: this marks the tenth year of the community celebration of Christmas, a free community feast open to everyone. All are invited to the Oakhurst Outpouring on Sunday, Dec. 23 from 3 – 7 p.m. at the Oakhurst Community Center. As ...

This is my favorite time of year to hike up to Chilnualna Falls, when a little snow has fallen and the creek is decorated with ice. The hike has a lot of “up” in it, one reason that I like to pick a cool day to do it. After reaching Chilnualna Falls, we headed upstream a bit to a very ...

MARIPOSA — Local Rotarians Richard and Ophelia McInturff traveled to Pakistan recently to team up with other Rotarians and join in the fight to eradicate polio. In the process, they gained a tremendous amount of knowledge and touched deeply upon the great secret of service to humanity: you get much more than you give. “Everyone wants the same things for their ...

With so many special events and activities taking place over the next few weeks, we thought it would be helpful to compile a timely list of all the entertainment-related and community-oriented holiday happenings in the mountain area between now and December 25. If we missed anything, let us know and we’ll gladly add it to the Big Local List of ...

OAKHURST — What makes third graders so thankful? They are thankful for the incredible and fun activities going on at Oakhurst Elementary School (OES). The terrific third graders of OES have been busy with lessons on kindness, exploring learning through STEAM projects, and getting physical with PE. Mind-Up curriculum is designed to help students learn skills that help them focus ...

NORTH FORK — Brightly colored packages strapped to the backs of their bikes, members of the local North Fork riding group get together each year for a special reason. Bearing the gifts of new, unwrapped playthings, these men and women support the local Toys for Tots program with an annual ride to the Madera County Sheriff’s Office and the Oakhurst ...

By Nina Sharrar —  MARIPOSA — The Bootjack 49ers 4-H Club is enjoying the winter season! We recently installed our officers and had a welcome-back dinner. We were honored to have Mariposa County Supervisor Miles Menetrey and Mariposa County 4-H Council President Karen Cutter install our officers in a candlelight ceremony, which was followed by a potluck dinner. At the ...

YOSEMITE — It’s time for winter’s fun activities — Yosemite Ski and Snowboard Area, formerly Badger Pass, is scheduled to open on Thursday, Dec. 20. This includes the Nordic Center. The Day Lodge, rentals and food service will all open at 8:30 a.m. Lifts are open from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. A courtesy shuttle is offered daily to and from Yosemite ...