The volunteers were up long before the sun on Saturday as preparations got underway to welcome the anticipated 600-plus participants to the Smokey Bear Run/Walk along the shores of Bass Lake.

MARIPOSA – Local heirloom tomatoes are vine-ripened for you to taste and savor at the Mariposa Tomato Fest, Sept. 29-30, at the Arts Park and along the Mariposa Creek Parkway. This free family event features the best-tasting tomatoes ever, and allows you and your family to enjoy downtown Mariposa and visit family farms to see first-hand their best growing practices. ...

Anonymous disposal is available Saturday OAKHURST – The Madera County Sheriff’s Department is participating in a national “Take Back Drugs” initiative in an effort to decrease prescription drug abuse by children and young adults on Saturday, Sept. 29. Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., residents are invited to take all of their unneeded prescription and over-the-counter medications to the county’s ...

CHP Plans DUI Checkpoint Saturday Night The California Highway Patrol will conduct a DUI and driver license safety checkpoint on Saturday, Sept. 22, “somewhere within the incorporated area of the city of Madera,” according to Lt. Dave Paris, CHP’s Madera Area Commander. Officers will patrol the surrounding area in search of drunk drivers attempting to evade the checkpoint, which will ...

BASS LAKE – The 25th annual Smokey Bear Run/Walk takes place this Saturday, Sept. 22, and organizers expect about 600 people will take part in the event. Road 222 will be closed to all vehicles from 7:15 a.m. to 9:40 a.m, from Recreation Point to the Lakeside picnic area (see map below). It’s shaping up to be a fun and ...

OAKHURST – There are some dates you just don’t forget. Where were you, that fateful Tuesday in 2001, when the news broke that planes had hit the Twin Towers in New York? Eleven years later, on Tuesday, on Sept. 11, 2012, friends, neighbors, veterans, civilians and students gathered at the patriotically festooned Sierra Telephone Headquarters on Road 426 to remember ...

OAKHURST – Ask anyone who’s been and they’ll tell you: the Monster Rummage Sale held every year by Yosemite Gateway Association of Realtors (YGAOR) is one you don’t want to miss. It’s this weekend in the old Central Valley Community Bank building in the Sears parking lot, Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday 8 to 4.

OAKHURST – One legend says the native flute was a fanciful fluke of nature. Woodpeckers in search of termites pecked holes in a hollow branch. Wind blew across the top of the branch and melodious sounds grew in its wake. There are many stories about how man and woman came to play the native flute, and this weekend we have ...

Last Chance to Cast Your Vote for Wild Wonderful Women OAKHURST – You know about the Wild Wonderful King Vintage Museum, right? And you have a Facebook account? If the answer to both of those questions is “Yes!” then you have a chance to help WWW & Friends, Inc. become a designated recipient of the Chase Community Giving Grant. The ...

Supervisors approve another year of lower fees MADERA – The Madera County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday, Sept. 11, to extend the two-thirds reduction in permit fees for another year. “If you’re planning to build a garage or add on to your house, this is the time to do it,” says District 5 Supervisor Tom Wheeler.