The Cruisin’ For Critters event was held Saturday at Oakhurst Community Park to support Honorary Mayor candidate John K. Burton, who is running on behalf of the Eastern Madera County SPCA.
John and his wife moved to Oakhurst 10 years ago after he retired from the City of Thousand Oaks. Being too young to actually retire, John opened “John K. Burton Inspection Services.” In addition to his inspection work, he became a volunteer for the Eastern Madera County (EMC) SPCA which led to his being put to work for them.
John has already been Honorary Mayor once, and says he is running again because he sees how close they are to their goal of raising all the funds needed to build the new animal shelter and adoption center. The proposed site is located just across Highway 41 from the school in Ahwahnee.
John says he has always been an animal lover. His family had all different kinds of animals or as he put it, “You name it, we had it, from dogs to ducks.” He mentioned that he has 8 sisters and 2 brothers, and with 11 kids it may have been hard for anyone to figure out what animals the kids were bringing home.
John and his wife currently have 4 dogs and 3 cats. One is named Slick, which they adopted after it was dumped at the top of their driveway. According to EMC SPCA volunteers, animal dumping is a big reason to get the shelter built. They feel that they have been somewhat successful in educating pet owners in regards to the spay and neuter programs available, however many pets have a litter of puppies or kittens and are just abandoned.
On Monday, June 11th, plans for the building were submitted to the Madera County Planning Department for approval. Once the plans have been approved, they will be sent to the Board of Supervisors for their seal of approval. After the land lease has been secured, the EMC SPCA can begin to apply for grants. They anticipate a construction costs of between $1.2 and $1.4 million.
There were about 25 riders in Saturday’s run to Yosemite. Each person collected cards to make a poker hand at stops along the route, and some great prizes were awarded. Yummy pulled pork sandwiches were available along with beans and coleslaw. The weather was perfect and a great time was had by all. The event was a big success and keeps John running neck-and-neck with the other candidates for Honorary Mayor.
Note – Coins for Critters
United Security located at 40074 Highway 49 in Oakhurst, is accepting donations for Honorary Mayor candidate John K Burton, who is running on behalf of the Eastern Madera County SPCA. Drop your loose change into the swimming pool set up in their lobby and help support a good cause.
