Hello - I had the distinct pleasure of once again reading the Sierra Booster after so many years. I knew your folks as they were well acquainted with mine. My folks were Jim and Dorothy Patterson of Patterson's Mousetrap in Portola. I used to read it all the time at that time.
I read the article about your folks and had also seen him on different TV programs. He was one of a kind and very humorous. He lived well and long with that humor and all of the other attributes he had. I didn't get to know your mother too very well. Just had to write and say how much I did enjoy the paper as I was with a group of RVers in Quincy last week. I do wish you the best of everything with the newspaper. Things certainly have changed in the area and it makes me kind of sad in some ways.
I see where there is going to be a Portola High School Alumni Picnic at the park in Portola on July 29th so may try to go up for that as I hadn't been since 2000. Like we agreed, things have certainly changed. Don't know if there will be anyone there that I know but thought I would like to go one more time while there might be a chance.
My father, Jim Patterson , passed away in Sept. 1979. Mom, Dorothy Patterson, passed away Oct. 2007 at age 93. I would say we had some parents with longevity. Lots of memories though.
Thanks again for writing such a nice article on your folks.
Loraine Beckman
Dear Jan,
Thanks for reminding me of Sierra Valley's “Air Mail.†When I chose the old Pitcher Distributing business warehouse for the “New Cherokee Garage†back in the early nineties, I was warned that being at the end of the runway at Nervino Airport could be hazardous.
We are darn near 30 years in that rickety old building and no one has “augured in†yet; but I do really miss my special air mailed Boosters.
Back “in the day†one day, we had a rather upset tourist. He didn't have car trouble, he was lost. He asked me questions that I didn't know the answers to and the more he asked, the more I said, “I dunno,†and the angrier he became. There became a point where I had had enough abuse from this fella so in response to his last jab, I said, “I don't know. Buy a newspaper!!â€
Honest Jan, I don't know what made me say that, but I could swear I heard the sweet sound of Hal's plane coming out of Nervino, and then there he was - phone pole high.
The angry young fella says back to me, (catch the timing on this now), “Where in hell can I buy a news (Here comes the Booster) paper?†Splat, bam.
That'll be 50¢ plus tax, pal. He never said another word.
Thanks for the memories, Jan.
Feets
Thank you to the Calpine​ & Sierra Valley​ Community for supporting the Calpine Volunteer Fire Department ​at​ our BBQ Fundraiser on June 20th at the Sierra Valley Lodge. It was an amazing and successful event! We appreciated seeing so many people donate their time, ​hard work and energy towards the fire department while at the same time coming together as a community.
Angela Haick, Fire Chief
Dear Editor
The article about this year's Tour de Manure was great. We loved it, and I, especially, am very moved by the nice things that people said about me. But I want to push the spotlight away from me because the Tour de Manure is much more than a one-person show. Many people give many more hours than I do to make it a success.
A lot of cyclists do the Tour de Manure as their first ever big supported ride. It's a nerve-wracking big deal to them, and we need to support them and the others with food, drink and information all the way through the 30-, 42-, and 62-mile routes.
About 65 volunteers helped this year with everything from food service to sign painting, to hanging event posters all over the place, to cleaning up the fire station before the event, including washing the dust off hundreds of white plastic chairs and 30 tables, and then cleaning it all over again afterward. Volunteer “Turn Cowboys†guided people who are arriving hurriedly in the morning to park in the right spots (thanks to property owners who donate the use of their lawns and empty lots). More Turn Cowboys hung out for hours along the course, cheerfully hoisting arrow signs that point the way. Every year the Spencer Family puts on a beloved lemonade stand halfway through the ride near their ranch — a huge plus.
Many, many people organized and served the amazing post-ride lunch at Sierraville fire station. The nonprofit Sierraville Rec Association served beer donated by Alibi Brewery and The Brewing Lair this year. Los Dos Hermanos provided chips and dip, and Lee Wright's When Pigs Fly catering company cooked up the delicious tri-tip and chicken. Michael Hogan and The Simpletones came from Beckwourth, Calpine and Davis to strum their tunes. Lots of non-riders filled out the crowd, supporting the team by buying $15 lunches. We served about 600 lunches this year. (There were 410 registered riders, and volunteers got a free meal. The rest were purchased.)
Again and again, riders say the best part of the Tour de Manure is the people putting it on. (See their comments on the Tour de Manure Facebook Page.) I want to call out Shannon Tucker for ordering the massive amounts of the food and drinks supplying the three rest stops, and for organizing the food for the lunch. The rest stops are run by volunteers from Eastern Sierra Chamber of Commerce and the Plumas-Sierra Bike Club, but Shannon makes sure that not one of the ravenous riders goes hungry.
For all of us who put in our time, there is no one who does as much as Tour Boss Tami McCollum. Really, the Sierra Booster article should have been about her, because for nine years she has done the huge bulk of the work. She orders t-shirts and water bottles, prints posters, keeps track of all the committees and tasks, leads meetings, manages volunteers, answers a zillion questions, and pitches in with all of the heavy moving and cleaning. On race day, she's on top of everything, managing people, and keeping track of where "SAG" wagons are so they can fix blown tires and give rides to the few people who can't finish the course. If we named the fire department's trucks after people, the one we are purchasing with Tour de Manure proceeds should be named for her.
A final incident will always stand out to me from this year's event.
As everything wound down at the end of Saturday, and we were ready to go home after making the station spic and span again, the emergency radios sounded, and there was a call for medical assistance down the road. Despite having been up since 5:30 am to run the Tour, almost every volunteer showed up to help the person who was hurt. The man who made the call had tears in his eyes when he noticed that.
It's a privilege to be part of the Sierraville Fire and Rescue Department, and to be a member of this valley. Thanks for everything.
Doug Read
Jan,
As I was reading your article about your dad's plane, it made me think of Roy White.
For my 16th birthday, Roy took me and Alan Dikes for an airplane ride around the valley over Lake Tahoe to Reno for dinner and then back to Hallelujah Junction where he landed the plane on the strip that he and Harold Stoy had.
Then, of course, we had to go in for another treat at Doris and Harold Stoy's cafe too! If you remember they also sold gas there too.
Just another trip down Memory Lane.
Betty Dawson-Ferguson
Loyalton
