Monster City Studios had been commissioned by the Hmong community to create the statue for placement at the Fresno Fairgrounds.

“We wanted this to turn out right, because he’s a very honored man in their community, and even people involved with the United States during the Vietnam War knew who he was,” said Richard Deaver, president of Monster City Studios.  “So it was an honor for us to be involved in this project.”

The statue stands at six feet tall (in a sitting position) and weighs more than 2,000 pounds.  It is made from cast concrete, and was created from a photograph taken of Pao during the Vietnam War period.  Pao was a lieutenant general in the Royal Lao Army, was considered a leader and hero by Hmong across the nation, and noted for his military accomplishments, particularly in the Vietnam War.  Pao passed away in Clovis on Jan. 6, 2011, and traditional Hmong services were held in his memory at the Fresno Convention Center afterward.

The design process for the statue lasted several months, after which the actual sculpting on the concrete statue began.

“It’s more than just a commission, it actually means a lot,” said Ben Deutscher, a designer with Monster City Studios.

The statue of General Vang Pao is not the first project from Monster City Studios to grace the Fresno Fairgrounds.  It also helped breathe into life such exhibits as Blue Moon Yosemite Station, The Meyers Water & Wildlife Tree, and the new Reptile House.

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In order to achieve this goal, the homebuilder has partnered with PG&E to incorporate a number of features in the home, located in De Young’s CountryCourt community.  It is a 2,064 square foot home with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a two-car garage, dining room and den.

SolarCity has provided the home with a 5.88 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system, which produces renewable energy.  A 20-year prepaid lease is being offered through SolarCity on the system.

“The lease is a big game changer, because now you’re able to get solar for $5,000 versus $20,000,” said Brandon De Young, vice president of De Young Properties.

LED lighting is found throughout the home, as well as Energy Star qualified windows.  Cool roof tiles cover the building, and a 19 SEER, 14 EER air conditioner and a 95 percent AFUE rated furnace from Lennox helps keep the home pleasant even during extreme temperatures.  Ducts are installed in conditioned space, and not in the attic, where they are normally placed.  Vents were put into the walls, rather than the ceiling, and motion-activated LED lighting is in the hallways, kitchen and bathroom.

Inside the garage is the most advanced energy-efficient Hybrid Heat Pump Water Heater Rheem offers.  Instant hot water can be accessed anywhere in the home through a motion-activated hot water recirculation system.  Also in the garage is an electric vehicle charging station, as well as an eMonitor, a Home Energy Management System that shows the homeowner in real time home much energy is being used and introduced.

De Young Properties has been offering Zero Net Electric Homes for a while, and this concept home is the next step.  De Young says he doesn’t know of any other Zero Net Energy Homes that are being offered by other homebuilders in the central California region.  De Young Properties could begin building more of the houses by the end of 2014.

De Young said occupants in Zero Net Energy Homes will always have to pay PG&E to use service, but energy bills will be greatly reduced.  Exactly how much will depend on the residents.

“The dollars and cents of the bill are going to be really low, if not at zero,” De Young said.

De Young said that because of the California Long Term Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan, all new residential homes will be required to be Zero Net Energy by 2020.

“We think it’s an awesome goal to try and strive for,” De Young said.

Tours of De Young Properties’ Zero Net Energy Home are available by calling the De Young Welcome Center on Gettysburg and Armstrong in Clovis at (559) 434-2000.

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Pink shirts and accessories worn by breast cancer survivors were everywhere, and the crowds participated in different levels of walks and runs designed to accommodate participants of all ages. The event involved guests that included Fresno County Supervisor Henry Perea, Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims, Congressman Jim Costa, and event MC Stefani Booroojian.

Sharon Johnson, executive director of Susan G. Komen Central Valley, said events like the race have allowed Komen to invest $2.8 million into the community.

“I cannot thank you enough for your support,” Johnson said during the ceremony following the morning’s races.  “This year, everybody has stepped up, I couldn’t be more proud of our survivors and participants.  One person at a time, we are winning the battle against breast cancer.”

To help commemorate 15 years of the race, Susan G. Komen Central Valley honored what it has called “15 Faces for 15 Races,” some of the most recognizable and influential people from throughout the race’s history.  One of the 15 Faces was Susan G. Komen Central Valley Race for the Cure’s founder, Carolyn Jorgensen, who passed away after her battle with breast cancer  in 2007.  It was because of Jorgensen that the first race, with 800 participants, was held at Fresno’s Woodward Park in 1999.

“Every year when I come out here it’s extremely emotional for me because this is Carolyn’s dream,” said her husband, Norman Jorgensen, another “15 Faces for 15 Races” honoree.  “Every race day it was like Christmas for a little child, she was so happy and excited.”

Bren Flowers of Fresno, another of the 15 recipients, is currently experiencing her second bout with breast cancer.  Despite going through draining chemotherapy and radiation treatments, she still made it out to the Race for the Cure.

“On a personal level, Sharon Johnson has been amazing,” Flowers said.  “Not a week goes by that she doesn’t check in with me.  I’m one of thousands of patients in the Valley, but she checks in, lets me know that she’s thinking about me, always offers to help with anything I could possibly need.”

Johnson credited the work of Susan G. Komen Central Valley’s many volunteers for making Race for the Cure a success year after year.

“Volunteers from all walks of life contact Susan G. Komen Central Valley every year because they want to give back, including board members, the race committee and the general public,” Johnson said.  “They all did a spectacular job.”

At the time of this release, donations and participant fees from the race are still being counted.  Race donations are being accepted up to Dec. 31, 2013.  75% of the money raised from the event will benefit community programs that focus on breast health education and treatment in Fresno County, along with breast cancer research. 25% of the proceeds are used for national breast cancer research.

Some of the ways Susan G. Komen Central Valley aids the community include offering free mammograms, lymphedema treatments, financial assistance to breast cancer survivors, culturally diverse education programs, and diagnostic studies.

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At a press conference earlier today, Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin, Police Chief Jerry Dyer and City Manager Bruce Rudd announced that 15 police recruits, 30 non-sworn cadets will be added to the city’s police force by the beginning of next year.  In addition, 11 officers now assigned to Fresno Yosemite International Airport will be rejoining the citywide police force by the end of this year, and four dispatchers will also be added to alleviate the department’s call load.

Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin

The 30 cadets will be hired in two phases; 15 by Nov. 15, and the rest by Jan. 4.  They will respond to lower-level crimes, making it easier for other officers to handle more serious law violations.  All 30 of the cadets will undergo a 4-6 week training period before being released into the field, and the 15 police recruits will train in a 4-5 month span, and start patrolling in April or May.

Rudd and Dyer have been hammering out a plan to hire the additional staffing, which will take $2 million from the City of Fresno’s current budget.

“This is indeed positive news,” Swearengin said.  “These hires are being made with the appropriations that were approved by the Council with the adoption of the 2014 budget.”

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Prior to practicing law, Wieland worked for Congressman Jim Costa and as a member consultant serving two Assembly Speakers in the California State Assembly Speaker’s Office of Member Services in Sacramento.  His experience in government allowed him to work with several California State Assembly and U.S. House of Representatives members where he gained a unique understanding of the legislative process, strategic planning, outreach, political campaigns and analysis. Further, he managed campaigns for several local elected officials and also worked as the program coordinator for the Kenneth L. Maddy Institute of Public Affairs.

Wieland currently represents employers in all aspects of labor relations and employment law matters, including employment discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment, and wage and hour law. He regularly counsels employers regarding human resources policy matters, employee relations issues, and dealing with government regulatory agencies such as OSHA, ALRB, NLRB, EEOC, DFEH, and the California Labor Commission. He also represents private sector clients with business litigation matters including unfair competition, trade secret, and breach of contract.

Wieland is a member of the Maddy Institute Alumni Association; Fresno County Bar Association; Fresno County Young Lawyers; and Fresno’s Leading Young Professionals.  He and his lovely wife, Allie, who is also an attorney, reside in Fresno with their two dogs, Mady and Chip.

Favorite Movie:  “Tombstone”

Favorite Music Artist/ Band:  Led Zeppelin and Johnny Cash

Last Book Read:  “The King of California” by Mark Arax

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Students enrolled in the seven-and-a-half month course will participate in three 10-week sessions.  The first will focus on brainstorming, the second forming a business plan, and the third consists of them actually launching their business.  Instructors in the course are local business leaders.  Bill Syvertsen from the Tutoring Club of Clovis, Rod Geist with Central Valley Community Bank, and Rick Snow with Snowflake Designs in Clovis will be the instructors during the duration of the program.  Their job will be to challenge the students’ ideas, and help guide them on their way to becoming real-life entrepreneurs.

“The criteria for the students is a passion and a desire to put in the extra work to become entrepreneurs,” said Fran Blackney, business advocate with the Clovis Chamber of Commerce.

The course also involves guest speakers from various sectors of business, including an attorney and a tax accountant.  There will also be a media meet-and-greet, as well as trips to an advertising agency, a video company and the Save Mart Center, where students will see the inner workings of a big company.  By April the students’ business plans will be formed, and they will go before an investor panel to pitch their business idea, much like the TV show “Shark Tank.”

“These kids have to sell them their business plan, and the investors will divvy up the money to their real businesses,” Blackney said.

One local student will be chosen to fly to New York, along with a parent, all expenses paid, to compete with 80 other winners from across the nation.  Money and college scholarships will be on the line during the competition, sponsored by the Saunders Foundation in New York.

Blackney said the Clovis Chamber of Commerce was recommended to be the first chamber to be recommended to present the program in California by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, even though the Visalia Chamber of Commerce’s has already begun.

“That’s a big deal for us, that the United States Chamber of Commerce knows us,” Blackney said.

The Young Entrepreneurs Academy began at the University of Rochester in New York in 2004.  Since then, it has graduated more than 900 students, who have formed more than 550 businesses and social movements.  All of them have finished high school on time, and 99 percent of them enroll in college with the class experience on their applications.

The classes meet at Willow International Community College at from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. every Tuesday beginning Nov. 4.  Tuition is $395, and partial scholarships are offered based on financial need.  For more information, contact Fran Blackney with the Clovis Chamber of Commerce at (559) 299-7363 or fran@clovischamber.com.

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All of the items in the Big Fresno Fair Museum, ranging from photographs to awards, have historical value.  Some were donated, and others purchased.  The gathering of the memorabilia took over two years, and since mid-March Big Fresno Fair CEO John Alkire spent weekends traveling in a truck hitting antique shops from Sacramento to Los Angeles and making contacts.

“It’s a combination of community support, donations, and having to go out and purchase the items,” Alkire said.

History comes alive when visitors are able to view poster-size photographs from Pop Laval’s collection with descriptive information, chronicling much of the fair’s past.  The first cotton candy machine, dating back to 1921, and the first popcorn machine from 1930 are also on display.  Perry Huffman, former artist for The Fresno Bee, generously donated much of his Big Fresno Fair drawings from his 33 years at the newspaper.  The oldest fair ribbon in the collection goes all the way back more than a hundred years ago to 1909.  Fair pennants from more than 100 years ago advertising can be seen as well.

One of the more unique items is an original Dogbone radiator cap, donated by the family of William “Bill” Vukovich, the Indianapolis 500 winner from 1953 and 1954.  Some of the objects in the museum let some viewers who previously unaware know that the horse racing track was at one time a wooden racing track, and that from 1942-1947 the fair was not held because the country was at war.  During some of that time, the fairgrounds served as a dispersal center for interned Japanese Americans.

The extensive collection is housed in the multi-purpose old board room behind the Paul Paul Theater on the fairgrounds.  Alkire said that in the future he might put the building on the midway and open it up year-round for school tours.  The structure was built in the 1940s, and donated by John O’Neill.

Fair management felt it was necessary to open the museum this year due to past fires that caused some scrapbooks and memorabilia to be destroyed.

“If we were going to do this museum we’d better do it now, and make sure that we really start to preserve and protect as quick as we can,” Alkire said.

Alkire says he knows of no other fair that has an extensive historical museum like The Big Fresno Fair now does.

“Really, more fairs ought to be doing it,” he said.  “It connects you with your community.”

Alkire said that when many people first heard that The Big Fresno Fair was opening a museum, they expected that for the first year the collection would include nothing more than a couple of programs and a small display of photographs.  Actually, the vintage items number to between 1,100 and 1,200.

“This is The Big Fresno Fair, we do things in a big way,” Alkire said.  “And if we can’t come out and do it in an aggressive manner and do it in a very professional manner we’re not going to do it.”

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Executive director of Susan G. Komen Central Valley Sharon Johnson accepted the proclamation with Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims.  Both women are breast cancer survivors, and Mims has been cancer-free for five years.

“It’s because of early detection that I did so well with my diagnosis,” Mims said.

Johnson said that Susan G. Komen Central Valley has received $2.8 million since 1999 for screenings and treatments.  Much of this money comes from the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, returning to the Fresno State campus on Oct. 26.  Johnson also mentioned that race registration and fundraising have also improved this year.

“I am so proud of our community,” she said.  “They’ve really stepped up to the plate.”

To register for the 2013 Komen Central Valley Race for the Cure, click the following link http://centralvalley.info-komen.org/site/TR/RacefortheCure/FRE_CentralValleyAffiliate?fr_id=3468&pg=entry.

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One of this year’s guests was Secretary Karen Ross with the California Department of Food and Agriculture, who was visiting the fair for the first time.  After Opening Ceremonies were over, Ross said she was looking forward to heading to the many agricultural and livestock exhibits, as well as those that are water-related.

“That is the topic of the century, and for us to grow the food that the world needs for our fast-growing population,” Ross said.

It is fitting that Ross visit The Big Fresno Fair, as it sits in Fresno County, the number one agricultural county in the state of California.  Ryan Jacobsen, CEO of the Fresno County Farm Bureau, also doubling as the ceremonies’ MC, said that in 2012 the county’s direct farm gate was $6.6 billion.

“We’re celebrating 130 years of the best of what Fresno County has to offer,” Jacobsen said.

One new exhibit that is sure to increase in popularity over the years is The Big Fresno Fair Museum, filled with items donated by the community from throughout the fair’s history.  During today’s ceremonies, it was announced that the museum would be donated to The Big Fresno Fair CEO John Alkire.

Sharon Johnson, executive director of Susan G. Komen for the Cure Central Valley (center) is this year’s Community Champions Award recipient in the Humanitarian category.

“I have huge respect for what the CEO’s of our fairs do,” Ross said.  “It’s obviously very challenging times for fairs, but having inspired, passionate leaders like John, who’s put together such a professional team, really shows me why this fair is so successful.”

Other new features this year are the Reptile House on the side of the stairwell leading up to the top of the Meyers Water & Wildlife Tree; the Discover the Dinosaurs exhibit with life-size replicas of dinosaurs; and the humorous Sea Lion Splash show.  New carnival rides are Vertigo, Big Top and the Ex-Scream Machine Coaster.

The Big Fresno Fair is also aiming to top last year’s record-breaking 76.5 tons of food gathered during the “Feed the Need” Community Food Drive.  The Big Fresno Fair, The Salvation Army and Community Food Bank have partnered the past four years to acquire 210.5 tons of food, an effort that gave The Big Fresno Fair its second Merrill Award from the Western Fairs Association in 2011.

For the past several years The Big Fresno Fair has made a tradition of honoring fair and community supporters with The Big Fresno Fair Hall of Fame and Community Champions Awards.  This year’s Community Champions Award recipient in the Humanitarian category was Sharon Johnson, executive director of Susan G. Komen for the Cure Central Valley.  Johnson is a two-time breast cancer survivor, and the work she does affects 23,000 women locally each year.

“It’s really an honor to be recognized by The Big Fresno Fair, and it really gives me an opportunity to recognize those that support me and love this cause,” Johnson said.

Below is a list of this year’s Big Fresno Fair Hall of Fame inductees and Community Champions Awards recipients.

Big Fresno Fair Hall of Fame 

Tim Bakman

Gary Nelson

Mike Fitzgerald

Robert Smittcamp

Marvin A. Meyers

Community Champions Awards 

Volunteer 

Teri and Ken Penfold

Educator 

David Lopes

Humanitarian 

Sharon Johnson

Special Award 

Al Smith

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Tutor Perini/Zachry/Parsons will be the joint venture design and construction team, while the firms of PGH Wong Engineering and Harris and Associates will handle management.  Morales said the California High-Speed Rail Authority formed the construction and design companies, which are world renowned in handling transportation endeavors.  Morales also mentioned that this is not just a typical transportation project, and some of the up to 250 transplanted employees are already spending money at local restaurants and hotspots.

“This office opening is a down payment on the economic development that can happen to the city, for the region, for the state,” Morales said.

Kate Borders, president and CEO of the Downtown Fresno Partnership, said she expects the new influx of people, particularly in the downtown area, will dine and shop at downtown establishments throughout the day and into the evening.

“That’s 250 people that carry with them the most important revitalization tool,” Borders said.  “You know what that is?  Your wallet.”

The presence of the new teams will also ring up new business for many entities that are already here.

“They also plan do as much business with local vendors and subcontractors as possible,” Eager said.  “The fact that they chose to locate their offices in downtown Fresno shows tremendous support for the city.”

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