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SINCE 1916 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CV, NO. XLV
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021
atascaderonews.com • $1.00 • WEEKLY
HOLIDAY
Veterans Day Celebration at Face of Freedom Veterans Memorial Paso Robles celebrates Veteran’s Day with drive-thru By CAMILLE DeVAUL & CHRISTIANNA MARKS
NORTH COUNTY — Friends and family all around North County took time on Nov. 11 to pay tribute to all our Nation’s veterans. In Atascadero, a crowd of close to 1,000 people gathered at the Face of Freedom Veterans Memorial to celebrate and honor the men and women who have fought for and served our country. For the second year, Paso Robles District Cemetary invited residents to drive around the cemetery grounds to view the traditional Avenue of Flags on Nov. 11. CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
In Atascadero, ceremonies led by KPRL’s Dick Mason started with a flyover by the Estrella Warbirds at exactly 11:00 a.m., followed promptly by the Presentation of Colors, accompanied by Central Coast Pipes and Drums. The crowd stayed on their feet as Lyra Stoltz, and Lucy Hope [members of the Atascadero Fine Arts Academy Honor Choir] stood in front of the Face of Freedom Memorial and gave a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem. “Why are we here? To remember the Veterans and remember what they have done for us. They have served so well. They’ve provided what we have today; peace and freedom in our land. Although it may be rugged at times, again they have served, they have sacrificed, and they have done so much,” said retired CDR (commander) David L. Brooks of the United States Navy Reserve (USNR), in his Invoca- Close to 1,000 people payed tribute to the Nation’s veterans at the Face of Freedom tion. “What a wonderful monument we have Veteran memorial in Atascadero. Photo by Christianna Marks
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Paso’s Garagiste Wine Festival Marks Tenth Anniversary Atascadero City Council celebrates the opening of the new Pickleball courts with a ribbon cutting on Saturday. Contributed photo
ATASCADERO — A crowd gathered at the new Pickleball Courts in Atascadero on the morning of Saturday, Nov. 13, for a ribbon cutting ceremony. The courts are the newest addition to the Colony Park Community Center on Traffic Way. Atascadero Pickleball Club President Barbara Sims cut the ribbon. To break in the four brand new
PREP SPORTS
HERITAGE
By CHRISTIANNA MARKS For the Atascadero News
NORTH COUNTY — Re-emerging with a bang after a year in quarantine, the Paso-based Garagiste Wine Festival returned to its home base to mark its tenth anniversary. The unique wine festival, a runaway success in the second decade of the 21st century, resumed its celebration of the maverick, artisan winemakers in its birthplace of Paso Robles, Nov. 12 through 14, featuring 50 small-production wineries from all over California although mostly from the Central Coast. “It’s good to see everyone; it’s been too long,” commented Bill Powell, the owner of Powell Mountain Cellars. “I’m a winemaker. I want to share. And I can’t do zoom.” His confession came at the Friday night Rare and Reserve Tasting. He was among two dozen winemakers at the Pavilion on the Lake in Atascadero, the kick-off event attended by some 150 Garagiste fans.
From left to right, Doug Minnick, Jason Haas and Stewart McLennan. Photo by Mira Honeycutt
By CHRISTIANNA MARKS For the Atascadero News
Board was asked to reconsider going forward until they have more input from the public
ball courts was held back due to COVID, but they’re finally here with the help of Atascadero City and the Atascadero Pickleball Club! The courts cost $250,000 in total, with the city providing $150,000 from Parkland Facilities Impact Fees, $60,000 from other sources, and the rest of the funding was all due to gifts and fundraising from the Pickleball Club. Also held on Saturday, Nov. 13, was the 16th annual Holiday Boutique. The Boutique is held every year at the Atascadero Pavilion on the Lake and is something that locals look forward to annually. The event was hosted outside this
EVENT
A Busy November For the City of Atascadero
pickleball courts, Sims and another member of the Atascadero Pickleball Club played the first game against Atascadero Mayor Heather Moreno and Atascadero City Counsel Member Charles Borbeau. “This has been a long time in coming. About two and half years ago, Barbara [Sims] and some of you came to the council and said, ‘hey, we would like some dedicated pickleball courts,’ because at the time were the courts inside of a gymnasium, and then of course, out here [there are] the basketball courts. And so in 2019, December of that year, we set aside some space here,” Atascadero Mayor, Heather Moreno. The building of the pickle-
Atascadero School Board Meeting Disrupted By Protest
ATASCADERO — A large crowd attended the Atascadero Unified School Districts board meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 16. The board continued to thank the community members in attendance as more and more people filed into the room. Fifteen minutes into the meeting, the crowd was asked by Board President George Shoemaker to obtain face coverings for the remainder of the meeting. “We will have to ask you to please wear a mask, and they are available. If people are not gonna be masked, we will have to take a recess. So I’d like to keep the public meeting order open. In Atascadero, we’ve done our best to maintain as much access as we can for all the public, but that requires a certain level of cooperation from everyone. If you’re not comfortable with a mask we have a room set up next door if you want to make public comment,” Shoemaker continued. A number of people in the crowd were there to protest mask and vaccine mandates, and 18 minutes into the meeting it was said that the room was going to be cleared due to non-compliance. Twenty minutes later, the board seemed to get back on track, but when they suggested that the crowd was there for a parade, it was brought up that it was not a parade but a protest. After more excitement, it was announced at 7:47 that the meeting would be adjourned virtually and return at 8:00 p.m. On its return, the board meeting got started with Student Representative Gabriela Pullen bringing us up to date on Atascadero High School news; where she announced that the boy’s water polo team won CIF with a score of 11 to 5! It was then suggested [in the interest of time] that item 12 be
CITY
Successful Holiday Boutique, pickleball court ribbon cutting, and fall festival!
EDUCATION
GOVERNMENT
The non-profit foundation’s Festival Scholarships support students in Cal Poly’s Wine and Viticulture Department By MIRA HONEYCUTT For the Atascadero News
WEEKLY FEATURE
WEATHER
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