GOOD NEWS. REAL NEWS. HOMETOWN NEWS.
SINCE 1889 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CXXXII, NO. VIII
THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2021
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CALIFORNIA MID-STATE FAIR
Junior Livestock Auction Far Surpasses Expectations
Paso Robles Main Street Association will host the annual Trading Day this year. File photo
Paso Robles, California: ‘Our Hometown’
By CAMILLE DeVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
By KARYL LAMMERS A Special to The Paso Robles Press
PASO ROBLES — Everybody loves Paso Robles; there is something for everyone right here. I have had the honor of meeting locals and visitors face to face for over 25 years in this city. The natural beauty of our area, this historic downtown, the wine country, and our culture keep us at the top of the list for “the most desirable places to live and visit in the world. As residents of Paso, we enjoy having the best air quality and demographics, as well as shopping, food, and commodities right at our fingertips. The majority of visitors do come for our wines, which are marketed around the world, but they end up falling in love with downtown and its welcoming, hometown feel. Our business owners are to be congratulated for that! We have independent owners of shops, restaurants, and wineries (the big box stores are on the outskirts of town). Actually, in most restaurants, the owners are also the chefs, and in the shops and wineries, the owners are at the counters most of the time. This accounts for our “friendly” atmosphere. There is a pride and camaraderie among merchants that is felt wherever you go. That hometown feeling, which nobody can take from you, is described as warmth, comfort, and well-being. Our hopes and prayers are that we never lose it!! When times are busy, Paso is busier than ever. We just came off a wild ride through May, June, and July. Now we’re in a calm, quiet time, with a light list of celebrations and events. Normally, August is the busiest month for vacations, just before school starts. As you know, we travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us. But, these are strange times because we have been in lockdown mode for over a year. For the past few months, we have been “On The Move.” They say, “you don’t know what you’ve
EVENT
PRJUSD Votes to Prohibit the Teaching of Critical Race Theory The District passed the ‘Let Them Breathe’ resolution regarding mask mandates
Annual trading day returns on August 21
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EDUCATION
The California Mid-State Fair Annual Heifer and Junior Livestock auction together broke the expected sales for the year’s auction brining in over $2 million. Photos by Brittany App
Over $2 million in sales made with half the usual amount of animals sold
held their heifer sale on Friday, Jul. 30, and junior livestock sale on Saturday, Jul. 31 for all 4H and FFA animals. Together, the sales made over $2 million—a great feat for By CAMILLE DeVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com having half the normal amount of animals up for sale. PASO ROBLES — The CaliJoAnn Switzer, the lady in fornia Mid-State Fair (CMSF) purple and Livestock Supervisor
for CMSF, said, “The community came out in big force, and the kids had so much fun at the fair. It was unbelievable to see how they were all laughing and playing games and all having a great time.” To put things in perspective, in 2019, the sales saw a total of 869 animals sold for a combined $2.1 million before add-ons.
“It was over the top amazing—Colleen and the team did an amazing job,” said Switzer. After the Sale of Champions, auctioneers announced they broke past the expected sales for this year’s auction. Molly Lacey sat with her CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
A FAMILY AFFAIR
Dusi Family’s Paper Street Vineyard Paso’s multi-generational farming clan navigate the many hurdles to turn the rough into a diamond
belief in the abandoned ranch, then devoid of water or power. Although back in 2013, when Mike acquired this 360-acre parcel, his family thought he had gone bonkers, Janell recalled with a laugh. For the Dusis, Paso’s multi-generational farming clan, it was a true family effort to navigate the many hurdles it took to turn the rough into a diamond. Over three years, Mike CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
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EDUCATION
Paso Robles multi-generational family set out on a new adventure to produce grapes on a rural vineyard with no known address, trusting the vision of Mike Dusi (right) and the grit of the Dusi family (Janell, left) and two principal customers. Photo by Mira Honeycutt
way 46 West as the crow flies. Leave it to Mike Dusi, Janell’s father, and third-generation Paso vintner, to venture into this unapproachable parcel where others would not dare. But for him, unreachable as it was, it was perfect. The veteran farmer saw a diamond in the rough. He recognized its potential. A perfect mix of steep hillsides and the limestone deposits, this is where great quality fruit comes from, Janell declared, echoing her father’s
GOVERNMENT
H.2. Resolution 21-27 A: Resolution of the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District prohibiting the teaching of Critical Race Theory
The Board has heard two hours of public input on CRT over the course of two meetings. During Tuesday’s meeting, they listened to a final 20 minutes of public input on CRT and made a final decision on a resolution to ban the teaching of it in PRJUSD schools. Eighty-two emails were received for public comment and are available online for the public to read. In-person public comment was heated and emotional at times, with comments in support of banning CRT and others against the ban. Some of those against the ban stated that CRT will eventually make its way into the school system and that those against the theory are contributing to “whitewashing” history. Those in favor of banning CRT expressed worries about CRT creating more division and marks white people as oppressors. Superintendent Curt Dubost made a comment before the Board’s discussion on the proposed resolution. He said, “Don’t we live in a great country that we can do this? That we can come together and have this
By MIRA HONEYCUTT A Special to The Paso Robles Press
long Kiler Canyon Road on Paso Robles’ west side lies an unmarked and seemingly abandoned narrow dirt road. If you turn onto this road by accident, you might find your car so hemmed in by the menacing forest. You might have to back up in reverse for half a mile. I know. It happened to me once. The second time I traveled down that road, though, I was expertly guided in a four-wheel-drive truck by winemaker Janell Dusi, owner of J. Dusi Wines, for this is the road that leads to Paper Street Vineyard. Few locals know of this vineyard. Winemakers do, or at least those who source fruit from this spectacular hillside vineyard that straddles the appellations of Willow Creek and Adelaide District. “We call it driving to Middle Earth,” quips Janell as we drive along the treacherous bumpy terrain. She is referring to the brooding landscape in “The Lords of the Rings” films. As her rugged truck snakes through the hardscrabble terrain, brittle calcareous rocks crumble off the hillsides as she dodges fallen tree logs, rocks, and piles of dirt. Although you feel like you’re miles from civilization, this woodsy pocket is no more than three miles from J. Dusi winery on High-
PASO ROBLES — Paso Robles Joint Unified School District (PRJUSD) made decisions on Tuesday night involving Critical Race Theory (CRT) and mask mandates upon returning to school. The Board made it clear that each individual will have three minutes to speak, and they will only hear 20 minutes worth of public comment per agenda item to ensure they get to all agenda items. First, with a 6-1 vote (Baker voting no), the Board approved a pool of architects and engineering services firms for future Measure M Bond projects. The Board approved these architectural firms: Nineteen-Six (19-6), PBK-WLC, IBI Inc., and DysonJanzen. District Staff will submit individual agreements/contracts on a project-by-project basis.
SUPERIOR COURT
WEATHER
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