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Fifty Years of the Banana Club
Fifty Years for THE BANANA CLUB!
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THE INTERNATIONAL BANANA CLUB celebrates its FIFTIETH year in 2022! See the web site at BananaClub.com for history and events through the years. This is an amazing feat considering the clubs purpose is to just keep everyone smiling, get more attention and stay in good health. Back in 1972, the self proclaimed Top Banana Ken Bannister, started the bunch by simply handing out Chiquita Banana stickers at photographic trade shows to affix to I D badges . His secretary gave him a 10,000 count roll of Chiquita banana stickers that her Stevedore husband gave her. He carried that roll of stickers in his briefcase to trade shows and assured all those attendees that they would get more attention and discounts if they simply put that sticker on their person and smiled while asking politely. He also offered everyone an opportunity to get either a M.B. (Master of Bananistry) degree or a PhB (Doctor of Bananistry degree) by simply sending things in good taste to do with bananas to him at his office in Southern CA. He offered them B.M.’s (Banana Merits) for all contributions and members kept track. Before long, the “Banana Man” (as he became known) Ken had to rent a storefront in his hometown of Altadena, CA to display all the banana submissions which became known around the world as the International Banana Club Museum. Items totaled over 17,000 and was a site to see at this location for over 35 years, then to Hesperia, CA. It was a Guinness Book record and documented in the 2005 Golden Anniversary edition. The Club and Museum has been featured on over 100 TV shows around the world and Ken and the collection were featured and included in all major newspapers and magazines around the world via 12 press agencies. T.B. Ken was a feature guest of Jay Leno on the Tonight show and featured in People magazine. With some 35,000 card carrying members in 27 different countries, the club goes on! Over the years, the club conducted successful, fun B.C. Picnic and Games, we marched in parades from the first Doo Dah in Pasadena to the Fulton Kentucky Banana Festival. T.B. Ken gave lectures across the U.S. as as President of a photo manufacturing company and always included the many health benefits of bananas and benefits of being a member of the club. All this and just for fun at no profit. See the BananaClub.com web site.
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Open House – 12 noon – 2pm
THE SIGN CEREMONY AND OPEN HOUSE at the Victor Valley Animal Protective League, the newest site to be added to the Apple Valley Historic Points of Interest booklet, will take place Thurs. May 12 from noon until 2:00. The public is invited to see this historic building, and learn about the worthwhile non-profit organization started in 1958 by Dorothy Thomas, the wife of opera singer John Charles Thomas. Thomas operated the KAVR radio station, which broadcast out of the Apple Valley Inn. Original contributors to the VVAPL, who pledged either $5 per year or made a $100 lifetime membership donation, received a genuine 12 inch long-playing Hi Fidelity John Charles Thomas collectors record, a “fine masterpiece of favorite songs and music” The May 12 ceremony will include refreshments and tours of the facility.
After the Pandemic: Creating Better Communities
By Olivia Karapanian
AS A RELATIVELY NEW RESIDENT TO THE HIGH DESERT, after relocating from Los Angeles I was a bit disappointed by how few family-friendly activities are available for us to enjoy. The pandemic only magnified the disparity. As we begin to open up and gather, I wish to amplify the necessity of healthy activities that contribute to overall wellness of individuals and the community.
As reported in a study by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, “Adults during COVID-19 reported high levels of alcohol consumption, with those who reported high levels of impact from COVID-19 reporting significantly more than participants who were not as impacted by COVID-19. Additionally, participants reported perceived increases in their current alcohol intake compared to pre-COVID-19.”
From a mental health aspect, it is imperative that the community provide social supports through family-friendly activities and events. I have observed more than one local event marketed to the public as family-friendly where alcohol use was also promoted.
Unfortunately, after the last two years of unprecedented isolation, stress and anxiety, mental health issues have been magnified and many people have difficulties re-assimilating back into regular activities of daily living. According to the National Institute of Health’s 2020 Monitoring the Future Survey, 55.3% of high school seniors used alcohol in the past year. Results of the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), demonstrated that in 2019, more than 1 in 4 people ages 18 or older reported that they engaged in binge drinking in the past month. For some young people, the trends are becoming even more alarming. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), for at least the past two decades, boys and young men were more likely to drink alcohol than girls and young women. However, data now show that females ages 12 to 20, are drinking more alcohol than their male counterparts. Because of the association between underage drinking and mental health conditions, young women need strong underage drinking prevention and mental health support. According to the Centers for Disease Control, there is a relationship between youth and adult drinking in communities. Children are likely to be familiar with adults’ drinking behaviors. This can result in alcohol being normalized before they reach legal drinking age. Additionally, teens may imitate their parents’ behaviors, for example by drinking alcohol to have fun. Research shows that parents’ drinking behaviors influence when youth start to drink and how much. By modeling behaviors like drinking at social events, parents can unknowingly reinforce youth attitudes toward alcohol. I appreciate the organizations who take steps to adhere to ABC regulations and keep their events as safe as possible. Alcohol consumption is an adult activity, and I would like to see these events limited to adults. As a clinician, the implication of alcohol use and abuse can be detrimental to children and communities if we do not consider the consequences. I urge our community to encourage events that are healthy and family-friendly in order to provide a safe environment for residents of all ages and backgrounds. Olivia Karapanian is a member of the High Desert Community Coalition. She is currently a clinician in private practice with a history of working with military veterans and their families, developmentally disabled, and foster families.
Eagle Real Estate Group
closes $17,500,000 deal to develop affordable Senior Housing in San Bernardino County
NEWPORT BEACH, CA - ON FEBRUARY 1ST, 2022, EAGLE HESPERIA 55 II LP issued approximately $12,000,000 taxable bonds to help finance a 96-unit affordable seniors community in Hesperia, CA. The taxable bonds are backed letters of credit issued by Cathay Bank and the Federal Home Loan
Bank. Additionally, the County of San Bernardino made a $5,500,000 residual receipts loan participating in the affordable project. Developed, owned and managed by Eagle Real Estate Group, the community will provide resort style housing for low and moderated income seniors.
Supervisor Paul Cook, who supervises the 1st district where the community will be built, was the primary proponent and sponsor of the County loan to the developer.
“I’m proud to back affordable senior housing supplying needed product to the residents in my district at unprecedently low development costs” stated Supervisor Cook.
“Supervisor Cook recognized our vision of building affordable housing in San Bernardino County all the way back to when he was in the US Congress” said Randy Friend,
Founder of Eagle Real Estate Group. “We at Cathay Bank are excited to support San Bernardino County’s and Eagle
Real Estate Group’s vision to provide affordable housing for our seniors. We hope to continue collaboration in future developments that will benefit the community” said Kirk
Malmrose, Cathay Bank’s EVP Director of Commercial Real Estate and Construction Lending. The fully gated and fenced property offers elevators in all residential buildings, security cameras throughout, and provides amenities imparting a strong sense of community. Residents will enjoy activities in a spacious 2,816 square foot clubhouse decorated with historical photographs of Hesperia, complete with kitchen facilities and a fitness center. The amenity-rich Eagle Villas, a 55+ Community also features a lap pool, jacuzzi, barbeques, outdoor seating, raised bed planters for gardening and a dog park. Individual apartment homes include full sized washer and dryers, refrigerators, microwaves, private patios/balconies and ceiling fans. Eagle Villas in Hesperia is the second phase replicating Eagle’s highly successful Santa Barbara Mission Style 55+ independent living communities in Colton, Yucaipa and Hesperia. “Expanding our Eagle brand back into Hesperia with its continuing growth provides the potential to develop long-term community relationships and future opportunities to serve the Inland Empire seniors,” said Friend. “We are so proud to close this inaugural deal with the County and Cathay” said Friend’s partner Wyn Holmes. The County and Eagle will host a groundbreaking ceremony on April 21, 2022.
