Canyon Country Magazine April 2022

MAGAZINE APRIL 2022

SINCE 1919

A Polynesian Cultural Celebration Page 12

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2 · C A N YO N CO U N T R Y M AG A Z I N E

A P R I L 2022

A P R I L 2022

C A N YO N CO U N T R Y M AG A Z I N E · 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 Farmers Market Opens April 27 5 Bob’s Country Meats Reopens 6 Halfway House: Iconic After All These Years 7 Win Place Home: A Safe Haven for Retired Race Horses 8 Go! Santa Clarita Offers Local Ride Sharing 9 Solemint Junction was the Hub of Activity 10 Lakers Legend Visits Leona Cox 12 Celebrating the Polynesian Culture

4 Fresh vegetables, fruit and food

14 Get to Know Supervisor Kathryn Barger 16 Calendar — Much to do at the Canyon Country Community Center and Canyon Country Library 21 CC Residents Make University Honor Rolls

anyon ountry MAGAZINE APRIL 2022 | Vol. 1 | No. 3

5 new owner, same quality and pride

PUBLISHER

Richard Budman rbudman@signalscv.com (661) 287-5501

CANYON COUNTRY MAGAZINE EDITOR Doña Uhrig

SALES REPRESENTATIVES Maureen Daniels Jennifer Ramos Barbara Ward

A proud publication of

SINCE 1919

SignalSCV. com

The entire content of the Canyon Country Magazine is copyrighted 2022 by Paladin Multi-Media Group, Inc. All submitted letters and columns are strictly the opinions of the authors and not necessarily those of the publisher. All rights are reserved and no part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. If you would not like this delivered to your home, please call (661) 259-1000.

7 rehab for retired race horses

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A P R I L 2022

Canyon Country Farmers Market Opens April 27

By Alicia Doyle Signal Staff Writer

Wednesdays

“W

e are thrilled have a place in Canyon Country on Wednesdays where we can come together as a community for fresh produce, fun and food every week,” said Larry McClements, market manager.

A grand opening ribbon-cutting will take place at 4 p.m. on April 27 at the Canyon Country Community Center, located at 18410 Sierra Highway in Santa Clarita. The market will operate in the “Mercado” area adjacent to the community center’s park, picnic tables and play area.

“We will have a special celebration at that time followed by shopping for farm-direct produce and ready-to-eat food until 8 p.m.,” said McClements, adding that the market will be open every subsequent Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m. “This will be a year round market and open rain or shine.”

As a resident of Santa Clarita since 1985, “I made the discovery of our farmers markets about 20 years ago — I was shocked at the freshness of everything and the variety,” recalled McClements, adding that much of the produce sold in the supermarkets is two weeks to two months old.

On the other hand, “the produce you’re seeing at our market is 24 to 48 hours old.”

That’s because California’s farmers markets “are highly regulated by the State of California and L.A. County Agriculture — by law, everything in the market is being sold by the farmer who grew it, or one of their employees, and they can only sell what they have grown themselves.”

Everything sold at the farmers market is also seasonal. For instance, “citrus is a winter to spring crop, so you won’t find citrus during the summer, and you won’t find peaches in the winter,” McClements explained. “You’ll only find what is currently in season. But why would you want to eat anything out of season? A lot of produce, when it’s picked,

4 to 8 p.m.

CC Community Center

will lose over half of its nutritional value in a week.

So if you’re buying produce that’s several weeks old, it loses its nutritional value.”

Shoppers of the Old Town Newhall Farmers Market, which takes place on Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parking lot of the Old Town Newhall Library, will see some familiar farmers and food artisans at the new Canyon Country Farmers Market.

A wide range of offerings include olive oil, nuts and ranch-direct meats, as well as milk from a dairy farmer. Vendors include Westcoast Seafood, which has more than 40 years in the industry; Blue Ridge Honey of California, which provides several raw, local honey varieties; Harvest Gathering Farm,

which specializes in pasture-raised beef, pork, chicken and lamb; and Little’s Loaves & Boole’s, which offers artisan loaves, baguettes, English muffins and more. Additionally, Fiesta Taco Grill will bring refreshing aguas frescas, salsa and tacos; and Ray’s Trolley Stop will bring authentic New Orleans food.

For those who continue to struggle financially due to the pandemic, recipients of SNAP benefits – also known as pandemic EBT or CalFresh benefits – can use these funds to purchase food at the Canyon Country Farmers Market.

“You can utilize that to purchase market money,” McClements explained. “We also match dollar for dollar up to the first $10 in free money. So if you charge $10 on your EBT card, you get $20.”

And, “we manage ongoing produce donations to local low income seniors.”

Ultimately, “our focus will always be on supporting small businesses and bringing amazing and unique products to you,” he further emphasized.

The Canyon Country Farmers Market “is very much a community-thing…it’s a great place for people to come together and make new friends and visit existing friends. We try to make it a good time and place for people to come and have a great experience. Everything we have is local … and the benefit is that you’re getting produce and products that are fresher and better than you can get in supermarkets – and at the same time, you’re supporting our local small businesses.”

For more information, visit www.canyoncountry farmersmarket.com, m.facebook.com/Canyon CountryFarmersMarket/ or www.instagram.com/ canyoncountryfarmersmarket/ 

A P R I L 2022

C A N YO N CO U N T R Y M AG A Z I N E · 5

Bob’s Country Meats & Deli Reopens

New Ownership With the Same Quality, Service and Sense Of Community

By Jim Walker Signal Staff Writer

A

program from a 1978 SCV Boys & Girls Club charity auction, wherein Bob’s Country Meats has donated a steak and lobster dinner for two, confirms what longtime SCV residents have always known — Bob’s has been a touchstone for our valley for well-more than 40 years.

In 1992, Keith Mowry purchased the location from the original owner and became part of that touchstone legacy for many years. Regrettably, Mowry passed away last October.

After being closed for a few months, Bob’s Country Meats & Deli was purchased by Richard Schwartzberg, who had known Mowry for more than 30 years. Schwartzberg was in the same business, running Bob’s Market in Santa Monica for more than 20 years. He described that shop as a “similar operation.”

Bob’s Country Meats Owner Richard Schwartzberg enjoys waiting on customers, providing the finest meats and supporting the local community. PHOTO BY DAN WATSON / THE SIGNAL

Bob’s Country Meats & Deli in Canyon Country will now be Schwartzberg’s only focus, and he said, “We’ve been fully back open for about two weeks for dine-in, takeout or delivery.”

VINYL IS FINAL

Schwartzberg is very aware of what Bob’s has meant to Santa Clarita all these years, and the high standards of quality, service and “community” established there. He intends to match and even exceed those.

“I will carry on the traditions of supporting the local community and local businesses,” he said. “Like Keith, I enjoy waiting on customers, providing the finest meats out there, with an emphasis on special quality and good, old-fashioned service.”

“Bob’s is one of the few old-fashioned butcher shops in the area, and we will continue to offer beautiful gourmet meats, cut to order — something you won’t find at a supermarket,” Schwartzberg said.

“Keith and I were trained by the same people. Cutting meat is a bit like artwork, and we’ll have a little bit of Keith and what I do in the best of everything.”

See BOB’S MEATS, page 19

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A P R I L 2022

Halfway House — More Than a Century of Popularity

By Jim Walker Signal Staff Writer

W

ith its rustic dirt parking lot snugged up to Sierra Highway in the “wilds” of northeastern Canyon Country, the Halfway House has had a food focus for 116 years. That makes it the second-oldest business in Santa Clarita (the Signal newspaper is third-oldest!).

The Halfway House was first established as a trading post in 1906, “halfway” between the farmers of the Antelope Valley and the Los Angeles food markets. Members of the two groups could meet there and do business, with neither having to drive the full distance — which back then, was quite a journey. The Halfway House became a cafe in 1931, and has been pleasing folks from near and far with homestyle cooking and atmosphere since then.

Beyond that, the picturesque appearance and location of the cafe have made it a very popular location for film, television and advertising shoots for decades. The back of it’s menu highlights a number of these productions, including multiple television shows, such as “The A-Team,” “Knight Rider,” “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and “Gilmore Girls” — and movies such as “Heartbreak Ridge” and “Space Cowboys.”

Famous singer-songwriter Bob Dylan even creat-

PHOTO BY DAN WATSON / THE SIGNAL

ed an acrylic painting of the Halfway House Cafe in 2018 as part of his Beaten Path series. Another connection is that the song “One Headlight,” by Bob’s son Jacob Dylan and Jacob’s band The Wallflowers, is the soundtrack for a 2014 Geico motorcycle insurance commercial shot at the cafe. You can see the video at scvhistory.com/scvhistory/geicodiner 091114.htm.

Jacob Rondoni has been the manager of Halfway

House Cafe since 2019, and also serves as the site representative for filming. He feels the restaurant’s popularity goes well beyond the culinary and visual.

“It’s a combination of the food, history, atmosphere, employees and customers,” he said. “If you’re here when we’re full, you are probably going to make a friend or two.”

See HALFWAY HOUSE, page 18

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A P R I L 2022

C A N YO N CO U N T R Y M AG A Z I N E · 7

Win … Place … and Enjoying the Pasture at Home

By Sarah Sikandar Signal Staff Writer

I

n “Seabiscuit: An American Legend,” Laura Hillenbrand calls a thoroughbred racehorse, “one of God’s most impressive engines … His mind is impressed with a single command: ‘run.’ … In flight, he is nature’s ultimate wedding of form and purpose.”

A galloping glory, a race horse can exceed 50 mph, weighing half a ton, making strides with most of its body in midair, with a jockey on its back. Horse racing is an exhaustive sport, horse rearing a taxing job and C.J. Wilson knows it well. She is the founder and lead trainer at the nonprofit Win Place Home at Birtwick Park Equestrian Center in Canyon Country.

Raised among horses, Wilson’s childhood memories of her grandfather are intertwined with race horses. She doesn’t remember not being around horses.

Soft-spoken and beaming, Wilson’s short blonde hair glows in the morning sun as she walks around the stable in a dark blue zipper jacket inscribed with “Win Place Home.” She introduces each horse by name and personality. As she moves from one horse to another, they stride toward her, extending their muzzles for a quick hello.

Win Place Home is both a rehab center and a retirement home for thoroughbred race horses who cannot compete because of age, injury or sheer neglect. The nonprofit retrains and rehabilitates these horses with the goal of giving them homes and training them for off-track living. It also facilitates individuals and organizations interested in adopting or sponsoring these horses for purposes

C.J. Wilson with two of the horses at her retirement and rehab center. PHOTO BY SARAH SIKANDAR / THE SIGNAL

other than racing.

“We only take in thoroughbred race horses, who were born to run.

They’re bred to race at the track, and when they’re done with their racing career, they usually need help learning and in finding a good spot to land, and so that’s why we’re here to help them,” Wilson said.

The 4-acre property, about a mile from Highway 14, Win Place Home has everything a horse needs — stables with ample feed, riding arenas and a team of trainers and volunteers.

Since 2015, the team has helped almost 80 horses, and adopted out 55.

Most of the horses there are from either Santa Anita race track in Arcadia or Golden Gate race track in Albany.

Places like Win Place Home rescue horses from abuse, euthanasia and abandonment once they’re unable to race. The Humane Society of the United States reports that the largest numbers of animals who are abused in the U.S. include dogs, cats and horses. This is because of weak protection in state cruelty laws, also responsible for unreported animal

abuse. Win Place Home serves both as a sanctuary for abused horses, as well as a training school to help thoroughbred horses achieve their full potential through productive activities.

Horses that are not returning to the track call it their permanent home, Wilson says, standing next to Spongebill, a dark bay.

“He’s 23 and his old owners wanted him to retire and stay with us. They gave us grant money every year to keep him here for the rest of his life.”

Before they accept a horse, the organization makes sure they have the budget for it. While some horses stay for a short transitory period, many retired horses also need extended care, owing to injuries. Wilson says they make sure they have at least $15,000 available for one such horse who needs care in various capacities.

Training a race horse, especially those who have gone through trauma, is no easy feat. The transition from being a race horse to a riding horse entails many steps and takes time and proficiency. “It’s like teaching them a second language,” Wilson adds. “They

understand because they’ve been at the track, and they understand how to be ridden and how to ride. We have to shift their mind a bit and help them understand how to be ridden for their adoptive families. We do it step by step so that in their mind, it’s an easy transition.”

The step-by-step approach also means commitment and fortitude.

And Wilson is the right person for the job — she’s been riding for nearly four decades. Her body — having undergone multiple accidents over the years, including being stepped over, a dislocated hip and a broken shoulder — speaks of her grit.

Her determination to work with horses got Wilson her first job when she was 17 years old. She started out at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in 1997. At Santa Anita and Golden Gate tracks she found it hard to find someone willing to give a young woman a chance. “I went every morning trying to get a job and finally, after a month, a trainer said, ‘Come to my barn.’” She didn’t mind See HOME, page 20

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A P R I L 2022

Go! Santa Clarita Offers Alternate Ride-Sharing

S

anta Clarita Transit offers an alternate to national ride sharing apps for residents that may not be served by regular transit buses.

The on-call service provides users with the freedom and flexibility of traditional ride-sharing services with the added benefit of fixed rates and professional drivers.

“Designed with you in mind, the service helps people get to Santa Clarita bus stops, stations or the Metrolink rail. Whether you live in Fair Oaks, Canyon Country, Newhall or Needham Ranch, you can enjoy the on-demand service by simply using the mobile app TripShot to order your ride and get to where you are going,” says City Councilmember Cameron Smyth.

Residents get curb-to-curb service.

“We want to make sure that whether you are attending school, going to a doctor’s appointment or just going to grab a bite to eat, that you can do it easily and affordably. Stops provided by this service include key locations

Clarita estimates riders will be picked up within 15 minutes.

Availability

The service hours are Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sundays, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Service Areas

Go! Santa Clarita connects riders with key destinations, local businesses, transit centers and Metrolink stations throughout the City.

Wait Times

throughout our city, like College of the Canyons, Santa Clarita Child and Family Center, local Metrolink Stations and Old Town Newhall,” Smyth said. “This expanded service helps fill gap areas that regular Santa Clarita Transit routes don’t service.” Check the app to see what other locations are available.

Ordering a ride is simple. Download the TripShot app and then type in your location and request a ride.

The key is to make sure that both the location you are at and where you want to go are within the service areas. Then book your ride.

The app allows you to follow the progress of your driver. Go! Santa

Wait times can vary, but the object is to pick up riders within 15 minutes of a trip request. Once a request is made on the app, riders will get an estimate of the arrival time.

Cost

The regular fare is $2 per trip.

However, there is a reduce fair for qualifying riders. The fare can be paid in cash or by using a TAP card.

For more information, visit santa claritatransit.com/services/go-santaclarita 

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A P R I L 2022

C A N YO N CO U N T R Y M AG A Z I N E · 9

Solemint Junction: A Happening Place to Be

By Jo Ellen Rismanchi SCVHistory.com

S

olemint Junction was a landmark for people who traveled from Los Angeles to Las Vegas between 1938 and 1972.

Before 1963, the area that eventually came to be called “Canyon Country” was referred to as “Solemint,” representing the confluence of “Soledad” and “Mint” canyons. Solemint Junction was the center of the community, socially and economically. It was the heart and soul of the eastside and for many throughout the Santa Clarita Valley. The junction was the happening place to be.

At the southeast corner of Soledad Canyon Road and Sierra Highway stood the Solemint Store, opened in 1938 by Alfred Clark. A general store, it catered to the needs of local residents, particularly through the World War II years. Clark had connections that enabled him to provide black-market supplies such as black silk nylons, bubble gum, red meat

Solemint Store, opened in 1938 by Alfred Clark. The area Solemint eventually became Canyon Country.

and sugar. The store had a variety of dry goods, notions and collectibles — everything from canned foods and freshly butchered meat to nickknacks.

According to Mary Warmuth Sathre, “Clark was a character. He would have pictures up of funny things, like a girl with a hoe. He was comical.

He was a very nice guy.” Two men, named Harvey Hanson and “Ole” Olsen, bought out Clark around 1944.

Sathre recalls that the store actually began on one side of the junction and

switched sides. It is best remembered on the southeast corner.

Several movie stars are known to have stopped at this famous junction.

Letty Dyer Foote, a 16-year-old store clerk at the time, remembers waiting on Noah Beery, Jr. Another well-remembered “movie star sighting” at the junction occurred when Clark Gable came through for lunch with 20 or so of his pals, all of them riding motorcycles and all of them sporting fashionable leather jackets. Mary and Madelyn Warmuth were working for

Olive MacDougall at MacDougall’s, a restaurant that adjoined the original Solemint Store. Mary recalls, “I was just so busy and it was so much work I didn’t have time to look up. After they left, my sister Madelyn asked me if I recognized who I had just waited on. I said no. Who were they?” Mary said her sister asked her why she didn’t recognize Clark Gable. Gable and his group were on their way to weekend fun up at Tenopah.

Lifelong area resident George Starbuck recalls that the Solemint Store had a special cooler of ice delivered from the Union Ice Co. On hot summer days, Starbuck would hang out near the cooling tower, which provided some relief while he was sipping his Hires Root Beer Soda, poured from a spigot in the side of a large wooden barrel. Starbuck’s first professional job was as a dish washer in the store at age 12. “I think I lasted about a week doing that,” he said.

MacDougall’s restaurant was run by See SOLAMINT, page 16

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A P R I L 2022

Los Angeles Lakers legend and Hall of Fame NBA player James Worthy, center, poses for a photo with elementary students after speaking to them about life lessons at the outdoor auditorium at Leona Cox Community Elementary School . PHOTO BY CHRIS TORRES / THE SIGNAL

Lakers Legend James Worthy Visits Leona Cox

By Caleb Lunetta Signal Senior Staff Writer

F

ollowed by cheers and smiling faces wherever he went on campus, Los Angeles Lakers legend and NBA Hall of Famer James Worthy visited Leona Cox Community School recently to speak with students about the importance of working hard in school and respecting their elders.

Leona Cox teacher Melanie Elder, who knows Worthy from working weekends at a golf course he frequents, said she organized the special visit from the three-time NBA Champion specifically for her school — a designated Title I campus, meaning that low-income families make up more than 40% of enrollment.

Site staff said they hoped it would show students how someone like “Big Game James” could grow up in a lower-income neighborhood with bad influences all around him, but still rise on and become the success that he is today.

“We have a program at our school called ‘Capturing Kids Hearts,’ and it really focuses on being kind, polite, respectful and things like that,” said Elder. “And so, I just asked him one day: ‘Do you do anything where you come in and talk to kids about getting their act together, making sure

they’re preparing for the future?’”

“And he’s like, ‘Oh yeah,’” Elder recounted, adding that Worthy said he is regularly involved with the Boys and Girls Club of America. “And I asked, ‘Could you go to my school?’ and he said: ‘Sure.’”

After touring the classrooms so that students in the lower grades would get a chance to meet him, Worthy spoke to a fourth through sixth grade assembly, telling the upper grades that he grew up in a small town in North Carolina as a latch-key kid.

And one of the most important things he learned while growing up is that some people, including friends, want you to do things that may come back to bite you down the road.

But, the 1988 NBA Finals MVP said, learning to say the word “no” can make you powerful.

“Saying ‘no’ gives you power, you’re in charge … you don’t have to follow people who are not on the right track,” Worthy said. “You want to be around people who are doing the right thing and have the right goals.”

Worthy, a 6-feet-9-inch small forward who played with the Lakers 1982-1994 and now hosts the team’s postgame Spectrum Sportsnet show, stood head and shoulders over all who came to hear him speak during the special assembly. However, the students were all ears, taking in every

word said by the seven-time All Star, who instructed them on the importance of listening to their parents and prioritizing their education.

“I know it’s hard to hear parents always telling you what to do,” said Worthy. “But it’s only because parents already made the mistakes; we’ve already been down the bad road and so we’re just hoping and praying that you don’t do the same thing.”

Even though the visit was held on St. Patrick’s Day, purple and gold Lakers apparel appeared to be equally dominant, if not more so, to the traditional green clothing. One student, sixth grader Tristan Cardona, even pointed Worthy to his socks, which bore an image of him from his playing days, flying through the air for a finger roll layup.

“He was very personable with them,” said Elder after the visit. “It was great, and as far as living up to my expectations, it was above and beyond.”

During the assembly, Worthy took questions from students surrounding everything from what it was like to play with Michael Jordan, to his relationship with Kobe Bryant, and even if he still hated his old team’s arch rival, the Boston Celtics.

“I hated them,” Worthy joked. “I still hate them.”

Highlighting an interaction the school’s guest See WORTHY, page 13

A P R I L 2022

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A P R I L 2022

Celebrating the Polynesian Islands Culture

By Trevor Morgan Signal Staff Writer

T

he Canyon Country Community Center hosted one of its first community events since opening five months ago. And, it drew a crowd of an estimated 600.

The “Celebrate: Polynesian Islands” event is the first in a continuing series the community center will be hosting. The festivities are designed to highlight and bring awareness to the different cultures that make up Santa Clarita.

“It’s really geared toward showcasing the diversity we have here in Santa Clarita by featuring a different culture on the first Friday of every month,” said event coordinator Casey Miller. “We’re really looking to do that through music, through food, through dance, through art and activities and customs that you would experience if you were to visit that country or that place in the world.”

Guests entering the brand-new Community Center, were greeted by the Polynesian-inspired work of artist Susan Maddux.

Called “Remember the Stars Above the Ocean,” the exhibit features art that spans more than 20 years of Maddux’s career. Her art is largely drawn on her experiences growing up in Hawaii.

See POLYNESIA, page 15

Kayleen Leungwo, left, as “Moana” demonstrates palm weaving for Ximena Rodriguez at the Celebrate: Polynesian Islands event. PHOTO BY DAN WATSON / THE SIGNAL

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A P R I L 2022

C A N YO N CO U N T R Y M AG A Z I N E · 1 3

WORTHY

Continued from page 10

had with one of the students, Elder said a first grader she taught had been asking her all day when Worthy would arrive. The student, according to Elder, had lost both his parents in the last few years, but the former basketball player’s impending visit was something he could not help but continually smile about.

When Elder told Jason that Worthy had arrived, “he got up and ran across the room and threw his arms around (Worthy’s) waist, standing on his tippy toes, hugging him.

“It was the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen … it changed that kid’s life,” she said.

“He had humble beginnings, as well, and look where he is now,” said Leona Cox Principal Heather Drew minutes before Worthy walked into the assembly. “All that hard work comes to pay off and now he’s giving back to the community; I think we’re excited for the (students) to hear that and hopefully take some of that with them and move forward with it.”

After concluding his speech and taking photos or signing autographs with anyone who asked, Worthy gave one last goodbye to the students hopping on the bus to leave school for the day.

“Just wanted to keep it real,” said Worthy, when

Los Angeles Lakers legend and Hall of Fame NBA player James Worthy shares how he grew up in a small town in North Carolina and bad influences were abundant, but through hard work and perseverance he found success.

PHOTOS BY CHRIS TORRES / THE SIGNAL.

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1 4 · C A N YO N CO U N T R Y M AG A Z I N E

A P R I L 2022

Get to Know Your Los Angeles County Supervisor

By Supervisor Kathryn Barger 5th District, Los Angeles County

A

s your Los Angeles County Supervisor, I care deeply about the communities I serve. Every day, I pursue policies and programs that will make life in our neighborhoods stronger and safer. Because the County has such a far-reaching size and scope, I’d like to give you a clearer picture of what my job is and how I serve you as a resident of Canyon Country.

The Fifth District is Los Angeles County’s largest, spanning over 2,785 square miles, including 20 cities and 83 unincorporated communities in the Santa Clarita, San Fernando, San Gabriel, Crescenta, and Antelope Valleys.

I was born and raised in the Fifth District and my family has deep roots in public service. My own career at the County began more than 30 years ago.

I started as an intern and worked my way up to

At the 2021 Veterans Golf Tournament .PHOTO BY BOBBY BLOCK / THE SIGNAL

become Chief of Staff for former Supervisor Antonovich. I was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2016 and served as the Chair of the Board when the COVID-19 pandemic first hit our County in 2020.

My number one priority then and now is the safety and well-being of the constituents I represent. I work closely with other leaders on important issues that impact our lives, including addressing homelessness, increasing access to mental health services, strengthening our regional economy, and bolstering local business.

Building on my work from my time as chief policy advisor on health, mental health, social services, and children’s issues, I continue to advocate for services and programs to improve the quality of life for foster children, seniors, veterans, those with disabilities, and those with mental illness. I’m committed to keeping our neighborhoods and communities safe, working with law enforcement officials and community partners to implement vital public safety initiatives.

I am also committed to the environment and have spearheaded efforts to preserve open space and enhance parks, trails, and recreational programs and facilities, as well as libraries and after-school programs. I care about keeping communities connected and have led transportation initiatives to make public transit more timely, safe, affordable, and accessible. With a strong sense of fiscal responsibility, I’m dedicated to providing vital County services while protecting financial resources as a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars.

Every other Tuesday, we host our Board of Supervisors meetings to vote on pressing issues. I value your voice and invite you to tune in and speak on matters you care about most. Head to BOS.LACounty.gov to see what’s on the upcoming agenda and participate or listen in on the meeting. Thank you for sharing your perspective and advocating

for yourself and your family!

With all these exciting efforts underway, I’m eager to connect with you as my constituent. I’m here to link you with the services and resources you need to live in a safe, happy, and healthy community.

I invite you to stay updated on the latest efforts by connecting with my office. Head to KathrynBarger.LACounty.gov for community news. Stay in touch with me by signing up for my newsletter at KathrynBarger.LACounty.gov/newsletter and following me on social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

I also have a field office in the Santa Clarita Valley that is here to serve residents by connecting them to resources or answering their questions.

You can reach my local team at (661) 287-3657.

It’s my privilege to be your Los Angeles County Supervisor. Please don’t hesitate to reach out! 

With Sebastian Velona of Project Sebastian as Barger recognizes the group for its work battling Batten Disease. PHOTO BY BOBBY BLOCK / THE SIGNAL

A P R I L 2022

C A N YO N CO U N T R Y M AG A Z I N E · 1 5

POLYNESIA

Continued from page 12

“I think of the colors I use as very much like the colors of nature,” said Maddux. “I mean, they’re a little bit bright, but I also think that maybe that sort of like brightness aesthetic has to do with, again, the influence of Hawaii and living in Southern California.”

An artist at heart, Maddux worked in the textile industry for several years, which she says influenced the many tapestry pieces she had displayed. Those, and her other works, features bright color schemes influenced by the sunny places of her origins, but also a few pieces with a notable darker scheme.

Maddux said she painted the darker schemes “in 2002 in New York, which was a very dark time, quite frankly.

So I’m actually kind of surprised to see that as well, the palette. I guess you could attribute that to the time, you know, and the place.”

As guests walked out of the lobby with Maddux’s exhibition and out onto the event space, they were greet-

Dart

ed with the smell of heaps of roasted pork being chopped up in front of them. The event also featured several food trucks delivering Hawaiian and other Polynesian-inspired dishes that contributed to the sweet and savory smell in the air.

Pop-up tents were lined up in two rows that led to a stage, where different music and dance from a variety of Polynesian cultures, including Hawaiian and Tahitian, were being performed.

The tents provided both educational and entertaining activities and displays including the history of tiki masks, palm weaving demonstrations, lei making, Maori tattoos and a hands-on exhibit of the instrument ipu heke.

Ipu heke is a percussion instrument, used in the performances at the event, that is made from two gourds lashed together with tree sap.

The ipu heke used in the event’s performances were hand-made by John Escobar. Escobar, who began making the instruments a few years ago, said that both the ipu heke and

the Polynesian dances associated with them are a great way for people to get to know the culture.

“I feel like a lot of people need to know the history and culture of Polynesia,” said Escobar. “It’s always good to show their customs and what they have to give to people. It’s a cultural thing, you know. I mean, if you’ve never been to Hawaii or any of the other islands it’s good to educate yourself based on dance.”

Gladys Farrell, who leads the Kala Ke Ke Pacific Island dance company that performed at the event, said when these instruments are made, the player chooses the gourds of which an ipu heke will be made out of. Farrell describes the act as “a spiritual experience” and that “hula is an extension of yourself.”

The dance company performed dances from a few different Polynesian cultures, which may be hard to initially distinguish but Escobar says there’s a clear difference.

“Hula is more gentle, Tahitian is more exotic,” said Escobar. “That’s the big difference. Hula dancers are, like,

fully clothed, Tahitian gals show a lot of meat.”

Farrell also expressed that dance was a great way to connect not just with Santa Claritans, but with her own community.

“I think it’s great that Santa Clarita is highlighting the Polynesian people, because I know they’re out there.

We just don’t know where they are. So this is really good,” said Farrell.

Kin Farrel, Farrell’s husband who leads the dance group as well, was also satisfied with how the event went and said that anytime a festival like this is organized, people turn out.

“Oh, it’s awesome. It’s an honor and we really appreciate it, being out here for so long. It’s really honoring us as well. So we put on a Pacific Islander festival and Santa Clarita always shows up.”

The next “Celebrate” event at the Canyon County Community Center is scheduled Friday, May 6, and will feature the cultures of Santa Clarita’s international sister cities. 

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Continued from page 9

C.M. MacDougall and his wife, Olive.

After C.M. MacDougall was appointed judge of the Newhall Municipal Court in the early 1950s, he turned over the restaurant to his nephew, Dick Cone, who with his wife Ruth renamed it the Solemint Café. It was a very popular place to hang out.

Whenever the door opened, everyone at the counter turned around to see who was coming in. The hamburger and french-fry fare was always very good. There were also two or three tables to sit at. While customers were munching down their burgers, they could wash them down with a cold beer. People parked their horses outside in front of the establishment.

Sathre recalls trying to wait on three bus loads of soldiers who all stopped in for burgers and fries.

The junction had no traffic signals — just a four-way stop. In fact, local residents clamored for a signal at the junction and it wasn’t until Mr. Vickers was killed that the signal See JUNCTION, page 22

Former “Dallas” Star Lists Sand Canyon Home

By Trevor Morgan Signal Staff Writer

L

ongtime Santa Clarita resident and former “Dallas” star Linda Gray recently listed her home on Knochaven Street in Canyon Country for just under $3 million.

Gray, now 81, has lived at the 4,800-squarefoot Sand Canyon property dubbed “Oak Tree Ranch” for nearly 50 years. The property holds five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a guest house and features stables and a barn in the backyard. There also is a spa, pool and a professional chef-style kitchen.

“I’ve been here for 50 … years and I’ve loved every moment of it,” said Gray in a promotional video for the house. “I adored it here, it’s an oasis.”

The western-style house was designed by architect A. Quincy Jones, who was working on the Warner Brothers Records building in Burbank when he was approached by then Warner Brothers Art Director Ed Thrasher, who is Gray’s husband.

Gray said when Thrasher first took her to the property in an area that she said “no one knew about,” she was initially oblivious to the plans her husband had. Gray no doubt had a say in how the house was designed, howev-

HOUSE PHOTO COURTESY REALTOR.COM. INSET PHOTO COURTESY IMDB

er, requesting multiple fireplaces and large columns of exposed oak tree “hearts,” which is the inner section of the tree.

Gray rose to fame playing Sue Ellen Ewing in the hit show “Dallas” for more than 10 years. It garnered her one Emmy and two Golden Globe nominations.

Gray has not specified the reason for selling the home where she’s lived for half a century, and the property is still currently up for sale. 

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C A N YO N CO U N T R Y M AG A Z I N E · 1 7

CALENDAR Canyon Country Community Center Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Celebrate First Friday May 6 Sister Cities Philippines, Ecuador, Japan, China Enroll now through Seasons

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Tue. May 17 This FREE program is an opportunity for adults to bring in their handheld digital devices (smart phones, laptops, tablets) and learn tips for using them and navigating the applications that go with them!

KIDS DROP-N-PLAY Kids 5-12 Saturdays

10 a.m. - 2 p.m. FREE Drop in and enjoy structured play and fun activities. Outside activites, organized play, art and crafts, group games and more.

Senior Hour (50+) Saturdays 9:30 - 11 a.m. FREE Spend time with friends doing activities designed for mature adults

CANYON COUNTRY LIBRARY PROGRAMS April 15

3:30 p.m. Teen Hangout

9:30 a.m. Sidewark Stories (Bilingual) 4 p.m.

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Weekend Fun Pencil-Me-In Adults and Seniors. Bring your Journals or Planners

April 25 6:00 p.m. Betterment Through Books Adults and Seniors

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3:30 p.m. Homework Help 3:30 p.m. Teen Hangout

April 27 6:00 p.m. DIY Miniature Koi Ponds Adults and Seniors

April 28 3:30 p.m. Homework Help

May 5 6:30 p.m. Club de Mujeres Latinas en Literatura Adults and Seniors

May 6 4:30 p.m. Teen Advisory Board meeting

May 7 through May 14 Friends of the Library Bag Sale

May 23 6:00 p.m. Betterment Through Books Adults and Seniors

May 29 - 30 LIBRARY CLOSED

1 8 · C A N YO N CO U N T R Y M AG A Z I N E

A P R I L 2022

HALFWAY HOUSE

Continued from page 6

Rondoni took over operation of the cafe from his mother, Sally Lima. She had started waitressing there in 1999, progressing to managerial duties.

Bob Lima purchased the restaurant in 1992, and sometime after Sally began working there, they started dating. They were married in 2015.

“Bob is a true entrepreneur,” Rondoni said, “and has one of the biggest can-do attitudes ever. He loves a challenge.” Bob and Sally owned and operated the cafe together after that, until Bob’s declining health required Sally’s care at home.

Rondoni notes that when he took over, he only had to manage the restaurant, not the employees.

Many of them have been there for years, in particular the head cook, Sanchez, who has worked there since 1993.

“They all know what they are doing,” Rondoni said. “I try to stay out of the kitchen. Our customers would appreciate that,” he quipped. And he added, “Our employees know our regular customers by name, what they eat and drink. When they see them drive up, they start preparing their favorites.”

“Our customers are a big part of the Halfway House Cafe,” he added. “They are some of the nicest, most supportive people. We have a lot of regulars, but also a lot of visitors who have seen us on television or commercials. In fact, we had three ladies from Denmark come in who had heard of us

PHOTO BY DAN WATSON / THE SIGNAL

and made sure to visit us as part of their US trip.”

Now nearly completely back to normal after Covid shutdowns and restrictions, which Rondoni says created a number of difficulties for profitable operation, the Halfway House Cafe is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. He said that breakfast is the most popular meal for customers.

“We offer homestyle cooking, nothing overly fancy,” he said. “Our French toast is very popular, as are our bacon and coffee. And, I can’t change brands of either. People really love our coffee — nice and strong.” And he dares not change the corned beef hash, which comes out of a can. “People have learned to expect their hash that way. A

fresh-made hash wouldn’t be the same.”

Lunch at the cafe can also be busy at times. “I love our club sandwich and the tuna melt,” Rondoni said. “The western bacon cheeseburger is the most popular lunch item, and people also love the patty melts.”

The cafe has a surprisingly wide selection of both breakfast and lunch offerings, and there should be several somethings to suit your preferences.

For more information, visit www.thehalfwayhouse cafe.com/ or call (661) 251-0102. The Halfway House Cafe is located at 15564 Sierra Highway, Santa Clarita 91390. 

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A P R I L 2022

C A N YO N CO U N T R Y M AG A Z I N E · 1 9

BOB’S MEATS

Continued from page 5

He emphasized that all meats are hand-trimmed, and seasoned to your choice with either the rub Mowry created or Schwartzberg’s own. “It’s ready to put on the grill. You might pay a little more, but you get a whole lot more,” Schwartzberg said.

“Something you won’t get elsewhere.”

Also carrying on tradition, Schwartzberg said you will recognize several of the staff members.

“Some of the same folks that worked for Keith will be back. They know the customers and will provide that good, old-time feel.”

And though you will see things have been spruced up a bit, the general look and layout of Bob’s will remain the same, he said. There are still dining tables inside and outside. “People can listen to country music while they eat,” he said.

One special tradition that won’t change is the daily outdoor mesquite barbecue of tri-tip, chicken and ribs, wafting its heavenly smell around Canyon Country, and enticing eager customers in for a hotoff-the grill lunch.

“Our menu will be pretty much the same as Keith’s, with a few more barbecue-related items,” Schwartzberg said. “These might eventually include Italian sausage, grilled corn on a stick and other goodies. We’ll have a good mix. I think

people will love it.”

Along with all your barbecue favorites, there will be a selection of salads, and the deli counter will still feature Boar’s Head lunch meats, sliced to order for sandwiches. And then, of course, there’s the exclusive meat case.

“It will have everything from ground beef and pork, all the way to prime tomahawk steak,” Schwartzberg said. And, those of you who liked to get your holiday meats at Bob’s will find that tradition continues. “We will have fresh turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as all of the traditional holiday meats, such as prime ribs and hams.”

The deli will offer a great selection of soft drinks, including classics you won’t find elsewhere, such as old-fashioned Boylan craft soda in glass bottles.

“There will be flavors kids like, such as Shirley Temple and grape,” Schwartzberg said. “We’ll have Wise potato chips, Tastykake products and other specialty foods.”

Schwartzberg said he hopes loyal Bob’s customers and new friends will come in and give his operation a try. “Once in, I know they’ll come back. It’s really going to be nice,” he said. “Quality meets service at Bob’s Country Meats & Deli.”

In addition to dining in the deli or picking up your own orders, you can order food delivered

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Jonny Basilo prepares a tray of baby back ribs and tritip for the grill. PHOTO BY DAN WATSON / THE SIGNAL

from Bob’s via WeGo, with DoorDash and Grubhub expected to be onboard soon.

The Bob’s Country Meats & Deli website is www.

BobsCountryMeats.com, but it is very basic and under construction. For up-to-date information and to make food orders, call (661) 251-5995. The restaurant/deli is located at 19012 Soledad Canyon Road, Santa Clarita 91351. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week. 

2 0 · C A N YO N CO U N T R Y M AG A Z I N E

A P R I L 2022

HOME

Continued from page 7

doing little things for him and in two weeks, she was his assistant trainer.

In her 10 years on the track, she has done it all — looking after horses, training them, picking out races and jockeys for them.

In short, Wilson knows her horses.

Starting a nonprofit for abandoned and mistreated horses posed a challenge. Even after she registered for Win Place Home in 2015 with her first horse, it took her one whole year to raise enough money for a second horse. Today, Wilson is proud of what she has achieved. She, and her team of volunteers and helpers, start their day at 7 a.m., working round the clock catering to each horse’s specific needs. A board with a schedule is constantly updated to maintain a timetable.

Even the basics, Wilson says, like grooming and brushing, are opportunities for these horses to learn. “Even if we’ve been bringing them out to

Dozer (Mr Vargas)

Luthien (Teresa’s Bet)

Nessa (Kobe In Motion)

groom and brush, that’s a learning opportunity for them to learn how to stand and how not to paw. No matter what stage they’re at, we’re always trying to make them a better horse, every day.”

Horses have maintained a grip over human imagination forever – mythol-

ogy, wars, adventures, and pioneering, and pop culture (Shania Twain and Beyonce have famously used thoroughbreds for their videos). But once these glorious animals are past their heyday, they’re left on their own and that’s where charities like Win Place Home come in.

Wilson has said goodbye to many horses over the years who found homes. “I look at it as not saying goodbye for forever. It’s like they’re going off to college. I want them to go and be successful and make good choices.” 

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A P R I L 2022

C A N YO N CO U N T R Y M AG A Z I N E · 2 1

CC Residents Make University Honor Rolls

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Hannah M. Weideman, majoring in Biology.

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A P R I L 2022

JUNCTION

Continued from page 16

was installed. Sathre estimates that the signal was installed in about 1934 or 1935. She and her sister had fond memories of Mr. Vickers and picking 100 pounds of cherries so he could make a special wine.

“Boy, we worked hard picking those cherries,” said Sathre, laughing about the adventure. The Solemint Store had everything and people would even drive out from L.A. to buy something special at the store.

Melba Fisher worked at the store for about a year earning $1 an hour. The junction was a large employer in the valley at that time. If the store didn’t have exactly what the customers wanted, it took special orders and would bring in the merchandise.

Fisher lived close enough to the store to walk to work about the time that her son George Starbuck was 15.

On the expanding corner, Dan Bledsoe’s Texaco station and the Log Cabin Motel were added. After a fire ravaged the Texaco station, Standard Oil Co. leased the property and built a new service station, known from 1976 to 1982 as Chuck Morey’s Chevron (Standard Oil was renamed Chevron USA in 1977). Faced with declining retail gasoline sales, Chevron sold its lease rights and the purchasers turned the property into a retail complex.

Les’s Crossroads Tavern stood at the southwest corner of the junction. Owned by Les Shank, the beer bar served families and entertained its guests with shuffleboard tournaments. Next to the bar was the Signal Oil Gas Station, owned by Bill Oren.

Directly behind the station was a restaurant run by Mr. and Mrs. Dempiwolf. She cooked and the old man waited on the people. It is not completely clear but Tom Cox ran a service station on the same corner. It is possible that Mr. Cox was a predecessor owner to Bill Oren, but since some of the older records and community memories are incomplete or unclear, it has not been confirmed exactly which service station belonged to Mr. Cox. According to Melba Fisher, cowboys used to ride their horses up and leave them in front of the bar.

One particular cowboy Fisher recalls was named Baker (his last name). He worked for the Fisher family in the 1940s. He would ride his horse, “Sleepy,” up to the restaurant-bar. While Baker was inside taking advantage of the Village Inn’s hospitality, Sleepy would stand in front, untied at mute attention waiting to take Baker on the cowboy’s long ride home. Sathre couldn’t recall any horses at the front of the junction. She said they may have been tied on the side of buildings, but the junction itself was too busy for horses.

The northwest corner in February 1947 saw Azel and Daisy Watkins become the proud and hard-working owners of a restaurant following the retirement of its original owners (their names, and the business name, are unknown). The Watkins renamed their eatery the Mint Canyon Café. The couple ran the diner for only few years.

In the mid-1950s a new store, Dillenbeck Market,

Solemint Store on Sierra Highway just south of intersection of Sierra Highway and Soledad Canyon Road, circa 1940s. Also shown is Johnny Perry’s Chevron gas station.

opened just north of the junction’s northwest corner. It soon became the community’s preferred provider of groceries and sundries. The old Solemint Store suffered, ultimately folding in the mid-1960s.

In like fashion, Dillenbeck Market eventually started to decline when a competing shopping center opened at Whites Canyon and Soledad Canyon roads. Eastside residents now had a new Safeway Store in the mid- to late 1960s.

But in its early years, Dillenbeck Market was the only local grocery store on the east side of the Santa Clarita Valley to serve residents of the only housing tract on the east side — North Oaks, which started construction in 1961. Dillenbeck served the area until about 1970 when owner Charlie Dillenbeck sold the store and moved to Parker, Ariz. The Dillenbeck building was eventually abandoned and it fell into disrepair; neglect and fire were ultimately outdone in the mid-1990s by a wrecking ball.

The war years saw another restaurant at the northeast corner of the junction: Redwood Village, owned by Irene Ferris Ahlheim. She took over the restaurant in 1948 from Jack Lycett, who had leased the property and had run the Red Barn with his wife, who was in the film industry. The Redwood Village was a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week operation, where oil workers and their families were fed from 1948 until 1957. Full breakfasts and complete dinners were served. Staffing the restaurant was a difficult chore because, Ahlheim said, “You just couldn’t get help in those days.”

She paid her head waitress $1.50 an hour, a good wage for the time. The restaurant served beer only to patrons who ordered a meal. The restaurant made a profit of about $15 a shift or $45 a day, and more on weekends — a small but tidy sum. Ahlheim bought the home she lives in today, through her hard work in those diner days. By 1951 she had enough for her down payment. She still lives up the

Alfred L. Clark

canyon some call “Mint.”

Ahlheim also recalls when Paramount Studios used her restaurant in the 1955 William Wyler thriller, “The Desperate Hours,” starring Humphrey Bogart and Fredric March. Not long ago, Ahleim caught the movie on television and she remembered the thrill of seeing her restaurant preserved on film. The camera showed that the restaurant was framed by a glass front and redwood-paneled walls on the sides and back.

Ahlheim’s daughter, Rita Ferris, stirred with excitement at age 16 or 17 when Liberace made a stop at the diner on his way to Las Vegas. Ferris was taking piano lessons at the time, and her encounter with Liberace was like meeting an god. Ferris was quick to collect Liberace’s autograph.

Next to the restaurant was the Ranch House Bar. According to Irene Ferris Ahlheim, in 1957 a blaze erupted behind her restaurant and burned down both structures. It is believed the fire was started deliberately by a disgruntled patron who had been refused service, but after investigation, the arsonist was never caught. Insurance covered the losses for the Redwood Village Restaurant and the Ranch House Bar. Down from the Redwood Village Restaurant, where the Canyon Country Fire Station and a trailer park stand today, was a neighborhood park called “Cowboy Park.” Country-Western singer Cliffie Stone often performed there with other famous singers on weekends during special community events. While musicians like Stone were strumming and singing, local square dancers were kicking up their heels in checkered skirts and blue jeans. The junction was a happening place to be. 