Yesteryears 2021

YESTERYEARS

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YESTER

PUBLISHER

YEARS

Hank Vander Veen EDITOR Kristina H. Hacker

C O N T E N T S

ART DIRECTOR Harold L. George

TURLOCK GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB................................ 6

DESIGN Sharon R. Hoffman

WATERMELON CAPITAL................................................ 8

ADVERTISING

CALAFIA..................................................................... 10

Beth Flanagan Charles Webber

ENTERPRISE BLOCK..................................................... 12

WRITERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS Angelina Martin

TURLOCK IN THE OLD WEST....................................... 13

Sabra Stafford

OLDE TYME PASTRIES.................................................. 14

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RATING

Turlock Golf and Country Club:

Connecting with the community for nearly a century

BY ANGELINA MARTIN

For close to 100 years, Turlock Golf and Country Club has stood as one of the most interesting and challenging courses in the Central Valley. The club is not only one of the oldest golf courses in the area, but also one of the most respected thanks to its neat greens, friendly atmosphere and connection to the Turlock community.

The course opened in 1924 and has stood the test of time thanks in part to its unique layout, which features 57 bunkers and water features that come into play on five holes. In addition, all 18 holes now feature freshly-planted Hybrid Bermuda turf, which stays green longer in addition to providing an excellent playing surface, as well as new greens and bunkers throughout the course.

“We are the one private golf and country club in Turlock. A lot of our members are from the local area, and they really support their club. They enjoy be-

ing here. It’s a fun place to be,” TGCC general manager Rich Haworth said.

“It’s tough to quantify having such an amazing property and golf course in the condition it’s in. To have that available to the community is outstanding.”

The club invites players to improve both their golf game and their social life courtesy of the clubhouse — a gathering place for events of all shapes and sizes, from wedding receptions and birthday parties to business seminars or work meetings. Over the decades, countless couples have exchanged vows on the course often and many a fundraiser has been hosted on the links.

Haworth, who took over as GM of the course this past October, said that one of his goals post-COVID is to become even more involved in the community.

“It’s clear that there’s been a deep fabric woven with the community over the last 97 years,” he said.

Events like the course’s Summer Fest concert, which raises money for local charities, and frequent golf tournaments which do the same for various causes, have become mainstays at the course in its nearly 100 years of operation. Local high schools utilize TGCC for tournaments, and government events like the Turlock Chamber of Commerce’s Eggs, Issues and Economics have found a home there.

While the game of golf is important to everyone who steps into the tee box at TGCC, it’s this connection with Turlock which has withstood the test of time and will surely continue into the future.

“That’s extremely important to us, to the club, to the Board of Directors and to our members. They are a part of the community in their own right and it’s critical to them as club members that we continue that relationship with the community,” Haworth said.

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YESTERYEARS

Watermelon Capital of the World STAFF REPORTS Turlock Journal

Turlock was once known as the “Watermelon Capital of the World” because of the region’s prime conditions for growing melons. In 1909, Turlock grew the most watermelons in California and the designation was officially celebrated in 1911 with the first Turlock Melon Carnival.

The celebration included activities like melon rolling contests and a crowning of a Melon Queen. The event was a regular festival for a few years until it was halted because of World War I. It returned in 1926 and eventually became the Stanislaus County Fair.

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Anna Lundell, the first queen of the first Melon Carnival, held in Turlock, California in 1911.

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YESTERYEARS

Calafia: Welcoming visitors to

downtown Turlock for over 15 years

BY KRISTINA HACKER

Downtown Turlock has seen a lot of changes over the years. Once a quiet area of town that housed mostly professional services, today downtown Turlock is one of the hottest night spots in the area and shoppers flock to the unique retail boutiques and restaurants during the daytime. Throughout all the changes one thing has remained a constant — Calafia welcoming visitors to downtown Turlock.

Calafia is the 14-foot fountain statue that stands on the corner of Main and Market streets. Adorned in festive colors, she is a representation of the mythical Amazon queen and is supposed to symbolize this area’s connection to the soil and its agricultural vitality. The statue — a bronze and ceramic sculpture/ fountain — was created by Davis artist

Donna Billick. Calafia had her unveiling in June 2005, and has been an iconic part of downtown Turlock ever since.

The public art piece was part of the Downtown Revitalization Plan, which saw the City of Turlock invest $7.5 million into transforming the rundown business district into the picturesque downtown area it is today complete with old-fashioned lampposts, park benches and planter boxes brimming with flowers.

Lisa McDermott, current director and curator of the Carnegie Arts Center, was the City of Turlock Arts Facilitator back when the City and a downtown advisory group put the call out for artist submissions to create the public art piece.

“That location, where Main and Lander come together, was identified as

SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 2021

the gateway to the downtown and a significant spot,” said McDermott in 2017 interview with the Journal.

Four finalists were selected to create models of their proposed work, and after much discourse and public input, Billick and Calafia were chosen.

McDermott said that what many on the committee — and ultimately the Turlock City Council — liked about the statue was how it reflects Turlock’s history and community. “(Billick) came to Turlock and chatted with business owners and asked them what made Turlock a special place. She kept hearing about the agricultural history. On the sculpture is depicted all the ag commodities that have been grown in Turlock over the years. She used the mythical figure of Calafia to represent California and Turlock’s centralized

10 YESTERYEARS

place in the state,” said McDermott.

The committee did ask for one change from Billick’s original proposal. The Amazon queen’s crown was changed to a large-brimmed hat, taking away the regal aspect of the piece while also representing the farm workers of the area.

From the moment Calafia took up residence in downtown Turlock, she has provoked strong reactions. While many find her stately beauty and ag-inspired dress welcoming, others have a negative opinion of Calafia and her location.

In 2012, the Turlock Arts Commission considered a number of alternate locations for the statue following a request by Matt Swanson who had just purchased the Enterprise Building, which is immediately adjacent to Calafia. Swanson told the City at that time he felt the statue’s size overwhelms the

building and draws attention away from potential businesses that might locate there.

The Arts Commission ultimately voted to recommend the statue not be relocated.

“The art piece Calafia located on Main Street in downtown Turlock should stay in its original location as it was intended,” wrote TAC members in their recommendation.

“We feel that yielding to a property owner’s request could subject public art to the discretion of individual property owners’ tastes and desires, and would erode the original purpose and goals of the Downtown Plan.”

While Turlockers may have mixed opinions about Calafia, the statue has gained some notoriety in the area and is the focus of many art student projects.

Turlock artist Claudia Silva-Doo was on a guided hike of the Path of the Padres, outside of Los Banos, when the park ranger used a photo of Turlock’s Calafia statue in his talk about the history of California.

When she was teaching Art Appreciation at Modesto Junior College, McDermott said she often received student papers on the Turlock statue.

“When they stopped to think about what she represented, the papers elicited were always the most engaged. The students had a lot to think about, a lot to talk about,” she said.

“It’s important to me as an art historian, as a

curator, as teacher…Art isn’t just about what you want to hang above your couch in your living room.

“It’s the process of public art that brings people together, whether they agree or not.”

In 2019, the City Council approved removing Calafia’s fountain feature and replacing it with tiles. The sculpture had developed hard water stains over the years from the water that came out of Califia’s fingers. The water, which was recycled through the basin, had been regularly treated with chlorine for health reasons and this has created a calcium buildup. The City authorized a thorough cleaning of the sculpture, which removed the stains, but to continue to maintain the water feature it could cost up to $4,000 a year for the chlorine treatments and $3,200 every time the calcium build-up has to be cleaned off.

The City of Turlock Parks, Arts and Recreation Commission considered three options for the future maintenance of Califia: Remove the water feature and turn the space into a flower bed; remove the water feature and have a tile covering placed over it, with the tile done in a style the coordinates with original design; or have the City continue to pay for treatments on a yearly basis.

The PARC recommended the second option, with the City Council approving the action.

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11 YESTERYEARS

The Enterprise Block on West Main Street STAFF REPORTS Turlock Journal

The Enterprise Building on the corner of W. Main and Market streets has been a icon of downtown Turlock for over a century, as is evident by this Journal report from 1909: The Enterprise block on West Main street is indeed one of the finest business homes in the city. It is a two-story pressed brick structure, and a handsome one.

On the first floor are the store rooms of the Star meat market, Westlake’s furniture store, Santos’ coffee store, and one room vacant. All of these stores front on two streets, the building being on a corner and of a triangular shape.

The second floor is well arranged in suites of rooms, which the owners of the Enterprise block have had no trouble in renting. A series of ten rooms has been rented to J. Samuelson of the Hotel Ramona for the coming years.

A. Barricklow, proprietor of the Santos’ coffee store, has four rooms rented for the use of his family, and there are but three living rooms vacant.

Dr. Woolf, a well known physician and surgeon of San Francisco, has secured a suite of three rooms, which he is fitting up with the most modern appliances, and his paraphernalia, makes an impressive showing. The doctor is now ready for business, and in a conversation with the writer he said that Turlock is the best place in the state and

announced his intention of making his home here permanently. As he expressed it, “I am here to stay. I like the city, the country, the climate and the people, and with the great future before Turlock it is bound to grow and make one of the largest and best cities in California. I am splendidly situated in the Enterprise block and will be glad to get acquainted with the people. You may invite them to call and see how I am situated if you choose, and I assure you the

SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 2021

12 YESTERYEARS

latchstring is always out.”

The rooms both on the second and first floors are light, bright, with good ventilation, plumbing first class, and all in all the Enterprise is something to point to with pride.

There are movable fire proof doors in the halls in order to shut off the drafts in case of fire, running water and closets in the building, which makes it a desirable place for tenants. O. H. Olson is the agent for the building.

When Turlock was part of the Old West…

Stanislaus County Population 1860 — 2,245 1870 — 6,499 1880 — 8.951

State Population 1860 — 379,994 1870 — 560,247 1880 — 864,686

Turlock’s Schools in 1880 Fair View School District M. B. Kittrell District Clerk, Turlock 37 boys enrolled 24 girls enrolled Average daily attendance of 30 Monthly salary of $80 paid to teachers Valuation of lots, school houses, and furniture: $500 Union School District Levi Jones District Clerk, Turlock 16 boys enrolled

8 girls enrolled Average daily attendance of 11 Monthly salary of $60 paid to teachers Valuation of lots, school, houses, and furniture: $100

Presidential Election, 1860, votes cast in Stanislaus County John Breckenridge Southern Democratic, 433 votes Steven Douglass Northern Democratic, 232 votes Abraham Lincoln Republican, 167 votes John Bell Constitutional Union, 67 votes

Modesto, 893 votes Knight’s Ferry, 340 votes Oak Dale, 79 votes Waterford, 12 votes LaGrange, 3 votes Graysonville, 2 votes

Presidential Election, 1876 votes cast in Turlock Samuel Tilden Democrat, 88 votes Rutherford B. Hayes Republican, 56 votes

Hayes

Presidential Election, 1880 votes cast in Turlock

Presidential Election, 1864, votes cast in Stanislaus County George B. McClellan Democrat, 345 votes Abraham Lincoln Republican, 277 votes

Vote for location of county seat, 1871

Lincoln

Winfield Hancock Democrat, 90 votes James Garfield Republican, 71 votes

Garfield

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Olde Tyme Pastries celebrates 40 years

BY ANGELINA MARTIN

Olde Tyme Pastries owner Terri Coonce never could have imagined that when she first bought the business in 2016, she would be faced with a global pandemic just five years later.

Though she’s now just a few years into her endeavor as a bakery owner, Coonce isn’t new to the business at all — she’s worked there since it first opened on May 1, 1981 and is surrounded by many employees who have been baking bread, cookies, cakes and more for over 20 years.

As Olde Tyme’s 40th anniversary approaches in just a couple of months, the worldwide COVID crisis continues.

Coonce and company have had to find new ways to be creative and keep customers coming through the doors, some of which would have seemed impossible 40 years ago.

“Turlock has grown so much in the last 40 years and we’re changing with the times. We’re trying to keep up with new ideas and it’s hard, but it’s even harder

with the pandemic going on,” Coonce said.

When Coonce took over as owner, one of the first things she did was create social media pages for the bakery with the help of her daughter. It ended up paying off tremendously when the pandemic hit, allowing Coonce to advertise the business on Facebook pages such as Turlock to Go, and to spread the word about new ideas, like the Easter cookie decorating kits the bakery came up with to offset wedding cake losses last spring.

“We had to get inventive to bring in some sales and keep us from having to lay off employees,” Coonce said.

Through it all, Olde Tyme has still made an effort to give back to the community this year, whether it be through school fundraisers or donating day-old food to The Salvation Army. It’s a connection that Conce doesn’t take for granted, she said, and one that has flourished over the last four decades.

“I know everyone is struggling this year,

Photo contributed

Olde Tyme Pastries will celebrate its 40th anniversary this May.

Customer Focused.

Community Owned. #CommunityOwned | TID.org

SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 2021

14 YESTERYEARS

including us, but I just can’t say no,” she said.

Coonce’s warmhearted spirit has also brought her closer with customers. She’s a self-described “working boss,” often taking a break from her work to greet patrons she recognizes as they stand in line. Coonce has been decorating wedding cakes at Olde Tyme since its inception, she said, and has seen generations pass through Olde Tyme for some of life’s most important moments.

“I’m doing some third-generation wedding cakes now. That says a lot,” she said.

“There are some cases where I’ve done a cake for the grandparents, I’ve done the

parents and now I’m doing the kids — and on a couple of occasions, I’ve even done the great grandkids.”

While Olde Tyme’s 40th anniversary arrived in what seemed like the blink of an eye, Coonce has cherished every moment and looks forward to what is yet to come.

“It’s been a total honor. It’s my passion and a dream come true,” she said. “We’re like a family; we’ve all grown up together and a lot of us have been here together for over 20 years.

“We love what we do and I’m glad it happened the way it did.”

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