Discover the heart of Hanford as we unpack the latest City Council meeting with pivotal developments for our community spaces and dive into the rich tapestry of local Asian heritage. From ADA-compliant upgrades to Bob Hill Athletic Complex to honoring the triumphs of our high school champions, this episode of Hanford Insider will not only keep you informed but also immersed in the vibrant cultural fabric of our town. We're also igniting civic spirit with a call to action through the City of Hanford Community Survey, and keeping you updated on the cultural feasts in store, like the Hanford High food drive and the must-see Asian Experiences exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Kings County.
Feel the pulse of our city's history as the curators of the Asian Experiences exhibit recount the Chinese community's enduring legacy and the Japanese contributions that have shaped our cultural landscape. Witness the meticulous restoration of temple relics, understand the diverse Asian American stories, and anticipate the mesmerizing dance of lion dancers . This episode bridges our storied past with the dynamic present and offers a peek into the collective memory of the Asian American experience in Hanford. Join us as we celebrate heritage, community, and the shared stories that continue to inspire us all.
You can find the Hanford Insider at www.hanfordinsider.com and on social media at @hanfordinsider Thank you for supporting the show!
Discover the heart of Hanford as we unpack the latest City Council meeting with pivotal developments for our community spaces and dive into the rich tapestry of local Asian heritage. From ADA-compliant upgrades to Bob Hill Athletic Complex to honoring the triumphs of our high school champions, this episode of Hanford Insider will not only keep you informed but also immersed in the vibrant cultural fabric of our town. We're also igniting civic spirit with a call to action through the City of Hanford Community Survey, and keeping you updated on the cultural feasts in store, like the Hanford High food drive and the must-see Asian Experiences exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Kings County.
Feel the pulse of our city's history as the curators of the Asian Experiences exhibit recount the Chinese community's enduring legacy and the Japanese contributions that have shaped our cultural landscape. Witness the meticulous restoration of temple relics, understand the diverse Asian American stories, and anticipate the mesmerizing dance of lion dancers . This episode bridges our storied past with the dynamic present and offers a peek into the collective memory of the Asian American experience in Hanford. Join us as we celebrate heritage, community, and the shared stories that continue to inspire us all.
You can find the Hanford Insider at www.hanfordinsider.com and on social media at @hanfordinsider Thank you for supporting the show!
Speaker 1:
On this week's episode of the Hanford Insider, we'll hear from the curators of the Asian Experiences exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Kings County, Rob will give us a community calendar update and I'll be back to update you on all of the high school sports action. This is the Hanford Insider for Monday, April 8th.
Speaker 2:
Hey everybody, welcome to this episode of the Hanford Insider. I'm your host, rob Bentley. Thanks for listening In community news this week. The Hanford City Council met last Tuesday During the afternoon study session. They continued discussions about the Community Block Grant and heard a report from staff about the downtown strategic plan. I encourage everyone to go to the city website to look over the exciting plans that they have for downtown revitalization. The council voted to move forward with the construction of a 1.3 million dollar concession stand restroom complex with funding coming from federal grants, at the Bob Hill Athletic Complex. This is to be completed in time for the 2025 baseball season. The original building is over 43 years old and does not meet current ADA requirements. Finally, the City Council recognized outgoing Councilwoman Diane Sharp and wished her well in her new home out of state. This is a reminder that the 2024 City of Hanford Community Survey closes on Wednesday, april 10th. Have you taken it yet? I have. It only takes about 10 to 15 minutes. The results of the survey will help the city leadership focus on future goals for the community. Just commenting on social media or speaking at city council meetings isn't enough. The city hired a reputable firm to conduct this survey, so do your part and contribute your thoughts and opinions. I'll link the survey on my social media pages and my weekly newsletter. The URL for the survey is polcous slash hanford1. That's p-o-l-c-o dot u-s slash hanford and the number one.
Speaker 2:
The South Valley Winter Arts Association competition season came to a close last weekend with championships at the Lemoore College Arena. Here are the results for local schools In the junior high guard Scholastic A division, armona Parkview took the bronze medal, with Pioneer bringing home the championship trophy for the second year in a row. Hanford West High School junior varsity brought home the gold medal. In Scholastic Regional A bronze division, hanford High School brought home the gold medal. In the Scholastic A Regional Silver Division, the Sierra Pacific JV Guard took the bronze medal in the Scholastic Regional A Division and in the Scholastic A Gold Division, sierra Pacific Varsity took the silver medal and Hanford West brought home the championship banner. Sierra Pacific is now headed to Dayton, ohio, in two weeks to compete in the Wintergard International Championships. Good luck, bears. The competition also featured local percussion units. Hanford High School placed 9th in the High School Regional A Division, with Sierra Pacific bringing home the gold medal. Hanford West placed 8th in the High School Scholastica A Division. Congratulations to all three schools and their directors and coaches.
Speaker 2:
Here are some activities and events coming up on our community calendar. The Hanford High Interact Club and ASB Club are holding a food and supply drive for the SPCA. Drop off your pet supplies at the district office or the Hanford High School office. Drop off your pet supplies at the district office or the Hanford High School office. The Hanford Branch Library will be holding a Poetry Open Mic event on Saturday, april 13th from 11 to 1. For more information, email libraryofkings at gmailcom. The Hanford West High School Musical Theater is presenting Mean Girls at the Hanford High Presentation Center on April 18th, 19th and 20th. Showtimes are at 7 pm, with a Saturday matinee at 2. As part of the Asian Experiences exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Kings County, they'll be holding a Japanese tea ceremony and koto performance in the Museum Garden on Sunday April 21st. It's 10 am. For tickets and information, visit carnegiemuseumofkingscountyorg.
Speaker 2:
The Cinderella Project is holding their annual Prom Dress event on Sunday April 21st from 11 to 2 at the Hanford Joint Union High School District Office at 823 West Lacey Blvd. New and gently used dresses will be distributed free to any student in the district who needs one. A school ID is required. On Sunday, april 28th, there will be a Mother's Day vendor fair and hat bar in the district. Who needs one? A school ID is required. On Sunday, april 28th, there'll be a Mother's Day vendor fair and hat bar in the Carnegie Museum Garden from 11 to 4. Dj's Collectibles in downtown Hanford will be holding a free comic book day on Saturday, may 4th at 10 am. The King's Art Center is having a taco fiesta on May 4th from 5 to 8. For tickets and information, visit kingsartscenterorg.
Speaker 2:
I'll be grabbing events as I see them on the Hanford Sentinel calendar and social media pages. If you have an event coming up and you'd like some help getting the word out, let's work together. Send your information to hanfordinsider at gmailcom. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter to get a complete calendar of events. Well, it's a great opportunity to be here with Ariane Wing, steve Bannister, gail Holliman and Jack Schwartz from the Carnegie Museum of Kings County and, as most of you know, they are having an exhibition called Kings County's Asian Experiences. Welcome to the show. Thank you for having us. So, ariane, can you tell us a little bit about the exhibition? This is part one of two parts. It opened recently and will run through July. What can visitors expect to see in phase one?
Speaker 3:
Well, steve and I were in charge of the Chinese part of the exhibition, and we took the Chinese history from the 1870s all the way up to 1946.
Speaker 3:
There was a Chinese community here in Hanford before Hanford was even incorporated, so there's a lot of history. For many years I've been a member of the China Alley Preservation Society, so we have so many stories to share. On May 12, 2021, our Dallas Temple Museum was heavily damaged by arson and we haven't been open since, and so it's just such an honor to be able to share all of our stories and our artifacts with the public again. We've tried to replicate the main room of the Taoist Temple altar, and we have personal history stories one of which I'm kind of partial to, because it's why I'm here how my great-grandfather came here to Hanford and settled in China Alley, and there's been wing businesses in China Alley for four generations, and so that one display I'm kind of partial to although I love them all is that that one's kind of special to me although I love them all, is that that one's kind of special to me?
Speaker 2:
So, gail, this exhibition involves not only the Chinese history but also the Japanese history, and I know you have a big part in it. From your standpoint of the exhibition, why is it important for visitors to come and see this exhibition, and what can they be expected to see?
Speaker 4:
Well, for one, before I started this project, I didn't, because our parents never talked about the prior history and the influence of the Japanese community. I did not understand and appreciate and see the depth in which the Japanese community had actually built or established itself before the war. So I didn't understand how many businesses there were and why a lot of the people that were here before aren't here again. This exhibit shows you all the people that were here, the businesses that were there, the contributions the Japanese Americans made to the military, in which they were actually almost excluded from, if it not were from higher-ups to determine that the Japanese would be a definite asset. So it shows the involvement of the community and it also shows, during the evacuation after Executive Order 9066, that there were many, many families that were forced to move to Fresno and then be relocated out to Jerome, arkansas, and from there they could go anywhere else except for back to California for many, many years.
Speaker 4:
And unfortunately, when you sit down and look at the numbers, only 30% of those people came back to Kings County, which is a very sad number. So when I was growing up I didn't know a lot of the people that didn't come back and a lot of names I don't recognize. So the research had me understand that there's a lot of people that I didn't know and I'm sure we only touched on a small surface of what there is because our ancestors, my parents, grandparents they aren't around to ask anymore. So all of this was just a lot of hard hours of research to uncover all these little gems that they told to somebody else years ago and fortunately, with the internet, it was a daunting process but I was able to get some done.
Speaker 2:
So as you enter the gallery I noticed one of the exhibits shows all of the well, not all of the showed a great number of people that had served in the military and they were sworn to secrecy. So a lot of those stories haven't been told.
Speaker 4:
Half of the board is military intelligence service and they were brought in to interpret maps, documents, interrogate prisoners. My father was part of that section and they were sworn to secrecy until 1972, I believe, when the Freedom of Information Act came around, and even at that point he didn't talk to us. He would talk to everybody else but not to the family. The other half of the board is the 442, which fought the biggest battle was to rescue the lost battalion in Europe. But they fought a lot of the battles in Europe. They lost. They had 800 casualties to rescue 211 Texans and two of those that were in that battalion came from Kings County.
Speaker 2:
Incredible stories for sure. So, Ariane, there are a number of displays in the gallery. No-transcript.
Speaker 3:
Well, the gambling room set up was very fun because that was a very colorful display. You could just feel the energy that the gambling brought to China Alley and that's how they entertained themselves, the early Chinese pioneers. They entertained themselves by having all these gambling games mahjong, paigao, their card games and the artifacts that are displayed are all from China Alley gambling rooms, or dens, whatever you want to call them. We wanted to bring one piece over. That was the lookout bench, where there would be a bench placed in front of the gambling business and a person to look out was sitting on the bench. So when they saw an impending raid coming, they could push a button on the back of the chair which rang a buzz sitting on the bench. So when they saw an impending raid coming, they could push a button on the back of the chair which rang a buzzer in the room so everybody could put their cards away and some of them could escape through the back alleys and the tunnels that led through another room. And just when the police came in, they were just sitting there drinking tea or, you know, just chatting, and so that's a fun display and, like I said, just the marks on the chips and everything. They're just fun old pieces to look at and think of if those pieces could talk, you know.
Speaker 3:
And the gambling also is what brought I'm going to say non-Chinese into Chinatown, because once the gambling opened up, everybody wanted to buy a lottery ticket. And I still, to this day, I have people stop me and tell me that their father or their grandfather used to play in the lottery, so it was a good pastime. It's also when they were building the Chinese school in 1922, which is located where the Temple Theater is now, all the businesses, including the gambling business, had to put up a percentage so that the funds were raised to build that building. So that is the first school in California that was funded by the lottery.
Speaker 2:
The LTSU herbalist display is amazing buy the lottery.
Speaker 3:
The LTSU herbalist display is amazing, thank you. That was also another fun one to put together because all those herbs, everything was original in there. My Chinglish is sort of good but I can't really read all the markings on the packages, so I was going I had so many translators telling me what the herbs were on all the marked packages. But Dr LT Su he was the first herbalist to come to the San Joaquin Valley because one of the prominent businessmen, su Chang-Ki and we also have a display dedicated to him his grandson was ailing and he wanted to bring a Chinese doctor to do Chinese medicine for his ailing grandson and he was healed and word got around and so he became a very successful herbalist. And then other people, other herbalists there must have been six or seven different herb stores in Chinatown and he was the first. But that was another reason non-Chinese came into town, because if the Caucasian medicine wasn't working and pain will make you try anything sometimes, so they would come to Chinatown and see an herbalist.
Speaker 5:
As American medicine started to get more mainstream, he started to get hassled by the law enforcement of Kings County and was arrested at least a dozen times, and each time he was arrested he would get out on bail immediately, because all of his customers would bail him out. So finally, the judge told the prosecutors to quit arresting this guy. You're never going to convict him, he's just too popular.
Speaker 2:
We could be here all day talking about this. All these different displays. It's awesome. It's awesome. You're definitely going to have to come down and see it. Let's hit one more, and that is the actual temple display.
Speaker 3:
To be honest with you, rob, that was a real tough one to put together because most of our artifacts were heavily damaged or just completely destroyed through the arson or by the arson and we had a few things saved but we had to kind of cobble that room together to make it look as much as we could. I will tell you that a lot of the ones that survived, the artifacts that survived, are being in the hands of conservators and that's really expensive. So we plan to do a lot of heavy fundraising to get that going. But one of the things that I'm really proud of in the temple room there's a couple, the things that I'm really proud of in that the temple room there's a couple and there's a a nice giant blown-up picture of the interior of the temple in the 1880s and that's always kind of fun to kind of just take a glimpse back into that era and that life. The other thing is Steve Bannister, art major, made these exact replicas of some of the flower displays and that took some work. So it's just that room was a labor of love and it was a little sad to put it together, but I think we did it justice. I think you can still feel the temple's presence.
Speaker 3:
And that temple didn't just serve for religious matters, it was also a meeting room, it was a school room, it was kind of a multi-purpose room so it had many uses. We also have in that room a video called the Last Temple. That was made in 1972, just when the Preservation Society was starting to be formed to save that temple. So you can see how the temple was built in 1882. And you can see from 1882 to 1972, how much it had been falling apart and how much it needed a Preservation Society to step up. And when you take a look at that picture and those of you who remember what the temple looked like, it really came back to life and we had so many tourists and people came in from all over and school children and it was just. I can't wait till we get back there and I know that your mother was a pretty heavy dutyduty lead, tireless docent out there. So I'm not telling you anything you don't already know.
Speaker 2:
So, gail, I know that the Buddhist Church has played a very important role in this exhibition and their involvement has been so vital to the success of this exhibit. Can you share with us a little bit about how they've been involved?
Speaker 4:
Oh, most definitely. It wouldn't have had much of the material or the heart that it has Originally, as people in the Japanese community are very reserved, conservative, don't say a whole lot, and it took a lot of pulling and convincing and all of a sudden the light bulb came on. Oh, would you could use this? Could you use? Yes, definitely. And the volunteers that came out to help set up the exhibits, that brought in the displays that we needed, that, you know, actually helped to create the models. Once they saw what we were trying to do was invaluable, they, everyone, stepped forward. It was a huge community effort by not only the models. Once they saw what we were trying to do was invaluable, everyone stepped forward. It was a huge community effort by not only the church, just the Japanese community in general, and without them it wouldn't have been near as extravagant or as encompassing as it is now.
Speaker 2:
So the first part of the Asian Experiences exhibit covers the Asian influence just through World War II, and then the museum will be closed down for the month of August and we're going to reopen in September through December. With post-World War II. What kinds of displays? I know they're still being put together, but what kinds of things would visitors should look forward to in the fall?
Speaker 4:
We're still coming up with what the framework would be on that, because the Asian and Asian American community encompasses more than just the Japanese and the Chinese and it kind of coincides with, as the other immigrants came in the Filipinos, the Koreans, the, you know, the Taiwanese, the Okinawans were reaching out to those communities to see how much they have to contribute. The problem is a lot of like the Hmong and the Vietnamese, they left and they ran, so they don't have a whole lot. So we're trying to figure out what do they have, because I want them to be part of the experience, because they are part of our community.
Speaker 2:
So if someone would be interested in participating in phase two, how can they get a hold of you?
Speaker 4:
They can contact me or they can reach out to Jack and he'll put them in touch with me. Even stories are what we need, because we can create a storyboard and kind of meld them all together so the community can see that it wasn't easy for them coming over. So I do have some feelers out, but we could always use there's never enough feelers out, but we could always use.
Speaker 3:
There's never enough feelers. One of the things I'm most asked about regarding China Alley is when are the lions coming back? Because our moon festival, our annual moon festival it would have been our 40, I don't know. All I know is the Cal Poly lion dancers. When we first started they were my peers. Now they could be my grandchildren, anyway. So we are trying to plan to have, or we are working on having, the Cal Poly Lion Dance team come down and visit and we've made connections and they even through the generations that we've gone through with the dancers. Hanford has a special place in their hearts, but this is. They just loved coming to the Moon Festival. So it would be nice if we could kind of coordinate something around then, and that's in the works.
Speaker 2:
So, Steve, getting back to you, I know that our love of history, our love of local history, is very important and we want to kind of share our stories with other people in the community. Why is that so important?
Speaker 5:
Well, hanford has a very rich history and, especially for young people that weren't able to experience it, it's important that we explain that to them so they get a sense of place. I feel historic in a way now, because I can remember drinking water out of the Carnegie Library's water fountain, which still exists today. When my parents would eat at the Imperial Dynasty, they'd have an after-dinner drink and they'd tell me go play in the alley, we'll only be another Greek or so, and all of the smells in that alley just fascinated me. And then, as you got older and the library moved and the dynasty closed, you started realizing that, wow, that was history that doesn't exist anymore and we need to tell it, and we need to tell it accurately so we don't get these false stories that didn't really happen, and so we're trying to really make sure that we get everything down correctly and that it's available for not only young people but anybody that wants to know about the history of China Alley.
Speaker 2:
Jack Schwartz is the president of the Carnegie Museum of Kings County. And, jack, why is it so important for us to, as a museum, share the story of Kings County, for us to, as a museum share the story of Kings County.
Speaker 6:
Our organization is focused on telling the histories of different segments of the county.
Speaker 6:
Some of these stories have never been told and we are stewards of the building and we are trying to educate and preserve the history of the county through themed exhibitions.
Speaker 6:
This particular one is amazing to me because not only do we focus on events over time, including the discrimination that the Asian communities had in the early 1900s, but also tying displays to the stories of what happened. One of the interesting ones displays that we have deals with the evacuation of the Japanese and at that time the Japanese literally had only a couple of days to leave what they had and they owned no real property. That was not allowed. A lot of them rented houses or lived on houses, on ranches and farms, and several local ranchers and farmers maintained everything for those families, while they were forced, with basically the clothes on their back and a suitcase, to go to an assembly area and then an internment camp, and you know, in this case Jerome Arkansas. The thing that is what we try and do is place our visitors in a position so they can try and visualize and experience the stories and try and understand the circumstances at the time and this exhibition, this part one, is just an amazing, amazing step into history.
Speaker 2:
Jack, what are the hours of the museum and when can people stop by and visit?
Speaker 6:
Our normal operating hours are Friday, saturday and Sunday 1 to 5, though groups can also call and make appointments so that I can make sure that there's a docent available for the private tours. The admission is $5 for persons over 12, $2 for persons under 12, with a maximum of $10 per family, persons under 12 with a maximum of $10 per family, and we look forward not only to folks coming in but also to having special events and group tours and school tours.
Speaker 2:
You can find the Carnegie Museum of Kings County on the web at carnegiemuseumofkingscountyorg, and on Facebook and Instagram, and if you have any questions, feel free to stop by during operating hours or contact us through our website.
Speaker 1:
And now it's time Hanford High split a pair of games, following to Mission Oak in a close 2-1 battle before dominating Lemoore 12-2. The Bullpups are 3-2 in the WIL and 9-8 overall. Sierra Pacific also split a pair of games, taking down Kingsburg 8-6 and faltering to Central Valley Christian 4-3. The Golden Bears are 12-6 overall and sit at 2-2 in league action, and Hanford West dropped a defensive game, falling to Exeter 1-0. The Huskies dropped to 1-3 in league play and 6-11 on the season. As for softball, only two teams took the diamond last week, as Hanford High lost to Buchanan and Sierra Pacific lost to Tulare Union. Hanford West wasn't in action last week. All three teams will start league play this week. As always, we want to hear from you, so send scores, stats or stories to hanfordinsider at gmailcom. I'm Eric Bentley and this has been your Hanford Insider Sports Report well, that's all the time we have for this week's show.
Speaker 2:
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