Discover the latest heartbeat of Hanford with your host, Rob Bentley, on the Hanford Insider. We're rolling out the red carpet for the city's sleek new digital front porch and taking a breather on City Council meetings, but only to spruce up our beloved auditorium. Take a virtual bow with Gary Feinstein, our local hero earning the Distinguished Citizenship Award. But hold onto your hats, because we've also got a calendar chock-full of local happenings: from the aroma of food truck fare to the flair of high school theater, and from vibrant cultural ceremonies to the high spirits of charity events—this episode is your golden ticket to the community's lively soul.
This week's special guest, Kaitlin Sheets, the Children's Storybook Garden and Museum's Executive Director, leads us through a magical transformation that turns pages into play spaces. You won't want to miss the delightful details of the upcoming Farm Day event; imagine the chuckles as children meet Trisha Stone Shoemaker's entertaining chickens! And we're not just spectators in this community—no sir! We're calling all hands on deck for volunteers to nurture the growth of Hanford's heart. So, as we close the curtain with a triumphant cheer for the Hanford High baseball team, remember, this episode isn't just about catching up—it's about getting caught up in the joy of our town's big spirit.
You can find the Hanford Insider at www.hanfordinsider.com and on social media at @hanfordinsider Thank you for supporting the show!
Discover the latest heartbeat of Hanford with your host, Rob Bentley, on the Hanford Insider. We're rolling out the red carpet for the city's sleek new digital front porch and taking a breather on City Council meetings, but only to spruce up our beloved auditorium. Take a virtual bow with Gary Feinstein, our local hero earning the Distinguished Citizenship Award. But hold onto your hats, because we've also got a calendar chock-full of local happenings: from the aroma of food truck fare to the flair of high school theater, and from vibrant cultural ceremonies to the high spirits of charity events—this episode is your golden ticket to the community's lively soul.
This week's special guest, Kaitlin Sheets, the Children's Storybook Garden and Museum's Executive Director, leads us through a magical transformation that turns pages into play spaces. You won't want to miss the delightful details of the upcoming Farm Day event; imagine the chuckles as children meet Trisha Stone Shoemaker's entertaining chickens! And we're not just spectators in this community—no sir! We're calling all hands on deck for volunteers to nurture the growth of Hanford's heart. So, as we close the curtain with a triumphant cheer for the Hanford High baseball team, remember, this episode isn't just about catching up—it's about getting caught up in the joy of our town's big spirit.
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 we'll hear from Caitlin Sheets, the Executive Director at the Children's Storybook Garden and Museum. Rob will give us a quick community news update and, as always, I'll be back to update you on all of the high school sports action. This is the Hanford Insider for Monday, April 15th. Hey everybody, welcome to this episode of the Hanford Insider.
Speaker 2:
I'm your host, Rob Bentley. Thanks for listening For those of you new to the show. Episode of the Hanford Insider. I'm your host, Rob Bentley. Thanks for listening. For those of you new to the show, welcome.
Speaker 2:
The Hanford Insider is a weekly podcast that releases every Sunday afternoon. I cover a little bit of everything from Hanford news, a community calendar, and my son, Eric, who works in sports, gives us a rundown of the high school sports each week. I try to keep things light and positive in such a negative world. I hope you enjoy the format. I'm always looking for more human interest stories. A little bit later in the show I'll let you know how you can get involved In community news. This week the City of Hanford has announced that their new website address has officially been changed to hanfordcagov. This change was made to comply with state law AB 1637 and will affect the city's website and email addresses. Once again, the website is hanfordcagov. The Hanford City Council has canceled their regular scheduled meeting this week due to the floor renovations in the Civic Auditorium. The Neighbor Bowl renovations on the campus of Hanford High School continue to take shape.
Speaker 2:
Gary Feinstein posted some really wonderful pictures on his Facebook page. If you're on Facebook, I would encourage you to follow his page. He works for several news outlets and often posts many more pictures on his page than you see in the local newspaper. I'd like to give Gary a special shout out for being honored with the Hanford Oaks Club Distinguished Citizenship Award. Thanks for documenting history for all of us, Gary.
Speaker 2:
Here are some things coming up on our community calendar. The biweekly food truck takeover will be this Tuesday in the Hanford Civic Center Park from 11 to 2. Hanford West Musical Theater is presenting Mean Girls at the Hanford High Presentation Center on Thursday, Friday and Saturday Showtimes are at 7, with a Saturday matinee at 2. As part of the Asian Experiences Exhibit, the Carnegie Museum of Kings County will be holding a Japanese tea ceremony and koto performance in the Museum Garden on Sunday, April 21st, at 10 am. For tickets and information, visit carnegiemuseumofkingscountyorg. Also on the 21st, the Cinderella Project is holding their annual prom dress event from 11 to 2 at the Hanford Joint Union High School District Office located at 823 West Lacey Boulevard. New and gently used dresses will be distributed for free to any student in the district who needs one. A school id is required. The hanford chamber of commerce taste of the valley is in the civic center park on friday, april 26th. Visit hanfordchambercom for more information.
Speaker 2:
Kids day will be held at the longfield center on saturday, april 21st, from 9 to 2. There'll be games, hot dogs, prizes and fun for all. Help celebrate Child Abuse Awareness Month and bring resources to our local community. Also on the 27th the Kings County Sheriff's Explorer Post will be holding a barbecue dinner fundraiser that evening. The Kings County Council of the Mexican American Women will be holding their annual scholarship dinner dance at the Hanford Fraternal Hall. On Sunday, May 28th there will be a Mother's Day vendor fair and hat bar in the Carnegie Museum Garden from 11 to 4.
Speaker 2:
The Hanford branch of the Kings County Library will be holding their annual spring book sale on May 4 from 10 to 2. Items for sale include new and used books and music CDs. Dj's Collectibles in downtown Hanford will be holding a free comic book day on Saturday, May 4th at 10 am. The King's Arts Center is having a taco fiesta on May 4th from 5 to 8. For tickets, visit kingsartscenterorg. Also on May 4th the Pioneer Middle School Band Boosters are having a Battle of the Bands fundraiser at their school. They're looking for bands and vendors. Contact panther1boosters at gmailcom.
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. Pleasure to be here with Caitlin Sheets, who is the executive director of the Children's Storybook Garden and Museum. How are you doing today, Caitlin? Doing good, Thank you. So, Caitlin, the Children's Storybook Garden and Museum has blossomed into this awesome place that has a lot of uses. I'll let you speak to that, but I know that when it started the people that started the museum and the storybook portion of it they had a certain idea in mind. Can you tell us a little bit about the initial opening of the venue and then maybe how it's changed over the years?
Speaker 3:
Yeah, so Judy Waite is the founder of the Children's Storybook Garden and she had this dream of this beautiful location many years ago and it took a while to get everything in place and start the building process and getting the getting the structures in the area. But in 2017 the garden doors opened and it was just the storybook side of the garden, so just the side where we see like our small playhouses and they're all literacy themed houses. So we have our topiary garden and we have the barn and the three little pigs, and then we have our Monet and Van Gogh houses and then we have the old Burr farmhouse. That was also on the property and that's kind of where the garden started back in 2017. And it was a place for our families to come and enjoy and learn about literacy and just play and have fun, and a place for the community to get together.
Speaker 3:
And now, as we've expanded out, we've now added additional things. I mean, we've been doing field trips from the beginning. So we do field trips with all the local schools, kind of in the beginning of the school year and then towards the spring and the second half of the school year. It's a lot of schools who come from, like even Bakersfield and Fresno and travel. Some travel by Amtrak to get to us and we do field trips with them. So it's really expanded. We're now. We're also now a venue option for people. So we do not only events for children even though children is in our name, we we have events for adults as well. We do tea parties, we have our murder mystery each year. We're a place for people to have their celebrations, whether it be birthday parties, baby showers or weddings. But, yeah, the garden has really grown and expanded on everything it's done over the years.
Speaker 2:
So, Caitlin, the springtime is a busy time at the Storybook Garden and Museum. I know you have a lot of events planned. Can you tell us about some of the events you have coming up?
Speaker 3:
So from this weekend this past weekend we had the garden tour come through and we've been getting ready for the murder mystery. That is a sold out event. It is our fourth annual murder mystery party with the Temple Theater. They put on the show and we do dinner and guests just come and they try to solve the mystery of the murder. That's coming up on April 20th but it is a sold out event. So if you're interested, it comes around every April and it's a real fun event for the garden.
Speaker 3:
And then on April 27th we are going to be having Farm Day in the morning. That is going to be from 10 to 12. We're going to have author Trisha Stone, Shoemaker, come with her chickens, Poppy and Macy, and they will be having a meet and greet. She'll be sharing her newest book, Proudly Poppy. It's just going to be a fun event for families to come and enjoy. We'll have a donation snack bar. We'll have different activities for the kids. We're going to have some farm animals out there and that one is just included with your regular admission. There's no extra fee and you don't have to pre-register for that one.
Speaker 3:
And then that evening we are doing our second annual. We do it with the Hanford High S Clubs and all three of the schools are involved this year and they we do our special needs prom and this year's theme is country nights at the garden. It is for high school and up, for people who have special needs, who are high school and up, and so if they want to register for that they can contact us at the garden. We have flyers out with the rehab and different places just advertising that event coming up, and then we also always have on Mondays our little sprouts. That is at 1030. It's Miss Chris is the lead teacher on that. She's usually the teacher doing that class. It's a story and a craft. It's a great time to come and just enjoy the garden space during our open hours and then, as well as getting to have a little bit of time with others and enjoying the garden, so that's actually what I was going to ask you about.
Speaker 2:
If someone wanted to visit the Storybook Garden and Museum during your regular hours, what times are you open and then what's the admission?
Speaker 3:
So our current hours are Monday and Wednesday, 9 am to 12. Tuesday, thursday and Friday we're open from 1 to 4, and Saturdays we're open from 10 to 2. From 1 to 4 and Saturdays we're open from 10 to 2. We will be changing those hours for summer because it just gets a little bit too hot, but we'll be posting that on our social media our Instagram and our Facebook when we do change those hours. And then the admission is $5 a person, two years old and up. We also offer memberships. We have our family membership, which is $85. That gets you seven people in to the garden for the whole year, from the date that you sign up for your membership until the next year on that date. So that's a great option and it gets you in, and usually for special events there's discounted rates if you have the membership as well membership as well.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I've seen that and I really think that's emphasizing the importance of membership and supporting the venue, because it definitely is a very important place for not only children but adults as well. And how can they find out more information about the website? I know you're active on social media. Can you tell us your website and some of your social media pages, can you?
Speaker 3:
tell us your website and some of your social media pages. Yeah, our Instagram and our Facebook are both Garden Hanford. And then our website page is childrenstorybookgardenorg.
Speaker 2:
So we know that you have a board in place and they make a lot of important decisions and they do a lot of legwork, but I understand you have a tremendous group of volunteers. Can you tell us a little bit about your volunteers, maybe give a few shout outs and then tell us about how to get involved?
Speaker 3:
Yes, yes, we have some really wonderful volunteers. So some of the ways that you can help us with volunteering are being part of our field trip team. We do field trips every Tuesday, thursday and Friday mornings, and so we have teams of people who come in and you don't have to plan the curriculum, because Sharon has been an amazing help to our curriculum for our field trips and so she shares the plan with us of what we're going to do, and then you just have to help execute that plan, and so we don't leave you hanging, you just you'll. You'll know what to do so you can help with field trips. And then we also have a lot of great gatekeepers as volunteers, but we could use a few more in that area. As a gatekeeper, you're welcoming our guests in friendly face for them to see as they come into the garden, and you're getting either their membership or their admission fee and just kind of telling them a little bit more about the garden.
Speaker 3:
And then we also utilize our volunteers for different work days. We used to do Saturday morning work days the first Saturday of every month, but it kind of slowed down, and so now when we have a work day, we like to just schedule those on the calendar according to what works for the groups who are coming in. That can be helping with the gardening and weeding and cleaning up around the space. We also utilize our volunteers for our special events, so just helping with setup and cleanup, and sometimes it's service, sometimes it's being involved with a guest or we've even had some of our volunteers dress up in costume and be and be a part of the event in that way. So we have a lot of different options for volunteering and you can fill out a form on our website and then that will come to me and I'll reach out to you about volunteering.
Speaker 2:
So the website is childrenstorybookgardenorg Caitlin. Thank you so much for joining us and congratulations on a successful venue. This Children's Storybook Garden Museum has been such an important in Hanford and I know it will be for years to come. Thank you so much.
Speaker 3:
Thank you. Thank you for having us.
Speaker 2:
And now it's time for Hanford Insider Sports with Eric Bentley.
Speaker 1:
We start with baseball, as all three teams were in action both at home and on the road in the home-and-home part of the league schedules. Hanford High was dominant in their two games against Dinuba. The offense was the star in Monday's Game 1, as the Bullpups easily picked up a 19-6 victory at home, and then they hit the road and took down the Emperors on their home field, cruising to an 11-5 victory. Hanford High improves to 11-8 overall and 5-2 in the WIL. In the WIL, sierra Pacific split their two matchups, with Kingsburg falling on the road on Tuesday 10-4, before getting their revenge at home on Thursday, routing the Vikings by a final score of 16-2. The Golden Bears remain at .500 in league play, at 3-3, and now are 13-7 overall. League play at 3-3 and now are 13-7
Speaker 1:
overall. As for Hanford West, their week played out the opposite of Sierra Pacific, as the Huskies picked up a 4-2 win at home over Selma on Tuesday, before the Bears bit back on their home field, handing the Huskies a 7-0 loss. Hanford West is still looking to find some rhythm, as they stand at 7-12 overall, 2-4 in league action, and we'll stay with Hanford West, though on the softball side, where unfortunately, the Huskies were not able to pick up a win in their two matchups last week, falling to Reedley 8-2 and Kingsburg 4-0. Last week, falling to Reedley 8-2 and Kingsburg 4-0. They now sit at 9-9-1 overall and are still looking for their first league
Speaker 1:
win. Hanford High split their two games last week, besting Dinuba 5-3 before falling to Tulare Union 9-3. The Bullpups find themselves one and one in league action, eight and eleven overall. Sierra Pacific also went one and one last week in two very different games, as they were taken down by Kingsburg 13 to two before bouncing back and beating CVC 12 to two. The Golden Bears sit at .500 in league play and 6-12 overall, and sticking with Sierra Pacific. In some offseason news, victor Chavarin Jr has been named as the new varsity girls' head basketball coach. A natural fit for him, as he's a Sierra Pacific alum and has served as an assistant under Amy Bush with the program for the last seven years. As always, we want to hear from you, so please send any scores, stats or stories to HanfordInsider at gmailcom. I'm Eric Bentley and this has been your Hanford Insider Sports Report.
Speaker 2:
Well, that's all the time we have for today's show. If you enjoyed the show, leave a review on my website. If you'd like to join the Hanford Insider email list, stop by the website at hanfordinsidercom to sign up for updates. You can also send me feedback by voicemail through my website by clicking the microphone icon. I'd love to hear from you. Your comments may even be shared on the show. I also need your help giving the word out about the show by liking and sharing on social media or telling a friend For more information about the show. You can find this podcast on Facebook, instagram, threads X and YouTube at Hanford Insider.
Speaker 2:
If you have a show idea, be sure to email me at hanfordinsider at gmailcom. No-transcript no-transcript the microphone icon. I'd love to hear from you. Your comments may even be shared on the show. I also need your help getting the word out about the show by liking and sharing on social media or telling a friend For more information about the show. You can find this podcast on Facebook, instagram, threads X and YouTube at Hanford Insider. If you have a show idea, be sure to email me at hanfordinsider at gmailcom and I'll get going on it. Thanks for listening. Have a great week.