VISALIA'S HISTORIAN LAUREATE

In ancient Greece, the laurel was sacred to Apollo and as such sprigs of it were fashioned into a crown or wreath of honor for poets and heroes.  According to Wikipedia, in English the word "laureate" has come to signify eminence or association with literary awards or military glory.  It is also used when referencing winners of the Nobel Prize.

Now Visalia has its very own "Historian Laureate" in the person of Terry Ommen.  Terry is the successor to the wonderful Annie Mitchell who helped preserve so much of Visalia's history, and who has a room in the local library and a school named after her.  The City of Visalia and our council had been working on this special presentation for a few months, but when it was about ready, we learned that the Chamber of Commerce was also in the process of naming Terry the "Man of the Year."  It didn't seem right for the City to make its presentation the week before or the week after, as one or the other might have seemed anticlimactic.  The Chamber was gracious enough to allow us to piggyback on their June 8, 2017 awards program, and a well-deserving Mr. Ommen was presented both the Man of the Year and Historian Laureate awards.

The "Historian Laureate" title is not just for a year, but is a lifetime recognition for what Terry has done for a our community and for local history.  Let me extol some of Terry's accomplishments, since he is too modest to do so himself.  He has written three books on Visalia and Tulare County history.  I have personally attended some of his frequent downtown walking tours which he gives to local groups as well as to out-of-town tourists as he pulls his little cart with built-in PA system and microphone and shares his insights.  He speaks often to local service clubs, churches, Leadership Visalia classes, and has volunteered at the Annie R. Mitchell history room at the library for fifteen years.  He is a resource for the Chamber and the City with regard to information on historic buildings and seems to have a limitless supply of historic Visalia photos.  He has written countless articles for local newspapers and magazines, and is a past president of the Tulare County Historical Society.  He currently is assisting the Convention and Visitor's Bureau in the creation of the giant sequoia interpretive project at the downtown post office.  He assisted the city in creating the Historic Recognition Program which places plaques on historic buildings downtown.  I always enjoyed the Historic Visalia photo calendar he helped Visalia Community Bank produce annually.  My personal favorite was when Terry helped my 13-year-old son Eddy complete his Eagle Scout project, which was researching and producing the Historic Visalia Walking Trail brochure along with bronze plaques marking each site.  Eddy awarded Terry his mentor's pin at his Eagle Court of Honor.  My little scout is now a grown man in his second year of dental school, but he will always appreciate Terry's assistance.  As far as I know, Terry has never accepted a cent for all that he does in preserving Visalia's heritage.

For all of these reasons, Terry Ommen is well deserving of our thanks and our praise.  We know that Terry will continue to give freely of his time and expertise, and we look forward to his continuing to promote Visalia's history as our Historian Laureate!

HISTORICAL FIGURES

Speaking of history, on May 30, 2017, we revived a Visalia tradition known as the Mayors and City Council Dinner.  We invited all those who previously have served on the city council to dinner at Fugazzi's to renew acquaintances, and to have a little fun.  The honorees and their guests had a delightful evening of reminiscing, and even gave a few pointers to the current council!

Present was David Allen who served on the city council back in the 1960's before becoming a Tulare County Judge, and we had representatives from each of the decades since then.  Former Mayor Wally Gregory came all the way from Arkansas to be with us that evening.  As we walk down memory lane, let me list the names of those in attendance, in no particular order, and see how many you recognize:  Berkeley Johnson, Bob Link, Evan Long, Don Sharp, Greg Collins, Wally Gregory, Dave Allen, Basil Perch, Alan McIntosh, Laurel Barton, Don Landers, Amy Shuklian, and Warren Gubler.  Others couldn't attend, and many are no longer with us.  But to all we say a great big "thank you" and hope to make this an annual tradition again.

                                                                                                Warren Gubler

                                                                                                warren.gubler@visalia.city

                                                                                                directfromwarren.blogspot.com

A TYPICAL WEEK

In my day job as an attorney, I recently "got stuck" in Orange County in trial.  That county has what they refer to as "trial call" where you have to show up ready for trial.  However, if the presiding judge doesn't have a courtroom available, he orders the attorneys back day by day, until a courtroom becomes available.  As a result, my trial stretched out over a two-week time span.  Fortunately, meanwhile the rest of the city council and the city manager stepped in to cover some of the events I usually have as mayor.

It was nice to return to Visalia once my trial eventually finished.  The week after I returned I had a number of functions to attend to as mayor.  Let me share with you my calendar of events for that week.  On Monday morning I spoke to a combined civics/economics class at VTEC High School, and that evening I addressed the Sunset Rotary Club.  On Tuesday, I attended the new Smart & Final Extra ribbon cutting on South Mooney Blvd.  Wednesday morning I attended my board of directors meeting for the Tulare County Economic Development Corporation in Exeter.  Early Thursday morning, I did a police ride-along for a few hours to observe our new Hope team involving the homeless.  That evening the city council interviewed seven candidates for two open positions on the planning commission.  On Friday, I wrote this article for Direct Magazine.

When I look back at the end of each week I'm amazed that I'm able to fit it all in, maintain my law practice and still see my family on occasion.  The best thing about serving on the city council and as mayor is the opportunity to meet and interact with many terrific people in our community.

Dump On Us Again

I've mentioned before that one of my favorite city services is Dump On Us day put on by the public works department every few months.  On those Saturdays, Visalia residents can haul their trash and dump it for free at the Visalia corporation yard on North Cain Street.  On May 20, having trimmed a number of trees in my backyard, I took my load to dump.  Speaking with some of the city personnel who greeted me there, I learned that they had started accepting waste about 6:15 a.m. (normally 7:00 a.m.) because the vehicle line was already stretching all the way back to Lovers Lane!  Friendly city staff assisted those in line to quickly dispose of their waste.  Not only does this event encourage Visalia residents to get our yards in shape, but much of the waste is recycled.  The next Dump On Us day is scheduled for August 26, 2017.   For more information, visit www.dumponus.org.

Homeless Outreach and Proactive Enforcement (HOPE) Team

As previously mentioned, I recently did a morning ride-along with Officer Hickey of the Visalia Police Department.  The city police department recently started the Hope team whereby, due to the large volume of calls regarding homeless issues received, two officers are assigned to focus on homeless related issues.  We picked up a number of shopping carts, and interacted with a few homeless.  One homeless gentleman that we visited along the railroad tracks was pushing three grocery carts full of his possessions, and obviously struggling that morning.    Officer Hickey was very courteous at all times to this gentleman and others we met.  He recommended resources that are available including some related to crisis intervention, housing resources, and mental health programs.  We also visited a business on Mooney Blvd. that is part of TEP (Transient Enforcement Program).  Through this program, merchants and businesses can sign up and preauthorize police officers on their private property so that they can promptly deal with trespass issues.  On this particular TEP visit, Officer Hickey was able in a cordial way to remove this particular transient from the business premises.  In conjunction with the police department, code enforcement likewise has a crew available to retrieve grocery carts and dispose of unsightly waste.  The homeless issue is one that we are all concerned about, and we will continue to use all of our resources, including non-profits, religious organizations and other interested citizens to work on a solution.  Also, the city council recently approved a new work program for the homeless whereby two five-member teams of specially selected individuals will be given part-time work and paid to clean up and do routine jobs around the community.  The idea is to help the homeless to become employable and find jobs so that they can help themselves get back into housing and be productive in society.

If you have questions or topics regarding the city which you would like to have addressed in future articles, please email Warren at warren.gubler@visalia.city.  For past articles, visit directfromwarren.blogspot.com.

MIKI PARK DEDICATION

Visalia has a brand new park known as "Miki Park."  This half-acre park, at the corner of Mineral King and Stevenson, near City Hall, has been in the works for many years.  The park is designed to reflect Japanese landscaping, including stone lanterns.  These lanterns light up and make the park particularly attractive for viewing in the evening.  The entrance to the park is an Americanized version of a Japanese torii, which is a traditional Shinto gate.

We dedicated our new park on Saturday, April 22, with the assistance of a 14-person delegation from our sister city of Miki Japan.  There were speeches, a ribbon cutting, the unveiling of the monument at the center of the park, then the planting of a "sakura" or cherry tree to symbolize the friendship between our sister cities.

Included in the Japanese delegation was the vice-mayor of Miki Japan, Shigetoshi Inoue and the chairperson of the Miki city council, Minoru Hatsuda.  Our sister city relationship began in 1966, and in November 2016, Visalia sent an 11-person delegation to Japan to celebrate our 50^th anniversary.  The dedication of this park celebrates the beginning of our next 50 years as sister cities.

We thank the various local host families who housed our Japanese visitors for several days.  We took our guests to a Rawhide baseball game, Sequoia National Park, to see the Riata Ranch cowgirls, and to tour various businesses and COS to get a taste of American lifestyle.  Their trip concluded with an all-American barbeque in the Gubler backyard.  A highlight of the program that evening was vice-mayor Bob Link and I singing and dancing to the hit Japanese music video "The Apple Pen Song."  If you're curious, look it up at youtu.be/0E00Zuayv9Q.

We thank all of those who helped make this a memorable trip for our Japanese guests and we look forward to our next visit to our sister city, maybe in 2018?  Be sure to drop by and check out our new Miki Park.  P.S.  I might add that the word Miki translates to "three trees."  Our new park even has three stately old growth sycamore trees, which someone pointed out is symbolic of the "three trees."

The Patio Place

I recently received an email from a local businessman, Ron Bock.  He wrote to mention that while in a prior article I had made mention of his business neighbors on either side, DSW and Home Goods on South Mooney Blvd., I had failed to mention his new store.  So my wife and I dropped by to check it out.  Ron's store is known as "The Patio Place."  Ron was raised in Visalia, moved away and opened stores elsewhere, then came back to Visalia to open this store.  He knew from experience how nice people from Visalia are and had been wanting to go into business here.  If you're looking for high-quality outdoor furniture of all types, drop by The Patio Place.  There you go Ron, I hope I made up for failing to mention you and your store previously, and good luck.  We appreciate all of our local businesses, and I enjoy attending as many ribbon cuttings as I can as a representative of the city of Visalia.

Visalia's F-15 Fighter Jet

On March 9, 2017, Vice-Mayor Bob Link, City Manager Mike Olmos, myself as Mayor and others from Visalia were honored to attend the dedication of a F-15 Fighter jet at the Air National Guard base in Fresno.  After some speeches by myself and Colonel Reed Drake, Commander of the 144^th Fighter Wing, we unveiled the city's crest/logo which will now be on the jet flown by Lt. Colonel Chris Corliss.  Visalia is working with the Air National Guard to arrange to have Ranger Corliss and our jet fly over Groppetti Stadium on July 4^th as part of our city fireworks display this year.  I should mention that we also had the opportunity to meet a number of Visalians who are members of the Fresno Air National Guard and we appreciate their service to our community, state and country.  And by the way, CASA of Tulare County was awarded the opportunity to put on this year's community fireworks celebration.  They have big plans for a day-long celebration.  Mark your calendars and plan on attending.  Together we can make this the best 4^th of July celebration ever!

If you have questions or topics regarding the city which you would like to have addressed in future articles, please email Warren at warren.gubler@visalia.city.  For past articles, visit directfromwarren.blogspot.com.

SENIORS ARE WINNERS

It's a wrap for the 2017 Visalia Senior Games, held for five days over the last two weekends of March.  The goal was to double the attendance from the first senior games held in the fall of 2015, which had 239 participants.  We exceeded that goal, this time having a total of 513 register and compete.  New events that were added included track and field, swimming, disc golf, and trap shooting.  About 25% of the participants were from Visalia and the Tulare County area.  We had competitors from 90 different California cities, including San Diego to the south, and Sacramento, Santa Rosa and other towns to the north, and some came from as far away as Washington and Texas.  Some were grizzled, experienced senior games participants, having competed elsewhere in California and other states, and some were competing for the first time.  In 2017, senior games locations in California include Pasadena, San Diego, the Bay area, Sonoma and the Inland Empire.  Visalia's Senior Games were the earliest of the year and are the only ones being held in central California. 

As impressive as these statistics are, they only tell part of the story.  Let me share with you the personal stories of three of our gold medal winners, that in my opinion are the true measure of the success of Visalia's Senior Games.

At the Saturday evening social put on by our local Lions clubs at the Garden Street Plaza, we enjoyed appetizers and dancing to a live band.  Dan Overstreet came over to introduce himself to me.  Don is a retired local businessman, and these were his first senior games.  He participated in golf.  I should add that Don is 90 years old.  I was a little startled when he told me that, because he looked much younger.  Obviously, he lives an active lifestyle and is enjoying good health.

At the track and field events, I got to meet another young man by the name of Bill Ferrell.  Bill told me that he lives in Murphys, north of Yosemite, and had driven down with his daughter to participate in our games.  His wife had passed away a few months prior.  He won gold medals in the 50 meter, 100 meter and 200 meter races.  Bill is also 90.  He stated that he started running when he was 52, and stopped counting how many miles he had run when he hit 75,000 miles.  What an inspiration!  Bill indicated that he is a regular participant in senior games throughout the west.

The last gentleman I want to mention is Donald Welton of Visalia.  Unfortunately I didn't get to meet him, but I learned from a colleague about how well he did in bowling.  You see, Donald is 95 years old.  I was told that his children, grandchildren and others came out to watch him bowl six games and to cheer him on.

These three gentlemen are representative of the competitive spirit and can-do attitude of the participants in the 2017 Visalia Senior Games.  Our ten oldest competitors were ages 82-95.  As more and more Baby Boomers retire, they are looking for ways to stay fit, stay healthy, and to enjoy a better quality of life.  There's no need to retire to the rocking chair, and exercise and fitness are a great way to avoid the never-ending medical care debate emanating from Washington D.C.!

For me personally, these games were the motivation I needed to drop 10 extra pounds I've been carrying around, and I even came home from the track meet with a little bling myself. I want to thank our Parks and Recreation Department, the many volunteers, the Lions clubs and all those who made our 2017 Senior Games the best ever.   For those of you lucky enough to be 50 or older, start working out now and getting in shape, select an event to participate in to prove to yourself what you can do, and plan on joining us for an even bigger and better Visalia Senior Games in 2018!

Happy City

According to the 2016 Community Wellbeing rankings by Gallup.Healthways, the Visalia-Porterville metro area ranked 25^th in the nation (out of 189 metro districts).  Their article noted that "where you live can impact your health and wellbeing.  Innovative leaders are transforming their communities to create improvements in how people socialize, work, eat, play and move. These changes are empowering citizens to make healthier choices, be more productive and have better quality of life."  The rankings were based on social, financial, community, and physical indexes.  I'd suggest that our Senior Games are an example of a healthier choice by our community.  While there were two or three California coastal communities that ranked up there with us, Visalia scored the highest ranking in the entire San Joaquin Valley.

                                                                                                Warren Gubler

DOWNTOWN'S DECORATIVE LIGHTING

If you've been downtown at nighttime lately, you've probably observedthat decorative lighting has been added to the trees.  This was particularly noticeable at Christmastime when Visalia also had its Candy Cane Lane lighting on display.  This new lighting has lent a festive look to our historic downtown and I have received many positive comments regarding the same.  You might be interested in knowing about all the work and effort that went into making this possible.  I credit downtown businessman Myron Sheklian for providing me with most of the following information.

The downtown Christmas lights upgrade began in the fall of 2011.  Some of the wiring on the decorations was frayed and a safety hazard.  The cost to completely replace the decorations with state-of-the art LED lighting would have been in excess of $100,000.00!  The Downtown Visalia Property Owners Association (POA) instead donated over $9,000.00 to remove and replace the old wiring and replace the lights with LED lighting in order to reuse the existing decorations.  Labor parties of POA members, downtown merchants, service clubs and church members were organized to replace the lighting on all of the decorations.  Because the new lighting could not be plugged into the fluctuating antiquated streetlight power, local merchants allowed the Christmas lights to be plugged into their business locations along the parade route and paid for the additional electrical use.

The following year, the POA spearheaded a project to power one side of Main Street, Court and Locust with permanent wiring strung from the light posts, and the next year the electrical upgrade included powering the other side of the streets.  The total cost for the parts and labor for this two-year electrical upgrade project was $48,852.35. 

In 2016, the POA operations committee was given permission to installdecorative tree lighting to remain for up to three years at a time.  Tree pruning was coordinated prior to installing the new lighting on the trees.  A survey of trees on Main Street was conducted to determine which trees were appropriately sized and near enough to power sources.  There were roughly 100 trees that were considered and the POA decided to illuminate 48 of these trees based on cost.  The trees selected were evenly balanced out on both sides of Main Street.  A professional holiday lighting company was contracted to do the actual installation of the lights.  Volunteers such as Mr. Sheklian and Mike Fistolera and their employees ran power to each of the selected trees to greatly reduce the charges by the professional company.  The cost for the electrical cords, additional lights and the installation came to $24,614.55.  The tree lighting project could not have happened had the POA not installed the electrical wiring upgrade in previous years.  The total cost to refurbish the Candy Cane Lane light decorations, to purchase replacement bulbs and strings as needed for maintenance, to install electrical upgrades, and to light the trees was well in excess of $80,000.00, with the entire amount being contributed by the POA.  At our February 21, 2017 city council meeting, a Resolution of Commendation was presented by the city council relating to these lighting projects.

So the next time you're walking down Main Street enjoying the new twinkle lights, remember the time, effort and money that went into making it all possible.  To conclude this article, let me share a recent letter received by the city from Rachel Mano, a Visalia resident since 2001: "My husband and I would like to let you know that Main Street is our favorite weekend hang out.  So much to choose from (dining).  I'd like to congratulate whoever is responsible for the decisions and dedication that goes into keeping Main Street a safe and thriving atmosphere.  I hope you can pass on this credit where credit is due.  Anyway, I wanted to comment on the "tree lights" that have been lit up since Christmas, what a wonderful idea.  Love, love, love, love, them.  It reminds me of being in a different city (i.e., SLO, Cambria, etc.).  It's warm and welcoming.  I hope they stay up forever!  Everyone we talk to feels the same way.  I have noticed more and more people walking down Main Street and commenting about the lights.  Please thank those responsible for the idea and the effort of the business owners."

Let me add my thanks and appreciation to the many individuals, merchants, the POA, City of Visalia employees and all those who made these lighting projects possible so that the rest of us can enjoy them, now on a year-round basis!

If you have questions or topics regarding the city which you would like to have addressed in future articles, please email Warren at warren.gubler@visalia.city.  For past articles, visit directfromwarren.blogspot

VISION FOR VISALIA

On Friday, January 27, 2017, the Visalia City Council, along with our City Manager, city staff and members of the public held our annual planning retreat.  We reviewed the city's mission statement and values, identified issues needing to be addressed, and developed an action plan on priority issues for 2017.  We were ably assisted by Vicki Stasch, a professional facilitator.  Attendance from the public was the highest I've seen, this being the eighth such annual retreat which I've attended since being on the city council.  Another way of describing this gathering was a "brainstorming" session.  We started at 8:30 in the morning and went through 5:00 p.m.  We took public comment and the council informally shared ideas and priorities.

One of the more interesting aspects of the meeting was a panel discussion we had regarding the homeless issue.  We had representatives from Family Health Care Network, CSET, Health and Human Services, the Rescue Mission, Self Help Enterprises, Tulare County Housing Authority and the Visalia Police Department giving their insights into the causes of homelessness and suggestions on how we can address it locally.

The following is a summary of our action plan for 2017.  This will serve as a roadmap and direction for the year.  Feel free to follow the city council and staff in 2017 to see how we do on accomplishing these goals. 

·      Reduce homelessness – Visalia will participate on the new Tulare County Task Force on Homelessness to see what can be done countywide to address this issue.  We will have presentations at future council workshops from other successful cities to hear their ideas.  Another goal will be to locate at least five people who are currently homeless and to develop a work program with funding from Workforce Investment to help them become employable.  We will also look to partner with entities which can assist in building and managing housing for the homeless.

·         Circulation and Transit – We will investigate possibly opening up more streets which cross the railroad tracks on west Goshen to improve circulation patterns.  We will hold a future work session on all roads in the city to see where we can improve traffic circulation.

·              Business friendly - The council will look into continuing to make Visalia a business friendly city.  We'll survey the development community about their experiences with our staff and continue to use best efforts to streamline permitting and fees.  We want to continue to support Kaweah Delta Health Care District and Family Health Care Network downtown.  We will explore a possible branch campus in Visalia from a four-year university such as Fresno State and we will get a status update from the developer of Sequoia Mall.

·               Visalia as a Destination – We approved going forward with re-establishing the annual Fourth of July fireworks celebrationat Groppetti Stadium in 2017, seeking to develop a public/private partnership for this project.  We'll continue to emphasize sporting events such as the Senior Games, the Cal League Summer All Star Game, and holding other allstar games and championships here in Visalia, which is centrally located. We will investigate further the possibility of an aquatics complex.

·                     Water –We will continue to encourage conservation of this precious resource.  We will look to our landscape and lighting districts for reduced consumption, seek additional funding for recharge basins on the east side in particular, and bring the new water conservation plant online this year to assist in recycling water.

·                  Sustainable Community – We'll use Measure N funds as a tool for improving our parks, streets and public safety.  We'll continue to emphasize connectivity between subdivisions and parks.  We'll work to complete more trails such as the St. Johns Parkway and Modoch Ditch Trail.  And in a future city council work session, we will receive a report on the status of downtown lighting and how to improve and update that system.

·                Strong Downtown – We will explore ways to fund the new east downtown civic center, including a new city hall.  We will also review city-owned properties and identify those to sell to help raise funds.

Last Call for the Visalia Senior Games

Just a reminder that Visalia's second annual Senior Games will be held March 17^th - 19^th and March 24-26,2017.  If you haven't signed up yet, visit www.visaliaseniorgames.com and come join the fun!

If you have questions or topics regarding the city which you would like to have addressed in future articles, please email Warren at warren.gubler@visalia.city.  For past articles, visit directfromwarren.blogspot.com.

REORGANIZATION

On December 16, 2016, the Visalia City Council held a special meeting at which we said goodbye to council member Amy Shuklian, and welcomed new council member Phil Cox.  The council was then reorganized whereby I was appointed mayor, and veteran council member Bob Link was appointed vice-mayor.  Bob and I look forward to serving for the next two years in these positions.  I am frequently asked how the mayor and vice-mayor are selected, so let me explain.

Visalia previously elected its five council members citywide for four-year terms, but beginning in November 2016, council members are elected by district.  Two council member positions were on the ballot in 2016, the other three positions will be on the 2018 ballot and voting will continue accordingly.  After each such election, the council meets to swear in the newly elected.  The five council members then take nominations for mayor and vice-mayor from amongst themselves, and then vote on the same.

Certain issues that I would like to emphasize in the next two years include:

∙ Reevaluating our work with the homeless, to build on our successes and to see how we can better partner with non-profits, churches, the county and other local cities to address this need.  In particular, I'd like to add a work component to our outreach whereby we give opportunities to the homeless to give service back in return for what they receive, thus assisting them to be responsible for themselves, to become employable again, and to eventually afford housing.

∙ A delegation just returned from visiting our sister city in Miki Japan in November 2016.  Visalia will be dedicating our Miki City Park in April 2017.  I'd like to continue to work on strengthening our ties with our sister cities in Japan and Italy.

∙ Visalia has not held a Fourth of July fireworks celebration the last two years.  I look forward to the city partnering with a service club(s) to reinstate such celebration on July 4, 2017.  This will hopefully cut down on the 50-60 citations issued last Fourth of July, when we also had five fires attributable to fireworks over the Independence Day weekend.

∙ We thank local citizens for recently passing Measure N, and the council looks forward to using these new sales tax revenues as promised, to strengthen public safety, for road improvements, and for parks and recreation.

∙ I'd like to reinstate the mayor's dinner whereby we honor past mayors and councilmembers for their service to the community.  Additionally, I will hold monthly "meet the mayor" office hours at City Hall so that citizens can meet with me to express their ideas and concerns.

Of course, the foregoing are just a few ideas and initiatives I'd like to push, on top of the ongoing day-to-day operations of our grand city.


Mayor Vollmer
Ed Vollmer served as mayor of Visalia from 1965-1973.  He was a big man with a big personality, he loved his family and community.  Ed was born April 15, 1923.  His wife Betty was also born on April 15, and they were married on April 15.  A great date for a CPA/tax advisor like Ed!  Ed made many contributions to this community both as a mayor, family man and businessman.  I consider him a mentor, and he was one of those that encouraged me to run for city council.  On December 16, 2016, after the council meeting where I was appointed mayor, I dropped by the local hospital ICU to visit briefly with the Vollmer family.  Ed passed away later that night at age 93.  From Visalia's newest mayor to Visalia's oldest mayor, I will say that Ed will be greatly missed, and I express my personal as well as the city's condolences to the wonderful Vollmer family.

2017 Visalia Senior Games
Visalia is hosting its Second Senior Games, March 17-19 and March 24-26, 2017.  Planning has been going on for months.  This year we have added track and field, swimming, disc golf, race walk, and team mens soccer, men's softball, men's volleyball, women's soccer and women's volleyball.  We encourage everyone 50 and over to start getting in shape, and to participate.  Registration is now open, and can be done online at www.visaliaseniorgames.com.  Or go to the same website to volunteer.  As before, we will have an opening ceremony event but this time Downtown, a Friday night social and lots of other fun activities.  We thank the Visalia Parks and Recreation Department and all of our sponsors and volunteers, and look forward to these games being even bigger and  better than our inaugural event.

If you have questions or topics regarding the city which you would like to have addressed in future articles, please email Warren at warren.gubler@visalia.city.  For past articles, visit directfromwarren.blogspot.com.