Photos: Tehachapi News

Inez Fahrendorf

Inez passed away peacefully at Ventura County Medical Center on Oct. 1, 2008. She succumbed to injuries she received in a fall.

Inez was a resident of Tehachapi for many years till she moved to the Oxnard area in the 1990s. Many of those who had the privilege to meet Inez know that she was a caregiver and unselfishly gave from her heart and helped those in need. She not only was a caregiver but also devoted time to legal aid assistance.

She enjoyed square dancing and traveled to different locations doing that.

She is preceded in death by her sons Paul Torres, Leonard Torres, granddaughter Lana Andrews and dear companion Austin Kelly.

She is survived by daughters Lorraine Mahaffey, of Port Hueneme, Nina Devine and husband Lance, of Big Bear; sons Robert Torres and wife Marion, of Long Beach, Rene Torres, of Long Beach, Mark Torres and wife Juanita of Tehachapi; 13 grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren.

Family and friends will celebrate Inez's life at the home of her son Mark, on Oct. 18.

Spotlight on Community Business: Prodigal son returns

Tehachapi High School grad Mitul Patel, not quite 30-years-old yet and already recognized by Bakersfield Magazine as a successful “risk taker” and a partner in his own multi-national auto parts business, has returned to his hometown roots, to run the long-established downtown garage purchased by his father, Pravin Patel, more than 20 years ago.

Previously known as R&N Garage, for the first initials of original owners Randy and Nancy Carter, the garage had already enjoyed a 30-year-long history as a distinguished member of the downtown business community.

Pravin Patel and his family immigrated from England, crossing continents to change just one consonant in the established garage’s name, and spent the next 15 years raising the high standard of service it was already known for. Upon the senior Patels retirement, the garage changed hands, and now the Pravin’s son, Mitul Patel, plans to run the garage “just like my father did 10 years ago.”

“My father was known for doing honest work at a fair price. He was always that guy that went out of his way to take care of his customers,” said Patel adding that “word of mouth” is what has kept the garage bay doors open for the last 50 years. After his father passed away in 2007, Patel decided he didn’t want those doors to close.

Patel now employs a team of four at the Tehachapi Boulevard garage, and upwards of 50 at his specialty auto parts business, RPM Partz.

“When I graduated high school, I didn’t want anything to do with the garage,” said Patel, “I had my own passions.”

Those passions are what kept Patel motivated through college at Cal State Bakersfield, then for four more years at a successful and “steady job” collecting loans for a Bakersfield company. That was before his dad encouraged him to take a “real risk” and start his own business. As they say, the rest is history, and now locals are excited to see Patel return full circle, to his beginnings.

Patel is happy to keep the P&N name alive.

“A lot of people know it. They knew my dad and they’re happy or excited the Patels’ are back in town,” he said.

“He always went above and beyond.”

Patel recalled how his dad “dropped what he was doing “ to take a customer who’s husband had been hospitalized.

“That’s the kind of business I want to continue running. Someone who takes care of their community.”

Patel’s goal is to become the “one stop shop” it once was, complete with city partnerships.

P&N garage now also houses Pacific Tire and Wheel, offering tires, wheel alignment, brakes, smog inspection, tune-ups, shocks — “We do everything!” boasts Patel, with pride in his “family business.”

In fact, Patel said it’s only appropriate that he dedicated a downtown park bench to his dad, right in front of the shop, “He lived and breathed there. This is his vision and his principles I’m following.”

The younger Patel plans to utilize those principals as the basis for giving other young people the confidence to succeed at their own goals. He hopes to offer classes to high school students on the weekends, teaching them basic automotive skills.

“My dad always said, ‘don’t be afraid to take things apart. Somebody put that together.’”

TAAR announces endorsement of Grimes

Following a private candidate forum conducted by the Tehachapi Area Association of Realtors (TAAR) on Oct. 1, incumbent Councilman Ed Grimes was selected as the only candidate to be endorsed by TAAR, confirmed a letter from the association’s president, Mary Gilman.

A list of 11 questions was given to each of the four candidates in advance, covering topics related to real estate ordinances, property rights, city planning, economic growth and civic responsibility.

“I totally believe in the Tehachapi way of life. We will continue to grow and I believe that with a good plan of action we can have responsible growth, protect property rights of individuals, encourage economic development and make sure water is available for our particular needs. There are many challenges ahead and I believe that with my experience and knowledge of issues locally gives me an advantage to deal with whatever comes along,” said a statement issued by Grimes thanking the Greater Tehachapi Chamber of Commerce for their endorsement earlier this month.

Takin' Care of Business

The arrival of cooler weather was perfectly timed to compliment the selection of seasonally delicious “fall appetizers” prepared by Juan Acevedo of Don Juan’s Grill, which stold the spotlight at last week’s Greater Tehachapi Chamber of Commerce monthly mixer, co-hosted by Holiday Inn Express and Alta One Federal Credit Union.

“I guess they liked the food,” Juan said jokingly, after he was announced as the winner one of the beautifully decorated door prize baskets, created by Jessica Trowbridge, Marketing Coordinator for Alta One’s Ridgecrest office.

A large turnout listened as President/CEO Robert M. Boland of Alta One praised the community of Tehachapi for maintaining it’s small town character and ideals while pursuing “big ideas” for maintaining outstanding business practices.

“It was a good turnout for all area offices,” said a local Alta One representative, citing team members attending from Tehachapi, Bakersfield, Lake Isabella and Ridgecrest corporate offices.

Also in attendance was the Chamber’s 2008 Citizen of the Year, Richard Henry, owner of Henry’s Cafe. Look for a Community Close-up in upcoming edition of the Tehachapi News, detailing Richard’s 29 years of service as a founding member of Main Street Tehachapi, and his numerous other community contributions.

The Tehachapi News and the Greater Tehachapi Chamber of Commerce will begin accepting nominations for the 2009 Citizen of the Year, and 2009 Large and Small Business of the Year Awards starting Nov. 1.

Tehachapi City Council Candidate Henry Schaeffer, of Henry’s Homes 4 Less, enjoyed conversation with Chuck McCollough and George Gonzales, proprietors of the newly established Triassic Legacy Vineyard, in Cummings Valley.

McCollough said interest has exploded in the valley’s potential as a future wine producing and agri-tourism region. Watch for new vines to be planted in the spring.

Keep reading for coverage over this exciting business and agricultural news.

In this economy your support for local businesses of every size and shape can help create the old-timers of Tehachapi’s future economic base! So be sure to welcome newcomers, Brouckaert Insurance Services, located at 20300 Valley Blvd. on Oct. 14 from 4-6 p.m for a ribbon cutting ceremony, drawings and refreshments.

Speaking of “old-timers,” Congratulations are in order for Bank of the Sierra, celebrating 27 years of membership with the local Chamber. Check out next week’s Tehachapi News for Tina Forde’s upcoming story on how many smaller area banks are withstanding the current financial crisis with solid business principles and assets intact.

Please remember to shop locally whenever possible, and be sure to say thanks to all our local entrepreneurs and their dedicated employees for Takin’ Care of Business!

If you or someone you know deserves a shout out in an upcoming edition of Takin’ Care of Business, or would be suitable for a business profile in Community Business News, please send an email to editorial@tehachapinews.com, or call Carin at 823-6373.

No corporate businesses or subsidized community services agencies will be featured in this format, only privately owned, small businesses (less than 20 employees) currently operating within the greater Tehachapi area.

Community Business News: Coldwell Banker Best rides into Stallion Springs

Coldwell Banker Best Realty has established a presence in Stallion Springs, recycling a long-vacant automotive garage to provide a warm, inviting environment for the firm’s sales associates, customers and clients. Associate Broker/Co-Owner Bernard Connolly said, “We also wanted to provide a very convenient and highly visible location for both local and out-of-town real estate buyers who are looking to relocate to Stallion Springs.”
Connolly said, “We are the number one real estate office in the Tehachapi area, selling 2.5 times the number of homes as our nearest competitor and four times as many as the next nearest competitors.”

The new office is open seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Friday and Saturday, 12 noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.

The office telephone number is (661) 823-5418. The address is 27750-D Stallion Springs Drive.

Connolly and Sales Manager/Co-Owner Dottie Jean Connolly say, “Come and see us.”

Ribbon cutting ceremony opens greener pastures for THS students

Campus life at Tehachapi High School has changed! The quality of student time when at lunch, breaks and times between classes has been made substantially more enjoyable by a completed quad area, new walkways, two student amphitheaters and extensive new lawns.

All of this was started this summer and recently completed, to the resoundingly positive comments of students and staff. The design and construction of the project was the result of a participatory process that involved students, staff, maintenance personnel and administration to come up with a functional design that met the school’s overall needs. The end product has been very well received.

Prop 8 supporters attract attention at busy intersection

As many as 30 flag and sign waving marchers took up positions at all four corners of the intersection of Valley Boulevard and Tucker Road last week to show their support for passage of state measure, Proposition-8. To get this passed, a yes vote is required and the written words of the propositions states it as follows:

“Changes the California Constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry.''And that, “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.”

Proponents of the bill, such as rally participant Brent Whitney, Pastor of Children's Ministries at Country Oaks Baptist Church stated that last week’s rally was made up of, “Representatives from many local Tehachapi churches, as well as concerned families and parents who all basically share the belief that marriage is defined as the union between one man and one woman.”

Whitney said additional rallies are planned between now and Nov, 4,,, Election Day.

New quads arrive as Giuffre leaves

Just as some cool new equipment arrived at the Kern County Tehachapi Sheriff's Substation Oct. 2, the head deputy for five years was packing up his office for a job transfer to the Special Enforcement Division in Bakersfield.

Sgt. Joe Giuffre, 50, took a break from packing boxes in his office and plucking balloons off the ceiling to roll out one of two Yamaha Grizzly 4 x 4 450 quads that are destined to cut down on illegal off-road traffic as well as carry out rescues.

On hand to mark the occasion were Kern County Supervisor Don Maben and his Special Projects deputy for Tehachapi, Mary Beth Garrison, as well as Giuffre's replacement, Sgt. Richard Wood.

“These are one more tool in the arsenal,” said Maben, who allocated money from his special budget for the district to buy the equipment. “They provide a pro-active presence in the community.

“They will have the same effect as a highway patrolman on the freeway.”

In addition to the two quads at about $8,000 each, the package of new equipment included a white trailer at $10,000 emblazoned with “Sheriff's Off-Road Vehicle Team” to haul the vehicles and a 20 kilovolt generator to keep power at the substation going during an outage, at $5,600, for a total of $33,000.

Giuffre, briefly testing the RPMs and looking like he wanted to take off for a ride, said, “It really helps the problem but doesn't stop it.”

The Sheriff's substation has been battling off-roaders who cross private property and create environmental and noise problems in private or semi-public areas that are not designated for that use.

“It's frustrating,” Maben said. “All the counties are fighting it.”

Off-roaders encroach on property at Old West Ranch, Sand Canyon, Golden Hills, Mountain Meadows - “Any area of open land,” Giuffre said.

“People are even using them on the Pacific Crest Trail, which is designed for hikers and equestrians.”

The quads also will be put into service to rescue people, he said.

“There may be a plane crash in an area that other vehicles can't get to,” he said. “Sometimes people get lost.”

The little quads, a shade darker than a British racing green and tricked out with black metal accessories, will be fitted with a department logo, emergency lights and a siren.

“It is capable of traffic enforcement,” Giuffre said. “It meets all the requirements.”

To qualify to use one of the quads in the line of duty, a deputy must take a two-day class at the Inyokern Substation.

The class teaches safety, Giuffre said, and winds up with a 70-mile ride from Inyokern to Randsberg.

“They teach you how to ride 'em,” Giuffre said.”

The department has ordered new helmets and goggles. Riding gear includes gloves, goggles and long-sleeved shirts, he said.

Garrison, who has been on the board of the golden Hills Community Services District for six years, said that the generator was vital because a power outage last winter left more than the substation stranded.

Giuffre said, “We supply the Tehachapi Police Department and the Bear Valley Police Department with their computer systems. Our department couldn't do anything.”

Winners Announced for Main Street Tehachapi & Rotary Centennial Calendar

The leaders of Main Street Tehach-api and Tehachapi Rotary Club have expressed thanks to all 46 participants in an inaugural Centennial Calendar Photo Contest.

“This event proves how beautiful our valley truly is. We had entries from every season and even our cowboy culture was represented,” said Michelle Vance, executive director of Main Street.

The task of choosing the winners was a combination of public and professional input. On Oct. 1 Main Street and Rotary hosted a reception and that drew over 100 visitors who helped judge the photos.

David Widrig was the $500 first place winner; he captured fireworks over the water tower on the 4th of July. Judy Trujillo was the $300 second place winner with a beautiful photo of a snowy Tehachapi ball field. Greg Loskorn was the $200 $200 third place winner with a fantastic picture of our train heritage.

Look for the calendars to hit the stands in late November.

Depot fire defendants 'held to answer,'

The two Tehachapi men charged in the June 13 fire that destroyed the historic railroad depot will be re-arraigned Oct. 10 in Bakersfield on a felony charge of causing a structure fire.

In a preliminary hearing Sept. 26 at Superior Court East Kern Branch in Mojave, Judge John Oglesby concluded there is enough evidence on that one count to hold Jason Watson and Brian O'Donnell over for trial.

He dismissed a misdemeanor charge of selling and using illegal fireworks, citing insufficient cause.

The defendants will enter a plea on Oct. 10 and a trial date will be set.

An arson investigator for the Kern County Fire Department testified at the preliminary hearing. The attorneys for the defendants had no comment following the preliminary hearing. The arson investigation office would not comment, citing possible contamination of the jury pool.

At the site of the burned depot, a group of men from Friends of the Depot for weeks have been scraping and cleaning old bricks unearthed by machines clearing out dirt and debris preparing for renewed construction. The bricks were part of the original foundation and pilasters that are more than 100 years old.

The site now reveals strata that tell the history of the depot. At the lowest level are the bricks, then remnants of charred wood from the first depot fire in 1904, then a black layer of soil that accumulated during the flood decades of the 1930s and 1940s. On top of that layer is three feet of fill that was placed on the site to hold the depot when it was raised off the ground to get above the floodwaters. The fill made the land higher than the surrounding streets.

The bricks possibly will be used in a walkway for the rebuilt depot. The men, after laboriously chipping off old concrete from the bricks, have salvaged more than a pallette of the old foundation material.

JV Tennis Pummels BCHS

With six games into the league season, only one junior varsity team stands alone atop the leader board with an undefeated record. After a resounding 8-1 victory over Bakersfield Christian last Thursday, that team is the Lady Braves
Tehachapi (6-0 SSL) has at least a two game lead in the SSL title race over Bakersfield Christian (4-2 SSL) and Taft (3-3 SSL), with a showdown looming this Tuesday with Arvin (5-1 SSL) that will all but decide the end-of-year champion.

“The girls are playing very well, we have a lot of talent to work with and they are reaching their potential,” said head coach Jim True. “This is a very coachable group with great attitudes in practice and in matches.”

Winning last Thursday in singles was Caitlin Burris (6-4, 6-3), Erica Lange (6-7, 6-3, 10-7), Elizabeth Oglesby (6-0, 6-4), Samantha Thiesse (5-7, 6-4, 10-7), and Hannah Fjeld (6-3, 7-5). Taking doubles were the tandems of Lange / Burris (6-2, 6-4), Oglesby / Daelyn Valencia (7-5, 4-6, 10-8), and Fjeld / Adriana Brewer (6-3, 6-4).
Overall, Tehachapi has defeated Taft (6-3), Arvin (6-3), Wasco (8-1), Shafter (7-2), and Bakersfield Christian (6-3, 8-1) in six SSL team contest so far.

“We have had a lot of matches that have gone to super-tiebreakers and the girls have come through,” added True. “Sometimes tennis is a game of inches and the player that wants it more is the one that comes out on top. Our girls have done a great job.”

Earlier in the week, Tehachapi also dispatched Taft with singles wins by Caitlin Burris (7-5, 6-4), Erica Lange (6-2, 3-6, 10-8), Elizabeth Oglesby (6-1, 6-7, 10-8), Danielle Amacher (7-5, 6-7, 10-5), and Daelyn Valencia (3-6, 7-6, 10-8). Winning in doubles were Hannah Fjeld and Adriana Brewer (6-0, 6-0).

Coach True has been assisted this season by Coach Natalie Franchere.

Tomahawks Impressive on Gridiron

All four levels of Tehachapi Tomahawk football are taking Kern County by storm, with the varisty, junior varsity, sophomore, and freshmen levels all sporting a 3-1 or better record at the midway point of the season.

Highlighting the efforts are the junior varsity and freshmen squads, who are both 4-0 before last weekend with wins over the Garces Irish, Southeast Wolverines, Shafter Gladiators, and Arvin Grizzlies.

Also notching victories is the varsity team, who have lit up the scoreboard with a combined 34 points per game, with the only blemish on the year coming against Shafter. In the sophomore's wins over Garces, Shafter and Arvin, the Tomahawks have only given up a total of 12 points in the three games combined.

The Tomahawks will be traveling to Foothill to take on the Titans this Saturday at Foothill High School, which is off Weedpatch Highway in Southeast Bakersfield. Times for the contests will be Varsity (6pm), Junior Varsity (4pm), Sophomores (2pm) and Freshmen (12pm). The public is encouraged to attend.

Gryphons U16 take Club Fury by storm

U16 Gryphons Girls Team
The U16 Gryphons girls team displayed a fine performance in their win against Club Fury. Within the first two minutes of the game, the girls had put one in the back of the net, which began with a pass from Eliana Navarro through to Tiffany Short. Short ran onto the ball, beating out the opposing defender. She shot while Kelsey Young followed through and scored on the deflection from the goalie. Short assisted Young on another score crossing the ball to Young on the left side. Young was in position to send the ball to the back of the net. Short recorded all 3 of the assists. Melanie Roussel scored off a corner kick as well, curving the ball into the upper right corner. Sydney Castillo played her most complete game of the year, adding an intimidating force on the field. The game ended 4-1.

“We are proud of the way the girls played”, said Coach Perris. “We've been missing one of our top defenders (Harli Smith) for two weeks now. In her absence, Alex Haleluk has taken advantage of the opportunity. Alex has helped the defense stay on course. She has really been giving it a great effort the last two weeks and we are proud of her.”

Lady Warriors with 10th straight game with victory

It was business as usual for the Lady Warriors last Wednesday evening, taking down Frasier Mountain in four games (25-18, 25-17, 22-25, 25-22) to move to an impressive 23-2 on the young season.

Aly Pulford recorded the most point wins at serve for Tehachapi with 11, followed by Jami Lankin with 10. Jasmine Julye, Sam Nunnally, and Shelby Flick all shared the top honors in aces with two each.

Julye had the top mark in kills with 13 on the night, followed by Sarah Horcher with 12 and Paige Woodward with 11. Persephonie Devereaux had 11 total blocks and Julye close behind with eight stuffs, while Shelby Flick and Jami Lankin combined for 21 digs in the contest.

Up next for Mountain Volleyball is league play, with a home game against Wasco scheduled for Tuesday (6:15pm) and an away match-up against Arvin on Thursday (6pm). Tehachapi will also have a huge SSL showdown next Tuesday (6pm) at home against league rival Bakersfield Christian, where they are hoping for a spirited home crowd to attend.

Junior Varsity
The Lady Braves split the week with a thrilling win over Frasier Mountain (25-18, 25-21) and a closely contested loss to Kern Valley’s varsity squad by a score count of 25-16, 25-13, 25-21.

Lauren Smith, Amanda Borst, and Meghan Komin were credited with strong serving games, while Colleen Chung had six winners and a plethora of impressive spikes. Bre Farinas led Tehachapi with five kills overall against Frasier Mountain.

Makenzie Stuart was credited with a strong defensive game, leading the team in digs from her specialist position in both contests.

Running Wild over Rosamond

Rosamond High might have the mascot of Roadrunners, but last Friday night, Mountain Football provided the most decisive display of road-runners.

Thunder (Adam Mullen) and Lightning (Josh Strauss) were back together again for the first time in three weeks, helping Tehachapi (2-3) to 455 yards rushing in a 34-8 drubbing over Rosamond (1-4).

In the process, Strauss set a new single-game Warrior rushing record, recording 304 yards on 23 carries. The one-game effort breaks the 291 yards rushing achieved by Eric Young in 1989 in a victory over Mojave.

Mullen capped the big runs with endzone appearances, scoring three times and collecting 108 yards on 11 attempts.

The margin of victory could have been greater if it was not for two touchdowns called back on penalties, one coming from Strauss on a 54-yard run in the first half and the second a Kurtis Knudson to JJ Balkar touchdown pass, coincidentally the only pass attempt by Mountain Football on the night.

On defense, the Warrior secondary kept Rosamond honest in the passing game with four interceptions recorded, two by Neal Herman and one apiece by Derek Lange and Nick Howell.

The offensive line for the Warriors (Kevin Ruiz, Dominic Chavarria, Drew Howell, Niko Taliulu and Vince Ortiz among others) currently have the distinction of helping THS to the most rushing yards by any Kern County team, with 1,522 yards overall and an impressive 6.32 yards per carry by the talented backfield.

The Warriors will have a bye on the schedule this week, but will be back at home next Friday (Oct-17) in a homecoming match-up with Shafter. The game will also mark the first league game of the year. Former and current THS alumni are encouraged to attend.

Junior Varsity
The Braves (3-2) scored on seven of their eight offensive possessions in a 47-0 decimation over Rosamond.

Michael Lowder had a season-best 203 yards on 13 carries and a score, while Evan Fassbender coupled the effort with 124 yards on 10 attempts from scrimmage, including three touchdowns.

Overall, Tehachapi had 526 yards of offense, with 454 coming on the ground. Other strong performances in the contest included Salvador Contreras with 61 yards on eight carries and two touchdowns, and Zach Timm, Tyler Holstrom, Cory Lange, James Register and Levi Garrett combining for 63 yards overall.

In the passing game, Adam Bullard connected with Travis Farwell for a 72 yard touchdown reception. Farwell also had a strong game on defense, continuing the previous game’s strong four-sack performance with nine recorded stops on the night.

Zach Timm was the top tackler with 10, while Tyler Holstrom had five take-downs and a fumble recovery.

Cory Lange and Cameron King both had five tackles each, while Ray Cross, Adam Bullard and Dallas Scaggs had multiple tackles. Scaggs also connected on three extra points.

Freshmen
With Rosamond not fielding a Frosh/Soph team, the Indians took to the road in a four-hour bus ride to Liberty-Madera, with the end result giving Mountain Football a 48-0 victory.

Marcus Curiel had 130 yards and two touchdowns on three carries and Wyatt Vance had 88 yards on 10 carries and a score. Overall, the Indians had 363 yards rushing.

Colt Wilson also recorded a touchdown and a couple of two-point conversion runs, while Brian Castaneda and Luke Henderson also found the endzone in the contest.

Joey Lopez returned a kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown to account for a strong Tehachapi (4-1) special teams effort.