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Thanks for visiting Historic Happenings! If you are not on the email list, and would like to be notified via email when a new posting of this newsletter is made, please email Terry Ommen at histerry@comcast.net. I will add you to the list. I will never share your email address with anyone without your permission.
Congratulations Joseph Vicenti
for being the first to correctly identify the last mystery spots as one of the
cute little cottages known as Grey Gables Court at 704 W. Main Street. Nice
work, Joseph and quick too!
Now for the new mystery spot. I am now moving to an alley location to test
your knowledge of the interesting backs of our buildings.
Here are the clues on this building:
Here are the clues on this building:
1.
The brick arch with large double door is an unusual feature of this building,
and may be the only one of its kind in Visalia.
2.
This building is across the street from
the old Mt. Whitney Power Co. building that still stands.
3.
It currently houses home furnishings.
4.
At one time the building was a very close neighbor to Luke Bianco's grocery
store.
Where is this building? Good
luck.
The Man Behind the Flowers
In the last issue of HH, I
highlighted the Peter Perkins Flower shop that first opened in Visalia in 1914.
I received a couple leads on more information about the man whose name is still
associated with the business. (Well close, at least. Now it is spelled Perkens
with an "e" not an "i".) Charles Loffland shared this
newspaper photo and the obituary on this interesting man. According to a
notation on the clipping, Peter died February 15, 1958 at the age of 64. Thanks
Charles for your help on this. 
Visalia Vapor Trailers—A Plaque that Continues to Make
Visalia Famous
In the last two postings of HH,
I have talked some about the Visalia Vapor Trailers, a hotrod club that was
started in 1949. I asked if anyone had a club plaque. I heard from Tom Runyon,
current president of the club and he showed me his sand-cast aluminum plaque. Thank you Tom for sharing that. If you see one
of these in a back window or on a bumper of a car, you know you are looking at
a VVT member.
Valley Voice—It's Coming Back!
Remember this shocker? December
22, 2011 was the last published issue of the Valley Voice. For over 30 years, the Voice offered Visalia and the broader Tulare County area another
news source, then on December 22, 2011, it suddenly stopped. Well, on Thursday,
June 6th the Valley Voice
will return. Yes, Catherine Doe and her husband Joseph have taken it over and
the first issue promises to be a good one. The Valley Voice office is in the Montgomery Square building on Main
Street. There will be various rack locations for the paper throughout Visalia
and hopefully beyond. Best of luck Catherine
and Joseph. The return issue is sure to be a keepsake, so make sure you get
yours!
Taylors — Another Visalia Landmark
Taylor's Hot Dog Stand is a
Visalia favorite and has a following even beyond local patrons. Established in
Visalia in 1952 by Pauline "Ma" and Jimmy Taylor, and Jimmy's brother
Kelly, the local landmark eatery moved from its original site next door to the
O'Dell-Mor Apartments building to its new site across the street in 1984 (where
it is now.) The Taylor’s Grandson Matt runs it now. Russ Dahler shot this
pre-1984 photograph of the old building in all its glorious color. Thanks Russ.
Matt Kneeland Shares Family Photographs
Recently Matt Kneeland shared
some pictures from his family’s album. Included here is a sample of the
pictures. The first is a view southbound on Mooney Blvd. at Freeway 198. Looks like freeway
construction and
***I just wrote a story for
Lifestyle Magazine about Visalia's old Sweet building, the Link Brothers and
some ghost sightings. Yes, I said ghosts! Check it out at http://issuu.com/lifestylemagazine/docs/lifestyle_may_web.
The article with photographs starts on page 20.
***The mystery of the old
Visalia theater sign is still waiting to be solved, however, George Pilling who
was one of the construction workers turning it into the Enchanted Playhouse, said
that they did not replace the sign that was on the building during that
transformation.
***The hanging tree mystery is
also still waiting to be solved.
***Recently I received an
inquiry from Kathi Hipwell Hash. She is
trying to find 2 family related pictures—one of Hash's market (on Giddings
across from the Rawhide ballpark) and the second is Hipwell's Grocery. She
believes Hipwell's was on Bridge Street. Can anyone help with these two photographs?
We talked about Hash's some time back, but no photographs were found. Let me
know.
***In the last HH I showed a
photograph of a youngster’s band. Several of you, including Art Browning, Jim
Drath and Rita Loffland Cooley identified the director of the band as a man
named McCord. Thanks for that.
***I received a delightful email
from Kay (Kathryn Kottmeier) Fleming and she shared some wonderful memories
including a mention of a Visalia hangout called the "BBQ" located on
Main at Willis, I believe. She had great memories of this drive-in. Anyone have
any pictures? Thanks Kay for staying in touch.
A Visalia traveler related this to a newspaperman,
"A number of immigrant families from Arkansas have lately settled near
Visalia. They are the bone and sinew which one day will make this valley the
garden spot of the lower country. Several families from Los Angeles are also
among the settlers upon the banks of the Four Creeks. Game is very abundant,
and easily obtained. Grizzly bears make frequent visits to the tule swamps,
where they are easily trapped." Sacramento
Daily Union, November 20, 1856