GOOD NEWS REAL NEWS HOMETOWN NEWS
SINCE 1916 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CX, NO. XXXII
THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 2025
atascaderonews.com • $1.00 • WEEKLY
AUSD board members discuss ideas for Carissa Plains students New superintendent proposes a hybrid classroom/independent study curriculum for remote campus’s middleschool-aged students By MIKE CHALDU michael@atascaderonews.com
ATASCADERO — In his second regular meeting as the Atascadero Unified School District superintendent on Tuesday, Aug. 19, Dr. Tom Bennett tackled the issue of Carissa Plains Elementary School, the most remote A group of kids cheer on participants in classic cars going down El Camino Real at the 32nd Annual Hot El Camino Cruise Nite on Aug. 15. Photo by Rick Evans/ATN campus in the district. In doing so, the superintendent introduced a new format for the board, devoting parts Mid State Cruizers’ 34th Camino Cruise Nite rolled through Show at Atascadero Lake Park and the the Streets,” Director of Community of the meeting to discussing town on Friday, Aug. 15, officially kick- ever-growing Dancing in the Streets, Services & Promotions Terrie Banish certain topics in a round-table annual car show fuels ing off the city’s coveted Cruisin’ Week- which saw record attendance thanks in shared with Atascadero News. format. Bennett told the audiCruisin’ Weekend while end. With all 350 vehicle slots selling part to a special performance by The Families lined the sidewalks, lawn ence that while the meetings on raising thousands out nearly a week in advance, the tradi- Molly Ringwald Project. chairs and blankets in tow, while chil- the first Tuesday of the month for local nonprofits tion once again drew crowds down“The entire weekend of events went dren waved eagerly at passing hot rods would deal with mainly busiBy CAMILLE DEVAUL town to admire the lineup of classic and off even better than expected, from and muscle cars, their chrome gleaming ness items, with the meeting camille@atascaderonews.com the weather to the attendance, and under the summer sun. The air buzzed conducted from the usual spots custom cars. This year’s festivities were highlighted it’s always a highlight for many of us with nostalgia as engines rumbled down on the meeting room’s dais, the ATASCADERO — The engines by a refreshed, walkable downtown to see all of the families and children El Camino Real, blending with laughter, meetings on the third Thursroared and the streets came alive as and culminated with a lively Saturday, enjoying the event from the Cruise to live music, and the smell of food from day of the month, like this one, Atascadero’s 32nd Annual Hot El featuring the Mid-State Cruizers Car dancing with the bands for Dancing in CONTINUED ON PAGE A2 CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
Hot El Camino Cruise Nite packs downtown for 32nd year
The Pioneer Day Royalty for 2025 — (from left) Jaklyn Woodland (Estrella), Taylor Gignoux (Bradley), Samantha Martinez (Union), Olivia Anderson (Pioneer Day Belle, York Mountain), Amelia Peterson (Paso Robles), and Emma Marquart (Templeton) -- pose outside the Estrealla Warbirds Museum in Paso Robles during the Pioneer Royalty Dinner on Aug. 17. Photo by Derek Luff/ATN
Riley and Maxine Elkins share a kiss on their wedding day, Aug. 23, 1945, where they got married in Carson City, Nevada. Photo courtesy of the Elkins Family
Eighty Years of Love: Maxine and Riley Elkins Atascadero couple, married in 1945, reflects on a lifetime of faith, family, and perseverance as they celebrate eight decades together By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@atascaderonews.com
NORTH COUNTY — On Aug. 23, Maxine and Riley Elkins will celebrate something few couples ever experience: 80 years of marriage. At 95 and 97, the longtime Atascadero and Morro Bay residents reflect on a lifetime
Generations gather as Paso Robles introduces 95th Pioneer Day Royalty Attendees come to Estrella Warbirds Museum to celebrate 95th Pioneer Day Queen, Marshal, and Belle, carrying forward Paso Robles’ legacy of family, tradition, and history By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@atascaderonews.com
PASO ROBLES — The annual Pioneer of love and perseverance that has spanned nearly a century. Royalty Dinner brought together family, Their journey began in 1945, friends, and community members for an in the uncertain years of World intimate evening at the Estrella Warbirds War II. Maxine was just 15, Museum in Paso Robles on Sunday, Aug. 17. Riley only 17. The two met in The dinner served as a warm introduction to high school in Placerville — he this year’s Pioneer Royalty and celebrated the a senior, she a freshman. After long-standing traditions that lead up to the several months of friendship, 95th annual Pioneer Day Parade. “This is a more in-depth introduction [to their relationship blossomed into something deeper. Like many the Pioneer Day Royalty]. How long, where young couples of the time, they they come from, what they’ve done for the were acutely aware that the war community that has led to them receiving cast shadows over the future. this honor,” Pioneer Day Chairman Lori “A great many of the young Woods told Atascadero News. people were getting married The evening’s highlight came when Olivia because they didn’t know Anderson of the York Mountain area was whether or not they would get officially announced as this year’s Belle. She CONTINUED ON PAGE A2 will represent her family and community
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alongside five attendants, each representing different regions across North County: Emma Marquart (Templeton), Jaklyn Woodland (Estrella), Taylor Gignoux (Bradley), Amelia Peterson (Paso Robles), and Samantha Martinez (Union). Belles and their attendants, typically high school seniors, represent the next generation of pioneer families whose roots in the region date back before World War II. Pioneer Day Corresponding Secretary Jill Vierra Smith told Atascadero News, “We were lucky enough this year to have a good group of girls, and they’re so excited. It’s been really fun ... everyone is always absolutely fascinated by the girl’s history. And I think that the girls like to hear about the other girls and find out how everyone got here.” Anderson is a fifth-generation member of the Venturini family and sixth-generation Lindberg descendant. She chose York Mountain to honor where her fami-
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ly’s local history began. Her great-grandmother, Dorolice “Big Nonna” Luzi, was born in Templeton in 1918 and raised in York Mountain, where her father worked in the vineyards. Dorolice later married Emidio Venturini, who immigrated from Italy and settled in Templeton during the Great Depression, where together they built a family farm and raised six children. On her grandfather’s side, the Lindberg family came from Norway in 1910, with several relatives participating in Pioneer Day traditions, including Olivia’s mother, April, who served as a Belle Attendant in 1997, and her sister, Kendall, in 2017. Olivia continues that legacy as the fourth generation in her family to represent Pioneer Royalty. In addition to her Pioneer Day role, she enjoys cooking her family’s traditional recipes, learning to sew with her grandmother, and hopes to pursue a career in fashion as CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
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