GOOD NEWS REAL NEWS HOMETOWN NEWS
SINCE 1916 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CX, NO. XVIII
THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2025
atascaderonews.com • $1.00 • WEEKLY
AUSD board hears concerns of Carissa Plains students, parents Contingent advocates for additional teachers, middle school levels for district’s remote campus By MIKE CHALDU michael@atascaderonews.com
ATASCADERO — In a busy regular meeting on Tuesday, May 6, the Atascadero Unified School District Board of Trustees discussed the situation of Carissa Plains Elementary School after hearing from a group of parents and students who came from the area, 45 miles from Atascadero. The discussion of CPES was already an item on the agenda under Administrative Business, but a group of students and parents from the K-5 school made the trip to request a new middle-school-level teacher so that students can stay with the campus through the eighth grade. Currently, the students need to be bused into Atascadero for school starting with the sixth grade. The amount of time students would spend on the bus before and after school has been a main point of concern for the parents, which was also expressed at the April 1 school board meeting. In Tuesday’s meeting, five CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
Winners of the Atascadero Tamale Festival’s Chihuahua and Pet Costume Contest line up in front of City Hall at the Saturday, March 3, event. Photo by Rick Evans/ATN
Thousands Flock to Atascadero for 9th Annual Tamale Festival Sunken Gardens comes alive with music, contests, over 140 vendors, and thousands of tamales By HAYLEY MATTSON Publisher, Editor in Chief
ATASCADERO — Downtown Atascadero was sizzling with excitement on Saturday as the community came together to celebrate the 9th Annual Atascadero Tamale Festival around the Sunken Gardens. The event drew large crowds from all over the state who came to enjoy a day filled with music, entertainment, contests — and of course — thousands of tamales. This year’s event broke records with over 140 vendors lining the streets, offering a tasty spread of tamales,
beverages, sweets, and fair-style favorites. Of those, more than 25 vendors specialized in tamales, traveling from across California to showcase their best traditional, gourmet, and sweet creations. “Judging tamales every year is one of my favorite perks of being on the city council,” said Atascadero Mayor Pro Tem Mark Dariz. “There is such a variety of tamales, and it’s sometimes hard to pick a winner. This event gets better every year. It’s wonderful to see how many vendors we get and how far they are willing to travel to be a part of Atascadero’s fun. This is such
a great family-friendly event with all of the entertainment, bands, and fairlike foods. I love just hanging out and enjoying it all.” Content Editor Camille DeVaul of the Atascadero News, also served as one of the tamale judges this year. “I had the wonderful opportunity to be asked to judge tamales representing Atascadero News,” she shared. “We sampled 17 traditional tamales — chicken, beef, pork — each with its own unique flair. It was a great experience. Congratulations to all who competed.” Festivalgoers were treated to a
packed entertainment lineup, including live music from local bands and traditional folklórico dance performances. A fan favorite, the dancing horses, returned to the delight of the crowd. Families also gathered for the always-entertaining tamale eating contest and the adorable Chihuahua and Pet Costume Contest. Each year, the festival features a “Best Tamale” Contest, judged by a panel of local personalities and culinary enthusiasts. This year’s top honor, Best Overall Tamale, went to Super Tamales from San Jose. CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
Bill and Julie Lapp, founders of mid.point. Photo courtesy of mid.point wine
Paso’s Railroad District — Downtown’s emerging wine scene Entrepreneurial spirit and elegant pours define mid.point and Rockbound Cellars By MIRA HONEYCUTT
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Hispanic Business Association members and volunteers Elizabeth Gutierrez (left) and Rittsi Anguiano pose in front of Anguiano’s photo display at the inaugural Cinco de Mayo Celebration in Paso Robles City Park. Photo by Camille DeVaul/ATN
Paso Robles hosts first official Cinco de Mayo celebration Hundreds gather for music, dance, and community unity at vibrant event organized by Hispanic Business Association By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
PASO ROBLES — Downtown Paso Robles came alive Sunday, May 4, as hundreds gathered in City Park for the city’s first official Cinco de Mayo celebration — a vibrant, family-friendly event filled with music, dancing, food, and local pride. Hosted by the Hispanic Business Association (HBA), the free event showcased cultural traditions of the Hispanic community while
promoting unity, local business, and grassroots organizing. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., attendees enjoyed performances of live Ballet Folklórico, artisan vendors, festive music, and a variety of food options. Contests such as Best Salsa/Pico de Gallo and Best Pet Costume added fun and flair to the day’s activities. What made this inaugural event especially notable was how quickly it came together. Maria Elena Garcia, program director of the Central
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Coast Hispanic Business Association, said she was contacted just 60 days prior by Paso Robles Main Street Association Executive Director Norma Moye after a flood of public inquiries about a Cinco de Mayo celebration. “It was really quick. And so I put it together, called our vendors,” said Garcia. “The easy thing for me is that we run as an association. So I basically just call my members and say, I need your help.” CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
SPORTS
aso Robles’ quiet strip of Railroad Street near the downtown park is finally getting some traction. The recent addition of Bottle Shop has added that extra cool hip vibe that may just usher in a vibrant wine and food scene. Dubbed as the Paso Railroad District, the three-block stretch is populated with businesses ranging from plumbing, heating/air conditioning service and healing therapy to the California Coast Beer Co. It all began with the Eleven Twenty-Two Speakeasy Lounge which opened in 2017. Three years later Ted Ross took a bold step and established his Hayseed
and Housdon Wine Tasting Garage, across from the Speakeasy in a non-descriptbut an intimate space. Hayseed’s Tasting Garage soon became a popular hub for aficionados looking for smalllot artisanal wines ranging from Burgundian and Bordeaux to Rhône style wines. Ross donates 50% of sales from all wines to various local charities. Within that compound what was once the home of Lush Limousine company now stands Bottle Shop, a marketplace collective launched by Bill and Julie Lapp. Currently, there are two wine tasting rooms, mid. point and Rockbound Cellars, with future tenants signed CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
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