GOOD NEWS REAL NEWS HOMETOWN NEWS
SINCE 1916 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CIX, NO. XXXVII
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2024
atascaderonews.com • $1.00 • WEEKLY
In the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb on Sept. 14, firefighters in full gear carried hoses, simulating the weight of the equipment carried by the emergency workers on 9/11. Photo by Derek Luff
9/11 Memorial Stair Climb honors fallen heroes, raises funds for burn survivors
Participants climbed the equivalent of 110 stories at the Paso Robles Event Center on Saturday, Sept. 14 By ELISA HUOT Contributing Writer
NORTH COUNTY — The Paso Robles Professional Firefighters Local 4148 hosted a 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb on Saturday, Sept. 14, to honor the brave first responders and civilians who lost their lives in the 2001 terrorist attacks. Participants climbed the equivalent of 110 stories at the Paso Robles Event Center to pay tribute to the fallen heroes. Proceeds from the event benefited the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation’s Champ Camp, a summer camp for child burn survivors. “This is our second annual
9/11 stair climb here in Paso Robles, put on by the Paso Robles Fire Association and assisted by the San Miguel Fire Association,” said Dustin Virgil, a firefighter paramedic for the City of Paso Robles Fire Department and the event organizer. “This year we are excited as we’ve opened it up to the public. Here we are 23 years later, still honoring them.” “What is important is that it is not just a number, 343,” Virgil added, referring to the total of firefighters who died in 9/11. “It’s 343 people that were fathers and mothers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, friends and loved ones.” Templeton Fire provided lanyards with the names, pictures, and apparatus assignments of those individuals. CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
The Colony Day committee have announced their 2024 Royal court (from left) Colony Day Grand Marshal Karen McNamara, and King and Queen Don and Janey Giessinger. Photo by Rick Evans
Colony Days Committee choose Giessingers as this year’s King and Queen Karen McNamara announced as the 2024 Colony Days Grand Marshal
By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
ATASCADERO — The Colony Days Committee is proud to announce their picks for 2024’s Grand Marshal and Royalty. This year’s Grand Marshal will be Karen McNamara, who has been a fixture in Colony Days for years, and the roles of King and Queen will be filled by Don and Janey
Giessinger. The couple haven’t (for the most part) missed a Colony Days parade since they started 50 years ago. All three Atascadero citizens will be honored at the Quota of Atascadero Tea on Sunday, Sept. 29. The tea itself is inviteonly but is also known as the official kick-off to the Colony Days event schedule. Everyone else from the community is invited to then celebrate McNamara and the Giessingers at the Colony Days Mixer on Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 5:30 p.m. The mixer will take place at Colony Cinemas, and plaques
will be presented to the inductees. All the fun for the inductees will come to a head when they lead the Colony Days Parade on Saturday, Oct. 5. McNamara, a Nebraska native, ended up in Atascadero after she met her late husband, Mike, at college in Missouri. Mike grew up here and wanted to return as soon as they were married in 1979. For a short amount of time, the family moved to Colorado but made their return in 2009. McNamara became a part of the Colony Days Committee herself from 2010 to 2023 when she stepped
down to focus on her other passion project, the Atascadero Printery Foundation. “When I came back, I decided to get involved,” McNamara said of joining the committee. “The parade was very, very small, and we had lived in a very small town in Colorado. They had an amazing couple of parades every year. They had a Christmas parade and then another parade celebrating the community during the middle of the year. They had great parades, and my sons were like, ‘This is such a small parade but such a bigger town.’ CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
Flag bearers on horseback herald the start of the Creston Classic Rodeo. Photo Courtesy of Chuck and Vikki Houck
Hispanic Business Association members gather at the new Paso Robles office for a grand opening on Wednesday, Sept. 11. Photo Courtesy of Hispanic Business Association
Hispanic Business Association celebrates new North County office in Paso Robles HBA aims to foster a community for North County Hispanic businesses By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@atascaderonews.com
NORTH COUNTY — After over 10 years of building a community, the Hispanic Business Association (HBA) now has a place to call home. On Wednesday, Sept. 11, the HBA held a grand opening for its new office in Paso Robles.
AGRICULTURE
This is the first physical address the HBA has held. The organization aims to foster a community for North County Hispanic businesses and provide services like ideas, information, technical assistance, resources, and any other form of business opportunities that enhance the Hispanic business community. “I never really thought we’d have an office, but as the years progressed, I felt like we needed one because there were always times when people were like, ‘well, where
BUSINESS
can we meet you?’” HBA Program Director Maria Elena Garcia told Atascadero News. “It feels like that next level. I feel like the community now has somewhere they can come for resources.” Founded in 2011 by Sue Hubbard to assist Spanish-speaking clients, the HBA began with five businesses and grew through networking events and community involvement. The HBA is a valuable networking CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
NORTH COUNTY NEWS
SPORTS
Creston Classic Rodeo celebrates 28th annual event with western tradition
Longtime fundraiser for community center and pool draws families, contestants for weekend fun By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@atascaderonews.com
CRESTON — The Creston Classic Rodeo returned this year on Sept. 12 for its 28th annual weekend-long event. Event performances each night started off with the national anthem and then straight into
the rodeo activities, which included barrel racing, roping, mutton busting, and more. The rodeo was packed with vendors, food trucks, horse trailers, and families filling the bleachers and enjoying their food as they watched the contestants compete in the arena. This rodeo has been around since 1996 and has a background that is special to the Creston community. The rodeo was started by the Ryan family and has served the community CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
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