Enjoy Magazine: Northern California Living — May 2026

Caring for Community

At Valor Oncology, we are proud to support our community. From advanced radiation oncology to specialized surgical services, your health is our priority. Keeping you strong for the moments, and the family, that matter most. REAL PEOPLE. REAL CARE. RIGHT HERE AT HOME.

Did you know your skin is your body’s largest organ? And that May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month? At Valor Oncology, we’re committed to keeping our community healthy by sharing simple ways to protect your skin. See our tips below:

Limit Sun Exposure: Avoid the sun when UV rays are strongest.

Use Sunscreen: Apply a generous amount of broad-spectrum SPF 30+ 15–30 minutes before sun exposure and reapply regularly.

Wear Protective Clothing: Cover exposed skin and choose a wide-brimmed hat.

Regular Skin Checks: Watch for changes and schedule routine exams with a healthcare professional.

Mercy Medical Center Redding St. Elizabeth Community Hospital

Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta

Trouble

When the signs of stroke occur, it’s critical to receive emergency medical intervention—because the faster someone gets help, the stronger they recover. If you see or experience symptoms, BE FAST:

Balance issues

Blurry eye vision

Facial drooping

Arm and leg numbness or weakness

Slurred speech

Time to call 9-1-1

Dignity Health’s North State hospitals are certified Stroke Centers recognized by the Joint Commission, with Mercy Medical Center Redding recognized as a Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center, giving you access to advanced, life-saving care right in the place you call home. Learn all the ways stroke symptoms can manifest at DignityHealth.org/NorthStateStroke.

CONTENTS

NURTURE & BLOOM

54: RSA Students Share Stories That Make a Difference

58: Xeriscaping Gains Ground Across the North State

62: Laws and Wade Connect Students with Nature

66: Temma Roby Builds Community in Tehama County

72: Barb Sumerlin Delivers British Tea Parties Locally

76: Jayme Castro’s Foraging Tours in Mount Shasta

GOOD TIMES

30: Reimagining McCloud’s Historic Dance Hall

44: Shasta Historical Society’s Taste of History Returns

INTEREST

20: Bainbridge and Renger’s Window Gems Save Birds

24: 50th Annual Tehama County Special Olympics

36: Paul “Palul” Rideout Still Creating at 85

43: A Quick Guide to the Language of Rodeo

IN EVERY ISSUE

16: What I Enjoy: Kalie Brisbon

80: Recipe: Grilled Asaragus Caesar Salad

82: Enjoy the View: Alex Rueda

84: What’s Cookin’: Baked Strawberry Cake Donuts

89: Local Events Calendar

98: Giving Back: Shasta Growers Association

Where Healing Begins at the Roots Rooted Vitality

In a world that never slows down, your body deserves a place to rest, recover and truly thrive.

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• Stress, Anxiety & Mental Fatigue

• Toxin Buildup & Low Energy

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IMPACT NOW

THE M c CONNELL FOUNDATION

Partnerships in Action

The McConnell Foundation’s mission extends far beyond its headquarters in Redding. Our international program works in Nepal and Laos—two countries with distinct cultures, landscapes, and needs. While the contexts differ, the goal is shared: strengthening the systems people rely on for dignity and well-being.

Through partnerships with local organizations, The McConnell Foundation is helping communities solve disputes fairly, have a voice in decisions that affect them, and protect the environments they depend on. We support practical actions that meet immediate needs, while also helping shape the practices and institutions that will matter for years to come.

YVONNE MAZZOTTA publisher

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70 Years Strong

Built on Service Driven by Community

Our story began in 1955 at Beale Air Force Base, when 15 members of the United States Air Force each invested $100 to form what was then Beale Credit Union—created to serve military and civilian personnel with trust, integrity, and purpose. Seventy years later, that same spirit still guides us.

Trust and integrity are at the forefront of who Sierra Central is and what we believe in. From offering first home loans to growing businesses and every milestone in between, we’re more than a bank—we’re your trusted community partner. With a new Online and Mobile Banking platform, flexible financing, and investing options, our team listens, understands, and builds customized plans to help you thrive—today and for generations to come.

note from our team a

Spring is in full swing, and this month we’re inspired by those who tend to our community.

Meet Barb Sumerlin, who nurtures the art of tea time and unhurried conversation through her mobile tea business, while Temma Roby at Roby Ranch provides a sanctuary for all kinds of critters. Curiosity blooms as Plumas County educators teach students about the art of nature journaling through the Wild Wonder Foundation.

We also see a cultural blooming at the historic McCloud Dance Hall, where movement brings “pure love and healing,” and at the annual Taste of History celebration in Old Shasta, where the Shasta Historical Society helps keep the past connected with the present.

From an explosive mushroom season to the seasonal tastes of grilled asparagus and strawberry donuts, signs of spring are everywhere. Whether you are planting a xeriscape to welcome pollinators or finding inspiration in “Palul” Rideout’s 85 years of artistic curiosity, this issue celebrates growth in all forms.

Don’t forget to check out our monthly calendar of events, which is bursting with opportunities to get out and about.

May your May be filled with connection and growth. Enjoy!

ON THE COVER: Hayden Hagler

Kalie Brisbon WHAT I ENJOY

CEO & President of United Way of Northern California

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT LIVING IN THE NORTH STATE?

Being close to my family after years away. A very close second is everything outdoors: Hiking endless trails to majestic views, springtime native flowers, swimming in lakes and stargazing at night.

Family: My partner Corey and I have been together two years and are both graduates of Central Valley High School. Most of my immediate family are locals; Amber and Ryan are two of my siblings, along with their partners Bex and Vanessa. Our youngest brother Christopher, mother Sue and father Monty all passed in the last four years. My stepfather James lives in Redding, and I have one half-sister, Cierra, in Denver. I’ve chosen not to have kids but love my role as auntie to 13 nieces and nephews. They are a big reason I moved back to the North State.

How long have you lived in the North State? July will be 10 years since I “moved home.” I grew up around Redding and moved to Los Angeles after graduating from Central Valley High School in 2004.

For someone who leads a nonprofit focused on strengthening communities, what’s one small act of kindness you think everyone should try this week? Move through the community with a smile and notice others around you. Choose curiosity over judgment and assume people are doing their best. Look at people and smile. If you feel called to do more, spread kindness in ways you feel comfortable. “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” – Aesop

What’s the most unusual job you’ve ever had? In 2013, I was a youth activities counselor on the Disney Dream Cruise Ship. I was terrified of the ocean and had only left the

country once. A friend encouraged me to try. Sailing between Florida and the Bahamas, in charge of hundreds of kids (and sometimes their grown-ups), was one of the most formative and exciting periods of my life. One evening, I led a game of Uno with five kids who all spoke different languages—only two understood English. We fumbled, figured it out and had fun. It showed me the capacity of people to work together.

If your personality were an animal, what would it be? A grizzly bear (also my roller derby name). I’m fiercely protective, could spend all day with other bears by a river and would prefer to hibernate November through February.

If you had a free month with no responsibilities, how would you spend it? Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. It’s a dream of mine and right in our backyard.

If you had to give a 10-minute TED Talk tomorrow, what topic would you choose? The power of believing in yourself especially in the chaos of change or deepest times of grief.

What’s a book, movie or show you recommend to everyone? Zlata’s Diary by Zlata Filipovic. I read it in eighth grade and it changed my perspective on a child’s ability to cope with hard things. Also Wild by Cheryl Strayed, and anything by Brené Brown.

If your friends described you using only three words, what would they say? Empathetic, passionate, intentional

If you had to survive a zombie apocalypse with three items from your purse or pockets right now, what would they be? Carabiner, hand sanitizer, face mask

What’s a small everyday thing that makes you ridiculously happy? Flowers of all kinds and colors. I love them all.

With Gratitude

To Our Valued Community and Dedicated Staff,

As we recognize Hospital Month, I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude to the extraordinary team at Shasta Regional Medical Center. Every day, your compassion, professionalism, and unwavering commitment to excellence make a meaningful difference in the lives of our patients and their families. It is an honor to work alongside individuals who bring both skill and heart to everything they do.

To our community, thank you for the trust you place in us. It is a responsibility we carry with great pride. Your confidence in our care inspires us to continually raise the bar, ensuring that quality, safety, and kindness remain at the center of every patient’s experience.

While we are proud of the recognitions we’ve received for patient safety and quality, what truly defines us is our people and our shared commitment to serving this community. We are more than a hospital - we are neighbors, friends, and partners in your health and well-being.

We welcome you to share your thoughts, experiences, or suggestions by emailing SRMC-SuggestionBox@primehealthcare.com.

Together, we will continue to build a healthier future, grounded in compassion, innovation, and community connection.

With sincere appreciation,

Sam Itani

Sam Itani Chief Executive Officer Shasta Regional Medical Center

pretty

hat if a cleverly-made, aesthetically-pleasing decal had the potential to save hundreds—if not thousands—of birds? Turns out, such a product exists, and it’s made by a thriving, values-driven business in Mount Shasta founded by Kendra Bainbridge and Eileen Renger. “I have a degree in biology,” says Bainbridge, who works as the wholesale director and comes to Window Gems with a lifetime centered on nature. “My mom was a biologist, so I’ve actually always enjoyed the outdoors. Then, I worked at the Forest Service for a while doing botany, so I have all kinds of fun interests.” Bainbridge also owns Raven Tree, a wild bird nature shop in Mount Shasta.

Renger, the company’s product designer, brings a different but complementary skill set to the endeavor. “My background is in architecture, but I never did become an architect,” she says with a laugh. Instead, she spent

years self-employed, either doing landscape, lighting design or other crafts. “I had an Etsy shop where I sold my sewing, creating fuzzy fun things,” says Renger. Renger grew up in the Santa Monica Mountains in what she describes as a rare pocket of the Southern California wilderness. “I always ran around barefoot, being a wild and crazy kid in nature. So that’s something Kendra and I have in common.”

Bainbridge and Renger met through their sons, who were in the same kindergarten class in Mount Shasta. They started out on walks as “exercise buddies” before a chance moment changed the trajectory of their friendship. “I’d gotten this sparkly, rainbowy prismatic vinyl. Long story short, it was not what I thought it was going to be, so I ended up cutting some circles out of it to put on our ▶

continued on page 22

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glass door so the birds wouldn’t run into it.” Bainbridge immediately noticed it at Renger’s place. “I’d had similar decals in my shop previously, but they were nowhere near as durable. So, when I saw this idea, I knew that it could be a viable product, and we could start testing.”

The duo began by hand-cutting decals and testing them on

HEALTH WISE

Bainbridge’s windows. “The ones we made are still on there today, so we know they last for years,” says Bainbridge. The pair first launched Window Gems on Etsy just before COVID. “There was a silver lining to COVID for us,” explains Bainbridge. “People were staying at home and would see birds crash into a window, so they’d hop online and order.” The immediate response was unexpected—and explosive. “We blew up pretty fast,” Renger agrees.

The growth also fueled another outcome of the business that they’re particularly proud of. “Our employees are mostly women who get to work at home. We pay well, and they get to choose how much they do, when and how they do it,” says Renger. She notes that during peak demand, they’ve had as many as 15 employees, though the company currently functions comfortably with eight employees who spread out the work so no one is overwhelmed. “You can’t produce Window Gems all day or else you’d go nutty,” Renger says.

What’s also at the heart of the business is a sobering statistic: Up to a billion birds die every year from window collisions. “More birds collide with windows in the spring and the fall because the sun is a little bit lower in the sky. That increases the reflection on the windows,” Bainbridge claims. But Window Gems addresses this problem through cut decals uniquely styled in embossed, prismatic vinyl that never fades. “That prismatic texture never goes away. We’ve had some up since 2018, and they’re still making rainbows.” Those rainbows formed by the prismatic texture are part of the product’s mass appeal. “They’re not only functional, but really pretty,” says Bainbridge. Renger adds, “We want saving birds to be so fun that people want beautiful decals on their window.”

Education is truly at the heart of the mission, and now each package includes bird facts within the packaging. This was required by the

Greenville Rancheria Tribal Health Center’s Transportation Department plays a vital role in ensuring our community has reliable access to care. Through our dedicated drivers and coordinated scheduling, we help patients attend medical appointments and stay connected to essential health services. By collaborating with Partnership HealthPlan of California, it’s even easier for patients with Medi-Cal–covered services to request rides, receive real-time updates, and experience dependable, safe travel through a convenient transportation app. This collaboration reflects Greenville Rancheria Tribal Health Center’s ongoing

commitment to reducing barriers to care and supporting the health and well-being of our community.

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National Parks when they became clients, but it’s also a sentiment wholeheartedly embraced by the founders. Bainbridge loves reading from one of the labels. “Birds have four photoreceptors in the back of their eyes compared to three that humans have, which means they’re extremely sensitive to color and can see more colors than we can even imagine.” She reads another favorite: “Hummingbird eggs are the size of jelly beans.”

Today, Window Gems products are sold in more than 500 shops across the United States and Canada, with growing international reach. And through it all, the partnership remains lighthearted. “We’re pretty chill and have a great time,” says Bainbridge. Renger nods in agreement. “Of course, we’re serious about the business but we get a little silly sometimes.” And, their production isn’t leaving Mount Shasta any time soon. As Renger puts it, “We get to work where people vacation. Why would we leave?” •

www.windowgems.com

Megan Peterson is a freelance storyteller who loves her family, her pets, and Northern California. Her favorite part of writing is finding flow, and she always relishes a touching human story. Aside from Enjoy, she’s typically busy writing and producing for television, having created more than 220 hours of on-air content on networks ranging from National Geographic to Netflix.

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A DAY TO SHINE

50TH ANNUAL TEHAMA COUNTY SPECIAL OLYMPICS

n May 5, one of the exceptional athletes of the Tehama County Special Olympics will step forward amongst their peers and lead them in a sacred oath of competition. “Let me win,” they will recite. “But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”

It will be a 50-year-old tradition in the community that started with a small track and field competition at Red Bluff High School in 1976 and has expanded to a countywide production with adapted track and field events that allow for maximum participation of those with physical and intellectual disabilities. It’s a celebration of inclusion, opportunity and community pride, say organizers.

That first track meet, organized by Special Olympics Director Una Jordan, planted a seed in others that spurred expansion over the years. At this 50th annual celebration, athletes from preschool to adult from more than 20 Tehama County schools will gather in competition. Their supporters and fans will add up to around 1,000 people at their Olympic Village.

Jody Johnson is the adapted physical education specialist for the Tehama County Department of Education and has been instrumental in expanding opportunities for athletes across the county. Inclusion can look like throwing competitions using frisbees, softballs, tennis balls or shotputs. Races include wheelchair users, runners and those who need assistance walking.

Organizing students from across a large geographic area is no easy feat, yet Johnson stresses that support from area schools and organizations has always been staunch. Buses are found and athletes transported for their day to shine at the Spartan Soccer Complex in Red Bluff.

Each athlete is paired with a peer supporter from Red Bluff High School who acts as a guide for the day. More than 150 high school students sign up for the honor. “It’s a very rewarding day to volunteer,” says Debbie Hess, coarea director of the Special Olympics. “You come away with such an overwhelming happy feeling. It’s almost infectious. These athletes are just so happy to be there.” ▶ continued on page 26

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And athletes they are, training well in advance for their events. “If you have to cancel a practice, you better have a very good reason,” says Hess, noting the ferocity with which athletes prepare. The games will have the pomp and circumstance of traditional Olympic ceremonies, with senior athletes from three Tehama County high schools carrying torches in opening ceremonies.

A highlight of the event is the robust Olympic Village sponsored by community groups that lends the event a festival-like vibe. Groups like the Red Bluff High Key Club, Red Bluff Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs, and local public safety agencies come out to provide food and interactive entertainment for all. In the early days, nuns from St. Elizabeth Hospital made sack lunches for the athletes, and Hess’ mom, an early organizer of competitions, baked all the cookies served as treats.

2026 is also the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a landmark piece of federal legislation that guarantees children with disabilities receive a free appropriate public education and related services. It serves individuals from birth to age 21.

The Special Olympics were founded in 1962 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver with her “Camp Shriver” held in her Maryland home. By 1968, an international competition was held in Chicago with 1,000 athletes.

While track and field competitions are the oldest and most widely celebrated in Tehama County, they are not the only components of Special Olympics here. Over the years, basketball, softball and bowling have been added, making activities available throughout the year.

While all the events are celebrated, it’s this day of track and field that holds the community’s heart as a standout day of festivity. Championed over the years by educators who wanted more for their exceptional students, it has become an event just about everyone in the community wants to support. Because everyone deserves a chance to win and opportunity to be brave. •

Melissa Mendonca is a graduate of San Francisco State and Tulane universities. She’s a lover of airports and road trips and believes in mentoring and service to create communities everyone can enjoy. Her favorite words are rebar, wanderlust and change.

50th Annual Tehama County Special Olympics School-Based Track and Field Meet May 5, 9am-noon Spartan Soccer Complex, Red Bluff

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one more dance

REIMAGINING MCCLOUD’S HISTORIC DANCE HALL

ristin Cunningham never planned on owning a historic dance hall in a small mountain town. But when the opportunity to purchase an inexpensive 14,000-square-foot building in McCloud came along, she couldn’t say no.

“I was a massage therapist. My biggest side hustle was as a Waldorf teacher,” says Cunningham, flashing a disarmingly dimpled smile. “But I’d been coming up here for 11 years, and my partner said, ‘Why not?’ And so now, here I am. The experience has been wild, but it’s amazing, and I feel so incredibly supported by the community.”

The dance hall building has been central to town for more than a century. “It was first built in 1906 as the McCloud Opera House and Dance Hall, not long after the lumber mill opened. It started out as just the 5,000-square-foot maple dance floor, but when the Freemasons bought it in 1914, they expanded it and put in a kitchen and a dining room,” says Cunningham.

“The experience has been wild, but it’s amazing, and I feel so incredibly supported by the community.”

Over time, the building has changed hands and purposes, but it’s always been a gathering place with some eras decidedly wilder than others. “Some of the old-timers have told me about how they used to have disco parties in the ’70s, when it would take three hours to clean up all the beer bottles. There was even one night in the ’80s, I guess, where it was a peyote and whiskey night, and someone drove a Harley across the dance floor.”▶ continued on page 32

ESTHETICS BY NATALIE

When Cunningham and a partner first took possession of the building in 2022, its storied past had taken its toll, leaving it in rough shape. There were squatters, to boot. But somehow it all worked out. “When we closed and got the key, the court case had by then gone through, and the sheriff could get the squatters out, which was some kind of divine timing,” quips Cunningham. Now, she’s become the sole owner and is lovingly—and slowly—restoring it to its former glory. But major repairs are still needed, including the roof. “Building a business while growing and fixing a building at the same time is a massive undertaking, but I feel so lucky to be the caretaker of such an incredible space and a piece of history. We’ve done a lot of work so far, mostly on the foundation and redoing the electric. We also removed a big tree that was growing out of the deck. And, of course, we’ve cleaned and cleaned.”

To keep the building financially sustainable, Cunningham hosts retreats and events, while also keeping the space available for community gatherings whenever possible. So far, one of her most successful ongoing events is roller-skating nights. “Roller skating was never something I planned. Someone had brought it up when I first got the building, but at that point it was too much to consider. Then someone brought it up again last summer, and I said, ‘Let’s try it,’ and people love it. It’s good exercise. You’re moving your body, which is important, and it’s fun,” says Cunningham. “Now I have people coming from all over Siskiyou County, and they’re thrilled because it’s something to do, especially for the kids in winter. And everyone has been so generous with donating four-wheel and inline skates.”

Even with the stress of repairs and running a business, Cunningham feels grateful for the opportunity to restore such a monumental piece of local history. She also nourishes her spirit by focusing on the place she lives and the community she’s building. “Sometimes I cry and get overwhelmed. And then I’m like, wow, how lucky I am to live here. And honestly, it’s not even about me. It’s about a physical place where we can all come together and support each other in a way that’s not divided by politics or religion or anything like that. The energy that’s made on a dance floor is pure meditation, because when you move your body, you’re in the present. To me, that’s the purest form of love and healing.”

Cunningham’s enthusiasm is contagious. “Who knows how long we’re all going to be here for, so you might as well try to pull off something awesome and have fun in the process. That means get off our phones, come dance, roller skate, talk to a neighbor, get to know someone, and share a story.” •

“Who knows how long we’re going to be here for, so you might as well try to pull off something awesome and have fun in the process.”

“Now I have people coming from all over Siskiyou County, and they’re thrilled because it’s something to do, especially for the kids in winter. And everyone has been so generous with donating four-wheel and inline skates.”

...who have trusted me to guide you through buying and selling over the years. It’s truly an honor to be part of such meaningful milestones in your lives. I’m incredibly grateful for the relationships built along the way, as well as your continued support and referrals. Being part of this community and helping you find a place to call home means more to me than words can express. Thank you to all my amazing clients...

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“Making a pot is like writing a song,” he says. “My hands feel the rhythm. The wheel is an artistic instrument. You find the beat, and all of a sudden, you’re decorating with rhythms and imagination.”

PAUL “PALUL” RIDEOUT STILL CREATING AT 85

atch Paul “Palul” Rideout at the wheel, and you begin to understand something. His hands move into the spinning clay with a confidence that is almost scientific—deliberate, sure, informed by decades of knowing exactly what this material will and will not do. Then something shifts. The hands begin to feel rather than direct. The form rises not from intention but from instinct. The man at the wheel is no longer a technician. He is somewhere else entirely.

“Making a pot is like writing a song,” he says. “My hands feel the rhythm. The wheel is an artistic instrument. You find the beat, and all of a sudden, you’re decorating with rhythms and imagination.”

This is the essential Palul—the artistic name Rideout has used for 25 years—a man who has spent his entire adult life navigating the space between two ways of knowing. He holds a bachelor’s degree in zoology with a minor in chemistry and worked in research and clinical laboratories for a good chunk of his life. He is also, after 45 years in clay, a master ceramic artist whose work is collected nationally and internationally. He has written a counterculture memoir, a multi-volume history of ceramics told through historical fiction, instructional guides and a book of philosophical quotes. He taught ceramics at Shasta College in Redding for 35 years. ▶

continued on page 39

Now 85 and living in Redding, Palul is still finishing a half-dozen large wallhanging platters in his studio, still chasing the next idea, still asking the questions that have driven him since youth: Who am I? Who are we? What is our purpose in life?

He is, in the truest sense of the phrase, a Renaissance man.

Palul grew up in New England, and from the beginning, he was pulled in two directions. The scientific mind came first—orderly, empirical, trained to observe and measure the natural world. But the artist was always there underneath, restless and insistent. After graduating from college in the early 1960s, he found a way to feed both: He would work six months at a stretch, save his money, then disappear for the next six. He traveled, he painted, he kept a journal. He showed up in Haight-Ashbury when the counterculture was at full boil. He protested the Vietnam War as a conscientious objector. He wandered from New England to Canada, Hawaii, Los Angeles and San Francisco through desert lakes and Pacific beaches, eventually coming to rest in the mountains of Northern California.

Those journals, accumulated across years of wandering, became the foundation of his memoir, “Vision Quest: A Saga of the 1960s”—a book reviewers have called “a wonderful, introspective yet entertaining romp through the 1960s as seen through the eyes and sensitivity of an artist, yet interpreted and recounted by a scientist with a great respect for nature and native culture.”

One of the book’s themes is the tension between the scientist and the artist within, though Palul himself resists framing it as a conflict. “I kind of see life as waves,” he says. “Ups and downs. One is objectivity, and one is subjectivity. They kind of go up and down. The whole trick in life is to obtain balance between the two.”

The balance he was searching for crystallized the moment he discovered ceramics at age 30. He had a wife, a baby on the way and a lab job that paid the bills. A potter he met offered to show him the craft. “That was it,” he says simply. What hooked him wasn’t just the feel of clay or the alchemy of the kiln. It was the way ceramics demanded everything he had—both halves of him. “Ceramics blended art and science in the most perfect way,” he explains. Geology, physics, chemistry, the freedom of artistic expression—all of it poured into a single discipline. The lab and the studio, it turned out, were not opposites. They were the same place, approached from different doors of perception. ▶ continued on page 40

“I kind of see

life as waves,” he says. “Ups and downs. One is objectivity, and one is subjectivity. They kind of go up and down. The whole trick in life is to obtain balance between the two.”

“I didn’t think of it so much as picking a lane,” he says. “I was trying to discover who I was.”

He adopted the name Palul (pronounced Pa-Loo) about 25 years ago, initially out of practicality—he kept misspelling “Paul” on the bottoms of his pots, adding an extra L, and it was shorter to sign than “Paul Rideout.” But it became something more. “It’s like one of my personas,” he says. “The art persona. The handle of creativity.” Some people call him Paul. Some call him Palul. He doesn’t mind either way.

In 1985, Palul began teaching ceramics at Shasta College—a tenure that would last 35 years, ending only when COVID made hands-on instruction impossible mid-semester. He finished out his classes and stepped away. Teaching ceramics online, he decided, simply could not be done. It is too tactile, too immediate, too much about being present in the material.

Over those three and a half decades, he taught hundreds of students the technical fundamentals of hand building and wheel throwing. But the deeper lesson was always something harder to put into a syllabus. “To let go,” he says, when asked what he most wanted students to carry with them. “Don’t worry about what you’re doing so much. Once you learn the techniques, get out of the way. Let the art flow.”

He carried the same philosophy into his own studio practice. “I would try to get out of the way,” he explains, “just get out of the way and let the muse or art spirit do the talking.” Another of his aphorisms cuts to the heart of it: “The artist’s primary product is emotion.” Technique is the vessel. Feeling is what fills it.

His writing spans genres with the same restless energy as his life. One of his most ambitious projects is a multi-volume “Novel History of Clay” series, teaching the history of ceramics through historical fiction that stretches from prehistoric times through ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt.

Asked what single thread runs through all of it—the science, the art, the travel, the clay, the writing—he answers without hesitation. “Curiosity.”

At 85, Paul “Palul” Rideout is still at the wheel, still at the desk, still asking the large questions. He never picked a lane—and that, it turns out, was exactly the point. “I didn’t think of it so much as picking a lane,” he says. “I was trying to discover who I was.”

After years of scientific and artistic endeavors, the answer, it seems, is still gloriously, productively unfinished. Palul wouldn’t want it any other way. •

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RODEO

TALK RODEO TO ME

RANK

Nope, not a smell (well… sometimes). In rodeo, a rank animal is one that’s especially tough to ride—strong, unpredictable and a real challenge.

RIGGIN’

The handle cowboys use to stay on a bronc. Think of it as the difference between holding on… and flying off.

SPUR RIDE

Judges don’t just score staying on. Riders have to spur—that rhythmic kicking motion that shows control and style.

EIGHT SECONDS

A QUICK GUIDE TO THE LANGUAGE OF RODEO

If you’re heading to the rodeo this month, you might hear a whole lot more than cheering and country music. Rodeo has a language all its own—part tradition, part grit and a whole lot of swagger. Here’s your cheat sheet so you can sound like you’ve been riding bulls since birth (or at least know what’s going on):

The longest eight seconds of your life. That’s how long a rider has to stay on to score.

STOCK

The real athletes of the rodeo—the bulls and horses. And yes, they have reputations.

DRAW

Luck of the draw matters. Riders randomly get paired with an animal—and that matchup can make or break a ride.

CHUTE

The narrow gate where riders and animals start. High tension, low space, big energy.

BULLFIGHTER

Not a matador. These are the fearless pros who distract the bull to protect fallen riders. (Honestly, some of the bravest people in the arena.)

PICKUP MAN

The cowboy on horseback who helps bronc riders safely dismount after their ride. Smooth, fast and absolutely essential.

MUTTON BUSTIN’

The cutest chaos you’ll ever see—kids hanging on to sheep for dear life. Crowd favorite, every time.

HISTORY COMES ALIVE

SHASTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY’S TASTE OF HISTORY RETURNS

saturday, may 9 | 5 to 8 pm

ld Shasta was once the center of everything. This stretch of brick buildings and worn streets carried the weight of a region—commerce, government and the routines of daily life unfolding in a place that, at the time, felt permanent. Like many centers, it eventually shifted, leaving behind not a replica or interpretation, but the original fabric of a town that had simply outlived its moment. What remains today is quiet, intact, and unmistakably real, a place that does not ask for attention so much as it holds it.

Most days, that stillness defines it; but this year, the Shasta Historical Society changes that.

On Saturday, May 9, from 5 to 8 pm, the organization hosts its annual Taste of History in Old Shasta at Shasta State Historic Park, transforming the grounds just behind the courthouse museum into something festive, lively and deeply familiar.▶ continued on page 47

For Bonnie Hyatt, executive director of the Shasta Historical Society, the evening begins and ends with one idea. “The core inspiration for most of what Shasta Historical Society does is community,” Hyatt says. “Taste of History brings together our members and the community at large for a really fun event that is also for a great cause, which is to support the mission of the society: to actively preserve and promote our local history.”

At a glance, the format may feel familiar—food, drink, music and conversation—but the setting gives it its own character. Guests move through the evening with the vague confidence of people insisting they are “just taking one quick lap,” only to find themselves circling back for another bite, another pour or one more stop at the table everyone seems to be talking about. Before long, the evening has quietly carried on far longer than anyone intended.

What distinguishes Taste of History is not just what’s being offered, but where it happens. The courthouse, the preserved brick and wood backdrop, and the open grounds behind the museum may not have been designed for an event like this, which is precisely why it works. The gathering does not overwrite history; it rests within it, allowing the past and present to coexist.

“Taste of History supports the Historical Society’s mission and preservation efforts,” Hyatt says. “It helps us keep history alive and accessible for generations to come.”

There is something quietly remarkable about standing in a Gold Rush town, under a big sky with friends, while the site briefly returns as a gathering place, a space filled again with people, realizing that its essential function has not changed. People have always come here to gather, exchange and participate in something shared.

This is where the role of the Shasta Historical Society becomes more apparent—not simply as a host, but as a steward of continuity. Preservation is about protecting structures and maintaining records, but its deeper value lies in keeping those places connected to current life.

“Taste of History supports the Historical Society’s mission and preservation efforts,” Hyatt says. “It helps us keep history alive and accessible for generations to come.”

This year, guests will also have the opportunity to interact with historical docents and learn about some of Shasta County’s famous (and infamous) characters, bringing more of the region’s story to life. Community support makes the evening possible. “We simply could not have a successful event without the support of our community,” Hyatt says. “From the great food and beverages we serve to the generous auction donations, and just as importantly, people showing up—we are very lucky to have a community like Shasta County.”▶ continued on page 48

Getting there is simple. Take Highway 299 west from Redding for approximately six miles to Shasta State Historic Park. Guests will check in at tables marked “check-in” just as they approach the backside of the courthouse. No physical tickets are needed, just the name(s) that the tickets were purchased under. Upon check in they will be given a souvenir wine glass, event program and their table number. The event will have several wineries and breweries for guests to choose from, silent auction tables and live entertainment under the big tent.

Guests are encouraged to come casual and ready for an easy evening. The grounds are beautifully historic, which is a polite way of saying they are not especially forgiving to high heels, so perhaps leave the stilettos at home.

For a few hours, Old Shasta resumes its original purpose. It gathers people, holds activity, and reminds those present that places like this were never intended to remain empty. •

Taste of History • Saturday, May 9, 5 to 8 pm Shasta State Historic Park, Old Shasta Tickets: $50; buy online at shastahistorical.org or in person at the Shasta Historical Society office on Market Street in downtown Redding

John Truitt writes about Redding’s civic life, downtown momentum and the brave souls who attend planning meetings voluntarily. Active with Viva Downtown, he follows local leadership, historic preservation and community vitality wherever they gather — usually near coffee, clipboards and at least one spirited debate about parking.

and the community at large for a really fun event that is also for a great cause, which is to support the mission of the society: to actively preserve and promote our local history.”

Spring has Sprung!

Great Chico shops to find a gift or dress your best!

Thursday Night Market

April 9-Sept 24 | 6-9p

Mother’s Day | May 10th

Chico State Graduation

May 13 - May 17 | University Stadium

Friday Night Concerts

May 29 - Aug 28 | 6:30PM - 8:00PM

Slice of Chico July 11 | 10-5p

Designer Piecesmost less than $100.

Private parties or by appointment.

Curated, ready to wear pieces.

Burberry, Missoni, Sandro and more

Mention “enjoy ” and get 15% off any

Across the North State, the season invites us to slow down, step outside and reconnect with what matters most. In this Nurture & Bloom section, we highlight local businesses, experiences and opportunities that encourage growth, connection and a renewed sense of life in our communities.

From outdoor adventure and family experiences to places that inspire creativity and well-being, these offerings reflect the spirit of the season—one of fresh starts, shared moments and the simple joy of being together.

VOICES ON FILM.

ilm students at Redding School of the Arts High School are learning that small movies can have big impacts—on viewers and filmmakers alike.

Teshya Russo, RSA High School’s theater and dance teacher, had 19 drama students involved in producing one-minute public service announcements for their peers that address themes of suicide prevention, substance abuse and the importance of mental health.

It’s the school’s fourth year of partnering with Youth Creating Change, a California nonprofit organization that helps harness students’ voices and creative powers to raise awareness of mental health and substance use issues. The resulting PSAs are entered into the Directing Change film competition and the winning filmmaking teams are invited to a red-carpet premiere at the historic United Theatre in downtown Los Angeles.

“It’s a pretty big deal and our films are showcased on the big screen,” Russo says. “The kids get to walk the red carpet in formal gowns and ride in limos. They get to meet with industry professionals in film and mental health. It’s really cool.”

Aside from the prospects of glitz and glamor, Russo says the Directing Change program gives her students valuable media literacy lessons on camera angles, editing and filmography, “and they get the skills to be able to help themselves through mental health challenges.”

A lot of students record their videos on their cell phones but Russo says a few take advantage of a digital camera donated by Tyler Faires, a professional videographer and director of the popular Sundial Film Festival. ▶ continued on page 56

Summer Fun at Camp Trinity

Camp Trinity on the Bar 717 Ranch is a residential summer camp for kids ages 7–16 in the beautiful mountains of Trinity County. For nearly a century, the Bar 717 Ranch has welcomed campers to 450 acres to live, work and play as part of a ranch family. Come experience nature, form friendships and have fun!

530.628.5992 bar717.com camptrinity@bar717.com

Garden Tour Empowers Local Women

The Redding Branch of the American Association of University Women invites you to tour six lovely gardens on Saturday, May 9, from 9 am to 2 pm, featuring four private gardens, one public garden and a visit to the new nonprofit, Plantable Nursery & Cafe. Additional details and tickets ($30) are available online.

Dance All Summer

Redding City Ballet invites you to dance all summer! Ages 2.5–adult can enjoy ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, improv and stretching. Choose weekly classes or drop-in options. July features fun week-long camps, including the Summer Ballet Intensive (week of July 13). All levels welcome. Save the dates: Chance-2-Dance Auditions (Aug 8) and Nutcracker Auditions (Aug 29).

935 Locust St., Redding

530.709.1205

reddingcityballet.org

@theReddingCityBallet

aauwredding.org

@AAUWRedding

“IT’S A PRETTY BIG DEAL AND OUR FILMS ARE SHOWCASED ON THE BIG SCREEN,” RUSSO SAYS. “THE KIDS GET TO WALK THE RED CARPET IN FORMAL GOWNS AND RIDE IN LIMOS. THEY GET TO MEET WITH INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS IN FILM AND MENTAL HEALTH. IT’S REALLY COOL.”

“IT’S

ABOUT HOW EVEN THE SMALLEST THINGS YOU DO MAKE BIG CHANGES. IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE ABRUPT AND LARGE,” HARRINGTON SAYS. “THE FILM SHOWS MY CHARACTER GO FROM BEING VERY SAD TO SLOWLY OPENING UP.”

Ramon Gaona, a senior, used his phone to create “Jeremy’s Story,” a PSA he animated and directed. Gaona says his video mirrors an experience he had when he lost his grandfather. Aurora, a character voiced by a classmate, notices a change in Jeremy, who has become distant. “The main message is that they’re not alone, there’s always people who love them and care for them,” Gaona says.

Gaona says “Jeremy’s Story” was his first effort at discussing mental health in a film and he found the experience—and having the characters talk about issues he’s been dealing with—to be therapeutic. “I wanted to get the message across that help is always available.”

Destimona Harrington, another senior, has been entering the Directing Change contest since she was a freshman. This year’s PSA, “Small Steps Matter,” features a central character (classmate Leah Hage) displaying signs of a mental health crisis. To help, another character suggests a grounding tool known as the 5-4-3-2-1 technique.

To get anchored in high-stress situations and slow racing thoughts, participants are encouraged to identify five things they can see, four things they can feel, three that they can hear, two that they can smell and one that they can taste.

“It’s about how even the smallest things you do make big changes. It doesn’t have to be abrupt and large,” Harrington says. “The film shows my character go from being very sad to slowly opening up.”

Darrington says she would love to continue working on mental health education, including participating in a proposed traveling theater that would have RSA students visiting other schools to perform mental health-related skits.

Russo says her students were expected to learn in mid-April which films were selected to be screened at the Directing Change premiere event in Los Angeles. The charter school has been represented at the premiere for the past three years.

All the RSA films will be screened during the Community Mental Health Fair from 5:30 to 7:30 pm Thursday, May 14, at the RSA amphitheater. Also on tap will be family-friendly activities, games, guest speakers, popcorn and cotton candy. •

Redding School of the Arts

955 Inspiration Place, Redding www.rsarts.org • (530) 247-6933

Jon Lewis is a Redding-based writer with more than 40 years of experience. A longtime San Francisco Giants fan, his interests include golf, fishing and sharing stories about people, places and things. He can be reached at jonpaullewis@gmail.com.

Family Adventure at its Best NURTURE &

The best gift you can give your child is adventure. Six Rivers Junior Guide School offers an unforgettable experience on the river, where kids learn outdoor skills, teamwork and confidence. The kids’ class is June 25–28 and includes camping, equipment and lunch daily from experienced guides. No experience needed—just bring a sense of adventure and willingness to explore!

707.599.4221 sixriversrafting.com

Where Reliability Meets Real Power

Tohatsu outboards deliver precision engineering and fuel smart efficiency. Get the performance you expect and durability you can depend on at Vic’s Marine. Built tough. Built smart. Built for you with a full 5-year warranty! Ask about financing.

Family Fun for Everyone

Pizza Factory has two family-friendly locations to hold a party or just cool off. In addition to their fresh, hand-tossed pizzas, let their 30 years of catering experience bring your graduation and family reunions to life with pizza, chicken wings, salads, pastas, meatballs and sandwich platters, all made fresh to order and delivered on time.

4432 Shasta Dam Blvd., Shasta Lake

N. Market St., Redding

landscaping reimagined

here’s at least one in every neighborhood—a house with a lush, glowing green, perfectly-manicured lawn and garden beds that are Better Homes & Gardens Magazine-worthy. Yards like this exude time-honored tradition and pride in ownership. It’s the kind of thing you see in movies: patient, enduring neighbors carefully mowing and edging blankets of green and trimming hedges into perfect shrines to the American Dream, waving and smiling to passersby. It’s the vision many have in their heads when they imagine the home they’ve always longed to create.

Yards like this are the envy of every neighborhood—the proverbial gold standard. They take time, energy and effort to curate so immaculately, and, in today’s world, most people are too busy keeping their heads above water to be able to pull it off.

Enter the xeriscape (pronounced zera-scape)—a landscaping technique that employs water-conscious methods and materials to reduce or eliminate the need for an irrigation system. Xeriscapes, sometimes called hardscapes, trade palatial green grass for rock, sand and decorative pavers and blooming, ornamental garden beds for plants, trees and grasses known to thrive with low maintenance in hot, dry climates.

It won’t be easy to let go of the long-held sentiment that a beautiful yard is one with rambling green grass and perfect hedges, but with some inspiration, vision, and an open, willing heart, a xeriscape may just make your yard the next envy of the neighborhood. Here are 10 reasons to consider creating a xeriscape.

It Reduces Your Outdoor Water Usage: Creating a xeriscape in your yard can reduce outdoor water usage by 50 to 75 percent, according to National Geographic. With rainfall and snowpack wildly unpredictable year over year, and state regulations requiring increased water reduction across the board, creating a landscape that can be maintained even during drier or hotter years is the path of greatest sustainability.

Xeriscapes are Heat and Drought Tolerant: Let’s face it—North State summers are brutally hot and dry, and growing plants that cannot withstand the hot-as-Hades Northern California heat is like forcing a square peg into a round hole. Sure, you may be able to make it work, but why create undue stress for the plants or yourself?

They Can Be a Food Source: Imagine your xeriscape doubling as your own private farmers market. Edible plants like rosemary, thyme, lavender, common sage, olives (curing is required first), and more can take the heat in your yard and in your kitchen. ▶ continued on page 60

They Are a Medicinal Source, Too: From teas and tinctures to aromatherapy, plants like mint, chamomile, yarrow, beebalm and dandelion (often written off as a mere weed, but packed with benefits) can turn your xeriscape into an outdoor medicine cabinet. Be sure to do some thorough reading and, most importantly, consult your doctor before using any plantbased teas, tinctures or treatments, as some don’t mix well with prescribed medications or other supplements.

Xeriscapes Welcome Pollinators and Other Winged Friends: From bees and butterflies to dragonflies and hummingbirds, a xeriscape can be the perfect environment for pollinators to work their magic. Bees love lavender, calendula and beebalm. Milkweed draws in beautiful butterflies. Pollination is critical for both crop growth and oxygenation, so it’s always a good idea to roll out the red carpet for the tiny creatures that help keep us alive.

They Help Create a Fire-Safe Barrier for Your Home: Using fireresistant materials like rock, sand, decomposed granite and pavers in place of grass means you have a built-in fuel break on your property.

In Northern California, where wildfire is a constant consideration, your landscaping can play a small but valuable role in fire mitigation efforts.

Xeriscapes Are AestheticallyPleasing: The right combination of materials and plants can create a gentle, easyon-the-eyes escape from the stress of life. Sparser than their traditional counterparts, xeriscapes carry the perfect heir of zen. They make lovely use of negative space between the rocks, pavers, decomposed granite, or sand and droughttolerant trees, plants and shrubs. With a xeriscape, less is even better than more.

Xeriscapes are Low-Maintenance:

Don’t let your landscaping be more of a burden than a blessing. Imagine what you could do with the countless hours and all the energy spent mowing your lawn, trimming hedges or hand watering delicate plants that can’t handle the blazing hot North State summers.

Resources and Know-How Are

Readily Accessible: There is no shortage of great local nurseries with an abundance of drought-tolerant plants to shop with in the North State. The staff at these local nurseries are well versed in plant selection, the impacts of drought conditions on plants, growing zones and the micro-climates that can influence your garden’s success.

They Save Money and Add Value: With costs rising out of control, creating a xeriscape is one step you can take to keep some green in your pocket. Lower water usage can mean a reduced water bill. Creating a xeriscape is cheaper than filling your yard with sod or artificial turf. While it is an up-front investment, it can increase your property value by as much as 14 percent, according to Hydropoint.com, a website dedicated to smart indoor and outdoor water management. Rental properties with xeriscapes can be more appealing to renters because they don’t require the added cost of landscaping each month. •

Activities for the Whole

Family

Just a short drive to Whiskeytown Lake and Oak Bottom Marina—where adventure meets relaxation. Camp under the stars, boat serene waters, kayak scenic coves, and hike beautiful trails. Whether you crave excitement or a peaceful escape, Whiskeytown Lake is the perfect getaway close to home!

Boat Rentals 530.359.2671

Campground/ RV 530.359.2269

Moorage 530.359.2008

whiskeytownmarinas.com

Stay While You Play

Strawhouse Resorts is a unique getaway on the Trinity River, offering RV sites, cozy cottages, a café and event space. Surrounded by the Trinity Alps Wilderness, guests enjoy organic coffee roasted on-site, great food and a gift shop filled with local art. With easy access to rafting and outdoor adventure, Strawhouse is conveniently located on scenic Highway 299 in Big Flat, midway between the coast and Redding.

The Indoor Family Fun Destination

Rare Air Trampoline Park is a family owned indoor entertainment center with 10,000 square feet of trampolines. Enjoy open jump areas, junior zone, slam dunk lanes, dodgeball, obstacle course, climbing wall and arcade. With a full-service snack bar, it’s Northern California’s premier birthday party destination for family fun.

Redding: 530.221.1206

Chico: 530.433.5557

rareairpark.com

rareairredding / rareairchico

31301 CA-299, Big Flat 530.623.1990 strawhouseresorts.com

“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.“

-John Muir

with eyes of wonder

LAWS AND WADE

CONNECT STUDENTS WITH NATURE

ohn Muir Laws (aka Jack) has been studying the natural world in the Sierra Nevada for decades, authoring books including “How to Teach Nature Journaling” and “The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling.” As a storyteller, artist, scientist, educator and naturalist, Laws has been an inspiring character who is constantly bringing his curiosity about the natural world to those around him.

With a mission to make nature and nature journaling accessible to everyone of all ages, the Wild Wonder Foundation formed in 2022 to help drive the culture of the nature journaling practice, as it enhances memory, empathy, peace and mindfulness.

Around the same time Laws was creating interdisciplinary education programs to help students become intentionally curious, his friend and Plumas County Office of Education Outdoor Education and Science Coordinator Rob Wade was building the Learning Landscapes and Outdoor Core program in the Sierra. Soon the two missions intersected.

“Jack and I both come from the environmental outdoor education world,” Wade says. They met 30 years ago at a conference where Wade was learning how to form a sixth-grade outdoor education camp on a property leased by UC Berkeley in the Plumas National Forest. During the conference, Wade and Laws also realized they both attended UC Berkeley around the same time. Wade had always done field journaling himself and eventually took over the two-day, one-night camp for sixth graders. It eventually evolved into a 20-day rite of passage year and has since expanded into K-12th grade.

Through a stroke of good timing when monies were freed up for restoration following the 2000 Storrie Fire, Wade partnered with the Feather River Land Trust working to conserve as much open space as

he could within a 10-minute walk from Plumas County schools. But after the land was secured, there was the question of how to instruct the kids

“Teachers were like, ‘When we take the kids outdoors, what do we do when we get out there?’ Nature journaling was the quick answer, it became the cornerstone of the program. That’s when Jack

The money from the forest service allowed Wade to expand the program across all grades, allowing kids to begin practicing in-school journaling activities punctuated by field trips throughout the

“We created a platform where nature journaling is always relevant. Every day kids have their own experience with it. For me, it’s a generation now; the kids I work with now are the kids of the original Mountain Kids. It’s fun to be a part of that arc of history in building a sustainable culture that will be here forever. This is not a trend. It’s a cultural evolution that will stick and stay. Our

The idea of building a culture of respect and wonder for the environment that endures past his lifetime is like the idea of never

Younger students go out with a good ol’ pen and paper and create. “Every page has pictures, letters and numbers; those three things are

Paying attention to documenting letters/numbers/pictures on a page is one of Laws’ main teaching triads to help nature illustrators get started, along with giving yourself the three prompts “I wonder…/I notice…/It reminds me of…” when you sit down on a stump, a rock or in the dirt with your pages. But Wade has his

“Mine is tapping into the: 1) Genius of the moment (that will never happen again); 2) Genius of my place (that can never be recreated); and 3) Genius of every child (in creating a piece of history that no one else on ▶

the place with the person who’s journaling,” Wade says. “We need people deeply in love with their place on the planet. To me this is a place-based tool bringing to light how nature manifests right here in this unique way in this unique moment, and it’s not exactly the same way anywhere else in the world.”

While to some people it can feel like a luxury to carve out time to sit, ponder and draw outdoors, Wade is committed to making that a common occurrence for all students, taking in the grandeur of a place every single day. Since a place is always changing, it’s always new.

“I don’t take for granted that kids get this experience regularly, like you hear of that Disneyland or Yosemite spike kids get when introduced to it for the first time. But we try to make this common. What is unique is there are so many field trips that I’m not on and it’s teachers that make those happen. I know magic is happening all the time,” Wade adds.

“I’ve had so many experiences with kids who’ve had a huge moment of insight. A huge ‘a-ha’ or being really proud of doing something, like climbing to the top of a mountain. Knowledge is not power; action is power. Knowledge without action is impotence,” Wade says. “So many kids are stunned, amazed, and their hearts and minds are opened when they take that knowledge and apply it.”

He recalls one field trip he was on with a third grader

“She was a super tomboy who struggled in school. We were out in the woods and the kids got dropped by a creek and started nature journaling. Maria was distracted the whole time playing in the water—which I love—and didn’t do the work. Afterwards, I asked Maria to say what she smelled out there, and she replied, ‘The air.’ And then I asked her, ‘What does the air smell like?’ She took a deep breath

and said, ‘The air smells like freedom.’ Those kinds of moments and insights the kids get to bump into all the time.”

Wade also encourages kids to have a “sit spot” where they become the expert of their unique place. “They love their ‘sit spot’; they’re so proud. It’s private, personal to them, they know it better than anyone else. Being still, some kids don’t get enough of that, and some really struggle with it. But nature has a natural way of caring for a child and a moment. When they get graced by stillness and a quiet, they change. Subtle little experiences they get, learning how to live a meaningful life. When you take those subtle elements of peace and quiet and put them in schools, it shows the kids, ‘This is what we want for you.’ If we don’t give kids that downtime, they might not know it exists,” he adds.

The world would be a better place if we all paid more attention to what is going on around us, but it helps us to learn these natural gifts exist as young as we can and keep reminding ourselves of it.

“I have a real love for phenology, the cycles and currents of the earth, the things that happen to us all the time as we go around the sun. I tell kids they might see something that has never been seen before, by anyone ever. The timing of the cycles… Jack and I geek out on that a lot. Things are changing every single day and if you don’t go outside, you’ll miss it.” •

Kayla Anderson is a freelance writer and coauthor of Moon Travel Guides’ Best of California State Parks and Northern California Road Trips. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from CSU, Chico and loves to read, write, and explore the North State and beyond.

Let’s Go Camping NURTURE & BLOOM

Start your kids’ outdoor life right. A new trailer from TowTally Camping creates lasting memories and adventure for the whole family. TowTally Camping is a proud Forest River exclusive dealer and a resource for parts, service and supplies. Visit to see how easy it is to start a lifestyle your growing family will look back on for years.

2425 Cascade Blvd., Redding 18691 Old Oasis Road, Redding 4161 Riverside Place, Anderson 530.241.7848 call or text

Summer Dance Intensive

Three week-long summer dance intensives are offered in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, lyrical, musical theatre and tumbling for all ages, June 29–July 17. Dancers build strength, confidence and artistry while training with experienced instructors. Participants may choose one week or all three to deepen technique in a fun, supportive environment. Visit the website for details and early bird pricing.

Pack Leader Dog Training

Positive and permanent, Redding’s Pack Leader, led by Steven James, offers personalized in-home training using a balanced approach. Specializing in calm, confident dogs, Steve builds better relationships between pets and their owners. The exclusive 5-day Board and Train program accepts two clients at a time. German Shepherds are a specialty, with all medium and large breeds welcome.

e Farlife

m

iming and circumstance sometimes open the door to a life unimagined. Such was the case for Temma Roby in 2023 when she left the San Francisco Bay Area in search of a bucolic life on 20 acres in Tehama County.

“I’ve wanted a farm for decades, but thought it was out of reach because of work and family obligations,” says Roby, who began to reconsider her dream when confronted with a health challenge and the end of a relationship amidst a worldwide pandemic.

“I realized I could do whatever I wanted and didn’t need anyone else’s permission,” Roby says. What she wanted was a quieter life near the waters she fly fished, a hobby she adopted during the pandemic. “I didn’t really think about having livestock,” she adds, “but I have a seasonal pond that I thought I’d eventually stock.”

A year later, with her two daughters home from college, she took in her first ewe and a bummer lamb they named Trout. (Roby explains that bummer lambs have been rejected by the mother and cannot nurse, which makes them vulnerable and in need of human intervention to survive.) Soon after, they brought home a one-eyed goat.

Three years later, a “retired” livestock guardian dog and his 9-monthold canine trainee keep a watchful eye on the farm’s Dorper and Suffolk sheep, Nigerian dwarf does and kids, chickens, ducks, quail and a few barn cats. Both abled and disadvantaged animals live peacefully together in community, a core value underlying everything Roby seeks to achieve with the farm. ▶ continued on page 68

“I’ve wanted a farm for decades but thought it was out of reach because of work and family obligations...”

“Last May we hosted our first annual Open Farm Day and had forty people come through, many with children,” says Roby. “The farm stand was open and the animals were out. People from the community who had never met each other sat and talked. There was a real sense of connection.” ▶

continued on page 71

Redding’s Go-To Fun Center

Since 1998, Oasis Fun Center has been offering family fun for all ages. Known for its golf course and go-karts, Oasis also features Lazer Tag, bumper boats, axe throwing and arcade games. The new snack bar offers pizza and adult beverages from local brewers. Oasis is your go-to for birthday parties this summer and is open seven days a week.

3330 Cascade Blvd. #2217

Make Summer Unforgettable at Home

Relax, play and reconnect with the people who matter most. With over 24 years of experience, Affordable Hot Tubs is Redding’s trusted source for backyard relaxation and fun. Offering Caldera® Spas and Endless Pools® Fitness Systems, the showroom features options for family time all year long. Visit the showroom to find the perfect spa.

Best Week of Your Summer

Located in Viola, California, Elevate Camps offers an unforgettable summer experience for students. Providing faith-based camps where students know the love of God, love others and love life. Campers enjoy lake activities, high-energy recreation and meaningful campfire moments. Elevate creates a space where students feel known, build relationships and are inspired in a setting built for both fun and purpose.

More Than Golf

Jr. Golf kicks off in June and Wilcox Pool will be open all summer long through the start of school. The fishing pond is stocked with bass and bluegill and members can enjoy onsite tennis and pickleball courts. The club’s bar and restaurant are open daily and memberships are available now!

20995 Wilcox Golf Road, Red Bluff

530.527.6680

wilcoxoaksgolfclub.com

Summer Starts at Red Bank

Red Bank Outdoor Academy offers five-day, four-night summer camps in Red Bluff for youth ages 8–16. Through hands-on instruction in hunter education, firearm safety, wildlife conservation, ethical sportsmanship, outdoor survival, fishing and more, campers build real-world skills, confidence and character in an electronics-free environment designed to reconnect kids with the outdoors.

California’s Western Adventure Ranch

Marble Mountain Ranch offers an authentic cowboy-themed dude ranch vacation, combining horseback trail riding with whitewater rafting, kayaking, sporting clays, ATV rides and fall fly fishing. Their all-inclusive “saddle and paddle” experience features superb dining and a youth buckaroo program, creating the perfect balance of adventure, relaxation and family fun in a true Western setting.

92520 Hwy.

“Last May we hosted our first Open Farm Day and had 40 people come through, many with children,” says Roby. “The farm stand was open and the animals were out. People from the community who had never met each other sat and talked. There was a real sense of connection.”

For Roby, it’s a connection that is as much about community investment as it is about meeting new friends. When Corning Union High School District’s new R Farmhouse project sought vendors to help supplement the produce grown by its FFA students, Roby applied. Along with produce, duck eggs, sourdough, jam and honey, she donates a percentage of sales back to the project. When the government shutdown halted CalFresh/ EBT benefits, she set up a free food pantry.

The weekend farm stand operates on an honor system. “We believe people in the community deserve access to fresh food,” says Roby. “We operate our self-serve farm stand on the honor system because we trust our community—and because we want food to be accessible without barriers. If someone is struggling, we would much rather have a conversation than see them go without.”

Roby’s commitment applies also to animal and land stewardship. “We treat our animals with respect and care, spending time with them daily and performing weekly health

checks,” she says. “Most of our animals have names. We took in Eeyore, our goat with one eye, from an Oregon rescue when he was three days old and he’ll live all of his days with us as will most of the original ewes and goats.”

Roby and her daughters are committed to sustainability. They test, amend, cover crop and till the soil every year and forego chemical pesticides, which means sometimes they lose crops. Sheep and goats rotationally graze to “give the main pasture a break” as well as nurture healthier animals through free feeding. Despite the wins, farm life can be difficult. During the summer of 2024, Roby says they battled the effects of heat on animals and crops, a wasp infestation that invaded their home, broken pipes that halted water from the well, a grasshopper plague that killed their younger trees, and the exploding corpse of a goat that died of bloat.

“Some days are really hard,” Roby says. “I think small wins keep us going. We make mistakes and learn from them.” She shares what she’s learned through classes like “Introduction to Goat Keeping” and “Lambing for Beginners” as well as seed starting and introduction to sourdough. The ranch also hosts special events like the upcoming Perseids Meteor Shower stargazing evening.

With the ranch in its second full year of farming, Roby is considering what she wants to explore next. Interested in working more with schools, she would like to start a farm-based morning story time. After a visitor at last year’s Open Farm remarked at how “cuddly” the goats were, she started thinking about creative ways to bring her animals and community members together. Maybe a coffee and goat cuddle hour? •

Roby Ranch Open Farm Day

May 9, 10 am – 1 pm 5670 Keene Road, Corning www.robyranch.org

P arty R evival

I V E R S B R I T I SH TEA

B A RB SUMERLIN

PARTIES

edding local Barb Sumerlin is bringing British culinary elegance to Northern California with her mobile Afternoon Tea business.

It all started when Sumerlin was helping a friend with party planning a few years ago (helping with décor and organization) when she had the opportunity to go to England. One of the things she really wanted to do while she was there was go to a proper Afternoon Tea. Sumerlin’s dream became a reality when she found herself sipping on hot tea at Kensington Palace in a relaxing, unhurried atmosphere. She thought, “Redding needs this.”

When Sumerlin returned from her trip, she began researching different kinds of English tea parties and the differences in how Americans and the English enjoy meals together.

“Specifically, meals in England are very slow and unrushed. They’re an hour and a half long, maybe longer. When you come in and sit down for tea, it should be slow, with lots of conversation going on,” she says. “Americans are fast eaters; it’s just our culture. Tea is longer with Brits.”

In thinking of how to adapt the 200-year-old tradition to the North State, Sumerlin launched A Time For Tea parties, personally bringing all the linens, place settings, tea selections, food and décor to your home, venue, or workspace for a special event.

Sumerlin has a few options for the types of tea parties offered. “You can have a simple tea which includes tea and biscuits; an afternoon tea that includes finger sandwiches, scones and dessert; or a high tea where we serve more hearty finger sandwiches, hot items (like pot pies and quiche), scones and dessert,” she says.

All courses are served at the same time on a three-tiered tray in a traditional style, but Sumerlin’s parties are a little bit different in the way the teas are poured.

“At Kensington, I had one type of tea in my own teapot which is the most traditional way. But my way, I do four or five black teas and a couple of herbal teas served in tea bags. I go around the table and do rounds of teas. Sometimes people want a different kind of tea to drink with dessert than the one they had with the finger sandwiches,” Sumerlin explains.

To test out her new tea business concept, she invited two dozen of her closest friends for her first A Time For Tea party held in early 2024.

“I had the good fortune to use The Restoration House as a venue and hosted 24 people for an Afternoon Tea. I bought china from Goodwill and I was flying by the seat of my pants, but it was a good experience to have people who already loved me be my guinea pigs for this event,” says Sumerlin. Though she never worked at a restaurant or waited tables, she realized that the details matter in hosting an Afternoon Tea, and luckily she is super organized. “Those are the two most important traits for an Afternoon Tea,” she adds. ▶ continued on page 74

Conversation with friends that doesn’t feel rushed is one of the true joys of life. It took me to become a certain age to realize that,” she adds.

“When I come into someone’s house and I am serving tea, it looks like I’m moving in,” Sumerlin explains about the preparation it takes to host an Afternoon Tea, hauling in tea pots, silverware, décor, flowers, etc.

Sumerlin has primarily hosted tea events for birthday parties, but baby showers, bridal showers, Galentine’s tea, Mother’s Day teas, autumn teas and Christmas tea events are others that she has helped plan. “I’ve done teas for book clubs, one for a group of women who all teach Pilates together,” says Sumerlin.

A Time For Tea events are usually held in someone’s home, but Sumerlin has also gone to venues (like The Restoration House) and hosted literary-themed events at Shop Around the Corner Books in downtown Redding.

“I’ll go anywhere. I think it’d be fun to go to a workplace and serve tea for Administrative Professionals Day,” she says. Sumerlin has gone as far as Shingletown and Red Bluff to host tea parties.

One of her favorite events she served tea for was at a Redding City Ballet fundraiser last year. For the first scene she served scones and the second scene was desserts.

“It was a two-day event with dancers, and they read their version of ‘The Nutcracker.’ It was like a storybook come to life. Everybody got dressed up and dancers came right to the table. It was truly magical,” Sumerlin recalls.

Although Sumerlin hosts a lot of milestone birthdays for women, she enjoys it when the other gender attends, too. “I love when men come in. At first, they feel like a bull in a china shop and look a bit awkward like they would rather be at a game, but I always hear about how much fun they have and get the most compliments from men afterwards. Conversation with friends that doesn’t feel rushed is one of the true joys of life. It took me to become a certain age to realize that.” •

Find A Time For Tea Redding on Facebook

By

cUriOUS NaTure

JAYME CASTRO’S FORAGING TOURS IN MOUNT SHASTA

ayme Castro has spent more than two decades studying fungi in the Mount Shasta area. “I’ve been studying mushrooms for 23 years. When I got into it, it was pretty much an underground thing.” But these days, that underground interest has surfaced in a very public way. Castro recently founded the Mount Shasta Mycological Society, a group of mushroom enthusiasts born of Castro’s desire to get people outside. So far, it’s already drawing lots of local enthusiasm. “The first outing I put together, I just invited the public to grab their baskets, come out and look for mushrooms together. That was my way of gauging the interest in local mushroom hunting. We had 30 to 40 people show up, which I found wonderfully surprising,” recalls Castro.

For Castro, popularity isn’t the point. Education is. He also asserts that mushrooms are about far more than what’s edible. “The first question is always, ‘Can I eat it?’

This is an important question, but what I really like to do is turn people on to just how amazing mushrooms are because of what they’re doing in the environment.” Castro speaks with reverence about what’s truly happening under our feet. “Trees really depend on mushroom partnerships because the mushroom mycelium is essentially spoon-feeding them, and, in exchange, the trees are providing sugars to the mycelium. It’s just beautiful symbiotic relationship where everything is connected. Without that relationship, we don’t have forest ecosystems, which means we don’t exist.” From

mycorrhizal fungi to parasites like cordyceps, Castro also delights in the strange complexity of the fungal world. “What’s going on in the world of fungus and mushrooms is so fascinating—and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

Part of Castro’s teaching also involves undoing long-held fears. “For a lot of American history, mushrooms have been tied to fear,” Castro said, referencing what he calls “fungiphobia.” He recalls a moment in childhood that still resonates. “I was picking mushrooms in my yard, and when my mom saw me, she slapped them out of my hands and told me to go wash them immediately, along with the warning to never touch toadstools again.” Castro says that instead of deterring him, the admonishment only further sparked his curiosity. “There was something about that fear and mystery that made me want to look closer.”

Castro mostly grew up in Mount Shasta, arriving in 1990 at the age of 6, and the surrounding forests became his classroom. “This is where I first got obsessed,” he says with a laugh. “I was always drawn toward the mushrooms. I spent thousands of hours in the woods wandering, collecting mushrooms, bringing them home, doing spore prints and having multiple mushroom books to crossreference.” Sometimes that also meant tracking down the only local expert Castro had access to in town. “I didn’t have his phone number so I would just wander around town until I found him.”

As mushroom foraging grows ever more popular, Castro urges foragers to always keep safety at the forefront. “There’s no quick method or test to tell edible mushrooms from poisonous ones. It comes down to recognizing anatomy and characteristics, so it’s best to learn the dangerous groups first, especially Amanitas, which are the deadliest,” says Castro. This year has made his message especially urgent. “This has been the most explosive mushroom season I’ve seen in my life,” Castro says. “We got a lot of moisture and no heavy freezes. And with more mushrooms and more people foraging, California has seen an alarming spike in poisonings from misidentification, with 40 cases of death cap poisoning so far this year, compared to the usual three to five,” he notes. “Unfortunately, a lot of those poisonings were from misidentification.”

Castro also likes to tackle common myths headon. “People will show up wearing rubber gloves because they’re afraid of getting poisoned, but there is no mushroom that will poison you just from touching it,” says Castro. He also notes, perhaps surprisingly, that some identification methods involve tasting. “You can actually nibble a death cap, but you just have to spit it out. To become poisoned by it, you have to consume a fair amount of the mushroom.”

“There’s so much to be discovered in the world of mushrooms. All you really need is curiosity.”

While some foragers might be tempted to keep good harvesting spots a secret, Castro remains generous with his knowledge. “I’m not greedy,” he says, noting that his goal goes beyond simply finding mushrooms for himself. “When we’re on a tour, I hope that a light goes off in people’s heads with the realization that everything’s connected. And, if mushrooms are the entry point, all the better. I want people to fall in love with nature so that they’ll want to help protect the habitats that support mushrooms.” And, in the forests around Mount Shasta, Castro sees endless possibility. “There’s so much to be discovered in the world of mushrooms. All you really need is curiosity.”•

www.shastaforage.com

Megan Peterson is a freelance storyteller who loves her family, her pets, and Northern California. Her favorite part of writing is finding flow, and she always relishes a touching human story. Aside from Enjoy, she’s typically busy writing and producing for television, having created more than 220 hours of on-air content on networks ranging from National Geographic to Netflix.

Spring on the Grill

GRILLED ASPARAGUS CAESAR SALAD

Servings: 4 || Prep Time: 20 minutes || Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

There is a moment every spring when the farmers market shifts. The root vegetables and sturdy winter squash that have faithfully filled the bins for months begin to thin out, and in their place—slender, jewel-green and impossibly fresh— appear the first bunches of asparagus. For many cooks, this is the true start of the season. Not the calendar, not the weather, but that first glimpse of asparagus.

Asparagus has long been a symbol of spring. The ancient Romans valued it; Thomas Jefferson grew it at Monticello; Julia Child promoted it in American kitchens.

The most important thing you can do with asparagus is keep it simple. This vegetable doesn’t need much: a drizzle of good olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and a few minutes over high heat. In just a few minutes, the exterior chars and crisps, the inside becomes silky and sweet, and the grassy, slightly bitter edge of raw asparagus softens into something deeply savory and satisfying.

The grill does something to asparagus that no other cooking method can replicate. Steam it, and you get tenderness without much character. Roast it, and it concentrates beautifully but loses the crispness. But grill it directly on hot grates, with good olive oil and a generous amount of salt, and you get char. Real char: smoky, slightly bitter, complex in a way that pairs brilliantly with creamy, tangy, umami-rich flavors.

That’s why asparagus and Caesar dressing pair so naturally. The classic Caesar—anchovy paste, lemon, garlic, Parmesan—was created to stand up to something bold. Let’s be honest: Romaine lettuce has often seemed like a bit of an excuse for the dressing. Grilled asparagus, however, is a true match. Its smoky flavor balances the richness of the dressing. Our version of this salad makes one key change to the classic Caesar: Greek yogurt joins the olive oil to create a dressing that is creamy yet lighter, bright with lemon and slightly tangy. It clings to the asparagus spears without weighing them down. The shaved parmesan melts gently over the warm spears, and the grilled sourdough croutons add a crunchy touch.

A Note on Buying Asparagus

Look for firm, tightly closed tips and stalks that feel crisp and hydrated, not bendable. Medium-thickness spears work best on the grill; thin ones cook too fast and turn floppy, while very thick ones can be woody at the base. And of course, snap or trim off that tough lower inch. Asparagus will tell you exactly where to break if you bend the stalk gently. This salad comes together in under 30 minutes, making it perfect for a weeknight side dish alongside grilled salmon or chicken. Make the dressing the day before if possible; it actually improves overnight as the garlic mellows. Serve it warm, right off the grill, while the asparagus still has that smoky heat and the croutons stay crispy. •

• 2 lbs. asparagus spears

• 3 T olive oil

• Kosher salt and pepper

• Garlic powder for sprinkling

• 4 slices sourdough bread

• ⅓ cup shaved Parmesan cheese

• 3 T finely grated Parmesan cheese

yogurt caesar dressing ingredients

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 3 T Greek yogurt

• 2 T Parmesan cheese

• 1 T Dijon mustard

• 2 tsp. red wine vinegar

directions ingredients

• 1 tsp. anchovy paste

• ¼ tsp. salt

• ¼ tsp. pepper

• ½ lemon, juiced

• ⅓ cup olive oil

Step 1: Make the dressing first. It can be prepared a day or two ahead and stored in the fridge. Add the garlic, yogurt, parmesan, mustard, vinegar, anchovy paste, lemon juice, salt and pepper to a food processor and blend until smooth. With the processor running, stream in the olive oil until a creamy dressing forms. Store sealed in the fridge for up to 3–4 days; stir well before using.

Step 2: Preheat your grill to medium-high. Let the grates heat for at least 10 minutes.

Step 3: Snap or trim the woody ends from the asparagus. Toss with 1½ T olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.

Step 4: Step 4: Brush the sourdough slices with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and garlic powder.

Step 5: Place the asparagus directly on the grill, perpendicular to the grates so the spears don’t fall through. Grill for 5–6 minutes, turning occasionally, until slightly charred. At the same time, grill the sourdough for 1–2 minutes per side until toasty and grill-marked.

Step 6: Remove the asparagus and bread from the grill. Tear or slice the sourdough into rough crouton pieces.

Step 7: Arrange the asparagus on a platter. Drizzle generously with Caesar dressing. Top with shaved parmesan, the sourdough croutons and a final shower of finely grated parmesan. Serve immediately.

FIRST LESSONS

Drawn to nature from a young age, Alex Rueda discovered in elementary school that he was colorblind. While colors posed a challenge, he developed a keen ability to spot wildlife from a distance, sparking a lifelong fascination. After college, he began a career focused entirely on wildlife. Specializing in birds in flight, Alex aims to capture moments that often go unseen. His camera is never far from reach. For more of his work, contact him at (530) 340-5265.

BAKED STRAWBERRY CAKE DONUTS

Serves: 18 small donuts || Prep Time: 15 minutes

Bake Time: 18 minutes || Total Time: 33 minutes

Brighten up your day with these tasty baked donuts, which have a soft, cake-like texture and are topped with a sweet strawberry sugar. Freezedried strawberries give these donuts their perfect flavor and pretty colored topping. Since these donuts are baked and not deep fried, they are easy to make and hassle-free. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• 7 T butter, melted and divided

• 1¼ cup sugar, divided

• 1 large egg, at room temperature

• ½ T vanilla extract

• ¾ cup full fat sour cream

• 1¼ cups flour

• 1¼ tsp. baking powder

• ¼ tsp. salt

• ¾ cup freeze-dried strawberries, ground and divided

DIRECTIONS

Step 1: Grease the donut baking pans well and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 6 T of butter in a microwave-safe container and set aside to cool. Use a food processor to grind the freeze-dried strawberries into a powder and set aside.

Step 2: In a large bowl, add 1 cup of sugar, egg, vanilla, the cooled melted butter and sour cream and beat with an electric hand mixer until fully combined.

Step 3: In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and 1/2 cup of the ground freeze-dried strawberries. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in the large bowl and slowly mix them together until just combined; do not over-mix.

Step 4: Fill a piping bag with batter and pipe the batter into the greased donut pan, filling each donut cavity about 3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes at 350 degrees on the middle oven rack. While the donuts are baking, combine the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of ground freeze-dried strawberries in a small bowl. In a small microwaveable container, melt 1 T of butter and set aside.

Step 5: Once the donuts are baked, carefully remove them from the baking pan and use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the donuts with melted butter. Next, dip the buttered donut tops into the sugar and strawberry mixture while they are still warm. Place the donuts on a cooling rack to cool. Store the donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for several days. Enjoy!

Alternative baking option: If you don’t have a donut pan, you can easily make this recipe using a mini muffin pan. Follow the recipe as written and adjust the baking time to 9-11 minutes instead. Makes approximately 32 mini muffins.

Manty is a self taught baker and food photographer. She loves baking desserts, being outdoors and spending time with her family and pets. Follow her on instagram @lovely_baking_co for more baking inspiration.

PLENTY OF PLACES TO

Try out in May

Savor5 5

GREAT EATS BEING DISHED OUT IN THE NORTH STATE

★ Drive through ★★ Walk in or curb side delivery ★★★ Free or nominal fee delivery

3425 Placer St., Suite 110 Redding Public Market 1551 Market St., Redding See our website for hours thebantamkitchen.com

536 N. Market St., Redding Sun-Th 11am-9pm / Fri-Sat 11am-10pm (530) 275-4455 pizzafactory.com ★ ★

9153 Deschutes Road, Palo Cedro Mon 11am-8pm / Tues-Sat 11am-9pm Closed Sundays (530)547-8989

★ ★

1636 Market St., Redding

★

1400 Pine St., Redding

Daily 9am-8pm (530)242-6224 losgordosredding.com Delivery via Postmate

Mon-Wed 11am-8pm / Th-Fri 11am-10pm / Sat 9am-10pm / Sun 9am-10pm (530)246-2190 postofficesaloon.com ★ ★

1790 Market St., Redding (530)229-9449

Mon-Sat 4pm-9pm Closed Sunday vintageredding.com Find them on Instagram

Sunday May 10, 2026

835 Browning St. B, Redding Daily 10am-9pm (530) 276-8850 jerseymikes.com

★ | ★ ★

22020 Palo Way, Palo Cedro

Daily 8am-1pm (530) 547-4290 Find them on Facebook ★ ★

2766 Balls Ferry Road, Anderson Closed Mondays Tues-Sat 11am-8pm / Sun 11am-5pm (530) 364-2211 Find them on Facebook

Dinner cruises depart twice weekly on Friday and Saturday Evenings

HOURS*

May 1–Memorial Day

Friday and Saturday 5–7 p.m.

Our buffet-style menu at Lake Shasta Dinner Cruises has something for everyone to enjoy and varies from season to season. We can also offer special menus for groups upon request. Make your reservation today!

Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend

Friday and Saturday 6–8 p.m.

Labor Day Weekend through the end of September

Friday and Saturday 5–7 p.m.

*Weather dependent

local events

CALENDAR

MAY 2026

FEATURED EVENTS

May 1st

anderson

May 2

• Retired Employees’ Association of California (RPEA) Meeting, Vittles Family Restaurant, 11am, 2385 North St., www.rpea.com

May 1-2

• 2026 Annual Wildlife Art and Taxidermy Competition, Shasta District Fairgrounds and Event Center, 1890 Briggs St., 10am-6pm Friday, 9am2pm Saturday, www.facebook.com/ CaliforniaAssociationofTaxidermists

• Quilter’s Sew-ciety Quilt Show “250 Years of Creativity,” Shasta District Fairgrounds and Event Center, 1890 Briggs St., 10am5pm Friday, 10am-4pm Saturday, www.quilterssewciety.org/2026-quilt-show May 3

• Native Plant Identification and Uses, Horsetown Clear Creek Preserve, Clear Creek Road, 1-3pm, www.horsetownclearcreekpreserve.org

May 9

• Redding Fire Festival, Shasta District Fairgrounds and Event Center, 1890 Briggs St., 3-9:30pm, www.FireFestivals.com

May 16

• Butterfly Walk, Horsetown Clear Creek Preserve, Clear Creek Road, 10am-noon, www.horsetownclearcreekpreserve.org

May 23-24

• Shasta Renaissance and Fantasy Faire, Shasta District Fairgrounds and Event Center, 1890 Briggs St., 10am-6pm Saturday, 10am-5pm Sunday, www.shastarenfaire.com

May 30

• Wading Into the Water: The Hidden World of Aquatic Insects, Horsetown Clear Creek Preserve, Clear Creek Road, 10am-noon, www.horsetownclearcreekpreserve.org

burney

May 23

• Mountain Cruisers Car Show, Pit River Casino, 20265 Tamarack Ave., 9am2pm, www.enjoylocalevents.com

chico

May 2

• Rose Garden Party, Creekside Rose Garden, 545 Vallombrosa Ave., 2-4pm, www.chicorec.gov

May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

• Chico Saturday Farmers Market, Downtown Chico municipal parking lot, 2nd and Wall streets, 7:30am1pm, www.chicofarmersmarket.com

May 6, 13, 20, 27

• Chico Wednesday Farmers Market, North Valley Plaza Mall parking lot, Pillsbury Road adjacent to Trader Joe’s, 7:30am-noon, www.chicofarmersmarket.com

May 7, 14, 21, 28

• Thursday Night Market, Downtown Chico on Broadway Street between 2nd and 4th streets, 6-9pm, www.downtownchico.com

May 9

• Family Color Fun Run & 5k, Bidwell Park, 300 South Park Drive, 9am, www.ChicoColorRun.com

• Forebay Aquatic Center Grand Opening, 930 Garden Hwy., 10am5pm, www.forebayaquaticcenter.com

• Chico Spring Jam, Community Park, 1900 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Pkwy., 1-8pm, www.blueskyfestivalsandevents.com

May 16

• K9 Classic, DeGarmo Park, 3428 Esplanade, 10am-1pm, www.chicorec.gov

May 29

• Friday Night Concert, Chico City Plaza, 418 Main St., 6:30-8:30pm, www.downtownchico.com

cottonwood

May 3, 17

• Cottonwood Certified Farmer’s Market, Cottonwood Community Center, 20595 Gas Point Road, 9am-1pm, www.cottonwoodchamberofcommerce.com

May 6

• Pretty in Pink Ladies Night Out, Heart S Ranch, 17420 Bowman Road, 6:30pm, www.cottonwoodchamberofcommerce.com

May 9

• Rodeo Parade “America 250,” Main St., 10am-noon, www.cottonwoodchamberofcommerce.com

May 23-24

• Happy Valley Strawberry Festival and Car Show, West Valley High School, 3805 Happy Valley Road, 9am-5pm Saturday, 9am-4pm Sunday, www.happyvalleystrawberryfestival.com

dunsmuir

May 1-3

• Dogwood Daze, various places in Dunsmuir, various times, www.dunsmuir.com

May 9

• Dunsmuir Second Saturdays, Downtown Dunsmuir, 11am-9pm, www.dunsmuirsecondsaturday.com

May 23

• Dunsmuir City-Wide Yard Sale, various places in Dunsmuir, 7am-5pm, www.dunsmuir.com

durham

May 3

• Spring Fae Festival, Patrick Ranch Museum, 10381 Midway, noon-4pm, www.patrickranchmuseum.org

etna

May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

• Etna Farmers Market, 514 North Hwy 3, Behind Dotty’s & Scott River Watershed Council, 10am-noon, www.etnafarmersmarket.org

May 3

• Ranch Rodeo, Scott Valley Pleasure Park, 117 Island Road, www.etnarodeo.com

mccloud

May 2

• 120 Anniversary Celebration Fundraiser, McCloud Dance Hall, 104 Pine Street, 6-11pm, www.mcclouddancehall.com

May 9, 23

• Spring Roller Skating, McCloud Dance Hall, 104 Pine Street, 3-9pm, www.mcclouddancehall.com

May 18

• McCloud River Music – Shelby Means Band, The McCloud River Bed & Breakfast, 325 Lawndale Court, 7-9pm, www.shastamusic.org

May 23-24

• McCloud Mushroom, Wine, Music, and Artisan Festival, Downtown McCloud, 10am-7pm Saturday, 10am-4pm Sunday, www.mccloudchamber.com

mt. shasta

May 15

• Swing into Spring Golf Tournament, Mount Shasta Resort, 1000 Siskiyou Lake Blvd., 7:30am, www.discoversiskiyou.com

May 18, 25

• Farmers Market, East Castle St., 3:30-6pm, www.mountshastafarmersmarket.org

oroville

May 1-10

• “Judgement at Nuremberg,” Birdcage Theatre, 1740 Bird St., 7pm FridaySaturday, 2pm Sunday, www. birdcagetheatre.org

May 2

• Caring for Women Walk for Life, The Upper Parking Lot of the Oroville Dam, Royal Oaks Dr., 9pm, www.caringforwomencenter.org

• Downtown Oroville Salsa Taste Off, Downtown Oroville, 1998 Montgomery St., noon-4pm, www.downtownoroville.com

• Billie Holiday Project, Oroville State Theater, 1489 Myers St., 7:30pm, www.orovillestatetheater.com

May 2-9

• Feather Fiesta Days, Downtown Oroville, www.visitoroville.com/feather-fiesta-day

May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

• Farmers Market, Oroville Convention Center Lower Parking Lot, 1200 Myers St., 8am-noon, www.visitoroville.com

May 6, 13, 20, 27

• Farmers Market, Dove’s Landing, 2450 Oro Dam Boulevard East, 9am-2pm, www.visitoroville.com

May 8

• Ballet Chico - Live Music & Ballet Soiree, Oroville State Theater, 1489 Myers St., 7:30pm, www.orovillestatetheater.com

May 9

• Chico Bugle RMEF Chapter Big Game Banquet, Chico Masonic Family Center, 1110 West East Ave., 5pm, www.orovillechamber.com

paradise

May 2

• Water-Wise & Habitat Friendly Garden Tour 2026, Gardens in Paradise, Chico and Durham, 9am-noon and 1-4pm, www.paradisechamber.com

May 15-16

• Homespun Holidays Craft Show, Paradise Masonic Lodge, 5934 Clark Road, 10am-4pm, www.paradisechamber.com

• Northern California Ballet’s “Coppélia,” Paradise Performing Arts Center, 777 Nunneley Road, 7:15pm Friday, 2:15pm and 7:15pm Saturday, www.northerncaliforniaballet.com/ performances

May 9

• Paradise Chocolate Festival, Terry Ashe Park, 6626 Skyway, 10am-5pm, www.chocolatefest.us

red bluff

May 1-3

• Tehama District Fair, Tehama District Fairgrounds, 650 Antelope Blvd., www.tehamadistrictfair.com

May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

• Downtown Farmers Market, Red Bluff River Park, 100 River Park Way, 8amnoon, www.redbluffchamber.com

May 17

• Red Bluff Masterworks Chorale and Orchestra presents “Celebrate America,” State Theatre, 333 Oak St., 3pm, www.redbluffchamber.com

May 21

• Car Show in the Park, Red Bluff River Park, 100 River Park Way, 8am-2pm, May 22

• An Evening with Collin Raye, State Theatre, 333 Oak St., 7pm, www.statetheatreredbluff.com

May 22-24

• California Beef Expo, Tehama District Fairgrounds, 650 Antelope Blvd., Find them on Facebook

May 29-30

• Nor Cal Spring Fling Semi Truck and Car Show, Tehama District Fairgrounds, 650 Antelope Blvd., 5pm Friday, 10am Saturday, www.norcal-springfling.com

redding

May 1-31

• Bigfoot Adventure Challenge, all over Shasta County, www. bigfootadventurechallenge.com

• Shasta Bike Month and Challenge, all over Shasta County, www.lovetoride.net/shasta

May 1

• First Fridays in Downtown Redding, Downtown Redding stores, 5pm, www.visitredding.com

• North Valley Art League Reception, Carter House Gallery, 48 Quartz Hill Road, 5-7pm, www.nval.org

May 2

• 8th Annual Never Forgotten Games, Downtown Redding Market Place, corner of Market Steet and Butte Street, 8am5pm, www.neverforgottengames.com

• Chicks N Chaps, Redding Elks Lodge, 250 Elks Dr., 10am-2:30pm, www.chicksnchaps.org

• Northern California’s Authors Fair, Lake Redding Park Gazebo And Pavilion, 10am-4pm, www. reddingwritersforum.com

• Shasta Celtic Faire, Caldwell Park, 3 Quartz Hill Road, 10am-7pm, www.shastacelticartsandcraftsfair.com

May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

• Redding Farmers Market, behind City Hall, 777 Cypress Ave., 8:30am-noon, www.reddingfarmersmarkets.com

• Sipp’n Saturdays, Branch House Riverfront Bistro, 844 Sundial Bridge Drive, 5-7pm, www.branchhouseredding.com

May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31

• Trivia Night, Branch House Riverfront Bistro, 844 Sundial Bridge Drive, 5-7pm, www.branchhouseredding.com

• Bingo, The Tropics, 2555 South Market St., 7-9pm, www.facebook.com/reddingtropics

May 4, 11, 18, 25

• Music Mondays, Mosaic Restaurant, 826 Sundial Bridge Drive, 6-8pm, www.mosaicredding.com/events

May 5, 12, 19, 26

• Step by Step School of Ballroom Dance, Old City Hall, 1313 Market St., 5:30-7:30pm, www.shastaartscouncil.org/classes

• Karaoke Night, The Tropics, 2555 South Market St., 8pm, www.facebook.com/ reddingtropics

May 7

• Northern California Venture Conference, Sheraton Redding Hotel, 820 Sundial Bridge Drive, 8am-4pm, www.startupredding.com/venture

• Breast Milk Donation Drive, Family First Maternity Center, 1796 Churn Creek Road, 10am-1pm, www.visitredding.com

May 8

• Twilight Serenade, Pilgrim Congregational Church, 2850 Foothill Blvd., 7:30pm, www.pas-redding.org

May 9

• Lemurian Classic, Swasey Recreation Area, 7am-1:30pm, www.lemurianclassic. redpodium.com/lemurian-classic-2026

• AAUW Spring Garden Tour, 2018 California St., 9am-2pm, www.aauwredding.org/activitiesspecial-events/garden-tour

• The Beadman Craft Fair, The Beadman Parking Lot, 2619 Park Marina Drive, 9am-4pm, www.visitredding.com

• Roots & Rhythm Festival: Giving Back to the Land, 5170 Bechelli Lane, 4-8pm, www.shastalandtrust.org

May 10, 17, 24, 31

• Sunday Farmers Market, Sundial Bridge Drive near Turtle Bay, 9am-1pm, www.reddingfarmersmarkets.com

May 13-16

• Redding Rodeo, Redding Rodeo Grounds, 715 Auditorium Drive, www.reddingrodeo.com

May 15

• Asphalt Cowboys Pancake Breakfast, Market Street Promenade, 5-10am, www.asphaltcowboys.org

May 16

• Redding Rodeo Parade, Downtown Redding, 10am-noon, www.asphaltcowboys.org

May 17

• Audiobook Walk with Baileys Book Nook, Downtown Redding starting at Theory Coffee, 9am, www.enjoylocalevents.com

• Movement and Mindset, Modern Elite Venues, 2195 Larkspur Lane, Suite 100-B, 2-4pm, www.striveforepic. offeringtree.com

• Redding Rodeo Church, Redding Rodeo Grounds, 715 Auditorium Drive, 5pm, www.reddingrodeo.com

May 22

• Fourth Friday Concert Series, IOOF Hall, 1504 Market St., 7-9pm, www.facebook.com/even ts/48456371170301/748456404503631

shasta lake

May 2

• Boomtown Festival, Shasta Lake City Main Street, 10-11am, www.shastalakechamber.com

May 4-27

• Yoga, Larry J. Farr Community Center, 4499 Main St., 5:30-6:30pm Monday and Wednesday, www.enjoylocalevents.com

May 24

• Community Ukulele Club Meetup, Shasta Lake Community United Methodist Church, 1509 Hardenbrook Ave., 2-3:30pm, www.cityofshastalake.gov

whiskeytown national recreation area

May 23-24

• Memorial Weekend Regatta, Whiskeytown Lake, www.whiskeytownsailing.org

anderson library

www.shastalibraries.org

May 7, 14, 21, 28

• Knitting Club, 10am-noon

• Storytime, 3:30-4:30pm

axiom repertory theatre

www.axreptheatre.com

May 2-3

• “Mother Courage and Her Children,” Old City Hall, 1313 Market St., 7:30pm Saturday, 2pm Sunday

cascade theater

www.cascadetheatre.org

May 2

• Swan Lake by International Ballet Stars, 7pm

May 9

• The Carole King & James Taylor Story, 3pm

May 16

• A Special Evening with Pam Tillis, 7:30pm May 22

• Classic Albums Live presents “Dark Side of the Moon,” 7:30pm

chico performances

www.chicoperformances.com

May 1-3

• Chico State School of the Arts presents The SpongeBob Musical, 7:30pm Friday, 2pm Saturday-Sunday

chico theatre company chicotheatrecompany.csstix.com

May 1-17

• “Once Upon a Mattress,” 7:30pm Thursday-Saturday, 2pm Sunday

redding civic auditorium

www.reddingcivic.com

May 28

• The Calling, 7:30pm

redding library

www.shastalibraries.org

May 1-29

• Storytime, Tuesday, Wednesdays and Fridays, 10:30-11:30am

May 2

• Friends of Shasta County Libraries Booksale, all day

May 5, 12, 19, 26

• Teen Action Board, 4pm

May 7, 14, 21, 28

• Stay and Play, 10:30am-12:30pm

redding performing arts center

www.reddingpac.com

May 1-9

• “The Little Mermaid Jr,” Timbre Theatre & Café, 3274 Bechelli Lane, 7pm Thursday, 5pm and 7pm Friday, 3pm and 6:30pm Saturday

May 1-10

• “Allegory,” The Box, 3290 Bechelli Lane, 7pm

May 3

• “Volcano,” Timbre Theatre & Café, 3274 Bechelli Lane, A Science Comedy Show by Ben Miller, 6pm

May 14-16

• “The Phantom Tollbooth,” The Box, 3290 Bechelli Lane,, 7pm Thursday-Friday, 2pm and 7pm Saturday

May 21-30

• “Newsies,” Timbre Theatre & Café, 3274 Bechelli Lane, 7pm Thursday-Friday, 2pm and 7pm Saturday

May 27

• “Spring Spectacular 2026,” 5pm and 7pm

riverfront playhouse

www.riverfrontplayhouse.net

May 8

• Dan McGowan Clean Comedy Show, 7pm

May 9

• North State Chronicles, 2pm

May 14-31

• “Harvey,” 7:30pm Friday-Saturday, 2pm Sunday

schreder planetarium www.shastacoe.org/programsservices/planetarium

May 8

• Kids Night: Back in Time (Dinosaurs at Dusk; Zula Patrol: Down to Earth), 6pm

May 22

• Family Night: Forces of Space & Time (Dynamic Earth; The Future is Wild), 7pm

shasta college

www.shastacollege.edu/events

May 1-2

• The Shasta College Symphonic Band Presents “Larry’s Favorites!” 7:30pm Friday, 3pm Saturday

May 3

• The Shasta College Concert Orchestra Presents “MAY I Play You Some Music?” 3pm

May 8

• Jazz at Shasta College Presents a Spring Concert, 7:30pm

May 9

• The Shasta College Choral Program Presents “I’ll Be There,” 7:30pm

the dip

www.thedipredding.com

May 8

• Cold Weather Venture, Magenta Wave, 8pm

May 9

• Nixil, Drouth, 8pm

May 11

• Electric Six, Tragedy, 8pm May 16

• Jaguar Sun, Kurt Travis, Candy Cigarettes, 8pm May 20

• Tommy Guerrero, 8pm May 26

• Little Foot, Yes Ma’am, 8pm May 27

• The Alex Lucero Band, 8pm May 29

• Supersuckers, Scott H. Biram, 8pm

trinity alps performing arts center

www.tapaconline.org

May 1

• “Volcano,” A Science Comedy Show by Ben Miller, 7pm

May 3

• Weaverville Community Band & Chorus

Spring Concert, 3pm

May 15-16

• “The Little Mermaid Jr.”

May 27

• Kommuna Lux, 7pm

May 30

• Trinity’s Got Talent, 6pm

turtle bay exploration park

www.turtlebay.org

May 1-3

• Thomas D. Mangelsen: A Life in the Wild, Museum hours

• Mosaic Featured Artist Lura Wilhelm, Mosaic Art Gallery, Gallery Hours

May 1-31

• Glowing Wild, 7-10pm

• Blurred Boundaries: The Art of Merryll Saylan, Museum Hours

• Water Wonders, 10:30am, WednesdayThursday

• Spring Plant Sale, Turtle Bay Garden Nursery, 4-7pm Friday, 9am-3pm Saturday

May 2

• Charlie Rabbit and Friends, Turtle Bay Garden Nursery, 10-11am

• Mosaics with Angie, 10am-1pm

May 4-31

• Mosaic Featured Artist Lyn Rosenthal, Mosaic Art Gallery, Gallery Hours

May 7, 14, 21, 28

• Little Explorers, 10-11am

May 9-31

• Walk on the Wild Side Animal Show, 11am & noon

May 9

• Family 2nd Saturday, 10am-1pm

• Plant Workshop: Succulent Dish Planting, 10am-noon

May 16

• Science Saturday, 10am-1pm

May 23

• Art Lab, 10am-1pm

• Turtle Day, 2:30-3pm

May 23-31

• POPnology, Museum hours

May 30

• Guided Garden Walk, 10-11am

win-river resort & casino

www.winriver.com

May 1-30

• Overtime Live DVJ, Friday and Saturday, 9:30pm

May 10

• Mother’s Day Brunch, 9am, 11:30am and 2pm

Discover what’s happening next at EnjoyLocalEvents.com

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HOW TO GET YOUR EVENT ON THIS CALENDAR

If you’d like your event to be listed in this section of Enjoy magazine, please post it on our website www.enjoylocalevents.com by the 1st of the month— one month prior to the next magazine issue. For example, a May event will need to be posted by April 1.

HOW HAS THE ORGANIZATION EVOLVED IN RECENT YEARS? We expanded our Saturday Farmers Market into a year-round outlet in late 2024. We’ve also seen turnover among farmers over the last several years, as older growers retire without enough new farmers to replace them. Fortunately, new farmers and producers are beginning to emerge, helping provide a more varied selection of products. We’ve also expanded our definition of “local” to include growers from across the North State, allowing for a more complete offering of food.

WHAT’S SOMETHING PEOPLE MIGHT NOT REALIZE ABOUT FARMING IN THE NORTH STATE? Seasonality. While we do live in a somewhat Mediterranean growing climate which is ideal for food production, we are also far enough north here that the lack of daylight hours significantly affects our ability to grow certain foods on a more yearround schedule.

givingback

Q&A WITH AUDREY PASCONE, CO-OWNER OF RED GATE RANCH AND MEMBER OF THE SHASTA GROWERS ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THE SHASTA GROWERS ASSOCIATION AND ITS MISSION. The Shasta Growers Association, also known as the SGA, is one of the oldest organizations to operate certified farmers markets in the state of California. It was formed in 1977 and currently operates four farmers markets in Redding and Burney. The mission of the organization is to root the community in the rich agricultural heritage of Shasta and the surrounding counties by providing a direct marketplace for the highest quality regional produce, artisan goods and prepared foods.

WHO DOES THE SHASTA GROWERS ASSOCIATION PRIMARILY SERVE? The SGA serves all residents of Shasta and the surrounding counties.

WHY IS SUPPORTING LOCAL AGRICULTURE SO IMPORTANT IN OUR REGION? Food and economic resilience. A strong community of farmers, artisans and producers means overall economic resilience for a variety of local businesses and food security by supporting local farmers, ranchers and other producers.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES LOCAL GROWERS FACE TODAY? The costs of running a business and hiring employees in California continues to increase each year. It already has been shown to cost up to 30 percent more for farmers and ranchers to operate their businesses with sustainable and regenerative practices. On top of that, rising costs of fuel and feed are proving to be a big challenge.

WHAT’S ONE THING YOU WISH EVERYONE KNEW ABOUT LOCAL AGRICULTURE? The value of supporting local producers and businesses. Some people think the farmers market should be a place to get “cheap” food, but may overlook the value of locally produced foods. Supporting local producers helps maintain a healthy food system. For those using sustainable, regenerative or organic practices, the food may offer higher nutrient content than non-local options. While the cost may be higher at first, the value is present in quality and potential health benefits. Local markets also offer foods not typically found in grocery stores, including items that don’t store or transport well. With the Shasta Match program, those on a tight budget can access high-quality local food through additional CalFresh SNAP incentives.

HOW CAN SOMEONE CONNECT WITH THE SHASTA GROWERS ASSOCIATION?

Our market manager, Traci Kingsbury, can be reached via email at sgamanager0@gmail.com. Our website, www.reddingfarmersmarkets.com, offers more details about our market locations and dates, plus we invite everyone to come out to the markets and introduce themselves.

reddingfarmersmarkets.com

Engineered

by choice

I wasn’t a huge fan of high school, and by my junior year, I was ready to move on, so I took College Connection at Shasta College my senior year.

I was surrounded by a bunch of people who wanted to transfer as quickly as possible. But I realized I didn’t want to take the same path. So, I took my time and found out that what I wanted to do was study engineering and attend a school that was right for me, not right for everyone else.

I’m a first-generation student, so navigating the bachelor’s degree process was super hard for me. I had all these questions, and the MESA program with Jessie Knight became a catalyst for knowledge and opportunities.

Physics with David Carico opened a whole new world for me. Jen McCandless taught me that math can be fun, and enjoyable, and beautiful, and Jessie Knight from MESA is a great mentor and advocate for her students.

Jessie had been talking about the CCI program with the Department of Energy, and I decided, you know, why not just throw in an application? You never know what would happen if you don’t take the chance. When I got accepted to the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), I was just shaking. I was like, there’s no way! I’m just excited to embark on a new adventure and do something new that no one else in my family has had the chance to do.

That’s why I didn’t feel ready to move as fast as some of my peers. I wanted to take every opportunity I could at Shasta College. Like the NASA NCAS Program, MESA, and this internship at SLAC. I definitely feel like going to Shasta College has allowed me to mature a lot and develop a set of professional skills.

I’ve been accepted to San Jose State, UC Davis, and Santa Clara, but I haven’t decided on a school yet. I am dedicated to furthering my education to help engineer a better future for my generation.

One of the best pieces of advice I got from my mentor at my current internship at CalTrans is, “If you set yourself up for success, the opportunity will come. So always prepare yourself for that next step.”

Take every chance that you’re offered, even if you don’t think you’re cut out for it. Embrace the struggle. Embrace the challenges, because that’s what builds character.

Amy Shasta College Knight