A packed house in the Elks’ bar for the February 2009, premiere of Survivor featuring Ben Wade

Here is one that many of you may remember…

Wade-A-Palooza

Way back in February of 2009 Ben Wade, Susanville Symphony Conductor and Lassen High music teacher, was a bona fide reality TV star.

Wade, who had formerly been Lassen College’s Women’s Soccer coach, along with his duties at the Symphony, was one of 16 contestants on season 18 of the CBS hit reality show Survivor.

The Emmy-winning show, with Wade and the cast in tow, was headed off to some place called Tocantins in the Brazilian highlands and Susanville was all abuzz with excitement. Serious excitement.

I probably should explain to the kids that TV was a lot different in 2009, but that would just serve to make me sound old. Let’s just say network television had a lot more draw back then, and this show was a really big deal.

So, we come to one of the most unique local events I’ve photographed in the last two decades.

On the night of Survivor’s season premiere the Elks Lodge was packed, wall to wall, with Ben Wade fans. I named the photo folder “Wade A Palooza,” and I think at least half the town showed up for the big premiere party.

All of the Symphony folks were there. Anybody who was anyone in 2009 made an appearance at the soiree.

Mike Smith was Master of Ceremonies for the Survivor-themed party

Margie Teeter in the May 11th, 1983

issue of the Lassen County Times

I sure do appreciate having a book store in town. They have a great selection of local history books, which you should stop by and see today. Congratulations on 40 years!

Another Anniversary

Speaking of milestones, I want to mention that Terra Avilla published her 200th edition of “Why We Love This Place Wednesdays” on SusanvilleStuff this week. Fantastic job Mrs. Avilla!

Terra has been writing her weekly feature for us since September of 2018 and is a social media superstar. Click here to check her out as thegirlcop on TikTok. She has 630,000 followers. Wow. Thank you Mrs. Avilla for letting us ride your coattails to fame.

That’s all for this week! Have a great weekend everybody!

A good time was had by all at February’s Family Fun Bingo Night

Sweetheart Bingo Sponsors: High Desert Flower Company, Milwood Florist, Joe’s Coffee Shop, Whispering Wolves Photography, Mary Kay – Cary Ehlrich, Sierra Theatre & Uptown Cinemas, Side Iron BBQ, Lassen Ale Works & The Boardroom, MLJ Show Cattle, Bitterbrush Apiaries, Susanville Pizza Factory, The Lepe Family, Merry Morsels, Jason Ingram District 5 Supervisor, Honey Rae’s Bakeshop, Elevated Cakes, Jamie Radman – Scentsy Consultant, and Benson’s Humble Homestead.

Maddi and Lily present a check to the Blue Star Moms

to help pay postage on packages to be sent overseas

Drumroll please, we raised $1,670 for the Blue Star Moms! They will be using those funds to pay for postage on packages mailed to our local deployed and stationed military.

What are the 4-H Clubs in Lassen County up to this month? Members that show beef cattle at the fair will be officially weighing in their project animals this month. Sheep, swine and goat members will be preparing for their animals to come home, or enjoying their new friends soon!

Maddi and Lily

The Forever 4-H Drive-Through Dinner will be held on April 19th from 4:30-6:30pm. The menu consists of pulled pork, ranch beans, cole slaw and a brownie for $15/plate. Tickets will be available pre-sale only (sales will go until 4/17).

You can purchase tickets from any 4-H member or at the 4-H Office at 707 Nevada Street.

All the funds raised from this event will go towards funding the future of our 4-H Program.

As Ambassadors we have one more family game night to complete our project. We will be hosting Forever 4-H Bingo on Monday May 15th at 6pm in Jensen Hall. All money raised will be donated to the Lassen County 4-H Program. We have a 200 player limit! You can buy as many bingo books as you want (all five rounds of bingo are in one book). The books are $5.00/each.

We have enjoyed paying it forward to the different organizations in our community and hope that you will find it in your hearts to support 4-H!

Winds could gust as high as 45 mph.

Travel could be very difficult to impossible. Strong winds may cause tree damage and lead to some power outages.

Snowfall may continue into Tuesday, becoming lighter and more showery in nature.

“PopEquus is a ground-breaking new tool that will no doubt become invaluable to BLM field staff and managers as they compare different ways to manage and protect wild horses and their habitat on public lands, especially as drought and overpopulation continue to threaten animal- and land health,” said BLM Wild Horse and Burro Division Chief Holle’ Waddell.

“The BLM is grateful for the hard work and determination that went into building PopEquus, and we look forward to continuing our collaborative partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey and other scientists and experts who share our goal of using the best-available science and technology to manage and protect healthy wild horses and burros on healthy public lands.”

“At the USGS, we sought to provide a science-based tool for wild horse and burro managers to inform their decision making,” said USGS Research Wildlife Biologist Kate Schoenecker, located at the USGS Fort Collins Science Center.

“Being able to compare outcomes of various management actions and the financial costs of those actions can help managers consider and weigh trade-offs. We hope this tool will be educational for the public as well, as it shows the constraints and intricacies of managing wild horses and burros using real-life scenarios.”

PopEquus is open-source and uses peer-reviewed information to model expected outcomes for a given population of wild horses and the cost associated with that outcome. The model can project, for example, what the population size of a given wild horse herd will be after 10 years using a fertility-control vaccine to prevent pregnancy in a proportion of mares, as well as the expected cost.

BLM managers can use this information to compare different possible management strategies.

The BLM manages and protects wild horses and burros on public lands as directed by the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. With few predators that can naturally control herd growth, wild horse populations on public lands can double in size every 4-5 years if not managed, which can quickly overwhelm available forage and water resources and damage the habitat for horses and other wildlife.

As of March 1st, 2022, the BLM estimated there were more than 82,000 wild horses and burros on public lands administered by the agency—more than three times what is sustainable.

The BLM is committed to using a variety of management tools to slow herd growth and reduce overpopulation across the West, including using more fertility-control methods to temporarily prevent pregnancy in a portion of a herd’s mares. PopEquus will provide additional analysis that will help BLM fulfill this commitment.

Visit BLM.gov/WHB/science for more information about PopEquus and the BLM’s efforts to use science and technology to improve management of wild horses and burros on public lands.

The Free Roaming Equid and Ecosystem Sustainability network will host a free public webinar April 5, 2023 to demonstrate PopEquus and answer questions about the model. The webinar will feature scientists from the USGS and BLM who helped develop the tool. To learn more about the webinar or to register to attend, visit the FREES website.

The USGS provides science support to Department of the Interior agencies to improve management of natural resources. Additional information about wild horse and burro population science can be found at: Wild Horse and Burro Population Management.

To access the PopEquus user interface, go to the USGS web site.

Congratulations to Katelyn Gorbet and Jayson Vial,

our Best of Broadway Ticket Winners.

Katelyn wins a pair of tickets for the March 4th matinee and Jayson gets a pair for the March 11th afternoon show. Thanks to all of you who entered!

Susanville’s Best of Broadway kicks off its annual performance series this week, featuring a cast of hundreds, gorgeous production values, stunning directorial prowess, and lots of fun music at the Veterans Memorial Hall.

This year’s Decade of Dreamers shows will feature pieces from a variety of musicals including Young Frankenstein, High School Musical, Peter Pan, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Jersey Boys, Hairspray and more.

Regular performances are scheduled for March 3rd, at 7:00p.m., March 4th at 2:00 and 7:00p.m., March 8th, at 6:00p.m., March 10th, at 7:00p.m., March 11th, at 2:00 and 7:00p.m.

Tickets to the performances, normally sold out early, are $15 if you buy them early at Margie’s Book Nook or Zaengles. If there are any left you can buy tickets at the door for $20 each.

Click here to see more than 150 photos from the Best of Broadway dress rehearsal in our SusanvilleSnapshots gallery!

For more information call 530-310-4302 or visit Best of Broadway online.

US Navy Reserve Civilian Pilot Training Program at the Susanville airport January 8th, 1943

Army Flyers to be Trained at Lassen Junior College

School at Susanville is Selected for Primary Course for Aviators

March 3, 1942

United States army air corps pilots will receive primary and secondary training in Lassen junior college in the near future, N. H. McCollom, principal of the college announced this week.

The junior college here has been selected as one of the ten institutions in the nation to take part in an experimental program expected to speed the training of army pilots. Men of the army air corps will be brought here in groups of twenty to take their basic air and ground school training under the civilian pilot training program.

The arrival of the first contingent of army men is expected within a month, McCollom said, with an army officer expected to arrive here within ten days to complete arrangement for living quarters.

The civilian pilot training course has been offered through the junior college here since late December. Wight students are taking the course at present, with seven more expected to begin next week. All will be allowed to continue their training after the arrival of the army men.

Completion of the two courses requires sixteen weeks, according to McCollom. As each group of army fliers finishes its primary course and moves into the secondary school, twenty more will arrive to begin the primary course.

The army men will complete their training as pilots, under the present plans, at one of the regular army training fields.

Air instruction here will be under the supervision of C. T. Dickson of the Bay City Fliers. A full-time ground school instructor will be named as soon as possible.