Volume XVII Issue 42

Tuesday, October 8th, 2024

I remember my mom preparing for this particular birthday party. It was stressful. She had already made me a matching Holly Hobby outfit to wear to greet my guests. And now she stood in our kitchen for hours and fretted over baking the cake itself (cherry chip), coloring the frosting, and maintaining the temperature of the frosting (if it was too warm, it wouldn’t hold its shape; too cold and it wouldn’t pipe correctly).

In the meantime, I ran around without a care in the world, excited to see who would show up at my party.

That wasn’t the only time, either. I think I made my mom create three more Holly Hobby cakes for me, each highlighting a different decorating technique and new pose of the iconic Holly Hobby. I was obsessed for most of my childhood.

Birthdays were different in the 70s. You went to Hallmark or Sprouse Reitz to pick out invitations which you painstakingly filled out by hand. There was always cake, ice cream, and the ubiquitous fruity punch with sherbet melting in it.

Maybe a few crepe paper streamers, some balloons, and a pin the tail on the donkey game and you were to good to go.

My birthdays were often a time for both sides of the family to get together and visit. The date is inconvenient, being two weeks before Christmas, but my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins would all be there.

My memories have that faded color to them, like the square-shaped photos we would pick up at Eagle Thrifty after they were developed. In one, I am looking at the camera with a pouty expression on my face, arms folded in front of my chest.

My hair still holds the golden hue of childhood and is curled at the ends. (Probably from the sponge rollers I slept in.) My dress a cream and peach polyester, leather Mary Janes on my feet. I look pretty ticked. I wish I could tell that little girl to look around the room one last time before she disappeared into her bedroom to play with her new toys.

I’m forty-some years too late, but thank you mom for making that cake. All the cakes.

I didn’t know then what a sacrifice you made for me.

Remember when news was ‘newsy’? When you read about weddings, family events and engagement announcements in the newspaper? If you have something that might be newsworthy, please submit it to shelleybennett24@gmail.com and I’ll do my best to include it here in “The Good Stuff.”

Dolores Hemphill, Lassen 4H Hall of Fame inductee

The 2024 Lassen County 4-H Hall of Fame is brought to you by the 2024/2025 County Ambassadors: Paiton Hallmark, Russell Mallery, Layton Allen and Samantha Medvin. This year the Lassen County 4-H Hall of Fame will take up residence outside the Lassen County 4-H Office at 707 Nevada Street. Feel free to come look at it starting in November of 2024.

Our first inductee of the 2024 Class of the Hall of Fame truly embodied mentorship in our local 4-H program. Mentorship is the patronage, guidance, or direction given by a person to a less experienced or younger person. We would like to welcome Dolores Hemphill.

Dolores was a member from 1950-1959 in Lassen County 4-H. She was enrolled in the beef, clothing, food preservation and food preparation projects. She became a leader in 1960 and served for over fifty years guiding local youth in the 4-H program. She held positions at the club, county, sectional and state levels of leadership and traveled to Washington D.C three separate occasions. She attended the Western States Leaders Forum numerous times.

When reflecting on her time serving local youth in our program Dolores mentioned that kids should join 4-H because it helps them learn by doing. The program offers many different life skills, and it doesn’t matter if you’re a boy or a girl. She said that it benefited kids from rural communities because it provided opportunities for them to travel and experience things outside of their hometown.

Dolores helped run Lassen County 4-H Camp for nearly 20 years at the Eagle Lake Youth Camp and she always enjoyed watching kids come back year after year as they aged from junior members to becoming counselors.

It’s an honor, Mrs. Hemphill, to induct you as the first member into the Lassen County 4-H Hall of Fame Class of 2024.

Members of Johnstonville 4H painted this cool sign on the window at LMUD’s office on South Roop Street.

LMUD Celebrates Public Power Week

Lassen Municipal Utility District is celebrating Public Power Week, October 6th through the 12th, along with 2,000 other community-powered, not-for-profit electric utilities that provide electricity to fifty-four million Americans across forty-nine states and five territories.

Public power utilities across the U.S. celebrate Public Power Week the first full week of October every year to help customers and stakeholders understand how they can better engage with their community-owned utility and benefit from all its offerings.

“As a publicly owned utility LMUD does not operate for profit,” explains the utility’s Public Relations Manager Theresa Phillips, “in fact, we operate to serve the best interest of our community. That means collaborating with local government, service organizations and public safety providers to ensure safe, reliable and affordable power.”

This Thursday, October 10th, from 6:00a.m. to 8:30p.m., LMUD will host the community at the Susanville Supermarket bakery, inviting everyone to come enjoy a small coffee and doughnut on the utility.

The drawing will be held on Saturday, November 16th at 1:00p.m. at Tractor Supply. You do not need to be present to win. Only 400 tickets will be sold, so get yours today!

For more information, contact VFW Commander Ron Wood at 1.530.310.0428.

Assessments will be held December 7th, at Diamond View Middle School, for boys 3rd through 6th grade and girls 3rd through 8th grade.

The registration fee is $95 for the first child, with a discounted rate of $90 for each additional sibling.

There will be no late signups.

For more information or to register, click here or contact Lassen Hoops at lassenhoops.susanville@gmail.com.

Uptown Susanville around 1940 ~ From an Eastman Studios postcard

Club Urges Cleaning of Streets

October 8, 1943

The Susanville Exchange Club has adopted a resolution demanding that the city take immediate steps to clean up the city streets.

The resolution, which invites cooperation from the Monticola, Rotary and 20-30 Clubs and other civic minded groups, states:

“The Exchange Club of Susanville goes on record as protesting the insanitary and unsightly condition of the main business streets of the City of Susanville and particularly the gutters thereof, and asks the city council to take immediate steps to clean up and keep clean said streets.“

City Attorney James A. Nutting declared the city council recognizes the fact the streets and gutters should be cleaned now before falling leaves and sands from fall rains block culverts. The street and fire departments have been given the go ahead signal to clean Main Street gutters by using fire equipment, and indications are that the work will be done this week.

Bernice Hagata – September 15, 2024

Jake Martin

Jack Draper Price – September 13, 2024

Nelda Rickard-Lutrell – September 13, 2024

Mary Kiplinger