Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
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Did you feel it? We experienced an earthquake in Tehachapi this past week. It was a moderate quake and broke some glassware but did not bring devastation. The next time could. We live in a very active zone where the earth is stretching and pushing itself in all directions. This quake was a good reminder to be prepared for the ever rattling of the earth beneath our feet in California. Families have checked their evacuation kits and talked to their children again about earthquake safety and emerge...
This year's Chalk on the Walk was a sight to behold! The 85 artists of all ages and talent levels gathered along Tehachapi Blvd. and S. Green Street to turn the downtown sidewalks into a bright festive gallery of art. Wind turbines, flaming volleyballs, country scenery and even pickle pancakes came to life at the 24th annual event held Aug. 10. "We had a spectacular show of support from local sponsors this year, and all the proceeds go directly toward buying art supplies for local area classroom...
September is cat & kitten month Next month the Arts Center is celebrating felines with artwork and a Fixin' Feral Felines event. With that, the Arts Center is calling all area artists to show their feline-centered artwork here at the center for the month of September. You may offer it for sale or set it out for display only. All mediums accepted: paintings, photography, sculpture, etc. Please submit your work by Aug. 31. Additionally, on Saturday, Sept. 7 there will be a Fixin' Feral Felines eve...
Photography captures the moment, inspires creativity and invokes dreams and memories. The photographers in the 2024 Take Your Best Shot certainly did just that. Gallery 'N' Gifts celebrated that creativity at their First Friday Artist Reception and handed out over two dozen ribbons and cash prizes. This semiannual event has taken place every February and August for the last 19 years. If you'd like to take part in the next event, mark your calendars for submission week, Jan. 26-Feb. 2, 2025. Be s...
We are offering two fused glass art workshops with Leila Kleiman, our resident fused glass expert. On Saturday, Aug. 10 at 10 a.m. they will be making a Mandala and on Saturday, Aug. 24, also at 10 a.m., they will craft a beautiful glass bowl. Leila wants everyone to remember to wear closed toe shoes as you will be cutting glass. Runamuk Ceramics Runamuk has workshops every Tuesday and Thursday for artists to work on their own projects. Including most of the things in their product catalog. On...
When looking for a good read, I don't necessarily reach for a literary tome full of weighty revelations and ponderous journeys. Depending on the moment, I might search for a reckless adventure or be tempted with something softer, letting a story wrap around me like a warm summer breeze. It can be lightly written, with characters not deeply carved but rather sketched in soft pastels, people that would fit into my own life. That is what I found in "The Hotel at Beach and Forgotten" by Nellie...
On the evening of July 19, the Tehachapi Arts Commission celebrated their fourth annual show with the opening of Art 2024 Tehachapi, held again at the Aspen Builders Inc. Activity Center on D Street. All proceeds from the VIP event ticket sales will go toward the Commission's Art in the Parks program with Tehachapi Valley Recreation and Park District. Guests were treated to open bars and hors d'oeuvres while viewing the exhibition and talking with the 44 participating artists and show sponsors....
Commencing on July 8, Lyn Bennet initiated painting a replica of the 1915 Green Street Dance mural. The original mural, positioned on 118 E. Tehachapi Blvd., was created in 2004 by Phil Slager. In early spring 2024, the original mural began showing signs of wear, such as cracking and spalling, prompting the need for replacement. To oversee mural protection and creation in Tehachapi, the Tehachapi Valley Arts Association established a dedicated committee called Make Art Tehachapi in May 2024....
Mail delivery used to be the highlight of the day. The mailman would drive up to the box by the road or drop mail through the slot in the door, and the sound would have everyone running to see if perhaps they "got mail." My grandmother wrote often and profusely about both the growth and bloom of each flower in her garden, and the death of every person in her community, whether we were acquainted or not. It didn't matter. It was a connection. In early America, letters with family news and importa...
Hey T-Town. Thank you to those of you that have reached and gave me positive feedback. Much appreciated! So, enough about me. I now want to get into a little history of Tehachapi's local music scene. And what I'm talking about, specifically, is Rock & Roll, cover band, bar band stuff. I am no aficionado on Folk, Classical, etc. I reached out to my old friends Dave Bouldin and Dennis Collins and had a wonderful chat with both! Dave is a singer/guitarist and Dennis ran sound for many bands. Dave...
Have you ever been in a bragging contest? Trying to one up the other guy with something like, "my fish was so big the boat started to sink." Swearing that a series of incredible events really happened in relation to subjects like ghosts, aliens or time travel? A tall tale is an account that is fanciful and difficult to believe. Perhaps exaggerating in order to make a story more enticing while creating an incredible visual for the entertainment of an audience of one or a roomful. The difference...
By the looks of all those photos floating around on the internet, it's already been a busy summer for Tehachapi residents. So many fun adventures, family get-togethers and just crazy, creative photos are being splashed around. Tehachapi Valley Arts Association and Gallery 'N' Gifts invites you all to show off those amazing photos for a chance to win ribbons, one of seven $25 first place category prizes, or who knows, you could be the one to take home the $100 best of show prize! Photo...
The Tehachapi Arts Center is a staple in the community that gives local artists a space to sell handmade gifts, supplies and teach classes to the community. Runamuk Ceramics is joining the Tehachapi Arts Center Co-op and has taken the town by storm. Runamuk Ceramics is run by Sandi and Heather Popejoy, a grandmother-granddaughter duet. This year, Runamuk Ceramics is hosting its first "Kids Craft Camp" at the Arts Center. Runamuk aims to provide a safe, fun and creative environment for children...
I was looking out at the crazy winds, having their way with everything in their path, when out of the corner of my eye I saw a large brown something twisting around. It could have been just the wind whipping free a banner attached to the baseball fencing behind home plate. But I have to say, my first impression was a dragon. It honestly looked like a dragon. Not a big one – rather small in size, but a dragon nonetheless. With a large enough wing span to be mighty and some spiky things on its b...
On June 29 from 1 to 4 p.m., Lelia Kleiman will conduct glass art classes at the Tehachapi Arts Center. Students will have the opportunity to work with an experienced glass artist and learn techniques to create their own glass artifacts. Students will have their choice to create their own fused glass project or copy one of three designs by our own glass fusion expert, Leila. The cost of the class is $35. Students must pre-enroll for the classes in order to attend. Pre-enrollment is required to e...
If you know what a huckleberry is, you are mighty lucky! Smaller than a blueberry, a luscious dark purple when ripe, they are sweet with a hint of wildness. Huckleberries are found growing in the Pacific Northwest along mountain slopes, in forests, around lakes and are almost impossible to grow commercially. So they remain wild and free for the picking. At elevations above 5,000 feet, competition for a ripe huckleberry in late July into August is intense. Equally relished by both man and bear...
So after playing drums for roughly six years, I was drinking beers with my dad and my lead singer, Buddy Ammons, in the Panhandle of Florida at my father's house. Buddy says to my dad, "Rolie, you have no idea how amazing your son is on the drums! He's the best around." My WWII Marine Veteran, Finnish dad belts out in his Bowser-like voice, "Well, what're you gonna do RJ? Put a sign up in Ponce De Leon (FL) saying, 'The worlds best drummer lives down this dirt road!'" This was, of course,...
Tehachapi is not known for an easy or speedy spring. While most of California basks in early flowers, Tehachapi is whipped with winds and a threat of frost for those impatient to plant gardens early. Today as I look outside, the bushes at my windows have finally budded, the row of poplars across the street are resounding like ocean waves as winds rush through their fresh new leaves and last but not least, the mighty oaks have lazily stretched their limbs accepting the inevitable. Spring has...
As a musician, no one I know actually set out to be a bass guitarist. In my teens, everyone wanted to be the lead singer, lead guitarist or the drummer. They wanted to be the front man, the wailing guitarist or the wild man drummer. But I don't recall anyone saying, "I just want to be the bass player." The Southern Rock bands that had so many guitarists to choose from, used to make the worst one play bass. My favorite (not!) quote when people approach me..."Bass must be easy, there's only four...
The murals in Downtown Tehachapi are in need of repair. The most obvious is the 1915 Green Street Dance mural on Tehachapi Blvd., across from Railroad Park. Unfortunately, the binding agent on the mural is failing and the stucco is falling. As a result, it needs to be removed. This led to the creation of the Tehachapi Murals Project, which will evaluate each mural, and have them cleaned and resealed by the end of fall. Current members of the Tehachapi Murals Project are Charles White, Lyn...
Cora Sweeney and Saida Woolf started off entering the Gallery 'N' Gifts Young Artist shows as students of Valley Oaks Charter School. They received art instruction from local artist Colleen Ferrel and sought out opportunities across Southern California where they could improve their skills. Today, they are both studying Art at San Jose State University; Sweeney works in Studio Art where she hones her passion for painting, and Woolf pursues Animation Illustration creating animation reels and...
May is the month we focus on flowers and mothers. Flowers can be tended in gardens or found growing free on hillsides and in unexpected places like cracks in the sidewalk. Though flowers look delicate blowing in the breeze, they are made of hearty stuff and endure with great strength whatever life throws at them. The same can be said for mothers. It would not be an exaggeration to say that mothers are the backbone of society, civilization and life as we know it. We owe our very existence to a...
I'm Rob Saranpa, also known as "Nohawk Rob," a musician and a proud resident of Tehachapi since 1994. Let me take you back to how I landed here. Toward the end of 1993, I had the chance to tour across Europe and had a layover in Amsterdam – plenty of stories there! Upon returning to the San Fernando Valley, I felt the urge to move elsewhere. I had three options: Seattle to open a rehearsal studio, Las Vegas to play country music in hotels or Tehachapi to join a local band and have a day job at C...
Lyn Bennett has been painting murals since 2005. She's self-taught and thoroughly enjoys the process of taking a blank wall and making it interesting to look at. She's currently working with Tehachapi Murals to restore all of the murals in Tehachapi. Bennett was commissioned to start with the Avelino Martinez mural, which she has completed. She fondly describes the process for the mural, "The Martinez mural went pretty smoothly. The pieces that needed to be removed weren't terribly huge, and I...
Annual 5x5 Art Sale to benefit Rising Star Riders Rising Star Riders (RSR), in conjunction with the Tehachapi Arts Center, presents the annual 5x5 Art Show and Sale on May 3, (the first Friday of May), from 5:55 to 7:55 p.m. All art-sized 5x5 will be sold for $55.55. All sales proceeds and donations are contributed to the Rising Star Riders Foundation. Rising Star Riders is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the needs of children and adults with physical and/or emotional challenges. T...
