Orange County Fire Authority in Fullerton

Truckloads of donated supplies

Heart of Our City

Sure, it’s this page’s focus, but it seems like Fullerton’s pulse beats the loudest downtown. We recently witnessed just how much heart there is all over our town, north to south, east to west, young, old, just getting by, or wealthy.

When catastrophic events challenge us, we step up and do our best to help others recover, and wow, that happened right away and continues today.

The ubiquitous Tim and Nancy picked up the mantle and were immediately overwhelmed with donations for fire victims. Their driveway filled up so quickly that they had to shut it down, and soon, truckload after truckload was moved to Freedomhouse just down the street. They are located where Billy Barty’s Roller Fantasy once held court. The church members were instrumental in getting things further sorted out and delivered to donation centers near the affected areas. Others offered up their homes and donated to a variety of organizations to provide food and shelter to many thousands of our fellow Southern Californians, including huge numbers of pets.

A book drive to replace schoolbooks continues here, and donations of almost everything of importance are being sent to victims. It seems we all know someone who lost everything except the most important thing- life itself.

As we have been told many times, once the shock of disasters like this begins to fade, so does support, so we will do our best to keep you informed about what you can do if you are so motivated as the recovery continues over the next few months and beyond.

We Lost a Great Woman

Over many years, one could not attend a museum opening, a Thursday Market, or other special events without seeing the smiling, happy face of the always energetic Cheryl A. Richard. Sadly, she passed suddenly on October 23rd, 2024, but left a lasting legacy. Just before the opening of “Johnny Cash 1968, A Folsom Redemption” on Saturday, January 25th, Cheryl was honored post humorously for her many contributions to the arts. She was a long-time FMC Board member, worked on Fullerton Public Arts and All The Arts For All The Kids, and was active in the Museum & Textile Guild at FMC during the 80s and 90s.

Additionally, Cheryl worked at the Bowers Museum for over 20 years, so she was well-known to many outside of Fullerton. Our condolences to her husband, daughter, family, friends, and associates, in particular to her sister Jill Marcel Gard, who many of you know, having seen her so often with Cheryl at all of the events mentioned here as well as other venues Downtown and all over Fullerton.

City Council Walks on or Drives Through Wilshire

January 21st marked the end of Walk on Wilshire, and soon it will be back to drive and park on that section of West Wilshire. The vote was deadlocked at 2-2, with an abstention, which tips the scale, so that’s that. For many, that small stretch of road was a welcome outdoor dining and meeting area, a way to connect with people similar to what is common in European outdoor cafés. The support from the Save Walk on Wilshire group has been well documented here, and business owners and customers who frequented the area are still hoping for a reprieve. Special events in the planning stages have been tabled.

Similar outdoor dining projects in other cities in California have become permanent fixtures, and participating restaurants are scrambling to make changes and remove everything they have built on the avenue. On Saturday, January 25th, supporters turned out to voice their opinion on the decision, but the die has been cast.

Music News

Did you know there will be live music at the Museum Center on Thursday, February 6th? Yes, indeed, from 6 to 8:30, with Beer Garden, family, friends, neighbors, strangers, and you! Plus, oh yes, the band will be Country Mother Trucker, celebrating the new Johnny Cash exhibit. Will they be country, will they be punk, will they be FREE? Thursdays will continue, be there or be square.

Photo Quiz

Send an answer to Mike at AllMedia@sbcglobal.net

Last time: What, nobody knows? OK, we’ll let it fly and add this one below.

This time: Where is this building and what was it known for in the 80s?