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8A – Daily News – Saturday, January 1, 2011 Agriculture & farm Walnut Day scheduled for Jan. 21 at RB Elks Lodge The 17th annual Tehama County Walnut Day is set for 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 21 at the Red Bluff Elks Lodge, 355 Gilmore Road, in Red Bluff. The event is co-sponsored by UC Coopera- tive Extension, Tehama County Ag Commis- sioner’s Office and Chuck Crain. Walnut Day is a University of California Cooperative Extension Program designed to provide orchard information to grower’s, PCA’s and related agri-business people. Anyone interested in Walnut production is encouraged to attend. Handicapped facilities are available. 1.5 hours of PCA credit has been approved. For more information call Richard Buchner or Cindy McClain at the Farm Advisors Office at 527-3101. The $15 registration cost covers lunch and meeting costs on a break-even basis. Please register by Jan. 14. American Quarter Horse event to be held Feb. 17-20 The Northern Counties QHS, an American Quarter Horse Association-approved show, will be held Feb. 17-20 at the Tehama County Fair- ground in Red Bluff. American Quarter Horse Show test horses’ abilities in dozens of different classes and fea- ture exciting events such as jumping, reining, barrel racing, cutting, roping and pole bending. Additionally, halter classes that judge Ameri- can Quarter Horses based on balance, muscling and breed characteristics are held. People who exhibit at an American Quarter Horse Show earn points that turn into awards or cash at the end of the year. By competing at an AQHA Show, exhibitors and horses can qualify for an AQHA World Championship Show, the premier events in the entire equine industry. For information about the Northern Counties QHS, contact Debra L. Johnson at 503-539- 7909. For information about AQHA, including showing, racing or recreational riding pro- grams, contact AQHA at 806-376-4811 or visit AQHA’s website at www.aqha.com. The Blue Ribbon Café on Main Street was started by Jack Metzger in the early 1950s. There was a restau- rant near the street, with a long hallway lined with mirrors leading to the bar and dance floor. When Bar- bara Frost-Kloose first came to work someone was rearranging the mirrors, in order to see the front door from the bar area. The mir- rors gave the bar customers a view of who came in the door. I understand that when a husband lingered too long at the bar and his wife came looking for him, he could leave by the kitchen door. Across the street from Frank Falls Creamery was the Kennett Dam Café in the same block, while directly across the street Steve Meline’s and Tredes, and a block north was the Tremont Hotel Bar. Lee Bass was the head cook while most of the men cooks were drifters. Barbara Frost-Kloose was a cook, and Virginia Hensley was a cook or wait- ress, as needed. In the ‘50s there was no boxed beef as we know it, because a half beef at a time was delivered from Minch’s Wholesale Meats. There was a big walk-in cold room, and the cooks would cut up the carcass, grinding the ground beef. On the stove there was always a big pot of beef bones simmer- ing, for soup stock. Barbara remembers the turkeys were not baked, instead they were cooked in a huge commercial kettle in hot water bath and season- ings. The sage smelled so good. The turkey was always so moist. The dishes were white with a skinny blue ring around the edge, very heavy, with three sections. They were kept warm in a warming oven over the gas oven. Brownie was the dish- washer at the Blue Ribbon for years. The Blue Ribbon served breakfast, lunch and dinner. There were a couple apart- ments above the café, and everyday Gene ordered the same breakfast and lunch to go, but never ate dinner there. The bar customers e N Free Rose Pruning & Care Class Jan. 9 @ 1pm Please call to reserve a seat Red Bluff Garden Center 766 Antelope Blvd. (next to the fairgrounds) 527-0886 enjoyed the excitement in the alley when a visitor to an apartment over Dale’s Insurance got stuck in a bathroom window while trying to leave quickly, after hearing heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. Lee Grissom was a fight- ing drunk, so the sheriff decided that the Blue Rib- bon needed a bouncer at rodeo time, and he couldn’t drink. Later he worked at Trede’s as a bouncer. Arlo and Faye Stroing remem- bered a fight breaking out in the bar, and ashtrays were flying as they fled down the narrow hallway. Another story was when the morning cooks arrived and everything was dark. In those days you could carry a gun, and the previous night Ellison Saunders didn’t like all the light in the bar so he shot out the lights. It took the electricians half a day to get the lights up for that night’s bar business. Among the bartenders at the Blue Ribbon there was Bill Rainer, a golfer and ten- nis player; very popular with the ladies. Andy Jack- son was a good guy who had seen everything, and Lee Grissom before becom- ing a bouncer. Georgie Damon and Cliff Behrens were the youngest bar- tenders. Cliff Behrens was going to take a girl home, and the kitchen crew were always playing jokes. There were some ripe tomatoes so someone placed them on the drivers seat of the pick- up. No hot date that night. One night after working a double shift Barbara went out to her car, started it, and it wouldn’t move no matter how much gas she gave it. The fellows had jacked up the left rear tire. Another time someone came in needing “wild pig bait” in the evening. The kitchen crew dumped the steam table contents into a metal garbage can for the GreenWaste of Tehama Holiday Tree Collection Will begin NOW through January 14, 2011. Trees will be collected on your regularly scheduled pick up days, or may be dropped off at a dumpster located at: 1. Cedar St./Jackson St. 2. Fairgrounds front parking lot, Antelope Blvd. No ornaments, stands, tinsel or flocked trees will be collected. For more information please contact our Customer Service Department at 530-528-8500 or 800-433-6924. fellows as they drank their beer. Well, the mashed pota- toes started bubbling as though there was yeast in the mix. By the time they drank another beer or two it was really a wet mess, and the heavy garbage can dripped its contents all the way to the back door. The music was usually a jukebox from opening to closing time, that was ser- viced by Walt Simpson — 5 cents a song, and a quarter seemed to play forever. I remember dancing to Carl Coleman’s orchestra during bull sale time on a small dance floor. Rodeo time and the Blue Ribbon was center of action. Andy Giambroni mentioned “great bronc rid- ers rubbed elbows at this famous spot.” The Red Bluff Round-Up paid off in $100 bills and two cow- boys, Bill and Bud Linde- man, were fighting over a wife, tearing the bills into pieces. When they left the waitresses tried to match up tiny bits of paper to make $100. When I started this remembrance of the Blue Ribbon I expected to find information at the Tehama County Library or the his- torical society. There wasn’t a mention, not even in Jack Metzger’s obit, June 1, 1959. *** More exciting things have been donated to the Scholarship Auction of the Tehama County Cattlemen and CattleWomen, Jan. 8th at the Tehama District Fair- ground, starting at 6 p.m. with wine tasting from New Clairvaux Vineyard, Burnsini, Indian Peak, Mount Tehama and Cline Cellars and tasting of the olive oil flavors from Pacif- ic Sun Olive Oil, Lucero Olive Oil and Corning Olive Oil. Tickets are available $20 presale for the Vic Woolery prime rib dinner, in Red Bluff at Hawes Ranch & Farm Supply, The Loft at Reynolds Ranch & Feed, Red Bluff Bull and Gelding Sale office, Farm Credit, Crossroads Feed & Supply. Rabobank and PremierWest Bank will have tickets avail- able in both Red Bluff and Corning. In Cottonwood, tickets can be purchased at Shasta Farm and Equip- ment. It will be $25 at the door. New TCCW member Linda and Tom McCay have given a dinner for four including wine at Anselmo Vineyard, Shingletown. Red Bluff Bull and Gelding Sale donated a basket of merchandise and event tick- ets. A red wine gift basket from Westwind Angus Ranch, and a gourmet bas- ket from Una Jordan. Prairie Rose has given a gift certificate, and Heartfelt Designs Gallery donated a Critical Mass Commuter Bag. Two loads of 3/4-inch roadbase rock from Charlie Mueller and Valley Rock Products. A wall sign from Red Bluff Garden Center. Rolling Hills Casino has given a Stay and Play pack- age. Carmona’s Appliance and Mattress donated a 22 1/2-inch Weber freestand- ing smoker. Fred and Rosie Hamil- ton with Rocking WE Ranch have given a Napa Valley wine train vista dome dinner for two plus one night stay for two at the Meritage Resort and Spa. For the ranchers Bucke’s Feed and Grain has donated one ton Mol Mix liquid sup- plement. Lucero Olive Oil has donated an olive oil sampler gift box set. Tehama Coun- ty CattleWomen has a Beef 'N Brew gift basket. Kay Richardson gave a Black & Decker power scrubber for pots and pans. Four LT 265/75 R16 Goodyear Wrangler Dura Trac 10 PC tires from 1-5 Tire, Inc. Corning Olive Oil Compa- ny gave a wooden box set of five oils, and a gift set of four oils. Les Schwab Tires, Corning gave an emergency kit. Billy Glines has made a hand tooled lady’s handbag. Dena Hendricks of Super Visors has given four visors for shielding your face from the sun. Jean Barton can be reached at jbarton@theskybeam.com. ranch Remembering 1950s eatery r H a a p Y p w y e