Greetings Friends,
It’s baseball season friends. I’m not really the kind of baseball fan that tracks the stats and watches all of the games, but I love the idea of the sport, the ballpark, that people still listen with a transistor radio with an earphone, the 7th inning stretch, peanuts & crackerjack and the tastes of all of the ballpark food. Baseball is so much more than a game, it’s an experience. You can chit chat, daydream and just soak it in and let yourself go for 9, 10, or maybe 11 or more innings. The best of baseball is local ball, our own Modesto Nuts (still think they should have been the “Cruisers”) is where the fun of baseball is. I know so many people who grew up in and around John Thurman field. My father in law Mike, used to clean up the stands after the games in exchange for hot dogs and a soda. So this month, we take you back to the days when it began to help you usher in baseball, and out of respect, we explore the local world of hot dogs for our ChefView. Let’s play ball!
Modesto has it going on this year. We were so fortunate to have one of our own in the Winter Olympics in South Korea and we are lucky to have an interview with Kendall Wesenberg as she shares her experiences about the games and her hopes for the future. Our friend Effie Passero (formerly Francesca Bavarro) has been killing it on American Idol and we hope to stay with her as she climbs to the top.
There are a couple of things that are close to my heart, one of them is my heart. It has been an interesting couple of months as I worked through my heart issues and with my RF Ablation last month, things are working good and thank you all for the warm wishes and positive vibes. But that doesn’t mean I can stop being careful and being heart smart. I am serving as the Chair of the American Heart Association Leadership Team and we are working to raise funds for heart related research and care. Please plan on supporting the Go Red for Women Luncheon on May 4 and the Walk for Heart in September. Email me for more info. The other thing close to my heart, especially as a husband and parent of daughters, is the treatment of women and putting a stop to domestic violence. This is why we are going to Walk a Mile in Her Shoes on April 28 to raise money for Haven Women’s Center. Please take a minute to support our ModestoView / Sierra Pacific team for this high-heeled mile long walk through downtown Modesto. See more details on page 15.
My community is close to my heart as well, and as we celebrate our hometown events and activities, behind each and everyone of them is some one or a local business dedicated to making our community better. We all need to look out for each other, keep each other safe and make sure we are using our positive energy. The businesses in this magazine make this possible so please visit them. We march together, play together, work together and support each other, and ModestoView is here to support you all and spread the good news in our community.
Thanks for reading and being a Modesto area friend.
Chris Murphy
Publisher and Founder, ModestoView
chrism@modestoview.com<mailto:chrism@modestoview.com>
PS. I will be playing a Breakfast with the Beatles acoustic set at Deva Café on April 22 from 10-12 so come hang out with me.
PPS. Porchfest is coming May 20th. Put it on your calendar. Our house will be on the map with 5 bands so check out. It is free and fun. www.modestoporchfest.com/
