Greetings friends,
I believe. Really.
I believe in the spirit of giving, friendship and fellowship for the Holidays sprinkled with a bit of magic, and I confess, I never stopped believing in Santa Claus and Clark W Griswold. This probably explains a lot about me and why we wanted to decorate downtown Modesto along with our own house. Staple gun and all. Growing up, I remember the glittering garland and bells in downtown Modesto and other places we visited. We want to spread the holiday cheer as much as possible and invite everyone to enjoy a Classic Downtown Modesto and experience Rockin’ Holiday and all that downtown has to offer. It is just part of the magic that the holiday season brings, the desire to make things special, capture the times in our past that mean something and create new experiences and memories for others. It doesn’t take a lot of decoration to spark inspiration and bring that feeling of celebration. That feeling when you turn the corner, see the lights lit up, or wake up in the morning and find the ground snow covered or when the day after Thanksgiving, you feel the seasons change. I remember when Becky and I were living in Seattle and the snowstorm kept our family from making it. Becky, her mom Vivian and I went to have Thanksgiving at a downtown restaurant; it was dark and snowy. When we came out, the Christmas decorations in downtown Seattle where all lit up and we were the only ones crazy to be out on the road. It was magical.
One of Modesto’s magical places is the State Theatre. As the State turns 85, it has a special meaning as I was a past president of the State and am proud to be a part of this history and I celebrate all that it has become and it’s role in our community for the future. I hope you check it out this month and enjoy our interview with Kirstie Boyett and enjoy a classic film this month.
This has been an amazing year that has been filled with magic moments and milestones. We are so fortunate to have our kids living here in Modesto. We had an engagement and are now in wedding planning mode. We have welcomed in a new extended family from Chico. Abigail has joined our family warehousing business and there is still so much to be done. It was so special to celebrate 20 years of the MAMA Awards, and it was great to look back on many special moments over the years, but this year’s event created it’s own special moment with the amazing performance by the Women of MAMA doing a tribute to Woodstock 50 years. MoBand celebrated 100 years and this is such an important part of Modesto’s character and I am so proud to be a part of this institution and serve as the President of the Board. I have walked a mile in her shoes, our band Third Party rocked BunnyCon, Music in the Plaza, National Night Out, Porchfest, Night at the Bowl, Graffiti Walk of Fame and even Halloween. We celebrated May the 4th, I MC’d the 4th of July Parade, raised money for a new LaLoma playground, Power of the Purse and for the Heart Association. It was such and honor to be named Citizen of the Year by the American GI Forum. This was a true highlight and I am so grateful to have a family that supports my civic involvement. None of this works without them. The amazing thing is, that we have so many people in our community that do as much or more to make a difference and we are so lucky for that. This is what truly makes Modesto great is the number of people that will give of themselves, their time, their money, their energy and creativity to move things forward and I am so glad to have so many of them as my friends and colleagues. You read through this magazine, and you see the people and businesses that make our city shine.
As we close out this year and look forward, I am so grateful for my original family unit. We are strong and supportive of each other. We lift each other up and helped each other make good choices, grow and learn, find wonderful partners and encourage each other to grow and become better people and this is the foundation of our holiday spirit and the friendships we can all share. Becky, Madison, Abigail, Ryan and Harrison, I love you all so much.
I and my family wish all of you the Happiest of Holidays, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Hanukkah and wish Peace and Friendship to all, as this is the foundation of everything. You are all part of our ModestoView family and we will keep working hard to be a positive force in our community and continue to “Serve Civic Pride Daily”.
Best to you all and hope you still hear the bells,
Chris Murphy
Founder and Publisher, ModestoView
