Greetings Friends,
We are a month away from Graffiti Summer, but it is May where we really step on the gas and get running fast. It was so amazing to see so many people out helping make Modesto better at Love Modesto. Thank you all to those that donated to our Walk A Mile team as we ended up the #1 team and helped a really important organization. I have said it before a million times, it is the volunteer spirit of Modesto that makes it special. Plus, it makes us feel better about the place we live, and trust me, there are many reasons.
It is so exciting to see 10th St running at nearly full speed, the events are booked again, the music is in the streets, the stores are open, and the restaurant patios are busy, people are going to see shows at the State, Gallo, Prospect and Brenden and it feels good again and the late night tunes keep us going with some live music. It is like this all over town now.
Part of feeling good about where we live is our amazing culture. Two things in particular for me this month and both of them related. May the 4th, aka Star Wars Day is something that came from the mind of a Modestan! None of us really know when George Lucas thought up the Force, but it sure started with his creative comic book times when he was growing up with the many illustrated battles between good and evil. It actually feels a little too close to reality right now though. I was in Disneyland last month, and it feels so good to walk through Star Wars land and as a Modestan, I felt some kind of entitlement that this all came from our hometown hero. But that’s just the start. And #2, we are on the onramp to Graffiti Summer celebrating American Graffiti that started it all and it all began on 10th and 11th Streets in 1962. Wow. Don’t you love it? I love a good story.
What makes this all really cool is that cruising was being out and about, getting out of the house, exploring and hanging out with friends. When I was growing up here in the late 60s and early 70s, my bicycle was my freedom and I went everywhere. Today, with all of the technology and an entire world available on your phone, it is even more important today to GO OUTSIDE and explore. We have so much nearby. We can hike, picnic, ride, camp, swim, play and so much more and we showcase some of the cool things you can do this month. The more you explore, the more you learn enjoy where we live. There is a new park ranger program starting and Chief Gillespie tells us about it in this issue and we have a pile of things to check out on page 16.
I hope you take the time to explore, celebrate our Star Wars, our Moms, our families, veterans, our great food scene, and our music. These are really good things that make living worthwhile. Our local businesses that live here, work here and play here are the ones we need to support when we eat, drink and shop. I am so grateful for the great businesses and organizations that help us spread the good word in our community, with their advertising. These are the people that hire people here in town and keep our economy going. We are like a race team with sponsors, and we appreciate every one of them and hope you do to.
When you go out, tell people you saw it in the VIEW and please let me know what you like or don’t like so we can make each issue better than the one before. Come check out my band Third Party at Chefs of New York on the 12th and hope you see you at May the 4th, and please visit our house for Porchfest on May 22. See you out and about.
May the 4th be with you,
Jedi Chris Murphy
chrism@modestoview.com<mailto:chrism@modestoview.com>
