Photos and Story by Catherine Stachowiak
At the Kernville Chamber of Commerce meeting, Monday April 22, the chamber awarded participating sponsors and individuals with certificates of recognition in gratitude for helping the last Whiskey Flat Days events, and in turn, the Kernville Chamber of Commerce.
“Thanks everybody for coming out.” President of the chamber, Orion Sanders said, “It’s been a couple of months since Whiskey Flat Days. But we wanted to do some specific recognitions this year for everybody that participated and helped out, sponsored, and helped with the encampment.”
Vice President of the chamber Monica O’Brien first awarded Dan from McNally’s Fairview Lodge. Others the chamber recognized were Pendleton Whisky, Grocery Outlet, Sierra Gateway Market, AltaOne Credit Union, Destiny Real Estate, Gene Parks Jr. Insurance, Kern River Conservancy, Kernville Saloon, OnPoint Gym and Scott Insurance Agency.
Board member Gary Ananian awarded those who assisted with and sponsored the encampment. He said, “We had a bunch of companies that stepped up to help us out this year.”
For Whiskey Flat Encampment, the chamber awarded Nagle Earthworks, Tim Conner Construction, Hafenfeld Ranch, 711 Materials, Camp Erwin Owen, Larry Hayes, Kern River Conservancy, Biltwell, Pruitt Trucking, Kern River Brewing Co, James Moss, Scott Allen, Terry Harris and Mike Taylor
Ananian gave a “shout out” to all those helping the chamber to repair the encampment, those who provided dirt and large equipment and those raising money as well as those donating time preparing the encampment for Whiskey Flat Days reenactment events.
Sanders said, “Just to give you an update, Whiskey Flat Days was a little bit down from the previous year. Nonetheless it was a very successful year. We’re going to be able to keep the chamber office open. And we’re able to tackle a couple of projects that we have as well.”
The chamber was able to replace its well, which had a crack down inside, and a bad pump. “We were going to lose the ball field and we were going to lose any water at the rodeo grounds, including the snack bar and the bathrooms if we didn’t replace it. But the biggest thing is, Little League is out there, right now and the grass was just starting to turn brown.” Larry Hayes, who maintains the area noticed the sprinklers were not popping up and then the chamber fixed these issues.
Sanders said the chamber was committed to ensuring the Whiskey Flat encampment was repaired. “Everybody knows it got washed out and there was a lot work that had to be done down there. And there was a lot of people who donated time and money to make that happen, equipment and dirt.”
