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Valley Times
50 CENTS serving blythe,california Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Blythes
Experience of a lifetime annual
Bluegrass
7 PVHS students make trip Festival
to presidential inauguration shines
By Cathyleen Rice
Times Reporter
By selling
dinners, A retrospect

S
tudents from Palo
doing bake
sales and of the go-go
Verde Valley hosting lo-
High School had cal car wash- 2017 bluegrass
an experience of a es, students were able to
lifetime last week wit- raise $2,500 to embark extravaganza
nessing the 45th presi- for some, this once in a
dential inauguration. lifetime experience. By Jackie Deal
Crowded outside the Band director Jose Guest Columnist
Washington Monument Hernandez has given his

T
and joined by two other students many opportu- he music was
schools from California, nities to enjoy life out- knee slappin,
seven Blythe students side of Blythe through finger snappin,
were able to see Presi- their musical talent. and toe tappin good.
dent Donald J. Trump Meeting with the This year, Blythes
and Vice President Mike Times before they photo by Cathyleen Rice/Palo Verde Valley Times 30th Annual Bluegrass
Pence sworn into their boarded a flight out of Seven fortunate students were able to travel with band director Jose Hernandez to Festival was a three-day
four-year terms. See experience/A12 Washington, D.C., to see the 45th Presidential Inauguration on Jan. 20. immersion in string
stimulating and excit-
ing bluegrass music.
The music was great,
the crowds were good,
and Mother Earths

Diversion Dam weather was fair to

middlin. On Friday,
Jan. 20, the performing
bands moved indoors,

gates complete though the weather

wasnt as bad as pre-
dicted.
Saturday was glorious
By Uriel Avendano through to another 100 and Sunday was Ore-
Times Editor years. gon-mist weather. The
On behalf of the Palo clouds and rain missed
On Jan. 18, the final Verde Irrigation Dis- Oregon and came clear
gate was set in place at trict, I would first like to down to California!
PVIDs Diversion Dam, thank our board for mak- The days started out
marking a historic end to ing this possible, said with the National An-
the monumental three- Ned Hyduke, the PVID them sung by a member
year long project that Manager. Id also like of the Old Blue sound
saw the proverbial heart to thank the farmers and crew! Mike Wolking is
valve of Blythe, and the citizens of the Palo not only a sound man,
the greater Palo Verde Verde Valley as well. he has a band called
Valley farming region, See Dam/A13 Suns and Brothers
and hes even sung the
National Anthem for
the NBAs Denver Nug-
gets. Hes a plumbing
and heating contractor
when hes not serenad-
ing lively crowds of
spectators.
Wolkings National
Anthem was beautiful;
he started out low and,
I thought, Okay, hes
great on the low sounds
but hell never make the
Photos by Uriel Avendano/Palo Verde Valley Times high notes at the end.
LEFT: The specialized heavy duty crane necessary for Well, low and behold,
the final leg of the Palo Verde Irrigation Districts Diversion he did!
Dam gates project was imported by 20 semi-trucks earlier On Saturday, he was
this month. ABOVE: Project contractor Armando Bravo, with backed by a bluegrass
Oraway Engineering Inc., based out of the Coachella Valley, and quartet that was sweet
PVIDs JR Echard express their appreciation for the working enough to cause tears.
relationship both entities had throughout the project. See Bluegrass/A14

Blythes native Westworld architect

Q&A with Ron Lazenby, returning western fiction author, Feb. 1
By Uriel Avendano Lazenby, who togeth-
Times Editor er with his editor and
loving wife Ann, has
On Wednesday, Feb. written several books of
1, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Americas time-gone-by
the Palo Verde Val- cowboy era including
ley Library, located at Wild Horse Junction,
125 W. Chanslor Way, Thunder in the Hills
will be hosting a book Western Justice: Boun-
signing from published ty Hunter, Showdown
western fiction author at Castle Ranch, Who is
and Blythe native Ron Cord Mundy and Arizo-
Lazenby. na Ranger.
A Palo Verde High
School graduate him-
self, 77-year-old Lazen-
by still has relatives in
Blythe and is current-
ly making his stay in
Quartzsite as a winter
snowbird. He sat down
with the Times for an
interview on his begin-
nings, his creative in-
ner workings and his
endearing reflections on
the old West.
Q: Ron, thanks for
taking the time, we
really appreciate it
For those who may
not be familiar, where
you born in Blythe or
do you just have rela-
tives here? Photo by Uriel Avendano/Palo Verde Valley Times
Lazenby: Oh, I was Blythe native and Western fiction author Ron Lazenby, with
born in Blythe June his editor and loving wife Ann, will be making a return to town at
3rd, 1939. I went to (Palo the Palo Verde Valley District Library, located on 125 W. Chanslor
See lazenby/A12 Way, for a book signing on Feb. 1, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.