Life and all in Redding California
In Redding we promote reading to children by occasionally having local celebrities read aloud to small children. Here we see my grandson attending the Redding Library yesterday where Jefferson Public Radio host Valerie Ing Tomkins reads. Thanks Valerie!
Despite the skeptical look on grandson’s face, I’m told he had a great time. Photos by Erin. Reading, that’s Really Redding.
I just happened upon these good people training about fire stuff, so you know, they can be all like READY TO SAVE YOUR LIFE AT A MOMENTS NOTICE.
I just want to say thanks, in advance. I haven’t ever yet needed your services directly, but it’s good to know you are there for me, and all of us in Really Redding. Carry on.
So writes Photographer/Dentist Dr. Chris Nelson on his gorgeous website.
It’s true. And he has the photos to prove it. Click on the image above to be taken to his site and gallery. Skilled work!
All you need is a camera and some imagination. Redding provides the backdrops.
That’s ReallyRedding.
We attended our neighborhood meeting in observance of National Neighborhood Night Out on Aug 5. Our awesome block captain was host. We had some folks from Shascom, RPD, and a few firemen come by too. And a police helicopter did a fly-by. It was good to see everyone. Crime prevention is always a hot topic.
Neighborhood crime prevention meetings. It’s Really Redding.
In case you were wondering. Or perhaps you’ve been misled about our quality of life by reading our so called “local” newspaper, or its online spawn redding.com. Replete with recently incessant horror stories about petty crime and homelessness. Pleasurable living doesn’t sell papers or banner ads, evidently.
Meanwhile, a decent lifestyle goes on here.
Huh. Who knew?
Well actually, suspended from the Sundial Bridge. Here is a brief video taken from my perspective among the large crowd gathered last night to enjoy these amazing performers. Be sure to watch in HD.
On the Summer Solstice in 2014, the flying dance troupe Bandaloop performed in the air to live music from The North State Symphony. They dance suspended from Redding’s famous Sundial Bridge in celebration of its 10th Anniversary. A grand time was had by all the many spectators, ourselves included. Thanks to the McConnell Foundation, Turtle Bay Museum, and the City of Redding.
Erin said, “It looks like something you’d see in the city.”
I say, “It is. The City of Redding.”
Thanks Bandaloop. You’re Really Redding.
For a while, it looked like our dragstrip might not even open this year. A true Redding institution, the longest continuously operating NHRA dragstrip in the known universe was looking for new management. Luckily, Shirlene Bramson of Bramson Drag Strip stepped up to fill the leadership role. In short order, she and a host of volunteers have hustled up the work to get the strip ready for another season. Tonight is the first Street Legal event, and it comes in the nick of time, as we know there has been some illegal and extremely dangerous street racing taking place in the absence of the track.
Tonight, that all changes.
ATTENTION HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS:
We wanted you to know that, in our attempt to support activities for the youth of Redding and surrounding areas, high school students get into street legal races for FREE!
All you need is a valid student ID. That’s it. Have a valid CA driver’s license, too? You can race a street legal event for FREE!
We hope to see more high school students in the stands tonight!
***Please help us spread the word by sharing this information with students and families with students*** — with Shirlene Bramson.
Always more at http://ReddingDragstrip.net. But there’s a good deal more activity and chatter about the track at their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/reddingdragstrip
Up over 1500 Likes!!
Are you getting ready for our first race of the season?
CHASSIS CERTIFICATIONS @ 11am
$150/car
This is the only day to get your chassis certified at our track. Please be on time.
TEST & TUNE @ 1pm
$30/tech card, $10 spectator entry ($40 for racer&entry)
This is for cars with SLICKS ONLY. Those who pay for T&T will get into the Street Legals FREE.
STREET LEGALS @ 5pm, Racing starts at 6pm
$10 tech card, $5 spectator entry ($15 for racer&entry)
***High school students with a CURRENT student body card get into street legals FREE***
Come out and enjoy our first race of the season. Bring your friends and support your track!
Somber to learn that guitarist Bob Casales of Devo has made the transition to his next performance. Condolences to family, fans, and band mates evolved and de-evolved. In memorial, I’m re-running this post that I also re-ran last year when drummer Alan Meyers passed. It puts focus on people of my general age. More behind us than ahead. Man, the 80’s were awesome, though.
Wow, was it thirty years ago? Looking through an old box in the closet, I ran across these photographs I took at the Redding Civic when DEVO came to town in 1982.
Are we not men? We are DEVO!
Sure, it looks like the singer is wearing a flower pot hat, but DEVO fans know them as “Energy Domes.” I was a fan back then, but not enough to have bought a ticket. A friend gave me the ticket. Her 15 year old daughter won the seats from a radio promotion, and mom really didn’t want to go. Front row! Hence, the good shots. The show was much better than I expected.
This was the era of the “It’s a Beautiful World” single, which was a show highlight.
It’s a beautiful world we live in,
A sweet romantic place,
Beautiful people everywhere,
The way they show they care
Makes me want to say,It’s a wonderful time to be here,
It’s nice to be alive,
Wonderful people everywhere,
The way they comb their hair(Chorus)
It’s a beautiful world (three times)
For you (three times)
Everything I’d heard by DEVO was sort-of deliberately sterile sounding, I think. Art music. Almost a parody of itself. Certainly a sarcastic reflection of pop culture.
The funny thing about pop culture is that even self-parody acknowledgement of its own banality becomes more pop culture, perhaps even the best of it.
What I wouldn’t have guessed was how hard they rocked. Obviously, having risen through the punk clubscene, they’d learned to move an audience. This wasn’t studio music played live. They engaged the crowd, playing it hard with abandon. Up front, and hearing mostly the stage monitors, I was impressed. A tight rock band.
Devo singer Mark Mothersbaugh has gone on to become an accomplished artist in both film scores and visual arts. An extremely impressive list of accomplishments by any measure.
They still play as a band too. The DEVO webiste had recent video from a SF show at the Fillmore.
Amazing.
I like the final image in my series. You can tell this was taken some time ago. Outstretched arms aren’t holding up cell phones recording the moment. We were just in the moment.
I think that’s Bob grinning ear to ear. I know I was. All photos by Skip Murphy, 1982.
