Hanford Insider: 1976 Time Capsule

Time Capsule Preview

On this episode of the Hanford Insider, Rob will give us an inside look into the recently opened City of Hanford 1976 Bicentennial Time Capsule, and he'll tell us how we can contribute to the TriCentennial Time Capsule that will be opened in the year 2076. We'll also check in on the busy community calendar. This is the Hanford Insider for Monday, july twenty-seventh.

Welcome To Hanford Insider

Welcome to season four of the Hanford Insider Podcast, your front row seat to the people, places, history, and events making Hanford and Kings County such a special place to call home. I'm your host, Rob Bentley, and each week we'll introduce you to local leaders, business owners, community organizations, and everyday people who are making a difference. We'll also explore our rich local history, spotlight upcoming events, highlight local sports, and share the stories that connect our community. Whether you've lived here your whole life or you're just discovering all that Hanford has to offer, thanks for joining us. Now let's get started with this week's episode of the Hanford Insider.

Life After Teaching Retirement

Over the last few weeks, I took some time off from this show to slow down a little bit and regain some perspective heading into this new chapter of my life after retiring from a 36-year teaching career. I also had the opportunity to talk about the show with community members, including the Rotary Club of Hanford. So I'd like to give their members a special shout out for their words of encouragement.

Local News Fireworks And Council

Following up on a few topics from earlier shows, the Hanford Freedom Fest celebration at the Hanford Softball Complex on the Fourth of July was very successful, and I wouldn't be surprised if this becomes an annual event. The City of Hanford sent out over thirty fines for illegal fire ricks use over the holiday, totaling more than a hundred thousand dollars. I don't know about you, but from what I saw, there seemed to be a lot less illegal fire ricks use citywide. That one guy in my neighborhood, though, I don't think he got the message. He shot them off for days. At the city council meeting last week, the talk of data centers and flock cameras brought a capacity crowd to the council chambers on Tuesday night. After hearing from thirty or so speakers, they decided that the issues warrant a special study session. So it will be on a future agenda item. It's my understanding that there will be a special town hall meeting at the Episcopal Church of the Savior on Friday, August 28th, from 5 30 p.m. to 7 30 p.m. to discuss these issues. Lastly, in City Council News, Councilman Lou Martinez announced on Thursday afternoon that he will not be seeking re-election in November in Area D. As one community member commented, Lou was always an advocate for those who needed it most, and I could not agree more. Congratulations, Lou, on a job well done, and thank you for your service to our community.

1976 Time Capsule Reopened

In 1976, our country celebrated our nation's bicentennial with a full year of parades and celebrations. Hanford and Kings County were especially invested in the party. Led by Les Collins, Joe Crane, Joe and Lila Barros, a whole committee of people from all over Hanford prepared a time capsule to be buried in front of the new, at that time, Hanford police station. For two months, they solicited items to be placed in that capsule that represented life in Hanford in 1976. The capsule was twelve inches in diameter and four feet in length. The community responded and the capsule was completely filled. On November 15, 1976, there was a ceremony and the time capsule was buried shortly afterwards. On Thursday, July 9th, the 1976 Bicentennial Time Capsule was opened to a large and enthusiastic crowd. These items contained in the time capsule will be on display at the Carnegie Museum of Kings County August 10th through the 15th

Building The 2076 Tricentennial Capsule

during Hanford's 135th birthday celebration. It'll be open in the morning from 9 AM to 1 PM on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday that week, and on Tuesday and Thursday evening from 4 PM to 8 PM. During the exhibition, we'll be accepting items for consideration to be placed in the new time capsule. The items must have a direct connection to life in Hanford in 2026. Pictures, copies of important records, statistics, membership roles of organizations, churches, employee rosters, event programs, materials from America's two hundred and fiftieth. You get the idea. Visitors to the exhibit will also be able to record messages to be played in a new time capsule that will be opened in twenty seventy-six during our nation's tricentennial celebration. Items will be collected through the end of 2026, and then the new time capsule will be sealed and buried at the new public safety building during the that building dedication in a few years. It'll be opened during our nation's tricentennial celebration in 2076.

Listening To 1976 Radio Tapes

Over the last week or so, I've had the unique opportunity to begin curation of the contents of this time capsule, and I've been blown away at the items in there. Being a podcaster, I've especially enjoyed listening to the cassette tapes of newscasts by George Eddie and Dean Johnson of KLAN and KNGS radio stations. They not only covered the ceremony, but provided tapes of interviews with citizens. There were some tapes of a city council meeting that didn't come out well, but the others came out pretty good. Mayor Bob Hill even made a tape with predictions of what Hanford would be like in 2026. Here's a wrap-up of the time capsule event with KLAN's radio's Dean Johnson.

Les Collins, chairman of the Hanford Bicentennial Committee, mentions just a few of the items inside the capsule.

Some of the things that you that are of interest that we have received, uh we have a letter that will go on the capsule from the President of the United States uh congratulating Hanford on bearing the capsule. We have uh a tape made from half a dozen, about seven of the pioneers of the area, and we call it Reflection 76. And this is about seven people who have lived here, probably a total of about 350 years. Uh we also will have uh media uh city council meeting tape, we'll have state uh statements from the mayor, from the uh Board of Supervisors, um City Council agenda, reports from some of our industry, uh reports from uh organizations in the city, such as some of our service clubs, uh from our schools, from our county district superintendent of schools, uh, from the banks, uh, from garden clubs, from just most pretty well a cross-section representation of the uh of the area, and we feel as uh fifty years from now this will be a pre fair interest to most of the people.

We asked him what kind of reaction the community showed when the request went off for memorabilia of the city of Hanford.

It's been real fine. We started about June of this year collecting things, and uh response was a little slow, but then we had uh a lot of commitments for it, and those have come in, and it's been it's been great. We did have the capsule on display a number of places that people saw, and I actually received calls from people saying we saw your capsule, and we have something to go in it, and uh we've gotten uh a lot of very interesting things for the capsule.

During the ceremony this afternoon, Hanford Mayor Bob Hill spoke directly to the youth in the crowd.

These are our representatives. For sure they will be here 50 years from now when we bring the time capsule up. And these are the youth, and my message to you is that we must count on you, you, our youth today, to be our leaders tomorrow, and to carry on. Without you, there won't be a 50th year. We won't make the 2026. It takes you, you young Americans, to carry on. So I think it's very important that you're here today and represent your various schools and our future community of Hanford because you are future Hanford. Many of us will not be here. God willing, I hope I will. I was figuring out I could be 87. I may make that.

Among the dignitaries present were the Board of Supervisors, the Hanford City Council, Admiral Robert Mackenzie of the Light Attack Wing of Pacific Fleet, and Lamorne NAS Commanding Officer, Captain James B. Bucey, representatives from Congressman John Krebs and Senator Howard Way, among others representing local organizations. The time capsule, red, white, and blue in color naturally, will be sealed and buried in the front lawn of the new police station with a plaque requesting it to be opened in the year 2026. Inside a letter request that the contents be displayed at various public buildings and then be reburied for another fifty years to be unearthed during the nation's tricentennial.

Several of the other tapes were recorded by George Eddie. Many Hanford old timers will remember George's news reporting every morning and afternoon. When I was a child, I remember my parents listening to the radio news each morning. Here's a sample clip from one of George Eddy's newscasts in 1976.

A very pleasant good morning to you. This is George Eddy, reporting KLAN News for ENP Tire Service, home of dependable service for 39 years, and for the working man store for guys and gals. Now we'll have the local news after this. Lockwood told Officer Pete Mose that the first of two black men wearing turbans brought two cans of beer to the corner, there to the counter, then began looking at magazines. Lockwood said a second man brought a loaf of bread to the counter, asked for change for a $5 bill, then the 22-caliber gun held under the bread ordered Lockwood back. A brief tussle followed before the 61-year-old clerk was pushed into the storeroom, and the pair played with the contents of the open cash register. As for his duly elected councilman Norman Ulrich was sworn into office last night by City Clerk Lynn Bonus, bringing the council up to its full complement of five for the first time since the resignation of Abel Morellus last spring. The term expires in March 1978. In his acceptance remarks, Elvrich said he felt the council has been doing a good job and expects it to continue so in a spirit of harmony. He said he stands for what is best for Hanford, not any particular area, and will always be ready to listen to people. Elvrich said there were two questions about his 650 vote victory over former Vice Mayor Earl Hemovitz. How did you do it and how much did it cost? He said he conducted a door-to-door campaign, working till he was tired and then talking more. He had a platform of economy and equal representation, and said he listened, never cutting anyone short. This, he felt, got other people working for him and created the kind of enthusiasm that wins. Alvridge said his campaign machine consisted of Tom Bowes, financial manager of a budget of $168.18, and also a door-to-door campaigner. Alvrich also singled out Roy and Kathy Wilson, who were in the audience, his wife, Virginia, and daughters Gail and Janice, whom he put to work when they were in town. He said he was pleased that it was a clean campaign free of any mudslinging. Cable television for the unincorporated area around the city of Hanford may uh have moved closer to reality yesterday when county supervisors approved the request of franchise holder Hanford Cable Company to disassociate itself from Warner Communications of New York and proceed unilaterally to a Federal Communications Commission certificate of compliance. Under the agreement, the Warner Corporation will continue as the sole franchise holder of Inland Cable Company, which has operated at Avenau for several years. Tentative approval has also been given by the Hanford City Council to reinstate Hanford Cable Company as the sole franchise holder within the city. Attorney Bill Dunn said the disassociation from Warner appears to be the only feasible way to expedite cable TV for the area. They also agreed on a name for a road running along the Hanford High School West Campus, which the school didn't want. It will be known as it always has been as Campus Drive. Money was also transferred for its development. The Kings County Association of Master Barbers and Beauticians of America, chapter 528 of Hanford, are sponsoring a hairstyling demonstration at King's Mall Shopping Center Thursday, November the 11th at 7 p.m. Diane Westfall of Citrus Heights will conduct a three-hour demonstration of hairstyling using the latest techniques in long hair shaping. Local AMBBA president Ernest Corral of Corcoran invites all barbers and beauticians to attend. Anyone wishing to be a model may contact John Carrillo, Education Chairman, by calling 584-5909. Now we'll have more after this.

Museum Exhibit Details

As you can tell, we are very excited to partner with the City of Hanford to be able to display the 1976 time capsule, and we hope to see you the week of August 10th at the Carnegie Museum of Kings County. For more information, you can visit the website at Carnegie Museum of Kingscounty.org.

Community Calendar Highlights

Now let's take a look at this week's community calendar. At this week's Thursday night marketplace, it's Picnic in the Park night with music by Back Harlow Road. The City of Hanford is sponsoring a senior wellness workshop on Wednesday, July 29th at 8 a.m. in the Hanford Civic Auditorium. The Remington is holding pause for a clause on Wednesday, July 29th from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The Sierra Pacific High School Golden Bear Classic Golf Tournament will be held on Monday, August 3rd at the King's Country Club. Finally, the movie Finding Dory will be shown at the Hanford Plunge Dive In Movie on Friday, August 7th at 8 p.m. If you have an event coming up, large or small, and you'd like some help getting the word out, let's work together. Send your information to HanfordInsider at gmail.com. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter to get a complete calendar of events. It's the most comprehensive community calendar available.

How To Support And Connect

And that wraps things up for this week's show. We're looking forward to a full sports report from Eric coming up with a preview of the high school football season. That'll be in about two weeks. If you're enjoying the podcast and you want to support it, you can head over to buymeacoffee.com forward slash Hanford Insider to make a donation. Or you can Venmo me directly. To stay connected, join the Hanford Insider email list at HanfordInsider.com. You'll get weekly updates plus an exclusive newsletter delivered right to your inbox. I also really appreciate your help spreading the word by liking and sharing on social media, or like most people, just telling a friend. Don't forget, if you have a story idea, community event, or someone you think deserves to be featured, I'd love to hear from you. Email me anytime at HanfordInsider at gmail.com. You can follow the show on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, and YouTube at Hanford Insider for more content and updates. Thank you for listening and have a wonderful week.