Hanford Insider: Hanford Step Sisters and another Sierra Pacific Valley Championship!

What’s Coming Up Today

On this episode of The Hanford Insider, Tiffany Ramirez and Lori Bravo from the Hanford Stepsisters stop by to tell us about an exciting new movement for women to connect and exercise. Rob will give you a look at some of this week's community events, and I'll be back with your sports report. This is the Hanford Insider for Monday, May 18th.

City Council Agenda And Hearings

Illegal Fireworks Crackdown

Local Business Updates And Rumors

Community Events Calendar Highlights

Meet The Hanford Stepsisters

Welcome to the Hanford Insider, where community meets conversation. Each week we spotlight the people, events, and ideas shaping Hanford and Kings County, sharing the positive stories that bring our community together. I'm your host, Rob Bentley. Let's get started. In Community News This Week, the Hanford City Council has a full agenda for this Tuesday's meeting. At the afternoon study session, they'll be looking at a solar project for the new wastewater treatment plant. And they'll be continuing discussions about property negotiations for the new public safety building downtown. During their regular meeting at 7 p.m., they'll be approving painting projects at the Longfield Center, Co Park, and the city offices. And they'll be continuing projects for the Fuel Island at the Hanford Airport. There will be six public hearings, two of them regarding CBDG funds and the community housing element, and four regarding landscape assessment districts. Those are Hyde Park, Crystal Springs, Portofino, and Gateway Estates. The results from the recent ballots distributed in their neighborhoods will be counted, and if they didn't receive enough yes votes to increase their landscape fees, the city will be forced to reduce services. The Hanford Fire Community Emergency Response Team was seen at the Thursday night marketplace last week distributing flyers about the new fines for illegal fireworks. The fines have been increased from$1,000 to a maximum of$10,000 or possible jail time. Hanford is getting serious about the problems of illegal fireworks. We'll hear more about the It's Not Worth It campaign from Hanford Fire Chief Daniel Perkins in a few weeks. At this week's Thursday Night Marketplace, it's small business appreciation night hosted by the Hanford Antique Emporium. Music will be provided by Inca Hoots. In retail news this week, it looks like Hanford will be getting a nothing bunt cake store near Panera. The signage is already up. I like their treats, but I also like the fact that they team up with local schools and organizations for fundraisers. It's a win-win. Well, except for our diets. I also want to help pass the word along for Gonzals Fosso Flower Shop. They are not closing. There is currently a strip mall under construction at the corner of Tenth and Grangeville, and that had some longtime customers worried about the future of this staple in the community. If you want to hear more about the shop, check out the May 18th, 2025 episode when I had a chance to sit down with Paul Rhodes, the third generation owner of this 80-year-old floral institution, and talk about the storied history of Gonzalez Faso. And don't forget, you can listen to any of the previous 160 episodes of this show at HanfordInsider.com. Now let's take a look at this week's community calendar. The Hanford High School choir and sign language departments are presenting Seasons of Sound, a year in full color, on May 20th and May 21st in the Presentation Center beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at GoFan.co. The Kings Players production of iShot Jennifer Lopez opens at the Temple Theater on May 22nd. For more information about the play and information about tickets, visit Kingsplayers.org. The annual Marine Corps League Avenue Flags will be held on the 23rd, 24th, and 25th of May at the Grangeville Cemetery. The official ceremony will be held on Memorial Day at 9 a.m. Come and pay tribute to our fallen heroes. It's truly a moving experience. The Children's Storybook Garden Museum will be holding their annual farm day on Saturday, May 30th at 10 a.m. Visit storybookgarden.org for more details. On Sunday, May 31st, the King Symphony Orchestra will be holding their annual Pops concert at the park at the Hanford Civic Auditorium Park at 7 p.m. Visit KingsSymphony.org for more details. On June 3rd, the Kings County Freedom Memorial will be held at the Kings County Government Center beginning at 9 a.m. And finally, the Carnegie Car Show is coming up on the first week in June. On Friday, June 5th at the Hanford Fox Theater, they'll be showing American graffiti. On Saturday, June 6th, there will be hundreds of cars on display, a special lowrider bike show in the Carnegie parking lot, and a food truck alley in the Bastille parking lot, as well as a huge vendor fair in the Civic Auditorium Park. It'll be fun for the whole family. You can find out more about this free event and even register at Carnegie CarShow.com. 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. Well, we all know that walking is good for the soul and it's good for the body. And I'm so excited to have on the show today Tiffany Ramirez and Lori Bravo from the Hanford Stepsisters group in town. And uh they're here to share about the wonderful things happening on their walks. Welcome to the show.

Thank you for having us. Thank you.

I'm very excited for this interview because I've been getting into walking lately, and it's it again, it's been good for the soul. But I would love to hear about your group and kind of how it got started.

Great. Well, again, thank you for having us today. Um, so I'm Tiffany and I started the group back in October. Um I work remotely. I've been remote remote for about five years now, and I'm a pretty social person, but working remotely left it kind of quiet for me. So I thought, you know, what a way to um maybe get out and meet some new people. There is a group out of Fresno that actually kind of inspired that. Um I saw their group walking once a month and it just was growing, and I thought we don't have anything really like that in our area. So I reached out to a few friends of mine and shared the TikTok of the Fresno group with them and just asked, hey, we should start something like this. What do you guys think? Because walking alone, even if it was with my dog, was kind of like boring. And it also didn't, it didn't um I I wasn't being really accountable to myself, you know. I was like talking myself out of going on walks. So anyhow, we uh we met up one night and it was like I said, it was October. Um we did what we called sunset walks at six o'clock and we just you know, once once or twice a month. And then I just started posting and sharing it and kind of came up with a name and said, let's see how far this goes. Um the first few months we had sometimes two or three people that would come, and then people were like, Oh, I want to try. And uh just even a couple of weeks ago, I was asking at one of the walks, um, you know, how many people here knew me before I started this group? And nobody raised their hand. So it's like, and and we have you know, so many people that come out, and I felt like, okay, obviously this is a need in our community, so why not just keep going?

Yeah, so the benefits of walking, I I know uh the there's a lot of things that can be said about uh how it helps the mind, how it helps the body. But uh, what are some of the things that have happened along with that that maybe friendships that have developed and people are able to share what's going on in their life with others? I would imagine that that's pretty important too.

Yeah, it's definitely been an important part of it. Um Lori and I are both um we're not fitness experts, we're not, you know, personal trainers, anything like that. But we do like to get outdoors and uh you know the the feeling of getting outdoors kind of puts us in a better mood. And like I said, connecting with other women that want to do the same thing. They just want to kind of sometimes they want to relieve stress by venting if they need to, um, or just get out even and and like I said, meet new people. Lori and I knew each other through our kids' sports years many, many, many years ago. And she joined the Valentine's Walk that we have, and I said, Okay, I need somebody to help me as this is growing. And then so she said, Yep, I think that this is really helping the women get out, meet each other. We laugh so much during some of those talks, and we check it. We even check in on each other, you know. Some of the women have had surgeries in the last couple of months, and and they check in on each other, or if somebody doesn't show up sometimes, they're like, We're so-and-so, you know. So it has definitely built, you know, some some long friendship.

You mentioned women, and I know that you said that your group has run into a couple of groups of men who are walking, but your group is focused on women primarily, yeah.

Yes, yeah. We we decided to make it a women only just so that women would feel comfortable, you know, in in the space with it just being women. And we do have there are a couple of groups also that are mommy and me type groups in the area, so I decided to make it 18 and over so that even if we do have you know, we do have some moms with young kids, but I wanted to give them a chance to be kid free for an hour, you know, and have time just for themselves.

When you talked about meeting people that you did not know before, I would I would imagine it's not just people from Hanford, you've had people come from all over.

Yeah, absolutely. So we have uh the one that comes to Fraudis and she comes on a regular basis, she comes all the way out from Avanal. We have uh a lady who joined us a few weeks ago from Kingsburg, quite a few people from Lamore, Armona. Um, so yeah, people from all over the valley.

Lori, uh you've been a member of the group as well, and you've met some people that have you've become have become your friends, and uh how are those relationships being fostered?

First Walk Tips Pace And Safety

Yeah, since I joined the group, I have invited some of my friends to join the group and even people that I might be in the grocery line with, just having a conversation, and I invite them also. I love talking to all the women in the group, checking in on them. It brings me joy to see all age groups out there walking. We don't pressure, we don't rush. It's all at their own pace. When we're doing a laugh, if they feel like they need to stop and sit on a bench and rest another lap, we encourage that as much as we can. We remind them to drink water, stay hydrated. I feel like that's really important to listen to your body if a knee is hurting or a joint or your back or something like that. Take a break. It's okay. You don't have to do the whole hour with us. But like I said before, seeing the woman come out and just checking in with them and talking with them and having conversation, laughing feels so good to communicate with them as we're doing our laughs around either the park or when we're walking downtown.

And so if someone comes for the first time, uh, what can they expect?

When someone comes for the first time, um, myself or Tiffany will let them know like what our rules are, that we take pictures at your own pace. Don't feel like you have to rush this walk. We encourage them to continue walking with us. Some people can't make it again for the next Tuesday or Thursday that we walk. But we just let basically basically let them know what the rules are, kind of like what Tiffany posted on Facebook.

And Tiffany, what do you recommend for clothing? Do people wear exercise clothing or did this you know whatever's comfortable?

Yeah, just light, comfortable clothing, especially with the you know, the warmer temperatures, you know, light, comfortable clothing and sunscreen for sure during these you know coming months. Um when we were walking in the wintertime, there was times where it sprinkled on us. So we wear a hoodie. Um we have uh stepsister apparel, um, shirts and and hoodies even available. So swags, yep, exactly. So sometimes you know they just wear those. But uh of course, comfortable shoes. We want to make sure that you're safe whenever you're walking, that you're wearing something comfortable. It's a pretty flat surface at the park. But when we do our Saturday walks, we go to different places like downtown Hanford or we've been up to Rocky Hill in Exeter, we go out in the moor um and go around sometimes the neighborhoods, so maybe the sidewalks won't be the friendliest. So we just want to make sure you're wearing comfortable, safe footwear for sure.

Yeah, I find that on my downtown walks as well. Those sidewalks are pretty uneven. If you're not careful, you can definitely slip.

Be aware of your surroundings for sure.

Tiffany, this is growing. You've had more people more interested in it. Your social media has just been great. As uh Lori said, you know, you take pictures to promote the group and help people find out about it, honestly. That's how I found out about it. I came across it on Instagram and I said, Hey, this sounds this sounds pretty good. What is the uh handle on Instagram?

So on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, we're all under Hamford Stepsisters on all three platforms. We post event details more so in our pre private Facebook group um as far as like locations, times, that kind of thing, because we do have the disclosures in our private group. On the Instagram and TikTok, it's more of the promotional, usually after the events. So uh most of the time uh we are asking people to join the private Facebook group. Then we've also started now um a monthly newsletter for people that sign up via email. Oh, cool. So once they register for one of our our walks, we get their email address, and if they want to receive that one, we start at that as well.

Finding new places to walk is always a challenge. And I know you've been at Freedom Park, you mentioned uh downtown walks in Hanford and Lamore and Exeter, and you had a little contest on your with your members to decide another new place to walk. Tell us about that.

Yeah, so um Lori works uh with the Hanford High District, uh let's Sierra Pacific, and um we were kind of just inquiring about whether or not the track might be available for us. We had to wait a little bit because, you know, track practice and things, but yeah, we asked the ladies, would you prefer to try and walk at the track? Because we've heard it's maybe a little bit more uh, I guess, user-friendly on the knees because of the cushion. And or if they wanted to stay at the at Freedom. And and a lot of ladies said they wanted to try the track. So we're giving both options now. Um, our Tuesday night walks are being held at Hanford High Track, and our Thursdays will continue at Freedom Park for now.

So, how do you see this growing over the next few months up to you know a couple years? What what is your vision for the stepsisters in Hanford and what it will become?

I guess I always say that you know, if they continue to show up, we'll continue to show up. So it it's not about being, you know, a 500 person walk or you know, 5k or anything like that. It's really more of continuing to build the connections. We have regulars that show up every Tuesday and Thursday, and we have some ladies that come once a month. So as long as they keep showing up, we will keep showing up and just be a part of the community to bring people together.

I would include we're going to try to start doing maybe like 5K walks and to support whatever community event is going on. One is coming up at the end of the month.

Yeah, uh place to for the Special Olympics for the Special Olympics. Yes.

So I see um our future headed into maybe some more not run, but 5K walks as a group supporting um that event at that time.

Well, Tiffany and Lori, this all sounds so wonderful. And you've been such an encouragement to women in the valley for this activity. And I know that the club is only going to grow in heart and mind and soul and body. I think it's going to be wonderful. And once again, the handle on social media is Hanford Stepsisters. And Tiffany and Lori, I'd just like to thank you again for joining us. Uh, and best wishes for your group and uh hope everything goes well for you.

Playoff Upsets And Track Champions

Thank you for having us. Thank you so much. And now it's time for Hanford Insider Sports with Eric Beckley.

Round one of baseball and softball playoffs is in the books, and three of our teams are moving on to round two, including a pair of big time upsets. We'll start with the biggest upset in terms of seeding in a D2 bracket that saw many underdogs come away victorious. It was the 15-seed Hanford High baseball team who took down two-seed Ridgeview in Bakersfield last Friday. Senior Hayden Keaney held it down on the mound, tossing six and two-thirds innings, allowing only three hits and one run, striking out twelve, while the offense woke up late enough to secure the victory. Leading two to nothing heading into the final inning, the Bullpups struck for five runs in the top of the seventh, creating an insurmountable deficit for the home wolf pack as Hanford High secured the seven-to-one upset win. This sets up a WIL showdown in round two, as 10-seed Tularie Western upset 7-seed San Luis Obispo in their round one matchup. The Mustangs defeated the Bullpups in two of their three regular season meetings, but Hanford High is the most recent victor, a 2-1 extra innings win earlier this month at home. Tuesday's matchup in Tulary scheduled to start at 4.30. We'll stick with Hanford High but out to softball, where the Bullpups cooked up another upset, this time as a 13-seed, taking down four-seed Golden West in a dominating 15-5 run rule win. Hanford High slammed the door shut before the Trailblazers even came knocking, scoring nine runs in the top of the first and leading 12-0 before Golden West scratched across some inconsequential late runs. Like their baseball team, the Hanford High softball team will see a league foe in round two as the Bullpups will travel to Dainuba on Wednesday at 4.30 to take on the five-seed Emperors. The two teams split their regular season matchups, with Hanford High winning the most recent game 9-7 at the end of April. And the final team advancing to round two is the Hanford West softball team. No box score for that game, but a 7-1 victory over Sanger West was more than enough for the three-seed Huskies to comfortably move on to round two. It'll be another home game for Hanford West this Wednesday as they'll play host to six-seed Liberty Madera at 4 30. Not league opponents like the other two playoff matchups, but these two teams do have history, with the Huskies taking down the Hawks 8-0 back in March. As for the teams that made first-round playoff exits, the Sierra Pacific baseball team's season comes to a close as the six-seed Golden Bears fell to Pasarobles 2-1. Their final record 18-10 overall, 9-3 with a second-place league finish. The Sierra Pacific softball team also saw a swift playoff exit as the 9-seed Golden Bears comeback fell short against 8-seed Golden Valley, losing 5-4. Sierra Pacific winds up with a 14-15-1 overall mark and a 6-2 second-place league finish. And the Hanford West baseball team lost their first-round playoff game to Wasco 9-1 to finish their year 9-18 overall. Out to track and field now where the Sierra Pacific girls track and field team took home a section title in Division III last week, with a total team score of 73, besting second place Mission Oak by 10.5 points. The total team effort was highlighted by first place finishes in the 4x100 relay and Niang Ayun winning the triple jump. But there were many other accomplishments, including a school record in the girls' 4x800. Alyssa Petinho, Jade Kuhn, Peyton Lopez, Niang Ayun, and Lila Love all set personal best marks in the meet, while for the boys, Aiden Burnett and Coleman Powers also set personal bests. Some of those marks were good enough to qualify for CIF Masters with Colbin Powers in the two. Alyssa Petino in the 400 and 800 and Niang Ayuen in the triple jump, all getting the invite. A big congratulations to the Sierra Pacific Girls track and field team for their section title, and a best of luck to all of the athletes still competing. As always, if you have a score report or a team update for any team and any sport at any level, you can let us know by emailing HanfordInsider at gmail.com. I'm Eric Bentley, and this has been your Hanford Insider Sports Report.

Well, that's all the time we have for this week's show. If you're enjoying the podcast and you want to support it, you can head over to my 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 each Wednesday. I also appreciate your help spreading the word about the show by liking and sharing on social media or like most people just telling a friend. You can follow this show on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, and YouTube at Hanford Insider for more content and updates. If you've got a show idea, send me an email at HanfordInsider at gmail.com. I'd love to hear from you. Thanks for listening to this episode of the Hanford Insider Podcast. Have a great week.