Fun for the whole family
Y ou better bring your appetite! We have some great teams signed up to battle it out at the 6th annual Pioneer Days and Rib Cook-off happening on Oct. 14. There are going to be plenty of ribs to satisfy your taste buds, but that’s not it! Downtown Porterville will be transformed into a vision from the Old West, complete with a live shoot-out, Buffalo Soldiers, gold panning, saloon, horse drawn ghost tours, historical displays and re-enactments. Plus, there will be music, food and craft vendors, kid’s activities, and the battle to be crowned Queen, Princess and Little Miss Pioneer Days. The action starts at 11 a.m. The proceeds from this event go directly towards preserving our Zalud House Museum.
The big race
It’s less than six weeks until our annual Veterans Day Run and never too late to get involved and start training. This is such a great way to kick-off the Veterans Day festivities. Finish our run or walk and then hang out for the parade. The commemorative long sleeve shirt we give out to participants is guaranteed to draw a lot of positive attention. The event features a 10K run, 5K run and 5K walk plus a free Kids Fun Run. The race begins at 7:30 a.m. in front of City Hall. The pre-registered cost is only $20 for runners and walkers and there is a flat discounted rate of $10 for any Veteran and active military participant. With generous support from our community sponsors, we will have chip timing again this year plus some special race swag giveaways. Register online or in person at the Heritage Center.
Adult flag football
Registration for our annual Adult Flag Football League begins Monday. The cost of registration is $326, but register before Oct. 6 to receive a $25 discount. The season will consist of eight weeks of league play plus a tournament. Games will be played on Saturday afternoons at the Porterville Sports Complex beginning Nov. 4. Sign up online or at the Heritage Center. Deadline to register is Oct. 27.
Paranormal Tours
It has been 100 years since Julia Howe fatally shot William Brooks inside the Pioneer Hotel lobby. The first of four bullets went straight through Brooks’ heart and the chair in which he sat. The chair was later moved to the Zalud House Museum and is on display in the childhood home of his wife Annie. The bullet hole can still be seen and is often debated as the cause of supernatural activity.
Now you can experience the Zalud House in a whole new way with an evening paranormal tour. For the first time, we will be offering small group paranormal tours on Fridays and Saturdays, October 14-28. An electronic voice phenomena (EVP) session will be led by experts from Paranormal Movement Investigations and each session will be reviewed during the investigation. The tours will take place at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. and you must register in advance. Participants must be 18 years of age or older and the cost of the tour is $20 per person. Sign up in a group or as an individual. The group size is limited to 4-12 people per tour. Register online or at the Heritage Center.