April has to be one of the best months here in the Central Valley. We’re still seeing snow (glorious snow) on the mountain tops, winds to keep our air cleaner, a hint of warm sun reminding us what is to come, trees in bloom, green hillsides, flowers everywhere and a sprinkling of wild flowers if you head to the hills. (While it is getting a little late for our fruit trees, you can follow the Blossom Trail. Visit www.goblossomtrail.com for maps and directions). This is a great time to take a drive through the countryside, visit the lakes in the area that are full of water for the first time in years, head to our National Parks, go for long bike rides, hikes or just pull a chair out of your trunk and sit and take in all this beauty.

We should be seeing a lot of wildflowers this year since we’ve had so much rain. A great source of information on wildflowers is the Sierra Foothill Conservancy. Visit www.sierrafoothill.org or go to its Facebook page for posts on the best areas to visit to see wildflowers.

We are fortunate to live in an area that allows us to get out of town in a couple of hours. Two hours to the Pacific Coast, an hour to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, a little more to get to the valley floor of Yosemite or a little longer to get to Tuolumne Meadows (although the road to Tuolumne and Glacier Point are currently closed due to snow, but usually open up in May or early June). Another short trip is to drive to Wonder Valley and Pine Flat Lake, which provides wonderful vistas.

When Jack and I were children living in Sanger, both of our families loved “taking a drive,” so we’d pack a picnic, load up the car (my favorite car was our Mercury Breezeway with the retractable rear window) and take a drive through the countryside. Friends of the family owned the store at Pine Flat Lake so that was a regular stop. In those days you could park up on the dam and walk out to the middle to watch the water spill out into the Kings River.

This is also the time of year that events start in earnest in Old Town. If you missed our Craft Beer Crawl on March 12, we have another one scheduled for Aug. 27. Our Antiques & Collectibles Fair on March 26 was probably our best in many years. There were so many great things to buy and so many people to buy them. Our fall Fair is Sunday, Sept. 24. This past weekend the Clovis Chamber put on Big Hat Days. Great weather means great crowds out to celebrate spring and the beginning of Rodeo week. The Rodeo Parade is Saturday, April 29 and the Rodeo events begin on April 27. You can purchase tickets and get the schedule of events atwww.clovisrodeo.com/ww/rodeo-daily-schedule

The Business Organization of Old Town is putting on our 2nd Annual Old Town Clovis Car & Motorcycle Show from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, April 23 on the streets of Old Town. This is a classic car show featuring antique, vintage, classic, hot rods, street rods, muscle, custom/modified, low rider, pickups, Corvettes, foreign/sports and motorcycles. All cars must be pre-1975.

Last year at our inaugural show we had 267 cars and we anticipate more this year. We have solicited help with planning and judging from car aficionados Paul Hinkle, Bob Warner, Bill Richards, Dennis Simonson and Ron Berglund. They are rounding up judges and we’re creating the winners’ plaques. If your business would like to sponsor this event, or present a Merchant Winner Plaque, let us know. More information is available at oldtownclovis.org/old-town-clovis-car-show-2 Space is limited so sign up early!

May is just around the corner with the Wine Walk on May 6. Tickets are available online at oldtownclovis.org/wine-walk (or at these locations in Old Town: Dave Shivers State Farm, Bear Creek Gifts, Hearts Delight and Fifth Street Antiques). This event sold out last spring, as we limit tickets to 1,200. Purchase early.

One of our favorite events is the Friday Night Farmers Market, which starts up on May 12 and runs through the end of September. We look forward to seeing old friends and catching up with one another on Friday Nights. Our favorite saying is “What are YOU doing on Friday night?”

Glorious Junk Days is Memorial Day Weekend, Sunday May 28. You can visit www.oldtownclovis.org for all of these events and more information about Old Town Clovis. There is always something to do here and we thank you for coming out and supporting our local businesses.