ALMOND BLOSSOM 2025

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Ripon-based California Rock Crusher Corp serving as 2025 Ripon Almond Blossom Festival grand marshal

By VINCE REMBULAT Staff reporter

California Rock Crusher

Corp., or Cal Crush, is a local turn-key portable aggregate mining and concrete / asphalt / block recycling service provider.

“They count as the Nation’s top construction, aggregate, and construction recycling companies, in addition to independent recycling yards and quarries amongst their customers,” said the Ripon Chamber of Commerce in recognition of this year’s grand marshal of the Almond Blossom Festival.

The 63rd annual event is scheduled from Feb. 20 through Feb. 23. Included will be the Saturday, Feb. 22, parade along downtown, from Main Street (west) to Vera Avenue (south),

and then along Fourth Street (east). Grand marshal Cal Crush consisting of President Charlie Evans will be part of Division 1 of the parade, which will also include dignitaries and the ABF royal court. Cal Crush is celebrating “25 years of Crushing it,” hence the theme for this year’s Almond Blossom Festival. Founded in 2000, the local business has continued to grow and prosper as the industry’s

leader in portable aggregate manufacturing solutions.

“Through our years of continued growth and success, we have not lost sight of our business / personal ethics and unparalleled customer service,” said Cal Crush on its website (www.calcrush.com).

Cal Crush offers such services as crushing, screening, breaking, equipment transportation, debris hauling, equipment rental, recycling yard management, and transportation.

In addition, Cal Crush has been supportive of various endeavors around town, including the annual First Responder Appreciation Day and Ripon Community Athletic Foundation’s efforts of renovating the Ripon High stadium within the past 10 years.

ALMOND BLOSSOM FESTIVAL

Three days of nutty, wholesome fun in Ripon

By DENNIS WYATT The Bulletin

Never been to the Ripon Almond Blossom Festival?

Then you’re missing a chance to savor a wholesome community-based celebration that for 63 years has served as the kick-off event for an annual calendar full of festivals celebrating the Northern San Joaquin Valley’s bounty from asparagus to zucchini.

It takes place at the cusp of winter fading into early spring.

The fact the weather can be gently warm accompanied sometimes by a blustery touch only enhances the experience.

You will be hard pressed to find another festival in the entire valley that takes place in such clean air while at the same time the intoxicating scent and sight of billions of delicate pink and white almond blossom delights the senses.

The festival portion of the event — Ripon’s version of a street fair — takes place at the expansive Mistlin Sports Park on River Road this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Everything from carnival rides to vendors hawking almond brittle, barbecued creations and artistic creations to live music takes place in the shadow of the gigantic water tower while surrounded on three sides by almond orchards.

Rare are festivals that take place so close to the crop they celebrate. Linden’s cherry festival takes place in the heart of that hamlet and not nestled next to a cherry orchard. Even Manteca’s pumpkin fair is far from the fields that grow its namesake.

But to be honest pumpkin fields are dirty and dusty. And by the time the cherry festival rolls around, the heat is already cranking up.

Simply driving to the Almond Blossom Festival grounds is a treat in itself. You will pass miles upon miles of almond orchards bursting with blossoms often with bright green carpets of grass between rows upon rows of trees.

And while Mistlin Sports Park is abuzz with activities for three days, there are a ton of events in and around downtown Ripon ranging from breakfast and an art show to a diaper derby.

It is all offered around the main event — the Almond Blossom Festival parade.

The route is a combination of residential streets — where within weeks a massive canopy will shade virtually every inch of pavement — and the traditional downtown district complete with a street lined by pavers set off with entrance arches and other touches.

The parade is a celebration of the good life, small-town style. There are youth entries, marching bands, JROTC units, horses, antique cars and more.

It also doubles as a community reunion. It isn’t unusual to see chairs lining the parade route at the crack of dawn. Walk the route through the residential neighborhoods and you will see front yard after front yard teeming with gatherings of friends and families.

The Ripon Almond Blossom Festival is a true hometown celebration that openly welcomes long lost friends and strangers.

Drop by this weekend. You’ll see why so many people — including those who have never lived in Ripon — are nuts about the Almond Blossom Festival.

New 2025 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD LT

By VINCE REMBULAT

Staff reporter

Not too long ago, California Almonds met with several local growers on innovative techniques used today.

Included was the use of technology such as solar panels, iPhone apps, iPhone apps powered by solar panels – a few common ways almond growers are powering their farms while monitoring their orchards.

Chuck Dirkse, as profiled in the Turlock Journal, was among the group of farmers who invested in technology to mitigate the loss of excess water via the installation of soil moisture equipment. He was able to transmit information using his iPad.

Dirkse did so by combining his first career in the computer industry to that of the family farm.

Brent Boersma of Ripon incorporated a solar-powered soil moisture monitoring system, receiving texts on his cellphone with measurements of temperature, wind speed, and soil moisture content.

And then there’s Travaille & Phippen, Inc. and some of its latest innovation.

“We are invested in creating a more efficient and sustainable practice. Recently, we worked with AeroVironment’s drones to enhance our field management,” according to the business website (www.tapalmonds. com).

Travaille & Phippen –growers, packers, and shippers of California Almonds – was recently recognized by the Ripon Chamber of Commerce for support of the 63rd annual Almond Blossom Festival.

They’ve been around since 1921 when Sam Tra -

vaille began farming in San Joaquin County.

In 1954, Charlie Travaille, Jim Travaille, and Ed Phippen took over Sam Travaille’s farming operation, and began hulling their own almonds on North Ripon Road.

The business expanded in 1980 when Bud Travaille, David Phippen, and Scott Phippen took over the hulling operation from the old site, moving to a new huller on Graves Road.

In 1983, Bud, Dave, and Scott realized they needed to even more and put in a sheller.

By the 1990s, the trio incorporated their business, calling it by today’s Travaille & Phippen or TAP.

In the past 20 years, TAP went green in 2009 and installed one acre of solar panels to power their operation.

In 2012, TAP had a chance meeting with engineers from FANUC, which led to put-

ting in the first almond processing robots.

The robots needed software updating in 2015, with TAP installing new Hedwall cameras.

And in 2018, Travaille & Phippen completely replaced their acre of solar panels – by Vista Solar –with brand new ones while updating the robots and add -

ing new sorting capabilities to their sheller.

“With our new solar panels, nearly 80 percent of Travaille & Phippen’s operation is run on solar energy,”

TAP added.

Travaille & Phippen currently has about 1,500 acres, processing 36 million pounds of almonds with 60 employees.

Ten competing for honor of reigning as queen of 63rd annual Almond Blossom Festival & as Miss Ripon 2025

By VINCE REMBULAT Staff reporter

Ten local girls are vying for the title of Almond Blossom Festival Queen / Miss Ripon. The coronation ceremony to determine who will reign as queen of the 63rd annual Almond Blossom Festival will take place on Thursday, Feb. 20, at the Ripon Community Center, 334 Fourth St., beginning at 7 p.m. in the small staging area.

junior at Ripon High who is active in track, soccer, and flag football as well as Girls League and Yearbook. Lackey, who enjoys the outdoors, also earned an Eagle Scout Award.

Here’s the queen candidates:

Samantha Lackey – She’s a

Mckenzie Spear – The RHS junior is involved in sideline cheer, basketball, and competitive swimming. She enjoys snowboarding during the winter and wake-surfing and wakeboarding in the summer, and is active in FFA and yearbook.

 Emme Wibur – The RHS junior has been involved in the leadership program since her freshman year and is currently the Junior Class President. She’s an officer in multiple clubs such as Girls League and the Baking Club.

 Addyson Wilmshurst – Her various endeavors include travel softball, raising lambs for the Ripon High FFA, the ASB Leadership program, secretary of the Baking Club, and Girls League. Wilmshurst, a junior, is looking to attend a fouryear university, play college softball, and major in nursing.



Rhianna Villanueva – She credits her involvement in basketball, volleyball, soccer, and cross country at RHS for honing teamwork and leadership skills. Villanueva has also been involved in Girls League, Powderpuff, Lip Synch, Linke Crew, and the Baking Club.

Sage Peterson – Since she was

7, Peterson has been riding horses and currently has two of her own: Seal and Salmon. The RHS junior has competed in high school rodeos, barrel races, and gymkhana for the seven years, and is also active in FFA, where she raises and sells dairy heifers.

Hayden Harper – The RHS junior has participated in cheer in both sideline and competitive, and is currently a junior coach for the Ripon Chiefs youth football cheerleaders. She enjoys surfing in Santa Cruz and wakeboarding in the summer.

Camden Downs – An honor student at RHS, Downs is active in

also a competitive

Dance studio and serves as an assistant dance instructor.

Jayden Quayle – She’s a lifelong resident of Ripon and cherishes her family, friends, and supporting her peers while cheering at the various sporting events.

Sophia Hernandez – Her passion and hobbies include researching the ins and outs of the marine biology field. Hernandez keeps a saltwater fishtank and also enjoys a creative side, consisting of writing poetry and short stories as well as drawing.

Kamalpreet Kaur’s reign as Miss Ripon is coming to an end

By VINCE REMBULAT

The Bulletin

more year. “It has been a great experience ever since,” she added.

It’s been a fun ride for Kamalpreet Kaur. During the past year, she’s served as the Miss Almond Blossom Festival Queen / Miss Ripon.

“I am very thankful for this opportunity to run for Miss Ripon,” she said via the Ripon Chamber of Commerce website.

It was all part of her journey. Kaur was born in India, raised in New York, and moved to Ripon in her sopho-

The Ripon High senior has been passionate about her many activities, both at and outside of school.

Kaur has been involved on the Indians wrestling team and JROTC.

She’s been involved in various community services endeavors and enjoys cooking and helping her parents around the house.

As for being Miss Ripon, Kaur has taken part in various grand opening ceremonies, including the ribbon-cutting event for the new Career Technical Education at RHS back in October.

CALIFORNIA ALMONDS ALL IN A NUTSHELL . . .

Everything from the fact

that there are more

than 100 varieties to the fact India is that top importer

By DENNIS WYATT The Bulletin

Almond — is it pronounced “ahl-mond” with a soft “A” and soft “L” or is it “aahmen” with a hard “A” and neatly silent “H”?

In many parts of Northern California they will tell you it’s the latter. Their rationale: You have to knock the “L” out of trees to shake loose the nuts.

And they aren’t kidding about knocking the hell out of almond trees. Before mechanical shakers hit the market some 50 to 60 years ago, it was usual for many teen boys and young men looking for some extra cash to spend the late summer swinging heavy mallets to repeatedly shake almonds out of trees.

Almonds are the No. 5 agricultural crop in California at $3.8 billion.

Dairy products such as milk are No. 1 overall in California at $8.13 billion, grapes are second at $6.62 billion, cattle and calves fourth at $4.7 billion, and lettuce fourth at $3.93 billion. California is by far the largest farm state with $59.41 billion worth of crops in 2023. Almonds are just one of more than 400 commodities produced in the Golden State, Speaking of milk, it is a four-letter word as far as many in the dairy industry are concerned when it appears after the word “almond”. There is a serious squabble going on regarding what’s in a name given almond milk and other “milk” made from products such as soybeans are nipping at the heels of milk sales. The dairy folks say milk comes from animals.

That said, almond milk is not a Johnny Come Lately creation although it certainly did not beat cow’s milk to man’s table. Muslims are credited with “inventing” almond milk in the 13th century. Almonds are not native to California. But you couldn’t tell that in terms of the almonds grown on 1.5 million acres in the Great Central Valley that account for roughly 80 percent of the world’s almond production and all commercial almond production in the United States. No other country comes close. Australia is next with 360,328 tons but it pales in comparison with the 1.85 billion plus tons California produces.

If San Joaquin County was its own country, it would have been the sixth largest nation in terms of almond production in 2023 with 112,00 tons. San Joaquin County would have been sandwiched between Morrocco with 175,763 tons and China with 104,000 tons. But compared to other counties in California, San Joaquin County doesn’t make the top five.

It would be No. 6 on the list behind Kern County, Fresno County, Stanislaus County, Merced County and Madera County.

To put San Joaquin County’s production in perspective at $343.5 million was just over a third the $1.14 billion that Fresno County grew in 2023. That’s the equivalent of roughly 31 percent of the entire $3.22 billion overall agricultural production for San Joaquin County. Fresno County, by the way, is still the largest agricultural producing county in the United States. With $8.5 billion in crop output in 2023 it would rank 23rd highest as a state. Little wonder they feel comfortable calling their county fair that typically draws 600,000 a year the Big Fresno Fair.

Agriculture is still king in California as the Golden State’s $59.4 billion is $24 billion higher than its closest

The sweet scent of almond blossoms . . .

The days of the stench from sugar pulp recycled through cattle in the Moffat Feed Lot in Manteca are gone.

But there are still those from the Bay Area who pass through here several times a year and laughingly call us “Manstinka.”

Let them laugh at us.

Step outside and you’ll see why the laugh is on those who look down on anything located east of the Altamont Pass.

Breathe deeply.

Isn’t the sweet scent of almond blooms intoxicating?

You can’t find anything that comes close to it in the concrete jungles of the Bay Area.

It absolutely blankets

Manteca-Ripon-Escalon in nature’s sweetness like so much invisible fog.

Then there is the added bonus of the visual show of white and pink speckled tree branches followed by what appears like a dainty snowfall blanketing the grounds of tens of thousands of acres of orchards.

And the great thing about it all is the almond blossoms are just the start of nature’s show. Throughout the rest of late winter, spring, summer and into fall the Northern San Joaquin valley offers an abundance of sweet smells produced by nature as well as visual delights.

The sweetness of the approach of spring is just a memory for many old-timers in the Bay Area. It wasn’t that long ago that March meant the almost overpowering smell of sweet citrus filled the air of the Santa Clara Valley.

In life you’ve got to take the bad with the good. And the good in the Northern San Joaquin Valley far outweighs the bad when it comes to smells.

With a little luck, gentle warm days will follow the rains as they subside.

Wind is not good for the delicate blossoms. Besides,

FACTS

FROM PAGE C6

the gentler the days, the more intoxicating the nights are with the scent of almond blossoms.

It’s tough to beat having the windows open at night this time of year while a gentle breeze carries the tantalizingly sweet and potent elixir as you slip into a sweet slumber.

It’s nature’s ultimate love potion. What better way to shake the fog-induced valley blues? The sweetness of spring

competitor which is Iowa. California produced 13.7 percent of the nation’s $515 billion in agricultural crops last year with most that in the 450 mile long and the 40 to 60 mile wide Great Central Valley.

And yes, we do indeed have a lot of fruits and nuts in this state. In fact two thirds of all fruits and nuts grown in this country are from California.

will soon to come out of hiding in nature’s woody jewel boxes. You will be able to smell it in the damp silage piles at dairies. It is reflected already in a handful of ornamental shrubs and trees starting to produce a growing cascade of red, pink and white blossoms. You can see it in the elegant camellias here and there with perfect blooms starting to form against waxy leaves. Trying to describe the sweetness of this time of year to someone who hasn’t

experienced it is difficult. No words exist that are strong enough to describe the embracing of the senses — vision, smell and even touch.

It is just a matter of days before the blooms will burst forth in mass turning the countryside into a gorgeous portrait of pink and white above intense light green grass.

The dampness of winter is fleeing. The cold is starting to disappear. The gloom and doom of tule fog is in its final days

The buzz of the bees will soon be audible almost everywhere you turn.

But nothing will be more overwhelming than the scent of nirvana in the form of almond blossoms. It overtakes you on every breath 24/7 for days. If it is a real gentle landing into spring, it will last for a week if you’re lucky.

The dance of the almond blossoms is the first act in a non-stop show that continues virtually unabated until December in the Northern

San Joaquin Valley when Mother Nature slips not into a deep sleep as she does in the Midwest, South, East and Pacific Northwest but into a gentle slumber. And what better way to come out of that slumber than to answer the call of the grand lady of the earth’s siren call in all of its white and pink glory.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, e-mail dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com

nutrient-dense foods.

They are the fifth biggest California export after, in descending order, computer and electronic manufacturing, transportation equipment manufacturing, machinery manufacturing, and chemical manufacturing.

Overall the direct economic benefit to the state is pegged at $9.2 billion and directly/indirectly provides 110,000 jobs.

This might surprise you but there are more than 100 varieties of almonds grown in California. The nonpareil is the leading variety followed by Monterey, Butte, Carmel, and Padre.

Almonds are not grown commercially anywhere else in the country. That’s because nowhere else in the

California exports almonds to 90 countries. The top importer is India. The $330 million they bought in 2023 constituted the largest commodify this country exported to India. Almost 70 percent of all exported almonds are shelled.

nation is there a state can replicate California’s hot dry Mediterranean climate with a well-developed water infrastructure system.

Here are a few more tidbits about California almonds:

More than 90 percent of all almond farms are family farms.

 Many farms are second and third generation.

 Farmers have reduced the amount of water needed for grow a pound of almonds over the last 20 years by 33 percent.

Growers are working on reducing that by another 20 percent by the end of 2025 using micro-irrigation techniques.

Dormant almond orchards are being explored as a viable way to disperse excess storm water in wet

years to replenish underground aquifers. Initial analysis shows 675,000 acres of almonds have soul conducive for that purpose.

No part of the almond goes to waste. The shells are used for livestock bedding and as dairy feed. They also can be used to generate electricity as can the trees at the end of their lives.

 Although the California Almond Board won’t shout about it due to the environmental lobby, but as a hard wood almond logs are considered more effective in this that still have wood bending fireplaces.

There are 7,600 almond farms in California.

 The pollination of almond orchards is the biggest of its kind drawing honey bee hives from across the nation in what is also the first crop pollination of the year.

 Blue Diamond indicates depending upon the variety and conditions it can take an almond tree five to 12 years to start producing almonds.

 Most almond trees produce almonds for 25 years.

The nuts, depending upon the variety, can take 180 to 240 days to mature.

 Research shows California almonds have a lower-carbon footprint than a number of otherness

An average commercial almond tree yields between 50 and 65 pounds.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com