Fresno still holds a few surprises
Fresno Chandler Executive Airport is located less than two miles from the Fresno city center. People may not believe that a town that's smack in the middle of the seemingly endless San Joaquin Valley is a likely destination, but Fresno will surprise you. I stopped for a short visit recently and was pleasantly surprised by the wide, tree-lined streets. I also was led to a couple of noteworthy attractions.
For some pilots the fact that the on-field restaurant is under new, experienced management will be enticement enough for a landing. Others want better reasons for a visit — two good reasons are a museum that contains one of the best history lessons in any California town and an amazing zoo.
That amazing zoo
One of the big attractions at Fresno's zoo is the gardenlike setting. Unlike other zoos I've visited in California, the Fresno zoo is situated in the middle of a zoological garden. The official name is the Chaffee Zoological Gardens of Fresno ( www.fresnozoo.org).
This is the zoo for California animal lovers. There is a wide variety of animals and they seem very content and comfortable. It hasn't always been that way. When general curator Dale R. Thompson arrived seven years ago the animal enclosures were small concrete cages. Without much money, Thompson and a hardworking crew of volunteers and zoo staff members started demolishing the old cages and have spent the past six years creating comfortable homes for the zoo's animals.
The zoo officially started after World War II but Thompson dates the start from 1949. That's when lunch-money nickels and dimes from Fresno's schoolchildren piled up enough to buy Nosey, a female Asian elephant. She's still there. So are Bosco, a 43-year-old male chimpanzee, as well as Bulgy, a 49-year-old male hippopotamus, and Bubbles, his mate. The pair have produced 17 calves for Fresno's zoo patrons. Critters are thriving at the Chaffee zoo as evidenced by the birth of many offspring this year. Two baby giraffes — Jasiri and Makali — red-ruffed lemur twins, and two newborn Columbus monkeys are just a part of the zoo's bounty.
Not too long ago the zoo was in danger of losing its accreditation because of lack of funding when a young girl named Angel Arellano sparked interest in the zoo by writing a letter to The Fresno Bee asking Fresno's citizens to help feed the animals. The "Angel Fund" swelled to $850,000. Fresno's voters recently approved a measure that will adequately fund the zoo for the foreseeable future. Thanks to Thompson — and his volunteers and staff — fly-in visitors can stop by regularly to watch the expansion of one of California's finest zoos.
The Legion of Valor
Californians who accept that battlefield valor is an exceptional response to an unnatural condition should visit Fresno's Legion of Valor Museum. It's housed inside the Fresno Memorial Auditorium Building across the street from the historic Fresno water tower on Fresno Street. The Legion of Valor is an association of those whose valor has been recognized by the award of the Medal of Honor of the Navy, the Army, or the Air Force — or the Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, or Air Force Cross.
This free museum is cited by the Fresno superintendent of schools as being "the best history class in Fresno," and it's easy to see why. Visitors will see exhibits ranging from D rations to V-mail to models of airplanes and ships. They will see a brown cardboard box inscribed with "B1 Unit Ham and Eggs chopped" and wonder — as I did — what the contents tasted like. They'll see a wide range of uniforms. They will read heart-rending letters written by fellow soldiers to the parents of fallen comrades, and they will learn of the sacrifices that American citizens had to make during the chaotic days of World War II when rationing of sugar, gasoline, and other seemingly essential commodities was nationwide. They'll read a handwritten letter by England's King George V to a World War I doughboy that says in part: "I wish that I could shake the hand of each one of you & bid you God speed on your mission."
The artifacts and memorabilia shown are authentic and beautifully displayed. The staff has taken a subject that tends to bring out extreme reactions and tastefully illustrated the reality of our nation's struggle for freedom by crafting a factual, educational experience within the walls of this beautifully restored building. Museum hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Web site is online ( www.legionofvalormuseum.org).
The Fresno airports
I landed on Runway 30L at Fresno Chandler Executive Airport, the smaller of Fresno's two commercial airports. Chandler field dates from the late 1920s and is Fresno's original airport. There are two parallel runways, but plans are in motion to close 30R/12L to develop more businesses and hangars on the east side of the airport.
The Class C airspace of Fresno's big airport — Fresno Yosemite International — is active to the surface just to the east of state Route 99. Therefore, patterns to Runway 30R/12L at Chandler should be flown to the west of the highway.
One of the best pieces of news for Fresno-bound fliers is the Chandler Runway Cafe. Ida Robinson — who used to run the Fat and Sassy Café at Shafter-Minter Field and Ida Mae's in downtown Bakersfield — has recently signed a long-term lease to run the café, which is located in the 1940s-era art deco-style terminal building located at the south end of Runway 30L. The café is open Tuesday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. It's closed on Sunday and opens on Monday at 11 a.m. Call 559/459-0630 to make arrangements for meetings or group events.
Fresno Yosemite International Airport serves this town of 459,000 with air-carrier services, has parallel runways, and has the Kitty Hawk Restaurant & Lounge in the terminal building. This part of California is subject to ground fog — called "tule fog" by the locals — during winter months. The weather information from the ATIS at Fresno Yosemite International Airport is a good adjunct to the AWOS-3 at Chandler.
The Chaffee Zoological Gardens, the Legion of Valor Museum, and the Runway Cafe represent just a taste of Fresno's fascinations. Visitors may be surprised to find pamphlets at the visitors center such as A Self-Guided Ethnic Sacred Places Tour or tourist attractions such as the Forestiere Underground Gardens. For more information, call the visitors bureau at 559/621-4900 or visit the Web site ( www.fresnocvb.org).
E-mail the author at [email protected].
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