Category: Membership

May 2021 Newsletter

From the President
Michael F Ballard

Things seem to be going well for the Association. In the short time since we were founded, we have completed our first project, obtained our 501(c)3 status, attracted members, got a proper bank account, raised funds, and have been in the news. We are still a small organization but we are growing. It has been a lot of work so far but it has also been a lot of fun. Reaching out to so many places throughout California and getting more ideas about what we can do to help has been quite a learning experience.

The part I enjoy the most is talking with so many different people about the highway. Some share their own memories and thoughts about the roadway while others get excited to learn about a bit of history that passes their way. This Association was founded for those people and more. We strive to help educate those along the roadway about what that strip of asphalt and concrete has meant to so many in the past and will mean to so many in the future. Historic Route signs are one method we can do while things are still not fully open. Perhaps later this year, we may start to hold public events starting in Southern California.

I want to thank everyone that has donated funds, became a member, or otherwise contributed in some way to this Association. We couldn’t do it without you!

Advocacy / Projects

We are currently working on the early stages of several projects. We will be reaching out to the cities in the Imperial Valley soon for new Historic Route signing projects. We are also looking into placing signs in the city of Madera. If you would like to help with any of these, or other projects, we can certainly use additional support from fundraising, outreach, and technical support.

We are also looking to add information about points of interest along US 99 throughout California on our website. Museums, bridges, old alignments of significance, restaurants, and more are planned to be covered. We need your help with this project. If you are interested in helping, contact us and let us know what you’d like to work on or add.

Events

Our monthly Zoom meetings have been a success so far and we intend to keep them going. On May 4, 2021 at 6 pm, we will have a Zoom presentation on “Finding Old Highways”. This presentation will cover topics such as concrete paving types, roadway striping, survey monuments, bridges, and more. Come join us, learn about how you can find the old highway, and share your knowledge with others! Registration is required for all Zoom meetings.

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwkdOutqD0rEtZNYty8yuvTMQFeelJrqNUc

Fundraising

On April 19, 2021, we finally received our IRS Determination Letter approving our application for a 501(c)3! As of 4/30/2021, we also have a bank account, which means we can finally accept checks. With these now in place, we hope fundraising will be at least slightly easier. With this new boost, we will be reaching out to a lot more places to get the word out. So far, we have raised $300 since our last project was completed. More is certainly needed and, now with our 501(c)3, your contributions will be tax-deductible. Funds so far have been raised through memberships and general donations.

Donations

Membership

I first would like to welcome all our new members. Your support is most appreciated. We are currently holding a membership drive with a 25% discount on annual memberships until June 30, 2021. Your tax-deductible membership dues go toward our efforts to promote and preserve one of California’s most historic roadways. We are currently up to 16 members since we started our memberships in March. Business members will be listed on our “99 Supporters” page and get a chance to be featured in our newsletter. Join now and save!

Membership

Featured Book

From Steve Newvine –

A two-hundred mile span of Highway 99 is the foundation of a book by California author Steve Newvine.  “9 From 99- Experiences in California’s Central Valley”, begins in Stockton and takes the reader to nine stops heading south on the historic highway.  Each location affords Steve the opportunity to explore the typical attractions as well as some “off the beaten path” stops all the way down to Bakersfield and beyond.  The book was first published in 2010, and then updated in 2013.  It’s available in printed formats through Lulu.com and as an ebook at BarnesandNoble.com

Lulu

9 From 99 – Experiences in the Central Valley|NOOK Book

Featured Image

This photo comes to us from one of our members – Carol Steele. The photo shows a very beaten US 99 shield, strangely without a Division of Highways or Auto Club logo. The back of the photo is handwritten in ink “Mike, May 5, 1939, Redding, Calif.”

April 2021 Newsletter

A word from our Secretary

What a great start for the Historic Highway 99 Association! Hello everyone, my name is Vicki Farmwald and I am the new Secretary for the Association. It’s amazing to see how much can be accomplished even during these unprecedented times. People coming together for a single purpose, acknowledging the importance of this historic highway and its preservation. So on March 24, 2021, our first project saw the installation of two replacement Historic Route 99 signs in Calexico, CA. These new signs are located at the corners of 1st St at Heffernan Ave and 2nd St at Imperial Ave. We are onto a great start and it’s just the beginning! Thank you for being a part of the Association and helping preserve our history.

Advocacy / Projects

At the new BEGIN sign in Calexico, CA

On March 24, 2021, we successfully completed our first project, the replacement of two faded Historic Route signs in Calexico, California. This project, done in cooperation with the City of Calexico, is rather fitting as our first. The southern terminus of US 99 was in Calexico, so no better place to start than the beginning.

Calexico Signs Posted!

This project wouldn’t have been possible without the donations we have received and your support. We wish to thank all those that were involved with the project and a special Thank You to Lilliana Falomir, Public Works Manager for the City of Calexico. We do look forward to working with the city in replacing the remaining signs in time.

Fundraising

Currently, we are still in the process of obtaining our 501(c)3 status. Our application is a bit delayed but hopefully we will hear something by late April. Once we obtain the status, we will be able to open a regular bank account, which will help with our fundraising efforts. So far, we have raised funds via PayPal for our projects and memberships. All those that have donated will receive a formal letter for their taxes once our status comes through. We can certainly use your support! Donate and/or become a member.

Donations

Outreach

1932 side of the Piru Creek Bridge in Piru Gorge, Los Angeles County, California

Slowly but surely, we are reaching out to local historical societies, businesses, clubs, and other groups along US 99. So far, the feedback has been positive. We are hosting monthly Zoom meetings, https://historic99.org/meetings/, which will have a presentation on various Highway 99 topics. This month, on April 6, there will be a presentation on the history of the Ridge Route Alternate portion of the highway.

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwlf-6srDIqHdRkYBHsG8jzi8D68Gtys-dF

Membership

We now have memberships available! We are up to 14 members as of March 31, not bad for a first month. Your memberships help us grow and achieve our goals to promote and preservation on of California’s most historic roadways. The next two months we are also running a special on memberships. Use code “SAVE99” on the membership application and save $5 off your first year, regardless of what level membership you are getting.

For our business members, we want to help you! We will list your business on our 99 Businesses page and you will get a chance at ad space in our newsletter. We may also do a feature on one of them on the site and newsletter.

Membership

Featured Book

This comes from one of our recent members who recently published a new book on US 99:

Hello members,

I’m very happy to be a new member of Historic Highway 99 Association of California and look forward to hearing about all the Club news.

I’ve been fascinated with Highway 99…California and Oregon…for decades. This led me to my current collection of hundreds of vintage postcards showing scenes of Highway 99 and its roadside attractions and businesses covering the decades up to the 1960s.

I’m excited to share with you my newly published book: A PICTORIAL HISTORY of HIGHWAY 99~The Scenic Route~From Redding, California to Portland, Oregon. You can see more of it on Amazon.com.  The book has 423 pages and over 600 photos of scenes along Highway 99; all taken from my postcard collection mentioned above.

Respectully submitted,

Carole MacRobert Steele

Photo of the Month

Golden State Avenue looking north from 23rd St / Junction US 466

For April, we are featuring a postcard from the 1950’s showing Golden State Avenue in central Bakersfield looking north from 23rd St. Here, US 99 met US 466 and State 178. Today, US 466 is gone entirely and State 178 has been moved to a freeway near the top of the postcard. The concrete paving, from the 1940’s, is still there as is the Kelly Springfield Tire sign, though covered with a new company. The intersection at the bottom is now Sumner St (relocated in 1987).

March 2021 Newsletter

A Word from Our Treasurer – Sara Lazarus

Sara at work inspecting some highway signs.

Greetings and Welcome to the Historic Highway 99 Association of California’s monthly newsletter! My name is Sara Lazarus and I am the Treasurer of the Association. We are a young, but growing group of Highway 99 enthusiasts who share one common goal: Preserving the original sections of Highway 99 and the stories of those involved. As time goes on, and with help from our Members, donors and volunteers, we will be working on installing new signage, telling the stories of Businesses, Families and detailing historic events along the highway. None of these things could happen, however, without all of you, our Members. With your support, we can all help to preserve the history of California’s Main Street. As we speak, we have ordered our first new signage for the City of Calexico, California and are awaiting delivery to their Public Works Department. These signs will be going up on First at Heffernan and Second at Imperial in the not-too-distant future. We are also in the process of working with other entities throughout the State to determine signing and material needs. Thank you all for being a part of this organization and helping to save history.

Advocacy / Projects

Original sign, since replaced in Mountain Gate.

A report from Mountain Gate in Shasta County (Region 1) regarding our last “99 Alert“:

On Feb 4th, a Historic US 99 sign in the Community of Mountain Gate, CA was discovered to be stolen using a metal  saw. The local historian on his local walk discovered the sign missing and reported it to Shasta County Public Works. He made a hypothetical guess that it was stolen during the recent snow storm since Interstate 5 closes near the spot where the sign is located and the roadways turned into a parking lot for people wishing to drive forward. This guess was because the sign was at that location a few days before the snow storm hit. The historian also sent a message to the local community Facebook page as well as the Historic US 99 and the historic enamel California signs asking for their help in the location of the sign. Some of the members wondered if the county or the state knocked down the sign with a snow plow but Caltrans and Shasta County Public Works confirmed that the sign was not knocked down to their knowledge which also confirmed that the sign was stolen. Shasta County Public Works then after waiting for a week went ahead and got a sign purchased as per to the original agreement between the County and Mountain Gate in regards to the Historic US 99 signs. They also then installed the sign afterwards. The new sign is of the same size as the old one but it has modern reflective materials. The Mountain Gate, CA historian is quite grateful for the assistance of everyone willing to help. This Historic US 99 project is not the final one for this area…Someday I hope to see these roads repaved with the original materials but to modern specs.

-Mountain Gate, CA Historian

Fundraising

Fundraising has been slow but steady. While we have not yet reached our main funding goal, we did get enough to pay for two signs in Calexico. We currently have one main fundraiser going for a stock of now eight signs for Banning and Beaumont. Other projects, beyond sign projects, are still in the works. We do wish to thank all that have donated so far to our cause. Once we obtain our 501c3 status, you will be given a proper receipt for tax purposes.

Donations

Outreach

We are still working to contact the various agencies, historical societies, and clubs along US 99 in California. This is a slow process but so far successful. We are also now hosting monthly meetings via Zoom. Our first will be held on March 4 at 5:30 pm. Join us and meet the Association! If you’d like to join our meeting, please register using the link below. Future meetings will be posted on our site. We are still working on a regular time and date for the meeting, so it may change slightly each month for now.

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0qdO-spj4pGdclKQvOkP1VAnf-pYIEtX4D

Membership

Starting March 1, we officially have a membership program. We decided to proceed without our 501c3 as we anticipate it coming through in the very near future. Sign ups, for now, are completely online. Join us and help our organization grow! If you join now, your membership will be valid until the end of March 2022. In the future, once we have a 501c3, we will also accept applications through the mail.

Membership

Photo of the Month

Mt Shasta from Redding, California. Courtesy – Michael F Ballard

This month, we feature a photo showing a snow-capped Mt Shasta peeking out from the mountains north of Redding, CA at the intersection of Lake Blvd and State 273 (old US 99) in Region 1. Mt Shasta is the most picturesque mountain in all of California, in my opinion. The photo was taken in October 2007 on a trip to see what parts of US 99 were exposed at Lake Shasta. That year, the water level was low enough to see most of the old highway but nearly as much as just a year later in October 2008 when it was possible to traverse almost all of old US 99 from O’Brien Inlet to Lakehead.

Errata

We want to hear from you! One of our goals is to promote local businesses. If you own a business along old US 99 and are looking for more exposure, join us and we will feature your business in our newsletter and our website. If you would like to have one of your photos featured in our newsletter, send us a message!

Contact Information

Membership Update

We are finally starting memberships! All memberships this started this month will be effective March 1, 2021. We are still waiting for our 501(c)3 status to come through, but it should be sometime in March. Your contributions will allow us to continue projects like ours in Calexico, to help promote the highway as well as the towns and businesses along it, and preserve what is left of former US Highway 99.

Come join us!

Membership Coming

While we aren’t currently a membership organization, we will be soon. Our plan is to implement memberships once we get our 501c3 status in the next couple of months. The new membership structure, what is involved with each level, and what benefits there may be are still being investigated. We will also be looking into discounts at various museums related to 99 as a benefit to membership. More information will be given as it gets closer.

If you are interested in becoming a member, please subscribe to the site. All updates will be automatically sent to you.