The Corcoran Journal

Graveside services were held Dec. 6 at Corcoran District Cemetery for Rosealee Rowe, 89, who died Nov. 28 in Tulare.

Mass services were held in Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church for Esperanza Corona, 89, who died Nov. 27 surrounded by her family.

Brian Lee Flaherty, 27, also known to his friends as “Smallz”, was born on June 19,1991 in Hanford, California. He passed away on Sunday, Dec. 9, 2018.

Former Corcoran City Councilman Merrill Sonny Oxford, 77, died Dec. 3 in Reedley.

The 5th annual Meet the Need event was held Saturday in Corcoran. Members of the both the Corcoran Police Department and Kings County Fire Department set up a canned food drive in front of Cost less Foods Saturday morning. And that evening the event continued at Harvest Community Baptist Church where a taco contest was held and food baskets and coats were given to needy families.

Airplanes--that’s what attracted a 17-year-old Steve White to Lakeland Dusters in 1967. Much has changed over the years he said including the name—the company is now known as Lakeland Aviation.

It began years ago with a promise—a promise by a grieving father for his deceased son. Fidel and Rosa Rios of Corcoran have held a celebration every December, the weekend prior to Dec. 12 which is the recognized Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe (Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe), who is a popular Catholic Saint. The feast celebrates the belief that a man encountered the Mary, the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico City on Dec. 12, 1531. Many faithful Catholics celebrate this day with a feast much like Rosa and Fidel Rios of Corcoran.

As you drive on Main Street downtown it’s hard not to notice work being done on the building located at 1017 Whitley. New windows have been placed in front and plenty of work has been done inside in preparation for the opening of the Lake Bottom Brewery and Distillery. The brewery is looking to open its doors early next year. Owner Fred Figueroa Sr. and his crew have been putting in countless  hours of work to provide Corcoran with a cool place to hang out.

Brothers Justin and Kevin George of Corcoran are busy planning for their trip to New Zealand next year. The boys are going to compete in the Long Range World Championships which will be held Jan. 26-Feb. 10 at Seddon range, Trentham, Upper Hutt, New Zealand.

Safety and Security Coordinator Laura Duran and her K9 partner Jax gave a demonstration at a recent Corcoran Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting. Jax, a Belgian Malinois is trained to detect narcotics and firearms.