No Overnight Camping
October 9, 2008 – 6:39 pm
June 3, 1978In the newpaper business it’s called wild art, a self contained photo that does not require a story. Wayne Nicholls spotted a scofflaw duck at Laguna Lake and made this feature photo.
Surf's Up, the Sentinals rock the Central Coast
October 7, 2008 – 5:26 pm
March 16, 1963
They are arguably the biggest band ever to break out of San Luis Obispo.
Here is the lede of the story by Tom Valentine published in the Central Coast Living section:
Six dynamic young men give San Luis Obispo a claim to modern musical fame.
A group of San Luis Obispo high school musicians, known as the Sentinals, have found nationwide favor with their spontaneous showmanship and rhythmic stylings.
The surf band started playing in 1961. I wish I could find the negatives but before 1970 the Vault is fairly scrambled.
In addition to playing local halls like the Elks Club and the Fremont Theater they toured with headliners the Four Seasons. They set an attendance record in Fresno with a concert that drew 4,000.
The band included Tommy Nunes, lead guitar; Kenny Hinkle vocals; Johnny Barbata, drums; Ben Trout, bass; Harry Sackrider rhythm guitar; and Bobby Holmquist saxophone.
The Tribune ran a story August 14, 2005 about the drummer when he published a book about his rock and roll life.
By Patrick S. Pemberton
The TribuneAt the peak of his career, Johny Barbata played drums on dozens of albums, performed in packed stadiums and rubbed elbows with rock’s most recognizable superstars. Yet his fondest memories are with a little-known Central Coast surf band.
“That’s where my roots were — San Luis Obispo,” Barbata said.
The Sentinals never experienced the success of Barbata’s later groups, but the band did have a single, “Latinia,” that garnered lots of airplay in the West.
“Our friends couldn’t believe that we were in high school and had a hit,” Barbata said.
The drummer recently returned to San Luis Obispo to perform with one of his old bandmates, local musician Tommy Nunes, and to pitch his book, “Johny Barbata: The Legendary Life of a Rock Star Drummer.”
As the title suggests, Barbata isn’t overly modest about his accomplishments, which includes stints with Jefferson Starship and Crosby Stills Nash & Young.
Barbata’s father, a Snap-On Tool salesman, moved the family to the Central Coast from New York State for better job opportunities. While attending San Luis Obispo High School, Barbata hooked up with the Sentinals. The modest success the band had was enough to convince Barbata to move to Los Angeles and delve into the music scene.
There he sat in with musicians until he was noticed. Eventually, he was invited to join the Turtles. Barbata’s drums can be heard on the group’s biggest hits, including the harmony-laced “Happy Together.”
“I remember one time, spinning the dial, I heard it three times on three different stations at the same time,” Barbata said in a telephone interview. “That was a good sign.”
1910 era San Luis Obispo saloon
October 5, 2008 – 5:36 pm
I don’t have to tell you, times are tough today. It’s time to head down to the saloon and toss one down the hatch.
This undated, uncaptioned bar was somewhere in San Luis Obispo. There was a choice of whiskey from Irving’s to The Old Government or you could tap the barrel of Tennessee Moonshine.
The last item was rung up for 95 cents on the register. Cigar boxes of San Luis Perfecto’s are on the top of the bar.
The lights were both gas and electric; my guess is this in the 1910’s.
Spittoons lined the floor; it is likely only refined lady ever in the place was the picture on the wall.
Last call historians, anyone know where this is or recognize the people?
Abalone Alliance Concert
October 3, 2008 – 12:56 pm
June 30, 1979
It was San Luis Obispo County’s Woodstock only with less mud, sex, drugs or rock and roll but more politics. They estimated 20,000 would attend.
Over 30,000 people jammed Highway 1 for a combination music festival and anti-nuclear rally.
It was held on the Army airstrip behind Cuesta College almost three months to the day of the partial meltdown at the Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania. With the prospect of a new nuclear power plant opening soon at Diablo Canyon tensions were high.
The seven hour rally featured Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr., actor 
Mike Farrell of M*A*S*H, Daniel Ellsburg, County Supervisor Richard J. Krejsa, Friends of the Earth founder David Brower and U.C. Berkley professor John Gofman.
The singers included Bonnie Raitt, Peter Yarrow, Jesse Colin Young, Jackson Browne and Graham Nash.
Quoting the lede of the page 1 story by Carl Neiburger:
Before Edmund G. Brown Jr. was allowed to walk on state at Saturday’s anti-nuclear rally at Camp San Luis Obispo, the Democratic Governor had to assure rally organizers that he would do everything in his power to stop the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant.
The five-member Abalone Alliance ‘rally collective’ had spend about an hour listening to what the governor wanted to say, discussing it with him and then- in Brown’s absence- coming to a “consensus” that he should be allowed to address the audience.
Brown told the crowd of about 30,000 people, “I’ve just decided to join your effort to deny a license to the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. I personally intend to pursue every avenue of appeal if the Nuclear Regulatory Commission ignores the will of this community.”
He got a minute long standing ovation before and after the speech.
Some members of the alliance, a confederation of anti nuclear groups throughout the state, were less-than-enthusiastic.
Spokeswoman Marcy Darnovsky of Berkley quit, saying, “The Abalone Alliance was not formed to be a platform for candidates for elective office.”
Tom Hayden wasn’t allowed to speak because he hadn’t been invited to the rally and hadn’t taken a firm stand against the plant according to another Abalone Alliance spokeswoman.
At this point it was estimated that PG&E had $1.6 billion invested in the plant.
By 1982 Brown was out of office, Unit 1 opened in November 1984 and Unit 2 in August 1985.
Bonnie Raitt is returning to the county for a concert on October 5 with Cambria singer songwriter Jude Johnstone opening.
Aerial photos by Wayne Nicholls, rally photos by Tony Hertz
Harvest Festival Parade
September 30, 2008 – 6:00 pm
October 1, 1966
Arroyo Grande celebrated their 71st Harvest Festival last weekend. By my reckoning that makes it the second oldest celebrated festival in the county. The Harvest Festival began in 1937 and Paso Robles kicked off the first Pioneer Day in 1931. San Luis Obispo first celebrated La Fiesta de las Flores in 1925 to help restore the fire damaged Mission but that event faded out in the mid-1990’s.
Correct me if you have another nominee.
Markets were smaller in 1966, they didn’t supersize untill later. JoEllen Childers, Tribune south county sales representative, confirms that the Williams Brothers Market location is now the home of Donna’s Interiors.
I used to think Telegram-Tribune was a long name to place on the masthead of a paper, then I found out about the Five Cities Times-Press-Recorder. That’s a lot of ink to spill every week on a nameplate.
According to Tribune production manager Warren Blankenburg this TPR building is now home to Poor Richard’s Press and the Paint shop has been replaced by Mid-State, er, Rabobank.
For reasons lost to time these photos didn’t run in the next paper. My guess is that with over 48 hours between the event Saturday morning and the next paper hitting the doorstep Monday afternoon the editors wanted something fresher for the pages.
The photo they did use was shot Monday morning at Sinsheimer Elementary School as Educational Television was unveiled for 2,000 students across the county. KQED in San Francisco broadcast a program covering math, science and geography. Technical difficulties prevented several schools from getting a signal.
No word on how effective the programming was. Sesame Street would first air over two years later in Philadelphia, July 1969.
My guess is we will rely on teachers for the foreseeable future.
The main headline was one repeated often in The Telegram-Tribune throughout the 1966, the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army are on the run.
If you have more information on the photos please share a comment.
