“I had no idea the book club would be so popular,” said owner Candy Knauth. “It just keeps growing and growing. I’m going to have to start rearranging the bar’s tables so there’s enough room for everyone. That’s a great thing, and I love it.”

Owning a place where she could share her interest in and passion for wine with others was a “retirement dream” for Knauth, a 30-year Oroville resident and retired teacher. In 2020, during COVID, Knauth completed an online sommelier course. So, when the space at 1440 Myers St. in the historic downtown district became available in 2021, she was ready and — in partnership with her husband, David — decided to make the dream a reality.

The space was “gutted,” but Knauth loved the location. It was familiar to her, having been the site many years ago of the now long-closed record store called The Underground where she’d worked while a student at Las Plumas High School.

Starting from scratch, Knauth was able to design a space with pleasant ambient lighting, tile, wood and leather to create her vision of an “upscale, classy, mellow” bar with an “Italian vibe.”

“I wanted to open a bar where I could share my interest and passion for wine with others,” said Knauth. “It’s about more than drinking wine; it’s about teaching people about wine, educating and sharing my knowledge with others.”

And Knauth has been able to do just that since she opened the doors to Villavino two years ago this month. The intimate bar offers beer and more than 35 different wines from around the world but “mostly from California because, let’s face it, we do grow the best grapes for wine,” she said.

Since shortly after its opening, Villavino has also been home to the monthly book club where anywhere from eight to 16 people gather at 6 p.m. with a glass of wine, or a bottle if they’re attending with friends, to enjoy some snacks and discuss the club’s most recent “good read.”

“I’d never heard of a bar hosting a book club, but I thought it would be fun,” said Knauth. “I love to read. I know a lot of girls who like to read, and I just thought I’d see how much interest there was. It took off like wildfire.”

The book club is open to anyone 21 or older and can be joined at any time.

“All you need to do is show up,” said Knauth. “We post what book we’re reading for the month on our Facebook page. You don’t have to have read the book to come to your first meeting. You can start with the next book.”

Members decide which book to read every month through a drawing. Participants write titles on slips of paper and place them in a big jar, from which Knauth draws the new selection. The books vary in genre and length so “we’re not stuck reading the same thing every month. People have different tastes, and that’s what makes it interesting,” she said.

In January, the group read “Remarkably Bright Creatures,” by Shelby Van Pelt — and this month’s selection, which will be discussed at the March meeting, is “Boys in the Boat,” by Daniel James Brown.

Friends Diana Warren and Michaela Herbert are long-time club members who say they “enjoy the lively discussions.”

“I love the conversations, talking about what we read: if we did or didn’t finish it, or if we did or didn’t like the book. It’s always fun,” said Warren. “When I get ready to come here, my family teases me, saying, ‘Have fun at wine club.’”

For Herbert, joining a book club was something she always wanted to do, and Villavino’s offered her the perfect opportunity to unwind with a glass of wine and “come together over books with different women.”

“I love hearing everybody’s opinion, everybody’s different input,” said Herbert. “It’s really interesting to share what you think with other women and to hear their perspective and thoughts.”

In addition to the book club, Villavino occasionally hosts other special events, including live music and trivia nights. The bar is also open for all downtown festivals and events, and is available to rent for private parties. Regular business hours are Wednesdays and Thursday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Reach Kyra Gottesman at kgottesman@chicoer.com.

In its request to the state to allow it to move away from traditional telephone services, the company provided a list of locales it plans to withdraw from. Nearly all of Butte County was on the list including both incorporated and unincorporated regions along with their surrounding areas.

This extended to all California counties including Glenn and Tehama.

The request created a stir among rural communities that don’t have reliable cell reception, are lacking quality internet services and frequently see major weather events and disasters.

Recently, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office went as far as to ask the county Board of Supervisors to pen a letter to the state of California opposing AT&T’s request. Sheriff Kory Honea cited public safety concerns given Butte County’s extensive history with both natural disasters, severe weather events and the need for clear communication to residents in the event of an emergency.

AT&T’s request

In the executive summary of AT&T’s request to California, it states that the company is moving away from traditional landlines in favor of newer technologies. It also states that it is not looking to completely relieve itself of its Carrier of Last Resort Status yet.

“For the few customers who currently lack an alternative to AT&T California’s basic voice service, AT&T California would continue offering voice service on the same terms as before until an alternative becomes available,” the summary reads.

AT&T spokesperson Chris Collins said the number of basic telephone service customers has dropped overall, adding that AT&T does not yet plan to immediately shut down basic telephone service.

“There’s been a dramatic, and continuing, decline in the number of customers who subscribe to our traditional landline voice service over the last two decades,” Collins said. “We are not canceling landline service in California, and none of our California customers will lose access to voice service or 911 service. We are focused on enhancing our network with more advanced, higher-speed technologies like fiber and wireless, which consumers are increasingly demanding over outdated copper-based services. No customer will be disconnected, and we’re working with the remaining consumers who use traditional landline service to upgrade to newer technologies.”

Public safety concerns

Honea recently sat in on a meeting consisting of local law enforcement leaders and representatives of AT&T. The sheriff said he learned of the company’s concerns regarding the cost of phone line upkeep in a world where technology is rapidly changing and older parts are increasingly hard to come by.

While Honea said he sympathized with AT&T’s claims, the potential risk in terms of public safety was too high.

“In many respects, we’ve become over reliant on newer forms of technology and don’t realize how fragile those systems are, “Honea said. “Obviously this request by AT&T to move away from providing landline service, especially in remote, rural areas, causes me a lot of concern. There’s a tendency for people to get lulled into a false sense of security with technology.”

Honea said for many, cell phones and data work as intended for most living in incorporated areas, but problems arise in areas where cell towers aren’t close enough to be reliable.

“On a day-to-day basis, it works well,” Honea said. “The problem is that there are parts of California and Butte County where infrastructure for that technology isn’t as robust as some urban areas. If they lose their landlines, they lose the ability to communicate with us in emergency situations. Add on top of that the need for power to run the Voiceover Internet Protocol system. Even if they are able to get service, if they lose power they lose phone service, even in situations like a (public safety power shut-off) event.”

Given Butte County’s history of disasters and near disasters, a web of local agencies has come together in recent years to formulate clear emergency evacuation and communication plans that span across multiple platforms. Honea said this system relies on having as many means of communication as possible, including traditional landlines.

“The last piece that causes me concern is that my experience with disasters has taught me that in emergency situations, trying to alert people and warn them of a threat requires messaging across multiple platforms. Even with all that, we can’t be guaranteed to get the message completely across but in those rural areas that don’t get good cell service, sometimes the best platform is standard, traditional landlines.”

Those affected

For Suzanne Wakim of Magalia, having a steady landline service is a make-or-break deal.

In the 2023 winter, when heavy snow fell over Paradise and Magalia, Wakim was snowed in and couldn’t leave her home. She relied on only her landline as her internet and power failed under a blanket of frost.

“I live in a place with no cell service,” Wakim said. “I do have a cell phone and as long as my Wi-Fi is working, I can connect to service, but I don’t get actual cell reception at all. If something were to happen to me, I have no way to call out to get emergency services for whatever it might be. It would cause legitimate safety concerns for me.”

Wakim went on to say that the loss of landline services could prompt her to move somewhere with a better system for communication.

“It’s unconscionable to leave people trapped like that, especially with everything we’ve been dealing with around here,” Wakim said.

Oroville residents Ed and Linda Hemsley, who live in the Skyline-LaMiranda neighborhood east of Oroville and southwest of the Kelly Ridge neighborhood, said while they have a cell phone they depend on their landline for the majority of their calls.

“We don’t get very good cell service here, sometimes just one bar so we can get or send a text but not calls,” said Linda Hemsley. “It would not work for us at all to not have a landline. We don’t like this idea.”

Donna LaGrone, a senior citizen who lives just outside Oroville city limits, said she is not happy about the prospect of losing her landline.

“I do not want my landline taken away. I like it and find it useful,” said LaGrone. “I have much more confidence in my landline than I do my cell. I think many people in the older  generation, including myself, feel more comfortable with a landline than they do a cell.”

For Jeanne Cecchi, owner of Grey Fox Vineyards in east Oroville, the prospect of losing her residential landline would be an inconvenience, but losing the winery’s landline would cost her small business money.

“It would be a real problem and entail extra business expenses,” said Cecchi. “I’d have to get a cell for the business and, just like every other business, I’d have the additional cost of getting all my printed stuff — signs, billboards, business cards and other marketing materials — completely redone. Changing all that would be very expensive. I don’t understand why they want to do this. It’s just ridiculous.”

Cecchi also said that the winery uses a separate landline for its fax machine which the business uses regularly as a more secure form of communication for customer orders and other business because “it is more secure than email.” The facility’s landline also operates the winery’s front gate.

Enloe Health began moving off its landline-dependent phone system and “migrating” to modern technology about five years ago.

“I would say that 99.5%, the vast majority of our communication circuits and design have been off landlines and on modern fiber optics capabnnility for about three years,” said Chris Webb, Enloe Health director of technology. “Our organization works hard to keep critical services modern and secure. This strong proactive work keeps us up-to-date and greatly reduces the impact on operational services when something like this comes up.”

While Webb said he couldn’t speculate about what the CPUC’s final decision regarding AT&T’s request to withdraw as the carrier of last resort will be, he did say if the utility commission does grant the phone company’s request it will have “minimal to zero effect on Enloe’s communication capabilities.”

Many with worries over the potential agreement have turned to local organizations like the Butte County Fire Safe Council, which has connected residents with others to come up with alternative solutions. Fire Safe Council member Jim Houtman said his organization helps facilitate meetings with companies and services to find a plan.

“We have a collaborative group that meets on a regular basis on wildfire protection and forestry needs,” Houtman said. “And we have a lot of connections so trying to make sure that all the pieces are put together and help them subvert disaster.”

Local opposition

The Butte County Board of Supervisors sent a letter to the California Public Utilities Commission opposing the company’s request, citing safety concerns in emergency events as well as power outages. AT&T is considered by the state to be a what it calls a “carrier of last resort,” which means the company has an obligation to provide what is referred to as “plain old telephone service.”

In the letter, the county cites the numerous incorporated, unincorporated and rural areas throughout Butte County that rely on landlines, especially in places with weak to no cell reception.

“Many of these localities lack alternative telecommunications options and have poor to no cellular service,” the letter reads. “In fact, it is estimated that 37,711 households within the affected areas only have access to AT&T’s existing copper network. When alternatives do exist, these alternatives are often not affordable and do not have commensurate regulatory treatment or consumer protection.”

Butte County Undersheriff Matthew Calkins brought the item before the board and said the Sheriff’s Office has concerns with the request as well when conducting its duties.

“Primarily, the Sheriff’s Office is concerned about two different things,” Calkins said. “First, our ability to reach citizens in our rural areas that rely on traditional landline services to receive emergency alerts and communicate with emergency services. That’s part of a layered system. If we rely on only one form of notification, whether that be cellular, internet or landline, we’re missing out on a lot of people. Having redundancies and having overlapping systems is extremely important to reaching the most people possible in the event of an emergency.”

Calkins said the second cause for concern is that many residents in the county rely solely on a landline for everyday emergencies and the ability to call 911.

“By losing that ability, many of those people will not have a reasonably feasible alternative,” Calkins said. “Cellular does not reach a number of areas in Butte County.”

The board’s letter closes calling for a rejection of AT&T’s request.

“It is essential for customers to retain, at their option, resilient communications services such as (plain old telephone),” the letter reads. “(Carrier of last resort) relief should not be granted without securing widespread alternatives with uniform, technologically neutral minimum service quality standards. For these reasons, we ask the (California Public Utilities Commission) to reject AT&T’s application.”

While Supervisor Bill Connelly said he understood from a business perspective AT&T’s request to withdraw as the designated carrier of last resort from certain areas of the state including those within his own district, he expressed concern the result of the move would be an inability for people to reach emergency services.

“I understand that part of the issue is providing landline services to areas where there are very few customers. It’s not a good business model because there’s no return on investment,” he said. “However in many of these areas that they are talking about pulling out of, like Berry Creek, Feather Falls and Forbestown, there are (cellular) dead areas and landlines are people’s only means of communication.”

Connelly went on to say that if the Public Utilities Commission approved the phone company’s request, then AT&T should provide some other reliable service to customers including increased cell towers or at the “very least” battery-operated FM receivers.

As a carrier of last resort, AT&T is required to provide what it calls “plain old telephone service,” or landline phone service, upon request to all residential and business customers.

While it is not unusual for one company to replace another as a carrier of last resort, AT&T is requesting permission to abandon its obligation without finding a replacement.

According to the Rural County Representatives of California website, if the request is approved by the CPUC, more than 580,000 AT&T customers would be left with fewer options in terms of choice, quality and affordability. Alternative services, such as VoIP and cellular, have no obligation to serve a customer or to provide equivalent services to AT&T landline customers, including no obligation to provide reliable access to 911 or LifeLine program discounts.

The CPUC is hosting a virtual public hearing from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. March 19. To access the hearing by phone call 1-800-857-1917, passcode 6032788#. To access the hearing webcast go to www.adminmonitor.com/ca/cpuc.

The CPUC is also taking public comments at https://bit.ly/3woXOv3.

The drone surveying — funded through a $500,000 grant under the Local Agency Technical Assistance Program and administered by the California Public Utilities Commission — is being conducted in preparation for the installation of high-speed internet services to every address in the city limits when grant funding becomes available, according to Patrick Piatt, Oroville community development director.

“The drone survey is measuring the road distances and topography and once complete, we will have 40 miles of roads mapped,” said Piatt. “This mapping will be the foundation of the project design for the installation of high speed internet throughout the city in the future, once funding is available.”

Currently internet carriers and speeds vary throughout the city. Some areas have high speed connection while other areas have fairly low-speed connection. This mapping is a first-step toward the city’s overall goal to eliminate digital inequity among city residents and businesses.

“Having a project ‘shovel ready,’ having a design ready puts us in a much better position to get grants to install high-speed fiber optic lines. That’s why we applied for the grant to do this initial mapping,” said Piatt. “Sometimes we have to spend a little bit of money now to get a lot of money later.”

“The purpose is to invite a more positive collaboration between the city and the community, said Patrick Piatt, Oroville community development director. “And, to make government less scary to people, easier for them to understand and work with.”

The series of 60- to 90-minute classes will be held in the City Council Chambers at 1735 Montgomery St., on the second Thursday of the month starting at 6 p.m. beginning March 14 and running through Nov. 14.

Advance registration for “Civics 101” is required. Applications are available online at the city’s website. Other than making a commitment to attend all eight sessions, there are no requirements for registration however, space is limited to 50 people so applications will be accepted on a first come, first accepted basis.

The first class will present attendees with an overview of the series, what Piatt describes as a “teaser” for the other sessions. Each subsequent session will focus on one city department including finance, public works, code enforcement, public safety, housing, community development and fire and will be led by the head of each department. During the classes, city staff will talk about the role, responsibilities and capabilities of the different departments as well as the state and federal regulation mandates under which they are required to operate.

“I think this is a really good, an excellent educational opportunity for the public to meet the department heads, really learn about the city government and track its transparency,” said Councilor Shawn Webber.

Piatt said he created “Civics 101” because “nobody has any idea, really, about what we do other than things like police and fire services or paving roads. And, when I tell them all the things I’m working on, they are surprised by all the functions city government covers which, are many.”

The disconnect between citizens and municipal government is not unique to Oroville, said Piatt, whose career in city government spans 30 years.

“The fact is there is a struggle between the community and city in every city I have ever worked in,” said Piatt. “These classes are meant to really provide people with a deeper understanding about how the city works and about how it can function well for them if we all work together.”

Beyond educating people about city government, Piatt said the sessions are also an “open invitation for people to participate with the city.”

“The ultimate goal is to have city government stop being looked at as a thing in people’s way, something to oppose and to look at it as an extension of themselves,” he said. “And the last thing is to demonstrate how the city really is fully transparent with everything we do and show people how to access the information, resources and assistance they need. We are here to work with and serve the community.”

For this yearly event, presented by Explore Butte County, 16 museums located throughout the county will open their doors at no charge to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 24 and 25.

“The purpose of the weekend is to promote and celebrate the arts, history and culture within Butte County,” said Nicole Farley, Explore Butte County executive director.

Special weekend offerings ranging from new exhibits to hands-on activities vary from museum to museum but each location is offering something special to visitors.

In addition to enjoying the current exhibits – “Leonardo d Vinci: Machine in Motion” and “Bombus! A Natural History of Bumblebees” — visitors to the Gateway Science Museum can participate in a scavenger hunt for prizes and in a KEVA plank tower contest to see who can build the tallest structure.

In celebration of its current Snow Goose Festival themed exhibit, the Museum of Northern California Art will be offering various bird-themed activities from collages to toilet paper roll sculptures while the Janet Turner Print Museum is offering a hands-on print making demonstration so participants can take home their own print.

Chico historian David Nopel will present at talk entitled “Another Peek at Chico,” at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday at the Chico History Museum.

Oroville’s “museum mile” offers the curious the opportunity to park once and take an easy walk between the five city-owned museums. It really is just about a mile to go from the C.F. Lott Home to the Feather River Nature Center and visit the Chinese Temple, Bolt’s Antique Tool Museum and the Pioneer History Museum along the way. And the museum mile takes visitors through the heart of historic downtown where there are plenty of places to stop for food, drink and shopping.

“There is so much to see and explore at city museums. I think people will enjoy discovering all that Oroville has to offer,” said Heather McCafferty city of Oroville cultural facilities curator. “There are so many great museums all situated in the historic downtown area, we hope people will come and make a day of it exploring the ‘museum mile.’”

Fresh exhibits at the Oroville museums include a new case display at the Pioneer Museum featuring historic survey equipment titled, “How the West was Measured” which highlights historical survey tools, including a portable surveyors set from the 1800s.

At the Lott Home, the Chico Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution has created a new display called “Yesterday and Tomorrow: Chico Chapter of NSDAR.”

The Chinese Temple has two new exhibits. One, donated by the Butte County Historical Society, focuses on the history of Oroville’s two Chinatowns. The other display, “A Changing China,” features new textiles donated to the temple.

Close to “museum mile” in the historic down town is the restored State Theatre which will be welcoming guests with musical demonstrations on the Mighty Wurlitzer Pipe Organ throughout both days.

The Butte County Historical Society Museum is hosting a display on beaver trapping, Bidwell Bar and a special exhibit from the South Oroville African American Historical Society as well as new display of recently donated artifacts from RCBS, world renowned manufacturer of firearms reloading tools.

“We’re also hosting a contest,” said Nancy Brower, BCHS board member. “We have a display of about 12 mystery items from the first half of the 20th Century. Each item has a number but no identification. Whoever can guess what they all are wins a gift certificate.”

This year’s event once again includes a Museum Weekend Passport. The passports will be available for pick-up at all museum sites. Museum goers who visit at least five participating locations and get their passports signed at each location will have access to special offers from local businesses including Bun Burger and Savor Ice Cream in Chico and Shake Tea, Provisions and Union in Oroville.

For a complete listing of participating museums, exhibits and activities visit explorebuttecounty.com/museum-weekend.

It goes like this: “Ch-ch-changes. This could be heaven or this could be hell.” And, as best as I can tell, which of the later — heaven or hell — is determined by my ability to embrace the former. Let’s just say at this point in time I’m more in a wrestling match in purgatory than I am in a warm, fuzzy hug inside the pearly gates.

I’m all about change especially when it comes to underwear, towels, sheets, toothbrushes, car oil, air filters, kitchen sponges, socks and smoke detector batteries but not so much when it comes to things like new technology and system procedures. It’s worse than trying to sort out an erroneous charge on the phone bill or trying to get homeowner’s fire insurance in California or someone in front of you driving well below the speed when there’s no way to pass or when the bottom of your favorite reusable grocery bag fails and the eggs and apples get scrambled in the parking lot.

While I have been blessed with the unwavering patience of those trying to teach me this new technology I have to master in order to basically keep doing the work I’ve done for 30 years, I have to admit that it has me feeling out of control and questioning my competency. From setting up a new email, to logging hours, to group chatting on an unfamiliar program that I have managed to enable on my computer but not on my phone, to accessing and learning the new word processing program in which I’m now supposed to work has been time-consuming and not altogether successful. If failure is not the opposite of success but, rather, part of success then, oh baby, baby, I’m bound for glory. But in the meantime, it’s just a whole kaboodle of head-banging frustration and overwhelming feelings of stupidity.

Whoever said “the more things change the more they stay the same,” was an idiot. And the next person who tells me “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” is going to get handed a shovel and told to start digging because, I’m going down hard any minute here now, Skippy.

Earlier this week, following an already long day of work and several fruitless hours on the phone with tech “support” trying to get the “easy to use” email app to work, I was running late to an appointment and, “in a state,” as my beloved husband would say. And, even though I knew it was pointless and childish, I pretty much hated everyone and everything and was primed for staging a princess, foot-stomping, hissy fit, nutty. All I needed was an excuse. In fact, I was itching for one and, naturally, the universe delivered it up on a big old silver platter.

I was just pulling up to a deserted intersection in my neighborhood about two miles from home and five miles from where I needed to be when the car just stopped. It didn’t choke, clunk, shriek, bang, grind or blow anything. It just quietly came to a dead halt. I had been so consumed by the frustrations of the last few days, so preoccupied with trying to adapt to the changes in life that I completely forgot one basic task: go to the gas station. So there I was in the dark and the rain with two mismatched socks, disheveled hair and no gas. And that was the only excuse I needed to let ‘er rip.

I started screaming, cursing and ranting, banging my hands on the steering wheel, and stomping my feet on the floorboard. I was so self-absorbed in letting it all out while extolling myself with never-before combined utterances of blasphemy and adding failing arms to the fist banging and foot stomping, I didn’t notice a large dark-colored pickup truck had pulled up next to me. Nor had I noticed the 40-something driver who’d rolled down the passenger window and was peering at me with alarmed concern. When I did notice, I was both annoyed at having a perfectly good and much needed hissy interrupted and embarrassed at being caught staging a nutty. Truthfully more of the first and less of the second but I rolled down my window anyway and made an attempt to smile. The effort must have contorted my face into a ghoulish grimace because a glimmer of fear passed over the guy’s face as he tentatively asked, “Are you OK, ma’am?”

“I ran out of gas,” I answered feeling like a looney imbecile. And then, much to my chagrin and utter humiliation, I burst into tears. “And apparently out of control too.”

The guy chuckled, got out of his truck, grabbed a large gas can from the truck bed, told me to open the gas tank hatch and then proceeded to put fuel in my car.

“I don’t have any cash,” I called out. “I’m a woman gone over the edge.”

“Don’t worry about the money. It’s a long fall off the edge. I get it. Just glad I was here to break your landing,” he said, screwing on the gas cap, shutting the hatch, getting back into his truck and waving good-bye as he drove away.

As I started the car, I thought whoever said “life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change” was an idiot.

The concert, which benefits the Oroville Hope Center, starts at 7 p.m. and tickets are $10. Tickets for a pre-concert party, performance and meet and greet with Marcy and Brown, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., are $20 and must be purchased separately. Tickets for the for both events are available at bit.ly/3HUUREW and bit.ly/3T00yYB. Tickets for the concert will also be available at the door.

“I’m absolutely looking forward to performing at this concert. It will be great to come back to Oroville where it all started,” said Marcy. “I hope everybody comes down to see us to support the Hope Center. It’s a great organization. We’re going to put on the very best show we can.”

Marcy, along with his brothers Kris and Kendal, formed their family music trio The Marcy Brothers in 1983 in Oroville and went on to release three albums and charted six singles on the Billboard country charts before disbanding in 1999. Kevin Marcy, the group’s lead singer and song writer, continued his musical career choosing to perform in select, intimate venues.

During the concert, fans can expect Marcy to perform some old favorites as well as new songs and covers of music from “some of the greats I’ve played with like Johnny and June Carter Cash, Waylon Jennings, George Strait, Merle Haggard, Charlie Rich, Alabama, the Oak Ridge Boys and Alan Jackson.”

Marcy said he’s looking forward to being on stage again with Brown, a Top 20 contestant in season 24 of the television show The Voice, who he’s known “pretty much her whole life.”

“She is so strong vocally and a good song writer,” he said. “She’s incredibly talented and just an all-around good person and performer.”

Joining the two country stars for the concert is local Las Plumas High School student Aaliyah Nickelson. The 14 year old is a student of Brown’s at the Voice Academy in Roseville and Saturday’s event will mark her first time performing solo in a concert.

“I haven’t done anything this big before,” said Nickelson. “I’m a little nervous, but I think it will be OK and pretty fun.”

Nickelson, who also writes songs, will be performing three songs including “Calling Me,” an original composition.

“I think all three of us are going to do a song together at the end,” said Nickelson. “And, I’m pretty sure it’s going to be ‘The Cowboy Rides Away’ by George Strait.”

Joshua Jamison, executive director for the Hope Center, said the Community Partnership Concert is the main fundraising event for the nonprofit this year. The previous fundraising concert, which also featured Marcy and Brown, was in 2022 drew 300 people. Jamison said he’s hoping for an equal or larger turn oy this year.

“The story-telling style of Kevin and the incredible vocals of Kristen plus the talent of our local Aaliyah is going to make for an amazing night of great music,” said Jamison. “I hope the community comes out to join us for this concert as we celebrate the community and the impact of the Hope Center on the community.”

The Hope Center, a staple social service provider for more than 15 years, provides community disaster relief, long-term disaster recovery and programs that assist with job placement and housing referrals. The non-profit serves about 1,500 low-income, homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless clients a month with food and clothing among other necessities and services.

“Our job is to be there for the community when it needs us,” said Jamison.

The derailment of 15 cars occurred at approximately 6:45 a.m. near Highway 70 and Camp Layman Road in Blairsden, Plumas County according to an emailed statement to this newspaper from Meg Ronspies, Union Pacific Corporate Communications.

“What we know is that three cars are partially in the water and several dumped coal into the river,” said Plumas County Sheriff Todd Johns on Monday. “No engine was involved and no fuel was spilled. Several environmental teams from (California Department of) Fish and Wildlife were called for cleanup.”

By noon on Sunday, a team from Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response was on scene, said Debra Lucero, Plumas County administrative officer.

“My understanding is the team was on site assessing potential impact on the environment,” said Lucero.

The cars were transporting the coal to Portola at the time of the incident. No hazardous materials were released.

“Coal is not considered a hazardous material so no hazmat team was sent,” said Ronspies, in a telephone interview.

She went on to say the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services had been contacted to “put remediation plans in place.”

In a Monday email to this newspaper, Brian Ferguson, OES deputy director for Crisis Communication and Public Affairs wrote, “Cal OES is actively monitoring this incident and coordinating with local partners from Plumas County, Union Pacific Railroad and the state Office Spill Prevention and Response.”

The email went on to say, “As of (Monday) morning personnel contracted by Union Pacific are on scene conducting cleanup. There are no injuries, fatalities, evacuations or fires reported at this time. Union Pacific reported to the state that there was an estimated release of 2,470,000 pounds of coal with an unknown amount into the Middle Fork Feather River in Blairsden.”

A representative from the CDFW’ Spill Prevention and Response department said she was unable to provide any information as to any possible effect or threat the coal spill could have downstream on Lake Oroville into which the Middle Fork of the Feather River flows.

The incident remained under investigation Monday and service will resume after track work is completed, which is estimated to take another day, according to Union Pacific.

On the far wall, the words “La Vita e Bella” (life is beautiful) are spelled out in large letters — and, for third-generation owner Emily Jackson, there couldn’t be a truer motto.

“I love to come to work every day,” she said. “I find peace in working with the flowers.”

Maybe a little less peace on Valentine’s Day, which has been the shop’s busiest day of the year since her husband’s grandfather, Jim Smith, bought the business in the early 1970s.

“On Valentine’s Day, it’s all hands on deck,” she said. “We’re ready for walk-in, same-day purchases and we do deliveries.”

In addition to the traditional red roses, the shop offers a large selection of other blooms in bouquets or vase arrangements. There are balloons and truffles from a Sacramento confectioner that can be added purchases. Since taking ownership, Jackson has also added gift baskets to the shop’s offerings including baskets for kids because, “sometimes dads like to get their little girls something special for Valentine’s Day.”

After purchasing the business, Smith relocated from downtown to the first floor of a two-story building on Lincoln Street near the corner of Mitchell Avenue; then, in 1996, he moved the business across the street to its current location at 2322 Lincoln St.

“Back when I owned the shop, a woman at the city records department told me it was one of the few continuously running businesses in Oroville,” said Julie Jackson, Smith’s daughter and Emily’s mother-in-law. “I guess we’re pretty rare.”

Julie Jackson started working in the shop when she was kid as did her two sisters and three brothers.

“It was a big family affair,” she said. “We were encouraged to work in the shop if we wanted money to go to a dance or something.”

Three days after she graduated from Oroville High School in 1983, Julie Jackson left for San Luis Obispo, where she spent the summer in an “intensive floral design school program.” Returning home she went to work in the shop fulltime and in 1990 earned her master floral designer certificate. Eight years later, when her father retired, she took over the business and ran it “the same way he had for 24 years.”

When Julie was ready to retire in 2022, Emily Jackson, who’d worked in the shop since 2015, and Jeremy Jackson bought the business.

“It was a family-owned business, and I felt it was our duty to buy it and keep it going,” said Emily Jackson. “I have a lot of pride in Oroville and in this family business. Knowing I could do it, that I could run it, I just couldn’t imagine it being closed after 72 years. I didn’t want to let anybody down – the family or the community.”

Emily Jackson was also looking ahead to the family’s fourth generation especially, after her daughters Reece and Presley were born.

“I want them to have the opportunity to take it over someday, if either of them wants to,” she said. “They may or may not, but I want them to have the choice.”

Through the years, the business has grown and catered to the many whims and demands of its customers, especially for weddings, bridal showers and large events. For one memorial service, the shop had a large custom tray made, which Julie Jackson then filled with an arrangement of flowers so it “looked like a pond with water, cattails, lily pads and grasses.” For one wedding, at the request of the groom, they created bouquets and arrangements out of nothing but thistles, which was both “unusual and beautiful.” And, for one customer, they delivered roses to his wife on their anniversary, one for every year they were married, starting with one rose and adding a rose every year for 55 years.

While she doesn’t own the shop anymore, preferring to spend her time with her granddaughters, Julie Jackson will be working side-by-side with Emily Jackson as the two, along with the shop’s four part-time employees, create special bouquets of love for old and new customers once again this Valentine’s Day.

Kyra Gottesman covers local business for the Enterprise-Record and the Mercury-Register. Reach her at kgottesman@chicoer.com.