This is a cute little town. They have many little cute gift stores, yummy restaurants, and great…read moreevents. They have an event called The Enchanted Night. The stores and restaurants are open late and almost all of them offers hot cocoa or apple cider. There also have a carriage that travels around the Main Streets. People make long line to go in it. It's full of lights and pretty decorated. They have singer different genre. They entertain along the streets. Some sing just regular music and some Christmas songs. We always find a place to have diner and then walk around and enjoy the music. We visit the different thrift stores. We always find something nice to buy. It has become a tradition for us to attend this event every year. Highly recommended. It is the official start of the Holidays for us. It's almost like a magical night.

In 2019 I have never been to OTC so much in my life. My dude and I literally live one block away…read morefrom OTC so we frequent it so often. There are always so many events going on in OTC which I am loving the community events. I have gone to over 4. The ones I remember are: Antique Fair Food Festival Fairytale nights Farmers Market My dude and I have enjoyed so much festives here we are always seeing when the next events are. Everyone is very friendly and the respectful. The older folks tell my dude how did he scored his beautiful woman (me), which we always find hilarious as it is usually an older white retired couple. Anywho, if you would have told me I would be living in Clovis like 5 years ago, I would bet my life savings you are wrong but I do and surprisingly it's not that bad. There is always something to explore in OTC, from businesses to people. I love the events that they have which at least I feel like there's something going on every two weeks. The dude and I have gone to several restaurants and Roll Me Some is in OTC, BOA, EECU, and so much more. I am never disappointed when I come to OTC and wish Fresno put on more events like Clovis. There is always something to do here. They have the annual Christmas Parades, Big Hat Days, Veteran Parades and spring much more. I highly recommend to come down and check it out.

We toured the Fresno County Blossom Trail the last weekend in February 2026, and the flowers were…read moreout in full force, and the agriculture along the trail was absolutely impressive. I saw somewhere that the trail is about a 2-hour drive. That pace seems to me to be at race speed, and way too fast to enjoy the sights. We took about five hours to drive the trail, and that was a comfortable speed. Given how much business and pride the Blossom Trail could drive to Fresno County, the trail appears to be a bit neglected. First, the Google Map download from the Fresno County website is practically useless for navigation using the Android Google Maps app. The app continuously tries to optimize the point-to-point travel, which too often takes one off the preferred and official route roadways for seeing the maximum number of blooms. Occasionally, there are Blossom Trail signs marking the route and turns, but some are either hard to spot or missing: more signs are needed to enhance route navigation for visitors, most of whom are not familiar with the area. Lastly, the map downloaded and printed from the Fresno County website is at such a small scale that it is very difficult to read, and if enlarged, gets blurry and even harder to read. Clearly, Fresno County has done a "government" job at the simple task of marking a route. Lastly, I would highly encourage Fresno County or the Farm Bureau to work with the landowner to put up signs that identity the type of orchard, vineyard, or crop. There used to be blue signs along the fences on I-5 that identified crops, and those were appreciated. The landowners and farmers benefit because the signs instill knowledge in the public and a public that knows about agriculture will support agriculture. Overall, despite the navigation challenges, the Fresno County Blossom Trail provides for a beautiful roadtrip.

The trail is all across Fresno. You'd have to have a car and find one of the "landmarks" on the map…read morethen pay close attention to the streets to know where to turn. The map is confusing and took a lot of time to comprehend. Throughout the trail, you may find orange blossoms, cherry blossoms, almond blossoms, and pear blossoms, however it really varies based on the season for its full blossom. The website recommended Mid February to Mid March. Additionally, some areas may look better than others. If you look at my photo, it looks fairly empty. BUT we did see some pretty full ones in other areas... a lot of them are fenced off. If you're able to find some that aren't blocked, you can easily pull over and take photos. So be prepared to do some searching.

Just amazing to see what life was like back then during the Civil War how they lived , cooked what…read morepeople wore as clothing fun to hear the cannons go off

After experiencing this really exciting, beautifully organized and macabre "Civil War Reenactment…read moreevent" I cant help but whisper to god and thanked the heavens for not bring me to life in the 1800's and in America" because I would have shit in my pants like literally if I was alive during those dark times. It wasn't just a step back into time when you attend this civil war reenactment, it was literally like I jumped into a "back to the future car" and went way back in time during the scary and violent civil war era. Everything felt so real and authentic: the dressing, the music, the horse poop, the shootings, the gory sights, the tent housing and even the style of speech. The best part of course was the reliving the great battle acting, which was a burst of loud cannons, guns and smoke, and of course the believable death casualty of war. It was the ultimate sweet dreams for a gun loving republican. Remember to bring ear plugs, because the war reenactment is very loud. While bringing your own chair to sit would be helpful or maybe a blanket to sit down. For $25 which I paid in advance via online, I got parking, catered food, and also entrance to the event- quite a good deal in my opinion. I really enjoyed myself and I truly felt assimilated into the american culture. Ive always seen western american people or white people travel to my country and engulf into my culture enjoying it and being awed and fascinated- oh how I always wanted that same experience, well now I got to do the same exact thing with their culture. The experience felt real ! People were not only dressed with such minute details, but they were also acting as if they were part of that era- people lived in cloth tents, with whole families- women, kids, men all dressed up and lived in small tents. The way they ate, talked, and lived was eerily similar to the civil war era, even the civil war casualty hospital had the sights of gory war casualties of blood and guts. Question could be asked to the actors, and they would educate you with the finest details. These people were highly passionate about the civil war. Even Abraham Lincoln came back to life and made an appearance for this 2 day event once a year event- Sat and Sunday. The parking was fantastic, very organized and they even had parking attendants to guide me. There were numerous stores that sold authentic drinks such as sarsaparilla for $11, brick oven pizza, cattle corn and etc. The meal plan I bought was a perfect combo of trip sandwich, biscuits, beans, and coleslaw. It was delicious and well worth every penny. Plenty of memorabilia and souvenirs could be purchased on these grounds. They were highly affordable and authentic to the market sale of the civil war period. They sold civil war clothing and accessories, toys, and even macabre home decor such as crocodile head. Overall an amazing civil war reenactment that can't be missed, because its simply unique and a great american cultural experience especially for tourist. Make sure to dress comfortably, bring water, and also wear comfy shoes. Don't forget to bring ear plugs for the loud war noise, and also a foldable chair or blanket to sit. Ideal time to visit would be as early as possible since the weather is cooler. Getting here is easy, just input the GPS to Kearny park, there will be plenty of direction posted which would lead to the free parking zone. I would however check the day itinerary before coming, so that I would be in time for the reenactment (which happens only twice a day) and other events.

Something about this pandemic has made me want to listen to the blues more than ever before. Go…read morefigure. And the best place to listen to the blues imho is KFSR online. I first learned about KFSR about ten years ago at a family member's concert in Fresno and really loved their programming. Not only do they play the blues, their Evening Eclectic program is outstanding as is their jazz programming on weekdays. Fridays at 5 pm is the Tiki Lounge Happy Hour. And I even love the Armenian music program on Saturday mornings; it's a call-in show with dedications and the music is something that I've never heard anywhere else. KFSR is everything an American radio station should be: playing the music born in our nation as well as the music of the people that make our country great. Check it out http://kfsr.org/schedule/

Randy Morris is an amazing musician and expert of jazz music…read more I truly believe his outstanding music accomplishments on the sax, in one of the top rated university jazz bands in the country coupled with his professional career has made him the premier jazz expert!! He does not have to spout out what is written on the cover of an album, he has lived it! For that reason alone I am a supporter of KFSR!

After the blossoms comes the fruit. Fresno and the surrounding area is a mecca for peaches,…read moreapricots, cherries, nectarines, nuts, citrus, etc, about as sweet and fresh off the tree as you can get. June through September is a good time to roam. Check out the Fruit Trail website and request a brochure for enlightenment. Just a word of warning.... the map on the brochure is deceivingly bad. I highly recommend a back up map or GPS to find some of their fruit stands and other points of interest. But at least it will give you addresses and descriptions. Honestly, you can drive up and down the country roads that intersect all the groves, from one small town to another, and find your own fruit stands. And then there are the locals who put out their backyard fruit for sale on tiny stands at roadside. They operate on the honor system. You just drop your dollars into a slot and grab a bag. Regardless, it makes for an interesting day trip for the family, with rewards of succulent fruit treats,and punctuated by interesting little old Central Valley towns. They'll feed you heartily and maybe you'll find that next antique you never knew you while exploring one of their cute nostalgic Main Streets.

It truly fills my heart with much joy to see the years of dedication from organizers, vendors,…read morespecial guests, and of course con-goers alike, ultimately transform this once free to attend small gathering in a practically defunct mall (sorry, Manchester) into a full-fledged operation taking place at the Fresno Fair Grounds. From 2013 up until about 2016 or so I had attended every convention from the first one, and slowly saw the growth over such a short span of time. It overlapped with the discontinuation of Ani-Jam, our previous staple of Central Valley anime conventions. Thus, providing some comfort in the fact that it would not be the end of our community gatherings. I think Ani-Me also paved the way for a lot of other small conventions to pop up here, and there; providing more opportunities to gather with cosplay buddies and promote small vendors frequently. I hope to see bigger and brighter things for this convention as each one seems to expand its horizons.

Madera (Spanish for "lumber") is a city in and the county seat of Madera County, located in the San…read moreJoaquin Valley. Founded in 1876 as a timber settlement at the terminus of a major log flume, the city grew around the lumber trade before transitioning to an agriculture-based economy during the 20th century. Irrigation from the San Joaquin River and nearby canals transformed the surrounding plains into fertile farmland that now supports vineyards, nut orchards, and row crops. As of 2024, Madera maintains 11 public parks encompassing roughly 160 acres of green space. As I was driving through I noted at least a dozen signs blaming our current government for taking there water away and dumping it into the ocean? Not sure if that's true or not but it definitely was a consistent theme. As I was going through the center stretch of town I noted that there were a lot of different businesses, including grocery stores, fast food, restaurants, mom and Pop restaurants, and the like. Some other facts: Madera, California experiences poor air quality, with an expected 37 days this year having an Air Quality Index (AQI) over 100, indicating unhealthy conditions for sensitive groups. This places Madera's air quality worse than 87% of cities in California.

Very underrated holiday/Christmas lights in the Fresno/Clovis. This is a one house show, but if…read morethere was ever an example of quality over quantity (of homes) then this is it right here. We were on our way to Santa Claus Lane and I remember from last year (when it was too late) that there was a sole performer around Sunnyside/Locan area in Fresno. I google and found their website. The website itself is already foreshadowing quality as the site itself is superior than the other bigger/major light show neighborhoods in the area. I get to the house and I was in for a treat---we were the only car there to spectate. The entire house is covered with lights and the lights are dancing with a song. You tune in to the radio station and just enjoy the show. This isnt a cheap animated light show. The way everything is synced and setup is top notch. This is really some pro-grade stuff here. The detail and time put in to executing this I can only imagine but myself and my family greatly appreciated. It was highly enjoyable and the BEST lights and light show in the Fresno/Clovis area (remember thats a combined population of 700,000 people. The other attractions--sure they bring dense quantity of homes that are lit up and decorated, but this one house by itself is amazing by itself.

Amazing light show. My kiddos has a blast dancing and singing. We stayed for most of it. People…read morearound were respectful and courteous.