Holtville: Back to the Good Old Days #2

WORDS BY LUKE PHILLIPS

This 1958 advertisement for Holtville's Imperial Hardware store marked the 50th Anniversary of the retailer's
 1908 opening. Imperial hardware is still open in Holtville today, (although it has since moved to a different location) making it one of the oldest continuously operating businesses in the city. The location of the store shown in the photo is now the home to the 99 Cent Plus Center and the Imperial Hardware Do-It Center is located at the northwest corner
of Fern Avenue and 5th Street. I love the window displays shown in the photo and I wish Holtville still had more of that kind of thing. Main Street is starting to look a little worn down these days, especially the block where this store used
to be located.

Having a movie theater right here in Holtville would have been a dream-come-true for me as a child. I was a movie addict and we always had to drive all the way to Calexico or El Centro to get my fix. I can only imagine how awesome it would have been to have a theater here in town. I would have been there for every show. Unfortunately the Alamo Theater was destroyed in a fire before I was even born. My mom remembers attending shows at the theater though and she's told me plenty of stories, like how you used to be able to trade in bottle caps to see a show instead of paying. Oh, what an age that must have been! If anybody out there has memories they'd like to share about the Alamo Theater, please leave a comment in the comments section below!

Television star Willard Waterman, who portrayed Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve (Gildy) on the show 'The Great Gildersleeve' dresses for his performance at the 1958 Holtville Carrot Festival with some help from his co-star Stephanie Griffin who portrayed is niece Marjorie on the show. Movie stars and other celebrities regularly made appearances during early days of the Carrot Festival, often serving as the Carrot Parade Grand Marshall. 

Holtville Police Beat Oct. 25 - 31, 2012

Editor's Note: 
   We are very pleased to present the first entry in our new feature 'Holtville Police Beat'. Former Holtville Tribune reporter Shawn Carroll wrote the 'Police Briefs' section of the paper through much of the 1990s and gained a faithful readership with his entertaining take on the law enforcement happenings of Holtville. When he left the paper in the early 2000s, the quality of the article took a nosedive and many stopped reading. Well, we're pleased to report that Mr. Carroll has come out of reporting retirement to write this article for us on a regular basis. So with no further ado, here's the first entry:

WORDS BY SHAWN CARROLL

October 31
- At 5:15 p.m. a deputy reported an incident while conducting a compliance check in the 700 block of Wooldridge Avenue . When he walked up to the front door, the resident’s dog ran out the screen door, tried to bite him and tore his pant leg. The owner of the dog reportedly said that it was up to date on its vaccinations.

October 30
- A car was reported to be taking up two handicapped parking spaces outside an apartment on East Fifth Street shortly after 1:30 a.m. A deputy issued a citation to its owner.

- An East Eighth Street resident called at 10:56 a.m. to complain that a postal carrier had pepper sprayed a dog. A deputy talked with the person and said that the local postmaster was the one to talk to about the incident.

- A motorist was cited for a traffic violation and failure to provide proof of insurance after a deputy reported witnessing the driver burning out at Fifth Street and Holt Avenue at 8:45 p.m.

October 28
- A vehicle was pulled over at East Seventh Street and Towland Road at 1:54 a.m. The driver was arrested on charges of driving under the influence and driving without a license. The vehicle was impounded.

- At 4:25 p.m. a resident of the Browning Trailer Park on West Fifth Street called to report that there was a disturbance taking place at a neighbor’s residence. Deputies made contact with the man, who said that he had been yelling at his daughter for being out in the street. He asked for extra patrols of the area to make sure she wasn’t hit by a car.

- A motorist reportedly found to be driving while under the influence was pulled over and arrested at Evan Hewes and Highway 115 just after 10:00 p.m. The vehicle was impounded and towed.

October 27
- A fight was reported to be taking place outside Hot Rods & Beer at 1:27 a.m., with one injured person said to be lying on the ground. Deputies were quickly on the scene and reported in that the situation was under control when they arrived.

- At 11:43 a.m. a deputy reported pulling over a driver spotted on his cell phone at Fifth Street and Holt Avenue . The deputy told dispatchers that he had to ask the driver to hang up the phone so they could discuss the infraction. The man was cited.

- An injured owl was taken into the Holtville substation at 10:15 p.m. Fish and Game officers were called but said they would be unable to pick up the bird until the following day. The man who found the owl said he would care for it until then.

October 26
- A Cedar Avenue resident reported that a neighbor’s smoke alarm had gone off at 5:49 p.m., and the elderly woman wouldn’t answer the door. Deputies found no one home, but the stove had been left on. It was turned off and the house was secured.

- An East Seventh Street resident reported finding a front window broken at 9:34 p.m. The damage was estimated at $100 and the homeowner didn’t have any ideas on who might have done it.

October 25
- A Palo Verde Avenue resident reported going outside shortly before 8:00 a.m. to find that her car had been keyed sometime during the night.

- At 8:35 a.m. Omar Francisco Aguilera, 30, was arrested on an outstanding warrant related to previous traffic violations.

Pancho Villa Salad: Re-Creating a Holtville Cafeteria Classic

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY LUKE PHILLIPS

   Since I was a small child one of my favorite foods in the entire world has been a dish that many Holtvillites are probably familiar with: The Pancho Villa Salad served at Holtville school cafeterias.

   My mom has been the cook at the school district's kitchen for the past 16 years and she says that Pancho is by far the most popular dish served at the cafeteria. She says that people who have graduated and gone away to college have come back to the cafeteria just to eat Pancho again. People also ask her how to make it all the time, so I thought I'd share the recipe. I've made it a few times at home and I've been able to replicate the cafeteria version pretty closely.

   The dish is fairly simple, consisting of seasoned ground beef served over corn chips and topped with shredded lettuce and cheese, but in order to make it taste like the version served at the cafeteria a few key elements must be in place.

   Start by taking a couple of pounds of ground beef and smooshing it up with your hands so it has a smoother consistancy. You want the finished product to be fairly thin and saucy so it will spread onto the chips properly. This step is important and is overlooked by many attempting to replicate the recipe.

   Brown the beef, making sure to chop up any remaining lumps with a wooden spoon, drain the fat, then add a can of tomato paste, a cup of water and at least two tablespoons of red chile powder (I like mine spicy, so I usually add a little more chile powder, around 4 or 5 tablespoons.). You can use the California or the New Mexico style chile powder, but I recommend the California style for this recipe. You also want to add a few tablespoons of dehydrated onions, another ingredient that is essential for getting the flavor right, but is sometimes overlooked. Continue to simmer the meat over low to medium heat for another 10-15 minutes.

   Spread a couple handfuls of white tortilla chips (I like the Mission brand ones) on a plate and top with the meat sauce, shredded chedder cheese and finely-chopped iceburg lettuce. And that's all there is to it!

   There are tons of possible variations to this recipe, adding salsa, jalapenos, sour cream, etc., but I really like it without anything else added, just the way Holtville schools have been serving it for more than 30 years.

VIDEO: Viking Band of Pride Performs During Axe Game Half-Time Show

Holtville Keeps the Axe, Wins 35-19 Against Calipatria

WORDS & PHOTOS BY LUKE PHILLIPS

   The Holtville Vikings dominated over the Calipatria Hornets on the gridiron at Holtville High School Thursday night, winning the annual Axe Game 35-19 to keep the axe in Holtville for another year. After a scoreless first quarter, Holtville made three touchdowns in quick succession in the second quarter, followed by one touchdown from Calipatria, putting the score at 21-7 going into half-time.

   The Hornets managed one more touchdown during the third quarter, but couldn't hold off Holtville as the Vikings scored twice more in the fourth to put the final score at 35-19.

   The game was a rough one with two of the Vikings sustaining minor injuries and one Calipatria player being taken off the field in an ambulance after suffering an apparent neck or back injury.

   It was also a treat to see a military osprey aircraft fly low over the game with green tracer lights on the tips of their propellers, creating giant green circles in the sky. Guess they must be Vikings fans!

Holtville: Back to the Good Old Days #1

WORDS BY LUKE PHILLIPS

Hello friends and neighbors and welcome to the first entry in our new feature Holtville: Back to the Good Old Days. One of the reasons I wanted to start this Web site was to preserve all of the pieces of Holtville history that I come across in the form of old news clippings, photos, stories from old-timers etc. so that they will be available to future generations in a format that's easily accessible to everyone. So let's get to it:

This photo, taken Sunday, February 16, 1958 shows a group of drag racing fans looking over one of the cars being entered in a drag racing event at the Holtville Air Strip as part of the festivities for the 11th Annual Carrot Carnival celebration. The event was sponsored by the Holtville Lions Club and the Imperial Valley Timing Association (not quite sure what the I.V.T.A is, but I gather that it was the organization in charge of the time trials). I wish we could still have things like drag racing and tractor pulls at the Carrot Festival, but I think the insurance costs involved would probably be prohibitive. Insurance and lawyers are ruining our world. 

This photo, also from 1958, shows Roy Dillon who was the owner-operator of the Holtville Hobby Shop on Holt Ave. The shop closed sometime in the 1970s, but in it's heyday the store supplied Holtville with a huge variety of different hobby supplies including model airplane and car kits, beads, paint sets, woodburning sets, leather kits, and photography supplies, but they also sold a variety of other goods including magazines, toys, candy and cigarettes. It's a shame that Holtville doesn't still have any shops selling this kind of stuff. Now all that money goes to Walmart.  

This photo shows one of the first Carrot Parades rolling down Main Street. I'm not entirely sure which year this is from, but I know it's from one of the first 10 Carrot Festivals, sometime in the late 1940s or early 50s. The Chamber of Commerce Building (at right) hasn't really changed much over the years. 

PHOTO SLIDESHOW: Halloween in Holtville 2012

   Check out the video slideshow below to see photos from the Holtville Halloween Carnival at Finley Elementary School, Holtville Trick-or-Treaters, the Collins Family's haunted house and more!