Thursday, December 04, 2008

By J.N. SBRANTI
jnsbranti@modbee.com

last updated: September 07, 2008 05:21:36 AM

It started as the Old Foamy Drive-In with 13 stools for customers who treated themselves to root beer floats and 4-inch-square burgers.

But for the past 30 years, it's been The Fruit Yard, a landmark pit stop for locals and travelers along two of Stanislaus County's busiest country roads.

Now its owners, Joe and Willie Traina, plan to invest $15 million to $20 million to turn the 45-acre site into a destination banquet and special events site with space set aside for recreational vehicles and shopping.

"This is kind of the vision we've had for years," said Joe Traina, who runs The Fruit Yard. His younger brother focuses on their Patterson dried fruit company, Traina Foods. "What we'll do, we'll do first class. We're going to have a theme built around agriculture and recreation."

That's logical, considering The Fruit Yard's location. It's surrounded by fruit orchards and on a major route to many of the region's vacation spots.

"We get a lot of traffic headed to Yosemite passing here," Traina said. He said 10,000 vehicles a day travel on Yosemite Boulevard and Geer Road, and many of them are recreational vehicles.

"This is the connection to all the lakes and reservoirs (such as New Melones, McClure, Don Pedro, Modesto and Turlock). During winter, people pass here headed to ski resorts."

The Fruit Yard's 180-seat restaurant, 150-seat banquet room and bar, as well as its fruit stand and market will remain.

Traina said he employs about 75 people now, but he'll be hiring at least 120 more once the project is complete. He said the retail shops and fruit packing facility will create additional jobs.

"This expansion certainly sends a message that there are people committed to our area. They're looking ahead and getting out in front of the curve," said Doug Sweetland, director of economic development for the Stanislaus Economic Development and Workforce Alliance.

An investment in the community

Sweetland said Stanislaus County's population is expected to double in 45 years, so there will be increasing need for all kinds of services, including those planned at The Fruit Yard.

"This kind of investment is a confidence builder for the community," Sweetland said. "They're local people making an investment and hiring local people."

It took the Trainas two years to do the studies and draft the plans needed for county government approval.

"We're not sure what we're going to build first," Traina said, but he expects construction on at least the project's infrastructure to begin within a year. Specific architectural plans haven't been completed and no contractors have been selected.

The banquet facility will be the biggest and most expensive aspect of the expansion. Traina is convinced it will fill a community need for more places to host large indoor events.

"Once you hit over 200 people, there are not a lot of facilities in this region that can handle it," Traina said. By accommodating up to 700 guests, Traina said, The Fruit Yard could attract corporate events and large social gatherings.

For even bigger events, an outdoor park that will weave around a man-made lake will be built. That venue also will be available for weddings and private parties.

Such outdoor country venues have become scarce since last year when Stanislaus County imposed restrictions on where events can be held.

"It really is something that's needed," Modesto wedding planner Lollie Christner-Severin said about outdoor venues. "Almost all of my brides want to get married outdoors, and that's hard to find."

It's cost-effective for the Traina brothers to create the outdoor facility because they've owned the land for 31 years.

Currently, 39 of their 45 acres are planted with cherries, peaches, apricots and nectarine trees. All but about 11 acres of those orchards will be developed.

The RV storage facility and travel trailer park will be new uses for the land.

Traina is convinced it's a perfect place for storing boats, campers and recreational equipment. Rather than towing their toys back and forth from their homes to the reservoirs, Traina thinks many people would rather keep their equipment at The Fruit Yard.

"It's on the way to where they're going," he said. "They can pick up their boat, get their gas and go."

Or they could stay -- for up to two weeks -- in the planned travel trailer park.

Even with high fuel prices, Traina is convinced families will continue to cherish their vacations.

"Recreation is big in America," he said. "I don't think our economy will ever get so bad that people will deny themselves recreation."

Another thing that won't change is The Fruit Yard restaurant. Traina said more than 90 percent of its diners are local residents, primarily repeat customers.

"Some of them want a certain table on a certain night each week."

Bee staff writer J.N. Sbranti can be reached at jnsbranti@modbee.com or 578-2196.

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