Just call Modesto a foodie paradise
Is Modesto a hard sell? After years of being associated with a 42-year-old movie (but don’t try cruising here without a permit), cows (happy or otherwise), inexpensive wine (that doesn’t mean poor quality), thirsty almonds and high-profile criminal cases, we fear the answer might be an unqualified yes. That doesn’t mean we don’t love living here – we do. But it’s just hard to get out-of-towners to give Modesto a chance.
Which is why we’re not sure what to make of the Modesto City Council’s decision to do a wholesale makeover of the Visitors and Convention Bureau. Emphasizing our golf courses and minor-league baseball team isn’t exactly going to draw them in like flies. They’re both fun, but the people we see at John Thurman Field and on our local links are generally our neighbors.
Thinking we’re going to capture some of the tourists looking to “do California” is unrealistic. Being on the way to Yosemite is not the same as being Yosemite.
But we do have something no one else has – some of the best foods in the world. We could entice people to visit a community that offers some of the world’s best cheese, highest-quality olive oil, some of California’s best wines and an incredible variety of everything fresh – heirloom tomatoes, white-flesh peaches, melons of every description and much, much more. We’re the birthplace of the pluot, for crying out loud.
People who care about food are so numerous they even have a nickname – foodies. If we make it easy for them – putting all those things in one place – we might make Modesto a foodie must-see.
Speaking of county’s bounty ...
The most wonderful place to find our county’s bounty is at the Stanislaus County Fair, which runs through July 19 at the fairground in Turlock. This year the animal show rings are a lot more spacious thanks to Associated Feed & Supply Co. of Turlock. Their contribution to improving the experience for animals and young people alike is appreciated. As for fun, if you can’t find it at the fair, you’re not looking very hard. The entertainment ranges from Carrot Top (tonight) to Eddie Money (Monday) to Bret Michaels (Thursday). And this year, we’re even getting a break with the weather.
It pays to recycle
We can think of no better use for treated wastewater than putting it on thirsty crops. The plan to pipe Modesto and Turlock wastewater to farmers in Del Puerto Water District is a good one. So we’re not sure why Turlock Irrigation District is so opposed to it. After all, the highly treated water is currently going into the San Joaquin River, which flows into the Delta. Unlike Modesto, which gets a portion of its municipal water from the Tuolumne River, all of Turlock’s municipal water is pumped from underground. And there has never been an effort to put it back in after it has been used – until now. Whether or not Turlock participates, we’re glad Modesto is.
Water summit
Don’t forget “The Bee, Amplified” community conversation about water on Wednesday at the Gallo Center. Former Modesto mayor and Great Valley Center founder Carol Whiteside will moderate a panel of five water policymakers and experts, including State Water Resources Control Board Chairwoman Felicia Marcus, Delta Stewardship Council Chair Randy Fiorini, former Modesto Irrigation District board president Jeff Cowan, Assembly Republican Leader Kristin Olsen and groundwater expert Sarge Green from the Center for Irrigation Technology at Fresno State. The conversation gets underway at 7 p.m. Seating is limited, so go to www.modbee.com/water to sign up.
This story was originally published July 10, 2015 at 5:07 PM with the headline "Just call Modesto a foodie paradise."