Fresno State Focus: Radio Edition November 15th 2025 Show Transcript
Announcer: Fresno State Radio presents Fresno State Focus: Radio Edition. Featuring stories of people of the valley, provided by Media Communication and Journalism students at Fresno State.
Imani Warren: Coming up, reporter Marina Soares gives an inside look into the Bulldog Food Pantry, revealing what they have to offer.
Taylor Kellams: We also have reporter Dakota Dean highlighting two family entertainment businesses in Fresno. Playing at one of them just costs five cents a piece.
Imani Warren: And it all starts right now with Fresno State Focus: Radio Edition.
Imani Warren: Good morning and welcome to Fresno State Focus: Radio Edition. I’m Imani Warren.
Taylor Kellams: I’m Taylor Kellams.
Ethan Beck: And I’m Ethan Beck. Good to be back in the studio.
Imani Warren: Today we’re looking at hidden gems and resources around Fresno that you might just miss without taking a closer look. Fresno State Focus: Radio Edition starts now!
Imani Warren: Hey Taylor, how do you feel about thrift stores?
Taylor Kellams: Oh I love thrift stores, I buy most of my clothing secondhand. I just feel like it’s so much better to buy clothes that are already used and broken-in. Do you go to thrift stores often?
Imani Warren: I do, I really like a lot of the cooking ware that they have.
Taylor Kellams: I feel like I’ll find anything when I go.
Imani Warren: Right I found a really good cast iron skillet one time.
Taylor Kellams: Cast iron?
Imani Warren: Yes, it was only like 40 bucks.
Taylor Kellams: Dang, yeah that’s really good I find all my clothes there, it’s better than Depop too it’s so cheap.
Imani Warren: It is better than Depop!
Taylor Kellams: And they have so many things there, I don’t know there’s something about the hunt that really gets me going.
Imani Warren: Yes!
Taylor Kellams: It really makes me feel good when I’m in a thrift store for like three hours and I finally find something that’s like…
Imani Warren: …that’s the one?
Taylor Kellams: That’s it, yeah.
Imani Warren: Absolutely, yeah. What I really appreciate about thrifting is how good it is for the environment, I think buying second hand is great for repurposing things.
Taylor Kellams: Yeah, I think that the environmental aspect is the one thing that kept me going I guess. It made me feel like I was actually doing something. Fast fashion is one of the number one causes for pollution, especially now where things are getting made so quickly and so fast that it’s just too much. I went to a thrift store and it was connected to a church, there was two of them that I went to and they both connected to churches, and that was one of their big things is they run solely on volunteering, and I just really liked how it was more personal, because it made me want to go back and sometimes they would give away stuff for free to people that really needed it, it just makes me feel like I’m doing something good.
Imani Warren: Wow that’s awesome, that mean’s there’s a nice community impact as well.
Taylor Kellams: Yeah I think it’s big for the community, and there’s more of this in my next story.
Taylor Kellams: Thrift Stores across Fresno have become more than just places to find a good deal. For many, they’re small community hubs where people connect, recycle, and give old items new life. Beyond Treasures Boutique, located off Bullard Avenue in Fresno, is one of those places. Owner Ashley Lorenzo says her shop stands out for its personal touch and the care that goes into each item.
Ashely Lorenzo: We have high standards. Most of us all buy and resell so it’s not all donations, we have a lot of name brands. We have fifteen vendors that rent spaces from us. Were open seven days a week.
Taylor Kellams: Lorenzo says the goal isn’t to sell clothes or furniture, it’s to create a space where people feel welcome. She and her team encourage customers to take their time, explore different sections, and even share stories about the pieces they find. Beyond Treasures also gives back by partnering with other small businesses in the area.
Taylor Kellams: But Beyond Treasures isn’t alone in this mission. Across town, JD’s Boutique has built a reputation for its variety, its vintage finds, and its focus on community support. Owner Janet Vilhauer says her passion for thrifting started years ago, and opening her own shop gave an opportunity to combine a love for retail with a desire to help others.
Janet Vilhauer: My store has 50% off always, and if that’s not enough come talk to me, because I have a little bit of power here. I can bless people.
Taylor Kellams: Through JD’s Boutique, Vilhauer has teamed up with organizations like the Altar Chuch to support people in need. That partnership led to the creation of Jubilee Thrift Store, a smaller shop that directly focuses on helping Fresno Families struggling to make ends meet.
Janet Vilhauer: Jubilee Thrift, on Belmont and Fulton, there’s a lot of drug addicted, alcoholic, mentally ill people in there area, God told me to close the doors and just to mentor to these people so they can find their way in life.
Taylor Kellams: Every Monday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., doors are open to anyone to receive a free hot meal and pick out an outfit. Vilhauer says the shop also serves as a gathering place, a spot where volunteers, customers and donors can share a meal and talk about what’s happening in their neighborhoods.
Janet Vilhauer: We started with two days, Monday, this Thursday feeding and sometimes we have a Thursday women’s group, and then we have church on Wednesday and we have church on Sunday, and when we get more help, more involvement, we can add another day on. So for the hot meal we do chili, we do spaghetti, soups, then we give them a free outfit.
Taylor Kellams: From Boutique-style stores to small community shops, Fresno’s Thrift Store scene continues to grow. Shop owners say more people are turning to secondhand shopping, not just to save money, but to support local causes. As the holidays approach, many thrift stores are expecting an increase in both donations and customers, a sign that the culture of reuse and community support in Fresno is stronger than ever.
Ethan Beck: Hidden near the center of Woodward Park, the Shinzen Community Garden gives the people of Fresno a view of traditional Japanese architecture, koi-filled ponds, and picturesque landscapes. But what many may not know, is that within the garden there is a curated bonsai museum filled with a wide ranger of bonsai trees. I met with volunteer Austin Coleman, and he shared with me all there is to know about the collection.
Austin Coleman: Right now we’re located in Shinzen Garden, which is a Japanese garden, and it’s located in the center of Woodward Park. Where we’re at currently is the Clark Bonsai Museum. We’ve been here for about ten years, and the collection has been together for about twenty-three years. It moved here from Hanford about ten years ago, and initially it was a part of a Japanese arts and cultural museum in Hanford. When the gentleman running the museum got up there in age and was unable to handle the museum, everything but the bonsai went to a museum in Minnesota, but we got lucky and precured the Bonsai collection. We have trees that range from 40 to 50 years, to we have a tree that is estimated to be somewhere between 12 hundred to 15 hundred years old.
Ethan Beck: Can you tell me more about what’s showcased here at the museum?
Austin Coleman: So right now at the Clark Bonsai Museum we are in our four seasons exhibit. So what we are exhibiting right now are deciduous trees, and those are trees that their leaves change, and that’s the main purpose of showcasing this exhibit at this time, to show off the pretty fall colors of the trees. So if you come down to see us, this exhibit will be running till March 6, come and check it out. At any given time we have 27 trees on display. That’s not to mention the 105 trees we have in our workshop and our nursery. So we switch exhibits three, four sometimes five times a year, it’s mainly seasonal. We’re ranked in the top 8 Bonsai museum in the United States, so we have some pretty impressive pieces.
Ethan Beck: How did you get started working here at the bonsai garden?
Austin Coleman: So I was introduced to bonsai many many years ago, living in a Zen temple. And for me, working on bonsai back then was meditative, didn’t really look at it so much as an art form, and then I moved from the temple, life went on or whatever, and I’m a member of Shinzen Garden, where we’re located, so I come here and walk and meditate all the time. I just came in one day and decided, “I think I wanna volunteer, I think I wanna be a little more involved.” My interest in bonsai kept kinda just growing the more I came into the museum, and then I started of course getting online and YouTube holes and all that stuff, and now I’m pretty obsessed with it, so that’s how I got started.
Ethan Beck: Would you recommend it to people who aren’t familiar with the garden or bonsai at all?
Austin Coleman: I would, I would highly recommend it, and one thing I’ve noticed about bonsai is I think there is a preconceived notion that it’s a very difficult thing to get into, there’s a lot of gatekeeping, and that’s really not the case. You can bonsai any woody tree essentially, you know in our collection we have many different trees, and it’s something that really anyone can do. Some of the older teachers are just more than happy to see young, new people getting into the art of bonsai. So come on down and talk to somebody, talk to me Austin, talk to anybody, and we’ll get you started in a way that you’re comfortable. We’ll meet you right where you’re at, it’s fully accessible, I just would like to stress that the more the merrier when it comes to bonsai artists in Fresno, and in California.
Ethan Beck: If you’d like to begin your own journey into bonsai, you can head to the Clark Bonsai Museum within the Shinzen Community Garden at Woodward Park to get started.
Imani Warren: On Shaw Ave, across the street from Fresno State, is the Bulldog Pantry. With the government shutdown ongoing and the Holidays approaching, it’s becoming harder for families to put food on the table. The Bulldog Pantry hosts food drives twice a month that are open to the entire community. Our reporter, Marina Soares, talked to a volunteer at the Bulldog Pantry to show what resources are available to everyone.
Marina Soares: That’s the sound of boxes filled with cans being opened as food pantries prepare for some of their biggest canned food drives this next month. With holidays coming up, pantries and food drives are scrambling to help their communities by giving back as much as they can. Across from Fresno State, the Bulldog Pantry is gearing up to help as many as they can this month. Erica Bird, coordinator for the pantry, is doing everything she can to prepare.
Erica Bird: We’ve been pulling in every favor from every community group that we’ve talked to in the past, or had any relationship with in the past, to try to get enough supplies in here to be able to meet what we think might be the need, but we’ll probably still be surprised.
Marina Soares: The pantry hosts about two food distributions a month, typically averaging around 200 families. With the challenging months, this number has only been rising. Bird utilizes volunteers, primarily students, who come and see what it’s like to give back to their community.
Erica Bird: It is definitely a huge piece of why I keep doing this, because the students always come in with fresh energy and new ideas every semester, and when I’m feeling kind of worn out and overwhelmed by it, they kind of keep me going, which is always good.
Marina Soares: While the pantry has lots of student volunteers, it is open to the entire community as a whole. For families interested in attending the next food distribution, all that is needed is a name, address, and date of birth. Bird encourages struggling families to attend the drives.
Erica Bird: There is absolutely no judgment of any kind here. A lot of people out in line are making friends for the first time because they’re standing next to somebody, and you start talking and sharing life stories. We know everyone is here because they are struggling, but we don’t pass any judgment on what that looks like.
Erica Bird: We treat everyone with respect and dignity, and so hopefully nobody needs to be afraid to come here. It is a little more intimidating to have to line up and like walk in instead of just driving your car through and get a bag, but it’s also a lot more personable and it gives us a chance to be a lot more welcoming and friendly with the folks and interact with everybody.
Marina Soares: What makes this food pantry so unique is its shopping style. Most distribution centers often give families a box or bag and have them on their way, but Bird would rather give these struggling families a slice of normal and let them choose what they want.
Erica Bird: So they get to come in, walk through, and choose the items from what we have available that work for them.
Marina Soares: Volunteering is not just for students; anyone can join the Bulldog Pantry and help out wherever they can.
Erica Bird: The way we kind of handle it is we have an email list that goes out, it goes out once a week and says these are the things we need, and then you know there’s a sign up for if you’re available to help out in that way, and we just kind of go with that.
Marina Soares: If you don’t have the time this season to help, there are other ways you can contribute to other struggling families out there.
Erica Bird: If you can, when you go out shopping and you have a little extra and you can throw in an extra can or two in the shopping cart, and then put it together with a bunch of other people who are doing the same thing, that really helps.
Erica Bird: And it’s not just us, while we are asking for ourselves, we are also saying, you know, maybe you can’t get it here to us, and you have a pantry just down the street, give it somewhere, because everybody is in the same boat right now. We’re just being as creative as we possibly can to be honest about it.
Marina Soares: The Bulldog Pantry’s next food distribution is on November 22nd if you’re looking for somewhere to volunteer, donate, or visit for your own needs. Reporting from Fresno State, I’m Marina Soares, Fresno State Radio.
Imani Warren: If you or someone you know is struggling with food insecurity, the Bulldog Pantry and other resources are available this month for families.
Taylor Kellams: Imani, do you know of anything fun to do in town for the holidays?
Imani Warren: Yeah, I’ve found some fun things to do in Fresno. I’ve really enjoyed the pumpkin patch as of recent.
Taylor Kellams: I actually didn’t go to the pumpkin patch this year, I feel like I didn’t do anything this October, I didn’t even do anything for Halloween at all, did not dress up. That’s why I’m looking forward to this month and any good that is happening with Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up.
Imani Warren: Well you’re in luck because there’s so much to do. There’s apple picking, and I’ve heard about some of the things that are happening in the community right now, as far as Clovis their having this cool thing where you can get on a carriage ride and ride around and look at the lights which is really nice.
Taylor Kellams: Oh that’s cool. I know their having Christmas Tree Lane too and stuff like that I think is super popular.
Imani Warren: Right, and I think there’s also a seasonal flower expo that I saw was happening too. I know there’s a Comic Con thing in the Fresno Convention Center too which I’m really excited about.
Imani Warren: Coming up, here’s some stories about what to do in Fresno for fun during the holiday season.
Imani Warren: Illuminature at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo is getting ready to light up the holiday season. The event begins November 22nd and promises larger-than-life animal light displays, colorful themes, and festive family fun. From glowing butterflies to bright lions and panda lanterns, the exhibit transforms the zoo into a full nighttime experience.
Imani Warren: The zoo says this year’s Illuminature will feature hundreds of hand-crafted light sculptures, holiday-themed food and drinks, live entertainment, and even a chance for kids to take pictures with Santa. Times and dates vary throughout the season, and visitors are encouraged to check the zoo’s calendar before arriving.
Imani Warren: The event is designed to celebrate, nature, Christmas, and even the Lunar New year, making it a multi-cultural festival that lasts all winter long. With light displays spread across the entire park, organizers say Illuminature is meant to bring the community together and create a magical outing for families of all ages. Illuminature is held at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo on Belmont Avenue. The event runs throughout the holiday season with select nights and extended hours.
Imani Warren: Simonian Farms has been a Fresno landmark for more than a century, offering fresh produce, history, and a taste of old-fashioned Central Valley charm. When you walk into Simonian Farms, you’re greeted with rows of fresh fruit, vintage décor, and a wild west themed general store that feels straight out of another era. The family run farm has been a Fresno stable since 1901, and visitors say it still feels like home.
Imani Warren: Simonian Farms features seasonal produce, award-winning raisins, local wines, and a museum of antique collectibles. But the owners say the real mission is preserving the agricultural roots of the Central Valley while giving Families a place to connect.
Imani Warren: At the far end of Simonian Farms sit something many visitors don’t expect, a tall wooden guard tower, modeled after the ones used in Japanese-American internment camps during World War Two. The memorial stands as a reminder of the thousands of families, including many from the Central Valley, who were forcibly removed from their homes.
Imani Warren: The guard tower replica is surrounded by informational panels, photos, and a dedication plaque. The Simonian family says they built the memorial to educate visitors and honor their Japanese-American friends and neighbors who lived through incarceration. Visitors often stop to read the panels before heading back to the produce stands. It’s a brief moment of reflection inside a place known for its colorful, nostalgic atmosphere, and a reminder of the valley’s deep agricultural and immigrant history.
Taylor Kellams: With the holidays approaching, families are wondering how they can spend some quality time together. Two family entertainment businesses near Barstow and Shaw Avenues could be the spots for your next get-together. Reporter Dakota Dean explores why these might be great for family fun.
Dakota Dean: Halloween already happened, but who cares! For Ghost Golf in Fresno, California, the Holiday is defiantly year-round. The course’s manager, Cassie Aguilar, talks about why she enjoys keeping the course running.
Cassie Aguilar: It’s just the customer interaction, honestly. I’m very customer-oriented, love interacting with different people every day, and then the kids, of course. I like to see the reactions when they come in, see the zombies.
Dakota Dean: There’s a key reason why this golf course is different from the rest in Fresno.
Cassie Aguilar: It is the only indoor miniature golf that is here. And it is Halloween themed, which there’s nothing else like that here. And it is like that year-round. We do, kind of, add like Santa hats, snow, stuff like that here and there for the seasons.
Dakota Dean: While the golf course appeal partly to children, it has managed to find a broad audience.
Cassie Aguilar: I do see a lot more, I want to say, maybe like, teen young adults, to even families, couples. We do see a lot of that as well. And we do also get group get-togethers, they come in and, you know, hang out for a couple of hours, ’cause it is all day, unlimited pass, for the admission.
Dakota Dean: Aguilar has recently enjoyed meeting a new customer in particular.
Cassie Aguilar: Well, I have had this one customer. He kind of comes in, maybe every year or so. He’s trying to get his grandson to come onto the golf course. I guess grandpa loves the golf and spookiness, but the grandson, I wanna say is three or four, they’ve been coming for at at least, like, maybe two years. And he’s slowly been kinda creeping in a little bit more here and there. And then, this most recent time that he came in last, he was actually able to go onto the golf course, but he didn’t play. So that was definitely, like, one of the highlights, you know, ’cause I see them when they start out young, and then I kinda see them when they’re able to, wanting to go in.
Dakota Dean: You might think that a golf course themed around the spooky season doesn’t get as much love during the rest of the year. However, Cassie and her team keep things engaging during other times in the year too.
Cassie Aguilar: For November, we are doing a door decorating contest, getting ready for the month of December. So it’s gonna be like Halloween spooky, Halloween meets spooky meets Christmas. So kinda keeping with the theme but also incorporate the upcoming holidays as well. So that’s definitely something to look forward to. Those will be judged, based off of the customers. So that’s when we’ll need your guys’ help to come in and vote for your guys’ favorite doors. And then in December they’re also going to be decorating Christmas trees that are gonna go up on the golf course. Hopefully the golf course, that’s still up in the air.
Dakota Dean: The course’s pricing is affordable, and could even be considered generous.
Cassie Aguilar: I think for the price of eighteen dollars for ages eleven and up, for an all-day golf pass with arcades included is actually really good. From the time that we open to the time that they close, they are literally able to come and go as they please. Which, that you honestly can’t get nowhere else, and then for children ages four to ten is sixteen. And again, that’s all day things, so the weekends you honestly get the better rate, twelve hours. For sixteen through eighteen dollars, that’s really not that bad at all.
Dakota Dean: It seems like overall, Ghost Golf offers a scary good deal.
Dakota Dean: If you don’t like golfing though, you can walk less than 500 feet across the same parking lot to the nearby arcade, and since the two are so close together, that’s exactly what I did.
Dakota Dean: At the Oh Wow Nickel Arcade in Fresno, this isn’t the sound of game tokens. Instead, they’re just nickels. Joseph, an attendant at the arcade, says this adds to the wow factor for visitors.
Joseph | Oh Wow! Nickel Arcade Attendant: I hear a lot about that. You know, Dave and Buster’s, Blackbeard’s, they all like, use card now, so a lot of people enjoy, like, the old-school feel of it.”
Dakota Dean: Joseph says that the work environment at the arcade is something you can’t find everywhere.
Joseph | Oh Wow! Nickel Arcade Attendant: We have a smaller cast here, so we’re all pretty close with each other for the, like, the crew who’s employed here and all that. Uh, so it can make it really fun working here, so it’s good to have, like, it’s good to help people out when you’re having a good time, type of thing, so.
Dakota Dean: At the arcade, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
Joseph | Oh Wow! Nickel Arcade Attendant: I’d say it’s just a pretty unique experience, we have a lot of range of games. So, we have stuff for parents to enjoy. You know, we’ve got like, old-school Donkey Kong, Ms. Pac-Man, a lot of pinballs. And we have stuff for the kids as well, you know, we got prizes for them, ticket games, and all that.
Dakota Dean: So if you’re curious how it feels to play with nickels instead of coins, you can stop by the arcade with your loved ones.
Dakota Dean: Reporting from West Fresno, I’m Dakota Dean, Fresno State Radio.
Taylor Kellams: Thanks for that story Dakota. That about wraps up our show, for more content, visit fresnostatefocus.com.
Ethan Beck: Coming up next week, we’ll go over things to do for Thanksgiving on campus. Find out more on our show next Saturday morning at 5 a.m.
Imani Warren: Today’s episode of the Fresno State Focus Radio Edition was produced by Professor Hanayo Oya from the department of Media, Communications, and Journalism at Fresno State.
Ethan Beck: Our stories were reported on by Marina Soares and Dakota Dean, edited by Julie Lindahl, and produced by me, Ethan Beck.
Taylor Kellams: For Fresno State Focus Radio, I’m Taylor Kellams.
Imani Warren: And I’m Imani Warren, hope you all have a great weekend, and see you next week.
Announcer: Fresno State Radio presents Fresno State Focus: Radio Edition, Saturday mornings at five. More information is available at ksfr.org, and at fsrunderground.org.