NEVADA CITY The Famous Marching Presidents T Shirts the first decade Sparky does first R L Crabb goes from there

1991 Designed by Sparky. That year the Marching Presidents sponsored the Watsonville Marching Band which they arranged to be in the parade. The over 100-piece band is California's largest community band. They are coming back to this year's Constitution Day Parade in downtown Nevada City September 14.
1993 R. L. Crabb

1994 R.L. Crabb



Back of 1994 shirt


1995 R.L. Crabb





1996 R.L. Crabb Became the Marching Presidents official seal.

1997 R. L. Crabb

1998 R.L. Crabb

1999 R.L. Crabb

NEVADA CITY KVMR radio turns 30 in July The July 11 and 12 celebration could be a moment that you do not want to miss

It was a very warm day and Sparky was doing one of his favorite things; shooting hoops in the gym of the old Nevada City High School. This solo endeavor he could do for hours and had since he could control a basketball. And this place was very special with light flooding in from skylights above the knotty pine walls just glowed. His concentration was suddenly broken as the gym door opened and in walked David Osborne and Charles Wood with a third person. Introducing Lee Amundsen to Sparky they explained that Lee has an idea for a Nevada City radio station. David and Charles were the founder's of the newly opened American Victorian Museum in the old Miners Foundry in downtown Nevada City. They happen to be showing Lee the old high school spot for a home for this new radio station. While the three of them talked about how a community radio station would be super for our cute little town, Lee was checking out every nook and cranny of the building. It proved to be not the right spot. At the time Sparky did not realize that he was seeing the beginning of what would become one of Nevada City's most important and cherished things....radio station KVMR. The V stood for Victorian and the M for museum. Below is the new logo created by Kim Rogers of KIM ART Graphics. That was July of 1978 when KVMR started broadcasting their 10 watts from the top of Banner Mountain. The non profit community based station was on the air ! In 2008 KVMR the 24 - 7 radio station has a range from Truckee to Sacramento and has powered up to 2000 watts. Local has become regional with a large professional and volunteer staff. But the word community is still the key word in it's being. And when you think of America in 2008 is a media that has " a hundred voices from the same ventriloquist " a station like Nevada City's KVMR is a golden gem. Sparky remember when DJ Bobby Angel was doing his show " high a top Banner Mountain " which was a late afternoon show somewhat in the model of the current "Music Magazine Show" format. It began to snow, and on Banner that means SNOW. And it did not stop. Bobby soon found himself snowed in. He could not get out and no one was getting to him during this storm. After some time the enjoyment was fading and the then small music library was becoming to be stretched. Bobby Angel proved to be a warrior and stuck it out for at least a couple of days all the time keeping KVMR on the airwaves. If they do have medals for DJ's he had earned his ! And because it is a community station, Sparky had a chance to "his stuff". Now bigger and located downtown at the AVM he had the " Recreation Minute" on the air. A prerecorded minute that highlighted local recreation it was produced by good friend Dan " Governor" Scanlan and truthfully was short lived. Stumbling over words, fighting the time limits it not only proved how good and patient of a friend he was but Sparky from then on had huge respect for all those who were on the air.

Do not miss the celebration this July 11 and 12 it will be on a closed Spring Street, the parking lot of Miners Foundry and inside of the Foundry. A virtual who's who of local musical talent will perform. And if that was not enough the KVMR display of it's past 30 years will bring back your fondest memories of what this radio station and our town are all about. And finally, KVMR needs a new home having out grown their old one....make sure that you tell them that our community radio station must stay in Nevada City.

BAGHDAD: A place; a civilization; a dream; a wheel chair; a broken dream; a lost life; a nightmare; a painting

" Baghdad "

2007

SPARKY DOLL : Kiwanis Club event is huge success

When the phone rang it was Patti Foster calling to tell Sparky she had a muslin blank doll for him. She continued to explain that Mike Young was heading up a charity event for the local Kiwanis Club and he should have a doll in this special event. Well, just how could he say no. Patti after all was a great friend who had been involved in all sorts of Sparky projects. The most noticeable being in charge of The Famous Marching Presidents annual party in Nevada City's Miners Foundry Stone Room. A huge undertaking which she handled fabulously for the past decade. What most people do not know is that she is a great artist in many mediums. Her stain glass piece of Sparky and Wiley Dog is a cherished masterpiece. With her talent why was she not doing it ? Probable because she does not want anyone to know she is blessed with talent and her and Sparky have a lifetime (figurative speaking) of getting each other involved in projects. The project was that people all over Western Nevada County were asked to make a doll from the same blank form in their own style. Mike Young who was the contact for the project explained that the dolls would be auctioned off and the proceeds would go to buying these muslin dolls which would be given to children who were in hospitals. The dolls have had a proven track record of being well received by the children. A much welcome item in a time when caring is needed. Mike Young and his wife Karen are the kind of people who make our cute little town so special. Both with a career in writing, upon retiring they moved here two years ago . I use the word retiring very lightly. These two are involved in EVERYTHING ! Introduced last year as they joined the Famous Marching Presidents you knew these two would be a welcome addition to Nevada City. When I asked how could they be so quickly be involved so deeply in the community they both had the same answer; our good friend is Dixie Redfern. THAT DOES explain it ! Dixie is an human dynamo ! Her Reader's Corner column appeared for years in the Grass Valley Union newspaper. She now is a reporter for local radio station KNCO. And if that wasn't enough she has her own blog about all of us. She is ubiquitous here ! And the really good thing she is a terrific person. Sparky Doll was created. The big day came and Grass Valley's Liberty Motors showroom was turned into a doll party. One hundred dolls had been created in all types of costumes. It was a terrific evening and the Kiwanis Club raised over $ 7000.00 on this first time charity event. Artists Sue Barry bid for Sparky Doll allowing her to "take him home'. A very fun time for a great cause.

YOSEMITE : Wiley Dog and Sparky's and the whole World's magical spot

Wiley Dog and Sparky love California's Yosemite ! From the valley floor to the high country it is all majestic ! Sparky refers to this magic place as " spiritual ". I am sure it is to all who take the sights in. Sparky started going there in the 1950's with his parents. He still can remember the Fire fall from Glacier Point. Stopped many years ago the ember fire fall was a nightly experience for visitors on the valley floor. Imagine this, in those days cars would park in the meadows to watch !

After all those many trips over the years the thought of another trip excites still.

Yosemite has endless things to see and do. It could take a life time just to scratch the surface.

Sparky has found Yosemite an endless subject for his art, " Yosemite Too " was done in 2005.

The " Half Dome Lounge " , a portable home made bar, was piled on top of Bob Benoit's Land Cruiser and transported to Yosemite Valley. Set up with the real Half Dome as back drop the lounge was fully stocked. With battery powered blenders and lights it became infamous. When closed it showed a smiling ranger face and when up and running you would find the ranger wearing a frown.

Wiley Dog and Sparky have hiked many miles in Yosemite.

Yosemite Valley, a view that never gets boring and is always a view that is looked forward to on each journey.

NEVADA CITY : Wiley's : Great people, controversial mural and Joe Cain Day

I am sure Bob Drake had no idea the impact on Nevada City that he would cause when he moved to town from Ohio. He purchased the building on Commercial Street that had housed Pete's Place and most recently Framastanyl's. The building had seen no active anything for two years
except real estate agents in their
attempts to sell the site. Many
would seem interested and that
sent rumors flying around town.
You see rumors are one thing
that our cute little town has perfected.
A rumor can literally travel at the speed
of light anywhere and everywhere in
town ! Sparky and a friend wanted once
to find out the power of the rumor. They
picked a fellow citizen, one who at the time
visited downtown on a regular bases. They
told him that the Old Brewery was purchased
by a group from Santa Cruz California.
This group they explained would turn the historic
building into a nightclub. They told just this one person and then waited to see what their " rumor " would produce. It was just a short time later that this fabricated story was all over town as if where a fact. They both laughed for days ! This soon proved to be no rumor as local craftsmen filled the place daily and soon Wiley's was born. The bar named after his grandmother became what all really good bars become a gathering place for all to gather. It became an eclectic home away from home for many. There are 1001 stories at least and most are glad that the walls can not talk. Here are two that gives a flavor of Bob Drake and his Wiley's Bar.

The mural. Since standing in the area that some day would become the deck for other names, but for Pete's Place it was Annie's dog run. Filled with all types of stuff none which would be called " atmosphere ", Sparky wanted to paint a mural on THAT wall. Who would have thought that 20-years later the chance would be staring him in the face. After many " Come on Bob !", conversations about the idea Bob had agreed and even had the wall painted a solid white. It was like looking at a blank canvas. Now after all those years the challenge was before Sparky. You must be thinking that is when the planning of the grid lines showing were it was all going and what would be the colors started. Get that out of your head right now that any of that happened ! Yes, Nevada City had become a home of artists of all kinds ,but a gallery was hard to find much less a mural in town. This was at a time when many towns in California had embraced murals and had found that they could be a draw for tourists. There would be no meetings with the planning commission ! Instead the first thing was to prop up the Budweiser umbrellas so that you could not see inside the patio from Commercial Street. The second thing was to grab a cold Bud in the bottle, sit down, take a deep breath and think " What the hell are you going to do now !" First thing...have another ice cold Bud. Then with brush in hand Sparky attacked the wall and the ideas flowed instantly out of the brush. In just three short days Sparky along with assistant Scott Pollock had created " Wiley's World ". As Scott and Sparky enjoyed yet another cold beverage they admitted to each other that "dreams can come true ". And it shows that one person's dream can be anther's bad dream. The art cop shows up !

For a month the patrons of Wiley's enjoyed their Wiley World with fun comments like, " Orca's in the Yuba River !?". Yes, it was Wiley World and of course that could happen. After all there was Wiley Dog telling all to " Think globally....and drink locally." The Wiley World credo. Soon to become the controversial Wiley's World. After a month the art cop spotted the mural. Traveling up Commercial he spied patrons enjoying the colorful wall. Off to city hall scurried the art cop and soon city hall was checking out the mural. That was soon followed by an official letter telling Bob Drake that Wiley World MUST go away. It threatened every thing that Nevada City stood for ! Bob calmly replied to city hall that it was an inside wall and while it broke no laws you all were invited down for a drink. Well rumblings at city hall had the press and public now all swarming to see what was going to be the ruin of town. Besides the local news outlets all the Sacramento TV stations and at least one Bay Area station covered the story. The San Francisco Chronicle and the Sacramento Bee got into it also. Wiley's World had become good for business !The fight was on, Bob got his own lawyer, John Voodonick, who soon convinced the city that this would be a true knock down and drag'em fight. R.L Crabb created " Save Nevada City...Screw the mural " shirts. Drake had commissioned the now famous local artist. Fighting city hall it turned out gave him great pleasure. For such a dog fight it ended with a whimper as the city realizing that was enjoyment to those on Commercial Street and after all funds were extremely limited for this kind of fight it seemed to fade away. And so did the controversy. The mural stood for years and it's final demise came when new owner Tim Smith wanted to add a new addition to his now called Cooper's. It seems that to improve the site the first thing that he had to do, yes you have it. Remove the Wiley World mural. The last thing before that happened was the cutting out of Wiley Dog and the motto " Think globally....Drink locally.". It remains to this day in Jim and Dianne Hinman's cabana bar in their home.

Originating out of Wiley's was an event that would become the largest one day event for Nevada City. An event that all bars and restaurants would look forward too. When you look back at the humble start this would seem a big surprise. Sparky along with Kurt Colagross and Richard Waters had the good fortune to found Nevada City's Joe Cain Day. Joe Cain is a character who in Mobile, Alabama, returned Mardi Gras to that southern city right after the Civil War. While not as famous as New Orleans, Mobile actual is the home of America's first Mardi Gras. Curt a retired City of Berkeley fire fighter had just moved to Nevada City. Rich was still working for Berkeley and both had attended Joe Cain Days in Mobile and Nevada City's Commercial Street had reminded them somewhat of New Orleans French Quarters. The three of them organized and promoted the first Joe Cain Day. It really was one of the best bar parties ever and it took place in Wiley's. It took a few years but finally Nevada City accepted and saw how much fun it could be. Today's Mardi Gras is operated by the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce under the watchful eye of Bob Buhlis attracts crowds numbering up to 14,000 playful soles. There are many people who have worked very hard to make Nevada City's Mardi Gras be such a huge success. And two who from day one until today that put in such energy are Dan and Ruth McIntire. If they hadn't ,who knows what would have happened. Sparky on the other hand took advantage of this fun event and did just that ... had fun. His General Doo Dah Kazoo Band became a well known fun time group. General Doo Dah's image was spread all over town weeks before the event in the R.L. Crabb poster seen above. Anyone could join the band. Just have a kazoo and come in costume. Their last minute rehearsals provided hysteric's. Below you see two of Mardi Gras standouts on the left is The King of Fools being embraced by " Auntie Rue". One more time Nevada City proved it loved to party.

NEVADA CITY : Constitution Day and The Famous Marching Presidents

Nevada City's Constitution Parade has been a local tradition since 1967 and is the oldest and largest Constitution observance in western America You would think that America's most important document would be celebrated every where, but for the most part it goes unnoticed. Not here, Nevada City does it with the town style....with a party. This September 14 will mark the 42ND Annual Constitution Day Parade. In 1976 our Nation was celebrating our 200Th birthday and major celebrations were being planned across the land. Each state was to have an official Bicentennial City that would be recognized by the national committee. I am not sure what that meant other that you could claim official status, but I would guess some funding went alone with it. The large and powerful San Diego City was announced as the official bicentennial California city. Nevada City shouted out loudly " Hey wait a minute ! We have actually been celebrating our Constitution for years ". The national committee did agree that Nevada City had been doing this for some time and awarded town in being the official Co-Bicentennial California City. Just proves to you that doing the right thing can pay off. Filled with patriotic enthusiasm Sparky founded The Famous Marching Presidents in 1987. The group would have all the United States Presidents in costume of their period and march down Nevada City's Broad Street. That first year's group was a little ragged and small by today's group standards. What they did though was set the standard of great fun spirit that lives on today with the group 20 years later. That attitude has been the cornerstone of The Famous Marching Presidents becoming the best known marching group from Nevada County and that weekend's most anticipated and popular group. Sparky for that twenty years has portrayed Martin Van Buren, America's 8TH President. Van Buren was the first President to be born under the American flag. All others before that had seen the British flag waving at their birth. That first Constitution Parade in 1987 Martin Van Buren ( all presidents wore name sashes then as now) was walking up Broad Street to the group's gathering point he passed two elder ladies who where sitting in their folding chairs in front of the Nevada Theater. Over hearing them say, " Look there goes Martin Van Buren". Swelling with pride and excitement that this WAS going to work, it suddenly changed as the other proclaimed, " Oh he is much to tall for Martin!". The 1987 Martin Van Buren's six foot height had not measured up to the originals 5 feet and 4 inches ! Oh well despite of that fact it was on with the show. Above is The Famous Marching Presidents Official Seal. It was created by R.L. Crabb and gives an all non subtle view what this group can be all about.

The Famous Marching Presidents in 2007 had grown to a group of 119 people with each President and First Lady. Secret Service Agents mixed among them as well. The group stretched from the review stand at the corner of Broad and Pine Street all the way up the street to the Nevada Theater.

The first Famous Marching Presidents in 1987. This group small by todays standard but large in spirut and outright fun provided the cornerstone for all The Marching Presidents to come after them.

A parody of the Beatles " Sargent Pepper " album, this was 2007 official 20TH design. Designed by R. L. Crabb it marked his 17TH year of making each year's The Famous Marching Presidents official yearly logo.