A new security measure in response to active shooters: arming teachers, test scores among CA students are up over the last year, ageism and discrimination in Hollywood.
One school's response to the active shooter threat: give guns to teachers
Some teachers at Kingsburg High School, a school near Fresno, have been armed with guns. The policy was announced in April but not put into effect until the start of the new year.
The new security measure in response to active shooters. Licensed, gun owning teachers can volunteer to carry concealed weapons on campus and receive multi-faceted training. The Kingsburg Joint High School board's new policy is aimed at reducing response time in an active shooter situation.
Randy Morris is superintendent of Kingsburg Joint Union High School District and spoke with Take Two's Deepa Fernandes about the policy.
Interview Highlights
What led the Kingsburg school board to approve this policy?
"The discussion probably started about three years ago, in response to school tragedies that were taking place across the country, highlighted of course by Sandy Hook elementary in Newtown, Connecticut. You know, the unfortunate incident that took place in the public sector down in San Bernardino, I think really brought light to some questions the board had about, what do we do in that response time between the 911 call and law enforcement arriving. And so the discussion began first thing first, found out legally what we were able to do and that research found out that while schools are declared gun free zones, Superintendents have the right to grant CCW permit holders permission to carry concealed weapons on campus. And so with that the board decided that we would create a policy to ensure that there were some steps and procedures in place to make sure that we were in the safest position possible..."
The CDC says that less than 2% of youth homicides happen at school. Obviously, there is always the chance, but data seems to squarely point the other way when it comes to kids being killed by guns at a school.
"We're certainly not arguing with any of that data, the only thing we're trying to do is put ourselves in a defendable position, should somebody choose to take grave danger against our kids or our staff."
How have Kingsburg's teachers responded to this new policy?
"The response has been, I think, overwhelmingly supportive. There are folks with questions, you know we started having these conversations last spring and we still have them from time to time. The new shining component of the policy has kind of worn off and has just gained some recent attention since we've got back in school. Our intent is not to convince folks whether it's right or wrong, our intent is just to express our desire to put ourselves in a position to protect our kids given that grave situation."
How is the weapon concealed?
"Well, the anonymity of the individual is a key component to the policy. The policy very clearly states that zero to five staff members at any time to be granted permission to carry a concealed weapon on campus. Those individuals are volunteers, they are not recruited, they obviously have to meet requirements of local and state law enforcement specific to being issued a CCW permit and then there's a series of training requirements and other issues that we evaluate and other things we evaluate before granting permission..."
To hear the full interview, click the blue play button above.
Answers have been edited for clarity.
California students post progress across the board on state tests, but struggles remain
More seats for 4-year-olds at LA Unified under Transitional Kindergarten expansion
Making good on a promise from two years ago, Los Angeles Unified has increased the number of preschool seats on its campuses.
The district more than DOUBLED the number of students in its Expanded Transitional Kindergarten program, known as ETK, which includes all children who turn 4 during the school year, including special needs children.
Almost 4000 more kids are in classes this year, which is a significant change, considering the district that has cut thousands of early education seats in previous years.
Earlier this week, Take Two's Deepa Fernandes visited one of the new ETK classes at Glassell Park Elementary with Dean Tagawa who runs Early Education for LA Unified.
It's a classroom, he pointed out, including children with special needs.
"Anything from being born premature and having some developmental delays, some of them might need additional speech, others might need physical therapy."
According to Tagawa, 59 of the ETK classrooms have a special ED teacher and special ed AIDE right there in the classroom in addition to the regular teacher.
Kim Pattillo Brownson, vice president of policy and strategy at First 5 LA, joined Take Two over the phone for more.
California death row inmates are dying from illegal drug overdoses
The illegal drug trade in California prisons is nothing new.
But a report in the Los Angeles Times out Wednesday suggests narcotics—and lethal overdoses—have reached the highest security parts of the prison, and death row inmates have been dying from illegal drug overdoses at an alarming rate.
Los Angeles Times reporter Paige St. John wrote the story, and she spoke with Libby Denkmann about the issue.
Click the blue audio player to hear the full interview.
How a grassroots effort helped transform California's rape legislation
On Thursday the Justice for Victims Act (SB-813), which would remove the statute of limitations for prosecuting rape cases, passed unanimously in the California Assembly. Currently a rape survivor has 10 years to come forward and report their rape, but bipartisan supporters of the bill say that time limit is unnecessary.
"It was brought to my attention late last year that there was a statute of limitation on rape, which surprised me," says Senator Connie Leyva (D-Chino). "After finding out that only 2 out of every 100 rapists are convicted and do any jail time I thought this was a serious issue." She adds, "There is no statute of limitations on murder, and people are murdered every day by accident. No one is ever raped by accident."
One of the folks who brought this issue to Senator Leyva's attention was Dr. Caroline Heldman. She's a professor of Politics at Occidental College and co-chair of the End Rape Statute of Limitations Campaign. Although the media has paid the most attention to the groups' survivors of Bill Cosby, ERSOL is a grassroots movement formed by rape survivors of low and high profile cases alike.
"The fact that only a third of survivors ever come forward should tell us there is a problem with reporting," says, Dr. Heldman. "I think the question really, when you look at the way our culture sets this up in our legal system is why anyone would come forward. What happens when people come forward is they're often blamed for their rape, they're shamed and stigmatized by their family and friends and strangers if they go public. And they likely won't get justice. Only 2% of rapists will ever spend a day in jail."
Heldman does say the climate is getting better, thanks in part to grassroots efforts such as ERSOL. "I think they're very vital," she says. "They've spurred a national movement to focus on sexual violence. We're living in a rape culture that doesn't take this crime seriously and even glories it in the media." Feldman adds that thanks to these types of efforts, we've been shifting away from this culture seriously since 2013.
Many states have already abolished their statute of limitations for rape, including Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Additionally if SB-813 becomes law, it would not be retroactive. "It's largely symbolic," says Dr. Heldman. "but it sends a strong message that rape is a serious crime." Dr Heldman is now involved in efforts to make abolishing the statute of limitations in rape cases a nation-wide movement.
"I think I would tell any rape survivor there is hope," says Senator Leyva. "We all stand behind you, you did nothing to bring this on, it was not your fault. I know so many rape victims/survivors feel shame, they should not. There are so many of us that have your back, and we want to make sur you always ALWAYS have the opportunity to seek justice."
If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual violence, call 800-656-HOPE or visit the RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) website here.
California bill attempts to combat ageism in Hollywood
It's not hard to figure out how old Hollywood A-listers are. More often than not, a quick Google or IMDB search will get you there.
But age is a touchy subject in Hollywood. It can influence hiring decisions, bringing up concerns about age discrimination and ageism.
A bill that would strike the ages of entertainment industry workers—from screen stars to make-up artists—from hiring and casting websites just passed the California legislature this week. It is now on its way to Governor Jerry Brown's desk.
The bill, AB-1687, was introduced by California state assemblymember Ian Calderon, the Democratic majority leader whose district covers parts of southeast Los Angeles.
Alex Cohen spoke with writer and actor Annabelle Gurwitch, author of the book I See You Made An Effort: Compliments, Indignities and Survival Stories From The Edge of 50.
Click the blue audio player to hear the full interview.
Sports Roundup: Happy Kobe Bryant Day!
Every week we take a deep dive into the world of sports with Andy and Brian Kamenetzky, who have covered the sports scene for ESPN and the L.A. Times.
On tap this week: Happy Kobe Bryant day! The new Los Angeles holiday has officially been declared for August 24th to commemorate the jersey numbers that Bryant wore for his career with the Lakers. We'll discuss what the best way to celebrate is and what we might be able to expect next from LA's favorite basketball player.
Plus, why former Florida Gators football Quarterback Tim Tebow wants to play professional baseball... and why it might not be such a horrible idea.
All that and a lot more.
Knott's takes guests back to the Wild West with 'Ghost Town Alive'
Southern California has long been known for its amusement parks, but this year they're really stepping up their game.
Disneyland broke ground on its new Star Wars Land, Universal Studios debuted The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and Knott's Berry Farm transformed its original Ghost Town attraction into Ghost Town Alive in celebration of its 75th anniversary.
It's the latest craze in theme park design-- creating an immersive, interactive experience for park-goers.
At Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, Ghost Town was created in 1941 by the park's original owner, and Wild West enthusiast, Walter Knott. That's back when Knott's was an actual berry farm, and the main attraction there was his wife Cordelia Knott's fried chicken restaurant.
There was always the occasional cowboy or gold prospector roaming the streets of Ghost Town, but this year, the town of Calico has been populated with a cast of character actors who interact with guests in a sort of daylong improv show.
We recently got immersed in Ghost Town Alive with a tour from Julie Owens, the park's director of live entertainment.
What's your job here at Knott's?
I'm the director of live entertainment at Knott's Berry Farm. I actually started as a cancan dancer in 1974 and since then I just kind of worked my way up and here I am today. So we're talking over 40 years ago, and if I can do it anyone can!
What are you memories of the original Ghost Town?
When I first started working here in '74, the cowboys actually rolled their own cigarettes. Now no one smokes on the streets of Ghost Town, but I thought it was so cool, they were just sitting up against the corral fences, rolling their own cigarettes and as a cancan dancer in between our shows we were outside hanging out with the cowboys. And as a young girl I thought 'Oh my gosh this is the best job ever.' And not only that I was getting paid to dance. It was incredible.
How has Ghost Town changed this summer?
Until this summer, Ghost Town had what we call "peek-ins." So if you wanted to look at the sheriff's office we had mannequins in there pretending like they were playing cards, if you went to Goldie's there were mannequins in there dressed up in their finest clothing. If you went to the assayer's office, you would hear kind of like prerecorded voices of people, talking about the gold that was coming in being claimed. What we've done differently this year is we've actually put people into those buildings. So if you go into the sheriff's office you can play poker with the sheriff in his office. You can actually talk to Goldie in her tea house. You can have your gold weighed at the assayer office. You can go to Hop Wing Lee's and wash your clothes, you can go into barbershop and interact with the barber. So everything that was just something to look at, kind of a museum quality, has actually come alive.
What should people expect from Ghost Town Alive?
So the experience that a guest is going to have when they come is they're going to be connected and develop a relationship with all of these citizens of Calico. So of course the mayor and the sheriff and the judge, they all want to keep peace in the town. But of course every town also has their scoundrels and their vermin and ours are the Mayfield Gang. And they're coming in to just cause some trouble and just kind of stir things up. They're the kind of gang that you love to hate and hate to love. But they just come in and claim they have the deed to Ghost Town and of course it's up to Judge Roy Bean and the Mayor to disprove that. And really what the guests are doing when they come to Ghost Town is they are a part of that and they're helping solve the crime of the day. It really isn't about the characters and the actors that are in Ghost Town, the story is driven by the guests who interact with our characters.
What sets Ghost Town Alive apart from something like The Wizarding World of Harry Potter or Star Wars Land at Disneyland?
If anybody is interested in the Wild West, they are going to want to be a part of this. And here's the thing-- the difference between say, the other parks, the Star Wars and the Harry Potter, is that what we are recreating here actually happened. So it's a history lesson in and of itself. It's educational as well as fun.
Dobbsland: Backyard theme park, love letter to grandchildren
Southern California residents are fortunate enough to have no shortage of nearby amusement parks.
Whether you want to head to Knott's Berry Farm, Six Flags, Disneyland or anywhere else, you're pretty well covered.
But what if you want to bring that experience closer to home? Like say... your backyard?
Cal Poly Pomona engineering professor, Steven Dobbs had that goal.
He's transformed his yard into an amusement park for his grandchildren called "Dobbsland."
The origins of the Dobbsland
Dobbs and his wife June live in Fullerton. The couple has two daughters, five grandchildren and two sons in law. "My wife and I are really blessed by God with these grandkids," Dobbs says.
One of the biggest hurdles to getting his grandchildren to come over is Disneyland. The whole family has annual park passes and, like most kids, they love to go there whenever they can. "I have to compete with that!" Dobbs says. "If we want [the grandkids] to come over, we have to have something for them to play with."
Then Dobbs had an idea: bring a smaller Disney experience to his backyard.
"It started off with this little Thomas the Train that went around in circles that little kids could ride on," Dobbs says. "After about ten minutes, they got bored riding that. And so I said, well they love tunnels. So I made a tunnel out of a cardboard box. That lasted about five minutes then I said I gotta do better than that. After that, the whole thing took on a life of its own and went totally out of control."
Engineering the rides
Dobbsland today is made up of a multiple rides. The first one that was completed was the smaller version of Disney's "It's a Small World," that Dobbs calls Tiny World.
"My wife had a mallor mallet doll collection. She was going to get rid of it... and I said I'll have the dolls!" Dobbs says. "I took them and put motors on them so they'd be dancing when the kids went through. The tunnel is encased in a smaller approximation of the larger Disneyland structure that hold 'It's a Small World.' That sort of made it a little more permanent," says Dobbs.
Next to that is 13-foot-tall 'Sleeping Princess Castle,' a reference to the Sleeping Beauty castle. Inside, the tracks run through visuals from the movie Frozen, complete with lights and dancing versions of Anna and Elsa.
The track then loops around to a cabin that houses the Dobbsland version of Winnie the Pooh. Inside are more animated dolls, this time of Pooh, Tigger and Eyore.
With all of the music and visuals playing out in each ride, it's clear just how much work has gone into making Dobbsland a small-scal version of Walt Disney's seminal theme park. Dobbs says, "Now [my grandkids] can come to my backyard and if they don't get to go to Disneyland, they can play like they're at Disneyland right here."
The latest attraction
The central attraction to Dobbsland is a large white wooden roller coaster that Dobbs calls the Madderhorn (not to be confused with Disneyland's Matterhorn). It's roughly 100 feet long in a kidney shape with a large drop half way through.
Dobbs originally told his colleague at Cal Poly Pomona about his idea for the roller-coaster. "He said, 'I know some students who would love to build your coaster for their senior project.' So he actually formed the team for me and I was one of the advisors."
It took three months of design work and three more months of building and testing. Finally, the track was brought to Dobbs's back yard where it was ready to be ridden.
"We've had full-grown adults [ride it] down to like three-year-olds," Dobbs says. "This was full engineered as if this was a roller coaster at a major theme park."
Which is better: Disneyland or Dobbsland?
Dobbs's goal making a fun place for his grandchildren to come play has been successful. He recalls their laughter as they rode through "Tiny World" for the first time and the birthday parties that they've thrown with dozens of kids enjoying every attraction.
He's had the heart to ask his grandkids the ultimate question: Which do they prefer: Dobbsland or Disneyland?
"They all say Dobbsland," Dobbs says. "But I think that was from some prompting [from their moms]."
To hear the full story, click the blue player above
The Styled Side: are outlets worth it?
Labor Day is one of the biggest weekends for shopping, second only to Black Friday.
But you want a deal, right? Then head to one of SoCal's outlet malls, which are rapidly becoming upscale for the waves of frugal shoppers driving in.
"Outlets are focusing on top-shelf amenities and 5-star service similar to what the world's top hotels would offer," says Michelle Dalton Tyree from Fashion Trends Daily.
That includes valet parking, a VIP lounge, luggage storage and even concerts.
"The Citadel, just south of downtown L.A., has actually had everyone from Justin Bieber to Ariana Grande perform!" says Tyree.
A driving force in the growth of outlets is the Chinese consumer.
"The Citadel alone sees upwards of 60 buses per day of tourists," she says.
Many are looking for luxury accessories from brands like Kate Spade, Coach and Michael Kors.
But some of those bargains are better than others.
"A lot of people don't realize this, but many brands actually produce 'direct-to-outlet' merchandise, which means the item has never been at the regular stores," says Tyree.
J. Crew, The Gap and Off Fifth from Saks Fifth Avenue all sell these items, but Tyree says there is a way to figure out if what you're buying is the deal or made specifically for the outlet.
- For starters, ask the salespeople if you're not sure. Most will be forthcoming.
- J. Crew puts two diamonds under the "r" on the label for outlet-only items
- Gap uses three dots to mark its outlet products
One school's response to the active shooter threat: give guns to teachers
Some teachers at Kingsburg High School, a school near Fresno, have been armed with guns. The policy was announced in April but not put into effect until the start of the new year.
The new security measure in response to active shooters. Licensed, gun owning teachers can volunteer to carry concealed weapons on campus and receive multi-faceted training. The Kingsburg Joint High School board's new policy is aimed at reducing response time in an active shooter situation.
Randy Morris is superintendent of Kingsburg Joint Union High School District and spoke with Take Two's Deepa Fernandes about the policy.
Interview Highlights
What led the Kingsburg school board to approve this policy?
"The discussion probably started about three years ago, in response to school tragedies that were taking place across the country, highlighted of course by Sandy Hook elementary in Newtown, Connecticut. You know, the unfortunate incident that took place in the public sector down in San Bernardino, I think really brought light to some questions the board had about, what do we do in that response time between the 911 call and law enforcement arriving. And so the discussion began first thing first, found out legally what we were able to do and that research found out that while schools are declared gun free zones, Superintendents have the right to grant CCW permit holders permission to carry concealed weapons on campus. And so with that the board decided that we would create a policy to ensure that there were some steps and procedures in place to make sure that we were in the safest position possible..."
The CDC says that less than 2% of youth homicides happen at school. Obviously, there is always the chance, but data seems to squarely point the other way when it comes to kids being killed by guns at a school.
"We're certainly not arguing with any of that data, the only thing we're trying to do is put ourselves in a defendable position, should somebody choose to take grave danger against our kids or our staff."
How have Kingsburg's teachers responded to this new policy?
"The response has been, I think, overwhelmingly supportive. There are folks with questions, you know we started having these conversations last spring and we still have them from time to time. The new shining component of the policy has kind of worn off and has just gained some recent attention since we've got back in school. Our intent is not to convince folks whether it's right or wrong, our intent is just to express our desire to put ourselves in a position to protect our kids given that grave situation."
How is the weapon concealed?
"Well, the anonymity of the individual is a key component to the policy. The policy very clearly states that zero to five staff members at any time to be granted permission to carry a concealed weapon on campus. Those individuals are volunteers, they are not recruited, they obviously have to meet requirements of local and state law enforcement specific to being issued a CCW permit and then there's a series of training requirements and other issues that we evaluate and other things we evaluate before granting permission..."
To hear the full interview, click the blue play button above.
Answers have been edited for clarity.
California students post progress across the board on state tests, but struggles remain
More seats for 4-year-olds at LA Unified under Transitional Kindergarten expansion
Making good on a promise from two years ago, Los Angeles Unified has increased the number of preschool seats on its campuses.
The district more than DOUBLED the number of students in its Expanded Transitional Kindergarten program, known as ETK, which includes all children who turn 4 during the school year, including special needs children.
Almost 4000 more kids are in classes this year, which is a significant change, considering the district that has cut thousands of early education seats in previous years.
Earlier this week, Take Two's Deepa Fernandes visited one of the new ETK classes at Glassell Park Elementary with Dean Tagawa who runs Early Education for LA Unified.
It's a classroom, he pointed out, including children with special needs.
"Anything from being born premature and having some developmental delays, some of them might need additional speech, others might need physical therapy."
According to Tagawa, 59 of the ETK classrooms have a special ED teacher and special ed AIDE right there in the classroom in addition to the regular teacher.
Kim Pattillo Brownson, vice president of policy and strategy at First 5 LA, joined Take Two over the phone for more.
California death row inmates are dying from illegal drug overdoses
The illegal drug trade in California prisons is nothing new.
But a report in the Los Angeles Times out Wednesday suggests narcotics—and lethal overdoses—have reached the highest security parts of the prison, and death row inmates have been dying from illegal drug overdoses at an alarming rate.
Los Angeles Times reporter Paige St. John wrote the story, and she spoke with Libby Denkmann about the issue.
Click the blue audio player to hear the full interview.
How a grassroots effort helped transform California's rape legislation
On Thursday the Justice for Victims Act (SB-813), which would remove the statute of limitations for prosecuting rape cases, passed unanimously in the California Assembly. Currently a rape survivor has 10 years to come forward and report their rape, but bipartisan supporters of the bill say that time limit is unnecessary.
"It was brought to my attention late last year that there was a statute of limitation on rape, which surprised me," says Senator Connie Leyva (D-Chino). "After finding out that only 2 out of every 100 rapists are convicted and do any jail time I thought this was a serious issue." She adds, "There is no statute of limitations on murder, and people are murdered every day by accident. No one is ever raped by accident."
One of the folks who brought this issue to Senator Leyva's attention was Dr. Caroline Heldman. She's a professor of Politics at Occidental College and co-chair of the End Rape Statute of Limitations Campaign. Although the media has paid the most attention to the groups' survivors of Bill Cosby, ERSOL is a grassroots movement formed by rape survivors of low and high profile cases alike.
"The fact that only a third of survivors ever come forward should tell us there is a problem with reporting," says, Dr. Heldman. "I think the question really, when you look at the way our culture sets this up in our legal system is why anyone would come forward. What happens when people come forward is they're often blamed for their rape, they're shamed and stigmatized by their family and friends and strangers if they go public. And they likely won't get justice. Only 2% of rapists will ever spend a day in jail."
Heldman does say the climate is getting better, thanks in part to grassroots efforts such as ERSOL. "I think they're very vital," she says. "They've spurred a national movement to focus on sexual violence. We're living in a rape culture that doesn't take this crime seriously and even glories it in the media." Feldman adds that thanks to these types of efforts, we've been shifting away from this culture seriously since 2013.
Many states have already abolished their statute of limitations for rape, including Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Additionally if SB-813 becomes law, it would not be retroactive. "It's largely symbolic," says Dr. Heldman. "but it sends a strong message that rape is a serious crime." Dr Heldman is now involved in efforts to make abolishing the statute of limitations in rape cases a nation-wide movement.
"I think I would tell any rape survivor there is hope," says Senator Leyva. "We all stand behind you, you did nothing to bring this on, it was not your fault. I know so many rape victims/survivors feel shame, they should not. There are so many of us that have your back, and we want to make sur you always ALWAYS have the opportunity to seek justice."
If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual violence, call 800-656-HOPE or visit the RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) website here.
California bill attempts to combat ageism in Hollywood
It's not hard to figure out how old Hollywood A-listers are. More often than not, a quick Google or IMDB search will get you there.
But age is a touchy subject in Hollywood. It can influence hiring decisions, bringing up concerns about age discrimination and ageism.
A bill that would strike the ages of entertainment industry workers—from screen stars to make-up artists—from hiring and casting websites just passed the California legislature this week. It is now on its way to Governor Jerry Brown's desk.
The bill, AB-1687, was introduced by California state assemblymember Ian Calderon, the Democratic majority leader whose district covers parts of southeast Los Angeles.
Alex Cohen spoke with writer and actor Annabelle Gurwitch, author of the book I See You Made An Effort: Compliments, Indignities and Survival Stories From The Edge of 50.
Click the blue audio player to hear the full interview.
Sports Roundup: Happy Kobe Bryant Day!
Every week we take a deep dive into the world of sports with Andy and Brian Kamenetzky, who have covered the sports scene for ESPN and the L.A. Times.
On tap this week: Happy Kobe Bryant day! The new Los Angeles holiday has officially been declared for August 24th to commemorate the jersey numbers that Bryant wore for his career with the Lakers. We'll discuss what the best way to celebrate is and what we might be able to expect next from LA's favorite basketball player.
Plus, why former Florida Gators football Quarterback Tim Tebow wants to play professional baseball... and why it might not be such a horrible idea.
All that and a lot more.
Knott's takes guests back to the Wild West with 'Ghost Town Alive'
Southern California has long been known for its amusement parks, but this year they're really stepping up their game.
Disneyland broke ground on its new Star Wars Land, Universal Studios debuted The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and Knott's Berry Farm transformed its original Ghost Town attraction into Ghost Town Alive in celebration of its 75th anniversary.
It's the latest craze in theme park design-- creating an immersive, interactive experience for park-goers.
At Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, Ghost Town was created in 1941 by the park's original owner, and Wild West enthusiast, Walter Knott. That's back when Knott's was an actual berry farm, and the main attraction there was his wife Cordelia Knott's fried chicken restaurant.
There was always the occasional cowboy or gold prospector roaming the streets of Ghost Town, but this year, the town of Calico has been populated with a cast of character actors who interact with guests in a sort of daylong improv show.
We recently got immersed in Ghost Town Alive with a tour from Julie Owens, the park's director of live entertainment.
What's your job here at Knott's?
I'm the director of live entertainment at Knott's Berry Farm. I actually started as a cancan dancer in 1974 and since then I just kind of worked my way up and here I am today. So we're talking over 40 years ago, and if I can do it anyone can!
What are you memories of the original Ghost Town?
When I first started working here in '74, the cowboys actually rolled their own cigarettes. Now no one smokes on the streets of Ghost Town, but I thought it was so cool, they were just sitting up against the corral fences, rolling their own cigarettes and as a cancan dancer in between our shows we were outside hanging out with the cowboys. And as a young girl I thought 'Oh my gosh this is the best job ever.' And not only that I was getting paid to dance. It was incredible.
How has Ghost Town changed this summer?
Until this summer, Ghost Town had what we call "peek-ins." So if you wanted to look at the sheriff's office we had mannequins in there pretending like they were playing cards, if you went to Goldie's there were mannequins in there dressed up in their finest clothing. If you went to the assayer's office, you would hear kind of like prerecorded voices of people, talking about the gold that was coming in being claimed. What we've done differently this year is we've actually put people into those buildings. So if you go into the sheriff's office you can play poker with the sheriff in his office. You can actually talk to Goldie in her tea house. You can have your gold weighed at the assayer office. You can go to Hop Wing Lee's and wash your clothes, you can go into barbershop and interact with the barber. So everything that was just something to look at, kind of a museum quality, has actually come alive.
What should people expect from Ghost Town Alive?
So the experience that a guest is going to have when they come is they're going to be connected and develop a relationship with all of these citizens of Calico. So of course the mayor and the sheriff and the judge, they all want to keep peace in the town. But of course every town also has their scoundrels and their vermin and ours are the Mayfield Gang. And they're coming in to just cause some trouble and just kind of stir things up. They're the kind of gang that you love to hate and hate to love. But they just come in and claim they have the deed to Ghost Town and of course it's up to Judge Roy Bean and the Mayor to disprove that. And really what the guests are doing when they come to Ghost Town is they are a part of that and they're helping solve the crime of the day. It really isn't about the characters and the actors that are in Ghost Town, the story is driven by the guests who interact with our characters.
What sets Ghost Town Alive apart from something like The Wizarding World of Harry Potter or Star Wars Land at Disneyland?
If anybody is interested in the Wild West, they are going to want to be a part of this. And here's the thing-- the difference between say, the other parks, the Star Wars and the Harry Potter, is that what we are recreating here actually happened. So it's a history lesson in and of itself. It's educational as well as fun.
Dobbsland: Backyard theme park, love letter to grandchildren
Southern California residents are fortunate enough to have no shortage of nearby amusement parks.
Whether you want to head to Knott's Berry Farm, Six Flags, Disneyland or anywhere else, you're pretty well covered.
But what if you want to bring that experience closer to home? Like say... your backyard?
Cal Poly Pomona engineering professor, Steven Dobbs had that goal.
He's transformed his yard into an amusement park for his grandchildren called "Dobbsland."
The origins of the Dobbsland
Dobbs and his wife June live in Fullerton. The couple has two daughters, five grandchildren and two sons in law. "My wife and I are really blessed by God with these grandkids," Dobbs says.
One of the biggest hurdles to getting his grandchildren to come over is Disneyland. The whole family has annual park passes and, like most kids, they love to go there whenever they can. "I have to compete with that!" Dobbs says. "If we want [the grandkids] to come over, we have to have something for them to play with."
Then Dobbs had an idea: bring a smaller Disney experience to his backyard.
"It started off with this little Thomas the Train that went around in circles that little kids could ride on," Dobbs says. "After about ten minutes, they got bored riding that. And so I said, well they love tunnels. So I made a tunnel out of a cardboard box. That lasted about five minutes then I said I gotta do better than that. After that, the whole thing took on a life of its own and went totally out of control."
Engineering the rides
Dobbsland today is made up of a multiple rides. The first one that was completed was the smaller version of Disney's "It's a Small World," that Dobbs calls Tiny World.
"My wife had a mallor mallet doll collection. She was going to get rid of it... and I said I'll have the dolls!" Dobbs says. "I took them and put motors on them so they'd be dancing when the kids went through. The tunnel is encased in a smaller approximation of the larger Disneyland structure that hold 'It's a Small World.' That sort of made it a little more permanent," says Dobbs.
Next to that is 13-foot-tall 'Sleeping Princess Castle,' a reference to the Sleeping Beauty castle. Inside, the tracks run through visuals from the movie Frozen, complete with lights and dancing versions of Anna and Elsa.
The track then loops around to a cabin that houses the Dobbsland version of Winnie the Pooh. Inside are more animated dolls, this time of Pooh, Tigger and Eyore.
With all of the music and visuals playing out in each ride, it's clear just how much work has gone into making Dobbsland a small-scal version of Walt Disney's seminal theme park. Dobbs says, "Now [my grandkids] can come to my backyard and if they don't get to go to Disneyland, they can play like they're at Disneyland right here."
The latest attraction
The central attraction to Dobbsland is a large white wooden roller coaster that Dobbs calls the Madderhorn (not to be confused with Disneyland's Matterhorn). It's roughly 100 feet long in a kidney shape with a large drop half way through.
Dobbs originally told his colleague at Cal Poly Pomona about his idea for the roller-coaster. "He said, 'I know some students who would love to build your coaster for their senior project.' So he actually formed the team for me and I was one of the advisors."
It took three months of design work and three more months of building and testing. Finally, the track was brought to Dobbs's back yard where it was ready to be ridden.
"We've had full-grown adults [ride it] down to like three-year-olds," Dobbs says. "This was full engineered as if this was a roller coaster at a major theme park."
Which is better: Disneyland or Dobbsland?
Dobbs's goal making a fun place for his grandchildren to come play has been successful. He recalls their laughter as they rode through "Tiny World" for the first time and the birthday parties that they've thrown with dozens of kids enjoying every attraction.
He's had the heart to ask his grandkids the ultimate question: Which do they prefer: Dobbsland or Disneyland?
"They all say Dobbsland," Dobbs says. "But I think that was from some prompting [from their moms]."
To hear the full story, click the blue player above
The Styled Side: are outlets worth it?
Labor Day is one of the biggest weekends for shopping, second only to Black Friday.
But you want a deal, right? Then head to one of SoCal's outlet malls, which are rapidly becoming upscale for the waves of frugal shoppers driving in.
"Outlets are focusing on top-shelf amenities and 5-star service similar to what the world's top hotels would offer," says Michelle Dalton Tyree from Fashion Trends Daily.
That includes valet parking, a VIP lounge, luggage storage and even concerts.
"The Citadel, just south of downtown L.A., has actually had everyone from Justin Bieber to Ariana Grande perform!" says Tyree.
A driving force in the growth of outlets is the Chinese consumer.
"The Citadel alone sees upwards of 60 buses per day of tourists," she says.
Many are looking for luxury accessories from brands like Kate Spade, Coach and Michael Kors.
But some of those bargains are better than others.
"A lot of people don't realize this, but many brands actually produce 'direct-to-outlet' merchandise, which means the item has never been at the regular stores," says Tyree.
J. Crew, The Gap and Off Fifth from Saks Fifth Avenue all sell these items, but Tyree says there is a way to figure out if what you're buying is the deal or made specifically for the outlet.
- For starters, ask the salespeople if you're not sure. Most will be forthcoming.
- J. Crew puts two diamonds under the "r" on the label for outlet-only items
- Gap uses three dots to mark its outlet products