Around Oakley: Help city recapture the past

Oakley will celebrate its 10th anniversary as a city in a little more than three months, but it can trace its roots back to the late 1800s. In an effort to preserve the history of the new city, officials are asking lifelong residents to check out their attic and storage boxes to see whether they have any old photographs or memorabilia from Oakley's past.
Perhaps there is an old photo album with family pictures that might show some of Oakley's landscape in the background or maybe some old newspaper clippings of past events that others might find interesting. Public information officer Reggie Decker said Oakley has a rich history, and wants to preserve the past in perpetuity.

Sharing memories with the city won't mean you lose possession of them. If there are photos involved, the city will scan and return them to the owners. They are also asking for longtime residents who might have old stories to tell about Oakley to set up an appointment to have the memories recorded on video.

The city is also interested in taking pictures of things with historical emphasis. For example, there are several properties throughout town that have old farm equipment in storage that were once used on orchards and grape vineyards. The city will even come out and take photos if necessary.

People often have items they don't realize have any historical value. Sometimes something as simple as a picture taken of a relative in front of a downtown business, an old farm or just by the old train station can have historical promise. That can be especially true if the area where the picture was taken no longer exists.

Think about the changes on Main Street in just the past 20 years. Imagine what it was like in 1930, 1950 or even as recently as 1980. For more information on how to make your mark in Oakley's history, contact Decker by phone at 625-7152 or e-mail at decker@ci.oakley.ca.us.

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The Oakley Girl Scouts are out selling their cookies again this weekend, and they are asking everyone to come out to the Lucky store both Saturday and Sunday. Mackenzie Myers, 9, and Paige Tadlock, 10, from Girl Scout Troop 32412 were out in front of Raley's last weekend doing brisk business.

"People like the cookies and are buying them," Mackenzie said.

This year, the girls are hoping to raise enough money to go to camp in Calaveras County. This is a hard time financially for some families, and the more cookies they sell the more money they will have to help the girls who can't afford the trip and supplies.

"Even if you don't like cookies, you can do a gift of caring," Paige said. "All it takes is $4, and we'll send the box of cookies to food banks, Red Cross and to the military."

According to the girls, the new cookie for the year is the dulce de leche. The cookies were inspired by the classic confections of Latin America, and they are rich with milk caramel chips and stripes.

For more information, go to the Girl Scouts' Web site at www.girlscoutcookies.org.