The Charades: Part of Doo-Wop History

Tulare - Back in the 1960s, The Charades recorded a song called “Please Be My Love Tonight,” which the Tulare group later learned was a raging success on the East Coast.

Ray Baradat, a founding member, said he was unaware of the song's success until he went into the Army and another soldier, who was talking about doo-wop music, started singing the tune.

“It turns out it sold back East, but not out here,” said Baradat, who recently retired after a 33-year career with the Tulare Joint Union High School District. “We were number seven in Pittsburg at the end of 1964. In those days you could have regional hits.”

The Charades did not fully understand just how much that song meant to fans until early October.

That's when Baradat and fellow vocalist Sylvester Grigsby traveled to New Jersey to perform at the 2008 Burlington Concert, which was a tribute to doo-wop, considered the first generation of rock n'roll and vocal harmony.

Mark del Costello, concert producer for The Black Swan Society, had invited Baradat and Grigsby and even paid for their flights and hotel.

Baradat, with his baritone tenor voice, and Sylvester, who sings falsetto, were accompanied on stage by the Bravados, an East Coast band.

They performed “Close to Me,” which The Charades recorded in 1962, and then slipped into “Please Be My Love Tonight.”

'It Was Strange'

The audience's reaction astonished them, Baradat said. “They literally cheered when we started that [song]. It was strange. People usually enjoy us, but these people — you would have thought we were the second coming.”

The die-hard Doo Wop fans, who paid $200 a ticket, gave them
the first standing ovation of the concert, a still-amazed Baradat said in an interview a few days later.

“Some people said they'd been waiting to hear that song for a long time,” Grigsby said. “Also, we learned there are DJs back there who still play that song. They play it a lot. They get requests for it, plus it's their own personal favorite too. It's still a good song back there.”

Del Costello wrote to Baradat early the following week:

“Your performance was outstanding, OUTSTANDING. No one can believe they heard 'Please Be My Love Tonight' — no one. Syl's tenor is right up there with that of Jesse Belvin and Tony Allen and that's high praise. Everyone commented about your warmth and humility and we / I truly hope to bring you back for an extended set sometime.”

After their performance, Baradat said he filmed The Flamingos (“I Only Have Eyes for You”) and other acts. “Some of these guys are my heroes,” he said.
This wasn't the first Doo Wop concert The Charades have done. They performed with Rosie of Rosie and the Originals in a California concert in 2004.

Latin Knights

While still in high school, Ray Baradat and his brother, Leon, formed a vocal group in 1956 called The Latin Knights. Three members of the original group members — Joe Moreno, Manuel Cisneros and Alfie Quintiro, left after a year because of graduation and relocations.

That's when Grigsby, Will Johnson and Alex Pilkington joined the group.
The Latin Knights wore white shirts, grey pants, red cummerbunds and a blue coat the Baradats' mother made.

“She was behind us 100 percent,” Grigsby recalled. “His mother could sing too. She'd help with the harmony.”

The group played at record hops, community dances, battle of the bands and other events in the Valley and later in the early 1960s in the Santa Maria/San Luis Obispo areas.

Leon Baradat left the group in 1958 and was not replaced. When Pilkington was drafted the following year, he was replaced by Charles Tyra and later Levern Butler.
In 1959 the group recorded four sides for Los Angeles disc jockey Hunter Hancock's Swingin' label, “but for whatever reason they never got released,” Ray Baradat said.

The following year, the group recorded for Webber Records, but the outcome was the same — no release.

When Johnson left to become a minister that year, his brother, Johnny “Buddy” Johnson, took his place. Pilkington rejoined the group when he returned from the Army in 1961.

The group was playing at a Santa Maria concert in 1962 when they were scouted by music producer Tony Hilder.

“He came to Tulare at one time when we were playing at the old Elks Club on P Street,” Baradat said. “He came in wearing a leather suit with a red shirt and with his wife.”

Hilder included one tune by the group on an albulm called “Delano Soul Beat” and then released “For You” — written by Al Garcia and produced by Garcia and Baradat — as a single on the Northridge label.

He also unilaterally changed the group's name to The Charades.

'Little Upset'

“We were a little upset, but he was right,” Baradat said. “It became a good name for us.”

In 1964 “Please Be My Love Tonight,” was released and a couple others singles followed.

When Baradat was drafted into the Army in 1964, Grigsby and two other members of the group continued to sing together. Baradat returned two years later and The Charades started doing dances again.

They also did two- to five-night gigs at nightclubs until 1976.

“There were too many problems in nightclubs,” Baradat said, explaining why the group decided to concentrate on dances, reunions, weddings and other types of events.

In 1974, Hilder got the group to sing two songs for “Black Lolita,” a Black action film that Baradat said “has got to be the worse” of the genre.

Baradat has met Art Stewart, a Motown engineer, while doing the film and the two formed Charade Records in 1975. The Charades recorded a single and album in 1976 that Baradat said “never got released in the real world.” They did, however, get to work with Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and other Motown artists.

The group continued to play together regularly until 1992.

“I finally got tired and stopped the full-time schedule,” said Baradat, who also was the full-time attendance director for the high school district. Grigsby works full time for Central Valley Meat Packing in Hanford, doing security work.

The group takes three of four jobs a year, “just to keep the name alive,” said Baradat, who has become more involved in recording other artists.

In addition to Baradat and Grigsby, the group's core today also includes vocalist Sally Hamilton, Bob Dennison, guitar, Gary DeFoe, keyboard, John Keith, base, Joe Luis, drummer and Hunt Graves, guitar.

Among the musicians who have performed as part of The Charades is Visalia native Tommy Johnson, who left after two years to form a group that eventually became known as The Doobie Brothers.

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Church Marks 75 Years

Tulare - It was Oct. 23, 1932, when a group of 38 children and adults gathered at the American Legion Hall on North K Street in Tulare for Sunday school and worship.

Thus was born the First Lutheran Church in Tulare, which was formally organized on Feb. 5, 1933 and received into the California district of the American Lutheran Church on May 12, 1933. There were 25 charter members.

That was 75 years ago and this Sunday, the approximately 110- member congregation, now a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, will mark the anniversary with a 2 p.m. service followed by a celebration. The Rev. Andy Taylor, who served the congregation as pastor from May 1992 until the fall of 1997, will be the guest speaker.

The congregation has remained small through the years but active.
The church through the years has been involved in such things as Crop Walks to feed the hungry, Cancer Walks, maintaining a clothes closet for the needy and in Tulare Association of Churches (TAC) projects, including the recent “Walk This Way” and “The Next Step” campaigns.

Members of First Lutheran were instrumental in the mid-1970s in getting 13 congregations affiliated with the TAC involved with “The Board People Project,” which helped Hmong and Vietnamese families who had fled Southeast Asia to settle here.

Noting the need for more daycare options in Tulare, the congregation opened First Lutheran Daycare two years ago.

“It's more of a community service,” said Richard Ortega, a member of the congregation since 1960.

In addition to its regular Sunday services, First Lutheran has established other traditions to nourish body and soul, including Wednesday night Soup Suppers and services held during Advent and Lent, said Jana Slinde, a member since 1961 when she was a young girl and joined with her family.

“My dad was offered jobs in three different towns and my mom said, 'We're going to Tulare because they have a Lutheran Church,'” Slinde said.

First Pastor

The first pastor of First Lutheran was the Rev. Erwin Rode, who was also pastor for a new Lutheran church in Visalia. He was formally installed as Tulare's full-time pastor in September 1936, according to a history written by church members and provided to the Tulare Voice.

The congregation purchased property at the corner of Kern Avenue and O Street — its present site — for $3,200 in January 1936 and Rhode and his family moved into a house on the corner lot facing O, which served as a parsonage until it was removed in the early 1970s.

Harry Cederlind, a charter member of the congregation, served as architect and builder on the project and much of the work was done by members.

The first service in the building was on July 24, 1937, about three months after construction began. The formal dedication was held on Oct. 23, 1937.

The church purchased additional lots south of the church in 1948 and in 1951 built “Faith” and “Hope,” two one-room buildings used for Sunday School classes until 1964, when the sanctuary was enlarged and Sunday school rooms, the pastor's office, restrooms, a kitchen and small fellowship room were built. Two more Sunday school rooms were added in 1981 and 1982. In 1983 the patio area was covered and made into a large fellowship room.

In 1992, the church replaced the original pews made by Cederlind.

The church has had 13 pastors since its founding. The Rev. Rick Kristoff is the current pastor and was installed on Jan. 14, 2001.

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Businesses Support TDH Project,
But Object to Road Closure

Tulare - Representatives of three neighboring professional offices spoke at a public hearing on the draft environmental report for Tulare District Hospital's expansion, protesting a plan to close a portion of Terrace Avenue between Auburn and Cherry streets.

No one who spoke at the Oct. 29 meeting questioned the need for the hospital's expansion. The focus was on the impact of the proposed Terrace closure. Those comments and questions raised about parking and a proposed generator must be addressed in the final Environmental Impact Report.

Hospital officials want to close a portion of Terrace that runs in front of the ambulance entrance for the new emergency room, so ambulances and other public safety vehicles can have easier and unencumbered access, especially in the event of a disaster.

The move would “improve safety to all patients, staff and visitors coming to the site, as well as to the passing public” in the event of a “worst case scenario,” which could include up to five ambulances, fire and/or paramedic trucks and police cars, according to the draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR).

“My concern is parking for employees and patients with the closing of Terrace,” said Dr. David Humerickhouse, a dentist whose office is at 617 East Terrace Ave. near the intersection with Auburn.

A 23 percent increase in the number of hospital beds does not seem to justify a dedicated emergency vehicle access, Humerickhouse said.

Several representatives from Valley Industrial and Family Medical Group at 755 Terrace Ave, just off of Cherry, also spoke against the Terrace closure, expressing concern about parking and reporting the office sees 40 to 50 patients per day, most of whom are injured on the job.

R. Steven Alcocer, director and founder of the medical group, suggested the hospital use temporary road blocks in the event of a disaster and leave the street open at other times.

Tulare attorney Joseph Soares, a partner in Horswill, Mederos and Soares, 791 North Cherry St., presented the board with a letter outlining the firm's objections to the road closure and other matters. (His wife, Deanne Martin-Soares, a hospital board member, recused herself from the discussions.)

Closure 'Unnecessary'

“We believe the closure of Terrace Avenue is unnecessary and not a vital part of the project,” the attorneys said in their letter. They charged the move would:

· Significantly impact surrounding businesses and the accessibility of their customers;

· Significantly impact the traffic flow down Auburn Street, as well as Gem and Manor streets, affecting residents as well as businesses;

· Result in more traffic congestion for hospital users.

The Horswill, Mederos and Soares letter also disagreed with the hospital's contention the closure would improve visitor and general public safety.

“The majority of the parking will be to the west and north of the proposed ambulance entry,” the attorneys said. “Pedestrian entrances will, therefore, be away from the emergency vehicle traffic and will pose no significant public safety issues.”
The attorneys also said “it can be well documented that an occurrence of a 'worst case scenario' is very minimal.” Like Alcocer, they said temporary barriers could address the problem in critical times.

The neighboring businesses raised other issues as well, including noise that might result from a generator the hospital plans to build off of Terrace.

The DEIR concludes noise will not be a problem, but the attorneys said that comment is based on “faulty assumptions and incomplete analysis” and asked the board to remove the proposal from the project.

Parking Demand

As for parking, the attorneys questioned the parking demand survey, which was done between the hours of 6 a.m. and noon.

Visiting hours — which attracts many more people to the hospital — do not begin until 11 a.m., Soares told the board. “I don't think the parking survey was done properly.”

The hospital plans to add parking spaces on property it owns to the south, but the law firm said the plan violates an existing easement between land owners.
“This realignment, along with the Terrace Avenue closure, also significantly impacts the accessibility to our offices by our employees and clients and removes covered and uncovered parking spaces,” the attorneys said.

The DEIR said the hospital will have 771 off-street parking spaces once the expansion is completed, which is 44 spaces fewer than technically required by the city's Zoning Ordinance.

The shortage can be off-set by a Transportation Demand Management Program, which the report said could include such measures as:

· Encouraging or even paying employees to carpool, bicycle or walk to work.

· Purchasing monthly passes for employees who would agree to use the Tulare Intermodel Express transit system.

· Put select employees on compressed work schedules, so they would be on campus only four days a week, or develop work-at-home schedules.

Gem Realignment

The hearing drew no comments from Manor Street residents about the plan to realigned Gem Street so it will run at the rear of their properties, where an alley now exists.

To address potential noise and vibration problems, the hospital is proposing to build a 7-foot high sound wall along the west side of the right-of-way to acoustically shield the closest four residences, the DEIR said.

Openings in the sound wall would be provided so residents have access to recreational vehicle parking and sliding steel gates would be used at the openings to minimize sound leakage.

Mary Beatie, the TPA consultant who presented the findings from the DEIR, said the final EIR will include responses to all questions raised.

Once the final report is done and approved by the hospital board, the project will go to the Planning Commission and City Council. The project will require a general plan amendment to change the status of Terrace Avenue from a collector street to a local street, a conditional use permit and variances to allow for less parking than the city requires and a taller building.

Work on the four story tower, which will include a basement, is expected to begin in 2010 and be completed by 2012. Architectural plans were recently submitted to the state for approval, a process that is expected to take about 18 months.

The expansion is required to meet state seismic standards and will increase the number of beds by 27 to 143. The work will include the demolition of the existing south wing.

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Kiwanis Clubs Create Trail That Delights the Senses

Tulare - Thanks to the Kiwanis Clubs in Tulare and Kings counties, children and adults enrolled at the Happy Trails Therapeutic Riding Academy have a two-mile trail designed to stimulate the five senses.

Happy Trails, located at 2773 East Oakdale in rural Tulare, offers the only fully accredited therapeutic horsemanship program for people with cognitive, physical and emotional disabilities between Bakersfield and Modesto.

The organization's leaders had wanted to install a sensory trail so riders could use all five their senses — smell, hear, taste, see and touch — but the $300,000 cost made the project prohibitive.

Enter the Kiwanis Clubs of Division 18 in the California, Nevada and Hawaii District.

“They wanted a project they could put their name on,” Executive Director Leslie Gardner said.

When she outlined the project for them, the Kiwanians became excited and told her they were sure they could muster the resources to tackle the project.

“We've spent minimal, minimal money,” Gardner said. “The Kiwanis Clubs got a couple small grants, under $5,000, and they got a lot of stuff donated.”

The result: “It was all done first rate,” she said.

Kiwanians representing the various clubs — including the Kiwanis Club of Greater Tulare and the Noon Kiwanis Club of Tulare — turned out Saturday for the trail's dedication.

“There are probably only two man-made sensory trails at different centers across the U.S.,” Gardner said.

This one includes many features, including a path for horse-drawn carts. One side of the trail features an array of fruit trees, including pomegranate, apple, orange, lemon, nectarine, plum and olive.

“We have just got a little bit of everything,” Gardner said.

Tulare's Noon Kiwanis , under the direction of Brian Rhoades, owner of Meridian Pools, created a rock waterfall and the morning group put in benches and a water trough and will be adding a windmill shortly, she said.

Members of both groups helped install landscaping, which included plants and a new species of drought-tolerant grass developed by the University of California called UC Verde.

“It's a no mow grass that grows with limited water,” Gardner said. “We're only going to water this once a week and it grows in crummy soil.”

A wooden bridge will provide riders with a different sensation as they ride horses over it. The same is true for the pea gravel, sand, fall leaves and other materials that are along the trail, Gardner said.

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Pam Malloy ‘Playing it
Forward' with Kids Count!

Tulare - The idea for a non-profit ministry to provide affordable clothing for children came to Pam Malloy one Saturday when she was holding a garage sale at her Tulare home and watched family after family shop in earnest to dress their kids.

“I got to thinking how difficult it is to provide for your family these days, because everything costs so much,” Malloy said. “Then I asked myself, 'Why don't we recycle this stuff?'”

Kids Count! was born shortly afterwards. In fall 2006, Malloy held the first two monthly events at her home, but moved to the activities center at Bethel Assembly of God Church, 2516 North M St., to comply with city regulations.

Once a month — usually on the second Saturday — Malloy sets up more than 30 tables inside the center and puts out the children's clothing and other items that have been donated or obtained at other sales. She always tries to have maternity clothing available as well.

Prior to the sale she sorts through the garbage bags filled with clothing people have brought and launders items that she will put out for sale.

“I want them to be nice,” Malloy said. “If I get things that are stained and I can't get the stain out, or if they're torn, I throw them away.”

Sale items are sold for a nominal price: 50 cents per item of clothing; and $1 to $3 for hoodies and jackets. “We also have a really good selection of used Christian books we sell for $1 to $3.

Some items still have price tags on them, but Malloy sells them at Kids Count! prices.

“The most anybody is going to pay [for an item] is $3,” she said. “I could choose to make money on this, but kids are special.”

Each sale generates between $150 and $200, half of which Malloy donates to youths who want to go on church mission trips or camps.

The sales are held from 7 a.m. to noon and she and her son Jimmy also run a small café, so customers can purchase cold drinks and snacks.

“We have some of the neatest conversations with people,” Malloy said. “It's just gotten to be such a great fellowship time for people.”

Parents come to shop for children, grandparents for grandchildren, and friends for friends.

After Lula Mae Tanner finished shopping at Kids Count! recently, she told Malloy she was ready to “broadcast the news” to the world.

“I think it's wonderful,” Tanner said. “I wish there were a lot more people who knew about it.”

Faith Ward, shopping for a grandchild who is expected this month, agreed.
“This is great,” Ward said, “I wish every church would do this.”

Malloy, who is a secretary for the Tulare County Office of Education's Special Services Division, has lived in Tulare for 21 years. She is a single mother with two sons, ages 18 and 25.

Asked why she has taken on this ministry, she said it is in response to the help she received from people when her boys were little.

“You tend to want to play it forward and help someone else,” Malloy said.

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