Staycations are all the rage this summer thanks to travel fears associated with COVID-19.

          Twelve wineries, two breweries and one distillery makes up the Vintners and Distillers of Fresno County. Each of the properties is back open for tastings and has social distancing and health precautions in place.

          FresYes has put together a list to help you plan your visit to these wonderful destinations located in our own backyard.

A. Nonini Winery

2640 N. Dickenson Ave., Fresno

Monday – Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Nonini family is fourth generation winemakers. They first started making wines in 1936 and offer a diverse variety to choose from.

Cardella Winery

41424 W. Panoche Road, Mendota

Monday – Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Cardella family has been involved in agriculture since coming to the Central Valley from Italy in 1902. Nathan Cardella studied Enology and Viticulture at Fresno State and in 2004 launched Cardella Winery with his dad. They are known for their premium artisan wines and picturesque tasting grounds.

Engelmann Cellars

3275 N. Rolinda Ave., Fresno

Friday Evenings: Picnic in the Vineyard Park        

Weekends from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Friday nights at Engelmann Cellars features live music. Guests 21 and over can bring snacks, but no outside beverages or ice. Upcoming concerts include: Charros of Rock Unplugged (6/26), Midnight Run (7/3) and The Killer Dueling Pianos (7/11).

Fresno State Winery

5638 N. Chestnut, Fresno

Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. to 6  p.m.

Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Fresno State Farm Market is open daily and offers wine tastings of the Department of Viticulture and Enology products. While you’re there you can shop the other Fresno State grown and produced products, including the famous sweet corn.

Kings River Winery

4276 S. Greenwood Ave., Sanger

Weekends from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Weekdays by appointment

Owner Bob Bagdasarian was raised on the 40 acre farm that now features a beautiful tasting room. There are several upcoming events taking place at the facility, including:  Reading Between the Wines (6/28), Yoga, Wine and Vines (7/12, 7/26) and 2020 A Night at the Chef’s Table benefiting the American Cancer Society.

Lomac Winery

2674 N. Westlawn Ave., Fresno

Weekends from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Lomac’s refreshing Chardonnay and Rose are great for the hot summer days. The winery also features Moscato, Cabernet, Merlot and Pinot Noir wines.

Marechal Vineyards

1835 N. Zediker Ave., Sanger

Weekends from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Since the early 1900s the Marechal family has been farming in the Central Valley. This winery has small plates available for purchase, including: sandwiches, flatbreads and salads.

Marian Farms

2305 N .Rolinda Ave., Fresno

By Appointment: 559-276-6185

“From our soil to your glass” is the motto at Marian Farms. Their distilled spirits are made with the raw materials they grow, including Washington navel oranges and grapes.

Moravia Wines

3620 N. Bishop., Fresno

Friday from 6p.m. to 9 p.m.

Weekends from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy the weekly entertainment, food and sangria specials Friday nights at Moravia Wines. There’s a $5 cover charge. June 26^th will feature Rich & Rick Classic Country and food from Quesadilla Gorilla. July 3^rd a Veterans Celebration is planned with Dixieland Music and food from Dog Gone Good Dogs. July 16^th is Elvis Night, featuring Jeremy Pearce’s Tribute to the King and food from Big Rigz BBQ.

Ramos Torres Winery

1665 Simpson St., Kingsburg

Weekends from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

This Friday, June 26^th a special event is taking place at Ramos Torres Winery from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Vince Warner will perform and food will be available for purchase from Joe’s Steakhouse. A single plate is $15; a family of four can dine for $50. On July 31^st, winemaker and owner, Oscar Ramos, presents Paella Night. This Taste of Spain will feature a Paella feast and live music by Merlinda Espinosa. Tickets are $25 per person.

Simonian Farms

2629 S. Clovis Ave., Fresno

Daily from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Taste wine in their Wine Tasting Saloon. While you’re there you can visit the Western Themed Town Museum and Animated Shooting Gallery.

Tioga Sequoia Brewing Co.

745 Fulton St., Fresno

Monday – Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Thursday – Saturday from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Sunday from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.

This local brewery was one of the first to open in downtown Fresno. They’re patio is known for being a great place to meet with friends.

Valley Oak Winery

11809 E. Belmond Ave., Sanger

Weekends from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Valley Oak Winery is the home of Ubick Vineyards. Their tasting room opened in 2017 and features eight red wine varieties.

Yribarren Family Vineyards

12333 W. Neilsen Ave., Kerman

By Appointment: 559-285-6122

The owners live on the property and are currently offering COVID-19 discounts on wines.

Ziveli Winery

5840 N. Biola, Fresno

Weekends from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The Nale Family opened Ziveli Winery in 2016. Ziveli means cheers in Croatian.

559 Beer

356 Pollasky Ave. #100, Clovis

Thursday & Friday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Saturday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The first microbrewery in Clovis is family owned and operated and features eight beers on tap.

The Central California Blood Center is the first blood center in the country to produce pathogen-reduced plasma from patients who have recovered from COVID-19. It’s now being used at local hospitals to help save lives.

          To help stop the COVID-19 outbreak, the FDA has expedited an experimental treatment involving using the plasma of patients who have recovered from the Coronavirus and injecting it in patients who are critically ill with the disease.

          Blood centers from across the nation have been asked to draw the plasma from recovered patients. This process called Apheresis Plasma donation is an existing component of blood bank operations.

           “For us, the difference was that we’d been already set up to produce pathogen-reduced platelets,” said Ersilia Lacaze, of the Central California Blood Center. “So when the time came to collect plasma from recovered COVID patients, we knew we could move quickly, to make it pathogen-reduced plasma.”

          With the help of their partners at the CERUS Corporation, the Central California Blood Center became the first blood center in the nation to complete the process.

           “Simply put, it means that we are the leaders in the delivery of blood products for those who need it most: The patients of our Central Valley,” Lacaze said. “It also means that Fresno and the Central Valley were on the map nationally in the midst of several efforts to battle COVID-19.”

          Currently Community Medical Centers, Saint Agnes Medical Center and Kaweah Delta Health Care District are using the pathogen-reduced, convalescent plasma to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Hospitals outside of the Valley could also use the treatment in the future.

          “The hospitals are working with us on follow-up, success stories that I hope to share soon,” Lacaze said. “We are asking anyone who has recovered from COVID-19 and has been asymptomatic for at least 28 days to head to our website and complete the interest form that allows us to determine if they qualify for donation.”

          To learn more about donating plasma and the efforts of the Central California Blood Center to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, go to their website, DonateBlood.org.

          The Central California Blood Center started as the Valley Blood Bank in 1949. It’s grown to serving patients at 30 hospitals in Fresno, Tulare, Madera, Kings and Mariposa Counties.

          Between 5,000 to 6,000 pints of blood must be collected per month to meet the needs of patients in our Central Valley communities.

          To learn more about how you can donate blood visit their website.

A new dual language immersion charter school opening this fall in Clovis is accepting applications for the upcoming school year.

     Clovis Global Academy, a tuition-free, public school, was recently approved by the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools. It is set to open August 17^th and serve students grades TK through Fifth. The school will eventually expand to Eighth grade.

     The charter school will be located at 44 W Shaw Avenue, at the corner of Shaw and Minnewawa. Students will be taught in English and Spanish.

     “Clovis Global Academy came about when a group of local parents decided they wanted to bring a charter school to life in order for the Clovis community to have access to dual language immersion education,” said Ruth Dutton of Clovis Global Academy. “They believed a dual language education should be available for free, within the public school options, so that students from all backgrounds can access greater opportunities in careers and in life.”

     The school hopes to have 239 students when it opens. Clovis parent Lorena Barajas has already enrolled her child into the new school.

     “The idea of a school like Clovis Global Academy in our community is dream for me,” she said. “I want my child to be bilingual, and I want him to be able to talk to his grandparents and know them well.”

     In addition to traditional class subjects, students at Clovis Global Academy will participate in an annual service-learning project, as well and art and music instruction.

     “Fluency in the two most spoken languages on the planet will open doors of opportunity for our students,” Dutton said. “Bilingualism has been shown to have brain benefits as well, such as delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s and increasing the executive function, as well as making it easier to learn a third and a fourth language. Learning another language, itself, increases learning capacity. This means bilingual individuals have a cognitive advantage over monolinguals.”

     Clovis Global Academy is the first nonprofit-governed public charter school to open in Clovis. Anyone interested in learning more can visit their website ClovisGlobalAcademy.org

Fresno State Senior Lauren Herring was recently crowned the 2020 Miss Fresno County. She received $5,000 in scholarship money and community sponsorships and will compete at Miss California, held in Fresno, this summer.

          The Chowchilla native has been involved with the Miss America Program for four years and was crowned Miss Clovis in 2018 and Miss City of Fresno in 2019.

          “This will be my third Miss California Competition and every year I look forward to spending time with my sister titleholders and welcoming them to Fresno,” Herring said. “One thing that will always out-live titles are the friendships you make along the way.”

          Herring has been dancing most of her life and is a member of the Fresno State Spirit Program. She studied Civil Engineering at Fresno State and is now pursuing a degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing.

          “My goal is to become an Eco-Business Consultant and work with a variety of companies to develop and implement their most environmentally economic way of conducting business,” Herring said.

          In addition to the crown, Herring took home top honors in the interview and evening gown competitions at Miss Fresno County, which was held March 7^th at the Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium in downtown Fresno.

          “As a dancer, I was used to the stage, but the interview and public speaking aspects of the competition really took me out of my box and challenged my professional skills,” she said. “My family and friends are my number one fans. They are my cheerleaders on the sidelines encouraging me every step of the way.”

          Herring will spend the year as a goodwill ambassador for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, specifically Valley Children’s Hospital. She’ll also champion her social impact initiative “Women in Business: We Mean Business,” by encouraging the advancement of women in the workplace and promoting the region’s women-owned businesses.

          “I take this title very seriously and being Miss Fresno County means that you are representing all the amazing aspects that our piece of the Valley has to offer,” Herring said. “It also means being a professional example to those in our community as well.”

          The Coronavirus has changed the way Herring and the Miss Fresno County team work and prepare for Miss California. Currently the entire team is working from home.

          “This program, to myself and so many others, is very special and it’s special because it’s 100% volunteer ran,” she said. “Every penny of scholarship I’ve been given is because of the hard-working committee members that work day in and day out to raise it for us. I urge the community to take part in this organization in any way they can because ultimately every dollar raised goes directly back into the community. It funds the higher education of women all over our county and it can truly change the world.”

          The 2020 Miss California Competition is currently scheduled for June 24-27. The winner will represent California at Miss America.

Tucked away on Clovis Avenue, between Alluvial and Nees in Clovis, is a beautiful three-acre garden that many would call a hidden gem.

The Clovis Botanical Garden is a water-wise garden, made up of plants and landscapes that are native to California and grow well in a Mediterranean climate.

          The all-volunteer ran garden opened in 2002. Gates are open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and there’s no fee to enter and explore the grounds.

          Visitors use the space to meditate, snap photos and amerce themselves in nature.

          Several times a year the garden hosts “Science Saturday” events for children grades K-4^th.  The next one is taking place on Saturday, March 7^th from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. It’s $5 per child.

          The theme for the workshop is “Pollinators.” Kids will learn about bees and hummingbirds.

          “There’s always an art activity that is connected to the topic,” said Pat Wynne, a board member with the Clovis Botanical Garden. “It’s very hands on.”

          It’s not unusual for visitors to spot lizards and birds while inside the garden. Both are things children usually get pretty excited to see.

          “We really need to educate and expose our children to nature,” said Carole Bence, a longtime volunteer with the garden. “I’m all for children coming out to explore.”

          Also coming up in March is the Clovis Botanical Garden’s “Spring Into Your Garden” event. It’s taking place Friday, March 20^th and Saturday, March 21^st. Over 500 plants will be for sale. They are water-wise and native to California.

          In addition to the plant sale, during the Saturday portion of the event, a garden tour, exhibitors and guest speakers will be on hand to answer questions and educate the public.

          Local horticulturist, John Pape will speak at 10 a.m. about “Caring for Climate Appropriate Trees.” At Noon, Elinor Teague will speak about “Fertilization in Our Hot Dry Climate.”

          “It’s fun,” said Bence. “It’s very well organized. People who come will get great advice for their garden.”

          There’s a $5 fee to attend. Children and Clovis Botanical Garden members are free.

          Anyone interested in learning more about “Science Saturday,” “Spring Into Your Garden” or anything else related to the Clovis Botanical Garden can visit their website at ClovisBotanicalGarden.org