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Pumpkin Patch Round-Up 2021 Edition

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FresYes Writing Team
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As we begin to enjoy our first taste of cooler temperatures and clearer skies, those of us who are big Fall and Halloween fans begin to get excited for the fun that’s soon to come!

To help you in your seasonal merriment, we’ve once again rounded up a list of six awesome local pumpkin patches for you to enjoy this October. Read on for all the details!

five pumpkin patches

1. Planet Pumpkin

Many are familiar with this large and very popular pop-up pumpkin patch that is located at Nees and First in Fresno. This year, the patch is open once again, and will offer rides (just $2 each), shaved ice, food, face painting by Mona Designs, photo booth pictures, Lolo’s Shaved Ice, asada fries, Sanchez Corn, tacos, kettle corn and, of course, lots and lots of pumpkins. Planet Pumpkin will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. through Halloween.

Face painting by Mona Designs (image credit: MonaDesigns559)
Planet Pumpkin Photo Booth (image credit: MonaDesigns559)

2. Hillcrest Farms

Located in Reedley, Hillcrest Farms offers a wooded wonderland of family fun with pumpkins, steam trains, hay rides, concessions, nature trails, and play areas. Of all the patches, this is the one I hear touted most often as a favorite.

“They have everything for kids of all ages! Train rides, hayrides, a corn maze, eats and drinks, and of course some amazing pumpkins from all of the pumpkin families!” says Visalia resident Shari Charron.

Hillcrest has an entry fee of $10 per car except on the weekend of Oct. 30-31, when the fee will be $5. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Their treehouse party area is also available with advance reservation.

five pumpkin patches

3. Simonian Farms 

Located in eastern Fresno, Simonian Farms offers old-fashioned fun with their year-round ice cream and retro soda shop, shooting gallery, and gold-panning area.

During the month of October, Simonian offers a pumpkin patch complete with Halloween costume accessories gift shop, a haunted house, and hay bale maze. Entrance is free, and while you’re there, you can also stock up on locally grown fruits and vegetables as well as artisan-made jams, jellies, wines, and candies. Simonian Farms is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

five pumpkin patches

4. Sunshine’s Farm

This small family farm is open from 11am to 7pm on weekdays and until 8pm on weekends. They grow a wide variety of vegetables and Asian specialty produce year round, but during the month of October they also offer a pumpkin patch, decorative pumpkins, movie nights and photos! Sunshine’s Farm is located at 284 S. Temperance in Fresno, on the way to Sanger. For more information, visit their Facebook page here.

Rows of sunflowers tower above the pumpkin patch at Sunshine’s Farm (image credit: Sunshine’s Farm)

5. Sweet Thistle Farms

Sweet Thistle Farms is a year round flower farm located at 5365 N. Mendocino Avenue near Shaw and Academy in Clovis. During October, they offer a Pumpkin Patch featuring “over 14 different pumpkin varieties, hay rides, photo opportunities, cheese sampling, food and vendors located around the property.” The entry cost is $15 per car, not per person, and you can make your reservations online here. The Pumpkin Patch is open Saturdays and Sundays during the day, and Friday evenings.

6. Hunter Farms 

A highly-praised favorite among Fresnans is a bit of a drive, but well worth it from what we hear. Atwater’s Hunter Farms began operating its pumpkin patch in the fall of 2013, and each year since its attractions have increased and their popularity has grown.

Hunter Farms offers pumpkins, both a corn and hay maze, fall photos, a petting zoo, a hay pyramid for climbing, a trike track, a tractor train ride that takes passengers through historical scenes, simulated gold mining, and a “barnyard bounce” (giant, outdoor bouncing surface).

Open daily from 10 a.m. until dusk, Hunter Farms is sure to delight guests both young and old. For pricing information, click here.

The Big Fresno Fair is Back!

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FresYes Writing Team
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What to know before you go, 2021 edition

After a year of drive-thru concessions in lieu of the typical large-scale event due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the Big Fresno Fair is back to a full-fledged in-person event for 2021!

The Big Fresno Fair was originally created to celebrate the region’s rich agricultural industry and history, as well as to provide an opportunity to educate the community, showcase products, and crafts, and attract entertainment acts of all kinds. It’s grown to entertain, educate, and stimulate the local economy in hundreds of different ways, generating an average of 77 million dollars a year in local revenue and hosting over 600,000 guests each year.

Planning a visit? Here are things to know before you go!

Dates and Times

The Fresno Fair’s opening day is Wednesday, October 6th, and the final day is Sunday, October 17th.

  • 4-11pm Tuesday-Thursday
  • 10am-Midnight on Fridays and Saturdays
  • 10am-11pm Sundays and Mondays
  • Buildings close at 10:00pm daily, with the exception of Museums, which close at 8pm
  • Horse racing begins at 1:45pm, and races will be held on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays

Admission

Adults – $12.00
Children 6-12 – $8.00
Children 5 and under – FREE
Seniors 62 and over – $8.00
Military – $8.00 (ID required)
Visa/MasterCard are accepted at all admission gates

Parking

Parking is $10 in most lots, with the exception of the Chance Avenue Lot, which is $15.

Packages and Discounts

You can purchase a Fair Season Pass that grants daily access for $38 (not transferrable)

Additionally, unlimited carnival ride wristbands are available for $30 on weekdays and $35 on weekends (including Fridays)

There are a number of special events and purchasing options that will provide additional discounts. You can view those specials here.

COVID-19 Precautions

The following COVID-19 precautions will be in effect throughout the duration of the 2021 Fair.

The fair asks all guests to prescreen themselves for the following criteria, and refrain from attending if any of the criteria are met:

  • Have a fever (100.4 or higher), or any sense of a fever or chills.
  • Have trouble breathing, cough, sore throat, nose congestion, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea or loss of taste or smell.
  • Have had close contact (longer than 15 minutes cumulative within a 24-hour period and within 6 ft.) with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 or is in quarantine due to possible COVID-19 exposure.

Masks are required indoors, regardless of vaccination status and suggested outdoors, anytime social distancing is not possible. Social distancing is strongly recommended whenever possible. If face shields are worn instead of a mask, there must be a bottom drape. Additional hand sanitizing stations will be available for public use throughout the fairgrounds.

All indoor locations will be regularly disinfected and fogged. All staff will be wearing masks regardless of vaccination status and tested for COVID-19 before the fair begins and again during the second week of the fair.

What’s New for 2021?

Livin’ Local MarketPlace

Enjoy shopping from local vendors and makers featuring a wide range of product offerings including artisan cheeses, dairy products, honey, olive oil, vinegar, almonds, walnuts, walnut oil, teas, bread, dried fruit, spices, jerky, preserved food, handcrafted and repurposed items, jewelry, locally roasted coffee and more! (Located in the former Gems & Minerals Building)

Pop! Culture Experience

The Pop! Culture Experience is sponsored by Blue Shell Gaming and will feature a Comic-Con style building with vendors, a gaming museum, Virtual Reality stations, retro and new-gen video gaming, including Mario Kart LIVE and eSports competitions! There’s even a parents’ lounge where parents can relax or learn more about gaming. Entrance is free, gameplay is $5/hour or $20 for the entire day.

Food Truck Alley

For the first time, the Fair will welcome a number of locally owned food trucks for fairgoers to enjoy purchasing from in addition to the usual touring concession booths. HOORAY!!!

For additional details on this year’s Big Fresno Fair, visit their website here. We at FresYes as wishing everyone a fabulous Fresno Fair experience!

FREE Back to School Resources for Local Families

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Natali Carrera
Natali Carrera is a devoted coffee addict who also loves her teenage son, her husband of 19 years and shopping small & local. She is the founder & CEO of parent support non-profit Success Together, Inc. and has been a freelance content creator for FresYes.com for 7 years. Natali is an unrelenting cheerleader for and lifelong resident of Fresno, as well as a Fresno State grad.
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It’s been a tough couple of school years, however, the year ahead offers the promise of the return to large scale in-person learning and many tastes of normalcy such as extra curriculars, after school programs and other much loved and needed educational opportunities.

To celebrate the start of the 2021-2022 school year, several community organizations and businesses are hosting special back to school events offering numerous free resources from backpacks to school supplies, free hair cuts, medical and dental services and food distributions.

Whether your family could benefit from these generous opportunities, or you know someone who could we wanted to be sure to pass them along, as we know COVID has made financial situations especially challenging for many families in recent months.

Fresno’s Newest Swap Meet is Booming Sunday Mornings

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Natali Carrera
Natali Carrera is a devoted coffee addict who also loves her teenage son, her husband of 19 years and shopping small & local. She is the founder & CEO of parent support non-profit Success Together, Inc. and has been a freelance content creator for FresYes.com for 7 years. Natali is an unrelenting cheerleader for and lifelong resident of Fresno, as well as a Fresno State grad.
Latest posts by Natali Carrera (see all)

The Fresno Swap Meet. which launched within the past month has gone from non-existent to bustling in the blink of an eye thanks to hosts Fresno Street Eats & The Island Waterpark. The new weekly Fresno Swap Meet takes place on Sundays from 7am to 3pm on the South end of the parking lot. Food trucks line up along the furthest Southern border and rows of vendor booths form a maze of merchandise directly in front of them.

Tacos, Raspados, Pretzels, Dippin’ Dots and More to be enjoyed at the Fresno Swap Meet

Entrance to the Fresno Swap Meet is free, however there is a $3 parking fee, which you pay upon arrival and receive a ticket to display on your dash. Since the event takes place in the parking lot, I would recommend arriving early during the warmer months, to enjoy browsing before the mercury rises too much.

I visited the Fresno Swap Meet this past weekend with a friend, and saw all kinds of things on display for purchase. We arrived around 10:30am, and the parking lot was 3/4 of the way full (and that’s a large lot!).

I’ve seen these cute little mood indicating reversible octopuses all over TikTok! Snag your own at the Fresno Swap Meet

Some of the booth highlights for me were succulents, air pants and other houseplants, handmade jewelry, antique glassware and custom Easter baskets. My friend enjoyed searching through a collection of vintage video games and consoles, and was on the hunt for rare fruits and imported candies.

My amazing, delicious mangonada – sweet, spicy, refreshing!
If there are churros, a churro you must enjoy. It’s just a rule. Don’t try to fight it.

We both enjoyed a warm churro and she found a crispy, jumbo corndog and I had the perfect mangonada. If you’d like to know which food trucks will be present each week, you can stay up to date on the Fresno Swap Meet Facebook Page. Notes: Masks and social distancing protocols are in place. This week, due to the Easter holiday, the Fresno Swap Meet will be held on Saturday, April 3rd, and it will return to Sundays the following week, Sunday, April 11th.

For directions, click here.

New Family-Owned Event Venue Casa De Phlorez Opens Its (Big Barn) Doors

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Natali Carrera
Natali Carrera is a devoted coffee addict who also loves her teenage son, her husband of 19 years and shopping small & local. She is the founder & CEO of parent support non-profit Success Together, Inc. and has been a freelance content creator for FresYes.com for 7 years. Natali is an unrelenting cheerleader for and lifelong resident of Fresno, as well as a Fresno State grad.
Latest posts by Natali Carrera (see all)

Casa de Phlorez is a brand new outdoor event venue that started welcoming guests for the first time this year. I was able to interview owners Art and Melinda Flores about their vision for their new business, and what locals can expect from their beautiful and newly finished site.

FresYes: Tell us about Casa de Phlorez – what was the vision behind the business and how did it come to be?

Melinda Flores: Casa de Phlorez is a small event venue that my husband and I own and built along with our two sons. I have a master’s degree in Organizational Management with a specialization in project management and my husband, Art Flores, has a bachelor’s degree in Operational Management. We both work full-time jobs and have been working on building our dream venue for the last two years on our days off.

The idea to build an event venue came from a desire I had to write a book about how couples meet and how special that first butterfly feeling is between two people. I know it sounds so cheesy but I’m a total romantic. I mentioned this goal of mine to my husband a few years back and I didn’t realize that he kept that in the back of his mind. One day we were driving around Fresno County’s countryside and we stopped to take a scenic picture, and he said, “Let’s build on your dream and open a wedding venue.” That weekend we put our house up for sale and began our search for the perfect location. As we searched for our new chapter in life everything fell into place as if it was meant to be.

Art & Melinda, and the photo they took on the day they made the decision to bring their dream venue to life

My passion comes from wanting to give people a place where they can live out their dream weddings. I’ve met several couples who are excited to get married and I love it! I have to hold back tears of happiness when I am giving a tour of our dream venue because I have heard them say what we have built is literally their dream wedding location. It’s not a big venue but it’s just right for those looking for an intimate gathering.  

We held an open house to kick off the start of our venue on February 6th and look forward to filling our calendar for this year and next. 

The spelling for Casa de Phlorez is a play on our last name, Flores.  

FY: What makes Casa de Phlorez unique?

MF: Our unique features are barn doors on our black barn. We were looking for a little more of a modern look and took a chance by going with a black barn instead of the traditional red barn.

We are designed for events that are smaller in size — we designed our venue for people who want a more intimate feel to their events.

Casa de Phlorez and the big black barn

FY: What types of events are you most looking forward to hosting?  

MF: Funny you should ask, my husband and I each have our own ideas of what we envision. I am looking forward to hosting weddings and special occasions. My husband has his own spin on hosting events, and he is looking forward to hosting events where people can come out and have a date night or just a place to hang out. His first event will be on April 10th, he is collaborating with Mega Texas BBQ and will be hosting a ticketed event where people can come out have BBQ under the stars and listen to the Bearded Ukulele play live music.

FY: What can those who book an event look forward to when they choose Casa de Phlorez?

MF: People who book an event at Casa de Phlorez can look forward to a private event surrounded by almond and orange trees. We have beautiful sunsets, and we try our best to provide a safe and clean environment.

Beautiful sunsets can be enjoyed at Casa de Phlorez

FY: While we wait for life to get back to a new normal, what types of precautions will you be taking/recommending for events taking place in the near future? Can guests book events happening soon?

MF: Last year and going into this year have been very difficult for so many due to Covid-19. We understand that people are ready to move forward but may still be cautious so, we are glad that we can provide an outdoor venue that has plenty of space for clients to social distance. We added additional space at the back of the barn to offer an additional seating area to ensure our clients feel safe. 

Yes, we are booking events that can take place soon. We are offering micro-events for 50 guests or less for the next few months and booking larger events later in the year.

FY: Are their accommodations for bad weather available?

MF: We are currently working with vendors that can provide clients with canopies for bad weather conditions.

FY: Anything else you’d like FresYes readers to know?

MF: As small business owner’s, we are strong supporters of our community and other local small businesses. We look forward to meeting new people and sharing our space with others.  

Fresno Street Eats partners with The New Manchester!

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Natali Carrera
Natali Carrera is a devoted coffee addict who also loves her teenage son, her husband of 19 years and shopping small & local. She is the founder & CEO of parent support non-profit Success Together, Inc. and has been a freelance content creator for FresYes.com for 7 years. Natali is an unrelenting cheerleader for and lifelong resident of Fresno, as well as a Fresno State grad.
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Fresno Street Eats, the Central Valley’s food truck destination, is partnering with The New Manchester to bring a weekly food truck event to the town center in Central Fresno on Fridays. The new lunch event fills a hole created when organizers of the popular Manchester Farmer’s Market retired last year. It also underscores Fresno Street Eats’ aim to create food truck events in different areas of town.

The event will include select Manchester tenants and other small businesses as proof of the Manchester town center’s commitment to helping small businesses grow and thrive.

Food Truck Fridays debuted Friday, March 5 at 11am on the corner of
Shields and Blackstone featuring 5 food trucks plus a fruit and vegetable vendor. Real Philly, Fresno’s popular cheesesteak truck, as well as beloved trucks like Brickology, Rubia’s Churros, and Taqueria Jalisciense were on site as well as brand new baked potato truck, Get Baked.

Churros and treats from Rubia’s Churros (image credit: Fresno Street Eats)
Freshly baked pizza from Brickology (image credit: Fresno Street Eats)

Mayor Jerry Dyer and Council Vice President Nelson Esparza were on site for the inaugural event and celebrated the new partnership with a
“ceremonial first bite” as another step toward the revival of one of Fresno’s most historic shopping centers.

“Fresno Street Eats’ goal is to deliver great food,” said Mike Oz, Fresno Street Eats president. “But we also want to act as a small-business incubator, creating new opportunities for our network of food trucks and vendors during uncertain times. Reviving places like Manchester
is essential to making Fresno a better place.”

Taqueria Jalisciense’s famed birria quesatacos (image credit: Fresno Street Eats)

Fresno Street Eats has previously partnered with Sierra Vista Mall, Table Mountain Casino, Granville Homes, the Fresno Grizzlies and Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Co. on food truck pop-ups.

Currently, Fresno Street Eats operates six days per week with over a dozen locations each week, all featuring small, mom-and-pops businesses. Follow @FresnoStreetEats on Facebook and Instagram for updated lineups and locations.

5 Family-Friendly Ways to Celebrate Halloween in 2020

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Natali Carrera
Natali Carrera is a devoted coffee addict who also loves her teenage son, her husband of 19 years and shopping small & local. She is the founder & CEO of parent support non-profit Success Together, Inc. and has been a freelance content creator for FresYes.com for 7 years. Natali is an unrelenting cheerleader for and lifelong resident of Fresno, as well as a Fresno State grad.
Latest posts by Natali Carrera (see all)

Many families are choosing to forgo their standard trick-or-treat traditions this year, due to risks caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic, however, that doesn’t mean it’s not possible to have fun this Halloween!

Here are 5 Local & Low-Risk Ways to Celebrate Halloween in 2020

  1. Enjoy a Halloween-themed drive-in double feature

Make the short drive to the Madera Drive In-2 for a double feature of family-friendly films. From October 23-October 29th enjoy Hocus Pocus starting at dusk (approximately 7pm) and Monsters Inc. starting around 8:55pm. Or, if you go October 30th-November 5th, you can enjoy Casper followed by Hotel Transylvania. General admission is $10, children (ages 3-11) and seniors are $4 and children under 3 are free. Gates open at 6:15pm on weekdays and 5:45pm Friday and Saturdays. Madera Drive-In 2 is located at 201 West Lincoln Ave. Madera, CA 93638

2. Drive Through the Haunted Car Wash

Crew’s Magic Hand Car Wash, located just north of Wal-Mart at 7312 N. Ingram in Fresno wanted to make sure families enjoyed some good, clean Halloween fun in 2020, so their staff is dressing up in costume and they’re going to great lengths to decorate and provide a few scares while you get your wheels sparkling clean! The car wash will be “haunted” from 6:30-9:30pm on the 29th and 30th. The cost of a haunted wash is $9.99 per vehicle.

Check out Crews Magic Haunted Hand Car Wash video on their Facebook page!

3. Enjoy a Socially-Distanced Trunk-or-Treat at People’s Church

People’s Church will be hosting a Halloween afternoon, socially-distanced Trunk-or-Treat from 3:30-5:30pm on their west field. People’s Church is located at 7172 N. Cedar, just north of Herndon in North Fresno.

4. Enjoy a Drive-Thru Trunk-or-Treat at First Street Church

Located at 5688 N. First Ave., First Street Church welcomes everyone to their first ever Drive-Thru Trunk-or-Treat from 11am-2pm on Saturday the 31st. This event is free, open to the entire community and safety protocols will be observed. Costumes highly-encouraged!

5. DIY Halloween Fun at Home

When I reached out to friends and family, many people said this year they planned to celebrate either at home with their immediate family enjoying an indoor candy scavenger hunt, making Halloween treats or watching spooky movies indoors; or outdoors, socially-distanced with neighbors using a projector with firepits and s’mores. My family and I are planning to make homemade caramel and candy apples (a first for us) and watching a scary movie, now that our son is old enough to enjoy them! (We’re thinking The Others.)

However you decide to celebrate this year, we at FresYes hope it’s a safe and fun-filled experience for you and your loved ones!

I lost my home in a fire – what I wish I’d known

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Natali Carrera
Natali Carrera is a devoted coffee addict who also loves her teenage son, her husband of 19 years and shopping small & local. She is the founder & CEO of parent support non-profit Success Together, Inc. and has been a freelance content creator for FresYes.com for 7 years. Natali is an unrelenting cheerleader for and lifelong resident of Fresno, as well as a Fresno State grad.
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Just over a year ago, Brooke Rummonds and her family lost their beloved family home to a freak explosion in an outdoor garbage can that quickly ignited their home and engulfed it in flames. While Brooke and her family (including furry family members) were able to escape to safety, their home was a total loss. With all of the fires currently burning near Fresno and across the West Coast, Brooke took time to sit down and compile a list of the things she wish she’d known, and what she’d want others to know in order to be prepared and cope if they were to ever experience a house fire. The following is her advice.

Note: The tips below mostly relate to homeowners but if you are renters, PLEASE be sure that you have renters insurance so that the contents of your home will be covered and also see the service areas of Water Mold Fire Restoration. If you don’t, and you lose all of your things in a fire you won’t have any recourse to replace those items & even just the bare necessities add up so quickly.

1. Get a copy of your homeowners insurance policy now, before you’ll ever need it. You can contact your agent that you bought the policy through or the insurance company directly & ask them to email it to you so you’ll always have it handy.

Read every line of that policy and call your agent with any questions at all so that at the end of it, you’re crystal clear on the specifics of your policy. Not all homeowners policies are equal. Do you have updated code coverage? This means that anything to do with any updated building codes that have changed since your house was built will be covered separately by this separate bucket of money. Pro tip: if you don’t already have this coverage, call your agent right now and add it on.

For example, all new residential construction in California as of 2020 is required to have solar, at least enough to run the major appliances and also is required to have an electric car charging outlet in the garage. I’m sure there’s many others but those two stick out for me. Because we had this coverage, those costs won’t come out of our structural coverage bucket when we rebuild.

Another thing is extended dwelling coverage. This is an additional amount of insurance allotted by the insurance company to compensate for a total loss that exceeds the dwelling coverage that’s listed on the insurance policy. For example, lumber has increased in cost a ton in the past couple of months, we’ll likely need to pull from this bucket for stuff like that. I highly recommend adding this to your policy as well. We had no idea that we had these additional coverages but I’m so grateful that we did!

2. If the worst happens and your home is lost or damaged by a fire, call your insurance company immediately. They should quickly send an adjuster out and be able to cut you a check as an advance on your claim so you’ll have access to a certain sum (dependent on your policy) to help you purchase items that you’ll need right away.

3. In addition to contacting your insurance company, contact the Red Cross. A very sweet Red Cross volunteer came out in the middle of the night during the fire to give us a debit card with immediate access to a small amount of money to cover the very, very immediate needs of our family. He also brought some stuffed animals for the kids to snuggle with which was just so special to me in the midst of all that chaos. The Red Cross will help with emergency lodging if needed and they even told me they’d help with any work needs (replacing tools if you needed them to work, or a laptop if you needed that for work etc). The Red Cross rocks!

4. Be aware: people and companies WILL try to take advantage of you, be prepared. We had a fence company come out the night of the fire to board up what was left of our house. They told us “don’t worry, we’ll take care of everything for you guys.” They told us they’d come search through the muck for any salvageable items, they’d box them up for us and even store them for us! “Wow,” I thought, “that’s so nice of them and helps us so much!” What they didn’t tell us was that they’d be billing us like crazy to box up and store our very much not salvageable items. They also charged us a bunch to attempt to clean and sanitize said items only to later say oops, guess we couldn’t salvage this stuff after all.

That night was a blur so we didn’t understand what hugely unnecessary things we were agreeing to, so just beware and be skeptical of any company that pounces on you when you’re vulnerable.

5. I’m sure you’ll be very quickly contacted by a public adjuster. Whether to use one or not is up to you but read the fine print closely. You’ll be signing over that you will pay them a set percentage of EVERY dollar your insurance company pays you. It sounds enticing because who wants to hassle with insurance when these guys are saying they’ll do it all for you? You might feel differently once you realize that most, if not all of what your insurance pays out is standard and you’d get that same amount with or without using the public adjuster. With them you’ll just now have to give them 10% of every single dollar paid to you, whether they did anything to help obtain the payment or not. Again, up to you but I personally vote no on this one.

6. Take a minute and just breathe. This is a huge loss and a very traumatic event you’re going through and it’s ok to not be ok. Just tackle things one by one and try not to get too overwhelmed. When you do, take a step back and ask for help. We’re over a year post-fire and still learning so much as we go.

Stay safe everyone!

Special thanks to Brooke Rummonds for allowing us to share her invaluable advice.