Local Personalities

People in these mountain communities lead interesting lives, and Maggie Van Ostrand has the journalistic background in interviewing to write their stories.

A freelance writer and humor columnist, Maggie divides her time between homes in Pine Mountain Club and Guadalajara. Her columns appear in local newspapers and internet publications, and her articles are published in national newspapers and magazines. For further information, see her website: http://www.maggievanostrand.com


The stories below are listed alphabetically by last name. Use or Ctrl+F (Windows) or Cmd+F (Mac) to search for a name or business. Newest additions are marked .
For more articles about local businesses check out "Local Business Profiles".

• Steve Blaisdell
  Mountain Plumbdyman
  It's been two years since Steve Blaisdell arrived in Lebec from his Indiana hometown, where he learned the plumbing trade from his stepfather. Back then in his spare time, he mined the mineral, opal, an iridescent variety of which is used as a gem.
  Steve Blaisdell continued...

• Kim Bucio
  Sage & Cinnamon
  Kim Bucio recently opened Pine Mountain Club's newest restaurant, Sage & Cinnamon,. "I learned a lot about this business from working at a bed & breakfast in Santa Barbara" said Kim. Before that, she was receptionist at Bayshore Chevy, where she met future husband, Marco Bucio (pronounced "Boo-sio"), then their Service Manager.
  Kim Bucio continued...

• Kate Donahue
  Coffee Cantina
  In 1988, Toronto-born Kate Donahue arrived in Frazier ("I love it here") Park after leaving her Lebec job as a heavy-equipment operator (snow plow) for Cal Trans and later, for State Parks. Growing up in the San Fernando Valley with eight siblings hinted that she could do anything she set her mind to.
  Kate Donahue continued...

• Donnelly/Jones
  The Bear Claw Bakery
  Is that a real bear standing in line at The Bear Claw Bakery, or just a very large person in a fur coat? That's not as weird as it sounds.
  Donnelly/Jones continued...

• Steve Draa
  Horseman
  Due to his booming baritone voice, Steve agrees he's not a "Horse Whisperer," he's more of a "Horse Yeller."
  Steve Draa continued...

• Ron Edsall
  Music Man
  We don't need Meredith Willson's "Music Man" up here on the Mountain. We have our own music man: Ron Edsall.
  Ron Edsall continued...

• Barbara Elmore
  Pine Mountain Club Transfer Site
  In 1987, the Iran-Contra scandal hit the nation, Dirty Dancing, and Moonstruck were box office hits and an Emmy went to The Golden Girls. That was the same year Pine Mountain Club got a golden girl of its own, Barbara Elmore.
  Barbara Elmore continued...

• Fire Fighters
  of Station 58
  Captain Dean Boller and Engineer Don Duncan comprise one of the three 2-man fire fighting teams which keep Pine Mountain Club safe.
  Fire Fighters of Station 58 continued...

• Hazel Helliwell
  Happy House Pre-School
  One of the wonders of our mountain communities is British-born Hazel Helliwell, proprietress of "Happy House Pre-School" in Pine Mountain Club.
  Hazel Helliwell continued...

• Rick Johnson
  Frazier Park Market
  No place in our area was more popular during the long supermarket workers' strike of 2003-2004 than Frazier Park Market. Business picked up considerably and, happily, many shoppers outside the immediate area who "discovered" it at that time, have remained loyal.
  Rick Johnson continued...

• Scott Rosen
  Frazier Mountain Internet
  It doesn't matter whether you have a computer and use Scott Rosen's ISP, frazmtn.com. It doesn't matter if you have a horse and know Scott's quarterhorses, Uno and Woody (Woody belongs to his daughter). Doesn't even matter whether you live in Frazier Park, Pine Mountain Club, Lebec, Pinon Pines or Lockwood Valley, you probably still know Scott Rosen. Why?
  Scott Rosen continued...

• Neal Smith
  Tecuya Feed & Animal Supply
  The name Tecuya comes from the Yokut Indian name for the Chumash Indians who occupied this region, but when Neal Smith answers the phone, he just says, "T Feed."
  Neal Smith continued...

• Kathy Sanchez
  Pine Mountain Country Hardware
  Ka-ching! Ka-ching! So sounds Kathy Sanchez' cash register at the newly reopened Pine Mountain Country Hardware Store.
  Kathy Sanchez continued...

• Greg Thompson
  Frazier Park Pharmacy
  Greg Thompson, soft-spoken resident of Frazier Park, could easily have been the model for a Norman Rockwell painting of a small-town pharmacist. In fact, he is a small-town pharmacist.
  Greg Thompson continued...

• Judy Waters
  Librarian
  Books are more than what they make a movie out of for television. They are friends, teachers, they stir the imagination and, as someone called "Anonymous" once said, "Book lovers never go to bed alone."
  Judy Waters continued...

• Supervisor Ray Watson
  "Everybody Loves Raymond" is more than a television sitcom, it's how his constituents feel about Supervisor Ray Watson.
  Supervisor Ray Watson continued...

• Carol Lee Weber
  Pine Mountain Club Post Office
  California's infamous rolling brownouts do not affect Pine Mountain Club residents as they do other towns, because we have a special source of electricity -- the smile of Postmistress, Carol Lee Weber. It can light up the entire community.
  Carol Lee Weber continued...