FAST FACTS: • This small, creative village east of Visalia on Highway 198 is known as “The Gateway to Sequoia National Park.”

THERE ARE SOME THINGS that are as American as apple pie, and others that are as Visalia as floating down the St. John’s River.

THE GRIZZLY FEST soon returns for its fifth year, and the local music festival has grown steadily – though this year proves to be a different kind of beast.

IN 1994, a group of local artists began meeting to discuss how to make art more accessible in Visalia. By 1996, they officially founded nonprofit Arts Visalia, and in another five years settled in their current location on Oak Avenue, across the street from the Depot.

THE CENTRAL VALLEY has long hungered for the lively presence of professional sports teams. Soccer has finally made its way into the spotlight with the Fresno Football Club, thanks to the dream and efforts of owner Ray Beshoff.

FAST FACTS: • Gold seekers passed through Porterville after gold was discovered in California in 1848, and some decided to stick around and establish farms because of the rich soil. It was incorporated in 1902 and is now home to about 56,000 people.

THE BASEBALL FIELD. The smell of fresh dirt, manicured grass and tobacco. The excited murmur of the crowds, the hiss and fizz of new bottles of pop, and the trickle of perspiration on the forehead. Two teams. Two uniforms. Two sets of players.

IT SEEMS THERE'S a chemical to solve every problem in your home – but at what cost? Mother Nature has some pretty fantastic natural remedies for keeping your home and garden pest-free, without the risk that poisons pose to your children and pets.

THE GATEWAY TO THE SIERRAS—an appropriate nickname for the small, humble town of Clovis, which features an array of extensive “gateways” that are particularly beautiful during spring in the central valley.

FAST FACTS: • Forty percent of the world’s raisins are grown within a few miles of Dinuba.