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The Skyway Jug Man
The anonymous person who lined Skyway below Paradise with gallon water jugs
helping many a overheated motorist, known only as Mr. Jug, placed his last
jugs in Spring 1998. Due age and health, Mr. Jug retired. His name?
Frank Stevens, age 76.
Huge Apple Pies & Cakes
A Guinness Book of Records apple pie was baked and served in 1972 at the
Johnny Appleseed Day festival. The pie was made from 900 lbs of
apples, sugar and spices, and 100 lbs of pie dough. It was 10 feet in
diameter and weighed 950 pounds. Creator of this pie was Ed Martinez
head baker at the Paradise Safeway Store. In 1973 the festival
featured an 850 pound apple sauce cake, which in 1974 was topped by a
1000 pound cake which was 6 feet high and had a base of 4 by 8 feet.
M*A*S*H TV Star
Former TV star Gary Burghoff, actor who played "Radar O'Reilly" in
M*A*S*H, is a wildlife artist and a Paradise Ridge resident. To see some of
Gary's (even buy) art work look here!
54-lb Gold Nugget Discovery
It was on the Ridge on the West Branch of the Feather River near Magalia where,
on April 12, 1859, the largest gold nugget weighing in at 54 lbs was
discovered.
Last Chance Mine Rescue
Two brothers made headlines following a 12-hour rescue from a 150 foot shaft of the
abandoned Last Chance mine in Paradise Pines on January 25, 1994.
President Clinton's Half-Brother
President Bill Clinton's half-brother, Leon Ritzenthaler, is a resident of
Paradise.
Tiffany Brissette, a Small Wonder
Tiffany Brissette, born December 1974 in Paradise, is a TV-star having acted
in both commercials and a syndicated TV series. Her commercials helped
sell everything from OJ to Care Bears, even a Jell-O Puddin' Pops commercial
with Bill Cosby. TV roles included her debut as Kathy in ABC's Webster and
as Vicki (Voice Input Child Indenticant), the human little girl robot in
Small Wonder. She also had a part in the movie Heart Like A Wheel. If you
remember Tiffany, read her
biography and
more about the Small Wonder TV series.
Olympic Medal Winner
Susan DeMattei, finalist in many NORBA Championship cross-country
mountain bicyle competitions and Olympic Bronze Medal winner, was a former
RN at Feather River Hospital.
Hot Story in Life Magazine
An 11-page story in Life magazine April 26, 1963, reads "Hell Breaks Loose in Paradise,"
a story of teacher Virginia Franklin and a troubled school district.
Filmmakers & Stars
Paradise brings in the filmmakers and stars for...Robin Hood, The Outlaw Josey Wales,
Gone With the Wind, Friendly Persuasion, Stolen Innocence, and Every Knee Shall Bow
(a two-part mini-series).
Martial Arts Medal Winner
Paradise resident John Malone Jr. returned from the 1996 American
Athletic Union's (AAU) National Championships with three medals in
Martial Arts. Gold in Kabudo, Gold in Kata, and Bronze in Kumite.
Malone, 36, has been training in the martial arts since age 8.
Hollywood Director/Actor
Hollywood director and Broadway actor Robert Gist retired to Paradise in
1992. He died in May 1998. His career included two Academy Award nominations,
for acting in the films The Naked and the Dead and Al Capone,
plus an Emmy Award for his television directing. Gist also starred as the
Gentleman Caller in Tennesee Williams' Glass Menagerie on Broadway
was a co-star in the 1959 comedy Operation Petticoat.
Round-the-World Bicycle Trip
Brian & Holly Gillespie who left Paradise on a round-the-world
bicycle trip returned to Paradise September 30, 1997. They left Paradise
January 1996, having traveled over 17,000 miles. Their first was a trip
from Reno, Nevada to the tip of South America in 1993 for their Honeymoon.
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