Simonian Farms Swap Meet - old pics from the 2000's

[mr.cycleplane]

I'd like to give credit where credit is due..... This bicycle swap meet was the brainchild of Bonnie Simonian. Sadly we lost her last year. See picture below-perhaps you will remember her face. She greeted every single seller and asked where they had traveled from that day. I had just moved to Clovis(Fresno area) and Bonnie gave me a call to come visit the Simonian Farms store. Bonnie had been collecting bikes already and had a nice collection on display at the store-many still visit the collection-seems to be a must stop for southern California riders returning from the Rolling Relics Yosemite ride. Anyway after a tour of the Simonian Farms grounds which was full of vintage tractors-enamel signs and many other memorabilia related to the farm industry-Bonnie popped the question....'Wouldn't this be a great place for a bicycle swap meet'? I agreed and next thing she asked me to put on a 2 day event! She had the connections-she knew all the t.v. and radio people and newspaperfolks. Anything I wanted or needed to make it happen-she was there for me. She even had a few surprises up here sleeve. She even had an onsite bbq guy! One of the surprises was on Saturday after the first year whizzer ride she came up with t-shirts with a really cool artwork for the 'Simonian Farms Mid-Valley Whizz-in' . The whizzer guys were enjoying there bbq dinner she had for their return and she brought out the t-shirts! the whizzer guys bought almost all of them and the next day they were wearing them around-everyone was after them! We doubled the order the next year! Thanks again for posting pictures and reviving this memory!

 

[60sstuff]

Sounds like she was the total opposite of her other half.
Very beautiful woman!

 

[GTs58]

Sounds like she was the total opposite of her other half.
Very beautiful woman!

Back in my younger single days, I dated a Beautiful woman that was a part-time model. She was a crane operator!

 

[Livmojoe]

Glad you guys are digging the pics. Fun to find them and post them up. @60sstuff Yes, Dave Cardona and Ron "Doc" Geisert. I found some pics from one of Doc's swap meets in May 2002 held at the Stockton City College (I think now called Delta College) that I'll share as well. That's Paul Beno's red truck next to your van, so he's got to be in there somewhere. @slick Good eye on finding Jim. Those ol grey bins with the wire mesh tops, and of course a Pepsi, lol. Like Tyler @mr.cycleplane was saying, these pics are from a digital camera I had at the time. I think I had a Samsung flip phone back then, but it didn't have a camera or email... that was pretty advanced high-tech. Phone calls and text only. The digital camera had like an 8gb memory chip and each photo was about 500kb resolution so you could only take 16 pictures before the memory was full, LOL. You either had to download them to a computer or pick and choose which one to delete so you make space to take another/different pic.

This next batch are from the Simonian Farms swap in 2002. I obviously didn't take very many pics that year.

 

[catfish]

I have a bunch of photos from the late 90s. I need to dig them out and scan them.

 

[slick]

So.... it might be time to start up this swap meet again? Maybe include a bike show also? I'm sure they would be ok with it?

 

[SJ_BIKER]

I'd like to give credit where credit is due..... This bicycle swap meet was the brainchild of Bonnie Simonian. Sadly we lost her last year. See picture below-perhaps you will remember her face. She greeted every single seller and asked where they had traveled from that day. I had just moved to Clovis(Fresno area) and Bonnie gave me a call to come visit the Simonian Farms store. Bonnie had been collecting bikes already and had a nice collection on display at the store-many still visit the collection-seems to be a must stop for southern California riders returning from the Rolling Relics Yosemite ride. Anyway after a tour of the Simonian Farms grounds which was full of vintage tractors-enamel signs and many other memorabilia related to the farm industry-Bonnie popped the question....'Wouldn't this be a great place for a bicycle swap meet'? I agreed and next thing she asked me to put on a 2 day event! She had the connections-she knew all the t.v. and radio people and newspaperfolks. Anything I wanted or needed to make it happen-she was there for me. She even had a few surprises up here sleeve. She even had an onsite bbq guy! One of the surprises was on Saturday after the first year whizzer ride she came up with t-shirts with a really cool artwork for the 'Simonian Farms Mid-Valley Whizz-in' . The whizzer guys were enjoying there bbq dinner she had for their return and she brought out the t-shirts! the whizzer guys bought almost all of them and the next day they were wearing them around-everyone was after them! We doubled the order the next year! Thanks again for posting pictures and reviving this memory!

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Bonnie sounds like she was a great lady!!

 

[SJ_BIKER]

The Story of Simonian Farms​

Nestled in the San Joaquin Valley South-East of Fresno, California, lies this unique farm where you can go back to the days of balloon tire bicycles and pedal cars. There is absolutely no charge to view this vast array of non-reproduction antiques valued in the millions. Whether you are relaxing on the steps of the original 1946 Santa Fe Caboose or shopping amongst the valley's finest and largest collection of dried fruit and nuts, you will be REMINISCING of days gone by. You'll be taken back to the time when the farm first began. Back to when the first of the five generations began this operation as a small family farm. Simonian Farms has grown in size since the 1900's but, the Simonian family has vowed not to lose the down home country charm, affordable pricing, and fantastic taste the Simonian Farm shopper has come to appreciate and enjoy.
Today, times have changed and most small family farms like ours have vanished. Yet, Simonian Farms still clings to the "Charm of Yesterday." We have built on site the only monument of its kind out of wood from the Japanese internment camp from Poston, Arizona. Mr. Simonian dedicated the monument to the Japanese Americans who were in the camp that helped mentor him as a young man. He started the retail business of Simonian Farms at the age of 16 years old, which made him the bread winner of the family and at age 19 who took care of his mother and his father until their passing. Because of our love the way it used to be we now attract visitors from around the globe and have tour buses visit almost daily ranging from Europe, China, Japan, and the Middle East.

In 1995, President Clinton visited our store, the only business in California that year. While, shopping inside our produce market, visitors encounter fascinating memorabilia such as old mannequins, porcelain and tin signs, restored vintage gas pumps, antique bicycles, and even a turn of the century model train that steams and whistles along 200 ft. of overhead track. There is no reproduction of any kind here, everything is authentic. So whether you are ordering by phone or have visited this unique farm in person, you can always expect to have a pleasant experience. Simonian Farms stands for farm fresh quality and old fashion family service. We promise you that our premium dried fruit and nuts are processed, packed, and shipped throughout the United States from the historic Valley Landmark. Proud to have served the community since 1901. 5 generations.

 

[SJ_BIKER]

I just read and posted their info above about the place. I didn't know it was started back in 1901 with humble beginnings.

 

[mrg]

Wow, memories!, pre Simonian farm the first Fresno Wiz-in I went to was at a nice ranch house out in the raisin vineyards, I think Joe Kuges ( I'm sure spelled wrong ), great ride & swap/show, next year my Whizzer blew a head gasket out on the 100+ degree ride, then next one was at Steve Gregorio's on the greenbelt in front of his house in a old Fresno neighborhood, that time the head gasket/valve went on my 4x4 Ford van ( it was on the cover of 4x4 magazine back in the day, blew the motor pre running the Mint 400 and had the motor rebuilt in Vegas and something went wrong with one of the heads after a while ) ended up sleeping in the van around the corner from Steve's for a couple of days and pulling the head off in the van without taking the intake manifold off ( that was a something! ) weird slept in the van and half rebuilt my motor ( 351W ) and the neighbors didn't even know, back to the Friz-In's, great times and always came home with a great load, what ever happened to Steve G anyway?