- Home to over 7 million residents, the Central Valley is a conglomerate of different distinct communities with their own feels and personalities.

From the mountain dwellers of Mariposa County to the great farmers of Madera, every inch of the Valley has its own unique story.

And for the good people of Clovis, California, this is especially true.

If you count all the festivals, farmers markets, parades, car shows and more, it could be estimated that Old Town Clovis hosts several hundred events per year.

Though the Clovis slogan, A Way of Life, seems straightforward enough, this got me wondering, what is the Clovis way of life?

To answer that question, I'm making my way to two of the biggest events taking place on the streets of Old Town Clovis: Clovis Junk Days and of course, the annual Clovis Fest.

My goal is simple: immerse myself in the whole Clovis experience.

Try some food, chat with some Clovis natives, and try to understand this Clovis way of life.

Central California definitely has its own vibe.

From the laid-back latitudes of the Central Coast to the scenic wonders of the Sierra, and all the amazing people, cultures, food found in the great cities and towns of the San Joaquin Valley.

I'm on a mission to explore the festivals, the hidden gems, the history, endless stories that make up this great place I love to call home.

I'm Roy Sizemore, and we're "Hitting the Road."

(upbeat rock music) (lively upbeat music) "Hitting the Road with Roy Sizemore" is made possible by viewers like you.

Your support fuels the adventures and incredible connections that make the Central Valley special.

Every journey we take, every story we share is thanks to you.

Become a member today to help keep the good times rolling.

Visit our website to learn more.

Thank you.

Glorious Junk Days is a classic Clovis event that tugs on a very special kind of heartstring.

It's the one that you forgot about until you're there and you pick up your childhood action figure or see a lunchbox that you had in the second grade.

Though the name may paint a rough picture, this signature Clovis event is loved and esteemed by returning antique enthusiasts and curious souls alike.

Old town Clovis Visitors can expect to see antiques, collectibles, furniture, and even handcrafted items.

When I first started this event, not gonna lie, Glorious Junk Days sounded too close to glamorized trash day in my head.

I just pictured piles of junk everywhere.

But like any good host, I decided to hop in the car and check it out for myself.

All right, I'm here with Heather Frantzich, and you are the executive director of B.O.O.T.

What is B.O.O.T.?

- B.O.O.T.

is Business Organization of Old Town Clovis.

- Oh, okay.

So you are like one with the cowboy theme.

- The cowboy theme, yeah.

Our acronym is B.O.O.T.

- Okay, now what is Junk Days?

'Cause it doesn't sound...

Junk Days to me is when you throw all the stuff on the street and then they come and take it.

- No, that's trash pickup.

(laughs) - Okay.

- This stuff is one of a kind type of items, and it's Glorious Junk Days.

We have it twice a year in May and in September.

This is our last show of the season.

And it's basically anything from vintage to antique to refurbished to do-it-yourself to repurposed.

A little bit of everything.

- So, dishes, furniture, artwork.

- You name it, I've seen it.

- So do you say like basically go out there, look, you might find it?

- Oh, you will find it.

- So mostly antiques?

- Yeah, repurposed, like vintage, do-it-yourself, refurbished.

- [Roy] So not junk?

- No, not junk.

- So how long is this?

How many blocks?

I mean, this looks like it's going on and on and on.

- Out of the three shows that we had this year, this is actually the biggest we've had.

We actually sold out this year.

And we are about three blocks out, and we have about 135 vendors.

- Wow, that's huge.

That's a lot of junk.

- It's a lot of glorious junk.

- There we go.

Now, I'm not the most expert antique here, but I know a good find when I see it.

And so far, Junk Days is not disappointing me.

That's awesome.

See, this is the stuff I have in my house that used to be full of, then I got married.

And then all that goes, (chuckling) he starts laughing.

'Cause once you get married, you can't have cool crap anymore.

And when you're single, you can put that in the living room.

No one says nothing.

When you're married, all your stuff just slowly starts to disappear.

All your cool kabuki nightmare heads just disappear out of your house.

(gentle bright music) (rainbow whooshes) (rainbow tinkles) (static scratching) I'm out here with Mack.

Mack, you are selling some really neat stuff.

Where do you find stuff like this?

- Well, actually, to be honest with you, we found this in Las Vegas.

It was a blind auction for a storage unit.

- I mean, when you were going through it, were you guys just like, "What is this?"

And then like- - Absolutely, absolutely.

- That's gotta be the fun too, is like the treasure hunt almost.

- Yeah, and then even with families coming in and then the moms, dad saying, "Yeah, this is what we used to have with, you know?

Eight-tracks cassettes, whatnot, the Chia."

- [Roy] Right, the Chia head.

I love the Chia head.

- That's definitely a call-out.

- I mean, some of this stuff is really, really old.

And I'm- - Well, that's what the whole purpose is of, you know, the vintage, antique.

You know, it's just the novelty of it all.

And, you know, for myself, you know, just memories.

- As we're making our way through Junk Day's endless sea of merchandise and memorabilia, what Mack said really started to resonate with me.

The more I look around, the more random memories I unlock, and I am loving it.

So, I actually own this car, but I didn't have the good one.

I didn't have the Impala.

I had the Biscayne.

So it only had the two taillights in the back instead of the three.

But, yeah, I used to own this car, a 1960 Chevy, man.

I Loved it.

It was so cool.

The '59 had the big, whole cat-eye taillights.

Am I boring everybody with my old cars?

I'm sorry, but this is cool.

Now I'm not gonna, okay, put it down.

Maybe it's the car or maybe it's the atmosphere, but I'm sensing a through line here.

I'm starting to see how this junkyard of trinkets and knick-knacks is actually so much more.

With that being said, let's get all "Antiques Roadshow" up in here and see if we can get a look at what's in the bag of some of these buyers.

All right, ready?

- Okay, is it okay that I'm wearing two pairs of glasses?

- [Roy] Yeah.

Did you buy those here?

- No.

- Oh, okay, you brought those from home.

- I did.

No, actually, I bought 'em somewhere else, but I did buy this here.

- I got it.

We saw you buying this, and I'm like, first, what is that?

- Well, I didn't remember this character from "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," but it is from "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."

- Okay, so more back on, see, we're talking about all the memories and stuff that all this vintage stuff we're finding.

I'm like, "Oh, I remember having that," and this is so cool.

So who is that?

- I don't know.

The man who sold it to me told me it was from "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," but I just liked it 'cause it was a wild-looking frog.

- Okay, what else you got today?

- This guy.

- Okay, and that's from?

- I don't know.

- "I don't know."

You don't care.

- No.

(laughing) - You're just having fun.

You're out buying stuff.

You're killing me as well, I love it.

- I got this.

- My mom had those.

- Yes.

- My mom had those.

- It's so disturbing, but also... - Yeah, it's not right.

Yep, I remember those.

- Oh, yeah.

So that's pretty much it.

- That's it.

- Yeah.

- But you're still hunting.

- I am.

- You're on the hunt.

Okay, it's obvious to me now.

The more you roam, the more treasure ye shall find.

Self-portrait of Roy.

(upbeat music) It's Roy's self-portrait.

My bathroom would be complete, without it.

I think you get this, when you're got a Klingon, the baby, you get this as a birth gift when you have a baby boy Klingon.

Does that not look like some kind of Klingon weaponry?

I'm just saying.

That looks pretty gnarly, too.

You find a little bit of everything when you come out to Glorious Junk Days.

Seriously, I could spend so much money out here buying my childhood memories.

This is so great.

♪ Ch-ch-ch-chia, Chewbacca ♪ Oh.

Dude, take my money.

Take my money!

Hello.

If that head moves, we're out of here.

I'm just saying.

I've seen Annabelle.

I know.

That's creepy.

Okay, now where did you find this and where, more importantly, are you gonna put it?

- I found it right here in front of the 4th Street Antique Store, which was wonderful.

I saw it this morning.

I didn't think I could carry her out.

But I'm bringing her to Oakhurst.

My parents have both passed away and their ashes are at my home, and this is gonna be a memorial garden.

- Oh wow.

That is beautiful.

That is gonna be so great.

- I thought so.

- And you're gonna build a whole, oh, that is so nice.

See, you never know what you're gonna find out here.

- You don't, and the people are super nice.

- Did you come out here thinking you were looking for something for the garden or just come out here looking for whatever?

- I keep looking for two things: one inspirational piece for the garden and then one, tell it a finial part for my fountain.

And I found it, two frogs jumping over each other.

So, cast iron, I'm just totally happy.

Where would I find that anywhere else?

- You're not gonna.

You can't order that online.

Everything's made out of tin now, and it's not gonna last.

That's amazing.

Well, what was your name again?

- Cindy Best.

- Cindy, congratulations on your finds.

- Nice to meet you.

- I hope your garden- - Thank you.

is gorgeous.

And I hope you had a great day at Junk Days.

- I did.

Thank you all so much.

- Thank you.

There were a lot of questions I had coming into Junk Days, the main one being, why would people buy junk?

Having talked to the vendors and the people, though, I've come to the realization that this is so much more.

It is an event which gives vendors and customers alike the opportunity to reflect and reconnect with some cherished memories, and there's no better place than Clovis to do that.

Even in the stores lining the streets of Clovis, there's more history and intriguing items to be found.

Like this old coffee can from 1930s Fresno.

Now, we've all heard of Dutch Brothers, but I've never heard of Dale Brothers, but apparently that was a Valley thing.

You got Fresno, Bakersfield, Visalia, Santa Barbara, Stockton.

I don't know.

I'd like to try some Dale Bros. And, of course, this Batman mask.

I'm Bat Dad.

What is Batman like in his drinks?

Just ice.

No history or facts with this one.

That's just for her dad jokes.

Kids.

See, he got it.

Altogether, Clovis Junk Days exceeded my expectations, the nostalgia, the warm community, the weird stuff I found.

It's the ultimate antiquing experience, and I'm definitely coming back next year.

(light funky music) (upbeat funky music) Clovis Fest, a celebration of a town whose roots go all the way back to the expansion of the San Joaquin Railroad in 1890.

When people hear Clovis, most might think of this small town as Fresno's lesser-known little cousin.

Though Clovis is encompassed in the reach of Fresno County, there are about 130,000 citizens who are itching to tell you how Clovis is its own thing entirely.

To get this event kicked off, though, we gotta start with the most iconic part of the celebration: the Clovis Fest hot air balloons.

As you can see behind me, we got some hot air balloons today.

We're at Clovis Fest.

Now, some of you might think this is just a big street fair, a bunch of vendors, some music, grab some great food.

But if you get here early, early, early in the morning, the whole sky gets lit up with hot air balloons.

It's pretty cool.

Today, we're gonna be talking to some of the pilots.

We're gonna get in one of these hot air balloons, go up into the sky, and, yeah, we're gonna find out, like, why hot air balloons?

How do you fly one of these things?

We're gonna check that all out today at Clovis Fest here at the Clovis Rodeo Grounds.

(flames whooshing) As I hear torches and see the balloons being set up around me, I get up and get a little feeling that I'm gonna end up in one of these things.

The Clovis way of life better not include activating my vertigo, 'cause that would really put a damper on my day, to say the least.

Nevertheless, I think it's time to talk to some pilots and get some insight into this fascinating hobby?

Job?

I'm not sure which one it really is.

Again, I'm here with Kim Lynch, and you're the pilot of this hot air balloon.

- Yes.

- [Roy] So where are you from?

- I live in the Temecula, California area.

- So is that a hot air balloon like district?

- Yes, it's a balloon and wine are, so we fly over wineries.

- Oh, you fancy.

- I'm fancy.

(both laughing) Like Applebee's.

(both laughing) - How do you pilot a balloon?

- Well, you ride the winds.

So it's kind of like surfing but multilayered.

So there are winds at different altitudes going different directions.

So if you want to go north, you go up to where the wind's going north.

You wanna go west, you go to where the wind's going west.

- What's the farthest you've gone, point A to point B, in a hot air balloon?

- Ballooning is not a distance thing.

- It's a height thing?

- No, it's an enjoyment.

It's a aerial view.

- Is it just the no noise, no engines, no whirring?

- The burner is quite loud, and that's our engine.

- [Roy] That's the engine, but you don't have to have it going the whole like... - No.

- So you can just float, drift and actually enjoy the scenery is what you're saying.

- Right.

Definitely.

- Okay, I get it.

I get it now.

I understand.

- And it doesn't matter what's going on in your life.

Whatever's going on, you leave on the ground, and you just have fun in the air.

- Just drift in the wind.

- That's it.

- So how do these balloons actually work?

I don't know.

I'm gonna leave that explanation up to the experts.

Alrighty, what's your name, young man?

- David.

- David, are you into hot air balloons?

Is this your thing?

- Kind of.

- Kind of?

Okay, so you're the expert.

- Yeah, we're homeschooled, so my mom taught about Charles' Law.

- Wow, you're pretty smart, aren't you?

- Thanks.

- Yeah?

(laughs) Tell me about Charles.

- All right, so at constant temperature, the volume of gas is directly proportional to the temperature.

- Are you catching this kid?

Right here, man.

Right here.

Well, thank you so much.

Mom, you're doing an awesome job.

Thank you.

Okay, I just got schooled by an 11-year-old.

I just got a physics lesson from an 11-year-old kid.

That's pretty awesome.

We learn something every day.

PBS, baby.

So what kind of fuel does this deck use?

What do you use?

- We use propane, just like your barbecue, but your barbecue at home uses the fumes off the top of the tank.

This has a straw that goes down to the bottom of the tank and sucks the liquid straight up.

Then the liquid goes through these coils and gets preheated, and then that's exactly- (flame blasting) why the flame is so blue.

But the backup burner just shoots raw liquid.

(flame blasting) That's why it's so yellow.

- That's why it's, okay.

- It's inefficient.

- Okay, so it's propane.

- Yes.

- And propane accessory.

- Yes.

- So it's king of the hill, all the way.

- King of the hill all the way.

(flame flaring) I think we need a little heavier weight.

I'm not sure, I'm not sure, I'm not sure this kid's gonna be able to hold this balloon down.

Just saying.

You got it?

You holding it down?

Okay, don't let it go.

All right.

(upbeat funky music) We're gonna find that kid in Reedley.

Yeah, let's go pretty high.

(laughs) All right.

There's a lot of people out here today 'cause it's a pretty amazing, this pretty unique event out here, Clovis Fest.

You can see all these people coming out just to see the balloons take off.

It's kind of neat.

Pretty beautiful, actually.

- [Camera Man] Are you nervous, Roy?

- Yeah, of course I am.

It's going up in the sky.

I don't want to go in the sky.

I don't have wings.

Of course, I'm nervous.

Man wasn't meant to fly.

That's why people take buses, boats.

I love watching as much as the next person, but I just had to experience this for myself.

(flame blasting) This is how popcorn feels.

Like, I get it now.

This is how a kernel fills in the pan.

(flame blasting) Oh, here we go.

Okay, so we're going up.

So far, so good.

I'm gonna look straight out.

Actually, this isn't too, oh, okay, there we go.

This isn't too bad.

Oh my God, we're so high.

(gentle serene music) Oh.

(flame whooshes) This is amazing.

(flame whooshes) (Roy laughs) (flame whooshing) - Dude, this is so cool.

(gentle serene music) Oh my God.

Okay, we're pretty high up here.

(flame hisses) It is high.

(laughs) - [Pilot] When we come down, guys, stay in the basket until I tell you to get out.

- Okay, I'm not moving until you tell me to get out.

We're all good.

That was fun.

I was really cool, and my vertigo didn't bug me.

I thought it was, but it wasn't.

It's a pretty cool experience.

It's not what you expect, and you kind of feel like, you feel like you're floating.

You actually feel like you're floating.

You just feel like you're on a genie's mat or something.

I don't know how to describe it, but you just feel like you're just kind of levitating in the air.

(flame whooshing) - [Bob] Right up until that happens.

- Right until that happens.

Thank you, Bob.

Definitely a bucket list item to do.

100%.

(gentle serene music) Okay, that was amazing.

That was so cool.

I was a little nervous.

Not gonna lie, I was nervous.

A little high up there, but no, you just feel like you're just free-floating up there.

It's not bad at all.

Get here early, the line starts early, so a little pro tip for you.

When you're done with the balloons and you watch 'em all take off, then it's time to go check out the booze, the food, the music, and everything else Clovis Fest has to offer.

So let's go.

(spirited upbeat music) I heard a quote by a famous philosopher that once said, "There's no better way to get to know a city than to walk it streets."

Alrighty, we can close this!

(pedestrians cheering) Okay, so the philosopher was me.

I said it.

But that doesn't make it any less true.

All right, so we just got done with the balloons, awesome, and now we are on the search for breakfast.

I'm not sure what we're gonna find, but smells good.

So we're gonna find us something to nosh on.

Let's go.

Now, what I usually tell people is that you can't come to an event like this and not eat something on a stick.

Seriously.

That's actually what I was telling my friend Scott here.

Grab something fried on a stick.

That's my suggestion to you, sir.

- We'll see what happens there, yeah.

- Okay.

- I'm not sure about that one, but, yeah.

- He didn't seem into it.

I'm dedicated to getting food on a stick.

But right now, let's start with something a little more widely acceptable.

So you guys, this a big fundraiser for the Elks Club?

- Yeah, absolutely.

For the Purple Pig.

- [Roy] Now what is that?

Explain it.

- The Purple Pig is a charity donation.

We do the veterans charity, we do the trucker charity.

We do a lot of charities all year long, and we just fill up our purple pig.

- Okay, so by me buying a burrito, I help with all that stuff.

- Absolutely.

- All right, then I'll take a breakfast burrito and a bottle of water.

(light upbeat music) Gotta have the pico, man.

(light upbeat music) (flame crackling) You know what?

I don't care what they say about me.

I'm not leaving here till I get something on a stick.

Yeah, so I got pork belly and dumplings, and that's gonna be my calories for the day.

That's it.

So after the breakfast burrito and this, I think I'm good to go.

Oh, that looks amazing.

Mm.

It's like bacon but better.

All right, belly full, check.

Heart is open, check.

Let's see if we can get to know some of these Clovis Fest regulars and pick up on the local customs.

All right, so what brought you guys out to Clovis Fest today?

- Just hanging out with friends and family.

That's all.

- [Roy] All right, you?

- We live around the corner.

- Oh yeah, so you are from Clovis?

- Yeah.

- We are.

- Okay, so what does Clovis Fest mean to you?

- I mean, it's just people getting together, having a good time.

You know, you wake up early, you get to go watch the balloons, have fun with family and friends.

- Right.

- Get some ice cream.

- Right, I saw it's a pretty big ice cream.

- It is.

(interviewee laughs) - It's got a giant, dude.

It's a lot.

Is that breakfast?

- Yes.

(laughs) (Roy laughs) - Breakfast the champions.

- Yeah.

- Now, are you guys from Clovis as well?

- Yes, yes we are.

- We are, yes.

- Now, do you call it Clovis, Clovisites, Clovisians, Clovis, what do you call people from Clovis?

Like Fresnonians, you know?

- Ooh.

- Ooh.

That's a good question.

- What is it?

- Clovisites sounds pretty good.

I guess, I'm gonna go- - Is Clovisites, are we gonna go with that?

- Yeah, we'll go Clovisites.

The Clovisite.

- The Clovisites?

- The Clovisite.

- For sure, for sure.

- Clovisites.

All right.

- The Clovisites.

- So Clovis Fest for you, does that mean shopping?

- Yeah, it's looking around, seeing what people have.

It's the local vendors trying to support out here and everything.

- Right.

Thanks you guys for talking to us today.

- [Interviewee] Thanks.

From the Clovis Rodeo to Big Hat days, here's something about Clovis that makes you want to buy a hat.

A big hat.

Some big old hats.

Hey, ought to help with the beauty.

- Oh, man.

(vendor laughing) (clicks tongue) What's up, girl?

(vendor laughing) Aw.

- [Vendor] You gonna get all of them.

- I don't know if this one's quite my style though.

Let's see if we can try our luck somewhere else.

Well, I saw someone wearing a Wienerschnitzel hat, and I'm all, "Dude, where'd you get that hat?"

And he goes, "Oh, over there.

I spotted one."

I'm all, "You got a Wienerschnitzel hat?"

So I'm like, "I gotta go check out a Wienerschnitzel hat."

All right, I'm gonna spin.

- [Vendor] All right, let's see what you'll get.

- Hat.

Hat.

(prize wheel rattling) I'm giving the big spin.

- The hat?

- Hat.

- [Roy And Vendor] Hat, hat, hat, hat, hat, hat!

- Hat, hat!

- Oh, yeah!

- Whoa!

(upbeat funky music) - [Vendor] Nice one.

There you go.

(laughs) - Ooh!

Look at that.

Well, that's a pretty magical wheel there.

- [Vendor] Right.

- Yes!

(upbeat funky music) All right, I am here with Grant Wood from Fulton Factory, and now I'm looking here and I'm seeing a lot of, I'm seeing a lot of Central Valley love right here.

So what do you got going on?

What's your biz all about?

- So we are Fulton Factory.

My goal when creating this brand was to give the people of Central Valley something that represents their diverse culture and the neighborhood they come from.

- So what does the Central Valley community mean to you, personally?

- To me, personally, it means home.

It's a place where I'll probably always come back to, I don't see myself, I bought a house here in Clovis, I don't see myself ever leaving.

I want it, uplift it and help it grow as big as it can grow.

- Very cool, man.

Well, I like your vibe.

I like your stuff.

- Thank you.

- And I love the big boots Clovis shirt.

- Thank you.

- That is awesome, man.

- Thank you, I appreciate it.

- [Roy] You bet, thank you for talking with us.

- [Grant] Of course.

- Now, if the vendors and street food wasn't enough, there's also live performances from different cultural groups in Clovis.

Here's one now.

(light upbeat music) You know what's insane.

(laughs) That's the funniest part.

So it turns out there's like really a lot to do at Clovis Fest.

There's a lot of good food, there's car shows, there's ton of booths.

Of course, the hot air balloons, you know, and one am I forgetting.

I'm forgetting something.

Oh, the kids!

Tons of stuff for the kids.

So grab the whole family, bring them on down.

There's kids rides, there's information booth, there's all sorts of things for the entire family.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) "Hitting the Road with Roy Sizemore" is made possible by viewers like you.

Your support fuels the adventures and incredible connections that make the Central Valley special.

Every journey we take, every story we share is thanks to you.

Become a member today to help keep the good times rolling.

Visit our website to learn more.

Thank you.

(lively upbeat music)