Its been nearly 12 months since the big snow storms of 2010. During the first 2 months of October and November 2010, when we at A1 Towing of Twin Falls got 12 or more calls a day from the Mini Cassia area for snow created driving incidents from slide offs to getting stuck up Sweetzer Summit, there started a mind thought of 4 of us at A1, to set up a brother operation in the Mini Cassia area of Idaho. With my own firm , Dixie Toewing leading the way.
So search started for a shop and impound yard in the area. One was located in Rupert, but was way to expensive, unless shared with someone else. A Taxi cab company was interested, but when put to the test bowed out. Due to inability to pay. I found another shop but no impound area. I had already committed to the move and had gave notice to my landlord in Buhl, so I had to move. By July 1st 2011 I found a place to live but with limited resources had to put off the shop for a time. So I moved.
SAMCRO MC had already determined that the area was good logistically for the Idaho Charter’s HQ, Hazzard County Knytes.
Both SAMCRO’s resources and mine combined things looked promising. An announcement was sent to one of the local newspapers, but they were not interested in publishing anything about or to do with a bikers club,new radio station nor super toew service. So we went to an alternate plan and began HazzardAyre Gazzette, that included HellBilly Trucker here. The latter half of August 2011 after living between two dysfunctional MexiCali families I found what I thought was a good answer to the problem. So I moved. Upon living in the tin can and enduring living on top of little better than the covering of a cat’s litter box and having to breathe the odors of cat dung, finally I found the house that I found in 2006 when I arrived in Idaho after a long time away, that in all retrospect, should have been me not moving back to Idaho.
Idaho is a contrast in ideals. While Idaho Falls , Boise and in some ways Twin Falls has made strides in growth, the rest of the state is still moving at a pace that resembles a wagon drawn by a mule. In Idaho there is the idea of business and industrial growth, but in reality, there is 3 people to every 5, that want Idaho to remain rural, and agricultural, not advancing to technology or creative growth. Consider the public outcry towards not building a larger area Airport. That not only would enable aviation firms like ours to operate here , but others to come in and even small commuter airlines to use the place. Add a restaurant, lounge, and aviation support to the picture and you create needed jobs. But nope, most here feel that its overkill, more over not in their front or back yard.
The Mini Cassia area could be a real diamond in the ruff for Idaho. Situated within small distances to both Salt Lake City, as well as the west, logistics and gains in commerce could evolve.
Just within a few blocks from me on 21st street here in Heyburn, sits what used to be the Burley Mall, aka Snake River Plaza. This past fall a joint effort was launched to buy the aging facility and breathe new life into it. Calls were made, but nothing followed through. Seems as though the people in NYC who own it, feel its better to let it go as a tax write off than put it into operation. Only because outsiders see the Mini Cassia area as only a farm community rather than a commerce or industrial community. In essence a looser rather than the winner it could be.
If you go to the areas Chamber-of-Commerce, the feeling is upbeat but helpful to a prospective member? No. Give a new media company some help in finding on camera talent for ads, and fuel the area so the media company could promote the idea of filming a TV series pilot movie here, and you get the strangest looks.
If you say that can’t happen here, think again.
A smaller community, called Preston Idaho, was the center of a indy movie called Napoleon Dynamite, which will begin running a animated series on FoX, all with backgrounds from and of Preston, Idaho.
If one was to do up a indy film fueled by some of the former cast members of the Dukes-of-Hazzard, along with us in the Hazzard Knytes and HazzardAyre Media, you put a super hit project based on the former TV show the Dukes of Hazzard and base all production here in Mini Cassia, you also create jobs. Not only actors and production jobs, but eating establishments, fuel stops, motels and others gain business that translates into jobs. But can one get the eye brow raised, from local business leaders to help? Answer: NO.
In the Mini Cassia area of Idaho where I am, if you talk to the youth you hear the want of growth. If you talk to the older folks here you hear a good yeppers to growth , under the sheets they would just asoon have ya’ll pass it on by. Kinda like the greater Mountain Home area of Idaho. Chambers of Commerce say yes to growth and new enterprises by mouth, in real life its no but hell no, we like our small town rural area. Leave it alone.
There are those like SAMCRO that includes the team here at CooTer’s Toewing, that are trying to advance the area, but are faced with obstacles. Like not being Hispanic, not favoring LDS ideals. Because the club and I are not walking around with a B-of-M and thumping a bible,we here at SAMCRO MC are hindered rather than having a bit of breathing room to reach our goals to get where we would like to be, that would be good for the region.
So, why try? Here’s an example. One night, was at McDonalds here, and a lady was in dire need of a tow truck. After overhearing her needs I suggested our company three times, but she wanted to let her fingers do the walking through the Yellow Pages. Did she not see our newspaper ad? Guess not. After calling all area tow services the lady did call for our company, but the lack of knowledge that we were here. So a thought to get something a bit more aggressive in the two local newspapers here with advertising, thought, lets try putting a gal, posing with the trucks, in front of our shop, and put that in the papers here, run a short commercial run on TV, see if that helps, so I put an ad in one paper for female model talent, after only 4 calls, one being from a lady of two daughters, that never really took it as serious as it is, I gave the boot to the condition situation. The project will have to be farmed out to some outfit in Utah, since the creative minds in Mini Cassia , just are not here.
Then came one Sunday evening mid October 2011, wanted to go get a sit down other than burger meal, and found one in Burley, JB’s, what a shame. All the rest are closed so that the owners and employees, can go to church, etc. Really? Your only choice is going all the way to Twin Falls. Time for the Reaper Club, to get in gear here.
In closing, if your looking at Idaho be LDS, Hispanic, or direct the energy to a business that supports agriculture, or forget anything as far as location between American Falls and Boise, cause it will not happen here.
SAMCRO is not yet moving our Idaho Charter HQ east of here, but we are looking to , since, what is needed here, at least for SAMCRO MC is not here, YET. Like everything else SAMCRO will create it here.
SAMCRO does not retreat or spook at a challenge.
L8R Ya’ll
