- In this video, Marilyn Giovannetti and Jessica DeMumbrum of the Desert Rose Garden Club talk about refurbishing the tortoise on California City Boulevard.
- The tortoise on the median of California City Boulevard is more than 20 years old gets a makeover.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The tortoise that welcomes people into this desert town has a new look.
I'm Steve Virgen, your California City neighborhood reporter.
Residents in this high desert town are proud of the tortoise named "Cal" and his recent makeover.
"When it was being set down, the school bus just happened to be going by with some kids in it. The bus driver honked and we looked over and the kids were: "Yeah! Yeah!" It was a good feeling knowing that one little thing like that can make such a difference in the community and how people think when they drive into Cal City," said Jessica DeMumbrum, a treasurer for the Desert Rose Garden Club.
The tortoise on the median of Cal City Boulevard appeared in need of a facelift. It's over 20 years old and DeMumbrum saw that it was faded and worn down.
"It turned out to be what I thought was going to be just a little afternoon project into an event that took several weeks," DeMumbrum said.
After the Desert Rose Garden Club gained city approval, they used about $600 to refurbish the tortoise. The sculpture now features new plaster on its shell and a paint job from local man Eduardo Cortez. Cal's home also got an upgrade. He's now on a bed of lava rocks.
Volunteers teamed up to lift Cal out and put him back.
There was talk on social media when he was gone.
"People would make comments like, 'the aliens stole it,' or, 'where did the tortoise go?' And so it became kind of a question, kind of a mystery when the tortoise disappeared," said Marilyn Giovannetti, president of the Desert Rose Garden Club.
The Desert Rose Garden Club shows the community that it is possible to grow plants in the desert. The club has examples along Inspiration Walk at Central Park. Cal was a fun side project for them, and they're planning for more upgrades around town.
DeMumbrum said: "When we got the turtle lifted up off the ground we discovered that it had little feet."
Giovannetti said: "So when we put it back on the lava rocks, we suspended the turtle on blocks of concrete, so it looks more like it's walking on top of the lava rocks. And its feet are exposed and that's kind of important because he has some pretty cute feet. They're all sparkly. He's very handsome."
To find out about volunteer opportunities or for more information about the Desert Rose Garden Club, you can visit their Facebook page.
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