2017 Caruthers Fair Grand Marshals David Cline and James Gardner
David Cline and James Gardner are two of the principle owners of Pacific Boring, a horizontal drilling company located in here in Caruthers. These two very deserving individuals were chosen in what is a slight departure from past practices, to be Co-Grand Marshals of the 88th Annual Caruthers District Fair. Both have been exceptionally supportive of all things Caruthers, but their impact and support are readily evident when it comes to the fair.
David Cline is the son of George and Dorothy Cline and spent his early years living on West and Rose Avenues in Caruthers. George worked for Louie Hammond, father of past Grand Marshal Lee Hammond. David attended Caruthers Elementary through the fifth grade and then his family moved to the Easton area. He graduated from Washington Union High School in 1962 and enlisted in the US Navy, where he served as a medical corpsman. Following his service in the Navy he enrolled in Fresno State and earned a degree in Accounting in 1969. David married Kathy in 1967 and they had 3 children, Brian, Vince and Kristi.
James Gardner is the son of Dorothy Gardner and lived on Fruit and Floral Avenues in Easton. James attended Manning Elementary school where his mother was a teacher. He graduated with David from Washington Union High School in 1962. James remembers going to the Caruthers Fair as a child but his most vivid memories were of riding his bike to Caruthers so that he could ride through the Parade on Saturday morning. James married Irene in 1963 and has two sons, Jimmy and Brad.
David and James have been friends since 1959 where they met in high school. In 1982 they started a business together and named it Pacific Boring. In 1986 they expanded the business and purchased the Producers Cotton Gin property on the corner of West and Mt. View, which has since been the home of Pacific Boring.
David and James have been exceptionally supportive of the community and the fair. They have hired countless young men and women to work at their company and can always be counted on to support any youth activities. They even had the old water tower located on their property painted with the Caruthers High School Raiders logo! They have purchased incredible numbers of Fair Queen raffle tickets over the years to support the young ladies as well as the fair itself. In fact, in 1999 they won the Ford Ranger that was the grand prize at the time and used the little truck for many years to run parts for Pacific Boring. They were very proud of that pick-up and what it represented to them. Pacific Boring still has that winning ticket in their office!
David and James have always had a love for this community. Their employees describe them to be like two kids when fair time rolls around. They can’t wait until all the girls come in and sell them some raffle tickets and always to watch for the carnival rides to roll into town. They enjoy being involved in improving and expanding the fair and are always ready to lend a hand with equipment and manpower. They have been very active in supporting the livestock show and auction as well as helping with our latest barn project. David, James, Pacific Boring and their sister company, Nada Pacific are longtime supporters of the Harvest Social as well. Come to the fair and say hi to David and James. You can usually find them around the food booths, or waiting for the ticket drawing each night, or at the livestock auction on Saturday afternoon, supporting our FFA and 4H members. Make sure to say hi to our newest Grand Marshals, David Cline and James Gardner.