Day 69 – The Nugget shark: John meets Jaws - ThisisReno

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Day 69 – The Nugget shark: John meets Jaws - ThisisReno Posted: 23 May 2020 10:52 AM PDT Submitted by Karl Breckenridge We offer the hardy band of This is Reno readers that have come together in the past 68 days, a fish-story now about the Nugget's Trader Dick's restaurant, long a point of community pride which has faded into but a fond memory. The locals have long since forgotten, and the tourists have no clue, that when you were sitting at the bar in Trader Dick's restaurant in the Sparks Nugget, Interstate 80 is only about 25 feet away. Straight up. A system of columns separated the little umbrella in your Mai Tai from the tires of one of Granite's big green three-dump-trailer rigs rumbling overhead. In a triumph of design, a massive aquarium of Ascuagan proportions was built around the three freeway columns behind the bar, those columns textured to appear as a Pacific atoll rock formation. And into this aquarium were placed hundreds of tropical fish, all content to aimlessly mill around the tank, with a wonderfully mesmerizing effect on the bar's patrons. But there was an unseen malaise in this seemingly-placid lagoon when Trader Dick's opened in 1988, for the large school of fish was slowly, inexorably diminishing – the bartenders were the first to notice that it just seemed that there just weren't as many fish in the tank as there once were.  More fish were introduced. And their number, too, also diminished over time.  What was happening to the fish in the tank? Were the chefs at the Oyster Bar covertly raiding it on busy Friday nights when their fish lockers were becoming sparse?  Unthinkable… The bar and fish tank at Trader Dick's at John Ascuaga's Nugget. In yakking this story up, I've heard various accounts of how the mystery was solved; my own recollection and the commonly accepted fanciful explanation is that an out-of-towner idly sitting at the plank one afternoon, obviously a fish guy, looked toward the tank and muttered under his breath, "Who the hell would put that shark into an aquarium?" A nearby bartender overheard him, and lights began going on.  Fish people on a grand scale (sorry) were called to the scene and determined that, yes, indeed; a juvenile shark was loose in the tank and should be isolated, pronto, for the welfare of the remaining herd. The local press got wind of it, the Bay Area press a day or so later including no less than Herb Caen, all of which created a problem for the Nugget's PR honcho Fred Davis: What do we do with this little beast now? The little guy was clearly In Harm's Way, trespassing in an establishment with eight fine restaurants – Shark Fin Soup at Trader Dick's and the Captain's Platter in the Oyster Bar come to mind – but PETA would never let the Nugget off the hook for pulling a stunt like that to make the problem go away. So John did the only right, decent thing to do: He spoke with the folks at the Steinhart Aquarium in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, and when the arrangements were complete, he sent the errant little shark, who after all really had no blame coming in the whole matter, in a Nugget limousine no less, to the Steinhart, where it could eat a more seemly menu and frolic with its own species, maybe start a family someday. To no one's surprise, a press photographer or two was present at both ends of the journey. OK – I first wrote about all this in the early 1990s. Piqued by the fact that the Steinhart was scheduled to close in 2006 to be demolished and make way for the new California Academy of Sciences, I called the aquarium in the days just before it closed to the public and its fish were moved to a temporary facility in downtown San Francisco while the beautiful new Academy housing the Steinhart Aquarium and Morrison Planetarium was being built. I inquired about the Nugget shark's welfare.  Taken from the roof of the deYoung Museum, the new 2008 California Academy of Science building where the little shark lives now. Mt. Sutro and the UCSF Medical School complex in the background. Image: Karl Breckenridge Well, Stephanie Greenman, Steinhart's Marketing and Communications Coordinator, and Tom Tucker, the Aquarium Curator, dove right in, so to speak, and filled me in on some background (Tom has since retired.) Tom pleasantly recalled working with Tonis (Tony) Lubbers, the Nugget's general manager for many decades, on the transfer of the little creature and recalls it as a nurse shark, allaying my fear that maybe it was a card shark. Given the 35-year lifespan of a female nurse shark and the excellent care it's receiving, it's a safe assumption that the little shark is now older, alive, and well, a pleasant alternative to the medium well she might have become in John's Oyster Bar. I thank Stephanie and Tom, who made this an enjoyable feature to write about and later update.  As always in matters pertaining to the Nugget, I thank my old U of N classmate Nancy Trabert, so long a fixture in the Nugget's third-floor executive offices and who will as usual disavow any knowledge of me, for helping me get the year and some details of this fish-tale correct. And if you haven't seen the new California Academy of Sciences and the Steinhart Aquarium, wait until we again may move about a little more freely and reopens to the public, then hop on a Muni bus in San Francisco and spend the day! Have a great long Memorial Day weekend and of course, be safe, huh? Submitted opinions do not represent the views of ThisisReno. Have something to say? Submit an opinion article here. Karl Breckenridge is slowly going nuts. So he decided to help out This is Reno by writing a daily out-of-his-mind column for the duration of the coronavirus shutdown. Karl grew up in the valley and has stories from the area going back to 1945. He's been writing for 32 years locally and loves to yak it up with friends…now sitting six feet apart.  Day 69 – The Nugget shark: John meets Jaws Karl was talking about baby shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, long before the kids these days had ever been born. Continue reading Day 67 – What I like about Reno High Karl, er, Carmine Ghia, writes an end-of-school-year essay to turn in to Mrs. Lehners about everything he likes about Reno High School. Continue reading Day 67 – 25 Bret Harte Karl saddles up and heads to Newlands Manor where Western movies star Reno Browne grew up, and Lash Larue paid a visit or two. Continue reading Day 66 – Out for dinner we go Karl goes out to eat at the El Tavern Motel, a truck stop outside the Reno city limits on the Lincoln Highway. Continue reading Day 65 – Dawn Bunker Karl is back in action with a fresh story of which students of Mrs. Bunker's class at Jessie Beck Elementary School still won't spill the beans. Continue reading Day 64 – abducted Karl Breckenridge called in to This Is Reno editors this morning with a hands-in-the-air, what-can-I-do sense of resignation. Continue reading Day 63 – Wedding chapels Karl's enjoying coffee with pals at the Bear, so today Jody stands at the altar to share the history of Reno's wedding chapel industry. Continue reading  Day 62 – the mansion at 2301 Lakeside Drive Karl's 7-year-old alter ego rides his bike down to Virginia Lake to explore the Hancock Mansion, a nifty home complete with a bomb shelter, sunroof and doll collection. Continue reading Day 61 – Basque hotels Karl wanders back in time to 1960, a time when multiple Basque hotels served up minestrone soup, English lessons, banking, and accommodations. Continue reading Day 60 – the bygone Greyhound terminal Karl's synapses are firing today after hearing mention of Reno's Greyhound bus terminal on Stevenson Street, now razed. Continue reading Day 59 – Don't tell Mom Karl rewinds to Mother's Day to share a story from the archive about Grandpas without a Clue and another ragtop adventure, by reader demand. Continue reading Day 58 – School stuff Karl considers the value of a school name as the WCSD moves to rename one of the area's older remaining schools and open a new one. Continue reading Day 57 – Pedalin' around Vine Street Karl rides his bike through history, remembering some of the places and people that helped to build Reno into the city it is today. Continue reading Day 56 – Sunday, sweet Sunday Karl senses his days of being cooped up are winding down, but he's enjoying this new column too much to quit altogether. Continue reading Day 55 – The flight of PAL 773 Karl tells the tale of the "Gambler's Special" skyjacker that put Reno in the news, really for no good reason. Continue reading Day 54 – Downtown with Dad Karl takes a drive as his 6-year-old self alongside Dad to some of downtown Reno's most memorable places (for a kid). Continue reading Day 53 – Shelly's Hardware Karl admits his error; Shelly's Hardware is actually open, in the same spot it's been since the 1940s on Greenbrae Dr. in Sparks. Continue reading Day 52 – The genie, high in the sky Karl's friend Jody ponders the mystical power of genies and its influence over several small businesses in south Reno whose relics remain. Continue reading Day 51 – Cinco de Mayo Karl ponders when life will break from the routine of stay-at-home orders and tailgating at a respectable distance will no longer be frowned upon. Continue reading Day 50 – the Sharon Mansion Karl answers a reader question about a tennis court and winds up sharing the history of the Sharon Mansion. Continue reading Day 49 – the kid gets help Little Karl, the 6-year-old kid, gets help from his child psychologist for the affliction of loving to write. Continue reading Day 48 – Hubbard Field Six-year-old Karl rides his bike, with pals Hank and Don, down to Hubbard Field to check out the plans and see how the tower operates. Continue reading

Pools, equipment moved out of Temple Mall where 7 Seas Aquarium was once planned - KCENTV.com Posted: 22 May 2020 06:33 PM PDT TEMPLE, Texas — Editor's Note: The video attached to this story is from when 7 Seas submitted building plans to the city. The general curator of the 7 Seas Aquarium, Fidel Junco, packed up equipment into a U-Haul and had nine small pools on a trailer Friday afternoon outside the Temple Mall.  A 6 News reporter was in the area and saw the move-out taking place. He took the pictures from off the mall property. An attorney for Junco informed the city of Temple on April 22 he would no longer be pursuing the project that was first announced in November, 2019. The project was plagued by delays and a lack of the proper permits from the beginning. Temple Director of Marking and Communications Heather Bates said the city met with Junco on three separate occasions to go over the permitting process. The last meeting was March 2 when Bates said representatives from building inspections, code enforcement and the fire marshal's office met with Junco at the former Dillard's in the mall where the aquarium was supposed to be built. 7 Seas provided the city with building plans after the last meeting which appeared to be a map from 2009 of the Dillard's plan but with blue ovals on it. The city said they believed the ovals were supposed to be fish tanks. A U-Haul is loaded up outside the Temple Mall where the 7 Seas Aquarium was supposed to be. Andrew Moore Junco laid out several big plans on the 7 Seas Facebook page that included lazy river boat rides, touch pools and an interactive shark and stingray exhibit. Junco also sold $99 one year passes, which he said would be honored for two years and then four years as the project continued to be delayed. RELATED: UPDATE | 7 Seas Aquarium 'no longer pursuing' a spot in Temple RELATED: Temple City staff meets with 7 Seas representatives to discuss permits and plans RELATED: Seven Seas Aquarium will open, pre-sale passes will be honored, Facebook post proclaims RELATED: Construction on 7 Seas Aquarium may not have started, despite curator claims The 7 Seas website says in the event that the facility fails to open, those who bought passes have 30 days from the date of that public announcement to request a refund. It directs people to email contact@7seasaquarium.com. 6 News emailed that address to ask if people were getting refunds. We had not heard back as of this writing. 6 News received multiple calls from people still waiting for a refund. If you are waiting for a refund or received one, text us at 254-859-5481. We called the number listed on the Temple Mall website to reach management but were only able to speak with someone in security and lost-and-found. The man said they were not allowed to speak us, to have a nice day and hung up the phone. We also left two messages for attorney Damon Goff of Goff & Mintz Law Firm in Austin. Goff sent the notice to the city that the aquarium project would not be completed. He had not returned our calls nor responded to an email as of this writing. Peggy's Coffee House in the mall was listed as a corporate sponsor on the 7 Seas website. We called them and asked for a manager. An employee who answered the phone said, "We are not interested in talking to you about the aquarium." A phone number we have for Junco that he gave us in February was no longer working.

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