Merced is centrally located in the state, in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley. The community provides both a convenient location and a host of entertaining options. Known as the "Gateway to Yosemite," Merced offers an abundance of recreational facilities and a short drive or ride into Yosemite National Park. Merced is less than two hours by car from Yosemite National Park to the east and to the west San Francisco, San Jose, Monterey Bay, the Pacific Ocean, and miles of fabulous beaches. Fresno is one hour drive to the south and Sacramento is two hours to the north. A trip to Los Angles, Lake Tahoe or Reno is about a five hour drive.

The population of Merced is 73,610 people. The City of Merced has one of the finest city bikeway systems in the nation and has recently added a number of new lanes and routes to this extensive system.

Merced Community College provides opportunities for education development, cultural enrichment, and personal growth. Combined with a wide variety of vocational programs, it also has a strong program of academic courses, University of California Merced is the first new campus in over thirty years, and the tenth campus of the University California system. It will be opening its doors this September.

Spring and autumn are the ideal times to visit the Valley. The temperatures are mild and agricultural activity is at its peak during the planting and harvesting seasons. Merced offers a special, diverse blend of rural environments.

Points of Interest

Castle Air Museum: On display are 46 vintage military airplanes from World War II to the present.

Challenger Learning Center: This on center is hands on and geared for third grade through adults with technology and team building lessons. You can blast off into space on a two-hour mission simulator.

Lake McClure, Lake McSwain: You can rent a houseboat, picnic or camp, or choose countless water activities.

Lake Yosemite: You can fish, boat, and swim, water ski or picnic. Plan a family or class reunion or wedding at one of the pavilions.

Merced Antique Fly-In: The first weekend in June the Merced Visitor Bureau hosts the Annual Antique Fly-In. This event is the longest consecutive running air show in California, now in its 48th year of existence. The show attracts airplanes from war birds to home-builds.

Our first introduction to Andre Rieu was when we received the “Live Gala Evening” CD sent by John’s cousin from Holland about seven years ago. Shortly after receiving our first CD, we were channel surfing one evening and came upon a PBS special featuring Andre and the JSO. We found his music to be very enjoyable and entertaining, and have been hooked from that time on. Since then, we have enjoyed many Andre Rieu PBS specials. We have collected all of Andre’s CDs, as well as VHS tapes and DVDs, and play them often.

We went to our first live Andre Rieu concert with John’s cousins in Columbus Ohio. What a wonderful experience. The next concert was in Indianapolis with friends from Cincinnati, which was another great experience. There we finally met Sonja, Sigrun, and Kirsten. After the concert, we met Andre and some of the JSO members, who all were very friendly and cordial.

What a year this one has been. We’ve attended two concerts. Cincinnati was our first, which was marvelous. Andre put on a great performance and managed to have great audience participation. The day after the Cincinnati concert, we attended a fans picnic organized by Sonja. It was great meeting old and new fans and enjoying their experiences. July brought us to Holland. While there, we went with John’s sister to the fans dinner, our second concert this year and the fans picnic. We enjoyed a wonderful weekend in Maastricht. Andre out did himself. His Maastricht concerts were unbelievable; a very memorable experience that will not soon be forgotten. (We are anxiously awaiting his new CD and DVD.)

Our third concert for this year will be is closer to home. We are now looking forward to his West Coast concert in Fresno on 16 December, with friends and family. What a way to end a fantastic year, and we will wait to see what the next year will bring.

It is through Andre’s music, that we have met some very nice people who have the same love for his music as we do, and friendships have flourished.

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John & Bobbie de Jong