By CHRISTINA SALERNO, Modesto Bee

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Candy making at the Sconza factory still relies on many of the old-fashioned techniques family members mastered during the California company's 69 years of operation.

The Frito-Lay plant in Modesto, Calif., will start using a new ingredient of sorts to make its SunChips brand snack -- the sun.

The company is installing a football-field-sized farm of solar collectors next to its plant, with plans to flip the switch on Earth Day.

OAKDALE, Calif. -- At 90, Joe Rocha fondly remembers the days when truckers used flashlights to communicate, engines had to be cranked by hand, and it took 29 hours to drive from San Jose to El Centro in Southern California.