apr 11 clayton pioneer 2014
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During the months ofMarch and April the focus ofthe Do the Right Thing pro-gram is on Integrity. In thinkingabout this universal charactertrait, I was reminded of a story Ionce heard about a high schoolfootball player named Joseph
It was the championshipgame. The play called for Josephto run the ball up the middle forthe go-ahead touchdown. He
See Mayor, page 2
IT’S YOUR PAPER
www.claytonpioneer.com April 11, 2014 925.672.0500
JOHN JACKSON
Clayton Pioneer
PEGGY SPEAR
Clayton Pioneer
Drama and drought watchwords of this year’s Garden Tour
Clayton fire station to re-open in August
HANK STRATFORD
MAYOR’S CORNER
Focus on Integritythis month
Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Behind the Badge . . . . . . . . .5
Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Community Calendar . . . . .14
Concord City Beat . . . . . . . . .7
Design and Décor . . . . . . . .15
Directory of Advertisers . . . . .5
Estate Planning . . . . . . . . . . .8
Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
MDES Reporter (NEW) . . . .9
Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Performing Arts . . . . . . . . . .16
Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Pine Hollow Reporter . . . . . .9
Police Activity Report . . . . .12
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Sports Shorts . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Sports Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Teen Speak . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9PRSRTSTD
US POSTAGE
PAID
CLAYTON, CA94517
PERMIT190
Postal Customer
ECRWSS
Likeus on
What’s Inside
Rain or shine, hundreds ofClaytonians flock to City Hallevery year on a Saturday morningin April to pick up garbage bagsand glovesbefore spread-ing out to cityparks, trails andneighborhoodsfor ClaytonCleans Up.
This event,to honor EarthDay, is the per-fect opportunityfor kids, adults, Scout Troops,service clubs, families and neigh-bors to spruce up the town forthe Art and Wine Festival.
The free volunteer T-shirt is aspecial designer edition created byCreekside Artists Guild member,Janet White. “I have been veryfortunate to live in the Claytoncommunity for twenty years. Itwas a great privilege for me to
When the six homeownersaround the Clayton area opentheir gardens on the weekend ofApril 26-27 to show off theirhard work at the 22nd annualClayton Historical Society Gar-den Tour, don’t be surprised ifsome of the bounty is edible.
Interest is always high for thepopular tour, but this year coulddraw many eager onlookerslooking for ideas in water con-servation. Plus, this year’s tourincludes a look at a permacul-ture design at a local farm.
“Bumblebee Farm,” ownedby Rob Kingsbury and NadineFindley, is a four-year- old foodgarden that rests on one acre ofland. This type of garden hasnever been included on the tourbefore. Its permaculture prac-tice takes advantage of 12 raisedbeds and several different typesof soil to minimize water useand “take advantage of whatnature can give us,” says Kings-bury. His goal is to make thegrowth of his plants a fully sus-tainable and natural experience.
“When you look at nature, itdoes so much better through thewhole season, whether it rainsor not,” he says. He wants to
Clayton’s Station 11 willreopen in August, thanks to a$9.5 million federal grant
designed to help local fire dis-tricts maintain adequate emer-gency response levels.
Station 11 was one of fourstations forced to close in 2013after a $75 parcel tax failed atthe polls and the district had toslash costs.
Of the four closed, Station11 is the only one to reopen.The Clayton station averagestwo calls a day with 65 percentof them being for emergencymedical services (EMS). Station11’s location on the far easternedge of the district makes it
difficult to provide fastresponse and back-upresources.
“Clayton’s an outlier, isolat-ed,” says Supervisor KarenMitchoff. “Reopening the sta-tion is an operational decision,determined solely by the
number of calls.”It costs about $1 million a
year to operate a fire station,Mitchoff says. The rest of thegrant will be used to add emer-gency medical squads at Station6 in downtown Concord andStation 1 in Walnut Creek and
to hire and train the 12 vacan-cies that have been filled byovertime since the shutdowns.
The grant will run for twoyears, giving the district time toattack the structural budget
Photo courtesy of the Griffiths
THIS DRAMATIC SOLARIUM AT THE CLAYTON HOME OF BOB AND ROBIN GRIFFITHS houses a large collection of succulents andunusual potted plants. The Griffiths recently reduced the thirsty landscaping in the front with a drought tolerant cac-tus garden. The home is one of six on the Clayton Historical Society’s annual Garden Tour on April 26 & 27.
Concord: Diversity fuels history, spurseconomic growth in county’s largest city
Rochellez Photography
MODERN-DAY CONCORD BOASTS A UNIQUE ARRAY OF LOCAL COMMERCE, from thriving retail and officeplazas to smaller businesses that reflect the diversity of the city. That diversity has allowed Concord towithstand recent economic upheavals and establish itself as a city poised for 21st Century success.
[Editor’s Note: This is the first ina series on the growth and developmentof Concord. In this issue we look atits history and economics; next issuewe examine the Concord lifestyle.]
If Don Salvio Pacheco stoodin the middle of Todos SantosPlaza today, he would not believewhat has risen from his 1834 landgrant. Residents bustle throughthe restaurants and shops aroundthe plaza, the hum of BARTtrains echo in the distance, and sil-ver high-rise buildings glisten inthe warm spring sun.
Concord in 2014 is a far cryfrom the Pacheco 17,921-acre“rancho.” With a population ofmore than 122,000, it is the largestcity in Contra Costa County —and perhaps the most unique.
Construction of the eagerlyanticipated Ipsen Family boccecourts will begin this month andalready the league is full withmore than 500 signing up onApril 5.
The current league slate has50 teams playing Sunday-Thurs-day evenings and league leader-ship is considering adding twomore divisions. If interest ishigh enough. the league will adone division on Friday eveningand one on Sunday afternoon.Those interested and availablefor these divisions are asked tosend an email to [email protected]. There areno more signup dates scheduled.
League play will begin inJune and run through Septem-ber. Team fees are $350 perteam Individual sign-ups areavailable at $40 per person.
The Ipsen family, foundersof Skipolini’s Pizza, are buildingthe park which will be operatedby the Clayton Business andCommunity Association.
TAMARA STEINER
Clayton Pioneer
See Station 11, page 3
See Garden Tour, page 3
Clayton honorsEarth Day withClean Up Event
See Clean up, page 2See Diversity, page 7
More than500 sign upfor bocce league
T-shirt design byJanet White.
SAVE THE DATE Clayton Art & WineFestivalMay 3 & 4Rain or Shineclaytoncbca.org/Event/ArtAndWine
Clayton resident and realestate veteran, Stephanie Lopez,recently received top honorsfrom Coldwell Banker RealEstate when she earned mem-bership in the company’s presti-gious International President’sCircle.
Lopez has lived the Bay Areafor more than 40 years. Aftergraduating from UC Davis inManagerial Economics, sheentered the real estate businessin property management andluxury leasing. She was part ofthe successful launch of the
South BeachMarina Tow-ers in SanFrancisco.
She hasbeen withC o l d w e l lBanker for12 years. Sheand CaldwellBanker team-mate, LeighKlock, sponsor the horse-drawncarriage rides every December.
Lopez and her husband havetwo sons and live in Clayton.She works out of ColdwellBanker’s Walnut Creek office.
The congregation of HolyCross Lutheran Church cele-brated Jack and Doris Morten-son’s 70th wedding anniversarywith a luncheon on Sunday,March 30.
Jack and Doris have beenmembers of Holy Cross for 30years, holding many differentpositions within the church.Even now, Jack still teachesBible study every Sunday.
Doris was raised in Fresno.Jack was born in Grandview,WA and raised in Tacoma. Jackwas attending Princeton Uni-versity when WWII started, andhe left school to serve in themilitary. Jack was a flightinstructor for the B25 Bomberup and down the west coastwhen he met Doris in Fresnoduring one of his trips there.After the war, he took Doris toPrinceton to finish his college
education. He graduated with abachelor’s degree in Engineer-ing Science. Doris was a“domestic engineer,” raisingtheir ever-growing family.
Jack and Doris have ninechildren: Susan, John, Ruth,Sarah, Judith, Martha, Matthew,Andrew and Daniel, 22 grand-children, and one great-grand-child. Doris says their marriagehas been challenging because ofall the moves, but the secrets toits longevity are “give and take”and living a Christian life. Jacksays he has an extremely toler-ant wife.
design this year’s T-shirt. I willwear it proudly as I walk the trailwith my garbage bag,” White says.
Volunteers meet at 9 a.m., Sat-urday, April 26, at City Hall topick up a T-shirt, garbage bagsand gloves. At 11:30, everyonemeets back at City Hall for a bar-becue lunch. Local organizationswill be present or have informa-tion available for preserving theenvironment.
The event is sponsored by theClayton Pioneer and the city ofClayton with generous donationsfrom Republic Services, theCBCA, Travis Credit Union andlocal merchants.
Download registration form fromthe Clayton Pioneer website and bringfilled out to event: claytonpioneer.com.For more information, call the Pioneerat 672-0500.
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Page 2 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com April 11, 2014
Around Town Mortensons celebrate 70 years of marriage
JACK AND DORISMORTENSON
Nonagenarians honoredby retired teachers
Ninety-one-year old JanePeterson of Clayton was one of16 Golden Agers, retired teach-ers 90 years of age and older,recognized at the California
Retired Teachers AssociationDiablo Vista Division luncheonat Boundary Oaks in WalnutCreek on April 2.
CHRISTINE WALTERS, JANE PETERSON AND JOAN LUNDAHL are threeof the 25 retired teachers in the Diablo Vista Division living inClayton.
STEPHANIELOPEZ
Stephanie Lopez named to ColdwellBanker’s President’s Circle
took the handoff and plungedinto the line. He knew he wasclose to the goal line, but didn’tknow how close. As he waspinned at the bottom of thepile, he reached his fingers for-ward a couple of inches and feltthe goal line. It was two inchesaway.
At that moment he consid-ered pushing the ball forward.He knew he could do it andwhen the referees finally pulledthe players off the pile he wouldbe a hero. No one would haveever known.
Joseph had dreamed of thismoment and now it was withinhis reach. Joseph then remem-bered the often spoken words ofhis mother, “Joseph, do what isright, no matter the conse-quence. Do what is right andthings will turn out okay.”
Joseph wanted desperately toscore the touchdown. But morethan being a hero in the eyes ofhis friends, he wanted to be ahero in the eyes of his mother.He left the ball where it was, twoinches from the goal line.
As we continue to work onIntegrity, I hope that we can allhave that quiet confidence thatcomes from doing what is right,even when no one else is watch-ing.
I hope the Do the RightThing program has spurredconversations in your homesand in your lives. The programhas helped me as I considerthese basic character traits and Irecognize ways that I canimprove.
I also hope to see many ofyou at Clayton Cleans Up onApril 26. We will be meeting at 9a.m. at the City Hall courtyard.
Mayor, from page 1
Clean Up,from page 1
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avoid a situation where “ifsomething goes wrong with theweather pattern, we lose thewhole crop.”
Decks in the garden aremade from reused materials and“rainwater-catching” is carefullythought out for maximum effec-tiveness. All of this allows thegarden to produce an incrediblyrobust crop that has somethingsprouting all year around. “Our
artichokes start coming up inthe winter and we have threetypes. Right now we’re eatingthe purple artichokes,” Kings-bury says. He also points to along list of organic fruits, veg-etables and nuts that grow con-tinuously from the garden:strawberries, raspberries, grapes,almonds, peaches, plums, apri-cots, limes, lemons, apples, andapricots are just the beginning.
Traditionally in the self-guid-ed tour, flower gardens are themain event and this year theywill exhibit water features, out-door stonework, a waterfall, apool surrounded by plant life,and a sunken seating area with aglass fire pit.
One of these gardens isowned and maintained by LyleSwallow and Jack Becker, whobelieve that the “selling point ofthis yard is how to take a smallspace and make it as useable aspossible.” The entire lot that thehome rests on is just .18 acre,offering significant challenges todesigning a workable landscap-ing plan. “The challenge washow to make the yard useable,and we really did it in two pieces.We did the backyard first, thenwe did the front,” says Swallow.They ended up creating threedifferently unique seating areasin the back with differentthemes: an herb garden, diningarea and fire pit. In the frontyard, they mixed a meadowtheme with a traditional lawn,considering curb appeal as ahigh priority. Between the twospaces, they have carpet roses,day lilies, papyrus and severalgrasses that grow all year. Theresult has been rewarding,according to Swallow.
“The thing that people saythey like about a garden like thisis that it is small. It’s really easyto find interesting big yards,”Swallow says. “A lot of times,people want to know what cre-ative things they can do with asmall yard.”
In all the gardens on thetour, drama is the watchwordwith imaginative stonework,wandering pathways, unique hilldesigns, inviting pools, water-falls and natural plantings.
The Clayton Historical SocietyGarden Tour is April 26-27, 10a.m. – 4 p.m. The Garden Tour isthe major fundraiser for the ClaytonHistorical Society. Tickets for the tourare $30. For more info or to buytickets, go to claytonhistory.org.
April 11, 2014 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 3
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BUMBLEBEE FARM AND GARDEN, ONE OF SIX HOMES on the ClaytonHistorical Society’s 22nd annual Garden Tour, features a “permaculture” design that makes maximum use of rainwaterand recycled materials.
issues and look at ways toincrease revenue.
“We’re looking at providingambulance services as a rev-enue generator,” Mitchoff said,“Or, possibly increasing thecurrent $10 EMS parcel tax.”
WILDLAND FIRE
DANGER HIGH
Further east, out Marsh
Creek and Morgan Territory,Cal Fire is gearing up for a veryhigh risk year, says BattalionChief Mike Marcucci.
“The recent rains haven’treally helped. It’s just made thegrass higher,” he said.
With the drought, the bush-es and trees are already dry andunderbrush dead, Marcuccisaid.
With the smoke barely clearfrom the recent Morgan Fire,Marcucci reminds residents toclear brush and grass to createat least 100 feet of defensiblespace around their homes.Inspectors will be drivingthrough the area for the nextfew weeks. Residents canexpect a “friendly reminder” ifthe grass is too high.
For more information on prepar-ing for wildfires and defensible spacevisit: www.ReadyForWildfire.org
Station 11, from page 1
Clayton6200 Center St., Suite E,
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Page 4 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com April 11, 2014
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Earth Day is not just a once-a-year holiday for Mt. DiabloRecycling, though it does high-light a reason to celebrate withthe Contra Costa County com-munity. Mt. Diablo Recycling’ssecond annual Family Earth DayCelebration on April 26 offersfree family fun and will featurethe announcement of the ele-mentary, middle school and highschool winners of their first everRecycling Contest.
The Family Earth Day Cele-bration includes a choicebetween two separate two-hourtours of the 90,000 square footrecycling facility where partici-pants will learn about the “BigBlue” and “Big Wall-e” recyclingmachines, an interactive educa-tion lesson about the five R’s
(Reduce-Reuse-Recycle-Respect-Recover), recycling games and atake home craft. Families canalso take pictures with the Recy-cling Guy and recycling trucks.
Before the start of the sec-ond session, the winners of Mt.Diablo Recycling’s first everRecycling Contest will beannounced and their winningprojects displayed.
“There is no better time thanEarth Day to share our passionfor recycling and recovery withthe entire community,” JosephGaraventa, chief executive offi-cer, says.
Mt. Diablo Recycling is oneof the largest, state-of-the-artrecycling centers in NorthernCalifornia. It is part of the EastBay area’s oldest locally-owned
recycling and resource recoverycompany, Garaventa Enterpris-es. Garaventa Enterprisesoffers state-of-the-art recyclingand resource recovery facilitiesand currently serves the areasof Concord, Pittsburg, Brent-wood, Discovery Bay, Oakleyand Rio Vista.
Tours are 10 a.m. to 12 noonand 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. for free atthe Mt. Diablo Recycling facility,1300 Loveridge Road, Pittsburg.Reservations required. ContactAdriana Medina at (925) 771-2721 or Adriana.Medina@ Garaventaent.com.
For further information, contactJill Kipnis, AMF Media Group, at(925) 790-2635 or by email [email protected] or go towww.mtdiablorecycling.com.
Recycling Center marksEarth Day with celebration
Pioneer Photo Album
The Pioneer is proud to spotlight our readers’ photos. Email your photo in a high-resolution format [email protected] with a description of the photo, where and when it was taken and a little about why you like it. Include your name and phone number. Then look for it in the next Pioneer.
Magdalena Jusko woke up early after a rain-storm last month and was enjoying those rarequiet moments before the kids get up.
“I looked outside and couldn’t believe myeyes.” She grabbed her camera and fired offthis amazing photo.
Magdalena, a 10-year Claytonian, moved toher new home above Russelmann Park lastAugust and says she still can’t get enough of theviews from her windows.
Magdalena used a Canon Rebel to capturethe scene.
Business Services
Rising Moon Marketing & Public Relations . . . . .672-8717
Construction and Trades
Appliance Repairs by Bruce, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2700
Belfast Plumbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .457-5423
Burkin Electric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-1519
Diablo View Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .822-5144
Gary’s Home Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .787-2500
Iron Horse Concrete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .566-8666
Schaefer’s Painting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260-6065
Tipperary Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216-2679
Dining and Entertainment
Clayton Club Saloon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .673-0440
Oakhurst Country Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9737
Events
Art and Wine Festival – CBCA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2272
Concord Pavilion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .692-2408
Financial, Insurance and Legal Services
DuRee, Daniel – The Law Office of . . . . . . . . . . .210-1400
Littorno, Richard – The Law Office of . . . . . . . . .432-4211
Travis Credit Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .888-698-0000
Van Wyck, Doug – State Farm Insurance . . . . . .672-2300
Funerals
Ouimet Funeral Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .682-4242
Groceries
Doorstep Farmers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .349-4568
Home and Garden
Clayton Furniture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .686-2299
Diablo Lawnscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .381-3757
Interiors Panache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-7920
Just Floors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .681-4747
Navlet’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .681-0550
Nichols Landscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9955
The Floor Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .969-9890
The Maids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .798-6243
Utopic Gardens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .524-0055
Waraner Bros. Tree Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .831-2323
Waraner Tree Experts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250-0334
Mailing Services
The UPS Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-6245
Optometry
Foresight Optometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-4100
Pet Services
Cat Hospital of Clayton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2287
Monte Vista Veterinary Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . .276-5744
Pittsburg Pet Resort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .432-7387
Rodie's Feed and Pet Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-4600
Real Estate and Mortgage Services
French, Lynne – Windermere Real Estate . . . . . .672-8787
Howard, Don – Better Homes Realty . . . . . . . . . .408-3184
Howard, Emily – Better Homes Realty . . . . . . . .408-1871
Klock, Leigh – Coldwell Banker . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212-5593
Landgraf, Linda – Prudential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .876-0311
Laurence, Pete – RE/MAX Realty . . . . . . . . . . . .890-6004
Lopez, Stephanie – Coldwell Banker . . . . . . . . . .932-7329
Mazzei, Matt – Mazzei Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .693-0757
Stojanovich, Jennifer – Better Homes Realty . . .567-6170
The Torrey Team – J. Rockcliff Realtors . . . . . . .595-6707
Vujnovich, George - Better Homes Realty . . . . . .672-4433
Recreation and Fitness
Earthquake Arabians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .360-7454
Senior Services
Courtyards at Pine Creek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .798-3900
Diamond Terrace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .524-5100
Services, Other
ComputersUSA! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9989
Net Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-6029
Recycling Center & Transfer Station . . . . . . . . . .473-0180
Travel
Travel to Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9840
Worship
Concord United Methodist Church . . . . . . . . . . . .685-5260
Eternal Life Lutheran Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .524-0295
St. Bonaventure Catholic Community . . . . . . . . .672-5800
Directory of Advertisers
P.O. Box 1246
6200 Center Street, Suite H, Clayton, CA 94517
TAMARA AND ROBERT STEINER, PublishersTAMARA STEINER, EditorPETE CRUZ, Graphic DesignPEGGY SPEAR, Copy Editor JAY BEDECARRÉ, Sports PAMELA WIESENDANGER, Administration
STAFF WRITERS: Denisen Hartlove, Lou Fancher, NicciShipstead, Pam Wiesendanger, Mike Dunn
We remember Jill Bedecarré - Her spirit is our muse
PIONEER INFOCONTACT US
Tel: (925) 672-0500Fax: (925) 672-6580
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Send Classified Ads [email protected]
CLASSIFIEDSClassified rates per insertion:$48 for first 30 words, $.40 each
additional wordNon-profit: $24 for first 30
words, $.20 each additionalword
To place your classified ad over thephone, call the office at (925) 672-0500 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.Mon.-Fri. Or, you may fax your type-written ad and credit card informa-tion to (925) 672-6580. All classifiedsmust be paid for in advance by creditcard (Master Card or Visa)
We will not accept any ad that dis-criminates on the basis of race, color,sex, religion, nationality, family statusor disability. The Clayton Pioneer
reserves the right to reject any adver-tising we believe is unsuitable.
LET US KNOWWeddings, engagements, anniver-
saries, births and deaths all weavetogether as part of the fabric of ourcommunity. Please let us know ofthese important events. We ask onlythat the announcement be for a Clay-ton resident. You will find the appro-priate form for your announcementon our Website. Attach your photo tothe form. Make sure the image sizeyou are about to send is at least 3 MBbut not bigger than 6MB. The onlyformat we accept is JPG. You can alsomail or bring your print to the officeand we can scan it for you.
Also on our Website are formsfor submitting Community Calendaritems and press releases for yourorganization.
LETTERS TO THE EDITORThe Clayton Pioneer welcomes
letters from our readers. As a generalrule, letters should be 250 words orless and submitted at least one weekprior to publication date. Letters con-cerning current issues will have prior-ity. We may edit letters for length andclarity. All letters will be published atthe editor’s discretion.
Please include your name, addressand daytime telephone number. Wewill not print letters from “anony-mous.”
E-mail your letter in a Worddocument to [email protected]. Letters MUST be sub-mitted via E-mail.
April 11, 2014 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 5
FOR LEASEOffice and retail space for lease in
Historic Clayton City Center:
Village Oaks Center, 6200 Center
St., Clayton. Call Nick Adamson at
(408) 371-8770, ext. 21.
HELP WANTEDComputer Tech
Growing business has position for
onsite pro computer tech in Contra
Costa County. Must have experi-
ence in Windows and Mac OS, net-
work repair and troubleshooting.
ComputersUSA! 672-9989.
Park District
Summer job openings for students
as well as openings for park police
officers. Go to
www.ebparks.org/jobs.
Sales Associate
Retail feed and pet supply store,
full or part time. Apply in person at
Rodie's Feed, 8863 Marsh Creek
Road, Clayton.
Seasonal Positions
Job fair and interviews for Concord
Pavilion from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on
April 26 at Concord Pavilion, 2000
Kirker Pass Road, Concord. Pick
up and fill out application at fair.
Come join Mazzei Realty!
Currently interviewing and hiring
new and experienced real estate
agents. Call 693-0757 for details.
Real Estate Agents Be Successful!
Lynne French is expanding and
interviewing for a few agents. Call
her today 672-8787.
VOLUNTEERS
NEEDEDHelp Fight Hunger Anna Chan –
AKA: The Lemon Lady needs your
help! Weekly commitment appreci-
ated. For more info and contact
numbers, go to
thelemonlady.blogspot.com.
Clayton Historical Society
Museum Needs a greeter for two
hours per month from 2-4 p.m.
Wednesdays or Sundays. Call the
museum at 672-0240 and leave
your name.
Clayton Community Library
Needs volunteers. Minimum age
13. Minimum commitment is 6
months. Some training provided.
Contact Arlene at 673-9777 or
Meals on Wheels
Looking for volunteer drivers one
day a week between 10:30 a.m. and
12:30 p.m. Make a tremendous dif-
ference to seniors in your commu-
nity. Contact Sharon Fitzgerald at
932-8607 or
[email protected] today!
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Our belief is that our residentsdeserve the very best personalized care possible at an affordable rate.
The issue of homelessness isa difficult one for us to con-front. The sight of a person liv-ing on the streets can be unset-tling to us all. In some cases thehomeless subject has mentalhealth or addiction issues. Thiscauses them to behave in odd orbizarre ways, and can be fright-ening. In other cases, familiesare involved, tugging at theheart strings of even the moststoic among us. For some, thesight of a homeless person is apainful reminder of how closethey may be to a similar fate. Forwhatever reason, the homelessissue is difficult to watch.
We often receive callsregarding homeless people atthe police department. In ourdaily activities, we contact thesubjects. However, being home-less is not a criminal act. We areworking on local statutes to helpus address some of the issues.With that said, the long-termanswer to homelessness proba-bly does not rest with the Clay-ton Police Department. We donot have the necessaryresources, housing/counsel-ing/financial support to solvethe matter. Sadly, during theeconomic downturn thoseresources were further reduced.
Residents often ask how theycan help. It’s a difficult question
to answer. It truly depends onthe underlying reason for theperson being homeless. Givingmoney to an addicted subjectlikely does more to further theaddiction. Sadly, some (not all)of the subjects looking formoney are “scamming,” thefunds raised go to purchasealcohol, drugs or support othervices. Others are homeless dueto the loss of a job or unfore-seen financial stress. For them,short-term assistance at a shelterwhile they “get back on theirfeet” can be the solution.
In my personal life, I’veassisted homeless subjects byproviding meals and assistingthem with getting plugged in tovital services. If you truly hearthe calling to help, there arehomeless advocacy groups andshelters that are always lookingfor volunteers and financialassistance. Reach out to themand see how you can be of assis-tance.
Chris Thorsen is Clayton’s chiefof police. For questions and com-ments, call him at (925) 673-7350.
CHRIS THORSEN
BEHIND THE BADGE
How to aidthe homeless
GARDENFlower Gardening by
Nicole Hackett
Perennial, ornamental, rose and con-
tainer care. Keep your garden in
flowers this year with monthly fer-
tilizing and pruning visits. Email
for consultation or details.
Page 6 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com April 11, 2014
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Marina Rubiales passedaway on March 5, 2014.
She was born on March 23,1921, in Pittsburg, California.Her parents, Jose and MariaLopez, were immigrants fromSpain. Marina’s father, in part-nership with his brother-in-law, owned grocery stores inPittsburg and Brentwood andher mother, Maria, worked as amidwife’s assistant and in localcanneries. Marina grew up inPittsburg with her parents andthree siblings, John, Anthony,and Mary. She attended thelocal elementary school andPittsburg High School.
In 1938 Marina met JohnRubiales, whose parents werealso immigrants from Spain,and after a courtship of nearlytwo years he proposed to herat the 1939 World’s Fair on
Treasure Island. Marina said“yes” and she and John mar-ried on Columbus Day, 1940,and began their life together inCowell, where John worked atthe cement plant.
Two years later the youngcouple moved onto the ranchthat John co-owned with hisparents and brother on Clay-ton Road in Concord. In 1944,with her urging, Marina andJohn purchased a house andparcel of land that was exclu-sively theirs, which was also onClayton Road.
By the end of 1946 Marinahad become the mother ofthree children, John, Dianaand David. Marina was adevoted mother who involvedherself extensively in her chil-dren’s lives. Marina was verypleased that her ambition that
all of her children would grad-uate from college was realized.
In 1957 Marina and Johnbecame one of the foundingfamilies of St. Bonaventure’sparish in the Clayton Valleyarea of Concord, pledgingmonthly donations so that apermanent church buildingcould be constructed ondonated land. Marina became amember of the Women’s Guildof the St. Bonaventure parish.She devoted much time to theorganization and enjoyed andvalued the friendship of otherCatholic women. The valuesMarina embraced in lifereflected her Catholic faith.She believed that “we are allGod’s children” and practicedtolerance and kindness towardothers as well as generosity.She firmly believed that all
people should be treated withdignity. Her friends and thechildren in her extended fami-ly knew her as a “sweet”woman, but who was alsoknown to stand up for herbeliefs and principles, thusgaining a reputation as being astrong and determined person.
In later years, after John hadsold his business in Concord(Concord Ice & Fuel Co.), Mari-na and John enjoyed traveling,especially to Spain, where theyvisited with relatives.
Obituaries
Marina RubialesMarch 23, 1921 – March 5, 2014
Valued friend and citysupporter dies at 80
Jim Webb died at his homeafter a brief illness on March 25,just two weeks short of his 81st
birthday. “Jim was a familiarface around City Hall,” says JuliePierce, Councilwoman andfriend. “He was the consum-mate volunteer.”
He worked in the Volunteerin Police Service (VIPS), organ-ized his Neighborhood Watchprogram and assisted city staffwith projects wherever needed.He was a generous supporter ofthe Clayton July 4 Celebrationand Clayton Counts Down. In2008, he was the city’s Volunteerof the Year.
“No matter what he wasdoing, there was always a smile
on his face and a cheerful greet-ing,” Pierce says. “He was alwayswatching out for all of us. Hewill be missed.”
Jim was born on April 10,1933 in Texas. He moved toSacramento with his parents as ayoung boy and graduated fromSacramento State College. Heserved in the U.S. Army at Ft.Benning, Georgia. After dis-charge, he worked for a time forthe state of California in Sacra-mento before taking a positionat Metropolitan Life Insurancein San Francisco. He retiredfrom Met Life after 35 years.
He also worked part timeas House Manager at CircleStar Theater in San Carlos forfour years. While at CircleStar, Jim met and worked withmany famous stars such asHarry Bellefonte, Judy Gar-land, Rick Nelson and Sonnyand Cher.
“He had stories,” says his lifepartner, Rob Draim. “He lovedeverything Hollywood.”
Memorial donations can be madeto Tony La Russa’s Animal RescueFoundation, 2890 Mitchell Dr.W.C., 262-1179, www.arf.net.
Jim WebbApril 10, 1933 – March 25, 2014
Just one of the little gems in the ClaytonMuseum
I love Clayton because it’s such a beau-tiful town. I’ve lived here for about sixyears. I hope we will live here forever.
One thing I love about Clayton is itstown. One street runs along the differentstores and restaurants. This busy street iscalled “Main Street”. Some shops that areon Main Street are: Village Market,Skipolinis, Clayton museum, Claytonpolice department and a saloon.
Every year on the fourth of July theyhave a big parade. Everyone has lots offun playing games and pigging out!
Clayton also has a lot of history in it.Like for instance, some people say Mt.Diablo had Indians that lived there.
Mt. Diablo is a big mountain. Some
people climb it. But one thing that’s badabout that is it has tons of poison oak!
Clayton has many developments, too.Some are Jeffry Ranch, Dana Hills, DanaFarms, Easley Estates and even more.
A long time ago there was a yellowhouse that was right across the street fromthe Village Market. Some people say it washaunted. There are a lot of old, old hous-es that some say are haunted. I don’t thinkso but I’m not taking any chances.
Clayton has an elementary schoolcalled “Mt. Diablo”. It’s a very goodschool to go to.
I think Clayton is a very good place togo to, and live in. Clayton is a beautifulplace all together!
Source: Misty Bruns, docent at the ClaytonMuseum
The Clayton Museum, 6101 Main St. inClayton is open Wednesdays and Sundays 2-4p.m. and by appointment. For more info go toclaytonhistory,org.
The Way We WereApril 20, 1984 - “Why I love Clayton”
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Diversity drives the community,from the make-up of its residentsto the businesses represented.And it has weathered economicupheavals and the changingdynamics of the East Bay toevolve into more than a bedroomcommunity for San Francisco, butas a job center, business destina-tion and patchwork communityof close-knit neighborhoods.
THE RANCHO
Don Salvio’s original landgrant, the “Monte del Diablo,”covered the Diablo Valley fromthe Walnut Creek channel east tothe hills and generally from theMt. Diablo foothills westward.(The name “Monte del Diablo”originally had been used by Span-ish soldiers to describe a densethicket — monte — of willows atthe north end of the valley. Thesoldiers believed the thicket waspossessed by evil, devilish Manspirits, hence the name “Montedel Diablo” or thicket of thedevil.)
Don Salvio’s son, FernandoPacheco, was sent to occupy thegrant and begin cattle operationson the Pacheco’s new Rancho.Don Salvio’s daughter, MariaDolores Manuela, married Don
Francisco Galindo.For a while, a new town called
Pacheco, adjacent to the Rancho,prospered as an industrial center,but it suffered because of fires,flooding and the 1868 earthquake.It was then that Don SalvioPacheco, his son Fernando, andhis son-in-law Francisco Galindocreated a new town at the centerof their Rancho. They called theirnew town Todos Santos (AllSaints), and, in 1869, offered lotsfree to the merchants and resi-dents of Pacheco. Its perimeterwas marked by Bonifacio Streeton the northwest, East Street onthe northeast, Contra Costa Streeton the southeast, and GalindoStreet on the southwest.
However, “Todos Santos”would not be the name for long.Within months after Todos San-tos had been recorded as the offi-cial name, “Concord” was herald-ed by the Contra Costa Gazette asthe actual name. FernandoPacheco was not happy with thechange.
By 1879, the town had grownto 300, and doubled by 1905, whenincorporation of the “Town ofConcord” was approved by a localtwo-vote margin.
That ushered in a sleepy time
for the community, which was stillan agricultural center. It was aslice of small-town America, andat the start of WWII, featured ahigh school, a modern hospital,five churches, two railroads, a finelibrary, a nationally recognizedcentral plaza, two cinemas, a full-service downtown commercialarea, tree-lined streets, comfort-able homes, and a population ofonly 1,400.
All that changed during andafter the war, with the develop-ment of the Concord NavalWeapons Station and Port Chica-go, both major hubs. After thewar, the population boomed, andby 1948 6,500 people called Con-cord home.
While that still seems like littlemore than a mere burg, it herald-ed the advent of the “new” Con-cord. Neighborhoods like Hol-brook Heights sprung up, moreschools were built, and diversityincreased. While Concord alwayshad a strong heritage from Spainand Mexico, many residents ofItalian, Portuguese and otherEuropean decent began to movein, according to Carol Longshore,president of the Concord Histor-ical Society.
“That diversity helped makeConcord what it is today,” shesays.
The real growth of the city,
however, came in the 1960s, 70sand 80s, thanks to visionaries likeDean Lesher who saw the prom-ise of an East Bay lifestyle. Free-ways were built, and then BART,and the sleepy little blue-collarcommunity of Concord was con-nected to the greater Bay Area.
Developers with names likeHofmann and Seeno built upneighborhoods, and the popula-tion soared. Some said the resultwas a hodge-podge, while otherssaid the diversity of the neighbor-hoods reflect Concord’s strength,according to Longshore.
At the same time, commercewas coming, and coming quickly.
RETAIL MOVES IN
When Sunvalley Mall wasbuilt in 1972, it changed the cli-mate of business in sleepy Con-cord. While Concord had alwaysbeen a tradesman town, now ithad the opportunity to delvemore into retail. When the near-by community of Pleasant Hillbalked at having the shoppingcenter, Concord officialsannexed the property.
Between Sunvalley and thebustling Park n’ Shop center onWillow Pass Road, retail wasbecoming a major factor in Con-cord’s growth. It already washome to some of Chevron’smajor offices, and the city’s loca-
tion lent itself as a strong industri-al hub. Meanwhile, its local busi-nesses — the “mom-and-pop”stores supported by the neighbor-hoods — continued to thrive.
That diversity was a blueprintfor the city’s economic success,says Concord Economic Devel-opment & Housing ManagerJohn Montagh.
Montagh himself has seen thecity weather several economictrials, including the 2008 recessionand the loss of redevelopmentfunds, which had been critical tothe city’s revitalization. Now,however, he echoes the words ofMayor Tim Grayson when hesays, “Concord is back.”
“Our strength is that we arehome to all types of businesses,”he says. “We have retail, industrial,small businesses, larger businesses,home-based businesses…we havesomething for all walks of life.”
BUSINESS IS BOOMING
Besides the continued retailsuccess of Sunvalley, he says thatrecent restaurant openings in thatarea have opened the eyes ofother business owners. “We haveBJ’s, Lucille’s and Lazy Dog alldoing a booming business,” hesays. “Other restaurant ownersare taking notice.”
The Park n’ Shop Center —sans a Park n’ Shop — is flourish-
ing, with a diverse array of ethnicrestaurants, grocery stores, cloth-ing outlets and Fry’s Electronics,he says.
Meanwhile, smaller shoppingcenters in the neighborhoods arestill enjoying the support of theirneighbors, Montagh says.
The one area that is especiallythriving is the Monument Corri-dor, he says, with its eclectic mixof ethnic restaurants and markets,stalwarts like Dolan’s Lumber,and “one of the most successfulCostcos on the West Coast.”
Montagh also touts two city-business collaborations that arehaving a marked success in Con-cord’s economic vitality: The mar-keting of local car dealerships,and the creation of a tourism dis-trict by local hotels to attract moreconvention traffic.
“We have it all,” he says. “Wehave a great location at the junc-tion of two freeways, two BARTstations, and a business-friendlylocal government. Concord ispoised to thrive.”
Add to that the developmentof downtown around Todos San-tos Plaza and on the ConcordNaval Weapons Station land, andthis little Rancho is quicklybecoming a world class city.
[Historical information provided bythe Concord Historical Society and theCity of Concord.]
Bed bugs are biting in Con-cord. In October 2013, severalMonument corridor residents,along with a representative ofTenants Together, a non-profittenant advocacy organization,came to the city council meetingto air their frustration with thebed bugs in their apartments.They complained that theirlandlords are not helping to ridthem of these pesky insects.
Although the city council’shearts went out to the childrenand their parents complaining ofthis bed bug infestation, the City
of Concord considered bedbugs as a public health matterand not a public nuisance. As aresult, infestations are consid-ered to be the jurisdiction ofContra Costa County PublicHealth and not subject to Cityof Concord code enforcementaction.
However, the council andstaff was determined to helpthese people in need. The firstattempt to assist brought in theCalifornia Apartment Associa-tion which hosted a bedbug pre-vention training session in
November, and TenantsTogether hosted several tenantadvocacy meetings throughoutthe fall. A best-practices meet-ing was held at the MonumentCrisis Center on Nov. 18,attended by a councilmember,Contra Costa County Directorof Environmental Health Mari-lyn Underwood, a representativefrom the County Board ofSupervisor’s office, a representa-tive from the City of Concord’sMulti-Family Inspection, a Con-
Diversity, from page 1
City works to smother bed bugs
The Concord Pavilionreturns to its roots this year, re-adopting the name that original-ly was given to the facility whenit opened in 1975. With thename change comes a new Con-cord resident ticket presale pro-gram, allowing residents to pur-chase tickets to shows at thePavilion on the day before thetickets go on sale to the generalpublic.
A special resident hotline at(925) 363-5701 has been
launched with informationabout presale dates. To partici-pate, Concord residents mustbring a current utility bill andphoto I.D. with matchingaddress to the Pavilion boxoffice on the day before ticketsgo on sale. Service charges arewaived for Concord residentsduring the presale. The Pavilionbox office is located at theentrance to the facility at 2000Kirker Pass Road.
All concert-goers can buy
tickets with no service charge atthe box office on Saturdaysbetween 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. forany show at the Pavilion.
Tickets are available online atLivenation.com andTicketmaster.com,or charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000. Tickets are also available atSunValley Shopping Center in Con-cord at the information desk and atselect Walmart locations. For generalPavilion information, call (925) 676-8742.
Pavilion tickets discounted for Concord residents
Camp Concord is gettingready to open up for the 2014camp season. Volunteers areneeded for a spring work week-end at Camp Concord, SouthLake Tahoe on May 2-4. Thesummer camp, operated by theCity of Concord, will providefood and lodging for interestedvolunteers.
“Anyone willing and able tovolunteer for the weekend iswelcome,” says Camp DirectorLaura Bryan. “We have tasks
such as organizing, cleaning andraking as well as helping withbigger projects, like finishingcabin improvements. The wholefamily is welcome! Camp staffwill be onsite offering activitiesfor young children. Openingcamp would not be possiblewithout the help of volunteers.All help is greatly appreciated!”
For more information or a regis-tration form, contact Bryan [email protected] or call (925)671-3006.
Volunteers needed at CampConcord, South Lake Tahoe
A random sampling of 500residents gave the city of Con-cord high marks in the 2014Community Priorities Survey,continuing a multi-year trend ofpositive feedback. Four out offive residents rated their qualityof life in Concord as “excellent”or “good”. Eighty-three percentof residents were “very satis-fied” or “somewhat satisfied”
with the job the city is doing.Residents expressed greater
optimism in 2014 about theirfuture quality of life than in2010, the last time the surveywas conducted. This year, 28.6percent expect their quality oflive to be “better” and 55.78percent expect it to be “aboutthe same” compared with 27percent “better” and 44 percent
“about the same” in 2010.The survey was conducted
by telephone between Feb. 9and Feb. 13 and has a margin oferror of plus or minus 4.4 per-cent. Survey results are availableon the city’s website atwww.cityofconcord.org. Formore information, contactCommunity Relations ManagerLeslye Asera, (925) 671-3272.
More residents happy withConcord this year than last
Concord Mayor TimGrayson isn’t going out on alimb when it comes to protect-ing his residents’ trees.
“If PG&E comes to yourhome, you do not have to letthem into your yard to cut downtrees,” he says emphatically.
His defense of residential
trees is the latest in a saga thathas pitted local lawmakers fromthroughout Contra Costa Coun-try against PG&E, who isembarking on a effort to clearout more than 700 trees fromConcord.
The project is part ofPG&E’s Pipeline Pathways proj-ect, a statewide initiative aimedto clear foliage from around gaslines for safety purposes. The
$500 million project covers6,750 miles of gas pipelinesfrom Bakersfield to Eureka,removing structures and vegeta-tion to provide 10 feet of clear-ance on either side of the gascompany’s main gas lines.
What has steamed local offi-cials is that PG&E announcedits intentions without consultingwith local officials. “We werenot given any opportunity to
discuss this, or to see any evi-dence that these trees were asafety hazard,” Grayson said.
In Concord, 202 trees oncity-owned property and 521trees on private property wereslated for removal. However,after Grayson and seven otherlocal mayors wrote to PG&E inopposition to the plan — andafter several news stories onlocal television stations aired —
PG&E announced it was haltingits plan to remove trees on pub-lic property until it had met withcity officials.
Grayson, however, said thiswas a “verbal” agreement, andas of the writing of this articleno formal letter of intent hadbeen received by the City ofConcord. And, as Grayson says,the moratorium only covers thetrees on Concord’s public land
— including some at the DiabloCreek Golf Course and at localparks — and city-owned treeson private land. No provisionshave been made for privately-owned trees, which is what con-cerns Grayson.
In Walnut Creek, a similarnumber of trees were targeted,but a vigorous online campaign
PG&E halts plans to remove trees from Concord public property
April 11, 2014 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 7
Photos courtesy of the Concord Historical Society
THIS SERIES OF PHOTOGRAPHS OF SALVIO STREET LOOKING EAST FROM GALINDO, TAKEN OVER THE PAST CENTURY AND A HALF illustrate the city’s rise from its roots of “Todos Santos” (circa 1875) to the newlyincorporated “City of Concord (circa 1908), when population swelled from 300 to roughly 600. The early part of the 20th Century was a sleepy time for the agricultural community (circa 1940), butall that would change in the new, post-WWII Concord.
PEGGY SPEAR
Clayton Pioneer
RON LEONE
CONCORDCITY BEAT
SALVIO STREET, CIRCA 1875 SALVIO STREET, CIRCA 1908 SALVIO STREET, CIRCA 1940
See Bed Bugs page 8
See Tree Removal page 8
It’s spring, and the ClaytonBusiness and CommunityAssociation’s attention turnedto the great outdoors as mem-bers heard requests for out-door activities at the March 27meeting at Oakhurst.
The club approved fundsfor Clayton Valley CharterHigh School’s track & fieldteam’s request to build an“acceleration hill.”
Golf was also a major topicas the club discussed therequest by the CVCHS girls’golf team for funding shirts,fees and equipment for theupcoming season. The itemwill be voted on at the Aprilmeeting.
Also, Jeff Martin, chair ofthis year’s Clayton Classic GolfTournament, said things aremoving smoothly for the 28thannual event on May 19 atOakhurst. The event raisesfunds for the CVCHS golfprogram.
The bocce court construc-tion is now underway. EdHarley, chair of the BocceLeague Committee, reportedthat Allied Waste has commit-ted $10,000 toward signage.Keith Haydon reported nam-ing rights to courts, tables andbenches are still available.
Team play is slated to starton June 2. More information isavailable on the CBCA web-
site, or by emailing [email protected].
The Clayton Art & WineFestival is one of the fundersof the bocce courts. ChairmanLou Gernhardt says that vol-unteers are still needed for theMay 3 and 4 event. You don’thave to be a CBCA member toparticipate.
CBCA doesn’t neglect the“Business” component in itsname. Members take advan-tage of the Business Network
Social Hour on the first Thurs-day of every month atOakhurst, from 5:30-7 p.m.
During free announce-ments, C.W. Wolfe, stage man-ager for the Clayton TheatreCompany, said their produc-tion of “The Night of January16th”, which runs throughApril 12, is in need of volun-teer ushers and ticket-takers. Arecent email from CTC soughtto clarify the “The Night ofJanuary16th” is the title of the
show, not its performancedate.
Finally, it’s not all golf andbocce in the great outdoors.Bag-the-Trash, a.k.a. ClaytonCleans Up, the annual spiffing-up event, will sweep into townon April 26 from 9 a.m. tonoon, with a free BBQ after-wards. Community-mindedfolks are asked to meet at Clay-ton City Hall, rain or shine.
The Clayton Branch of theAAUW (American Associationof University Women) will beholding its ninth AnnualSpaghetti Feed from 5:30 to 7:30p.m. on Wednesday, April 30 atEndeavor Hall in downtownClayton.
This is the only fund raiserthat Clayton AAUW holds andthe funds raised support TechTrek, a science and math campdesigned to develop interest,excitement, and self-confidencein young women who will entereight grade in the fall. The Clay-ton AAUW branch typicallysponsors three girls per year toTech Trek, selected by a teachernomination from Diablo ViewMiddle School, and then nar-rowed down by an essay contest.
Tickets are available inadvance from any AAUW mem-
ber, or at the door. Cost is $10for adults, $5 for childrenbetween 6 years and 12 years ofage, with children under age 6eating for free. A wide variety ofraffle items are also available.
The event coincides with the40th anniversary of the ClaytonBranch of the AAUW. Three ofthe founding members, RoseannKrane, Barbara Fogerson andRhoda McDaniel, are still activetoday.
The branch honored thewomen and threw itself ananniversary party on March 24at the home of Diana Bauer.Twenty-four women attendedthe event to reminisce aboutpast accomplishments and lookforward to future successes.
Many of those past accom-plishments were done throughthe AAUW’s Educational Foun-dation Program (EF), nowknown as AAUW Funds. It sup-ports women across the U.S. byproviding fellowships forwomen in post-graduateresearch and special projects.The Clayton Branch/RoseannKrane Endowment was partiallyfunded by the local branch andhonors the work of Krane andthe branch in raising money forEF. For six years, the PumpkinPatch raised $10,000 toward theeventual $25,000 Endowment.
Other highlights of Clayton’s
AAUW work include:In 1976 the branch created a
teaching unit on the history ofClayton called “Clayton 94517”as a bicentennial project. Theunit was used by the Mt. DiabloElementary School.
In the summer of 1978 theClayton Community School wasformed to provide after-schooland evening classes for bothchildren and adults. More than500 people took advantage ofthe myriad leisure classes, frommacramé to guitar.
In 1980 AAUW sponsoredthe first certified Farmers Mar-ket in downtown Clayton.
The group participates in theannual Fourth of July parade aswell as sponsors local candi-dates’ nights and public infor-mation on local issues of inter-est.
In 1989 the Branch firstraised funds to provide a schol-arship to a deserving ClaytonValley High School (now Clay-ton Valley Charter High School)senior woman. Each year sincethat time the scholarship hasbeen awarded.
All graduates of two and four-year colleges and universities are eligi-ble to join AAUW. If you are inter-ested in our Branch membership,please contact Marcia Hart ( 925-827-9540) or Dana McDaniel(925-672-5024).
AAUW celebrates 40 years in Clayton
GARY CARR
Special to the Pioneer
Club News
CBCA has spring fever, sends money outdoors
The State of New Yorkstands to receive $40 millionfrom the estate of a StatenIsland real estate developer whopassed away without a will.
Roman Blum, a Holocaustsurvivor, was worth nearly $40million when he passed away atthe age of 97 in 2012. An exten-sive search has not yet found awritten will or any living heirs toclaim his estate.
If, after three years no livingheirs have been located, theentire $40 million will go toNew York State under a legalrule called “escheat.” Moststates, including California, have
similar rules in the probate codewhich apply to people who passaway without a signed writtenwill. According to the New YorkState comptroller’s office,Blum’s estate is the largestunclaimed estate in New Yorkhistory.
The public administrator ofthe estate has already soldBlum’s home, auctioned off hispersonal possessions, and ispreparing to sell the rest ofBlum’s property. It is a tragicend to a difficult life that startedin 1914 in Poland. When the warbroke out, Blum escaped acrossthe border to Russia, where he
was captured and placed inprison. He was eventuallyreleased along with other pris-oners to fight against the Nazis.Blum later married and came toAmerica with his wife, who pre-deceased him in 1992. They hadno children.
Friends of. Blum urged himto create a will and he hadagreed, but he never got aroundto it. His friends said that therewere charities and causes near tohis heart, but he never namedthem in a written will.
Make sure that your wishesare carried out by creating awritten will or a living trust to
avoid probate.Daniel L. DuRee is a licensed
attorney and third generation residentof Contra Costa County. His practicefocuses on wills, trusts, probate,healthcare directives, and estate plan-ning. He can be reached at 925-210-1400.
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cord Police Department CodeEnforcement representative,representatives from the Cali-fornia Apartment Association,and Tenants Together. The pur-pose of the meeting was toidentify current bed bugresponse practices within thecounty and create a foundationfor future refinement of theseprocesses.
Tenants Together staffexpressed strong concerns thatthe traditional education strate-gy was inadequate and was notholding property ownersaccountable. Tenants Togetherurged a collaborative responsebetween County Public Healthand code enforcement which,under existing law, would allowcities to enforce substandardbuilding laws based on bed buginfestation identified by CountyPublic Health.
At the council’s Housing andEconomic Development Com-mittee meeting March 24, Con-cord Police Chief Guy Swangerand city staff recommended apilot program that holds thelandlord and tenant jointlyresponsible for bed bug abate-ment, with education on theprocess provided by codeenforcement staff. However, incases where voluntary abate-
ment is unsuccessful, codeenforcement action will hold theproperty owner responsible forabatement through establishedcivil, criminal or administrativechannels. The effectiveness ofthis pilot program will be evalu-ated in six months, and city staffwill bring revision recommenda-tions before the committee atthat time.
The purpose of this pilot isnot to place undue hardship onConcord property owners.However, it has become clearthat, in some cases, educationalone is not enough to preventinfestations. There is no ques-tion bed bugs affect tenants, butallowing them to remain unabat-ed and spread, bed bugs mayalso impact Concord on a widerquality-of-life and economicscale. This pilot program seeksto decrease the impact of bedbugs on individuals and the city,first through cooperation andvoluntary compliance, and onlywhen this fails, to enforce provi-sions of the code to compelabatement.
Ron Leone, Vice Mayor of theCity of Concord and former Mayor,welcomes comments and questions.Call him at (925) 680-1776 [email protected].
Page 8 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com April 11, 2014
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led by Mayor Kristina Lawsonstalled PG&E efforts there untila community meeting could beheld.
Clayton Mayor Hank Strat-ford was one of the eight may-ors who signed the letter toPG&E decrying the treeremoval, but said that since nomajor gas pipelines run throughtown, no trees were targeted forremoval.
Still, Grayson said that morethan 3,000 trees in Contra CostaCounty were slated to beremoved, including in Lafayetteand San Ramon.
“Here in Concord, we don’tknow what types of trees theyare considering removing,whether they are heritage treesor not,” Grayson said. “We havenot seen evidence that roots are
a safety concern. In fact, manyof these trees were here whenthe PG&E pipes were first laid.”Grayson is quick to point outthat safety is a number one pri-ority for the city administration,but “we just want to see the evi-dence before they start tearingout trees. We want a voice ofreason.”
The PG&E Pipeline Path-ways project is one of the newsafety initiatives developed inthe wake of the deadly 2010 SanBruno pipeline explosion. Offi-cials have put blame for thatexplosion on faulty welding andinefficient check-ups of thepipes.
To see maps of where the trees areslated to be removed, visit the Concordcity website at www.ci.concord.ca.us.
Bed Bugs, from page 7
Tree Removal, from page 7
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The transition from middleschool to high school is exciting.We will be leaving behind mem-ories at Pine Hollow MiddleSchool, and creating a new onesat Clayton Valley Charter HighSchool. But making that transi-tion can be scary and over-whelming.
As an eighth grader, we havemany things to do before webegin our first year of highschool. We have to fill out regis-tration paperwork, pick our class-es, figure out which activities andsports to participate in, all withina new environment.
Figuring out classes was, forme, the hard part. At Clayton Val-ley Charter High School, there aremany different opportunities forincoming ninth graders. Forinstance, the school offers acade-mies that students can participatein that focus the learning stan-dards to fit different areas: Engi-neering, Arts, Medical and PublicService. Choosing to do an acade-my can make picking your classesfor the year difficult.
In a way, by joining an acade-
my, you have to choose what youcould potentially want to do forthe rest of your life. It can be a lit-tle nerve-wracking to have tomake those choices.
If you do choose an academy,it affects what other classes youwill take. That’s hard enoughbecause you do not know whatthe classes and electives are like.In addition, with all of themandatory classes, you only get tochoose maybe one class or elec-tive that could be of interest toyou. Needless to say, picking myfreshman year classes was not aseasy as I thought.
Many students at Pine Hollowfeel excited to experience thesenew options, while others arenervous. Approximately half ofthe students I spoke with feel a lit-tle overwhelmed by the wholehigh school process. A variety ofstudents at Pine Hollow said thatCVCHS needs to improve onsome of the things at registration,especially for incoming freshman.Emma Ramirez, an eighth graderat Pine Hollow, thought that theprocess of registering for highschool was very overwhelming.“There were so many studentsand parents in one room, andmost did not understand what todo. The registration process wasvery overwhelming and disorgan-ized,” Emma said.
Even though this is onlyCVCHS’s second year, studentsat Pine Hollow feel as if thehigh school has many things toimprove on before next year.Eighth grader Rylie Bowerbankthinks that the high schoolshould make registration not socomplicated.
“CVCHS should try cuttingthe freshman class in half dur-ing registration to make thingsless crowded, and they shouldexplain the different scenariosmore clearly.”
Although students may feellike they were overwhelmedwith the whole registrationprocess, many of us think thatthere is always room to improve.Hopefully next year, the incom-ing freshman feel differently,and CVCHS will consider mak-ing their system easier and moreorganized.
“Drugs are chemicals thatchange the way a person’s bodyworks. You’ve probably heardthat drugs are bad for you, butwhat does that mean and why arethey bad?” asks the website Kids
Health, where kids can find moreinformation about the effect ofdrugs on their bodies, brains andhealth. (kidshealth.org)
On Wednesday, March 26,two fifth graders from Mt. Dia-blo Elementary School tried toanswer that question with theirNo Drug/Alcohol Posters.Audrey Carlson and MatthewHubbard were informed theirposters won a “No-Drug/Alco-hol Poster Contest” in an annual,state-wide contest sponsored bySt. Bonaventure’s Knights ofColumbus.
Audrey and Matthew, fromMrs. Kerr’s fifth grade class, were
stunned, yet excited about beingrecognized. Although Audreyand Matthew did not win thestate-wide contest, they did winfor their school.
Audrey’s poster sloganrhymed, “Do what’s right, get upto fight, say no to drugs!”
“I chose something thatrhymed with right because ifpeople would do the right thingthere wouldn’t be as much druguse as there is now,” Audrey says.Audrey also believes that drugsare bad for your mind and canruin your life.
Drugs don’t solve problems,of course. And using drugs often causes other problems on top of
the problems the person had inthe first place
Matthew’s poster focused onalcohol. His slogan was morestraight-forward, saying “Alcoholis bad for y’all.” Matthew says hewanted to tell kids taking drugs ordrinking alcohol doesn’t solveproblems, but creates them, andkids should focus their lives onmore important things like doingwell in school and following theirdreams.
“It is easier for kids tobecome addicted,” says Matthew.
“Their bodies and minds are notdeveloped yet.” Instead, “kidsshould be playing sports andenjoying life not worrying aboutdrugs, because drugs can ruintheir life and the lives of theirfamily.”
Drugs and alcohol, of coursecan be dangerous, since drugsand alcohol can have unexpectedadverse health effects even withone use; and drugs and alcoholaffect your ability to exert goodjudgment — making it more like-ly that you might engage in riskybehaviors that can have serious
consequences.Audrey and Matthew are now
happy and proud about winning,but also happy about getting avery important message out toother kids:
“Don’t do drugs, be healthy,be happy, is wise advice!”
Natalie Pursche is a fifth grader atMt. Diablo Elementary School who isan avid reader, enjoys writing, loves theoutdoors, and is a member of theMDE school council. Send commentsto [email protected].
April 11, 2014 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 9
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Air Band, the annual lip-sync-ing competition at Clayton ValleyCharter High School, took placeon April 3 and 4. Weeks of prepa-ration resulted in one show with16 unique acts performed by thestudents of the Public Speakingclass at CVCHS. Maureen Allan,the Public Speaking teacher,worked with her studentsthroughout the third and fourthquarters of this year to put on thisevent.
For as long as any of the cur-rent CVCHS students canremember, administrator NeilMcChesney was the Public Speak-ing teacher. However, with histransition from the classroom toan administration post, Allan tookon the challenge of teaching thisdiverse class.
“Teaching this class has beenboth challenging and rewarding; ithas been a great opportunity forme as both a student and ateacher,” Allan said. Allan fervent-ly believes that public speaking isan essential life skill, and althoughthere have been some challengeswith planning Air Band for thefirst time, she is excited to havepartaken in it.
Air Band practices started tak-
ing place sixth period, but duringthe week of the performance, thestudents stayed after schoolrehearsing for several hours. Gre-gory Hile and drama teacherKevin Cline offered what advicethey could to students when theyvisited the rehearsals. The TechTeam also worked long hours for“tech week,” helping the studentsachieve their desired lighting andsound affect.
Air Band began with theentire public speaking class danc-ing to the song “Let’s Get it Start-ed,” where the audience was sur-rounded by dancing students.Sam Myers and Luis Molina werethe Masters of Ceremony of AirBand and kept the audience’sattention in between songs.
Senior Myers, also havingtaken Public Speaking two yearsin a row, says, “I was not reallynervous for being an MC, exceptmaybe afraid of forgetting mylines in front of the audience.Otherwise, I felt confidentbecause of my prior experience inPublic Speaking and Air Band lastyear as well.”
Some of the songs acted outby students included the “FreshPrince of Bel Air,” “Heartless,”
“A Thousand Miles,” “BurningUp,” and many more. The PublicSpeaking students did not onlylearn staging and lighting tech-niques, but also gained confi-dence with this event.
“I have benefitted becausewhen I work with other people Ifeel more confident performingand sharing my thoughts,” fresh-man Spencer Tamichi says.
All in all, Air Band is always anevent to watch. Often comedic,the individual performances areonly limited by the students’imagination. A lot of work wasput into Air Band, and the PublicSpeaking students can be proudof what they achieved.
Winning posters say ‘no’ to drugs
AUDREY CARLSON MATTHEW HUBBARD
Liliana Hernandez is a Senior atClayton Valley Charter High School.She loves to read and plans to pursueher interest in writing in the future.Send email to her at [email protected]
Moving on to CVCHS is tough
CARLIE BEESON
PINE HOLLOWREPORTER
Carlie Beeson is an 8th grader atPine Hollow Middle School. Sheenjoys reading, playing soccer, andsinging. Questions or comments? Sendher an Email at [email protected]
LILIANA HERNANDEZ
TEEN SPEAK
CVCHS Air Band does more than pay lip service
Senior Kara Kohler got her finalcollegiate crew season off to a start7400 miles from Berkeley when her No.1 Golden Bears took part in two eventsin Sydney, Australia. The busy Kohlerrowed for the Cal women’s eight andalso for the United States in the pairsduring her school’s spring break.
The Clayton athlete added to herinternational experience midwaybetween the London and Rio de JaneiroSummer Olympics at the Sydney WorldCup and Sydney International RowingRegatta.
After a slow start the Cal eight builtits speed and nearly caught the Aus-tralian national team, which was racingas a Melbourne University compositecrew. The Cal eight started slow andwas down over four seconds after thefirst 500 meters. The Golden Bearsgained throughout the next 1500 metersand closed strong. They came up 1.7seconds short of the win.
Cal finished 7.7 seconds ahead ofthird place Mercantile composite, whichwas also a crew of Aussie national teamathletes.
“We had a terrific day down hereand I’m really pleased with how every-one has been racing,” Cal head coachDave O’Neill said. “Our first 500 needs
a lot of work right now. But, that makesa lot of sense due to the little workwe’ve put into it thus far and where weare in our training. I’m most pleasedthat our base speed looks to be quitegood and our fitness seems to be ontrack.”
The San Diego Crew Classic provid-ed Cal, which was voted the No. 1 pre-season women’s crew, with its first testagainst collegiate crews in NCAAevents last weekend after they returnedfrom Down Under.
Following the women’s eight finalsKohler and teammate Agatha Nowins-ki took part in the pairs race represent-ing America at the Sydney World Cup.
Nowinski and Kohler raced in the“repechage” second-chance race andfinished second to move onto the Afinal.
“The World Cup racing was a terrif-ic experience for these two pairs and therest of our team, as well,” Cal headcoach Dave O’Neill said. “The four ofthem worked hard over the winter toget this opportunity, and I’m glad theymade the most of it.”
In the A final, Nowinski and Kohlerwere looking to start fast and had thebest start of any Cal boat during theweek. They remained with the pack to
[Second in a series]
Spring sports are rushing towardsDiablo Valley Athletic League champi-onships and North Coast Section com-petition and many Clayton Valley Char-ter High School teams have an experi-enced look to them as Eagle coaches
have a large number of seniors dottingtheir rosters.
BOYS GOLF
During their DVAL golf matchesthis spring the Eagles have had seniorEric Carlson and freshman DanielSchaefer trading back and forth as lowscorers with coach Jen Moore callingSchaefer “most consistent” on theteam.
Another senior, Bobby Klarman, isnew to varsity but has posted somegood scores.
Tyler Blazer, Kevin Cuff, AnthonyMcDonald and Marcellus Medranoround out the varsity lineup.
Moore’s team has a pair of matchesnext week against Berean Christian andConcord to conclude league play withthe DVAL Championship hosted byCollege Park coming up April 28.North Coast Section, NorCal and Statecompetitions will fill the May and earlyJune calendar.
Moore has coached the CVCHSgirls golf team for years and is her sec-ond season with the boys team. She’sexcited that the turnout this year waslarge enough to add a junior varsityteam. Chris Krnich, a 2000 grad fromClayton Valley, is coaching the JVsbringing “a calm, focused approachwith his coaching philosophy,” accord-ing to Moore.
SWIMMING
Shaun Guest is in his second seasonrunning the CVCHS swimming pro-gram and is looking to get his athletesqualified for NCS May 16-17 in Con-cord as well as challenging Northgatefor league honors. The teams meet inthe final dual meet April 30 and renewthe rivalry May 9-10 at College Park atthe DVAL Championships.
He had a several NCS qualifiersreturning including Taylor Thorsen (50freestyle, 100 free), Sara Abele (200individual medley, 100 breaststroke),Jake Frigard (200 IM, 100 butterfly, 100free), Jordan Tate (100 and 200 free),Jack Brown (50 free, 100 breast) andAbbie Kubota (100 free).
Additionally Alina Weigelt, KaylaConger, Kayleigh Rohrbach, AnthonyVines and Ryan Levy were NCS relayparticipants last year.
Cameron Brandt (100 breast, 100free), Jerron Miller (100 back) and Bai-ley Reading (100 fly) are top newcom-ers to the squad.
Guest is hoping his boys and girlscan overcome Northgate’s very deepprogram. “We will really have a closeshot on the girls side and it will be verycompetitive on the guys side. Main goalis to get as many swimmers to NCS andto qualify top 15 in team’s division.” Hesays College Park is also a key rival fortop honors.
BOYS TENNIS
The majority of coach Rick Orte-ga’s boys tennis team is returning withthe senior class expected to fill themajority of varsity ladder spots. Theseniors are Austin Arter (co-captainand currently playing No. 1 singles),James Young, Kevin Dong, Alex Hu,David Katsnelson, Nick Kies andinjured co-captain Harrish Sheikh.
Junior Bryce Sampson and sopho-mores Matt Osterkamp and DanielCastro have helped fill the absence ofSheikh. Osterkamp, Dylan Kies andCastro all started their first varsityseason.
Aaron Olk, Allayne Leongson, NickHeyer and Donovan Hunter are pro-viding depth.
DVAL semifinalists Charley Jangand Kenny La graduated. They reachedthe semi before losing to teammatesDong and Young.
College Park and Northgate are bat-tling for the league title with two finalrounds of dual matches next week. TheDVAL Championships are April 29-May 1 with NCS singles and doublesMay 9-10 with the team championships
the following week.Ortega has coached nine years at
CVCHS and this year welcome alum-nus and new assistant coach RenatoCastro to the team.
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Coach Stephen Coddington hastaken his Eagles boys volleyball team toNCS every year starting in 2009 whenthe section added a Division II bracket.Unfortunately, the last two years afterCVCHS won its opening game it facedCampolindo and lost each time to theeventual NCS champions.
Senior Matt D’Angina will key the
Eagles this season. He’s received all-DVAL honors all three years includingfirst-team recognition last season whenhe led his team with over 300 kills andalso contributed 100+ assists.
His classmates Garrett Blatter(300+ assists, 100+ kills), Shane Russell(over 75 kills and 50 blocks as a middleblocker last season) and Clark Blatter(over 100 kills as an outside hitter) givethe team lots of experience and leader-ship. Garrett Blatter was second-teamall-league a year ago.
Junior Sean Vaisima transferred
Kristian Ipsen came home from histhird NCAA Swimming and DivingChampionships without an individualtitle for the first time as his entire Stan-ford team “came up short of represent-ing our talent,” said Ted Knapp, Stan-ford’s Director of Men’s Swimming.The Cardinal dropped to ninth for itslowest team finish in 35 years whiletheir fiercest rivals, Cal, won its thirdtitle in four years.
Last week Ipsen had that disap-pointment somewhat soothed when hewas named Pacific 12 Diver of the Yearfor the second time after defending his1-meter title at the Pac-12 Champi-onships, finishing second in the 1-meter and third in the platform.
Ipsen won the one-meter collegiatetitle as a freshman and the three meterstwice while he was also second on theplatform as a soph. This year the Clay-ton diver was second on 1M, fourth inthe 3M and sixth on the platform as hisscores were all lower than a year agowhen he was NCAA Diver of the Year.
Ipsen staked the NCAA silver offthe one-meter board when he improvedfrom third through the prelims andscored 436.55 in the finals to finishbehind Texas freshman Michael Hixon.
The local native has been named
All-America in all nine diving eventsduring his first three years at Stanford.He’ll be completing his senior seasonnext school year and then concentrat-ing on reaching the 2016 SummerOlympics in Rio de Janeiro.
His Stanford diving coach Dr. Rick
Schavone was voted Pac-12 Men’s Div-ing Coach of the Year for the thirdstraight year, not coincidentally thethree years Ipsen has led his squad.Schavone has also received the Pac-12Women’s Diving Coach of the Yearaward six times.
Sports Page 10 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com April 11, 2014
See Kohler, page 11
See Spring Sports, page 12
Seniors in spotlight for Clayton Valley spring sports teams
Ipsen Pac-12 Diver of Year
Kim Anderson photo
SENIOR CO-CAPTAIN JORDAN TATE
(foreground) is a 100 and 200freestyle specialist for the ClaytonValley Charter High School swimteam this spring.
Kim Anderson photo
SENIOR MATT D’ANGINA (12) is a two-time all-DVAL player who will be anoutside hitter and setter for the Clayton Valley Charter boys volleyball teamthis year. He had over 300 kills and 100 assists as a junior.
Photo courtesy StanfordPhoto.com
STANFORD SWEPT THE PAC-12 CONFERENCE MEN’S DIVING AWARDS this year withClayton’s Kristian Ipsen (right) voted Pac-12 Conference Men’s Diver of theYear, teammate Bradley Christiansen Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of theYear and Cardinal head coach Dr. Rick Schavone (left) tabbed Pac-12 Men’sDiving Coach of the Year. The awards were voted on by the men’s divinghead coaches. It was Ipsen’s second consecutive Diver of the Year accolade.He didn’t compete in the Pac-12 Division championships as a freshman get-ting ready for the London Olympics.
Photo courtesy CVCHS tennis
THE MAJORITY OF THE VARSITY SLOTS on the Clayton Valley Charter High Schoolboys tennis team this year are filled by seniors. Coach Rick Ortega’s teamfeatures, front, Allayne Leongson; middle row from left, Alex Hu, JimmyYoung, Kevin Dong; back row, Dave Katsnelson, team captain HarrishSheikh, Nick Kies and Austin Arter.
JAY BEDECARRÉ
Clayton Pioneer JAY BEDECARRÉ
Clayton Pioneer
Kara Kohler spends Spring Break inAustralia rowing for Cal and USA
JAY BEDECARRÉ
Clayton Pioneer
the midway 1000m mark, butthe pace proved too much. Theyfinished sixth in a strong field ofnational team athletes.
“Racing pairs at the seniorinternational level was a newexperience for all of us,” Kohlersaid. “The pair brings so manyresponsibilities that you justdon’t get in the eight. So, to
have that experience under ourbelts while still in college is pret-ty unique. We felt like we had lit-tle to lose heading into the rac-ing. Knowing we were racingtop crews from other countrieswas only more incentive for usto see how long we could hang.Looking forward I think thisWorld Cup experience has set
our team up well to achieve ourgoals.”
“Since this was our SpringBreak, we did a lot of trainingin addition to the racing thisweek, so I’m impressed withhow they did at the end of itall,” O’Neill said. “While I’mproud of their results, I’m mosthappy with the way they racedand improved throughout theracing.
“”This experience will cer-tainly help us in the goals we
have at Cal, but the World Cupracing was definitely a develop-ment opportunity with theirinternational pursuits in mind,”O’Neill added. “All of us arethankful to the national teamcoaches for allowing us to dothis, and I hope it will pay offfor the USA in the years tocome.” Kohler is seeking hersecond Olympic team berth inBrazil.
Cal Athletics News Servicecontributed to this story.
Recreation soccer tourna-ment season is going full boreand Mt. Diablo Soccer Associa-tion has teams playing and per-forming well in tournamentsnear and far.
The MDSA United FCunder 19 girls prevailed in aclose contest among five teamsin the recent PHMSA Soccer-Fest. Coach Jose Soltero’s squadprovided strong defense andgoalkeeper Paige Alford postedfour straight shutouts for theteam to narrowly claim top spotin a round-robin format despitedrawing two of its four games.United FC had 28 points,Mountain View Relentless 26and Davis Finesse 22 in a close-ly-bunched field.
Sandwiched between a pairof scoreless draws in their firstand last games United filled thenet with goals in its middle twocontests. The opening tie withConcord FC was in a drivingrainstorm. They beat Davis 4-0with Marina Arcaya and AdelleMeyer each scoring a goal and
Kimber Searle adding a pair.The locals blanked PHMSAFreedom 6-0 and wrapped upfirst place with its second 0-0draw, this time against runner-up Relentless.
MDSA Legends made it to
the U14 girls semi-finals at Soc-cerFest before falling 1-0 toGalaxy. The Legends won theirflight with one win and twodraws in preliminary games.
The MDSA Diablos U10boys took first at the Area2C/2D Select League Tourna-ment last month with five con-secutive wins by a combined 22-4 score. Three of the wins cameover Davis teams plus a narrow1-0 victory over Walnut Creek.The closest call for the Diabloswas in the semi-finals when theywent to penalty kicks to edgeDavis 1-0.
BAKERSFIELD FINALS
Two young MDSA boysteams went to the AYSO Cali-fornia Cup last month in Bak-ersfield and came home withsecond- and fourth-place fin-ishes. The tournament featuredtop fall house league teamsfrom the four AYSO sectionsin California.
Mt Diablo Arsenal repre-sented Section 2 in Bakersfieldand back with silver medals inU10 boys. In their semi-finalagainst Long Beach Keegan
Boustead scored three goals andRyan Ross another in a 4-0 win.Center defender Logan Gonza-les anchored the defense.
In the championship game,Arsenal faced Pacific Palisadesand Arsenal took a 1-0 lead witha goal from Alex Braginskyassisted by Adam Rychtecky.Pacific Palisades scored with justminutes remaining in the gameto tie it up and send the gameinto overtime. A late goal in thesecond overtime period gave theSouCal team the championship.
In the U12 boys bracketMDSA Men in Black lost toeventual Cup champ CutlerOrosi 4-1 after Abdullah Salehhad given the local team an earlylead.
In their second game Men inBlack gave up a goal to ElMonte on the opening kickoffplay but Chase Graves andSaleh responded with goals togive MDSA a 2-1 lead. AnotherSaleh score wasn’t enough tohold off El Monte in a 4-3game.
Men in Black finished theseason with 21 wins, three loss-es and one tie.
Kohler, from page 10
Sports April 11, 2014 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 11
Select, SoccerFest titles come to MDSA teams
Photos courtesy MDSA
MDSA DIABLOS WERE UNDEFEATED IN LEAGUE PLAY and then sweptthrough the Area 2C/2D Select League Tournament. The teamincluded, front row from left, Devin Kelly, Gabe Lauricella,Hunter Bock, Grayson Boustead, Chase Caldwell, Miles Davis;back row, coach David Caldwell, Ian Kelly, Killian Pollock,Bakari Johnson, Jacob “Wheels” Oledan, Nolan Martin andcoach Andrew Boustead.
THE U19 GIRLS OF MDSA UNITED WON THE RECENT PHMSA SOCCERFEST CHAMPIONSHIP. The teamincludes, front, goalkeeper Paige Alford; bottom row from left, Andi Hellstrom, Rachel Semple,Rosie Ellis-Falik, Daisy Lozano, Alexandra Converse, Hannah Louis; back row, coach JoseSoltero, Megan Bluth, Alyssa Bluth, Melissa Newsome, Rachel Delong, Adelle Meyer, MarinaArcaya , Cristina Ramos-Daly, Riley Pearson, Kimber Searle, Daisy Agers and Adriana Gauthier.
The feeding frenzy that isNFL free agency has settleddown and now teams are look-ing towards the draft to addresstheir needs. The San Francisco49ers have been relatively quietduring free agency, makingsome small trades and a coupleof key signings.
The biggest free agent acqui-sition for the 49ers has been for-mer Indianapolis Colts safetyAntoine Bethea. He slides in toreplace the hard-hitting Donte
Whitner, who signed with theCleveland Browns this offsea-son. The signing of Betheaworks out nicely for the 49ers ashis contract is less than whatWhitner signed for so the 49ersend up saving cap space and geta player in Bethea who is thesame skill-level as Whitner.
The 49ers have also signedcornerback Chris Cook to aone-year deal. Cook played forthe Minnesota Vikings last yearand he’s a big, powerful corner-back. Cook was somewhatunderwhelming as a Viking,accumulating zero interceptionsin his four seasons with theteam, but perhaps a change ofscenery and system will be goodfor him.
The 49ers also traded a cou-ple of their vast draft picks toobtain quarterback Blaine Gab-bert and left-tackle JonathanMartin.
Gabbert is a former first-round pick who played very
poorly during his tenure as aJacksonville Jaguar. The 49ersonly had to give up a sixthround pick to acquire him andwith help from Jim Harbaugh hemight become a solid back-upto Colin Kaepernick.
The trade to acquire Martinwas an interesting move by the49ers. Martin was involved inthe huge bullying scandal thatwas a part of the Miami Dol-phins organization. He playedfor Harbaugh at Stanford, so thefit seems right for Martin. Hewill most likely be a swing tack-le, filling in as needed for thestarting tackles, wheneverinjuries arise.
So far this offseason, the49ers have made some nicemoves to add depth to their ros-ter but they still have a few glar-ing needs they must address.Wide receiver and cornerbackare two positions the 49ers mustfill during the NFL draft.
The amount of draft picks
the 49ers have for the draft isalmost unfair, with six in thefirst three rounds alone. Theirroster is already filled withmany key playmakers, so itwouldn’t be surprising to seethem trade up in the first roundto acquire an impact player theyreally like.
Someone like SammyWatkins would fit perfectly inthe 49ers system. He’s a guy thatcan stretch the field and giveKaepernick a deep-threatoption.
Harbaugh hasn’t gottenalong very well with former“speed” receivers, so a receiverthat has all the skills to be anelite wideout like Watkins makesa lot of sense for the 49ers.
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TYLER LEHMAN
SPORTS TALK
Tyler Lehman is a sophomore atDiablo Valley College and a 2012CVHS graduate. He plans to majorin journalism and wants to be a sportswriter. Email your comments or ques-tions to [email protected].
49ers waiting until NFL draft to strike gold
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Page 12 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com April 11, 2014
KAYLA TAYLOR WINS POST-SEASON
BASKETBALL HONORSSenior post player Kayla Taylor of Clayton
Valley Charter High School was named to the All-East Bay third team last week. She helped theEagles make school history by advancing to thesemi-finals of the Northern California Champi-onships after finishing runner-up at North CoastSection for the third time in four years.
DIABLO FC OLDER TEAMS SOCCER
TRYOUTS CONTINUINGTryouts for U15-U19 players with Diablo FC
are taking place, weather permitting. Younger play-ers in the U9-U14 age groups who missed formaltryouts can contact the club for an individual eval-uation and possible placement on a competitiveteam for the 2014 season. Visit diablofc.org for thetryout schedule and to register for free tryouts inall age groups.
DANA HILLS SWIM TEAM REGISTRATIONDana Hills Swim Team is accepting online reg-
istrations for the 2014 recreation season. Newmembers are given the option to sign up for theteam on a free, one-week “trial” basis. Dana Hillshas won 21 of the past 22 Concord Swim Cham-pionships. For additional info and to register, visitdanahillsotters.com.
CONCORD CUP XXI RETURNS MAY 17-18The 20th anniversary edition of Concord Cup
youth soccer tournament which began in 1994returns to many local fields on May 17-18. Appli-cations are now being accepted for boys and girlsteams from U10-U19. Concord Cup is a rare tour-nament that includes both AYSO and club teams.Diablo FC, MDSA and Concord AYSO are thehost leagues. For information visitconcordcup.com.
WALNUT COUNTRY SWIM TEAM
ACCEPTING SWIMMERSBoys and girls up to 18 years of age (as of June
15) are being accepted for the Walnut CountrySwim Team online at wcstingrays.com. Preseasonpractice begins Monday.
SUMMER PROGRAM REGISTRATION FOR ALL
OUT SPORTS LEAGUES COMING SOONSignups are approaching for All Out Sports
League summer programs at Clayton Gym. Youthbasketball and volleyball, flag football league, adultvolleyball and football academy programs will allbe announced soon. For complete information onall the Clayton programs, visitalloutsportsleague.com.
OAKHURST ORCAS SIGNUPS THIS FRIDAYFinal Oakhurst Orcas summer recreation swim
team registration date is this Friday from 6:30-8p.m. at Oakhurst Country Club. Information isavailable at oakhurstorcas.com.
Tabernacle Tigers net first BACSALsoccer championship for school
Tabernacle School of Con-cord has been a part of BayArea Christian Schools AthleticLeague since 1975 and this
spring won its first-ever boyssoccer championship with a 2-1title game win over rivals andpreviously undefeated San
Ramon Valley Christian Acade-my Eagles.
Coach Daran Fraser’s teamwas 6-2 during the regular sea-
son in the East Division of the22-school BACSAL entering theleague playoffs last month inFremont.
A pair of preliminary victo-ries advanced the Tigers to thesemi-finals against MilpitasChristian. Tabernacle’s NikoFerrante scored the game’s onlygoal about midway through thefirst half off an assist fromArmando Nevarez to reach thechampionship game.
SRVCA was sitting on anundefeated 10-0 season includ-ing two defeats of Tabernacleentering the final as San Ramonlooked to cap a perfect season.The finale didn’t open ideally forthe Tigers when an own goalwas scored off a SRVCA crossin the first 15 seconds of thegame.
Tabernacle rebounded toscore two goals in spectacularfashion late in regulation to cap-ture the BACSAL soccer title. Across from Armando Navarezfound Ferrante to even thescore and then Navarez hookedup with Devin Holcomb toscore the winning goal and givethe Tigers an historic victory.
Photo courtesy Tabernacle School
TABERNACLE TIGERS won the Bay Area Christian Schools Athletic League soccer championship lastmonth for the first time in school history. The team included, front row from left, CooperPauline, Russ Martinez, Jaden Watt, Isaiah Lelu, Kyle Antonson, Aiden Simons, Josh Manickam,Zak Martinez, Niko Ferrante; back row, Devin Holcomb, coach Daran Fraser, Josh Gilbert, MarkAnderson, Aidan Jackman, Yanni Reynolds, Armando Nevarez and Gabe Garner.
Sports
Sports Shorts
RIP, XP. Whathappens now?
By now, you’ve heard thenews: Windows XP is dead andno longer supported. Thatmeans an immediate upgrade isin your future. So, what do youdo and what do you buy next?Will your applications and filestransfer to your new equip-ment? Can you even do that, orwill you need to buy everythingall over again? Keep in mindthe old adage, “when you buy itcheap, you buy it again.”
Microsoft drops support forthe 11-year old operating sys-tem (O/S) this April and thatmeans you should expect secu-rity issues and attacks shortlythereafter. The bad guys knowwho you are and they willattack. So, that I am clear, ifyou run Windows XP, you arescrewed.
Well, if you’re like a lot ofWindows XP users thisannouncement isn’t new, but itis a major pain in the neckbecause you must migrateeverything to a new operatingsystem. Your migration andoptions thereon are dependentupon your situation, so let’sreview a few.
THE LUCKY ONES
The lucky ones are thosewho really want a new comput-er and will buy everything new.Just save your data, pick outyour new computer, and restoreyour data.
EVERYONE ELSE
For everyone else still run-ning Windows XP, you have ajourney ahead of you. It startswith hardware. The perform-ance of your current computermust meet the increasedrequirements of your new Win-dows 7 or Windows 8.1 soft-ware. If it doesn’t you may needa minor hardware upgrade. Forexample, most XP equipment isrunning only 2GB of RAM.You need at least 4GB for thisexperience to be worthwhile.
Your hard disk drive needs atleast 100GB of free space.
DIYDo it yourself or let profes-
sionals have at it? Today’supgrades aren’t as simple asdropping a CD into the CDdrive and waiting for it to fin-ish. Software upgrades involvespecific requirements, with fewdeviations allowed. Let’s sayyou want to upgrade to Win-dows 7 from XP. You will needto first upgrade to WindowsVista, then to Windows 7 asthere is no direct path to 7 fromXP. Keep in mind you mustmaintain your “bit priority.”That means if you run 32 bitWindows XP, you MUST main-tain 32 bits. You cannot, forexample, upgrade to a 64 bitO/S from 32 bit.
LET’S GET UPGRADED
For most of us the upgradeisn’t really an upgrade, butrather a reload of the O/S.That means everything must gobecause you will “reformat”your hard drive. (Note that“reformat” means everything iswiped off the hard drive. Noth-ing will remain — nada, zip,zilch, naught, zero, nothing,blank.)
Check your configurationand minimum system require-ments, save your data first,then format and load eitherWindows 7 or 8. Next, installyour original applicationsstored on CDs or the cloud,and replace your data. Here iswhere I suggest this is a greattime to put ALL your data inthe Documents subdirectoryas it makes finding your docu-ments easier and less aggravat-ing when you try to find themwhen marrying your data backto your application. (Think“open file” in your applica-tion.) This way it is easy to findyour data files, they’re in the(My) Documents directory.
There you have it. Yourjourney has already begun, yourbrain is ready. Oh, by the way,support for Microsoft Office2003 and older, gone as well.
WILL CLANEY
TECH TALK
William Claney is a professionalcomputer consultant and technicalwriter. Will is the CEO of CUSA(ComputersUSA!) an IT repair andsupport center located in the ClaytonStation shopping center. He is avail-able for comments: 925-672-9989and says, “retirement is overrated.”
from Ygnacio Valley HS andbecame eligible to play lastweek. He helps replace departedseniors Tyler Sun and TaylorMcCracken.
The Eagles haven’t won aDVAL league title since 1987but have managed to make reg-ular treks to NCS. Leaguematches continue through May8 before NCS begins May 13.NorCal Championships starttwo weeks later.
Northgate has a perenniallystrong program including 1993and 2009 Section titles. TheBroncos have a full lineup ofseasoned club players and arefavorites to win league. Cod-dington says Berean Christian isa solid program with sights on aleague title. College Park gradu-ated a lot of players from lastyear’s team but “have reloaded”while new Concord coachAndrew Romer “has them mov-ing in the right direction.”
Spring Sports,from page 10
Without a doubt, spring ismy favorite season. Part of itstems from my Midwesternroots. It was such a relief to saygoodbye to the cold and snowywinter. And spring meant thestart of baseball season, if theweather cooperated.
Scientific studies have docu-mented how changing weatherconditions affect many aspectsbaseball. Besides the postpone-ment of games due to wetweather, the primary meteoro-logical variables that affect thegame are wind, relative humidi-ty, temperature and atmospher-ic pressure.
Winds alter the speed andflight path of both pitched and
batted balls. With a tailwindover 5 m.p.h., a 95 m.p.h. fast-ball can approach the 100m.p.h. mark. A similar decreasein velocity is experienced whenthe wind blows strongly intothe batter’s face.
Strong winds can signifi-cantly change the distance of abatted ball. A well-hit fly ballthat would normally go 375feet in calm conditions willtravel more than 400 feet whentail winds exceed 5 m.p.h. Thatsame fly ball would travel lessthan 350 feet if similar windsblow from the outfield towardhome plate.
The amount of humidity inthe air also plays a role in thedistance a batted ball will travel,but at a smaller scale than wind.Conventional wisdom is thatmoist air is heavy, and baseballsslow down when the relativehumidity is high. In fact theopposite is true.
Since the molecular weightof water vapor is lower thanthe molecular weight of dry air,
moist air is less dense than dryair and exerts less frictionaldrag on the flight of a baseball.A well-hit fly ball will travelabout one foot further whenthe relative humidity is 35 per-cent compared to 15 percent,assuming no change in air tem-perature or air pressure.
Air temperature has agreater impact on air densitythan relative humidity, andtherefore a larger impact on thedistance a ball will travel. A ballhit well enough to fly 375 feetin 50-degree weather will reachnearly 390 feet in 90-degreeweather, assuming no differ-ence in atmospheric moistureor air pressure.
Air density decreases withaltitude, and the distance abaseball struck with identicalforce will increase with eleva-tion. Given similar temperatureand relative humidity condi-tions, a ball hit well enough tofly 375 feet at either of the BayArea’s sea level stadiums willtravel a little more than 400 feet
at Denver’s mile-high ballpark.The game of baseball itself
is dependent on the weathertoo. In the first few weeks ofthe 2011 season 26 majorleague games were canceleddue to snow or rain. The citieswith the most rainouts arelocated in the northeast. Since2000 Boston leads the majorsin rainouts, averaging a littleover three per season. Califor-nia teams get rained out lessthan three times per decade.
After over 40 years in Cali-fornia, I still retain my Mid-western anticipation of springand the beginning of baseballseason. Baseball is a game ofbalance between offense anddefense, and there are manygames when weather factorsplay an important role in theoutcome .
WOODY WHITLATCH
WEATHER WORDS
Woody Whitlatch is a meteorolo-gist retired from PG&E. Email yourquestions or comments to [email protected]
Weather is baseball’s secret weapon
A Clayton woman was leftshaken but uninjured after shewas robbed at gunpoint in frontof her Oakhurst home shortlybefore 8 p.m. on March 21.
The woman had just arrivedhome from work when a blackmale wearing a ski maskapproached her on foot, pulled agun and demanded her purse andpossessions. He then ran to a darkcolored SUV which was waitingaround the corner. The victim wasunable to determine the make ormodel of the car or the age of thesuspect.
According to Chief ChrisThorsen, police believe the victimwas targeted because of the pos-sessions she was carrying. “Wedon’t think this was a randomact,” Thorsen said.
To protect her safety, police arenot releasing the victim’s name.
Anyone with any information aboutthis crime, contact Clayton Police, (925)673-7350.
Police ActivityReport
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AApprriill 33,, 22001144
AACCCCIIDDEENNTTSS:: Mar. 29, 8:19 p.m.
Oakhurst Dr./Clayton Rd.
AARRRREESSTTSS::Apr. 1, 7:44 p.m. Crow
Pl. A 52-year-old Claytonfemale was arrested forbattery on spouse/cohabi-tant.
Apr. 3, 4:20 p.m. 5400Clayton Rd. A 27-year-oldfemale was arrested on awarrant.
BBUURRGGLLAARRIIEESS//TTHHEEFFTTSS::Mar. 31, Windmill
Canyon Dr. Robbery.
VVAANNDDAALLIISSMMSS::None.
April 11, 2014 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 13
In his infinite wisdom, Chi-nese philosopher Lau Tzucoined the phrase “a journey ofa thousand miles begins with asingle step,” and it is a hard onewith which to argue. However,never being content to leave agreat sage alone, I would add:“all the pages of a genius novelbegin with a single compellingsentence.” And after having readsuch a beguiling book, remem-bering that first sentence isoften enough to ignite passionfor that novel again and again.
The usual list of literarygreats contains (mostly) thenames of dead white guys, butthis is one for the girls. Here-with, a list of 15 brilliant firstsentences and the novels fromwhich they arise. By women.You could say it’s an epic recom-mended reading list. You couldsay it’s ambitious. You could sayit’s a good place to start a 2014reading challenge.
“The children’s section ofthe colored Methodist Episco-pal church was wiggling and gig-gling over my well known for-getfulness.” — I Know Why TheCaged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou
“A green and yellow parrotwhich hung in a cage outside thedoor, kept repeating over andover: ‘Allez vous-en! Allez vous-en! Sapristi! That’s all right!’”— The Awakening, Kate Chopin
“In English my name meanshope. In Spanish it means toomany letters.” — House on MangoStreet, Sandra Cisneros
“Here they are, two NorthAmericans, just over and justunder forty, come to spend theirlives in Mexico and already lostas they travel cross-country overthe central plateau.”— Stones for Ibarra, Harriet Doer
“I had a farm in Africa, atthe foot of the Ngong Hills.”— Out of Africa, Isak Dinesen
“I have been afraid of put-ting air in a tire ever since I sawa tractor tire blow up and throwNewt Hardbine’s father over thetop of the Standard Oil sign.”
— The Bean Trees,Barbara Kingsolver
“The Whistle Stop Cafeopened last week, right next tome at the post office, and theowners Idgie Threadgood andRuth Jamison said business hasbeen good ever since.”
— Fried Green Tomatoes at theWhistle Stop Café, Fannie Flagg
“Time is not a line but adimension, like the dimensionsof space.”
— Cat’s Eye, Margaret Atwood
“There were 117 psychoana-lysts on the Pan Am flight toVienna, and I had been treatedby at least six of them.”
— Fear of Flying, Erica Jong
“Here is an account of a fewyears of the life of Quoyle, bornin Brooklyn and raised in a shuf-fle of dreary upstate towns.”
— The Shipping News,Annie Proulx
“The grandmother didn’twant to go to Florida.”— A Good Man is Hard to Find,
Flannery O’Connor
“Eighty some years previous,through a town that was toflourish and past a farm thatwould disappear, the river slid— all that happened began withthat flow of water.”
— Last Report on the Miracles atLittle No Horse, Louise Erdrich
“My name is Ruth.”—Housekeeping, Marilyn Robinson
“May in Ayemenem is a hot,brooding month.” — The God ofSmall Things, Arundhati Roy
“My mother’s name wasMercy Stone Goodwill.”—The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields
Seriously, this is not a com-plete list by any stretch, but it isa beautiful beginning. HappyReading!
Dogs are “den” animals,naturally finding sanctuary insecure, enclosed spaces, likecrates. Crate training, oftenused to help with housetrain-ing since dogs typically will notsoil their sleeping area, takesadvantage of your dog’sinstinct to seek a den for safe-ty. By crate training your dog,you will teach her an indispen-sable skill for a variety of situ-ations, including emergencies,
a day at the groomer or veteri-nary hospital, or evenovernights at a boarding facili-ty or friend’s house.
Begin by acquiring the rightsize crate. You will need a cratethat allows your dog to com-fortably stand, turn around,and lie down. If you have apuppy, take into considerationwhat size she will be when sheis fully grown. If your crate islarger than what your puppyinitially needs, you can make itsmaller by blocking off theback with an empty box. Thecrate should have soft beddingfor your little one and a waterbowl. Water bowls that attachto the side of the crate arehelpful in preventing spills.
The crate should always bea happy place. It should never
be used for punishment. Starttraining by having the crate inthe room where the familyrelaxes, and leave the dooropen for the dog to explore.Feed your dog in the crate andplace treats in and around it tocreate a positive association.Once your dog has entered thecrate and feels comfortableinside, shut the door for a fewseconds before opening itagain. Repeat this routinemany times randomly through-out the day when you arehome. If your dog does notappear anxious, you can startincreasing the length of timethe door is closed. Do not rushthe crate training process.Once your dog can spendapproximately 30 minutes inthe crate comfortably with the
door shut, begin leaving theroom for short increments oftime. Start with quick errands,no more than 30 to 60 minuteslong, and gradually work up toas long as four hours — pro-vided your dog seems com-fortable and happy. Remem-ber, four hours is as long asany adult dog can be cratedwithout a potty break (with theexception of dogs that sleep
through the night). Puppiesshould be crated for muchshorter amounts of time; ageneral guideline is a maxi-mum of one hour per onemonth of age.
Once your dog becomescomfortable with her crate, itcan come in handy in a varietyof situations. If you love totravel with your furry familymembers, many hotels allowpets to stay as long as they arecrate-trained. It is also a goodidea to crate your dog whileyou are driving. It gives her asafe place to relax in the carand allows you to focus on theroad.
Once your dog is crate-trained she will always have asafe, comfortable home awayfrom home.
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8-month-old Muffin Man is asweet little gentleman who wouldlove to keep you quiet companywhile you go for walks, work onyour computer, or maybe evensnuggle with you in your bed atnight. Muffin Man would make agreat little companion for a quiethome. We recommend a Small
Dog Manners or Wallflowersclass to help this little guy buildsome confidence and bond withhis new adopters. It is unknownwhether Muffin Man has previ-ous experience with children. Hecurrently weighs 16 pounds.
The adoption fee for adultdogs is $225 and includes 60% off
one 7-week dog training session.3-year-old Magnum will daz-
zle you with his outgoing person-ality and charm his way into yourheart. He likes attention from hispeople and really enjoys playingwith toys. It is unknown whetherMagnum has previous experiencewith children. He is suitable for a
first time cat guardian.All adult cats (6 months or
older) are FREE through April 30as part of ARF’s “Pick Me!” pro-motion.
Meet your forever friend atTony La Russa’s Animal RescueFoundation, 2890 Mitchell Drive,Walnut Creek, during adoptionhours: Noon to 5 pm. Wednesday,3 to 7 pm. Thursday and Friday,Noon to 5 pm. Saturday and Sun-day. The primary caretaker mustbe present to adopt. ARF alsoencourages kids 16 and youngerand canine family members (dogadoptions only) to be present dur-ing the adoption process.
Would you like to be part of theheroic team that saves the lives of res-cued dogs and cats? Can you share yourtalents to connect people and animals?ARF volunteers are making a differ-ence! For more information see our web-site, www.arf.net, or call925.256.1ARF.
Muffin Man and Magnum are ARF’s stars
MUFFIN MAN MAGNUM
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Pooch finds safety and security in crate
Elena Bicker is the Executive Directorof Tony La Russa’s Animal RescueFoundation. She can be reached at (925)256-1ARF (1273)
ELENA BICKER
PET PALS
First words on magical journeysBook Review
CYNTHIA GREGORY
FOR THE BOOKS
Cynthia Gregory writes bookreviews, award-winning short storiesand a blog. Visit her blog at PersephonesStepSisters.Wordpress.comor send email to her at [email protected]
IN CLAYTONTThhrruu AApprr.. 1122““NNiigghhtt ooff JJaannuuaarryy 1166tthh””A tense and humorous courtroom drama depicting a murder trial.Jury picked from the audience. Is she guilty of murder or not?Clayton Theatre Company, Endeavor Hall, 6008 Center St., Clayton.$18-$20. claytontheatrecompany.com. 222-9106.
AApprr.. 2266CCllaayyttoonn CClleeaannss UUppHonor Earth Day with a town spring cleaning. Help pick up trash,pull weeds and share in community spirit. A great activity for clubs,school or a family outing. Meet at City Hall at 9 a.m., T-shirt, glovesand garbage bags provided. Barbecue at 11:30 a.m. Sponsored bythe Clayton Pioneer and the city of Clayton with generous donationsfrom Republic Services, the CBCA and many local merchants.Clayton City Hall, 6000 Heritage Trail. Clayton Pioneer, 672-0500.
AApprr.. 2266 –– 2277CCllaayyttoonn GGaarrddeennss TToouurrSix beautiful gardens on self-guided tour. Benefits Clayton HistoricalSociety. 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Starts at Clayton Museum, 6101 Main St.$30. claytonhistory.org. 672-0240.
MMaayy 1199GGoollff TToouurrnnaammeennttClayton Business and Community Association’s Clayton Classic. 10a.m. – 8 p.m. Oakhurst Country Club, 1001 Peacock Creek Drive,Clayton. Contact [email protected] or 672-2272.
IN CONCORDTTuueessddaayyss FFaarrmmeerrss’’ MMaarrkkeettTuesdays year round, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Todos Santos Plaza, down-town Concord. cityofconcord.org.
AApprr.. 1166CCoommmmuunniittyy BBlloooodd DDrriivveeSponsored by Associated Students Inc. of Cal State East Bay. 1 – 7p.m. Redwood Room, Concord Campus, 4700 Ygnacio Valley Road.Contact Ellen Griffith to register at [email protected].
ON THE MOUNTAINMount Diablo Interpretive Association programs listed are free withthe exception of park entrance fee. Go to mdia.org and click onEvents Calendar for more information.
AApprr.. 1188RRoouunndd tthhee MMoouunnttaaiinn HHiikkeeViews in all directions. Pass through burnt areas. Wildflowers shouldbe abundant. 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Meet at Juniper Camp Trailhead.
AApprr.. 1199BBuutttteerrffllyy WWaallkkWalk up Donner Canyon and return via Tickwood and Back CreekTrails looking for butterflies and flowers. 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Meet atend of Regency Drive. Registration required.
AApprr.. 2200HHiikkeeSycamore Canyon and Knobcone Point hike. Expansive views. Passthrough burnt areas. Wildflowers should be abundant. 10 a.m. – 3p.m. Meet at Curry Point Trailhead.
AApprr.. 2266 –– 2277CCeelleebbrraattee oonn tthhee MMoouunnttaaiinnCommemorate the 150th anniversary of California State Parks andcelebrate the 40th anniversary of the Mount Diablo InterpretiveAssociation. Explore Mount Diablo at five park locations, go onhikes, see demonstrations and presentations, visit activity booths.10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Cake at the Summit on Saturday at 3 p.m. Freeadmission; $10 park entrance fee. Go to mdia.org for more infor-mation. Contact [email protected] to volunteer.
Save Mount Diablo programs listed are free unless otherwise noted.Go to savemountdiablo.org and click on Activities/Guided Hikes formore information. 947-3535.AApprr.. 1199
DDiiaabblloo TTrraaiillss CChhaalllleennggeeRaces: 5K, 10K, half marathon, 50K. Fundraiser run for SaveMount Diablo hosted by Brazen Racing. Starting at 7 a.m. Racesbegin and end at Castle Rock Recreation Area, 1700 Castle RockRoad, Walnut Creek. Registration required.
AApprr.. 3300SSttuuddeenntt PPhhoottoo CCoonntteessttContest for students kindergarten through grade 12 of Alamedaand Contra Costa Counties. Submit photo of one of eligible Diabloparks that shows why the student enjoys the land and thinks itshould be protected. Due Apr. 30. savemountdiablocontest.com.
EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENTTThhrruu AApprr.. 2200““LLeess MMiisseerraabblleess””Treasured tale about the survival of the human spirit. Performed bythe Contra Costa Musical Theatre. Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $44-$57. ccmt.org.
TThhrruu AApprr.. 2266““SSlleeuutthh””One of the best stage thrillers of all time. Performed by Center REP.Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $33-$54.centerrep.org.
AApprr.. 1133TTaappeessttrryyMusical journey from Rodgers and Hammerstein to The Beatles. 4p.m. Clayton Valley Presbyterian, 1578 Kirker Pass Road, Clayton.Free will donation. tapestryringersandsingers.org.
AApprr.. 1177 –– MMaayy 1111““TThhee RReeaall HHoouusseewwiivveess ooff WWaallnnuutt CCrreeeekk:: TThhee MMuussiiccaall””Secrets, lies and betrayal are at the center of this hilarious rompinspired by the infamous reality series. Lesher Center for the Arts,1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $25-$41. centerrep.org.
AApprr.. 2266DDeevviill MMoouunnttaaiinn DDoouubbllee CCeennttuurryy BBiikkee RRiiddeeStarts and ends in San Ramon, traveling up Mount Diablo and alongMorgan Territory Road. quackcyclists.com.
AApprr.. 2266FFaammiillyy EEaarrtthh DDaayy CCeelleebbrraattiioonnTour of Mt. Diablo Recycling’s facility, interactive recycling lesson,games, crafts. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. or 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. 1300 LoveridgeRoad, Pittsburg. Free. Reservations required. Contact Adriana Medinaat [email protected] or 771-2721.
AApprr.. 2266PPiinnkk FFllooyydd CCoonncceerrtt EExxppeerriieenncceeThe ultimate Pink Floyd tribute show starring House of Floyd. 8 p.m.Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $40-$45.lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.
AApprr.. 2266,, 2288““TThhee EEmmppeerroorr ooff AAttllaannttiiss”” aanndd ““AAnnootthheerr SSuunnrriissee””Presented by Festival Opera. Mt. Diablo Unitarian UniversalistChurch, 55 Eckley Lane, Walnut Creek. $35. festivalopera.org.
AApprr.. 2277CCoommee TTooggeetthheerr:: TThhee BBeeaattlleess CCoonncceerrtt EExxppeerriieenncceeRecreating the look, sound and history of The Beatles. 3 p.m. LesherCenter for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $40-$45. lesher-artscenter.org. 943-7469.
AApprr.. 2277TTrriibbuuttee ttoo PPaattssyy CClliinneePerformed by Joni Morris. 3 p.m. El Campanil Theatre, 602 W.Second St., Antioch. $25-$27. elcampaniltheatre.com.
MMaayy 11 –– 44““CCiinnddeerreellllaa””Everyone needs a fairy godmother. Presented by the Fantasy ForumActors Ensemble. Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., WalnutCreek. $14. fantasyforum.org.
MMaayy 22 –– 33““SSwwaann LLaakkee””This opulent ballet casts a haunting innocence on the passion ofundying love. 7:30 p.m. Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr.,Walnut Creek. $20-$35. contracostaballet.org.
MMaayy 44AA RRuussssiiaann SSppeeccttaaccuullaarrPresented by California Symphony. 4 p.m. Lesher Center for the Arts,1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $15-$65. californiasymphony.org.
CHURCHES AND RELIGIONAApprr.. 2277BBooookk DDiissccuussssiioonn aanndd PPoottlluucckkDr. Herman Waetjen leads discussion of “Zealot: The Life and Timesof Jesus of Nazareth.” Come for both or discussion only. Open to thepublic. 12 – 1:30 p.m. Clayton Valley Presbyterian Church, 1578Kirker Pass Road, Clayton. cvpresby.org. 672-4848.
FUNDRAISERSAApprr.. 2266FFeessttiivvaall ooff TTaabblleess aanndd FFaasshhiioonnFashion by Chico’s. Lunch by La Veranda. Proceeds go to selectcharities and scholarships supported by Clayton Valley Woman’sClub. 11 a.m. Concord United Methodist Church, 1645 West St.,Concord. $40. Contact Rosemary Harwood 672-3490. claytonvalley-womansclub.org.
AT THE LIBRARYThe Clayton Library is at 6125 Clayton Road. Programs are freeunless otherwise noted. claytonlibrary.org or 673-0659.
TTuueessddaayyss TThhrruu MMaayy 1133PPaattttyy CCaakkeessStory time for babies to 3-year-olds. Child attends with caregiver. 11 a.m.
WWeeddnneessddaayyssBBooookk BBuuddddiieessA volunteer will read stories for children 3 and older. 2 - 3 p.m. Callin advance.
TThhuurrssddaayyss TThhrruu MMaayy 88PPiiccttuurree BBooookk TTiimmeeStory time for 3- to 5-year-olds. Child may attend without caregiver.11 a.m.
TThhrruu AApprr.. 3300SSttuuddeenntt EExxhhiibbiittDanish students in fourth and fifth grade tell about their country.
AApprr.. 1111 -- 1133UUsseedd BBooookk SSaalleeMost books $1. Most children’s books $.50. Fri. 4 – 7 p.m. memberspreview. Sat. 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Sun. 12 – 4 p.m. half price. 2 – 4p.m. $3/bag; bag provided.
AApprr.. 1144CCllaayyttoonn LLiibbrraarryy BBooookk CClluubbSunny Solomon leads the discussion of “Me Before You” by JojoMoyes. Open to anyone who would like to join. 7 p.m.
AApprr.. 1166““DDaauugghhtteerr CCeellll””How far can you genetically alter someone before she becomessomeone else? Talk and reading with author Jay Hartlove. 7 p.m.
AApprr.. 1177CCeelleebbrraattee EEaarrtthh DDaayyCrafts and fun for children. Preschool age through fifth grade. 4 – 5p.m. Registration required.
AApprr.. 1199AACCTT//SSAATT PPrraaccttiiccee TTeesstt Kaplan administers practice test. 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Apr. 30 is afollow up meeting with parents and students from 7 – 9 p.m. Registerat ccclib.org.
The Concord Library is at 2900 Salvio St. ccclib.org or 646-5455.
FFrriiddaayy aanndd SSaattuurrddaayyss tthhrruu AApprr.. 1144Free income tax assistance from AARP to low and middle-incomepeople. Appointment required.
AApprr.. 1122CCoommppuutteerrss aanndd TTeecchhnnoollooggyyIf you need help with your mouse, come to our house. Drop-in assis-tance to learn how to use computers, smart phones and tablets. 12 -2 p.m. Additional dates and times offered. Check library calendar.
AApprr.. 2266 –– 2277BBooookk SSaalleeHardcovers $1. Paperbacks $.50. Children’s books $.25-$.50. Sat.10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sun. 1 – 4 p.m. $3/bag.
GOVERNMENT11sstt aanndd 33rrdd TTuueessddaayyssCCllaayyttoonn CCiittyy CCoouunncciill7 p.m. Hoyer Hall, Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road. 673-7304or ci.clayton.ca.us.
22nndd aanndd 44tthh TTuueessddaayyssCCllaayyttoonn PPllaannnniinngg CCoommmmiissssiioonn7 p.m., Hoyer Hall, Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road. 673-7304or ci.clayton.ca.us.
11sstt,, 22nndd aanndd 44tthh TTuueessddaayyssCCoonnccoorrdd CCiittyy CCoouunncciill6:30 p.m., Council Chamber, Concord Civic Center, 1950 ParksideDr. cityofconcord.org.
Clayton Community CalendarPLEASE SUBMIT YOUR CLAYTON COMMUNITY CALENDAR EVENTS BY 5 P.M. APRIL 16 FOR THE APRIL 25 ISSUE. ITEMS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY EMAIL TO [email protected]
Page 14 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com April 11, 2014
5554 Clayton Rd., Concord (in the CC Farm Bureau building)
(925) 524-0295
For more information, go toEternalLifeLutheranChurch.org
For more information, go toEternalLifeLutheranChurch.org
Christ has indeed been raised from the dead.
Join us this Easter
Christ has indeed been raised from the dead.
Join us this Easter
Good FridayApril 18
Worship 7 PM
Good FridayApril 18
Worship 7 PM
EasterSunday,April 20
Breakfast 9:30 AM
Festival worship11:15 PM
EasterSunday,April 20
Breakfast 9:30 AM
Festival worship11:15 PM
St. Bonaventure Catholic Community
HOLY THURSDAY- April 17Morning Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9:00 a.m.Mass of the Lord’s Supper: Bi-lingual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7:30 p.m.
GOOD FRIDAY – April 18Morning Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9:00 a.m.Stations of the Cross in the Garden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11:00 a.m.“Walking with Jesus to the Cross”- Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12:15 p.m.Passion of the Lord - Church (English) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3:00 p.m.
Church (Spanish) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6:30 p.m.Parish Hall (English) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7:30 p.m.
HOLY SATURDAY - April 19Morning Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9:00 a.m.Easter Vigil in the Holy Night: (Bi-lingual) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7:30 p.m.
EASTER SUNDAY: The Resurrection of the Lord - April 20English Masses: Church, 7:00 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m.English Masses: Parish Hall, 9:15 a.m., 11:15 a.m.Spanish Mass: Church, 12:45 p.m.
No 5:00 p.m. Mass on Easter
5562 Clayton Rd.Concord
(925) 672-5800
EEssttaattee aanndd TTaaxx PPllaannnniinngg 110011“What you don’t know can hurt you.”
Thursday, April 17, 20146:30 - 8:00 PM
Walnut Creek Office
IIRRAA BBeenneeffiicciiaarryy TTrruussttss“How to Stretch out Payments and
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Wednesday, May 21, 20146:30 - 8:00 PM
Walnut Creek Office
Call to RSVP (925) 432-4211Or send email to [email protected]
Space is LimitedRReeffrreesshhmmeennttss sseerrvveedd
LITTORNO LAW GROUPUpcoming Seminars
Walnut Creek Office:3100 Oak Road, #100
Walnut Creek CA 94597
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Pittsburg CA 94565
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www.LittornoLaw.com
Part of the cabbage family,bok choy is a versatile leafygreen with crunchy white stalksand tender, dark green leaves. Ithas a light, slightly sweet flavorand crisp texture. In the past, itwas used mostly in Asian cook-ing – soups, stir-fry, and other
dishes – but it is now readilyavailable and used widely in avariety of Western dishes. At thefarmers’ market you will find thestandard large bok (about thesize of a head of leafy lettuce)and a smaller, more tender babybok choy that would fit in thepalm of your hand.
When purchasing bok choy,select stalks that are pure white
and firm. Additionally, look forleaves that are dark green andnon-wilted. Do not select bokchoy that has any brown spotson its leaves, as this type of bokchoy is less flavorful. Look for aplant with firm stalks that is freeof brown spots. Wrapped inpaper towels and stored in thevegetable crisper section of therefrigerator, bok choy shouldkeep for up to a week.
You can stir-fry, steam,microwave, or eat raw. You caneven roast it with other vegeta-bles like onions and mush-rooms. Use as a side dish or addto soups and stews. One halfcup of raw bok choy, which isapproximately 56 grams, con-tains only 10 calories.Additionally, bok choy containsno fat or cholesterol and is agood source of calcium. It isalso low in sodium and high invitamins C and A.
WARM BOK CHOY SALAD
4 heads baby bok choy,chopped into large pieces
2 Tbsp. olive oil1 inch piece fresh ginger,
chopped fine3 garlic cloves, minced2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar4 Tbsp. toasted almond sliv-
ersSalt and fresh pepper, to
taste
In a wok or skillet, heat 1Tbsp. of olive oil. Add the gin-ger and garlic and sauté for aminute. Add the bok choy andstir fry over medium heat till thestalks are tender and the leavesare wilted. Remove from heat.
In a small bowl, whisktogether the remaining olive oil,balsamic vinegar and seasoning.Pour over the cooked bok choyand sprinkle the toasted almondslivers. Your salad is ready to beserved warm.
There’s something utterlyunglamorous about a laundryroom. It’s a room where dirtyclothes are collected, cleanclothes are folded, and some-times, where the tedious act ofironing takes place. Sadly, thelaundry room has built up a dulland boring reputation over theyears, with its known rap sheetof monotonous activities. Onthe “fresh spring breeze” side ofthings, with a little thoughtfuldécor and planning, the laundryroom can be transformed into aspace that is cheerful, function-al, and perhaps, a space you mayeven want to spend some quali-ty time.
Here are some ideas to cre-ate the perfect wash-dry-foldexperience.
FESTIVE STORAGE
The laundry room is morethan just a room dedicated tolaundering. For most of us, it’salso a catch-all space for thestorage of cleaning supplies, amud room, a warm and cozyroom for the pets when its rain-ing outside, and even a partyprep space to hide the surprise
birthday cake. The laundryroom needs to have ample andunique storage and staging spaceto suite its many needs.Consider upper cabinetry withwire mesh or glass inserts togive your space some visualdepth. A series of cubbies oneither side of your washer anddryer fabricated from modularcabinet boxes (less the cabinetdoors) might be useful for dryersheets, bleach, detergent, oreven adding just a tad of pre-cious counter space. Or, try
thoughtful placement of hooksor a decorative peg board tohang cleaning tools, or bins tostore laundering supplies — oranything else that winds up inthe laundry room.
HAPPY COLORS
Secretly, you may aspire tohave the whitest-of-white-whites on your block, but thatdoesn’t mean your laundry roomhas to have bleached walls.Think color. Try sunshine-yel-low walls with a bright cobalt-
blue washer and dryer set, ablack brick floor, and a collec-tion of vintage laundering tinposters. Consider an orange-col-ored washer and dryer set, withcontrasting turquoise walls and agray tiled floor to look likereclaimed wood. Or, how abouta black washer and dryer set,with metallic silver walls, a shim-mery ivory fleur-de-lys stencil,and a mini crystal chandeliercentered above the work space.Sterile and bland? No way. Thelaundry room may not be asuper fun space to spend time,but the color and décor doesn’thave to reflect the laundryroom’s reputation.
LOCATION, LOCATION,LOCATION
Whether your laundry roomis more of a “designated area”within your garage, an extra-deep closet in your bedroomhallway, or an actual roomsomewhere within your home,every laundry space has its ownspecial charm. Sometimes thischarm is obvious and easy towork with; sometimes, thischarm must be dug up and cre-ated. Using storage creatively,incorporating cheerful or sleekcolors, and having some funwith accessories and lighting willtake your laundry room fromboring to a space that invigor-ates your inner designer. Yes,we’re still talking about the laun-dry room.
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$43.99++ Adults • $22.99++ Children (ages 4-12)For reservations, please contact (925) 672-9737 ext. 217 | [email protected]
1001 Peacock Creek Drive, Clayton, CA | www.oakhurstcc.com
If you’re looking for place to go for a delicious Easter Sunday Brunch, come celebrate the holiday with your friends and family at Oakhurst Country Club. Ring in springtime with a delectable selection of food, drink, and beautiful surroundings.
There will also be a Petting Zoo, an Easter Egg hunt, and pictures with the Easter Bunny for the kids.
Check out our website, review our performance statistics, and then give The Torrey Team a call for
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April 11, 2014 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 15
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Lighten up your laundry room
Jennifer Leischer is the owner ofJ. Designs Interior Design based inClayton. Contact her with questions,comments and suggestions [email protected].
Spice up meals with sweet, crispy bok choy DEBRA J. MORRIS
Pacific Coast Farmers Market
THINK BEYOND WHITE WHEN CHOOSING COLORS for your laundry.Bright colors give snap to even plain white appliances.
Diablo Theatre Companywill not be presenting a musicalseason next year at the LesherCenter for the Arts in WalnutCreek. The company, who justclosed their 54th season with“Guys and Dolls” and inJanuary were honored with sixShellie Awards includingOutstanding MusicalProduction for “Singin’ in theRain,” can no longer afford toproduce main stage musicals atthe Lesher Center.
“It was a banner year for usand we are very saddened to
announce that we will not have a2014-15 season at the LesherCenter. The costs of producingmain stage shows at the LesherCenter have escalated beyondour resources, compelling us totake a year off to retool andevaluate options,” states SherryCaraballo Dorfman, BoardPresident. She continues, “Wehope to produce on a main stageagain in 2015-16.”
DTC began modestly in thelate 1950s with a small group ofmusical theater fans who wantedto produce their favorite Gilbert
and Sullivan operettas. Callingthemselves Diablo Light OperaCompany (DLOC), thefounders presented shows atWalnut Creek’s old Civic ArtsCenter, a converted walnut-shelling house. When Walnut
Creek opened its state-of-the-artperformance venue, the LesherCenter for the Arts, in 1990,DLOC became one of itsanchor tenants and beganmounting large-scale musicalproductions in the 785-seat
Hofmann Theatre. On its 50thanniversary, the companychanged its name to DiabloTheatre Company.
The company will be launch-ing a “Back to the Main Stage”fundraiser in hopes to raise
enough money to begin produc-ing large-scale musicals again.
To make a donation or for moreinformation, please visit their websiteat: www.diablotheatre.org.
Diablo Theatre Company takes a year off to ‘retool’Performing Arts
The Story of Indie RockIcon Kristin Hershcomes to the Stage
The Story of Indie RockIcon Kristin Hershcomes to the Stage
Kristin Hersh’s
EEXXIITT TThheeaattrree, 156 Eddy St., S.F. (Two blocks from Powell St. BART)
Adapted to the stage by Stuart BouselThur., Fri., Sat., 8:00 pm. May 1-24, Tickets $15
Diablo Ballet concludes itslandmark 20th 2013-14Season at the Shadelands ArtsCenter Auditorium in WalnutCreek on May 9 and withGreat Masters, featuring ValCaniparoli's passionate duet,“Fade to Black,” set to thelegendary songs of NinaSimone.
The duet, demonstratesfireworks between a couple ina sassy, sultry and rough-lovedance work.
Also on the program isGeorge Balanchine’s celebra-tory Concert Version of
“Who Cares?” set to theBroadway music of GeorgeGershwin. This joyful balletbrings to the stage the exuber-ance of city life through swiftgroup dances and dreamyduets.
Performances are May 9 at8 p.m. and May 10 at 2 and 8p.m. at the Shadelands ArtsCenter Auditorium, 111 N.Wiget Lane, Walnut Creek,CA 94598 .
Purchase tickets online atwww.DiabloBallet.org or by calling(925) 943-1775
Fantasy Forum closes seasonwith hilarious ‘Cinderella’
A.C.T. presents haunting,musical ‘Suit’
Diablo Ballet wraps up seasonwith ‘Great Masters’
“Cinderella,” the romanticstory of a girl’s dream to findher true love comes to theMargaret Lesher stage at theLesher Center next month whenFantasy Forum Ensemble closestheir 41st season.
In this adaptation with origi-nal music by Florence Denison,Cinderella’s wicked stepsistersmake a hilarious attempt tomarry the prince. With helpfrom the audience, Cinderella’sfairy godmother does makedreams come true. This is anoriginal family friendly musical
that encourages audience partic-ipation from all ages.
The show runs May 1-4 withseveral performances each day.
For performance times andticket info call (925) 943-SHOW(7469), or go to www.lesher-center.org, or buy in person atthe Lesher Center for the ArtsTicket Office located at 1601Civic Drive, Walnut Creek orfrom the ticket office at Barnes& Noble in Walnut Creek.
Go to www.fantasyforum.org formore information on Fantasy ForumActors Ensemble.
Fantasy Forum Actors Ensemble
IN THIS ORIGINAL FANTASY FORUM ADAPTATION of “Cinderella,”the Fairy Godmother turns to the audience for help.
Pittsburg CommunityTheatre will ask “who dunnit?”as it presents Agatha’s Christie’s“The Mousetrap.” Directed byRoberta Tibbetts and featuringPCT’s founder Betty Brown,this classic mystery will have youguessing to the very end.
The story surrounds a groupof strangers who are stranded ina boarding house during a snowstorm, one of whom is a mur-derer. The suspects include thenewly married couple who runthe house, and the suspicionsthat are in their minds nearlywreck their perfect marriage.Others are a spinster with a curi-ous background, an architect
who seems better equipped tobe a chef, a retired Army major,a strange little man who claimshis car has overturned in a drift,and a jurist who makes life mis-erable for everyone. Into theirmidst comes a policeman, trav-eling on skis. He no soonerarrives, than the jurist is killed.
Performed at the newly renovatedCalifornia Theatre, the show is sched-uled over Mother’s Day weekend May9 and 10 at 8 p.m. and May 10 and11 at 2 p.m. For tickets, call or visitthe box office at 351 Railroad Ave.(925-427-1047) Tuesday throughFriday from noon to 5 p.m. or visitwww.pittsburgcaliforniatheatre.com.
Ron Llenado Photography.
‘THE MOUSETRAP,’ AGATHA CHRISTIE’S famous mystery, opens atthe California Theater in Pittsburg on May 9.
Meet Joanne, Penny, Babette,Beezus, and Lulu, “The RealHousewives of Walnut Creek.”They are the ladies who have itall. Or do they? Secrets, lies andbetrayal are flowing as quickly asmartinis at 1515 in the latestoffering of Center RepertoryCompany’s Off Center Series,“The Real Housewives ofWalnut Creek: The Musical.” Itruns April 17 through May 11 inthe Stage 3 theater at the LesherCenter for the Arts in WalnutCreek.
A World Premiere new musi-cal by Molly Bell, who wasrecently starred in “SweetCharity” last season at CenterREP, this hilarious romp isinspired by the infamous realityseries. Set to a rockin’ score, thenew musical explores the under-side of climbing the social lad-der and staying ahead of thepack.
“Molly Bell wowed us with‘Becoming Britney’ and showedshe has a great comedic gift forcultural observation,” saysCenter REP Artistic DirectorMichael Butler. “And as asinger/dancer/actor, she alwaysdelivers a powerhouse perform-ance. I can’t wait to see her takeon this!”
All performances will be held atthe Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. For moreinformation or to purchase tickets,please call 925-943-SHOW or visitwww.centerrep.org.
CenterREP disheson Walnut Creek’sdesperate housewives
Get caught in ‘The Mousetrap’
From legendary theatricalinnovators Peter Brook, Marie-Hélène Estienne, and FranckKrawczyk, AmericanConservatory Theater (A.C.T.)presents the internationallyacclaimed music-infused pro-duction, “The Suit,” April 23through May 18.
Fresh from sold-out runs inNew York, Paris, and London,“The Suit” is a tragic tale ofbetrayal and resentment adaptedfrom the short story of thesame name by South Africanwriter, Can Themba. When ahusband catches his beautifulwife in the arms of her lover,the lover flees — but leaves hissuit behind. As her penance, thehusband makes his wife “treatthe suit as an honored guest,” toaccompany her wherever shegoes. From the dinner table towalks around the neighborhood,the suit becomes a whimsical yetcruel reminder of her infidelity.
Traditional African melodies
interweave with jazz standardsto underscore this simple yetsurprising tale, set in Apartheid-era Johannesburg. Reminiscentof “The Scarlet Letter” andoverflowing with the sameinventiveness as “TheOvercoat” and “BriefEncounter,” “The Suit” featuresinnovative staging that inte-grates virtuosic musiciansdirectly into the action, makingBrook’s haunting production ofthis heartbreaking fable sing.
“The Suit” will perform atA.C.T.’s Geary Theater , 415 GearyStreet, San Francisco. Tickets ($20 -$120) are on sale now and may bepurchased online at act-sf.org or bycalling 415.749.2228.
Tiffany Bertolami-Fong and Michael Malerba
ROSSELYN RAMIREZ dances in “Great Masters” presented byDiablo Ballet May 8-10.
Page 16 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com April 11, 2014
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Available this Spring at Navlet’s Garden Centers: World’s Hottest Chili Peppers
Navlet’s Garden Centers 2014 line up of pep-per plants features some of the hottest chili pep-pers in the world.
Gardeners seeking to spice up their cuisine willhave no problem turning up the heat this springwith Navlet’s scorching selection.
Just how pungent are Navlet’s peppers? Theanswer lies in the Scoville Scale, the most widelyused and respected test for heat in spicy foods to
date. Back in 1912, American pharmacist WilburScoville developed a method for measuring theheat unit of a given pepper by its level of cap-saicin, the compound that puts the “hot” in hotpepper.
The hottest of the hot are the TrinidadScorpion Moruga, Trinidad Butch “T” and BhutGhost Red, with ratings that range from one totwo million Scoville heat units. That is well over400 times hotter than tabasco sauce.
Other popular varieties include the CaribbeanRed Hot, Fatalii, Habanero and Thai Hot. All areguaranteed to satisfy the most fervent heat seekers.
Navlet’s four East Bay stores will carry overfifty different pepper varieties throughout thespring season. That includes the Red Savina, aHabanero chili pepper available exclusively atNavlet’s. Selectively bred by a grower in SouthernCalifornia to produce more pungent and robustfruit, the Red Savina reigned as the GuinnessBook of World Records’ hottest chili from 1994until 2006, when it lost its title to the GhostPepper.
Mild pepper varieties, such as Bell Peppers andthe Sweet Banana, round out Navlet’s selection.Availability will vary weekly.
As Buzz Bertolero, the one and only DirtGardener and executive vice president of Navlet’s,
says, “Variety is the spice of life. Our big, boldselection of peppers allows our customers theopportunity to try out new varieties and new fla-vors.” For more information, go to navletsgardens.com.
It’s time to stock up on somefavorite books. The ClaytonCommunity LibraryFoundation’s (CCLF) SpringUsed Book Sale will be held from10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on SaturdayApril 12, and from noon to 4p.m. on Sunday, April 13, at theClayton Community Library.
Most books are $1, with chil-dren’s books 50cents. There willbe a half-price and $3-a-bag spe-cial on Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m.
There will be a Member’sOnly preview on Friday, April11 , from 4 to 7 p.m.Memberships can be purchasedat the door. The cost for an indi-vidual is $10, a FamilyMembership is $15, andContributing Member is $30.
Used book sales are CCLF’smajor fundraiser, bringing inbetween $14,000 and $16,000each year. Our other majorsource of income is membership
dues. CCLF gives a minimum of$25,000 each year to the libraryfor materials, programs, furnitureand volunteer services.
We are encouraging every-one to donate books they haveread, especially recent publica-tions. Many of our good quali-ty donations find themselves onthe shelves.
The Clayton Community Libraryis located at 6125 Clayton Rd.
Used book sale benefits libraryRed Savina Habanero
April 11, 2014 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 17
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Chews Salvia Hot Lips is ClaytonValley’s longest blooming, sun-loving perennial. It’s only thebeginning of April, and thissage is already in full bloom,much to the delight of hum-mingbirds everywhere.
The flowers of Salvia HotLips are red, bi-color red\whiteand solid white. All colors canbe in show on the plant at thesame time. The airy, thinbranches are lined with stacksof the colorful display. Theflowers are two-lipped shaped,creating the perfect throat forthe long tongue of humming-birds.
This perennial is an ever-green, but performs betterwhen pruned hard in February,
the end of May and the middleof September. February’s prun-ing will be the deepest. It willbe difficult for some gardenlovers to make the necessarycuts. If Salvia Hot Lips is left togrow on its own, it may reachfour-feet tall and wide, and losesome of its density in theprocess. Not to worry though,if you have let your Salvia HotLips go, prune hard wheneveryou can and it’ll grow back, fab-ulous.
Salvia Hot Lips thrives infull sun. At least six hours ofsun is needed for bloom. SalviaHot Lips looks great at two- tothree-feet tall and wide. Itgrows round in nature, so allowenough width for it to shine.Salvia Hot Lips is worthy ofboth landscape and containersituations. That says a lot forthe versatility of this perennial.
Within a landscape, SalviaHot Lips can hold its own visu-ally among evergreen and otherfoundation shrubs and trees. Itcan be used as the flower-power of a landscape. MixSalvia Hot Lips in with yourCrape Myrtle, Lavender, IndianHawthorn, Lantana, Flax orCeanothus.
Some may consider usingSalvia Hot Lips in a largeplanter, urn or wine barrel. Thehardiness and flower- power ofthe Salvia Hot Lips makes it agreat centerpiece to a containerplanting. Surround the base ofthe Salvia Hot Lips with cas-cading, flowering plants. Forspring and summer cascadingflowers consider using MillionBells, Petchoa, Verbena orLobelia. When the summerblooming cascading plant’sflowers start to fade, supple-ment some winter color in yourcontainer.
Pansies, Snapdragons andStock will flower from Octoberthrough March. Squeeze cell-packs in to the planter alongthe summer bloomers. Theywill co-exist and cycle in andout of bloom.
Salvia Hot Lips is a tough,Clayton Valley hardy shrub-likeperennial. It creates impactwith its constant bloom. It isdrought-tolerant, neat andhummingbird-friendly. It’salready blooming and will try toflower until pruned next year.
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Page 18 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com April 11, 2014
Love some Salvia Hot Lips
NICOLE HACKETT
GARDEN GIRL
Nicole is the Garden Girl at R&MPool, Patio, Gifts and Garden. Contacther with questions or comments [email protected]
SALVIA-HOT-LIPS