august issue
DESCRIPTION
Community NewsTRANSCRIPT
st1A Monthly Publication Delivered to Over 30,000 Residents
AUGUST 2010
ANNIVERSARY
COMMUNITY FOCUS
www.ourcommunityfocus.comPage 2 August 2010
What was Your Best Vacation Ever?HEARD ON THE STREET
“Going to Washington D.C. was my fa-vorite trip because I got to go out of state. My brother Daniel won a writing contest and the prize was a D.C. trip. Our whole family got to go!”-Sean Rigley
“Oh gosh, my best vacation was taking a cruise to the Caribbean with my family.”-Dylan Carroll
“An Inland Passage cruise to Alaska with my husband was my favorite vacation because it was my last vacation I was able to spend with my husband. He passed away a year later.”-Jane Fuentes (Betsy Ross)
“ Going on day trips locally and finding all the neat places. There are so many fun things to do around the Bay Area.” -The Rinn Family
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August 2010 8/6 - Ambassador Meeting7:45 am-9am PH City Hall- Large Community Room 8/6 - No Brown Bag Lunch for July 8/10 - Ambassador Luncheon11:45a-1:00p, La Tapatia 1802 Willow Pass Road, ConcordRSVP: [email protected] 8/11 - Ribbon Cutting 5-7pm, Classical Homeopathy 5:00p – 7:00p, 43 Quail Court, #103, WCRSVP: [email protected] 8/18 - August Mixer5:30-7:30pm @ JACK’S Restaurant & Bar, 68 Crescent RSVP: [email protected] 8/19 - BOD Meeting7:45am – 9:00am Pleasant Hill City Hall- Large Community Room, 100 Gregory Lane
8/19 Ribbon Cutting5:30-8:00 Web Savvy Pleasant Hill Wine Merchants2685 Pleasant Hill Road, #D RSVP: [email protected] 8/21 - “Toast To Summer 2010” 6:00pm - 10:00pm Pleasant Hill City Hall*See details on back page 8/26 Ribbon Cutting5:00pm Maxine Chan. Altera Signa-ture Properties6635 Alhambra Ave. #100, Martinez 8/27 - “4th Challenged Golfers Club” Grayson Woods Golf Course, 400 Gregory Lane, PH Check in/Lunch 11:45/Tee Time 1pm. RSVP: [email protected] 8/30 - Green Committee3pm-5pm “Back Forty” 100 Coggins. 8/30 - GAC5pm-6pm “Back Forty” 100 Coggins,
Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce Schedule of Events
CALENDAR SPONSORED BY
Confirm schedule at www.pleasanthillchamber.com CHAMBER NEWS
Think of a warm summer evening. Imagine food that will make your taste buds go wild and wine from the finest vines. Throw in music that will get you singing and dancing by night’s end, and you’ve landed yourself at the City Hall Lake. On Saturday, August 21st, the Chamber of Commerce is planning a signature event that will feature all of the above and much more. Included will be a prime rib dinner from Tahoe Joe’s as well as the return of the martini
contest. So mark your calendars now and prepare for the event of the sum-mer! Part of the proceeds for this event will benefit the Pleasant Hill Com-munity Foundation which helps to support the Pleasant Hill community through its grants. For more information, contact the Chamber at: 674-0700. Or check the Chamber web site at www.pleasan-thillchamber.com.
A Toast to SummerBy Charley Daly, CEO, P.H. Chamber of Commerce
Blues and Brews Festival
www.ourcommunityfocus.comPage 4 August 2010
JULIE SAYS
By the time August rolls around, some of us are com-ing close to scraping the bottom of our summer entertain-ment idea barrels. If you’re in this boat, don’t despair, for I have come to the rescue with a special summer contest just for you. There is even a fabulous prize for the winner. Read on. Here is the challenge: Put together as many words as you can from the letters in “Pleasant Hill.” You may use the letters as many times as they actually appear in “Pleasant Hill” to come up with your word list. For example, in order to be acceptable, a word may have only one “e”, but may use the letter “a” twice and contain as many as three of the letter “l”. Sorry, but there are further rules. Each word must have at least three letters, so no “as” or “in”. Your list may not include words from George Carlin’s “The Seven Words You Can Never Say on TV” skit. Your words must be “real” words – no cheating with weird made-up spellings like “easi” or “tean.” I was not born yesterday and will not be fooled.
The official dictionary of the Pleasant Hill Sum-mer Word Contest is online at mydictionary.com. If you’re not sure about one or more of your words, go to the website and type it into the search bar at the top to check. It would be helpful, but not mandatory, to alpha-betize your list or at least group words by initial letter so it’s easier for me to check for (don’t even think about trying to get away with it) duplicates. Is this contest thrilling? Well, not really, but it is inexpensive (free!) and probably will not cause heat-stroke, an issue with many activities this time of year. As yet another plus, it might jumpstart the brains of you and your family members after what may have been an extended period of reduced activity. I will award the winner – the individual or group whose list contains the most acceptable words (see rules above) – a $50 gift card to Borders. Woo Hoo! (see headline above). Your entries must be received by August 20, 2010. In the unlikely event of a tie, one name from among the longest-list-submitters will be randomly drawn from an official paper bag with witnesses present. So what are you waiting for? To get you started, I’m going to give you two words as freebies – “pleas-ant” and “hill.” You’re welcome. Please e-mail questions, comments and/or your contest entries to [email protected]. P.S. I have more than 70 words so far. Don’t let me win my own gift card back.
Woo Hoo! A Summer Contest!By Julie Ross
Community FocusA Monthly Publication
Elena Hutslar – Publisher/Editor
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Pleasant Hill Market • Pleasant Hill City Hall
Pleasant Hill Senior Center • Pleasant Hill Library
Mt. Diablo YMCA • UPS – Virginia Hills, Mtz.
Chamber of Commerce (P.H. & Mtz.)
Pleasant Hill Rec and Park (Civic Dr. & Gregory Ln.)
Hyatt Summerfield Suites, Pleasant Hill
The Community Focus is available at the following locations:
Matthew C. Rinn, State Farm InsuranceThe Moulding Company
Tamura InsuranceJennifer L. Martin D.D.S.
Senior HelpersSport Clips
Pleasant Hill Recreation & Park DistrictHitchcock Realty
RKL BuildersDiablo Trophy and Awards
Aspire Pilates CenterUPS – Virginia Hills
Earth First CleaningSam Nisar, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Tahoe Joe’sHire My HusbandA Wee Change
Coldstone Creamery Downtown Pleasant Hill
Pleasant Hill Chamber of CommerceKobe Japan
Pacific Coast Farmers’ MarketCity of Pleasant Hill
Pacific Computer ConsultantsLand Home Financial Services, Inc.
Apollo ShuttleScott Floor to Ceiling
Dallimonti’sSmokin Okie’s
El TapatioMassés
Café MilanoBecky Xepoleas, Mary Kay
Sunflower Massage SpaAir Seal, Inc.
Matthew’s AAA, Inc.Home Expressions
McHale’s Environmental InsulationJim’s Auto GlassPayless PaintingChristies for Kids
Don & Norma Flaskerud - Re/Max CC Connection
CA Cancer Research InstituteGolden Foot Spa
THA
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YO
U A
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www.ourcommunityfocus.comAugust 2010 Page 5
This month marks our 1st an-niversary, and the Community Focus would like to thank the many writers and advertisers who have supported and believed in the paper along the way. We are grateful to the readers who have sent their good wishes and encouragement in addition to content ideas and story leads to help make our first year a success. We hope that you continue to play an active roll. The Focus continues to grow and change. Beginning in September, the paper will be delivered to ALL homes and businesses in Martinez, and our new, enhanced website is designed to be an informative and valuable resource for the community. We hope you will make it your computer
home page! We are indebted to our writers and columnists, many of whom have stuck with us since our launch last
August. Jessica Braverman, Contra Costa Humane Society (Lisa Myers, David Stegman and Chrissy Wilberg), Gina
Campo, Russell Carroll, Alison Clary, Charley Daly, Nicole Diestler, Tod Gomes, May Hanecak, Michael Harris, Rhoda Herald, Nathan Hitchcock, Jaki Jones, David Jordan, Doug Kaya, Adam Kondonijakos, Darrel Mitchell, Karen Mitchoff, Chuck Nan, Adam Nilsen, Julia Novak, Peter Paredero, Julie Ross, Denise Salamanca, Dun-can Sandiland, Lesley Stiles, Maria Terry, R.L. Tinker, Helena Vardas, Julia Wessels (Frugal Find), Jessie Wusthoff, Finally, we want to recognize Trish Heaney, our innovative and consum-mate graphic artist, for putting our vision on paper on time every month. And a huge thank you goes out to Debra Wilson and Sarah Birdwell who jump in smiling every time we ask.
Thank You to the Many Members of the Community Focus Family!
By The Publishers
• Julie Says ...................................................page 4• Real Estate Update ...................................page 6• Senior Envy ..............................................page 9• City Buzz ..................................................page 12
• Home Team ............................................. page 16-17 • Happy Hour Specials .............................. page 20 • Home Services Special Section ............... page 24 • Teen Scene ............................................... page 30
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www.ourcommunityfocus.comAugust 2010 Page 6
he most important thing to do before selling your home…
If you or a loved one is consider-ing selling a home, this article is for you. It’s very easy to get caught up in the excitement (and fear) of selling your home, so it’s very important that you stop, breathe, and make sure you are not rushing into things. I’m going to skip the obvious and self-serving advice of finding a great Realtor. While I do feel that this is an important thing to do, this article focuses on a much less obvious item that most homeowners unfortunately skip: having your home professionally inspected. With most home sales, the buyer writes their offer with no formal information on the home’s condi-tion, keeping their fingers crossed that nothing major will come up in the inspections. The result is numerous
sleepless nights for both the buyer and seller as they await the results. And if contentious issues do arise, which is typical, there are only a handful of outcomes that are likely, none of which will be very attractive to the seller: 1) The buyer outright cancels the escrow; 2) The buyer
demands that the seller repair the deficiencies; or 3) The buyer demands the purchase price to be reduced ac-cordingly. A much less stressful approach is to be proactive and have the home professionally inspected prior to putting it on the market. Any defi-
ciencies found can be repaired by the home-owner if desired, or just disclosed to be “as is” to
any prospective buyers. The inspec-tions may cost you a few hundred dollars, but the peace of mind that is gained by the buyer and seller is well worth the expense. Nathan Hitchcock is the managing broker of Hitchcock Realty, a residential real estate bro-kerage and property management firm in downtown Pleasant Hill. He can be reached at [email protected] or (925) 825-1100. Data contained herein was ob-tained from the CCAR Multiple Listing Service. Information is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed.
Pleasant Hill Real Estate UpdateBy Nathan Hitchcock
got rent? Are you a landlord who is sick and tired of….… chasing your tenants down for rent every month?… having to deal withmaintenance requests in themiddle of the night?… showing your home over and over again trying to !nd the perfect tenant?
24/7 On Call MaintenanceTenant Screening & PlacementRent Collection & Accounting
LOW RATES GUARANTEED!
(925) 825-1100 option 3www.hitchcockrealty.com
1928 Contra Costa BlvdPleasant Hill, CA 94523
Peter Paredero Sr. Mortgage ConsultantCell: 925-787-8746 Fax: [email protected]
1855 Gateway Blvd., Suite 140, Concord, CA 94520Not a commitment to lend. Dept of Real Estate, 916-227-0931. Equal Housing Opportunity Lender. Land/Home Financial Services Inc. DRE. #988341. NMLS #248082
Call Land/Home Today:
There’s Never Been a Better Time to Purchase or Refinance!
Local Mortgage Banker in Business Since 1988Always Competitve with Interest Rates and Loan FeesPersonalized Customer Service
Address Beds Baths Sq Ft Market Days List Price Sales Price Sales $/Sq Ft
RECENT PLEASANT HILL HOME SALES (6/1/2010 – 6/30/2010)
SINGLE FAMILY HOME2160 AHNEITA DR 3 1 1042 7 $325,000 $335,000 $321.50 458 ODIN DRIVE 3 2 1252 6 $339,900 $375,000 $299.52 172 HAZEL DR 3 1 1042 68 $398,900 $375,000 $359.88 284 NANCY LANE 3 1 1042 17 $380,000 $380,000 $364.68 101 DORIS 3 1 1042 9 $375,000 $383,000 $367.56 143 MARGIE DR 3 1 1052 72 $399,000 $399,000 $379.28 196 HAZEL DR 3 2 1514 43 $449,000 $420,000 $277.41 99 DORIS DR 3 1 1042 5 $425,000 $425,000 $407.87 164 ELDERWOOD DR 3 2 1423 10 $450,000 $440,000 $309.21 1853 ARDITH 3 2 1107 26 $429,000 $445,000 $401.99 705 SLATER AVENUE 3 2 1880 12 $459,900 $455,000 $242.02 506 PATTERSON BLVD 3 2 1569 9 $464,900 $460,000 $293.18 819 AUDREY CT 3 2 1521 14 $448,000 $470,000 $309.01 545 MAUREEN LN 4 2 1475 25 $494,000 $480,000 $325.42 25 GREENWOOD CT 3 2 1712 73 $519,000 $495,000 $289.14 517 MAUREEN LN 3 2 1597 7 $499,000 $500,000 $313.09 500 WESTOVER LANE 3 2 1400 29 $499,900 $500,000 $357.14 104 SAINT GERMAIN LN 3 2 2018 7 $549,000 $525,000 $260.16 155 JACKSON WAY 4 2 2053 9 $538,000 $540,000 $263.03 271 GLORIA DRIVE 4 2 2100 11 $565,000 $570,000 $271.43 7 DUFFY CT 4 2 1946 52 $578,000 $570,000 $292.91 173 LUELLA DR 4 2 2097 47 $586,000 $570,000 $271.82 35 SHETLAND LN 5 2 2903 12 $649,000 $615,000 $211.85 101 POSHARD ST 3 3 1987 25 $625,000 $616,000 $310.02 616 PASA TIEMPO CT 5 3 3094 37 $742,900 $714,900 $231.06 18 ELTON CRT 4 2 2711 320 $749,950 $744,000 $274.44 10 PILLON REAL 4 2 2946 28 $765,000 $745,000 $252.89 438 IRON HILL STREET 4 2 2384 0 $850,000 $825,000 $346.06Totals: 28 Listings 35 $519,762 $513,282 $307TOWN HOMES / CONDOS / DUETS43 MASSOLO DR 2 2 973 7 $209,000 $205,000 $210.69 340 ROCK CREEK WAY 2 2 1162 13 $280,000 $260,000 $223.75 9 ZURICH CT 2 2 1215 1 $299,950 $275,000 $226.34 51 MOZDEN LN 2 2 1215 9 $257,900 $280,000 $230.45 356 GRAPEVINE PL 2 2 1133 35 $329,950 $318,000 $280.67 7 FAIRWAY PLACE 3 2 1481 37 $368,000 $360,000 $243.08 11 MATISSE CT 3 2 1726 11 $429,000 $425,000 $246.23Totals: 7 Listings 16 $310,542 $303,285 $237
T
www.ourcommunityfocus.comAugust 2010 Page 7
BUSINESS NEWS
You don’t see very many loan products these days that stray from the norm. I remember in 2003 when each morning I would get the “daily rate sheets” from our broker partners. One lender in particular had over 20 pages of loan products that they offered. Curiously enough, back in ‘03 we where talking quite a bit about deforestation and the fact that our World’s lumber supply was in jeopardy if we didn’t slow down our consumption. Every day, a stack of rate sheets was thrown on my desk that was at least 1/2” thick. Today’s rate sheets are 2 pages… maybe 3 with a limited amount of products available. Thirty or 15-year fixed, FHA, VA, CalPers and, hidden in the back are the adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs). So, the good news is that the end of “out of the box” financing has rejuvenated our forest! Unfortunately, for the environment (good for homebuyers), Fannie Mae created a loan program last year that added another page to our rate sheet called HomePath. It’s not only a loan product but also a way for Fannie Mae to get their foreclosed homes back into the hands of qualified buyers. HomePath financing is a research-worthy option that allows you to finance a Fannie Mae owned home up to 97% loan to value. Here’s the great part about the loan: there is no appraisal necessary and NO MORTGAGE INSURANCE. What a
deal, huh? Well, yes, but your interest rate will be higher depending on how high you go with your loan to value. I guess everything in life is a trade off. HomePath, which you can access at www.homepath.com is a great place to hunt for properties. There are many people who have scored big using this site to purchase either an owner occupied property or an investment property. It’s definitely worth checking out if you want to find a legitimate bargain. On the website you’ll be able to see if the home qualifies for the HomePath financing described above and you’ll even be able to learn about the HomePath Renovation Mortgage which would allow you to make light renovations. This probably should not be the only way to conduct your home search; however it’s worth going to the site which will allow you to get e-mail notifications on properties you may be interested in viewing. You should be aware that 30 % of these properties are purchased cash (mainly investors) and many properties get multiple offers which will throw you out of the HomePath financing option. The good news is that you may find just what you’re looking for and that HomePath will be available to you as an option.
HomePath Financing By Peter Paredero
Bernie Madoff-type ponzi frauds, foreign lottery ploys and work-at-home check cashing schemes are just a few of the scams that have made headlines in recent years. Scams and fraudulent business practices that intend to swindle can impact anyone including the affluent and highly educated, as well as the non-native speaking, the poor and the elderly. In difficult economic times, scammers continually search for new ways to deceive. Recently publicized scams include individuals posing as bank officials offering to refinance mortgages or to confirm account numbers via the Internet or over the phone. Anyone with a phone, mail box, internet access or front door can be a possible scam target. Scammers understand that most people want a “great deal” or desire to be wealthier and more beautiful. Scams are often targeted to individuals with unique backgrounds and special needs, including seniors. Scam artists steal more than
money for a product or service. They steal dignity, trust and self-esteem. Education and awareness are key components of stopping scams and protecting our loved ones.Things to remember by StopSeniorScams.org:1. If an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.2. When it comes to a “now or never” opportunity, choose “never.”
3. Keep account numbers, codes and passwords private. Be wary of giving any information out to anyone over the phone unless you initiated the call. 4. Shred bills, junk mail and receipts before discarding them.5. Don’t be afraid to report your experiences. If you
feel uncomfortable, tell someone. Joyce and Jim Newport own the Right at Home office at 1800 Oak Park Blvd in Pleasant Hill. For more information, please call our office at 925.256.HOME (4663).
Thwarting ScamsBy Joyce & Jim Newport, Owners, Right at Home of Mt. Diablo
This is a “call to action” to all you Cliff Claven’s out there! “Ma” needs a break and there are a lot of great opportunities! The condo shopper will be greatly rewarded particularly since HomePath will finance those homes with fewer strings attached.
So, there you have it, another tool in your home buying tool belt.
I know getting motivated to take the first step can be difficult. An easy first step is to spend 15 minutes looking at the HomePath website! Getting pro active in buying real estate at this point might be the best decision you’ve ever made… Peter Paredero is a Senior Mort-gage Consultant for Land Home Financial Services Inc. and has resided in Pleasant Hill since 1994. 925 787-8746. [email protected]
PAID ADVERTORIAL
Photo: Jamie Westdal Photograph www.jamiewestdal.com
The College Park Falcons have two games under the lights at Diablo Valley College during the 2010 football season. The first is September 3rd at 7:00 pm vs. Alhambra High School to kick off the season. The second will be Homecoming on October 15th at 7:00 pm vs. Northgate
High School. Complete football schedule can be found at www.collegeparkfootball.com. Make sure to join the College Park Athletic Boosters to get your discount card. Visit www.cphsboosters.com for more information.
Under The Lights This Fall
Russell Carroll is on vacation this month. He is spending some time in Cooperstown, New York, watching baseball at the historic Doubleday Field and no doubt getting a “taste” of the area at the Cooperstown Brewing Company. But…that’s just how we see it.F.Y.
I.
www.ourcommunityfocus.comPage 8 August 2010
Contra Costa Humane Society is an animal-welfare organization based in Pleasant Hill that aims to improve the quality of life for animals through programs and services that help prevent cruelty, relieve suffering, and advocate responsible and humane behavior. During the “dog days” of summer, did you know that the interior tem-perature inside a parked car can climb to 160ºF in just 10 minutes? California state law SB 1806, makes it a misde-meanor to leave an animal unattended inside a closed vehicle in any condi-tion that could endanger the animal. In addition, a minimum fine of $100, imprisonment in a county jail, or both may be imposed on any violator. Beating the heat is extra tough for dogs because they can only cool them-selves by panting and sweating through
their paw pads. Heatstroke can come on quickly and result in brain damage or death. Prevent your beloved canine from heatstroke by following these precautions:• Never leave a dog in a parked car. Even on a mild day, the temperature inside a car can reach 120ºF in 30 minutes. • If you see a dog in a car and in dis-tress, take down the car’s color, model, make, and license plate number, have the owner paged inside nearby stores, and call local humane authorities or police. If police are unresponsive or too slow and the dog’s life appears to be in imminent danger, find a witness (or several) who will back your assess-ment, take steps to remove the suffering animal, and then wait for authorities to arrive. • Don’t take your dog jogging—except on cool mornings or evenings—and
don’t force exercise. On long walks, rest often and take plenty of water. Hot pavement can burn dogs’ paws; choose shady, grassy routes.• Trim heavy-coated dogs’ fur, but leave an inch for protection against insects and sunburn. • Keep your dog indoors. If he or she must stay outside for long, avoid the hottest part of the day. Provide shade, water, and a wading pool. Keep drink-
ing water in an anchored bucket or a heavy bowl that won’t tip over.• Be a “Watchdog” for dogs. Make sure that they have food, water, and shelter. If you see a dog in distress, contact the authorities. Following these simple steps can help save a life. For more informa-tion please contact the Contra Costa Humane Society at www.cchumane.org or call 925-279-CCHS (2247).
Gleaming dark wood, beautiful jewel-toned stained glass and high-beamed ceilings with woodcarvings surround me. Seated in a tiny chapel, I am overwhelmed by the beauty of the glowing Tiffany stained glass windows. I feel like I am back visiting castles in Europe, but I am actually inside St. Peter’s Chapel at Mare Island Historic Park in Vallejo. After reading about the Tiffany windows, I brought my parents with me to take a tour of Mare Island (www.mareislandhpf.org). My grandfather worked here and my father was in the Navy, so I thought it would be interest-ing. Little did I know how educational it
would be! Our guide, Barbara, a former teacher who more than once sternly warned us not to wander off, gave us a wonderful tour. Her knowledge of the 4,351 acre shipyard was impressive and she loved to answer questions. Give yourself at least 3 hours for the tour, as there is much to see and learn! David Glasgow Farragut founded the Mare Island Shipyard in 1854, and the Navy closed the yard in 1996. Dur-
ing that period, over 500 ships, includ-ing nuclear submarines, were built at this Naval shipyard. Mare Island’s first ship, the paddle-wheeled gunboat Sag-inaw, was launched before the Civil War in 1859, and its last ship, the nuclear submarine U.S.S. Drum, was launched in 1970 when our country was divided over the Vietnam war. Our tour included Alden Park which was scattered with unique weap-ons, the grand 10,000 square foot Yard
Commander’s Residence on Officer’s Row, the 25,000 square foot Artifact Museum and the dry docks along the waterfront of Mare Island Strait. I enjoyed all of our stops but the jewel of the tour was St Peter’s Chapel. You would never imagine the splendor inside this unassuming little chapel. Barbara walked us in and left the lights off so that we could experience the full effect. The chapel has 16 Tiffany windows, the largest collection under one roof west of the Mississippi. The colors and details are amazing and now I know why people come from around the world to view these windows! From the Gold Country to the Silicon Valley, we are surrounded by a plethora of historical places to visit in Northern California. We have dozens of parks, monuments and beaches that have their own story to tell us about our past. I encourage everyone to “hit the road” and explore these historical gems so that we can continue to preserve them for future generations.
Hittin’ the RoadBy Denise Salamanca
Summer Care Tips for You and Your PetBy David Stegman, Executive Director, Contra Costa Humane Society
Ella is a 3-year old female medium-haired gray & white cat, is very, very friendly and purrs like crazy. Would be best for an adult home. If you are interested in adopting, please contact CCHS at (cchumane.org) where you can learn more about the animals and the adoption process.
READY TO ADOPT?
www.ourcommunityfocus.comAugust 2010 Page 9
SENIOR ENVY
Our Hysterical Historian By Doug Kaya
Caring Companionship
Bathing & Dressing
Walking Assistance
Light Housekeeping
Medication Reminders
Up to 24-hour Care
Alzheimer’s &
Dementia Care
Licensed, Bonded,
& Insured
FREE In-Home
Assessment
®
Call us at677-2150
Pleasant Hill Senior Center’s Chef ’s Lunch cashier, Building #2 Display-Master, Mary Shockley Award recipient, Senior Sounds collating team member, two open-heart surgery survivor and last but certainly not least, club historian Gary Kraft. Gary was an only
child, born and raised in the Richmond district in the city, “…where Cable Cars climb halfway to the stars.” Gary is an 8-year veteran of the National Guard and served as a Guided-Missile Crewman. Like his father before him, his main occupation,
for 27 years, was as a taxi-driver in San Francisco and Oakland. When he started, drivers were required to wear a cap, tie and either a white or blue shirt. Gary’s parents, Joseph and Eve, were also members of the PHSC. His mother volunteered at the reception desk and was also the cashier for “Friday Soup” (now called Chef ’s Lunch). When she “retired” from that position, Gary stepped in and continues to do so today. Gary’s membership into the PHSC is unusual, to say the least. In October of 1990, his 50th birthday gift from his parents was membership to PHSC! Gary and the love of his life, Gwen, have been happily married for over 39 years and reside in Pleasant Hill. He first met Gwen when she babysat for Gary and his first wife. After his
divorce, they found they had the same interests and slowly gravitated toward each other. Their favorite song is “Unchained Melody.” Not the version by the Righteous Brothers most of us are familiar with, but an earlier version by Al Hibbler.
Come to The Senior Center Open House
233 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill 925-798-8788
Have you always wondered what happens at the Pleasant Hill Senior Center?
Representatives will be available to answer questions on every activity, service,
class, and sport the center has to o!er. Don’t miss samples from the kitchen, chances to win door prizes,
and an opportunity to see what you’re missing!
Memberships are only $12.00/year and include a reduced fee for club activities, trips and events as well as a monthly newsletter.
openhouseFriday, August 20th 10am – Noon • Cost Free
Hiking • Wine Tasting • Bridge • C.C.Cafe • Bunco • Softball • Horseshoes
Bocce • Travel • Boutique Workshop • Small Appliance Repair • Computer Lab
You are invited
www.ourcommunityfocus.comPage 10 August 2010
Pleasant Hill’s 6th Annual Com-munity Service Day is on Saturday, September 25th. Projects range from sprucing up a neighborhood park or school to repairing bicycles and clean-ing up creeks. Whether you sign up online or show up at Pleasant Hill Park on the day of the event, your morn-ing will begin at 7:30am with a free pancake breakfast served by the Lions Club. Don’t forget to pick up a com-memorative T-Shirt before you head
off to your project site. The Pleasant Hill Civic Action Commission organ-izes Community Service Day, and last year, more than 700 volunteers worked on 22 projects throughout the city! All projects for consideration should be submitted on or before September 10th. To signup online, visit: www.ci.pleasant-hill.ca.us and click on the “Community Service Day” link. For additional information, email Martin Nelis at [email protected] or call (925) 671-5229.
Driving on Old Quarry Road, that little road between Golf Club Road and Chilpancingo Park-way, the only thing even close to a quarry today are the bags of gravel in the garden department at the adjacent Kmart. But there was indeed a quarry there whose only
trace is its name. The rock quarry was once a promi-nent feature of northern Pleasant Hill, located just north of Diablo Valley Col-lege and Golf Club Road, and south of Pacheco. This scar in the land is now where the DVC Shopping Center is, with KMart, Safeway, and Round Table Pizza among the stores there today. Camelback Road was built to follow the lower left-hand boundary of the
quarry, and Chilpancingo Parkway fol-lows part of the upper boundary. To-day’s Old Quarry Road slices through the left side of where the quarry was. I have called every local company that has anything to do with rocks or gravel, and nobody seems to know anything about the old quarry. Does anyone know anything about this quar-ry? Who operated it? What were they quarrying there? What was it made into? Do you have any recollection about it at all? If you contact me with information, it would rock my world. Sorry…couldn’t resist that one. You can reach me at [email protected] or 510-238-3371 Adam Nilsen is a Pleasant Hill native and a history researcher at the Oakland Museum of California. He is the author of Pleasant Hill, a history of the community, available at local bookstores and through the Friends of Rodgers Ranch.
PAST TO PLEASANT
The Old QuarryBy Adam Nilsen
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Facing north, the quarry is visible north of the horizontal Golf Club Road, across the street from DVC in 1961.
August Events inDowntown Martinez
925-228-3577www.MartinezMainStreet.org
Martinez Peddlers Faire
TuesdaysBluesdays
New!Live Music!Blue PlateRestaurant DealsBlue Dot Dealsin the stores!Mini Farmers Market!Mayors HealthyCooking Challenge!
TuesdaysAug. 10th, 17th, 24thDowntown Martinez
Sat., Aug. 21st • 10am to 4pm
12th Annual
DowntownMartinez
Over 100 Cars, Trucks & MotorcyclesVendors • DJ • Live Music • Trophys • Prizes
Please join us at "Spatz' Speakeasy" Casino Night on Friday, August 20, benefiting
the Main Street Martinez Organization and the Downtown Veteran's Memorial Building.This is the premier of what we hope to be an exciting annual event. Get tickets now!
Community Service Day
www.ourcommunityfocus.comAugust 2010 Page 11
Showrooms also in Santa Clara & Milbrae
From growing your own organic fruits and vegetables to turning your backyard into a barnyard with chickens and even dairy goats, the trend toward suburban farming and sustainable living is something to cluck about. Not just for farmers with acres of land, more and more people in residen-tial neighborhoods are taking to raising chickens, both as a source of organic eggs and for the novelty of it. Knowing where our food comes from is becoming increasingly important, as people want to turn away from industrialized food manufacturing. Aside from the nutritional and environmental benefits, it turns out that chickens are pretty fun to have around. “They are so cool to watch,” said Karen Bailey of Martinez. “It’s just fun having them; the kids like to hold them and learn about caring for them. They just cruise around during the day and go in their coop at night. They are so easy.” When asked how she decided raising
chickens was right for her family, Sharry Chimienti of Lafayette re-sponded, “We would visit the Concord feed store and see the chicks. Af-ter doing our research and studying up on it, we thought it would be great for the family. We wanted the eggs, of course, but had no idea how attached we would get to the chickens as pets. They are happy to see us and follow us around the yard. They come running like dogs. They are just beautiful to watch.” There are other benefits as well. The chickens love eating the leftover table scraps, their waste is a great fertilizer and they eat bugs in the yard. With seven chickens of various breeds taking up residence in her back-
yard, Sharry extols the pleasure of her new pets. “I love that my girls are getting a farm-like experience and I love the concept of having fresh
eggs to feed my family and share with friends and neigh-bors.” The fresh, organic eggs come in a rainbow of colors, depending on the breed of the chicken. The Araucana chicken produces a bluish green shell, while most others lay brown eggs. The eggs are richer in flavor and the yolks are darker in color, almost a bright orange, according to local chicken owners. Between the cost of the chickens, their feed and building a coop to shelter them from predators like raccoons,
chicken owners don’t realize a cost sav-ings from not having to buy eggs. But these backyard farmers enjoy having the birds around; the eggs are just a side benefit. “I love watching them give them-selves a dirt bath,” said Sharry. “It keeps them clean, helps with pests and is so amusing to watch.” “I find them very relaxing to watch,” remarked Barbara Barton of Pleasant Hill. “The kids love handling them and showing them off to their friends.” Bar-bara was most surprised by the chickens’ social behavior. “I didn’t know how at-tached they would become to each other. They are always together and when they become separated, they crow until they are reunited.” When asked if she would recom-mend raising chickens, Sharry gushed, “I feel closer to nature now that I have chickens and we are a closer family because of them. It has changed our lives completely.”
Backyard ChickensBy Gina Campo
Visit www.pleasanthillconcerts.com for all concert information.
Aug 22
Casey StrandChiropractor
Aug 22
Aug 22
Jul 18
Jun 13, Aug 22
Sheila’sDaycare
Jul 25Jun 27, Jul 11
Matt Rinn AgencySep 5
Aug 8
May 30
May 30Jun 27
Join us at the remaining concerts!
Free!On the lawn by the lake at
Pleasant Hill City HallLIVEMusic
pm!6-8
LIVEMusic
pm!6-8
Aug 8: Spin Out!Classic rock
and rockabilly songs
Aug 22: Cover2Cover!!Music from
five decades
Sep 5: Lava!Hot..hot...
VERY HOT!!
Thank you to all the sponsors who make the concerts happen!
Willow and Haley Chimienti tend to their flock of chickens.
www.ourcommunityfocus.comPage 12 August 2010
Architectural Review CommissionAugust 5, 19100 Gregory LaneLarge Community Room, 5:00pmContact: 671-5259
City Council MeetingAugust 2,16100 Gregory LaneContact: 671-5267
Civic Action Commission MeetingAugust 4100 Gregory LaneSmall Community Room, 6:30pmContact: 671-5229
Education/Schools AdvisoryCommission MeetingAugust 25100 Gregory LaneLarge Community Room, 7:00pmContact: 671-5229
Planning Commission MeetingAugust 10, 24100 Gregory LaneCity Council Chambers, 7:30pmContact: 671-5259
Pleasant Hill Farmers’ MarketAugust 7, 14, 21 & 28Saturdays, 8am-NoonCrescent Drive (in front of Century Theatre) Downtown Pleasant HillContact: 825-9090
Toast to SummerAugust 21Courtyard at City Hall100 Gregory Lane6:00pm-10pmCost: $85/per person. Tickets: www.pleasanthillchamber.com. Or call: 687-0700.
City Calendar of Events
CITY BUZZ
The City of Pleasant Hill Places Utility Users Tax Measure on November Ballot The City of Pleasant Hill provides a number of important local services for community residents and business-es, including such programs as road maintenance and public safety. These local services help to enhance the qual-ity of life in Pleasant Hill and ensure that all residents enjoy a safe, attrac-tive, and well maintained community. Funding for these services, however, has declined in recent years. Local city services are funded by revenues from such sources as sales tax, property tax, hotel tax, vehicle license fees, and others. Sales tax revenue accounts for one third of the City’s general fund revenue and last year declined by 16%. In addition, vehicle license fees declined by 63%, building permit fees by 31%, transient occupan-cy tax revenue by 18%, business license fees by 9%, and property tax revenues by 8%. The State also took away almost $2 million of redevelopment funds from the City. In response to these revenue declines, the City has reduced the number of its employees by 20% and made cuts where possible while continuing to maintain the high level of services that businesses and resi-dents have come to expect. However, without additional local funding, the current level of services will be difficult to sustain. To protect local services, the City
of Pleasant Hill has placed a local funding measure on the November ballot. If passed by voters, the measure will expand the local Utility Users Tax (UUT) to provide additional revenue for city services.Local Funding MeasurePleasant Hill currently has a 1% UUT on landline tel-ephones. This rate is the lowest of any Bay Area city. The measure proposes a rate in-crease from 1% to 1.5% and will ex-pand the UUT to cover com-munications (includ-ing long distance telephone and cellular phone and data services), cable TV, gas, electric, water and sewer services. Protecting City ServicesThe current UUT provides approxi-mately $189,000 per year to support local services. The proposed UUT measure would generate an estimated $1.02 million to support a number of important city services, such as:• Maintaining neighborhood police patrols and rapid emergency response times• Maintaining street resurfacing and pothole repair programs• Keeping the city clean, well main-
Local Measure Provides Funding for City Services By Martin Nelis, Public Information Officer, City of Pleasant Hill
For Confirmation Visit: www.ci.pleasant-hill.ca.us
New Toy Store Opens DowntownThe Toys“R”Us Express store on Crescent Drive in Pleasant Hill opened last month. A convenient location for people looking to find a selection of games, gadgets and perennial favorites, including dolls, action figures and educational toys to fit every budget. The store signed a 6-month lease with Downtown Pleasant Hill.Are You in Violation?If you are a resident of Pleasant Hill and are using goats or other farm animals to rid your backyard of weeds and other unwanted plants, you are in violations of City codes!
Local News By Rhoda Herald
tained and free of litter and graffiti• Maintaining library hours and serv-icesEnhancing Local ControlEvery penny generated by the local UUT measure will stay within our community to support Pleasant Hill
City services. The State can-not take away any of
the funds. Annual audits and public
reports will be manda-tory, so local residents can be sure that all funds are
spent appro-priately.
Average Cost per Household
The proposed UUT rate would apply equally to all busi-
nesses and households in Pleasant Hill. To estimate the average cost, business owners and residents should calculate their total monthly utility costs for telephone, cable TV, gas & electric, and water services, then multiply that
number by 1.5%. This amount will be the average monthly cost of the UUT.For example, a household with total monthly utility bill costs of:• $400 would pay an additional $6 per month • $600 would pay an additional $9 per month • $800 would pay an additional $12 per month Exemptions from the UUTTo help ensure the cost is not a bur-den to those living on a fixed income, the proposed UUT measure provides for specific exemptions, when avail-able. Seniors facing financial hardship may be eligible to apply for a rebate or exemption. This is in addition to the exemptions already included in the CARE program through PG&E, and Lifeline Programs available for tel-ephone and water service users. More details about the proposed UUT measure can be found on the City website at www.pleasant-hill.net/UUT. If you have any questions please contact Martin Nelis at [email protected] or by phone at 925-671-5229.
www.ourcommunityfocus.comAugust 2010 Page 13
If you have ever listened to “A Prai-rie Home Companion,” you have heard Garrison Keillor’s signature tag-line: “That’s the news from Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking and all the children are above-average.” In bedroom communities around the country, time seems to slow down a bit. Homes are chock full of love, warmth, and understanding. Traffic lights turn green just when you ap-proach them. Postal clerks are never rude. And, nobody ever gets stressed. Like in Garrison Keillor’s fic-tional town of Lake Woebegon, parents want things to be close to perfect in their lives—their communities, their spouses, and especially their children. But what do children want? The answer may surprise you. Children want their parents to be involved in their lives. As hard as that is to believe, it’s very much the truth. As much as teenaged children may
complain about the intrusions of their parents and guardians and as much as they seemingly give signals of wanting to be left alone, according to a survey by the College Board (the folks who brought us the SAT test), children of the teenaged variety definitely want their parents to be in their lives. In fact, nearly one-third of the students polled want parents to be more involved in their lives. Fifty-seven percent say that their parental involvement is just right while only six percent said that parents should be less involved. What these figures suggest is that teens actually get a great deal from what parents have to give them. Teens report that they get advice from their parents about everything from what books to read to what courses to select in school to what sports to play. How-ever, the most often reported advice that teens get from their parents is about college. Fifty-one percent of stu-dents say that their parents give them
tips on the college process during the teenaged years. News reports and the disparaging terms “helicopter parent” or a new one, “bulldozer parent” seem to suggest that some parents may be too intrusive. Yet, students say they want and need a healthy level of involvement, which is most important. Here are a few ways to engage your teenagers:1. Share the books you are reading with them. Better yet, read a book in common. Some parents have started a book club with other children aimed at topics that may otherwise be difficult to discuss. Reading the same material is a great way to open the lines of commu-nication and give your teenagers what they need.2. Take a hike together. By spending time together on a trail, in the moun-tains, or at the beach, you would be surprised at how much you get to know about your teenager. Just let the silences
happen in the beauty of the great out-doors.3. Play a board game or do a puzzle to-gether. One of the great pleasures that some parents report is playing a game that they haven’t played since their child was small. Remember to honor the competitive and collaborative spirit in game playing. 4. Take a class at a local recreation center. Teenagers love doing new things and stretching themselves. Ex-plore a passion through a neighboring rec. center and feed it by sharing it with your child.5. Take a long drive to a place you have never been. Plan a local day trip or even a trip far away. Exploring Cali-fornia history or the history of a region you always wanted to know about is one way to get your teen out of his or her comfort zone. In the end, what matters the most is that you listen to what truly matters most to them.
What Do Teenagers Really Want from Parents? By Brian Thomas, Upper School Head, Bentley School, Lafayette, California
Have your kids ever asked questions about money that make you uncomfort-able? For example, “How much money do you make? How much does our house cost?” A common gut reaction might be, “That’s not an appropriate question to ask an adult!” Our gut reac-tion (spoken aloud or not) is based on fear. Fear that we must reveal our money habits and ourselves to our kids. Fear they will judge us. Fear that others will judge us. Fear can also come from a lack of knowledge about the topic. You may feel as though you need to answer every question your child has about any subject in great detail. Stop that! It is not possible. For instance, if my 14-year-old math-wiz asked me a geometry question (which, by the way, he wouldn’t), I have no problem saying, “I don’t know.” But I’d follow up with, “Who do you know that can answer your question?” You don’t have to have all the
answers. Aligning yourself with finan-cial professionals that you like and trust can help fill the gaps in your financial knowledge. It’s their job to inform and educate, and your job to research their track record and verify their results. With the right financial team in place, fear will not be a factor for you.Did you know?• The average financial literacy score for high school students is an F .• While 75% of adults say it’s important for them to give financial guidance to children and teenagers, only 39% of adults actually do . Fortunately, you have input on whether your children fall in the per-centage of children who become finan-cially literate or not; and the earlier you start the better. So, how do you actually accomplish this?• Talk about money and the values that guide your money decisions as an indi-vidual and as a family.
• Give your children opportunities to earn money.• Weigh the pros and cons together on each financial decision. For example, if they want a new electronic device, even if you could buy it for them today, what do you want them to learn from the ex-perience? If they ask, they will receive, or if they ask and it’s a reasonable request, you will help them earn the resources needed? • Open a checking or savings account together. Go to the bank and let the bank staff explain the process directly to your child. Allow them to ask questions and don’t leave until all their questions are answered. • Continue to work on all of the above throughout their childhood! Consist-ency is very important. This is not always an easy path to follow. Children may make unreason-able requests and push. By staying on course and setting a good example, you
will be doing a great service to your child, your community, your country, and heck – the world! Financially savvy consumers drive a financially savvy economy. Now that’s a “win/win” for everyone. Here are some resources to help you along: • www.parentfurther.com• www.kidswealth.com• Asset Builder’s Guide to Youth and Money, by Jolene Roehlkepartain - available on Amazon.com.1. Lewis Mandell, “The Financial Literacy of
Young American Adults, an Analysis of the
JumpStart Coalition’s 2008 Biennial Survey”
(2009), http://www.jumpstart.org/fileindex.cfm .2. Peter Scales, Peter Benson and Eugene Roe-
hikepartain, “Grading Grown-Ups: American
Adults Report on Their Real Relationships with
Kids” http://search-institute.org/grading-grown-
ups-2000 (Minneapolis: Search Institute, 2001).
Tracy Tamura is a Life Insurance Specialist and Savings Coach.
Kids and Money Management Go Hand in Hand By Tracy Tamura, Tamura Insurance Services
www.ourcommunityfocus.comPage 14 August 2010
CORKS AND FORKS
Vegetarian BBQ I have many people in my life who choose not to eat meat. I believe that one can create delicious meals that focus on vegetables and no one even notices the meat is absent. Eggplant and mushrooms are frequently my protein replacements because of their dense texture and versatility.
Grilled Eggplant Crostini with Pine Nuts is an appetizer that can be made up ahead of time and does not require a fork, knife or serving utensil for service. The texture of the eggplant becomes soft as it grills and the pine nuts provide a crunchy counterpoint. Pinot Grigio has soft citrus and floral scents and is highly quaffable. It will go
Pair UpWith La Sommelierre Maria Terry
Ceasar Cocktail
Limit one per customer per visit. Price Excludes Tax. Valid only at participating locations. No cash value. Not valid with other offers or fundraisers or if copied, sold, auctioned, exchanged for payment or prohibited by law. ©2010 Cold Stone Creamery, Inc. All rights reserved.
PLU #49. Expires 02/12/2011.
Pleasant Hill Cold Stone-925 288 0388
INGREDIENTS1 1/2 oz vodkafill with clamato juice3 dashes Tabasco® sauce3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
DIRECTIONSLine the rim of a glass with celery salt. Over ice, add vodka, fill with clamato juice, then add the remaining ingredients. Garnish with a celery stick. Add more Tabasco sauce if desired.
with just about any light dish and this one is no exception. The Caesar Cocktail is a spicy, juicy drink. It will stand up to all of the usual accompaniments one finds with a burger: ketchup, mustard and even raw onion. Great big portobello mushrooms grill up perfectly and seem to be made for a ham-burger bun. Just season the caps with a bit of oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and grill for five minutes on each side. Spiked Watermelon can be served as a side salad with the burgers or saved until the end of the meal. Include the alcohol when your guests are over 21 or leave it out altogeth-er. The mint really is the
kicker in this recipe.So, go on. Pair Up! Maria Terry is a Certified Som-melier and Wine Educator in the San Francisco Bay Area. www.LaSommeli-erre.com
Spiked Watermelon
INGREDIENTS1 8-pound watermelon, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 16 cups)1 cup fresh lemon juice2/3 cup sugar1/2 cup vodka6 tablespoons crème de cassisSalt (opt.)1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
DIRECTIONSPlace watermelon in large bowl. Whisk fresh lemon juice and sugar in medium bowl until sugar dissolves. Whisk in vodka and crème de cassis. Add a pinch of salt if desired to bring out the flavors. Pour mixture over watermelon. Cover and chill at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours. Sprinkle with chopped fresh mint and serve.
Grilled Eggplant Crostini
INGREDIENTS1 medium eggplant with skin, stem removed and sliced lengthwise into 4 strips2 tbsp lemon juice1 small shallot, thinly sliced and sautéed1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves 2 tbsp pan-toasted pine nutsCrostini:Slice a baguette in !” rounds. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with kosher salt. Bake at 275° for 15 minutes.DIRECTIONSHeat the grill over medium-high heat. Grill the eggplant 4 to 5 minutes per side or until lightly charred and cooked through. Meanwhile, combine the lemon juice, shallots, oil, and salt in a medium bowl.Cut each grilled eggplant slice into small bite-size pieces. Toss the eggplant with the dress-ing until just coated. Just before serving, stir in basil. Place one tablespoon of eggplant mixture on top of each crostini and top with pine nuts. Serve warm, cool or at room temperature.
Yield: 8 Servings
Yield: 2 cups topping
Yield: 1 Drink
www.ourcommunityfocus.comAugust 2010 Page 15
Now Open
Summer Entertainment
www.ShopDowntownPleasantHill.com Contributed by: Michelle Kaus, General Manager for Downtown Pleasant Hill
TheBUZZ about town
Five Guys Burgers & Fries: Pleasant Hill now has what the rest of the country has been calling the BEST burger and fries they ever tasted. We’re not sure what their secret is, but here are some interesting facts: There are over 250,000 possible ways to order a burger at Five Guys…They use only fresh ground beef…There are no freezers in any Five Guys locations, just coolers…Nothing is ever frozen and they use only peanut oil and the menu is trans-fat free. Royale Image Day Spa: Whether it’s an air-brush tan, massage, facial, pedicure or trendy upscale accessories at their beauty boutique, come on over and spoil yourself! Located adjacent to Red Brick Pizza. Toys R Us Express: Located across the street from Hallmark, this store o!ers a unique selection of the latest and hottest toys for kids of all ages and at great values. Coming Soon Mazza Grill
Start a coversation on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/DowntownPleasantHill Be sure to become a ShopStar member and be privy to insider deals and special o!ers.
Do you want to be entertained as you shop and dine downtown? Thursday: Jazz on the Plaza – 5:30pm – 8:30pmAugust 5th – Jack Pollard • August 12th – Linda Kosut August 19th – Trio Gadjo • August 26th – Jack Pollard
Music on the PlazaThe Black Pearl Project – 4:30-7:00; Augut 1st, 15th and 29th
Ian Tattenham, Noon – 2:00; August 14th and 28th
Aloha Friday - Noon - 2:00pmEnjoy relaxing Hawaiian music by Fran Guidry.
Website Facebook & Twitter
Saturday Night Street Performers – 6:00pm till darkAugust 7th: Mitch Barrett (comedy, juggling & tight rope) www.grinnandbarrett.com
August 14th: Dana Smith (comedy & juggling) www.danasmith.comAugust 21st: Jack Spareribs (pirate magic show) www.pirate4hire.com
August 28th: Marcus Raymond (comedy, juggling & escape artist) www.marcusraymond.com
Farmer’s Market: Every Saturday from 8am - Noon
A Wee Change was started in 2004 by Pleasant Hill mom, Kim Crosby, with a desire to offer barely-worn, high-quality children’s & ma-ternity resale clothing at a fraction of retail price. Focusing on a boutique-style with attention to organization, customer service, and cleanliness, the consignment store was an instant hit with Contra Costa families. As the store’s concept continually increases in popularity, there is always a wait-ing list for people wanting to consign their items, and there are currently 1,400 consignors who have sold items with A Wee Change. The store has won numerous accolades, including most recently, recognition in Bay Area Parent Maga-zine’s 2010 “Best of the East Bay” for both Maternity Clothing and Inde-pendent Children’s Clothing Store. In June of 2009, the shop moved just two doors down, more than doubling its space. We have added sections for teen girls and women featuring trendy styles and favorite brands such as Abercrombie, Lucky, Juicy and J.Crew. All clothing in the store is checked in detail for quality and styles are current, leading many people to ask, “Are these items used? Wow! They look so new!” In addition to clothing, the store features gently used toys, books, vid-eos and baby gear. Safety is a major focus at the store, and all toys and gear are checked and logged for safe-ty recalls, so buyers can rest at ease that the product they are purchasing is safe for their child(ren). A Wee Change also has a great selection of new toys, gifts, and handmade accessories, and is the only official Girl Scout Retailer in
the Central Costa County Region. A Wee Change is located in the Palos Verdes Mall near Lunardi’s Mar-ket on the border of Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek. We are open 7 days a week: Sun-Mon 11-5 and Tues-Sat 10-6. Information on consignment and detailed directions can be found at www.aweechange.com.
A Wee ChangeIN FOCUS•IN FOCUS•IN FOCUS•IN FOCUS•IN FOCUS•IN FOCUS
www.ourcommunityfocus.comPage 16 August 2010
HOME TEAM
For Existing Clients OnlyMen’s Reg Price: $18; Boys (12 & Under) Reg. Price: $14
Present coupon before haircut. Valid ID Required. Coupon may not be bartered, copied,traded or sold. Not valid with any other offer. Valid at Pleasant Hill Location Only.
NEW CLIENTS ONLY. Men’s Reg Price: $18; Boys (12 & Under) Reg. Price: $14Present coupon before haircut. Valid ID Required. Coupon may not be bartered, copied,
traded or sold. Not valid with any other offer. Valid at Pleasant Hill Location Only.
$11Boys’Haircut
Men’s Haircut$14
2360 Monument Blvd., Suite B; Next to Kohl’s(925) 288-1701
Haircutfor New Clients!$9 + Free MVP
Upgrade
Hawks Land In Cooperstown
Alhambra High School head varsity football coach Dave Silveira has an-nounced that he will be stepping-aside after 28 seasons at the helm of the Bulldogs. During his tenure, Silveira won over 200 games (209-113-4, .647) guid-ing Alhambra and Arroyo (2 seasons). The new head coach is Alan Hern. Silveira, who is 55, will head “up-stairs” and take over the role of defensive coordinator for Alhambra. Silveira began coaching at Alhambra in 1982 after serving as head coach at Arroyo for two years. Silveira, his teams and several indi-vidual players earned significant awards at the local, regional and state levels over the years. Silveira missed the final two games of last season after suffering a mild stroke. Hern served as interim coach for those two games. In a statement, Silveira said he decided prior to the start of that
season to make 2009 his last as head coach. Hern is an Alhambra graduate and currently teaches at the school. He was a three-sport prep star in the late-80s be-fore he left Martinez to attend the United States Naval Academy. Since his return, Hern has coached the junior varsity foot-ball team, been a varsity assistant and is an assistant coach for the baseball team. He was a two-year starter at quarterback under Silveira.
The 12 year-old Pleasant Hill Hawks Baseball team proudly displays the Pleas-ant Hill flag after one of their recent victories in Cooperstown, New York. The Hawks went 6 - 3 in the week-long tournament against teams from all over the country. The Hawks finished 27th out of 103 teams. Pictured: Dylan Carroll, Sean Campbell, Tristan Webb, Tyler Kelso, Christian Powell, Alex Roy, Tyler Brackins, Spencer Louis, Jackson Louis, James Knepper, Patrick Guidi and Kyle Lofquist along with coaches Doug Seandel, Gary Powell and Russell Carroll.
Photo Credit: Janice Kelso
Trading Spaces By Chuck Nan
The Pleasant Hill Panthers 14U fastpitch softball team went 6-0 in the PHBA Girls Softball Tournament over the weekend of July16, 17 and 18, scoring 70 runs and giving up only 6, to take the title. Earlier in the month, July 5th-10th, the team had an unforgettable week at The Cat Osterman Experience in Bel-levue, Nebraska, battling against thirty-six teams from around the United States, Australia and Canada. Cat Osterman, the four-time All-American from the University of Texas and starting pitcher for the 2004 and 2008 USA Olympic softball teams, has created a place for girls fastpitch softball players that mirrors the Cooperstown baseball experience that boys have been participating in for years. Newly opened in 2010, The Cat Osterman Experience is designed to be, “A place where girls can come and stay, and be totally immersed in the benefits of team building opportunities, healthy competition, and experiences they can reflect on and gain strength from for the rest of their lives. All while forging relationships they’ll be a part of forever.” - from Catsvillage.com. Patrick Monahan, Manager of the 14U Panther team, went to the PHBA Board of Directors last August with the proposal to put Pleasant Hill on the map for girls fastpitch softball. After signing a promissory note on a napkin, he began the process of building a team that could compete, recruiting twelve girls repre-senting College Park, Las Lomas, Caron-delet, and Northgate. Eight of these girls were varsity starters as freshman on their respective high school teams. And compete they did. Behind a stellar defense and a solid pitching
rotation, including Madison Monahan, Natalie Persson and Nicolette Soares, the Panthers gave up just 16 runs in 8 games, knocking off the Australian team along the way (W-Monahan). Their run came to an end in the Gold Championship bracket vs. the stingy Minnesota Irish falling short 3-1. The Irish went on to the title game losing 1-0 to Canada. “Take away one bad bounce and we face Canada for the crown,” reflected Head Coach Brian Humphrey. “The girls came to win it all but fell short. They came together as a team and will move forward united as one.” “There is no quit in this team,” added Asst. Head Coach Rich Persson. “They will be a force to be reckoned with moving ahead.” The pitching staff is guided by DVC pitching Coach Lori Grace. With over ten years experience as a softball pitch-ing coach, she has worked with students from 8 to 18. All of her graduating sen-iors have gone on to different collegiate levels. The Panthers Roster includes, Madi-son Monahan, Danni Humphrey, Natalie Persson, Megan Lantsberger, Tailor Simpson, Jessica Walsh, Isabel Sanchez, Adrianna Chan, Lyrica Langlois, Katie Ochoa, Sara Cundy, and Nicolette Soares. Manager Patrick Monahan, Head Coach Brian Humphrey, Asst. Head Coach Rich Persson, and Pitching coach Lori Grace. The Panthers trip would not have been possible without the following sponsors: Pleasant Hill Baseball/Fastpitch Organization, Brian Humphrey Hitting Lessons, Nations Giant Hamburgers, Simpson Investigative Services, Berkeley Oral Surgery, Joseph’s Lawn Mowers, All Out Baseball, The Wild Hog, Eric Christ-man, and Mary Everett.
Panthers Win Big
www.ourcommunityfocus.comAugust 2010 Page 17
HOME TEAM“Season Ticket” Sports
By Chuck Nan
The 2010 Spring Season for prep athletics was full of excitement and surprises as many locals left their mark in the DVAL and DFAL. In baseball, we saw senior Tommy Hogan toss a no-hitter against rival Northgate. Just two weeks later, junior Robert Stephenson of Alhambra duplicated that feat versus Acalanes. Both young men earned the “Most Valuable Pitcher” award for their respective leagues.
College Park again dominated the track and field scene. Between the boys and girls program, the Falcons placed nearly two-dozen on the All-DVAL roll. The Falcons were also well represented in swimming, softball and lacrosse. Alhambra saw an even distribution of all-league selections across the board for spring. The softball team, which won the DFAL with an amazing 11-1 record, placed the most with seven young ladies
being honored.Oshry Elor Impresses ESPN.com described College Park sophomore Oshry Elor as “Iron man 3” after his appearance at the recent Nike Oakland Football Combine. Elor also looked the part as the 15-year-old checked-in at 6-foot-3, 346 pounds. Built like a tank, Elor played on the College Park varsity in 2009 as a sophomore. He should be one of the highly-touted prospects to watch in the East Bay over the next two seasons. Elor had a 38-foot power ball throw and ran the 40-yard dash in 5.69 sec-onds. These are quite impressive marks for someone of his size and age. Elor is the 2010 DVAL and North Coast Section wrestling champion in the 285-pound class. He also earned an impressive 8th-
place at the state meet.Berean Lady Eagles The third-seeded Berean Christian Lady Eagles reached the championship game of the NCS Division IV softball bracket with their win at Clear Lake.Berean was led by catcher Alex McCul-lough of Martinez who was 2-for-3 with one run scored and an RBI. That was coupled with a stellar pitching perform-ance by Jessie Griffith. After receiving a first-round bye, Berean beat No. 11 Marin Catholic in the quarter-finals. They then had to make the tedious 240-mile roundtrip trek to Clear Lake for the semi-final match-up.
Martinez 12U All Stars pictured after their District 4 Championship win.Bottom Row (L to R): Amber Jorgensen, Brianna Rios, Madeline Cervantes, Delaney Griffin, Kara Massey, Hannah DeWitt. Second Row: Braelyn Marti, Cara DiMercurio, Carley Johnson, Courtney Kelly, Sam Schoelkopf, Marissa Mohammed, Liberty Herr, Darren Johnson (Man-ager) Paul Kelly (Coach) Chip Griffin (Coach)
Martinez Champions
College Park FalconsDiablo Valley Athletic League (DVAL)BaseballMost Valuable Pitcher: Tommy HoganSecond-Team: Athan Koutsoubinas and Ethan MarshHonorable Mention: Brandon Barisof and Tyler BaskerGolf-BoysMost Valuable Player: Ramon AlejoFirst-Team: Austin CollierSecond-Team: Gaelan Kerr-Koppel and Carlos MenaLacrosse-BoysFirst-Team: Devon Bahady and Lucas MartinelliSecond team: Zach Fry, Jeffery Smitheream Honorable Mention: Brian McWatters, Jake Gonzalez and Brett BechterSoftballFirst-Team: Keisi Chinen and Brittany LloydSecond-Team: Kierra Willis and Julia HarriganHonorable Mention: Laura TorresSwimming-BoysFirst-Team: Monty Randall
Honorable Mention: Connor Choiniere, Ja-son Hadsell, Matt Kennedy and Kyle LeungSwimming-GirlsMost Valuable Player: M.E. RandallFirst-Team: Hannah CurranSecond-Team: Hope CurranHonorable Mention: Jennifer Diggs and Kendall StuscavageTennis-BoysFirst-Team: Jason FinleySecond-Team: Justin BriggsTrack & Field-BoysCo-Most Valuable Player: Anthony Ortolan First-Team: Lunden Davis, Yuji Fujoka, Daivon Ballard, Jesse Voelkert, Jeff Bickert, Kevin Strongman, Adrian Cervantes, Keagan Brown and Souruch AboutalebiSecond-Team: Hiroki ButterfieldHonorable Mention: Will HollandTrack & Field-GirlsMost Valuable Player: Jasmine CunninghamFirst-Team: Amanda Baker, Jessica Reed and Selena GonzalesSecond-Team: Morgan Vlakancic, Shannon Knapp, Kelly Piol and Madelyn LawrenceHonorable Mention: Kendal Stuscavage, Parisa Broomand and Allison Hayes
Spring All-League Sports Awards
Alhambra BulldogsDiablo Foothill Athletic League (DFAL)Lacrosse-BoysSecond Team: Michael TrebinoLacrosse-GirlsSecond Team: Clarissa SheffHonorable Mention: Taylor TranschelVolleyball-BoysFirst Team: Rich ManuliSecond Team: Ryan MillerHonorable Mention: Evan WeissTrack & Field-BoysFirst Team: Zach ConiglioSecond Team: Trevor DavisHonorable Mention: Alex FinnTrack & Field-GirlsFirst Team: Divine Adesida and
Praise AdesidaSecond Team: Savannah Wadsworth and Meaghan YoeonoBaseballMost Valuable Pitcher: Robert StephensonSecond-team: John Miller and Billy KrummenHonorable Mention: Alex WardSoftballMost Valuable Player: Nikki GentileFirst-Team: Bella Gonsalves and Jenna KrummenSecond-Team: Shannon De Vries, Taylor Hen-drickson, Mariah Suitos and Jamie HigginsGolf-BoysFirst Team: Cameron MacGregor and Elliot BusichioTennis-BoysHonorable Mention - Singles: Jon Elepan
The local girls finished 3rd out of 15 teams from around Northern California in a 9-day tournament proudly hosted by Martinez Little League at Hidden Lakes Park. Martinez won 3 of 5 games; the two losses were by 1 run in the last inning. Gilroy came out on top and will represent Northern California at the
Western Regional in Vancouver, WA. The tournament represented a great effort by a vast number of volunteers from the Martinez community and Martinez LL was highly acclaimed for its fields, sportsmanship and hospitality during the entire event. Congrats to all!
www.ourcommunityfocus.comPage 18 August 2010
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‘Smart’ Gardening and Climate-Appropriate Plants By Lisa Robinson, President of the Pleasant Hill Garden Study Club
Our Bay Area is one of the best places on earth to enjoy the great outdoors, from visiting world-famous destinations to simply stepping into our own back yards. Many of us want to care for our gardens and green spaces with less water, fewer chemicals, and more reliance on climate-appropriate plants. The Pleasant Hill Garden Study Club regularly explores these gardening goals. Options for using less water include irrigating at night, using drip or soaker hoses where practical, and mulching. Free chips can be obtained from tree pruning companies and often can be found online at Craigslist. For efficient water usage – and greater gardening success – it’s wise to cluster plants in groupings of similar needs for water, drainage and sun or shade. Use of commercial fertilizer can be reduced by amending our nutrient-rich clay soil with homemade compost from yard and kitchen wastes.
Garden club meetings have a wide array of “smart” gardening programs, such as adding color without relying on thirsty flowers, replacing conventional lawns with interesting grasses, incorpo-rating beautiful edible plants and fruit trees to the garden mix, and installing systems to capture rainwater and grey-water (recycled water from household shower and laundry drains).
Water conservation will always be a concern in our area, since we live in a “Mediterranean climate” of wet winters and dry summers. Comprising about 5 percent of the earth’s surface, this climate is found around the Mediter-ranean Sea, along the west coasts of California and Chile, and in small areas of Australia and South Africa. Plants native to all these areas are
very drought-tolerant and highly ap-propriate for our gardens. In addition to being adaptive to our climate, they have natural pest defenses, and they benefit indigenous wildlife. To help educate club members on California native and related specimens, the “Plant of the Month” segment is a monthly meeting feature. Highlighted natives have included Vitis californica ‘Rogers’s Red’ (a wild grape with color-ful fall leaves), Salvia spathacea ‘Hum-mingbird Sage’, and Ceanothus gloriosus (often called the California lilac). Details on these and other featured plants can be found by going to the club’s website, www.PHGSC.com and clicking on the “Plant of the Month” tab. The Pleasant Hill Garden Study Club meets the first Tuesday of each month (except July) at 7 p.m. in the Pleasant Hill Community Center, 320 Civic Drive, Pleasant Hill. For more information, go to the website or call 925-944-4898.
Photo by Christopher Vardas: www.ccv.smugmug.com.
www.ourcommunityfocus.comAugust 2010 Page 19
Drawn to the Cause in Martinez By Chuck Nan
Barista takes delight in personal artwork he calls “cups of Joe” If by chance you ever have to wait in line at the Starbucks coffeehouse located in the Nob Hill Shopping Center in Martinez, you may be treated to an art show -- although you may not even know it. In front of the latte machine, behind the glass partition, the ledge is lined with decorated coffee cups. The art is so detailed that it seems to jump off the cup. There are specific designs; they represent flowers, animals, cars, hobbies, favorite sports teams, fam-ily members, special destinations -- just about anything you can imagine. They are as individual as the customers. Barista Joe Cinelli, a life-long Mar-tinez native and Alhambra graduate, has worked at the store for over two-years. One of his passions is drawing. Cinelli is so masterful at his craft that manager Alex Wright entrusts him do all of the special signage “art boards” for the store listing
items such as the daily offerings and prod-uct specials.A while back, Cinelli started to doodle on a cup in the early morning hours when he opened the store. It wasn’t anything serious, he was just passing time. The lines were soon filled-in with color. Then he started to etch different designs to add “personality,” looking for variety in his works. He would keep them close to his work station and casually show some customers who appeared to be interested and appreciated the craft. Then interest spilled-over to his workmates. He designed art cups for each of his colleagues. In all, about 20 cups which were then displayed for the public to see. From there, the whole thing snow-balled. One week before a high-level cor-porate visit by regional management, the district manager, Trish Brown, paid a visit. She was overwhelmed by what she saw and loved the concept. She had
to have one herself and commissioned Cinelli to draw one for the Aids Life Cycle event. Brown even hinted that Cinelli’s art may be produced in mass quantity in the future and featured on cups in stores. Until that time, Cinelli was doing artwork for no charge. He then had an idea and felt he could utilize his art for a worthwhile cause. So, he began a cam-paign to put his efforts to work for a char-ity and offered custom work. The charity was the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the leader of the breast cancer movement. Cinelli’s “program” collected over $300.00 and Starbucks then matched the amount. The most challenging piece of work was a multi-cup marriage theme for a recently engaged co-worker. It included bride, groom, redwood trees, flowers, monks, industrial workers in action and Wikipedia. That one took him four hours to complete. Cinelli’s favorite project was a simple dolphin design. That was for a four-year-old girl named Alani. Her father had made the request to Joe. When she received the cup, Alani did not let it out of her hands for an entire weekend. What’s next for Cinelli? Well, he would like to put his drawing skills to use in advertising design. He would like to work for an agency in their graphic design area. As meticulous as Cinelli is with his lines, he is equal to the task of document-ing his work. The cups are available for view on his Facebook page. To get there, search in pages for “cups of Joe.” Every one of his pieces is showcased.
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Summer melons evoke visions of ancient Egyptian rulers daintily pick-ing at juicy chunks while deciding the fates of civilizations. Melons date back cen-turies from the Middle East and deep sum-mer is peak season for melons so sweet and fragrant they stop you in your tracks, forcing you to crack one open and slurp before you know what you are doing. To pick a good one, make sure that you can smell it before you put your sniffer to it. Draw-ing you to it with its tempting aroma when you are walking down an aisle at the farmers’ market is what it gets paid to do. Wafting scents stir up taste memories and pictures of fine Parma prosciutto and fresh, tantalizing mint creating one threesome you will not want to miss. Slice Ambrosia melon onto a plate in little fingers. Wrap some very thinly sliced prosciutto around the melon. Add a light summer blanket chiffonade of fresh mint. Drizzle some really good olive oil over the ménage trios cracking fresh black pepper to send the horses off and running. Frozen cubes of Sharlyn melon blended with tequila and lime produce a sublime margarita. Macerate chunks with crystallized ginger and vanilla bean lavishly draping over ice cream taking the Sundae to a new level.
Cold soups are crying to be tried out and added to your repertoire as well. With all these amazing melons coming into season there are a lot of choices here. Regardless of the type of melon, you can use pretty much the same method for any kind of chilled melon soup. First peel and seed the melon. Chop half and puree in a blender with a little bit of sparkling wine or water. Take about a quarter of the remaining melon and dice it and add it to the puree for some added texture. Save the rest of the melon for a cool snack later. Add some crème fraiche or plain yogurt to the puree. From here you can add any kind of fruit you desire to finish your joyous concoc-tion. Sliced strawberries, blueberries or chopped nectarines are nice. You can also start to think about adding an herb such as mint or lavender to garnish. Watermelon is also great in smoothies. You can freeze it and use as ice so as not to water down the flavor. Same goes for strawberries and pine-apple too. Put a cup of yogurt into a blender. It can be vanilla or plain. Add about a cup of cut up watermelon and a few whole strawberries. To make it a
little sweeter, add a table-
Melon Mania! By Lesley Stiles
THE GARDEN
spoon of your favorite jam. Add about a ! cup of orange juice and blend it up. This will make about 3 cups of
smoothie. Gazpacho is another chilled soup that is very versatile and tasty. With
the plethora of heirloom toma-toes in the mar-
ket you can really have some fun. Peel, seed and
dice your cucumber and add to pureed tomatoes. Add a little sliced scallions (white part) and chopped basil. Swirl
in chopped fresh avocado and garnish with a little crème fraiche. To add a different twist to your to-mato soup, add some aforementioned melon or roasted and pureed eggplant and a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.An easy favorite: Melon balls mixed into a summer fruit salad with grapes and berries. Lesley Stiles is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy, sus-tainable caterer and school garden educator. Contact Lesley at [email protected], www.lesleystiles.blogspot.com.
Watermelon, Basil & Feta Salad with Balsamic Vinegar
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This may sound nuts as a salad but you have to try it to taste how luscious basil and watermelon can be together. Adding the feta and balsamic even out the sweet, sour, bitter and salty flavors. One small watermelon will make enough salad for 10 to 12 people so you can double the recipe for a crowd.
Ingredients:! of a small watermelon, peeled and cubed20 basil leaves, sliced thinly! cup feta cheese, crumbled3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar3 tablespoons olive oilkosher salt
Directions:Toss watermelon and basil in a bowl. Mix in vinegar and olive oil and lightly toss. Mix in feta and season with salt. Serves 6.
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www.ourcommunityfocus.comPage 22 August 2010
American Iron Car Show Last year, Carol Guisto, a 37-year resident of Pleasant Hill, entered her 1952 Willys Overland in the Pleasant Hill Rec-reation & Park District’s annual American Iron car show. Many people have never seen a Willys or even heard of the Willys-Overland Motor Company, so she is used to getting attention for her unusual car. The American Iron car show gives pre-1980s American-made car-judging a unique twist with its zany award catego-ries, such as the car that was “responsible for the oil crisis” or the “best make-out car” The winners of these “creative” award categories are selected by spectators attending the show. So it was that Carol Guisto and her Willys Overland won the plaque for Best Beach Car in American Iron’s 2009 show. Willys cars were made by a company whose claim to fame came when they manufactured lightweight trucks for the War Department in the late 1930s. Later the Jeep became a brand in its own right, creating a group of dedicated car collec-tors. This summer on August 15, the American Iron car show for 2010 will be held in the parking lot at the Pleasant Hill Community Center, 320 Civic Drive. Up to 90 cars will be on display from 10 am to 3 pm. There will be a DJ playing upbeat music, coffee and pastries from A Wake Up Call, and delicious barbeque
from Maverick’s BBQ Catering. Pleasant Hill Recreation & Park District employee Pam Lischeske and her husband Eric, owners of a 1968 Mustang, came up for the idea for the show nine years ago. They continue to dream up activities to make the show different and fun for both spectators and car owners/exhibitors. One of the latest features of American Iron is the Treasure Hunt. Eric Lischeske studies the cars on display and writes a series of clues to quiz and guide spectators to some of the unique features of the cars. American Iron also has conventional car show awards, which are judged by the exhibitors themselves. These trophy awards are presented for best of decade, one each for cars made in the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s; best interior, best
engine, best paint, and best of show. The day is filled with music, sun-shine, and of course, viewing the beautiful machines that could, and still do, fulfill the American dreams. Admission to American Iron car show is free for specta-tors, and just $25 to enter a car (deadline, August 7.) For information and registration forms visit www.pleasanthillrec.com, or call the Pleasant Hill Community Center at 676-5200.
www.ourcommunityfocus.comAugust 2010 Page 23
Despite our concerns about sun and skin cancer, sunlight on our skin is the best source of vitamin D, essential for immune support. Low vitamin D levels have been linked to such conditions as os-teoporosis, MS, diabetes, and cancer.How much sunlight? The exact amount of safe sun exposure depends on our skin tone, the time of the year, and even the time of day. In general, about 5-15 minutes, 3-times a week is considered adequate. Morning or late afternoon is best. Avoid the hot-test time of the day. At other times of the day, wear a hat and long sleeves for sun protec-tion. Find a sunscreen without harmful ingredients at http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen. Best efforts don’t al-ways prevent over-exposure to the sun. Here are 3 of the many homeopathic remedies that quickly and naturally help restore parched skin. Calendula cream or tincture helps soothe minor sunburn. I recommend topical preparations without alcohol or petroleum. These ingredients may irritate. Gently apply cool calendula
compresses without pressing or rub-bing. Caution! Cold compresses or ice
packs can damage burned skin. Oral remedies to con-sider: Belladonna is useful if symptoms came on quickly and the skin is hot and throbbing and /or looks shiny red. Bella-donna can also be helpful for heat exhaustion or sunstroke.
Cantharis is good if the skin is red with large blisters, feels raw and itchy. This person may feel like their head is heavy; they may be confused. Note: Cantharis is also beneficial for scalds and jellyfish stings. To find out how to use the rem-edies go to, “Too Much Sun?” http://myranissen.com/blog/?p=632. I can help resolve conditions such as sun allergies or extreme sun sensi-tivity. I offer free 30-minute wellness assessments. Call Myra Nissen, CCH, RSHom(NA), Nationally Certified Homeopath, 826.3858 for a free 30-minute wellness assessment. www.MyraNissen.com.
Play It Safe in the Sun!By Myra Nissen, CCH, RSHom(NA)
How do you balance getting enough vitamin D if you are constantly wearing sunscreen? Is it okay to spend some time in the sun without sunscreen? Vitamin D deficiency is a hot topic right now, partly because we’re still learning a lot about it. One indication that our knowledge of vitamin D is evolving is the recent changes in the recom-mended levels of vitamin D in the body. Vitamin D deficiency can con-tribute to osteoporosis. It can also be associated with decreased immune function and bone pain. While vitamin D deficiency has been associated with certain cancers such as colon cancer, there is currently not a proven “cause and effect” relationship. By contrast, there is a definite cause and effect rela-tionship between sun exposure and skin cancer. There are 3 ways to get vitamin D in your body: 1. Vitamin D production from expo-sure to the sun 2. Diet that includes fatty fish, eggs, and fortified products, such as milk 3. Oral supplements
Vitamin D from diet and oral sup-plements is the safest way to raise your
levels, if you are deficient. The incidental exposure that you get from the sun during daily activities is usually enough for your body to produce ad-equate vitamin D levels. You do not need to seek the sun or tan intention-ally to get enough vita-min D. If your levels are
still low with incidental sun exposure, it is safer to get your vitamin D from diet and oral supplements. Dr. Chen is a physician with Diablo Valley Oncology/Hematology Medical Group which is located in the California Cancer and Research Insti-tute at 400 Taylor Blvd, Pleasant Hill. The California Cancer and Research Institute is a state-of-the-art facility with cutting edge technologies is the largest comprehensive, non-hos-pital based cancer and blood disorder treatment facility in Contra Costa County. The center offers everything from medical oncology and hematol-ogy, radiation, chemotherapy, and ad-vanced diagnostic imaging to clinical trials and supportive services.
Vitamin D and the Sun By Gigi Chen, M.D.
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Talking and ListeningBy Ron Whitney
“I am so angry with Rob, I could spit,” Jules said as she sat down. I asked, “What did Rob do or say that caused you to be so angry?” “He is not listening to what I am not saying,” Jules retorted. “Let me see if I understand you. You are angry with Rob because he is not listening to what you are not saying.” She said, “Yes. He is not listening to what I’m not…” She put her hand over her mouth and said, “Oh, my gosh. No wonder he is not listening. I am not saying what I need to say so that he can have a chance to hear me.” She solved her problem. We talked about talking and listen-ing, the importance of saying what we
want to say and making sure that we consider our audience when we speak. We discussed the importance of choosing our words carefully and being conscien-tious about what we want to convey. It is crucial that both spouses are involved in the speaking and listening process. If the listening spouse doesn’t understand what the speaking spouse has said, it is his/her responsibility to tell the speaking spouse that he did not understand what he/she said and ask him/her to say it a different way. What that looks like in a practical way is one spouse says something to the other spouse. The listening spouse then
says, “This is what I heard you say. Is this what you meant?” The first spouse says, “Not exactly. This is what I meant.” The second spouse then responds with, “Oh, okay. This is what I heard you say. Is this what you meant?” The first spouse may say yes but he/she may also say, “No, this is what I meant.” And this may go back and forth four or five times before there is understanding. While this may seem laborious and a waste of time, I can assure you that it will pay HUGE dividends over the rest of your married life. I work with couples or with one of the spouses individually to help them learn to relate to each other in a healthy
way so they can enjoy each other to the fullest. In the vast majority of cases, marriage coaching is much more effective than marriage counseling. In those cases where there is a divorce, I can help one of the spouses process the divorce, save the spouse thousands of dollars in attorney’s fees and get the healing he/she needs. Ron is a retired special agent of the FBI. He is currently a life coach special-izing in marriages and relationships. He is also a lay counselor at Hope Center Covenant Church in Pleasant Hill. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or by telephone, (925) 708-5337.
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www.ourcommunityfocus.comPage 24 August 2010
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• Mobile Service
• California License & Bonded • 20 Years Experience
• Insurance Jobs WelcomeWe work on all year, make, models foreign and domestic.
Contact our mobile auto glass replacement service for windshield and other auto glass replacement needs.
www.jimsautoglass.com www.jimsautoglass.com
Mchale’s Environmental Insulation provides alternatives to itchy !berglass that insulates better and is good for the environment. Reduce unwanted sound & increase thermal control. Opportunities for rebates through PG&E and a federal tax credit. 30+ years in business. Contact:
Dan Hair 800-427-9780.www.mchaleinsulation.com.
Payless Painting, IncPayless Painting, Inc. is a growing family company that has been serving the San Francisco East Bay since 1961. We specialize in both commercial and residential projects and over the last 48+ years we have built an excep-tional reputation for quality and customer service which can be seen through our large number of repeat clients and numerous glowing references from home-owners and contractors alike. Payless Painting’s continued success can be attributed to our dedication to giving our clients an outstanding painting experience. 925-935-1176
McHale’s Environmental InsulationMcHale’s Environmental Insulation provides cellulose, fiberglass, cot-ton and radiant barrier for attics, walls, floors. We also do removal of old damaged insulation. Dur-ing 32 years in business we have served over 75,000 customers making us one of the largest es-tablished and most experienced companies of our kind. Decrease your energy bills by as much as 40% and reduce unwanted sound while creating a more comfort-able and quiet living space. Take advantage of rebates from PG&E and Obama’s energy efficiency tax credit.
Hire My Husband
925-969-0133
Contractor Lic. # 943231www.HireMyHusband.com
• Interior Painting
• Quality Home Repair Projects
• Handyman Services
All kinds of Interior and Exterior handyman projects.
Jim’s Auto GlassWith over 18 years of experience, we pride ourselves in honesty and reliability. Contact our mobile auto glass replacement service for windshield and other auto glass replacement needs. We wel-come all insurance claims and will handle the billing for each one. Call and describe the glass to be replaced and we’ll make it look as good as new. All labor comes with a lifetime warranty. Prices vary based on the type of glass and vehicle. Our prices are competitive so call today for a free estimate (925) 381-7204.
Matthew’s AAA, Inc., Tree Service & HaulingWe have been serving the East Bay for 25 years. We offer a full line of landscaping services in-cluding stump removal, masonry, brick wall and redwood fences, pruning, topping, removing, planting, new lawns, ivy topping and removal, and sprinklers. We also offer brush clearance for fire inspection. We are available 24 hours a day excluding holidays and Sundays. Need assistance? Give us a call, free estimates available. All work guaranteed. (925) 207-9171.
Air Seal Inc.Save Up to 40 % on Energy Bills!When applied to the underside of the roof sheathing and attic walls to create an unvented attic, our specialized spray foam insulation creates an effective air barrier that dramatically reduces attic temperatures and humidity, not to mention the stress placed on your heating and cooling system. And it can save you up to 40% on your energy bills! Call now and start your energy savings. (925) 723-0101.
Home ExpressionsHome Expressions in Concord is a boutique Kitchen and Bath remodeling design center that specializes in unique designs, attention to detail and personal-ized service from start to finish. We pride ourselves in using wood cabinetry made in the USA…both custom and modular cabinetry to fit any budget. The owner works directly with every client to provide personalized service from 3D design concept to completion. Stop by and visit our showroom today! (925) 521-1000
www.ourcommunityfocus.comAugust 2010 Page 25
‡ Please set all copy in upper and lowercase, flush left as indicated on artwork at these point sizes: Consultant name in 11-point Helvetica Neue Bold; Independent Beauty Consultant in 9-point Helvetica Neue Light; Web site or e-mail address in 9-point Helvetica Neue Light; phone number in 9-point Helvetica Neue Light. To the Independent Beauty Consultant: Only Company-approved Web sites obtained through the Mary Kay® Personal Web Site program may be utilized.
BECKY XEPOLEAS
Independent Sales Director
Creator: WOMEN OF INFLUENCE
www.marykay.com/bxepoleas - (925) 947-2068
Consumers expect to get a deal on eve-rything from car repairs to spa treatments. It’s the effect the current economy is having on all of us and it’s a good thing. The fact is that for so long we didn’t have a say in what we paid for services or products. Businesses put the price tag out there and we accepted
it. I’m not saying that businesses were being greedy or in any way overindulging (in most cases). They were just doing busi-ness. Which brings me to another point: as a society, we had become full-fledged consumers; we never questioned the price of an item until we could no longer afford it. Why didn’t we do that sooner and save the difference? We were being idealistic?
Consumers & Businesses Need Each Other By Julia Wessels
Everything was going well. Our jobs were secure and we had money in savings. We all know now how quickly things can change. So how do consumers and businesses meet in the middle and find common ground? We both have a bottom line: mouths to feed and bills to pay. Enter Passbox – a local East Bay company that’s bridging the gap between a businesses need for customers and the consumer’s desire for a good deal on everyday expenses as well as splurge treats. Passbox.com has a “Deal of the Day” program that gives people a 48 hour “opportunity window” to buy a heavily discounted deal (up to 80% off) from a lo-cal business on the Passbox network. If you like the deal you can purchase and print your voucher right away! Unlike many group-buy sites, there is no minimum number of people who have to purchase
before the deal is active. As an added bonus and a great way to benefit a huge need in our community, 5% of purchases go back to local public schools. You choose the school by selecting from a drop-down menu during your transaction. Think about the power a PTA could put behind a fundraiser like this! Just a couple of weeks ago, Passbox offered a $75 Manicure and Pedicure at the Jellyfish Spa in the Blackhawk Plaza for only $30! Every week there are several deals of this caliber. Each member of the Passbox team lives right here in the East Bay. They are committed to helping local businesses and consumers connect, while giving back to schools in our community. Thinking outside of the box, we’re able to find a common ground. I’m passionate about supporting local businesses while also getting a great deal in exchange!
For more on how to live frugally using coupons, where to find coupons, how to budget, and the dreaded meal planning, head on over to The Frugal Find @ www.thefrugalfind.com. I blog daily the best deals at the stores you shop at locally to save you time & money! I also teach Coupon & Frugal Living classes to help you Save More, Give more, and Live more! Julia Wessels @ The Frugal Find [email protected]
3
36 Year MemberPleasant Hill
Chamber of Commerce
www.ourcommunityfocus.comPage 26 August 2010
August- Rodgers Ranch Round Up. Expe-rience life on a farm in the 1800’s and learn back to basics lifestyles; Churning butter, making ice cream, crafts and much more. Ages 7-11yrs. 2-day sessions- T&Th 9am-2pm $50. Sessions Aug.3&5. Register at [email protected] or call 387-0158
Now-August 27th - Fridays on the Main - Cruise In & Live Music. 6pm-9pm. Main Street Downtown Martinez. Classic cars, street rods, custom trucks, motorcycles and live music. For schedule visit: www.mainstreetmartinez.org.
Now-September - Music and Market Series – Farmers’ Market and free music concerts in the Plaza. Thursday evenings, 6:30pm-8pm at Todos Santos Park, Concord.
Now-September - The 1940s: Kilroy Was Here. Who was Kilroy and what does this all mean? This unique expres-sion and graffiti appears to have origi-nated with the U.S. servicemen of WWII through the Korean War. Current exhibit at the Martinez History Museum, 1005 Escobar St., Martinez. Hours: Tues. and Thurs., 11:30-3pm. First four Sundays 1pm-4pm. Call: 925-228-8160 or www.martinezhistory.org.
Ongoing - The Martinez Animal Hos-pital has a Kitten Adoption Program. The Cost to the new owner is our cost of vaccines & spay/neuter. www.martin-ezanimalhospital.net.
8/7 – Summer Peddlers’ Faire – Summer has arrived and once again it’s time for the annual Martinez Summer Peddlers’ Faire. It is one of the largest outdoor antique shows in Northern California. Main Street, Martinez, 8am-4pm.
8/7 - The Third Annual Martinez Bea-ver Festival - A family event celebrating the relationship between our beavers, the community and the watershed. There will be music, environmental displays, tours, and children’s activities. Come learn about these famous stewards of Alhambra Creek. We promise you a dam good time! 11am-4pm, Beaver Park at Alhambra and Marina Vista streets.
8/8 & 8/22 – Sunset by the Lake – Live music on the lawn at Pleasant Hill City Hall. Bring dinner and enjoy live local bands. 6pm-8pm, FREE.
8/11 – Orientation to Volunteering at Lindsay Wildlife Museum- Opportuni-ties abound at the museum. This class will provide information about the ways you can get involved in the work of the museum and how you can help wildlife.
EVENTS
YOUTH
AT THE LIBRARY
VOLUNTEERS
8/4 & 8/11 - Story Time. 11:15am-11:45am. This fun story time is tailored for the youngest crowd. Let your child develop early literacy skills naturally as we share songs and rhymes, bounce and tickles, and simple stories. Come join us for this light-hearted story hour just for tots ages 0 - 3. Summer session runs from June 16 through August 11. Pleas-ant Hill Library, 1750 Oak Park Blvd.
8/5 & 8/12 (Thursdays) – Preschool Story Time 11:15am -11:45am. Featur-ing stories and songs to tickle the funny-bone and str-e-eetch the imagination, our stories will transport young children to a world full of fun. Pleasant Hill Li-brary, 1750 Oak Park Blvd.
8/24 – Tips for a Greener Home – You can be a little more earth-friendly at home. Learn ways to be “green” at home. Presented by Jennifer Brennan, 6pm-8pm, Pleasant Hill Library, 1750 Oak Park Blvd. Register by calling: 646-6434.
Volunteers Needed to Greet and Assist Patients. Age 15 and above welcome.Two hour shifts M-F, 8am-4pmCommunity service hours eligibleCalifornia Cancer & Research Institute. 400 Taylor Blvd. P. H. Contact 925-395-7630 or [email protected]
6:30pm- 8pm, ages 18- Adult. Free, reg-istration is strongly recommended.
8/20 – Pleasant Hill Senior Center Open House - Come meet representa-tives and learn about the activities held at the center, 10am-Noon. Free. More details on page 9.
8/13 & 8/27– Rock the Plaza – Live mu-sic, just bring a picnic meal and enjoy. 6pm-8pm at the intersection of Moraga Rd. and Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette.
8/13 – Lost in Space at the Bay Area Discovery Museum- 5pm-8pm. One last chance to see Living In Space before it blasts off! Celebrate space travel with a retro evening of fun featuring 60’s grooves from DJ Mancub from 6:30pm-7:30pm. Juggling, magic, contortions and more from 5:30pm-6:30pm. www.baykidsmuseum.org
8/14 – Pleasant Hill High Class of 1970 Forty-Year Reunion – Theme: Lordy, Lordy – How Did It Get To Be Forty?! Embassy Suites Hotel, 1345 Treat Blvd., Walnut Creek. 6pm-Midnight. Com-fortable Attire. $75/each if paid by Aug. 13th. $85/each if paid at the door. Contact: Chris (Looney) Crecelius at 914-1740 or Alexis (Paschall) Friedhaber at 787-0839 with questions.
9/12 – East Bay Wedding Faire - For brides-to-be, fiancés, family, and friends. Discover wedding related businesses including photographers, bakeries, caterers, florists and more. 11am-4pm. Call: 228-3577. Martinez Event Center, 524 Main St., Martinez.
CalendarREC & PARK
8/6 – Garage Bands at the Lake. Check out local teen bands at the Pleasant Hill City Hall, 7pm. If you are a teen band interested in performing, call: 682-0896 or email: [email protected].
8/15 – American Iron Car Show. 10am-3pm. Bring your pre-1980s American car and enter the competitions for Best Paint; Best Interior; Best of Decade; Best Engine; Car responsible for the oil crisis; Best make-out car; Best beach car. For more information, call Pam Lischeske: 676-5200. Free for spectators; $25 per show car.
8/20 – Friday Night Family Swim. 7pm-9:30pm at the Pleasant Hill Aquatic Park, 147 Gregory Lane. $3.50-$4.00.
PH Rec & Park Pre-SchoolIt is “back-to-school” season and time to register your child in Pleasant Hill Rec-reation & Park District’s award-winning pre-school program.
The Recreation & Park District of-fers top-quality teaching for children 2 years 6 months through 6 years. Classes include indoor and outdoor activities that develop small and large motor skills, while language and concept imagery is developed through stories, circle time activities, and dramatic play. A variety of art media and creative music is an inte-gral part of the program. For informa-tion on current openings, contact Eran Perera, Pre-school Director, at 676-5200, ext. 32.
CLUBS8/3 – Pleasant Hill Garden Study Club- *8pm. Speaker: Gary Lawrence, Mt. Dia-blo Beekeepers, on “How to Attract Bees to Your Garden”. PH Community Center. 320 Civic Dr. Guests are welcome. www.phgsc.com. Call: 944-4898 *late start time for Aug. only.
8/10 – Pleasant Hill Library Book Club- Second Tuesday of every month, 6:30 p.m. Free
ALL PAPER SHREDDED AT THIS EVENT IS RECYCLED!Saturday, August 7 • 9am–11am
CALIFORNIA CANCER & RESEARCH INSTITUTE 400 Taylor Boulevard, Pleasant Hill
- In Parking Lot-$20 for FIRST Box, $5 Each Add’l Box(Standard Record Size Storage Box)
DOCUMENT SHREDDING FUNDRAISERAll Proceeds To Bene!t: THE WELLNESS COMMUNITY
Safeguard your personal information and protect against identity theft while recycling for our planet AND helping people fighting cancer in our community. Bring your old tax returns,
business records, bank statements, cancelled checks, credit card statements, bills, receipts and other documents containing personal information to this community wide event.
Sponsored By:Special Thanks To: SHRED WORKS
Tell your friends & neighbors!
www.ourcommunityfocus.comAugust 2010 Page 27
Walnut Creek Elks Lodge honors Louks Hendricks as outstanding local citizen with the Award of Eagle Scout the highest honor which can be awarded to a Boy Scout. Louks is the 22nd Eagle Scout in Troup 1811. He is a resident of Walnut Creek and is currently a sophomore at Chico State University. He has received 26 merit badges with a special project for Shelter, Inc. He directed 235 volunteer hours to get supplies for the strug-gling homeless. The event was unique with a special guest Jenny Papka from Native Bird Connections who brought an eagle to the event. Louks received the Elks Lodge certificate of achievement, and an American flag presented by Gerry Gouveia, ER and Ed O’Connell, Chapter Representative.
Walnut Creek Elks Lodge Hosts Eagle Scout Court of Honor - Troop 1811
Tiffany Svahn, MD was recently awarded the Patients’ Choice Award for 2009, the second year in a row. More than 800,000 patient reviews and ratings were gathered, and this top rating is only awarded to a select few of the nation’s most beloved doctors. Patients rated Dr. Svahn in the following areas: bedside manner, the amount of time she spends with them, the courtesy of her staff, appropriate follow-up, and their overall opinion of her as a physician. Dr. Svahn is a medical oncologist who specializes in treating breast cancer. She practices at Diablo Valley Oncology/He-matology Medical Group which is located at the California Cancer and Research Institute in Pleasant Hill, California. Dr. Svahn also sees patients in her San Ramon office.
Announcements
Patients’ Choice Award Goes to Local Doctor
Fourth of July Fun
www.ourcommunityfocus.comPage 28 August 2010
As you prepare to send your teenager back to school this month, remember that participating in a high school sport continues to be widely popular as well as beneficial for the student. During the 2009/2010 school year, approximately 816 College Park students took part in high school ath-letics as indicated in the chart below:
If you currently have students in
public school, you are already aware of
how simple it is to take advantage of
contributions made to schools through
eScrip and Scrip programs. But even
if you don’t have school-aged children,
you can help funnel free money to the
schools in your community. In bleak
financial times such as these, we can’t
let a single available resource go un-
tapped.
eScrip is an organization that
partners with businesses to contribute
a percentage of your purchases to the
school of your choice. You don’t have
to buy anything you wouldn’t normally
buy or spend an extra cent.
Here’s how it works: • Go online to www.escrip.com and
register your Safeway Club card and/or
your debit/ATM card (if you’re a Luna-
rdi’s shopper).
• Select the school or booster program
you would like your contribution to go
towards.
• When you swipe your Safeway card
(or enter your phone number) or use
your registered debit card at Lunardi’s,
a percentage of your total monthly
purchases go to the school.
If you already have children in
school, you may need to go online
to re-authorize your card or update
the school your contribution is going
toward. If your children are just start-
ing school you can sign up when you
register your student in August.
It’s simple. It’s free. And it makes
an impact.
Here are two examples totaling over $23K of FREE MONEY: Valhalla Elementary:
Net eScrip contribution from May 2009
through May 2010: $14,226.35
College Park Athletic Boosters:
In May 2009, the eScrip program raised
$298.
In May 2010, the eScrip program raised
$863- due to increased participation.
In total, The CP Athletic Booster eScrip
program earned $9,226 in 12 months.
The program currently has only a little
over 50% participation. Just think of
the potential!
You decide – Elementary School,
Middle School, High School Athletics,
Band, PTSA … Register your card and
tell them where to send the check!
Free Money for Your Schools - Don’t Miss Out By R.L. Tinker
For High School, Consider eScrip and Athletics By Jaki Jones
College Park Sports Roster 2009-2010 Season
Football 94Boys/Girls Track 119Boys Soccer 57Boys/Girls Swimming 60Baseball 66Boys/Girls X-Country 70Boys Basketball 35Girls Volleyball 37Softball 32Girls Basketball 30Wrestling 26Boys Lacrosse 27Boys Volleyball 17Boys Tennis 19Girls Water Polo 14Girls Tennis 17Boys Water Polo 25Boys Golf 13
The numbers show how commit-ted College Park is to athletics and its many programs. Unfortunately, the sports programs in the Mt. Diablo Uni-fied School District continue to be in jeopardy and finan-cial support is needed more than ever. There are two easy ways you can help preserve athletics as you head to the registration tables this month. Consider enroll-ing in the escrip program (see article below) and contribute to the United Mt. Diablo Athletic Foundation. The UMDAF is an organization dedicated to help recover the 1.2 million dollars that has been lost due to budget cuts by providing fundraising and financial support specifically for Mt. Diablo Unified school district high school athletics. Last year this foundation played a crucial role in bringing back athletics in the high schools and will
continue to do so this year. At the June 15th school board meeting, representa-tives from UMDAF presented their financial plan to sup-port athletics for the 2010-11 school year. The Board approved the funding plan for next year with one
change. UMDAF submitted a plan that reduced transportation
and contribution fees for all of the teams and the Board approved all of these reductions with the exception of the football contribution. They said it would remain the same. The foun-dation also asked the school district to help pay the fees of students who qualified for free and reduced lunch and they declined (approximately $200,000). Pat Middendorf, UMDAF’s Presi-dent, commented that “I think it is important to note that the 1.2 mil-lion the district previously provided
for sports was really only about half what it took to run the programs - the rest was raised by parents and booster clubs. We expect this year to be more difficult than last year to raise the million plus dollars because we do not expect to receive some of the big donations we got last year. We have to count on each family paying their fees and the whole community once again coming together to help make sure that sports continue in this district.” UMDAF’s fundraising contributed over $300K, which covered the costs to fund sports at College Park last year. Please also consider sponsoring an athlete, purchasing a t-shirt and attend the various fundraising events such as the upcoming 5K Run this October. All revenue raised by this organiza-tion is shared equally among the six high schools in the district, which will in turn reinforce the overall league. In working together we can keep the cheering loud, the stands crowded, and the school spirit high. Visit the UMDAF website at www.unitedmtdiabloathletics.org to learn more. Data gathered by UMDAF Sec-retary Kent Caldwell.
www.ourcommunityfocus.comAugust 2010 Page 29
Stage DoorBy Nicole Diestler
Macbeth by William Shakespeare (Drama)Aug 18, 2010 through Sep 12, 2010. Curtain time(s): Fri-Sat 8PM; Tue-Thurs 7:30PM (8/18 & 8/19 8PM); Sun 4PM. Ticket Price: $20.00 - $65.00Urged on by his wife and his own ambition, a Scottish nobleman plots to become king.Produced by: California Shakespeare Theater, www.calshakes.org. Box office: (510) 548-9666Performed at: Bruns Memorial Amphitheater 100 Gateway Blvd. at Hwy 24, Orinda.
Earth vs. Altair, Queen of Outer Space! Episode II, The Deadly Ray! (Comedy)By Daniel Dickinson. Directed by Dickinson.Jul 24, 2010 through Aug 22, 2010. Curtain time(s): Sat 8PM; Sun 2PM.Ticket Price: $10.00 - $15.00. The new, campy second installment of the Earth vs. Altair trilogy. Pro-duced by: San Leandro, www.sanleandroplayers.org. Box office: (510) 895-2573Performed at: San Leandro Museum/Auditorium 320/324 W. Estudillo Ave., San Leandro.
Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling (Serio/Comic). Directed by Richard Robert Bunker.Jul 29, 2010 through Aug 08, 2010. Curtain time(s): Fri-Sat, 7/29 & 8/5 8PM; Sun 2PM.Ticket Price: $19.00 - $22.00. Truvy’s beauty salon in small-town Louisiana is the social nucleus for a close-knit circle of women.Produced by: Altarena Playhouse, www.altarena.org, Box office: (510) 523-1553.Performed at: Altarena Playhouse, 1409 High St. Alameda.
Disney’s Aladdin by Alan Menken (Musical/Opera). Directed by Jennifer King & Amy Dalton.Aug 02, 2010 through Sep 05, 2010, Ticket Price: $19.00 - $33.00. A street urchin falls in love with a princess, but it’s going to take a magic genie to win her hand amongst all her rich suitors. Tickets at berkeleyplayhouse.org. Produced by: Berkeley Playhouse. Performed at: Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Berkeley.
AUGUST - NOW PLAYING
THEATRE & THE ARTS
Summer is in full swing and the heat is on…Cool off those wallets with a little theatrical savings. Most com-panies will offer deeply discount-ed pricing when season tickets are purchased in advance. Diablo Valley College, for instance, offers admission to all five shows in their line-up for only $80. Berkeley Rep boasts a deal that gets you in for as little as $23 per ticket when three or more shows are purchased. You’ll get a year’s worth of pre-set date nights, a deal on pricing, plus you’re helping to support local bay area theatre, and well, it’s just the right thing to do in my defined, yet humble opinion. So, East Bay theatre lovers, pur-chase 2010-2011 season tickets to our local theaters. The line-ups are stellar, the prices are ripe and I urge you to
support our area’s companies as they embark on mounting what promise to be fantastic productions. They will move you to tears, create smiles and enliven your souls while entertaining your eyes, ears, hearts and minds with their casts and crews. Oh, after four long acting-deprived years, I have finally gained my tenure at DVC. This occurrence puts an end to my vow of theatrical silence, as it were. To end my theatrical celibacy, and with the permission of Actor’s Equity As-sociation, I will be making my East Bay theater debut, alongside my fantastic students in DVC’s production of Fuddy Meers. (I dare you to come throw a tomato at me.) Nicole Diestler is the Associate Professor of Acting and Directing at Diablo Valley College. Deadline for submissions is the 1st Friday of each month for the following issue. Send information to [email protected].
Diablo Valley College: Department of Drama
www.dvcdrama.net • Box office: (925) 687-4445Line-up: Cabaret • Fuddy Meers • Comedy Of Errors • Alice In Wonderland The Last Days of Judas Iscariot
Town Hall Theatre: Lafayette
www.TownHallTheatre.com • Box office: (925) 283-1557Line-up: Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde • Scrooge: the Musical • The Glass Menagerie Twelfth Night
California Conservatory Theatre: San Leandro
www.cct-sl.org • Box office: (510) 632-8850Line-Up: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee • Doubt: a parable Almost, Maine • Same Time, Next Year • The Unvarnished Truth
Berkeley Repertory Theatre: Berkeley
www.berkeleyrep.org • Box office: (510) 647-2949Line-up: Compulsion • The Great Game: Afghanistan • The Composer is Dead The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs / The Last Cargo Cult Ruined • The Three Sisters • A new show for Rita Moreno
Aurora Theatre Company: Berkeley
www.auroratheatre.org • Box office: (510) 843-4822Line-up: Trouble in Mind • Palomino • Collapse The Eccentricities of a Nightingale • Metamorphosis
Contra Costa Musical Theatre: Walnut Creek
Box office: (925) 943-7469Line-up: She Loves Me • Dracula • A Christmas Carol • Boeing-Boeing To Kill A Mockingbird • Blues In The Night • Becoming Britney The Lady With All The Answers
2010 - 2011 LOCAL SEASON
Friday Night Swims Love those long, warm Pleasant Hill summer evenings, but need a place to cool off? On August 20th, from 7 to 9:30 pm, the whole family can enjoy the refreshing, cool waters of the pool and Sprayground at Pleasant Hill Aquatic Park. Following the regular 1-5 pm public-swim hours, the pool will re-open at 7 pm for another two and a half hours. Join your friends and neighbors for the evening! The Aquatic Park consists of a 25-yard pool with two diving boards, the Sprayground, two picnic areas, and lawn area. Regular public swim rules and admission rates apply.
Pleasant Hill Aquatic Pk., 147 Gregory Ln.Under 2 yrs Free
2–6 yrs $3.507 and older $4.00
Seniors 55 yrs/older $3.50Children 8 yrs/under must be accompanied in the
water by a paying adult (18yrs or older)
www.ourcommunityfocus.comPage 30 August 2010
mal.” But knowing the final outcome of their animal makes it a little tough. “It’s hard in the end, selling them for food, but knowing these animals have such a better life than farmed pigs makes it a little easier.” The program started at the begin-ning of the 20th century as a way to keep public school education con-nected to country life through practical and hands-on learning. Over the years, 4-H has grown to include 6 million young people across America, learning leadership, citizenship and life skills.
Although 4-H and scouting share many of the same values such as com-munity service, leadership, projects and teamwork, nationally, 4-H boasts more members than Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts combined. Both Thomas and Dominic say they would recommend the program to other kids. While Thomas enjoys the summer camp and hanging out with friends, Dominic likes learning about new things and participating in community activities. Summing up his first year in 4-H, Dominic reflects, “Raising my pig, Tugboat, was really hard work, but in the end I was proud because I learned so much and did a really good job.”
TEEN SCENE
Thomas Major of Martinez worked feverishly to manage his pig, Carnitas, around the arena during the showmanship competition at the Contra Costa County Fair in Antioch last month. At nine years old, Thomas was finally old enough to raise and show an animal at the fair after years of watching his older brother, Johnny, participate. The boys are following in their mom’s 4-H footsteps. As a girl grow-ing up in the Alhambra Valley, Lynda Plummer-Major participated in the organization, raising lambs, hogs and dairy goats at her family’s Swett Ranch. So when the 4-H program was being promoted at John Swett Elemen-tary, it was a natural choice for her sons. Although county budget cuts
have affected the program, forcing cancellation of the Youth Fair, where 4-H members usually show and sell their livestock, the members are still able to present their projects at the County Fair. Kids show everything from chick-ens and bunnies to lambs and cows. The lessons are bountiful. “I learned you have to be a hard worker, work as a team and not give up,” Thomas commented. “I learned I can do things I didn’t think I could do, like showing my pig. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.” Dominic Paulazzo of Martinez was new to 4-H this year, but will definitely continue. “It’s such a great experience,” said the 13 year-old. “You learn so much responsibility taking care of your ani-
Thomas and Carnitas at the Pereria Ranch in the Alhambra Valley where they raise the pigs.
Come sail the seas with the friendly co-ed crew of the S.S.S. (Sea Scout Ship) Sea Witch. The Sea Witch crew has activities galore. We go FREE to Infineon Race-way for the exciting NASCAR and Drag races. We have overnight weekend boat trips and an incredible 10 day summer fun cruise August 6-15th. We even meet up with other teen Sea Scouts from all over California! Our ship has computer navigation, GPS, Sonar, a kitchen, a water slide and even a DVD player. In September we’ll go camping and get FREE rides on sea-planes. In October we’ll be cruising to
Yerba Buena Island for Safety At Sea weekend with the Coast Guard. Come check it out! We meet year round Tues-days 6:30pm - 8:30pm at the Sea Scout building, 225 N. Court St. Waterfront Park, Martinez and Saturdays 9-3pm at the ship. Sea Scouts is a non-profit youth maritime program which teaches lead-ership skills, seamanship skills, water safety, knot tying, weather, first aid, navigation, firefighting, engineering, engine repair, compass, radio com-munications and sailing. Only $15/year to join. For more information con-tact Rolf Lindenhayn at [email protected] or 917-0573.
4-H Still Going Strong in MartinezBy Gina Campo
Adventure on the Seas
Dominic Paulazzo and Johnny Major get-ting ready to show their hogs at the Contra Costa County Fair.
Johnny exercising his lamb
More than 125 Sequoia Middle School students entered their wood shop projects at this year’s Woodworking Competition. The event was spon-sored by the Diablo Valley Woodwork-ing Club and held at the Contra Costa County Fair on June 3rd. Awards were given to two local teens who participat-ed in the Middle School Woodworking
division. Sequoia Middle students were prizewinners in two categories: Best Large Project, awarded to eighth grader Jessica Dean, for her wooden bar stool and Best Turning Project awarded to sixth grader, Hector Ibbera, for his baseball bat project. The Sequoia Mid-dle School wood shop is lead by proud teacher, Mr. Stephen Willner.
Congrats Sequoia M.S.
www.ourcommunityfocus.comAugust 2010 Page 31
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www.ourcommunityfocus.comAugust 2010 Page 32