february '13

Delivered to Over 40,000 Homes and Businesses

• February 2013

• Come Together ...............................................page 3• PH Community Awards ...............................page 5• Martinez City News .................................... page 10• Payless Gives™ Shoes 4 Kids ...................... page 14

• Alhambra High App ....................................... page 18• A Local “Worst Cook” .....................................page 19• Highway 395 Series .......................................... page 22 • Boydstun Construction in Focus ................... page 27

COME TOGETHER 3

COME TOGETHER 3

An All Star Benefit Show

FEB-15PLEASANT HILL SENIOR CENTER

Guitar graphic by Ann Luke

www.ourcommunityfocus.com February 2013

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www.ourcommunityfocus.comFebruary 2013

ant Hill, and will feature some incredible musicians. Headlining this year will be Tender Mercies, a side project for two members of the Counting Crows, Dan Vickrey and Jim Bogios. Along with singer/songwriter Patrick Winningham, they released a CD in 2011 with rave reviews. They are not to be missed!

Sharing the bill will be local country band The Bell Brothers, the extraordi-nary Jim Caroompas & The Sisters of Mercy, Dan DeShara, Cover Story, The Ro-Duo w/ Jay Olson and the great Liz Lewis. Opening the show this year will be Fiona and Deirdre Nelis, two local teens who stole the show at last year’s event. I would also like to mention that all the musicians who perform, along with soundman Trevor Donaghu, do this event for free, giving their time and talent to help out the teens of Pleasant Hill. I highly recommend coming out to this year’s show, not only for the great cause, but for the amazing music! You will not be disappointed. It will most likely be the show of the year. Tickets are $20. You can purchase them online at Cometogether2013.eventbrite.com, or by calling (925) 682-0896. There will be wine and beer sold at this event, so you must be 21 years or older.

A few years ago, my lovely wife Sheila Cotruvo ran into Katrina Hunn, Director of Teen Programs for the Pleasant Hill Rec & Park District. Katrina mentioned she needed some ideas on how to raise funds for her teen programs, more specifically for the “Garage Bands by the Lake Concerts” (an opportunity for teen bands to get some exposure). Sheila immediately volunteered my band Cover2Cover for a dance at the old Pleasant Hill Commu-nity Center. Because it was so success-ful, we repeated the event the following year. When Katrina wanted to repeat the event in 2011, I thought instead of the same old thing, I would recruit lots of local talent and make it more of an “unplugged” concert. Hence, Come Together was born. That night was an epic five hours of music featuring some amazing talent, including an impromptu performance by none other than Carlos Reyes and his electric harp.

The following year, the community center was torn down, so we decided to make it a little more intimate and held it at the Winslow Center. Another incred-ible night of music was had. (I kept this one down to only 4 hours.) This year’s show will be held Febru-ary 15 at the new Senior Center in Pleas-

The Story of Come TogetherBy Paul Cotruvo, Cover2Cover

COME TOGETHER 3

COME TOGETHER 3

Friday, February 15, 2013

Tender Mercies The Bell Brothers

Jim Caroompas and the Sisters of Mercy

Cover Story Dan DeShara

The Ro-Duo w/ Jay Olson

Liz Lewis Fiona and Deirdre Nelis

Featuring:

PH Senior CenterChateau Room233 Gregory Lane

purchase online: Cometogether2013.eventbrite.com

(925) 682-0896

Must be 21 years or older • No Host Beer & Wine

TICKETS $20

Dan DeShara Scott Bell


JuLIe SayS

Last year we received one of those page-a-day calendars as a gift – the kind where you rip off the top sheet every day to reveal the next date. We kept our “1,000 Places To See Before You Die Calendar” (cheery name!) on the kitchen counter. We did a pretty good job of keeping the current date displayed to check out potential bucket list destinations. If a particular landscape, castle or wild animal from an exotic region struck my fancy, I would stick it up on the fridge for a week or two. Some of them – a pair of African elephants (Botswana, October 27), a toucan (Belize, December 13) and a koala (Kanga-roo Island, date portion ripped off) are still on there. But the entry that really caught my attention was the one for Thursday, March 22. It had a photo of what I would ordinarily call a herd of zebras. Upon reading the caption, however, I learned that the group is also known as the more zebra-specific collective noun “zeal.” Who knew? The caption went on to include a bulleted list of names for groups of other African animals. I think most of us have heard of a pride of lions, but how about a tower of giraffes, a float of crocodiles, a crash of rhinoceroses, or my par-ticular favorite, a bloat of hippopotamuses? I came across the March 22 calendar page while sort-ing through the “important” paperwork I had saved in 2012, just a couple of days be-fore I went on a bird walk in January. Tracy, a fellow docent at Lindsay Wildlife Museum, is an expert birder and re-cently began inviting novices to learn to locate and identify the abundance of bird species in our area. At Heather Farm Park that morning, in just over an hour, we witnessed a great blue heron striding before us in the lake, a mag-nificent snowy egret wading in shallow water, a soaring red-shouldered hawk, a night heron, buffleheads and mal-lards, a grebe, cormorants, Canada geese and several song bird species. Non-bird sightings included four river otters swimming and diving together. It was amazing. Anyway, as we made our way around the lake, Tracy mentioned that he and

a friend had compiled a list of phrases that might be used to describe a group, quantity, gathering or simple population of birds. Here are some of my favorites from Tracy’s list: a humility of doves, a dabble of ducks, a jam-boree of jays, a ballet of swans. Oh, and one more I really like: a faculty of owls. (Thanks, Tracy.) Now this got me thinking and I started to play with some of my own ideas. I recent-

ly led a school program about animal characteristics at Lindsay Wildlife Museum to a “curiosity of kindergarten-ers.” Then, while picking up my son in the community center parking lot after school I encountered a “slouch of teenagers” as well as a “babble of middle-school girls.” In downtown San Francisco I have come across a “starch of executives” as well as a “confusion of tourists.” Which brings us to the February challenge. See if you can come up with some descriptive names for groups of animate beings or inanimate objects for that matter. E-mail them to me and we’ll print them in an upcoming column. Perhaps there will even be a prize for the most creative…stay tuned! Send your comments and ideas to me at [email protected] -- thanks!

a bloat of Hippos?By Julie Ross

PubLISHerSBecky Coburn, Jennifer Neys, Elena Hutslar

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GraPHIC DeSIGNTrish Heaney, Debra Wilson

COPy eDITOrAlison Clary

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Pleasant Hill City Hall Photo by Susan Wood Photography

The 42nd Annual Community Awards Night was held on Thursday, January 17th at Back Forty Restaurant in Pleasant Hill. This event is hosted by the Chamber of Commerce, City of Pleas-ant Hill and the PH Recreation & Park District each year to honor citizens, busi-nesses and employees who have made a significant contribution to the Pleasant Hill community through their selfless dedication and volunteerism. All of the nominees were honored and recognized for enhancing the quality of life in Pleas-ant Hill.The winners of the twelve award catego-ries were as follows:Citizen of the Year - Leanne Hamaji Having served on numerous educa-tion related committees and as a found-ing member of the Foundation for Pleas-ant Hill Education, Leanne is an advocate of quality education for all children in Pleasant Hill. Her resume as a volunteer and supporter of schools in Pleasant Hill is second to none. Pleasant Hill Chamber Board Appreci-ation Award - Judith Sosnowski Judith has dedicated countless hours of volunteering over the years on the chamber board, at mixers and commu-nity events, and in particular, the massive job of chairing the Art, Jazz and Wine

Fest in 2011 & 2012.Green Award - Sequoia Middle School EARTH Club and the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection In only its second year, the Green Award received six nominations – a testa-ment to the growing awareness of the im-portance of building a sustainable com-munity and promoting green practices at home and in the workplace. Sequoia Middle School EARTH Club was recog-nized for its activities related to science, ecology and the environment. The Epis-copal Church was honored for its many green accomplishments at the church and for educating its congregation on how to practice sustainability at home.

The Community Focus publishers were the proud recipients of Pleasant Hill’s 2012 Business of the Year award last month at the 42nd Annual Community Awards Night. We would like to thank Matt Rinn for the nomination and also thank the voting committee for choosing the Focus. The Community Focus would not exist without the support of our adver-tisers. We appreciate the trust and the relationships we have built with them over the past three and a half years. For making the paper a “must-read,” we are grateful to our long-time contributors; some of them have been contributing articles since our very first issue, back in

August of ’09. And thank you to Susan Wood (Susanwoodphotography.com) and Tod Gomes (Todgomes.com) for always saying, “yes” when we ask for photos. We also thoroughly enjoy our partnerships within the communities of Pleasant Hill and Martinez: the chambers of commerce, city administrators, recrea-tion and park organizations and libraries. Finally, we want to shout out a huge thank you to our Copy Editor, Alison Clary and our Graphic Designer extraor-dinaire, Trish Heaney! We would not, could not do without them! Becky Coburn, Jennifer Neys and Elena Hutslar

Teen of the Year - Helena Encarnacion-Strand Helena was recognized as current Chair of the Teen Council and for her vol-unteer work as a member since 2009. An active member of Interact Club at College Park High School also, she has performed hundreds of hours of community service at many special events and programs. Educator of the Year – Aida Attiga Sequoia Elementary School teacher, Aida Attiga, was honored for her success-ful efforts in introducing modern technol-ogy into the classrooms and serving as the school’s technology representative to Mt. Diablo Unified School District.Community Plus Award - Martin Nelis During the past five years, Martin has been a major player in every aspect of our community life. In addition to his official responsibilities with the City of Pleasant Hill, he always finds time to volunteer to help other organizations with their events: Art, Jazz & Wine Fest, Downtown Plaza Concert Series, Pleasant Hill Commu-

nity Foundation events, FPHE events and countless others.PH Community Foundation Corner-stone Award – Aloma Levine Aloma has volunteered for all 12 years of the PHCF’s annual Allied Waste Golf Classic, the foundation’s major fun-draising event. The PHCF appreciates Aloma’s countless hours in taking charge of the silent & live auctions and raffle priz-es and the overall contributions she has made to the foundation’s success.Other Awards:Mayor’s Award - Lesley Stiles, Teen Center Staff & Teen Council, and Jack’s Restaurant PH Rec & Park District Board Appreciation Award - Cheryl KolanoPH Rec & Park District Community Service Award - Aegis of PH and The Chateau’sBusiness of the Year – Community Focus Pleasant Hill Chamber Ambassador of the Year - Sue Damhesel

Photo by SusanWoodPhotography.com


real estate updateBy Nathan Hitchcock

My wife and I recently had the pleasure of traveling on business to Bend, Oregon, and Dallas, Texas, two places nei-ther of us had visited before. When we travel someplace new, we always make a point of “drinking in” the community and the real estate market as deeply as possible, comparing and contrasting it to the Bay Area and our beloved city of Pleasant Hill. This has become a hobby of sorts, fueled by our passion for real estate and everything related to it. What does it cost to live there? What are the people like? Are they friendly?

Are they happy? How’s the weather? How beautiful is the surrounding geogra-phy? How bad is the traffic? How are the restaurants? How are the schools? The list is endless, but we’re usually able to draw clear conclusions after only a few days of exploring. Though we use these findings in a number of ways, the most important is to

always test our conclusion that Califor-nia, and Pleasant Hill in particular, is the best place in the United States for our family to call home. And while we feel strongly that this fact is true, we’re not naive enough to believe that our limited exposure to all the amazing cities in the USA provides us with an exhaustive and complete analysis of the subject. After our recent visits, neither Bend nor Dallas was able to unseat Pleasant Hill as our ideal place to live, but we came away with some distinct observa-tions: Many Californians, especially those in large metropolitan areas, have become rather uptight, as well as noticeably unfriendly and uncaring in the process. This was made abundantly clear when we compared our interaction with the shuttle bus driver who took us from the rental car office to the Dallas airport, to the interaction -- or lack thereof -- with the shuttle driver who took us from the Oakland airport to the BART station. The Bay Area is no longer the only place to find really good food when dining out. In fact, I challenge anyone to find an area with a higher concentra-tion of restaurants than Addison, Texas,

a northern suburb of Dallas. We were shocked at the amazing quantity, variety, and quality of cuisine in this city of only 13,000 people. The Bay Area has an exceptionally high cost of living, but it’s not due to the cost of our consumables. Groceries, fuel, movie tickets, dining out, and clothing all cost pretty much the same. It’s our cost of housing, both to procure and maintain, that is exceptionally higher. While the rest of the nation, for the most part, is experiencing a housing mar-ket rebound, it pales in comparison to the vehemence of ours. The market numbers confirm it. Nationally in 2012, median home prices rose by about 5%, compared to about 25% in Contra Costa County. The reason for this intense rebound in part lies in another clear fact: our local economy is comparatively booming. Thanks in no small part to our thriving tech industry, people are flocking to the Bay Area for work, and they all need a place to live. So prepare yourself for another year of rising housing demand and home values locally. Prepare yourself also for increased tension in the marketplace as buyers struggle to compete with one an-other. In the meantime, I’m going to do my part to bring a little more Southern friendliness to our community. Life really is better spent with a smile on your face. Care to join me? Nathan Hitchcock is the managing broker of Hitchcock Realty. He can be reached at [email protected] or (925) 825-1100.

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Do you recognize these lights? These are called Check Engine or Emissions warning lights. When a malfunction is detected, the Check Engine light (CEL) will come on in the dashboard to let the driver know a problem has been detect-ed. Un- fortunately, the light itself doesn’t tell the driver what the problem is. When your vehicle’s computer has detected a malfunction in one or more of its systems’ circuits, the Check Engine light is triggered and the Engine Control Unit (ECU) will log one or more codes to point mechanics toward the system or circuit with the problem. There is a lot of confusion over these lights due to the fact that not all manufacturers use the same symbol to warn you. Your vehicle

most likely uses one of the lights shown above. What do you do when your check engine light comes on? If the light comes on solid, give us a call and set up an appointment. If the light is flashing, you should stop diving the vehicle immedi-ately and give us a call. When the light starts flashing, it is warning you that you are damaging your vehicle.

A lovely Pleasant Hill summer night. Photo by susanwoodphotography.com


2/12 – State of the City breakfast -Tuesday,7:30-9:30am,CreeksideChurchAuditorium,444FigTreeLane,Martinez(MorelloAvetoMidhillRd),StateoftheCity:MayorRobSchroder,Guestspeak-er:RamiMuth,SuperintendentoftheMartinezUnifiedSchoolDistrict.Enjoyafullgourmetbreakfastbuffet,$25.RSVPtoChamberrequired.

2/18 – Office Closed - Presidents’ Day

2/21 – ribbon Cutting Ceremony–Thursday5pm,MartinezFurnitureCom-pany,742ArnoldDr.,#B,Martinez–Mixertofollow!

2/21 - Chamber Mixer –Thursday,5pm-7:30pm–MartinezFurnitureCompany,742ArnoldDr.,#B,Martinez.GreatNet-

working,food,fun,raffleprizes(bringaraffleprizeandhaveyourbusinessan-nounced!)

2/21 – educational Series – New employment Laws for 2013,presentedbyLisaBarnettSween,LewisBrisboisBisgaard&Smith’sLawOffice-Thurs-day,12-1:30pm,Doorsopenat11:30.NewLocation:MartinezUnifiedSchoolDistrictOfficeBoardroom,921SusanaSt.,Martinez.FreetoChamberMembers,Non-Members$20.Non-MembersthatjointheChamberwillget$10creditedtowardstheirmembership.Lunchwillbeprovided.RSVPrequired3dayspriortoseminar.CalloremailtheChamber:info@martinezchamber.

Please verify schedule at www.martinezchamber.com • 925-228-2345MarTINeZ CHaMber OF COMMerCe

Please verify schedule at www.pleasanthillchamber.com • 925-687-0700PLeaSaNT HILL CHaMber OF COMMerCe

2/1- ambassador Meeting -8-9am,PleasantHillCityHall.

2/6 – ribbon Cutting5pm&OpenHouse5-7pmatFountainheadMon-tessoriSchool490GolfClubRoad,PleasantHill.

2/7 – Mayor’s breakfast -7:30am–9amatBackFortyTexasBBQ,100CogginsDrive,PleasantHill.$25untilFeb1st./$30thereafter.

2/18 – Office closed Presidents Day.

2/20 – Chamber Member business Mixer:PleasantHillSeniorCenter,5–7pmat233GregoryLane,Pleas-antHill.

2/21 – board of Directors Meeting-8-9am,PleasantHillCityHall,Commu-nityRoom.

2/25 – Green Committee Meeting - 4-5pm,BackFortyTexasBBQ,100CogginsDrive,PleasantHill.

2/25 – Government affairs Commit-tee Meeting –5:30-7pm,BackFortyTexasBBQ,100CogginsDrive,Pleas-antHill.

CaLeNDar SPONSOreD by

On Saturday, January 19, Déjà Vu - A Unique Boutique celebrated its grand opening and ribbon cutting in Pleasant Hill with a crowd of family, friends and city and chamber officials. Déjà Vu is the place to shop for women looking for high-end merchandise at affordable prices. With new inventory being received daily, there is always a fantas-tic selection of women’s clothing and shoes in a range of sizes as well as hand-bags, jewelry and accessories, all at a fraction of their original retail cost. Owners Nancy Rondum and Sue Damhesel take great pride in the store’s bou-tique-style open feeling, where excellent quality, personal attention and customer service are always the priority. Sue and Nancy have worked to create strong con-signment partnerships, and they love helping customers find just what they need for every occasion. As noted by one customer’s comment on Facebook: “Con-gratulations ladies, your shop is so cute and comfortable. I love my Chanel jacket. Wonderful treasures can be found at Déjà Vu!!” Consigners and shoppers, get an introduction to Pleasant Hill’s newest shop-ping destination and keep up with new arrivals by checking out http://thedejavu-boutique.com/. Better yet, come visit Déjà Vu in person at 1630 Contra Costa Blvd., Ste. A in Pleasant Hill (near Melo’s). Phone: (925) 808-8765. Déjà Vu is a proud member of the Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce, Pleas-ant Hill Rotary and Association of Resale Professionals (NARTS). We look forward to seeing you!

ribbon CuttingPleasant Hill Chamber Presents

2013 Mayor’s BreakfastThursday, February 7, 2013 • 7:30am-9am

Back Forty • 100 Coggins Dr., Pleasant Hill

State of the CityMichael Harris,

Mayor of Pleasant Hill

$30 per person includes breakfast!www.phchamber-mayorbreakfast2013.eventbrite.com

Questions? Contact Ann Luke at - (925) 687-0700

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architectural review CommissionFebruary 7, 21City Hall, 100 Gregory LaneSmall Community Room, 5pmContact: 671-5209

City CouncilFebruary 4, 25City Hall, 100 Gregory LaneCouncil Chambers, 7:30pmContact: 671-5229

Civic action CommissionFebruary 6City Hall, 100 Gregory LaneSmall Community Room, 6:30pmContact: 671-5229

education CommissionFebruary 27City Hall, 100 Gregory LaneSmall Community Room, 7pmContact: 671-5229

Planning CommissionFebruary 12, 26City Hall, 100 Gregory LaneCouncil Chambers, 7:30pmContact: 671-5209

Zoning administratorFebruary 14, 28City Hall, 100 Gregory LanePublic Works Conference,Room, 5pmContact: 671-5209

City Calendar of events

For Confirmation Visit: www.ci.pleasant-hill.ca.us

PLeaSaNT HILL CITy buZZ

Mayor’s MessageMichael G. Harris, OD, Mayor, City of Pleasant Hill

Dawn and I spent last Decem-ber traveling in Chile and Argen-tina, two very inter-esting and beautiful countries. We ex-perienced every-thing from hiking on glaciers to enjoying the two-mile long majesty of Iguazu Falls up close and personal. We’re fortunate that we’ve been able to travel to lots of wonderful places, but no matter where we go, we are always grateful to return to our hometown of Pleasant Hill. In addition to seeing wonderful wild-life, including 900,000 penguins (yes, that’s right, 9 with 5 zeros… and Dawn insisted on photographing each and every one of them!), we explored many interesting cities, including Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires. We walked for hours taking in the sights and sounds of this famous city. While doing so, I couldn’t help but make comparisons between Buenos Aires and our hometown. While Buenos Aires is a beautiful city, I was struck by how challenging walking around the city was compared to Pleasant Hill. Many of the streets and sidewalks are made of cobblestone and haven’t been re-

paired in ages. Walking without tripping is a chore for the able-bodied and downright impossible for the disabled. In addition to navigating along broken sidewalks, you have to watch every step to avoid the dog poop. There are no leash laws, and owners don’t clean up after their dogs. There is litter, trash and graffiti everywhere. Crossing streets is a common hazard as there are often no traffic lights indicating when it’s safe for pedestrians to step off the curb. And when you do step off the curb, you need to be especially careful because pedestrians do not have the right-of-way. It’s tough to enjoy the excellent food at a restaurant because “Portenos” (the nick-name for Buenos Aires residents) can and do smoke wherever they want. As many of you know, I love ice cream, especially chocolate. We found some pretty good ice cream in Buenos Aires, but had to endure long lines to get it. And speaking of long lines, getting money from an ATM can be an all morning experience. Once pesos were withdrawn, spending them seemed difficult. Business people preferred we pay in good old American greenbacks (which aren’t depreciating by the hour as is their lo-cal currency). In spite of the splendor of Buenos

elinora Gets a Sidewalk

PHPD and School SafetyBy Jaki Jones

Aires (and they do have some wonderful museums, provided your Spanish skills are up to snuff), it was delightful to get back to our hometown. What a pleasure to walk on well-maintained, clean, poop-free streets. It’s terrific having traffic signals and crosswalks accessible to everyone. And then there’s the joy of eating at a good restaurant or sitting in a beautiful park without people blowing smoke in your face.

We tend to take the simple joys of liv-ing, working, and playing in Pleasant Hill for granted, but we shouldn’t. We live in a wonderful and comfortable city that didn’t happen by accident. Our staff and our resi-dents treasure the pleasures of our city and make sure they are available for all to enjoy. So please take a moment and be thank-ful that you live in your wonderful home-town of Pleasant Hill.

The City is submitting a State Trans-portation Development Act (TDA) Ar-ticle 3 grant application in the amount of $100,000 for the design and construction of the Elinora Drive Sidewalk Installation Project. It is an identified project under the New Sidewalk Installation Program in the City’s approved 2013-2018 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The project scope consists of the installation of approximately 730 feet of 4-foot wide concrete sidewalk along the west side of Elinora Drive, between the existing sidewalk along Gladys Drive and Gregory Lane. It will provide a pedestrian path of travel along Elinora Drive, con-necting Strandwood Elementary School students and residents in the area to vari-ous destinations along Gregory Lane. Project cost is estimated at $240,000.

The remaining project funding balance will be funded with City local funds. Should the project be awarded TDA funding, staff will continue to explore other Federal and State grand fund-ing opportunities to offset local funding match contributions for project imple-mentation or program the project in the next Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) budget. Elinora Drive is one of the busiest residential collectors in the City of Pleas-ant Hill, with traffic of over 6,000 vehicles per day and currently pedestrians are forced to walk very close to moving ve-hicles. Over the past seven years the City of PH has spent approximately $56,000 local funds to construct sections of con-crete sidewalk along Gladys Drive, from Strandwood Elementary to Elinora Drive.

John Moore, Pleasant Hill Police De-partment Interim Police Chief, recently met with representatives from each of the nine Pleasant Hill schools with the purpose of discussing campus safety and security. The meeting was held at Pleasant Hill Middle School and discussions ranged from pro-cedures currently in place to ensure school security to ways the PHPD can become more familiar with each school site and help strengthen the Safety Plan of each cam-pus. By law, each school is required to have a Safety Plan, and the PHPD will provide recommendations on the document that, among other items, describes policies and procedures to provide a safe learning en-vironment and strategies for school in the event of an earthquake, fire, intruders and other threats. The Mt. Diablo School Dis-trict requires each school site to maintain a comprehensive school safety plan that is re-viewed and revised by the site and approved by the Board of Education annually.

In the coming weeks, the police de-partment will visit with the administration at each school and review the site secu-rity component of the Safety Plan. “We all understand the different roles and respon-sibilities of the schools and of the police department. The Department wants to have more interaction with and a better under-standing of the specifics of each school to help provide for a safe environment for the students, faculty and administration,” said Moore. Lieutenant Dan Connelly will also visit each school and walk the campus to get a clear perspective of the layout and identify potential safety concerns. In the future, the department will have a copy of each school’s Safety Plan that can be modified as needed. Pleasant Hill Middle School Principal Terry McCormick appreciated the outreach by the police department. “The meeting was a nice coming together and collaboration with the police department. Our priority is to make sure our students are safe,” she said.


MarTINeZ CITy buZZ

City Calendar of events

Every year all transportation agencies in the nine Bay Area coun-ties are required by the Metropoli-tan Transporta-tion Commission (MTC) to adopt a Short Range Transit Plan (SRTP). This plan is the blueprint for each and every transit provider such as BART, the County Connection, Muni, AC Transit, etc., for the following ten to fif-teen years. This year the Water Emergen-cy Transit Authority (WETA) developed their first SRTP. For years the City of Martinez has been in WETA’s plans for the expansion of ferry service, along with Antioch and Hercules. They have performed studies on the best locations for ferry terminals and authorized funding for the required envi-ronmental work that goes along with any kind of waterfront development. However, in the first draft version of WETA’s SRTP,

Martinez, Antioch and Hercules were left out of the report, signaling that WETA was dropping their plans for expansion to the East Bay Area. This was a huge setback for plans to revitalize our waterfront and downtown. We immediately joined forces with Antioch and worked together to convince WETA to put us back in their short-range plans for expansion of ferry service. One of our main arguments was that the “E” in their name was being ignored. The fer-ry agency was previously known as just Water Transit Authority (WTA). The “E” (emergency) was added when former As-semblyman Tom Torlakson carried a bill in 2007 that created a Bay Area water tran-sit system capable of responding to emer-gencies or disasters affecting the transpor-tation system in the region as a whole. Martinez is the county seat and home to the Regional Medical Center, the Office of the Sheriff and the Office of Emergency Services. In the case of an emergency or disaster, transportation in and out of these

Mayor’s MessageRob Schroder, Mayor of Martinez

All City Meetings at City Hall, 525 Henrietta Street, Unless

Otherwise Indicated. For Confirmation

Visit: www.cityofmartinez.org

City News

City Council MeetingFebruary 6, 20 7-11pmContact: 925-372-3500

Design review MeetingFebruary 13, 273-5pmContact: 925-372-3500

Park, recreation, Marina &Cultural CommissionFebruary 197-11pmContact: 925-372-3500

Planning Commission MeetingFebruary 12, 267-11pmContact: 925-372-3500

Zoning administrator MeetingFebruary 6, 203-5pmContact: 925-372-3500

facilities would be very important. Water transportation might be the only function-ing system in the Bay Area. Senator Mark DeSaulnier called a meeting of all the stakeholders, includ-ing representatives of Martinez, Antioch, Contra Costa County and WETA staff and commissioners. The result of that meeting and subsequent communication

between the parties was the reinstatement of Martinez, Antioch and Hercules to the SRTP and the inclusion of $25 million for expansion of ferry service to our cities. Although many individuals were in-volved in this effort, Martinez resident and consultant for Antioch, Victor Carni-glia, deserves much of the credit for this success.

Connolly & Taylor

Since 1921

Tribute VideosPersonalized PrintingMemorial Websites

Funeral Directors925-228-4700

4000 Alhambra Ave. Martinez, CA 94553

Keeping the Tradition

City budget Photo Contest TheCityofMartinezisabouttobeginworkonits2013-15BiennialBudgetandissponsoringaphotocontestonceagain.ThewinningphotographsofMartinezwillbeshowcasedinthedocument.Thepicturesshouldbehi-reso-lutiondigitalimages(landscapeformat)thatillustratethebeauty,character,anduniquecharmofMartinez.Whensubmitting,pleasedescribeyourpic-turesandspecifywhereandwhentheyweretaken.Thedeadlineforsubmit-taltomtzphotos@cityofmartinez.orgisFebruary15.Winnerswillberecognizedatacitycouncilmeetingandwillreceivebylinecreditinthebudget.

Free Magic Show AfreemagicshowwillbeheldattheCampbellTheatreon636WardStreetinMartinezonFebruary23,beginningat11am.ThehourandahalfmagicandcraftshowfeaturesDanChantheMagicMan.Anaward-winningmagician,Chanisrecognizedforhissleightofhand,pick-pocketingandjug-glingskills.TheeventisfundedentirelybytheMartinezRestaurantTour.Formoreinformation,call372-3510.

Library’s 100th birthday Celebration – 1913-2013 Throughout2013,communitylibrarieswillhosteventstocelebrateContraCostaCountyLibrary’s100thbirthday.AttheJanuary16citycouncilmeet-ing,countylibrarianBarbaraFlynnannouncedthecelebrationwilltakeplaceatthePleasantHillParkandTeenCenteronSunday,July21,from12:00pmto5:00pm.Priortothebigevent,therewillbeaseriesofkickoffeventsbeginningattheMartinezLibraryonSaturday,February9at2:00pm.AndreaBlachman,DirectoroftheMartinezMuseum,willgiveapresentationonthehistoryoftheMartinezLibrary,foundedin1885.Ms.FlynnalsoexpressedappreciationtothecityonbehalfofMartinezlibrarianKarenHansenSmithforfundingthepur-chaseofaportableprojectorandscreenforthedownstairsroom.

Special recognition to bob Kelly AttheJanuary16citycouncilmeeting,MayorSchroderandthecouncilpresentedaCertificateofRecognitiontoMartinezresidentBobKelly,“HomeTownHero,”forhislonghistoryofvolunteerworkforschools,MealsonWheelsandtheAmericanDiabetesAssociation.


Centered around SeniorsBy Jaki Jones, Photos by susanwoodphotography.com

Teen Center update

For Senior Center Supervisor Kendra Luke, the road to the grand opening on January 7 was a long and sentimental one. From the passing of the Bond Measure E in August of 2009, to the closing and farewell party of the former center in April of 2011 and sub-sequent months of construction leading up to the opening last month, it’s been a satisfying journey. “I remember the farewell party at the old Senior Center and sitting on the blue-grey couch in Building 1 all by myself. Everyone had gone home and I was enjoying a glass of wine, looking

around at an aged room that had meant so much to me and so many others over the years. It was now decorated with caution tape and hard hats. I remember hauling all our stuff over to the Little House thinking, ‘well, here we go.’ I remember pressing my face up against a chain link fence as I watched giant metal claws chomp into the building. I remember walking on the concrete slab of the new building for the first time thinking ‘holy moly...this place is going to be huge.’ I remember seeing the first wall standing and then getting to walk into the new building for the first

Since its grand opening, the Teen Center has been bustling with after school programs and birthday par-ties. The Pleasant Hill Rec and Park has been picking up students from the local middle schools and College Park High after school for a nominal $2 fee. Once students arrive at the center they can play pool, ping-pong, foosball or video games, use sports equipment, get help with homework, use computers and enjoy the snack bar. The staff at the center includes college students and recent graduates who organize daily activities such as scav-enger hunts, craft projects, brainteasers and charades. The daily activity calendar includes periods for fitness, homework, video games, timed computer and free time. Ethan, who attends the after school program says he enjoys “seeing my friends and playing pool and foosball.” Teen Supervisor Katrina Hunn is work-

ing on attaining extra copies of school textbooks to make it easier to help stu-dents with homework. To utilize the Teen Center, you need only purchase an annual membership. Memberships are $35/$25 for PHRPD residents and come with a bonus dis-count off enrichment classes. The rental of the Teen Center has be-come popular. Depending on the day of the week, the four-hour room rental rates range from $56-88/hour for residents and $70-110/hour for non-residents. Non-profits range from $53-83 per hour. Birthday packages are available! The center’s meeting room is also available for rent at a rate between $34-50/hr. with a two-hour minimum requirement. For more information regarding the Teen Center and room rental, visit http://www.pleasanthillrec.com, or call 925-682-0896.

time -- it actually felt like a building,” reflected Luke. Recreations & Park staff, senior volunteers and Pleasant Hill residents stood with Luke as they watched a spec-tacular new 22,500 square-foot facility emerge from the ground up. Since the opening, the response from the com-munity and surrounding areas has been positive and overwhelming: “We never expected so many people to show up at the Grand Opening. We estimated close to 3,000 people came through during the 3-hour event, and there has been a steady flow since the doors opened. Classes are full, the lunchroom is packed and rental inquires are non-stop.

In just one month, we have signed up over 1,300 members, with over 250 of those being NEW members,” she said. The facility is equipped with a library, computer lab, dance studio, banquet room, bocce ball courts and more. The membership fee is $12 per year and members must be 50 years of age or older to join. “We’re so excited to continue to grow the senior programs in Pleasant Hill and share our new home with everyone,” continued Luke. The Senior Center is located at 233 Gregory Lane in Pleasant Hill. For more information, call 925-798-8788 or visit the website at: www.phsenior-center.com.


Pleasant Hill Senior activities Martinez Senior activities818 Green St. (925) 370-8770233 Gregory Lane (925) 798-8788

Dine to raise Dollars!February 21st, 5 – 8pm

AftertheenormoussuccessofourTahoeJoe’sfundraiserlastyear,we’rehappytoannounceanotheropportunitytoenjoydinnerwhilehelpingoutthePleasantHillSeniorCenter.Thistimeit’seveneasier!Simplyvisithttp://www.pleasanthillrec.com/FunRaiserFlyer.pdforstopbythenewSe-niorCenter(233GregoryLane)andpickoneupandbringittoourlocalSweetTomatoes(at40CrescentDrive)onFebruary21stfordinner(be-tween5—8pm)and15%ofyourbillwillcomebacktoPleasantHillSeniorCenter!Somarkyourcalendarsnowandwe’llseeyouthere!reMeMber: yOu MuST brING THe FLIer THaT NIGHT!

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CarePatrol Contra Costa helps fami-lies find assisted living, independent liv-ing, memory care and in-home care. We are a free community service and would like the opportunity to work for your family. As certified senior care advisors, we look beyond chandeliers and fancy lobbies and review each community’s care history so we can recommend only the safest options. CarePatrol completes thorough Care Discovery reports on different communi-ties and then recommends pre-screened locations that best meet your geo-graphical, financial and care needs. After reviewing care and violation histories, we coordinate and accompany you on tours to facilities that meet your needs, much like a realtor shows families new homes. We are with you every step of the way to provide local expert counsel, guidance and reassurance until your senior living decision is made. After your decision, we stay in contact with you and your loved one to make sure everything continues smoothly. As senior care advisors, we help you better understand care options like assisted living, independent living, a nursing home or in-home care. We help define the financial requirements for each type of care and help identify government

and state aid programs. CarePatrol is the National Senior Placement Franchise leader and has of-fices across the nation. Each CarePatrol franchise is independent and locally owned. CarePatrol Contra Costa special-izes in housing communities in Northern Contra Costa county. All recommended facilities in our registry have been person-ally visited by Jim & Jackie Winkel, the CarePatrol franchise owners. Call us with your questions and let us help you find the safest home for your loved one. For more information please contact [email protected] or call 925.808.1578.

Feb. 10 - Pancake Breakfast8am–11am.Thisdeliciousbreakfastincludespancakesortoast,sausage,eggs,orangejuiceandcoffee.Everyoneiswelcome.Cost:$3.50forAdults/$2forChildren10andunder.Handmadecrafts,perfectforgifts,willbeonsaleduringthebreakfast.

Mar. 8 - AARP Driver Safety Refresher Course 11–4pmwitha30-minutebreak.Thisone-day4.5-hourcourseisforanyonewhohastakenthe8-hourAARPDriverSafetyTraininginthepastfouryears.Eithercoursequalifiesyouforamaturedriverdiscountwithyourautoinsurancecompany.(Pleasecheckwithyourinsuranceagentfordetails.)Fee:$12forAARPmembersand$14fornon-members.Makecheckspayableto“AARP”andgivetotheinstructorthedayofclass.CalltheMartinezSeniorCenteroffice(925)646-2598toregister.

Mar. 22 – Vagabond Players Present Agatha Christie’s “The Unexpected Guest.”Doorsopenat1pm;performancebeginsat1:30pm.TheVagabondPlayersbringthis“whodun-it”playtoourcenter;don’tmissthefuntryingtosolvethismurdermystery.Strandedandlostinthefog,MichaelStarkwedderstumblesontoafoggyestateinWalestodiscoveramanmurderedandeveryoneinthehouseholdasuspect.Willyoubeabletoguesswhodidit?Justwhenyouthinkyou’vesolvedthemurder,MissChristiepullsheralmightyknockoutpunchandproducesoneofherfamoussurpriseendings.Cost:$10mem-bers/$12non-members.Alightbuffetwillbeservedaftertheplay.ContacttheMartinezSeniorCenterfortickets:(925)646-2598.

Feb. 12 - Mardi Gras Social3-5pm.Ifyouweren’tabletomakeittoNewOrleansthisyear,don’tworry!Letusfillyourwineglasswithsomewonderfulwineselections(non-alcoholicavailable).Appetizerswillbeserved.SponsoredbyTheChateausofPleas-antHill.$10/$15non-members.Ticketssoldatthedoorbasedonavailability.SeniorCenterDiningRoom.

Feb. 14 - Valentine’s Dance2-4pm.Grabyourvalentineorsomefriendsanddancetheafternoonaway!Livemusic,lightrefreshmentsandloadsoffun.Dancepartnerisnotnecessary!$11presale/$15atthedoor,SeniorCenterChateauRoom.

Feb. 20 - Will My Kids Ever Grow Up?-1pmFREE!Explorethewaysinwhichparent-ingadultchildrenimpactsyourlife.FranRapoportofDiscoveryCounselingCenterofSanRamonValleywillsharetipsonhowtobeaparenttoyourgrownchildren.SeniorCenterClassroom.

Mar. 3 - Pancake Breakfast -9-11am.Ourmonthlypancakebreakfastisback!Enjoyastackofpancakeswitheggs,sausageandorangejuice.Adults(11&up)$5,Children(5-10)$3,4&underfree.SeniorCenterChateauRoom.

Jim and Jackie Winkel, CarePatrol


Suzanne Looker JoinsPacific union International

read My Mind© Book Reviews by Michael G. Harris, OD

Winter of the World by Ken Follett If you’re an avid reader like me, you can’t wait for the next book by one of your favorite authors. That’s the way I feel about Ken Follett. I’ve been a big fan since his early spy thrillers, Eye of the Needle and The Key to Rebecca. Follett became an even more engaging author with two novels set in medieval England, Pillars of the Earth and World Without End. It’s not often an author can switch genres as effortlessly as Follett does. In these books, he shows a knack for vividly tracing history with fictional characters that matter. He continues this style with his new Century Trilogy. After reading the first book of the trilogy, Fall of Giants, I could hardly wait for the second book, Winter of the World. I read it as soon as it came out. I was not disappointed. Winter of the World is a meaty page-turner at almost 1000 pages with dozens

of interesting characters. Thank-fully, Follett lists them and their relationships at the beginning of the book. Please don’t be discour-aged by the size or complexity of the book. The time taken to read it is well worthwhile. Here, Follett tracks the next generation of the five intercon-nected families we first met in Fall of Giants - the American Dewars, the Rus-sian and American Peshkovs, the English Fitzherberts, the German Von Ulrichs, and the Welsh Williams. Follett sets up the char-acters and events in Winter of the World so you can relish the book in all its grandeur, without having read Fall of Giants. Never-theless, I recommend reading Fall of Giants first, if possible. Follett uses these fictional characters and their interrelationships to trace world history during the Great Depression, World

Suzanne Looker, “Your Pet Friendly Realtor,” has joined the Lafayette office of Pacific Union International. Suzanne comes with a passion for animals through her long term volunteer activities at ARF (Tony LaRussa’s Animal Rescue Foundation) and general ani-mal advocacy. Suzanne is an experienced realtor with a corporate trained background as a regional manager and is able to utilize her organizational and negotiating skills in favor of her clients. She currently stands on committees for the Martinez and Walnut Creek Chambers and is an active member of the Lafayette Chamber. Having lived in Piedmont, Oakland, Berkeley and Contra Costa County, Suzanne is able to assist her clients in both Contra Costa and Alameda Counties. Most recently, Suzanne was awarded Diablo Magazine’s Five Star Award for Real Estate Agent 2012 in the San Francisco Bay Area. This select group represents less than 2% of Realtors and is awarded based on the highest overall score of client satisfaction. Suzanne can be reached by cell at (925) 917-9070 or email, [email protected].

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War II, and the beginning of the Cold War. He places his characters at pivotal points in history so you can experience them with these enduring and indelible individuals. Who can resist characters as engaging as young Woody Dewar, the son of a prominent United States Senator who finds himself at Pearl Harbor on that fateful day

in 1941, or Carla Von Ulrich, a young nurse who risks everything in Nazi Germany to help overthrow that evil regime? And then there’s Lloyd Williams, illegitimate son of an English Lord and his maid Ethyl, who volunteers to fight in the Spanish Civil War. And I haven’t even mentioned the members of the Peshkov family, the beautiful Ameri-can social climber Daisy and her cousin, the cunning Russian spy Volodya. Follett brings the Spanish Civil War alive through the eyes of Lloyd Williams. I

felt the attack on Pearl Harbor when Woody and his fiancée are caught in the surprise assault. I suffered with Carla and her family as the Nazis come to power in Germany and inflict unspeakable horrors on innocent people. I endured the bitter Russian winter as the Red Army tries to defend Moscow against the German onslaught. I felt proud when Lloyd and Woody exhibit unbeliev-able valor in the face of mortal combat. Yes, a really good author can do that when he paints vivid and authentic char-acters with which you can empathize. Isn’t that what you want when you buy a novel? Follett did that for me in his previous books and he does it again in Winter of the World. If you relish good fiction as much as I do, read any Ken Follett book. But make sure you don’t miss Winter of the World. And now, I can hardly wait for the final book of this trilogy. It promises to be an-other really great read.

Pleasant Hill Mayor Michael Harris and his wife Dawn Block recently visited Chile and Argentina. In addition to experiencing the scenic wonder of Igua-za Falls and hiking on the Moreno Glacier, they shared the Community Focus with a few of the 900,000 penguins they met.

The Focus Hits Chile


Thai Coconut Custard

Thai Pork Lettuce WrapsINGREDIENTS1½ cups coconut milk6 eggs, beaten3/4 cup dark brown sugar1/2 teaspoon saltDIRECTIONSBeat coconut milk, eggs, sugar and salt

together. Cook in a double boiler, stir-ring constantly, until it resembles soft scrambled eggs. Pour into a small cas-serole dish. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Brown under a broiler.Yield: 4 Servings

INGREDIENTS1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon Asian fish sauce2 tablespoons fresh lime juice3 Thai chilies, very thinly sliced with seeds1 tablespoon vegetable oil4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced1/2 pound ground or finely chopped pork2 tablespoons soy sauceSalt and pepper1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced1/4 cup torn Thai basil leaves1/4 cup torn mint leaves1/4 cup torn cilantro leavesBoston lettuce leaves, for servingDIRECTIONS In a small bowl, combine lime juice

with 2 tablespoons of the fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, two-thirds of the chilies and 1 tablespoon of water. Stir to dissolve the sugar. In the skillet, heat the oil. Add the garlic and cook over moderately low heat, stirring a few times until golden brown, about 1 minute. Add 1 teaspoon of the sugar and cook for about 20 seconds. Add the ground pork and cook over moderately high heat, breaking up the meat finely, until no pink remains, about 3 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of the fish sauce and soy sauce and season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, add onion, basil, mint, cilantro and the remaining chili. Serve in lettuce leaves and season with the dipping sauce.Yield: 6 servings

COrKS aND FOrKS

Pair upWith La Sommelierre Maria Terry

Chinese New year This year Chinese New Year will begin on February 10 all over the world in coun-tries with significant Chinese populations, such as Thailand. Pork, a classic protein found in many holiday dishes, is a central theme of this menu and is a delicious and cost effective way to kick-off your new year. I found a recipe for Pork Lettuce Wraps that I consider one of the most authentic recipes I have ever made. The dipping sauce is a perfect balance of sweet, savory, sour and spicy. The flavor of the caramelized garlic is excellent. You can even double the recipe and serve it as an entrée.

Choose a wine that is fruit forward, like an off-dry White Zinfandel. The fruit flavors will be intensified by the umami flavors of the pork and fish sauce. The slight sweetness in the wine will create a nice cooling effect on the spice from the chilies. Asian Pork Tenderloin is the star of your main course. It is very easy to make and you can add white or fried rice along with steamed sugar snap peas for a com-plete plate. This recipe can handle a wine with a bit of depth, but would still benefit from lighter tannins due to the slight heat. Consider a Cru Beaujolais. Made from the Gamay grape, Cru Beaujolais is very

different from the Nouveau Beaujolais that arrives once a year in November. These are serious wines with complexity and weight. The Gamay grape is known for its bright raspberry and strawberry flavors, and when you combine this with the rustic leather and dark earthiness often found in French wine, you get a nice balance of fruit and earth that will harmonize and complement the soy and Worcestershire in the meat marinade. Each of the ten Cru Beaujolais (e.g., Fleurie, Morgon, etc.) has its own personality, but they should all work well. If you prefer your wines closer to home, a lighter style Zinfandel from Sonoma or Mendocino would substitute. Celebrate the end of the meal with a

Thai custard that has a delicate sweetness. You will need to seek out a sparkling wine with a touch of sweetness to match. Look for words like Demi-Sec, Doux or Dolce on the label. If you can find a Blanc de Blancs, that is great. Blanc de Blancs literally means White of Whites. It is made from 100% Chardonnay, which often has tropical flavors that pair well with the coconut. Find the recipe for Asian Pork Tender-loin at LaSommelierre.com. So, go on. Pair Up! Maria Terry is a Certified Sommelier and Wine Educator in the San Francisco Bay Area. For more great wines and information please visit Maria’s website at www.LaSommelierre.com.

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Kids are all Smiles Payless Shoe Source launched an international children’s shoe-giving pro-gram, Payless Gives™ Shoes 4 Kids, and announced its selected charity partners, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Diablo Valley. The program – imple-mented in all fifty states, Canada, Puerto Rico and eleven Latin American coun-tries – will give $1.5 million of free shoes to children of families in need this year. On January 23, a group of children served by the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Diablo Valley participated in a shoe-shopping trip at the Payless Shoe Source

store on Center Avenue in Martinez. The children enjoyed shopping and selecting their own pair of free shoes. For many kids accustomed to used and hand-me-down shoes, this was their first pair of brand new shoes! The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Dia-blo Valley is a non-profit organization that “enables all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, re-sponsible citizens.” To learn more about this organization, visit www.bgcdv.org or call 925-228-3896.

Kenya Mckenzie, Jerrica Richardson, and in front Will Reeder.Azariyah Lloyd

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Five Key VitaminsBy Jason Olson, Grocery Outlet, Pleasant Hill

Everyone knows that vitamins are es-sential to good health, so here’s a quick look at five key vitamins that should be part of your everyday diet. Vitamin A helps us see in dim light and at night. It’s part of the maintenance of healthy skin, hair, bone growth, and teeth. A lack of A may cause disorders like night blindness and dry skin. Vitamin A can be found in eggs, milk, carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes, fish oil, liver, butter, broccoli, apricots, nectarines, and cantaloupe. Vitamin B is a complex of vitamins like: B1, B2, B6, B12, niacin, and folic acid. They help your body make protein and energy. A lack of B can cause cracked lips, weak muscles, affect normal growth or disturb the nervous system. B is found in leafy green vegetables, seafood, beans, peas, citrus fruits, grains, poultry, meats, and dairy products. Vitamin C gives structure to bones, cartilage, muscle, and blood vessels. A de-ficiency of C affects skin; bleeding in gums, easy bruising, and pain in joints, among

other problems. Citrus fruits, cantaloupe, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, and cab-bage are good sources of Vitamin C. Vitamin D is essential for strong bones and teeth, and helps your body absorb calcium. A lack of D can cause weak bones, while too much D can cause loss of appetite and weight, nausea, headache, or depres-sion. Vitamin D can be found in fish liver oil, egg yolks, milk and other dairy prod-ucts. Get some sun: your body will produce D when exposed to sunlight. Vitamin E is essential for the inhibi-tion of oxidation in body tissues, and the formation of red blood cells. A shortage of E can cause cancer, diabetes, heart and Alzheimer’s disease. E is found in grains, leafy green vegetables, sardines, egg yolks, nuts, bread, cereals and seeds. Jason Olson is the owner/operator of Grocery Outlet Pleasant Hill (along with his wife Kathy.) He loves wine and is more than happy to share his recommendations at [email protected], or at (925) 676-3660.

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Laura Gordon Continues Soccer Career

By Chuck Nan

CP alumni Game ruSH Takes Championship

The Power of brauerHOMe TeaM

Lady Falcon soccer players, both past and present, met December 22nd to play in an Alum-ni soccer game at College Park. The Alumni players wore special white CPHS Alumni jerseys that they were allowed to keep as a gift from this year’s varsity team. The fun-filled game included some rain, lots of laughs and good-natured ripping between both teams. After the game the players and spectators were treated to a beautiful holiday double rainbow. No score was kept.

MPHFC RUSH battled rain, sleet, and very cold weather to win the Girls U13 Bronze 2 State Cup Championship. The championship, combined with the NorCal Silver 1 League Championship and the Dublin Shamrock Tournament championship, capped a very successful inaugural season for RUSH!

Former Alhambra soccer star Laura Gordon was part of the 2012 UC San Diego (UCSD) Women’s Soccer team that fell just short of an eighth national title this past season. The Tritons,17-3-4 overall, fell in a narrow 1-0 game to the University of West Florida in the National Championship game on December 1 in Evans, Georgia. Despite the loss, the women’s soccer team is the only UCSD squad this season to earn a conference title. After ending regular season play with a nice 17-2-3 record and earning the CCAA South Division title, the Tritons took the tour-nament championship with a penalty-kick win over Sonoma State to nab the automatic bid. Advancing to the NCAA Division II West Regional, the Tritons continued to take down higher-ranked opponents on the national stage en route to earn-ing UCSD head coach Brian McManus’ 314th career win. The 26-year tenured coach currently holds the record as the winningest coach in Division II history.At the Division II finals, former Martinez residents Mark and Susan Waterman came out in support of Laura, driving three hours from their new home in

Cumming, Georgia. Scott and Vicky Gordon, Laura’s parents, also made the trip east. Gordon transferred to UCSD after a stop at USF. For the Lady Dons, Gordon played only eleven matches and started seven. She scored three goals and added an assist before an injury ended her only season at USF. The first goal of her col-legiate career was a game-winner off a header in the 73rd minute. A 2009 graduate of Alhambra, Gordon was named 2008-09 DFAL Most Valuable Player, 2nd-Team in 2006-08 and Honorable Mention in 2005-06. In all, she logged 56 goals and 47 assists in 88 starts for the Bulldogs. She hopes to enter law school next fall. Gordon played in 23 games this sea-son, starting four. She notched one goal and three assists. On the Lady Tritons, Gordon is joined by Pleasant Hill resident and 2011 College Park graduate, Michelle Yasutake. Michelle, majoring in Environmental Engineering, has earned the starting posi-tion as an outside back playing just about every minute of all games (but the senior day game) including several double over time matches for 110 minutes.

Joey Brauer, a junior a College Park, is the consummate soccer player. As a midfielder on the varsity team, Joey has scored 5 goals thus far, and one of them has become legendary among the College Park soccer community and beyond. His amazing bicycle kick goal on January 10 lead to a 2-1 win over Clayton Valley Charter High School. “The goal was a jaw-dropper. It caught me by surprise and I’m just happy I managed to get the video footage,” said Falcon parent Brad Holst. The goal was not an accident, but the result of considerable training and determination. “I practice bicycle kicks at almost every practice. This is the first one I have scored in a game though,” said Brauer, who’s favorite professional soccer

players are Xavi Hernández and Anrdés Iniesta from FC Barcelona. What’s amazing is that last season Brauer was out with an injury. “Last year Joey broke his collar bone and was out for most of the season. As you can see that injury has not slowed him down,” said varsity coach Sandy Jones. With 21 games played so far, the varsity record is 10 wins, 7 losses and 4 ties. The final Varsity game of the season will be an away game on Tuesday, Febru-ary 5 against Clayton Valley Charter High School. To see Brauer’s goal, follow the link to the Youtube bicycle kick on the College Park Boys’ Varsity webpage: www.cpboys-varsitysoccer.com.

College Park Varsity soccer player, Joey Brauer #9, is up against players from James Logan High School during the December 29 game. Photo credit: Conrad Rowling.

Pictured: Front Row: Kendall Capolungo, Annie Klopstock, Sophie Riker, Kally Cunningham, Payton Wallahan, Ashley McClearnen and Kenzie Lyall. Back Row: Lauren Renner, Miriam Ramstad, Hannah

Eales, Caitlin Logan, Julia Quontamatteo, Jordan Davis, Jenna Stefanski and Abigail Burns.


HERITAGE SOCCER CLUB“Talk with your feet… Play with your heart”

Competitive Soccer Program for Girls & Boys U8-U18

Heritage Soccer Club Offers:Excellent Coaches & TrainersAffordable Club FeesFree Clinics & Discounted CampsFree Health, Strength & Conditioning Program (HSC)Local Practice Fields (incl. indoor)Local Home Fields (all-weatherturf and grass)Competitive Teams in eachAge GroupHigh School & College Prep5 to 9 year old Academy

So Come and JOIN THE CLUB !!

HSC ALSO RUNS ADULT MEN’S, CO-ED, & YOUTH INDOOR LEAGUES AT USA MARTINEZ

Questions? Please contact Julio Borge at [email protected] ww.heritagesc.com

www.heritagesc.comHSC is a Non-Profit Organization

Register online at www.HeritageSC.com(registration required online or at the field)

Check our website for last minute updates or rainouts

Please arrive 45 min early to Check-InNo cost to tryout

Boys/Girls U13 (including Crush) ~ Feb 9 11:30-1:30 & Feb 10 1-2:50

Boys/Girls U14 ~ Feb 9 2-4 & Feb 10 3:15-5:15

If you are unable to attend our tryout weekend, OR if you missed our tryouts for our younger teams (U8-U12), please contact Julio

Borge ([email protected]) to arrange a team tryout.

2013 HERITAGE TRYOUTS ~ COLLEGE PARK HS

Sun., Feb. 24

Visit the SportStars Gymnasium Hosted by

Produced by Bay Area Festivals, Inc.(925) [email protected]

Feb. 2 - 4 - 5

Pre-register at www.diablofc.orgNo charge to tryout.

U8 8/1/05 - 7/31/07U9 8/1/04 - 7/31/05U10 8/1/03 - 7/31/04U11 8/1/02 - 7/31/03U12 8/1/01 - 7/31/02U13 8/1/00 - 7/31/01U14 8/1/99 - 7/31/00

Age Matrix

Chris “Wondo” Wondolowski

Diablo FC Alumni Player2010-11-12 MLS Top Goal Scorer

2011-2012 MLS All-Star2010-11-12 USA Men’s National Team

MLS MVP

www.diablofc.org 925 798-GOAL

Diablo FC offers players:

2013 Season Tryouts

Calen Carr Club Alumnus

Houston Dynamo2011-2012 Starter MLS Cup

Pac-10 Player of the Year @ Cal

MLS CUP

GOAL SCORER

For updates on San Jose Earthquakes programs with Diablo FC follow us on

@DFCsoccer

San Jose EARTHQUAKES Media Release

Earthquakes Soccer, LLC 451 El Camino Real, Suite 220 Santa Clara, CA 95050

Public Relations Facsimile 408-260-6802 www.sjearthquakes.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Jan. 28, 2013

San Jose Earthquakes Unveil Landmark Youth

Development Program with Diablo FC

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes announced today the

creation of a landmark partnership with Diablo Futbol Club of Concord,

Through the partnership, Diablo FC – the club where current Earthquakes

star and reigning Volkswagen MLS Most Valuable Player Chris Wondolowski

opportunity to participate in their own setting.

technical director Chris Leitch and head coach Marquis White, who has

Finally, the partnership will include camps and clinics offered

Diablo FC members in conjunction with the Earthquakes.

www.diablofc.org and

www.sjearthquakes.com/academy.

U9-U14 Girls & Boys TryoUTs

born 8/1/1999-7/31/2002 born 8/1/1999-7/31/2001

-Ygnacio Valley HS, ConcordU12 Girls 9-10:30 a.m.U13 Girls 10:30 a.m.-12 noonU14 Girls 12 noon-1:30 p.m.U12-U13 Boys 1:30-3 p.m.U14 Boys 3-4:30 p.m.

-Willow Pass Park, ConcordU12-U13 Girls 6:15-7:30 p.m.U14 Girls 7:45-9 p.m.

-Ygnacio Valley HS, ConcordU13-U14 Boys 6-8 p.m.

MisseD januaRy tRyouts?

U9-U11 Boys & Girls: Come out Sat., Feb. 2, to Ygnacio Valley High School in Concord from 9:00-10:30 a.m.U12 Boys tryout is from 1:30-3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2.


20th annual Teen of the year award Nominees

Prom Preview Show

Includes a tasting glass,wine glass charm, winetasting passport/map

Spend a relaxing afternoon strolling the tree-lined streets

in downtown Martinez, sipping wine and sampling chocolate

at local businesses.

Purchase tickets in advance at theselocations, Cash or Check only:

For more information(925) 228-3577MainStreetMartinez.org

Tickets: $15 eain advance$20 at the event

AtticChild FUNiture, 653 Main St.Leah’s Closet, 831 Main St.Main Street Martinez, 649 Main St., Suite 106

Purchase tickets with a credit card atwww.MainStreetMartinez.orgRedeem advanced purchase tickets orbuy tickets at the event beginning at2pm at either these locations:Martinez Gallery, 630 Court St. orMain Street Martinez, 649 Main St.

Must be 21 yearsor older to participate.

No refunds.

I Downtown Martinez

SaturdayFebruary 9th

2pm-5:30pm

EnjoyanafternoonviewingthelatestpromfashionswornbymembersofthePleasantHillTeenCouncilatthisyear’sPromPreviewFashionShow.ThiseventwillbeonSunday,March3,from2-4pmatthenewSeniorCenterinPleasantHill.Lightrefreshmentswillbeservedandraffleticketswillbesoldforprizes.Thepro-ceedsforthisfundraisingeventwillbenefittheTeenCenterfurniturefund.Ticketsare$15andmaybepurchasedonlineatwww.pleasanthillrec.com/home/spe-cialevents.htmlorbycallingtheRecandParkofficeat682-0896.

Last year’s Pleasant Hill Teen Council.

Dakota Valdez Helena Encarnacion-Strand

Two teens were nominated for the 2012 Teen of the Year at Pleasant Hill’s 42 Annual Community Awards Night. Both deserve recognition for their volunteerism and dedication to making their community a better place to live. Helena Encarnacion-Strand (win-ner) has been a member of the Pleasant Hill Teen Council since 2009 and is currently serving as its Chair. As such, she has demonstrated excellent leader-ship and motivational skills by involving the Teen Council in many community events such as the Youth Summit, Relay

for Life and the grand opening of the Teen Center. She is an articulate spokes-person for her peers and has represented the Teen Council at public events and meetings. At College Park, Helena is a member of the Interact Club, which is the service club of Pleasant Hill Rotary for teenagers. As an Interact Club and Teen Council member, she has served on event committees and volunteered hundreds of hours over the past several years to many events in the community. Dakota Valdez is the current

president of the Interact Club at Col-lege Park. She has participated in Camp Venture, a program for high school students intending to work in the busi-ness community and she has attended Camp Royal, which helps future leaders develop the skills and confidence to lead their Interact Club. Dakota has volunteered her time to

many community activities over the past years including Relay for Life, Salvation Army Toy & Joy Drive, the 2012 Vet-eran’s Day Breakfast and Pleasant Hill Rotary Events. As a part of Relay for Life since its inception three years ago, Dakota has been responsible for organiz-ing and leading the Fight Back Tent and Luminara Ceremony.

a High School haPPy Communication at Alham-bra High School is a priority for Principal Nermin Fraser, and keeping up with the latest school news can be found on the newly redesigned website, in the daily bulletin and also on Facebook. Now, to further improve communications, “There’s an app for that!” When contacted by the people at SchoolInfo App several months ago, Prin-cipal Fraser welcomed the idea of yet an-other avenue for the Alhambra commu-nity to find and take note of high school news and announcements. The app al-lows for quick access to all school events through the calendar, including sports schedules and scores, a faculty and staff directory and links to the website and

social media. Students can even use the “assignments” feature to help keep track of project due dates and scheduled exams. Content management has recently been turned over

to senior Alex Manuli, who regularly up-dates not only the new app, but also the school’s Facebook page. Manuli, who is a school site council member, is also an ac-complished water polo player and plans to play for Long Beach State University. Principal Fraser has plans for addi-tional communication enhancements in the future and said “If enough kids are in-terested, I’d like to get a school newspaper off the ground.” The free app is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.


Local Doctor Hits PrimetimeOn the red Team with Chef anne burrell Dr. Bob Schaefer of Pleasant Hill is a chiropractor and runs a successful weight loss clinic, but recently he took on the unique challenge of being a contestant on Worst Cooks in America. Bob’s wife Charlene, the love of his life, has always taken responsibility for the family cooking during their almost forty-year marriage, but now that their daughter is out of the house, Bob has been hoping to learn his way around the kitchen. Worst Cooks in America, the prime-time Food Network hit that turns kitchen zeroes into kitchen heroes, returns for a fourth season with a rematch between undefeated series champion Anne Burrell and culinary master Bobby Flay. Premier-ing on Sunday, February 17th at 9pm, this season’s fourteen cooking-challenged con-testants are split into two teams, one led by Anne and one by Bobby, for a grueling seven-episode competition designed to turn them into competent cooks. A $25,000 grand prize will be awarded to the

winning contestant who has achieved the most successful culinary transformation, along with a victory for their team leader. “Worst Cooks is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these hapless cooks to learn from the best of the best - Anne and Bobby. Their naturally competitive nature and sense of humor in dealing with their team’s mishaps and blunders have made the show an audience favorite,” said Bob

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Tuschman, General Manager and Senior Vice President, Food Network. “The cu-linary transformations are heartwarming and hilarious – viewers will be amazed at just how far the contestants come.” In the season premiere, the fourteen recruits, each nominated by family and friends for their awful cooking skills, are greeted at culinary boot camp by Anne, Bobby and grocery bags of food found in the contestants’ homes. Using their processed, packaged and canned foods to cook their ‘best dish,’ each contest-ant faces a brutal first tasting and teams are selected. For their first challenge, the teams must create a classic meat and potatoes meal without using a microwave. Anne’s team attempts Seared Pork Chop with Bacon and Grape Port Wine Sauce, while Bobby’s team tries Beef Tenderloin in Mushroom, Mustard and Red Wine Sauce. The contestant with the least suc-cessful dish on each team is sent home, while the remaining twelve competitors survive to cook another day. Upcoming episodes feature a fresh fish challenge, a

gelato laboratory road trip and a role re-versal where the recruits must teach Anne and Bobby. The series culminates in the finale on Sunday, March 31 at 9pm, when the two remaining contestants prepare a three-course meal for a panel of culinary titans – Andrew Carmellini, Anita Lo and Floyd Cardoz -- who will determine which chef has mentored their recruit to winning status. As a contestant, Bob is limited by what he can reveal until after the show airs, but he did say that preparing his first meal on the show was the most difficult because he’d never cooked a real meal in years. He joked that his cooking skills quickly improved, however, because “when you are at the bottom, there is no place to go but up.” Bob added that this was a unique, once-in-a-lifetime experi-ence, particularly because he was taping the show in New York when Hurricane Sandy hit, making him miss his family more than ever. Now that he’s back home, he will leave the cooking to his dear wife Charlene and the restaurants.

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Donation Drive results

reflections WinnersHIGH SCHOOL HaPPeNINGS

Poetry Out Loud Submitted by Kit Hein, CP Teacher Librarian

The College Park PTSA raised $9,613 during the November and December 2012 dona-tion drive, with 100% of the funds spent on students. The PTSA supplies laptops, books, supplies, as well as support to the College & Career Center, organic garden, academic and service scholarships and more. All donations are tax deductible. You can go to the PTSA website to see what was purchased last year and what is planned for the 2012-2013 school year.

On January 17, students from Col-lege Park participated in the Second Annual “Poetry Out Loud” competition. Natalie Hill received the title of 2013 CPHS Poetry Out Loud Champion. Suzannah Thomas was first runner up, Dean Engle came in third and Alex-ander Hamiter received an Honorable Mention. Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high schools across the country. Poetry Out Loud competitions start in the classroom and continue into the school, county, state, and national finals, similar to the struc-ture of the spelling bee. The national initiative is part of an attempt to bring

literary arts to students, a critical need in U.S. schools, according to the NEA report, “Reading at Risk,” which found a dramatic decline in literary reading, especially among young readers. Natalie will go on to the Contra Costa County competition, to be held at the Las Lomas High School Theatre on February 9 at 11am. The county compe-tition, sponsored by the Arts & Culture Commission of Contra Costa County (AC5), is open to all who wish to at-tend and is free of charge. College Park families and the Pleasant Hill commu-nity are encouraged to attend and sup-port Natalie in her quest to be a national champion. More information about the competition can be found at www.poet-ryoutloud.org or http://www.ac5.org/events-programs/poetry-out-loud.

On January 12, the 32nd District PTA presented the Reflections Showcase at Alhambra High School. This year’s showcase displayed the projects of five College Park students who worked with the theme, “The Magic of a Moment.” The Reflections Program is an arts recognition and achievement program for students and is sponsored by the Na-tional PTA. The program offers students the opportunity to create works of art outside of school projects for fun and ex-perience. Students are encouraged to sub-

mit original works of art in the following categories: Dance Choreography; Film Production; Literature; Musical Compo-sition; Photography and Visual Arts. This year, six College Park students submitted projects: Monica Elizondo, 12th grade, literature piece, A Moment that Lasted a Lifetime; Amelia Carlson, 9th grade, photography piece, The Magic of Seattle; Anthony Cannon, 9th grade, photography piece, Mother Nature’s Magi-cal Moments; Savannah Thompson, 11th grade, film piece, The Magic of A Mo-

Pictured are the College Park students that advanced to the 32nd District PTA Reflections Showcase. The winners had their names announced and were awarded a certificate and keepsake necklace. L to R: Amelia Carlson, Monica Elizondo, Savannah Thompson and Jessica Neuman (missing: Taylor Williams). Photo credit: Corrin Canale.

Grants awarded to CP At the January 8 PTSA meeting, Betty Geishirt Cantrell from the Pleasant Hill Community Foundation present-ed College Park PTSA with two grant checks. The biology department was awarded $667 with the goal of providing three-dimensional anatomical models as a multi-sensory learning tool for all science students. The second check in the amount of $150 was for a literacy magazine subscription for the creative writing class. The music department was awarded $1,000 with the following goals: expose 4th and 5th graders to the world of instrumental music through music appreciation, learn beginning skills in band and orchestra and interact with CPHS students experienced in instru-

mental music. Funding will be used to purchase student model instruments, music books, sheet music and basic in-strumental supplies. The Athletic Boost-ers was also awarded $750 for the varsity boys’ soccer team to replace their uni-forms. The girls’ tennis team was given $1,000 to purchase six tennis court nets for the CPHS tennis courts. Three Chevron grants were also awarded to College Park. Science teach-er Janet Spencer was awarded $427.45 to purchase a Functional Human Eye Model; math teacher Janet Evans was awarded $799.99 to purchase a multime-dia projector and math teacher Jan Bunt-en was awarded $758.99 to purchase an HP EliteBook.

Pictured are LtoR: Science teacher Janet Spencer, Principal Paul Gengler, Betty Geishirt Cantrell of PHCF and grant writer, Jo Alvarez.

ment; Taylor Williams, 12th grade, cho-reography piece, Magic; Jessica Neuman, 10th grade, visual arts piece, First Kiss. Five of the six students advanced to the 32nd District Reflections Showcase. “I really enjoyed working on the Reflections project,” said Corrin Canale, Program Chair. “I enjoyed seeing all the different projects the students submitted,

and I am very impressed with the level of talent that our students displayed. I am hoping for more participants next year.” Next year’s theme is “Believe, Dream and Inspire.” For information on the Re-flections Program, visit: www.pta.org and click on the “Programs” tab at the top or contact Corrin Canale at [email protected].


There are eight species of wood-peckers found in the Bay Area. The most common spe-cies are Nuttall’s, Downy, Acorn, and Northern Flicker. Woodpeckers are easy to identify; usually they are distinctively marked with black and white feathers, often with red on their head. They have strong claws, short legs and stiff tails that enable them to easily climb and cling to trees in search of food. They use their strong, sharp bills to drill holes and look for insects or sap; drill larger holes to store acorns; create nesting cavities, or “drum” territorial signals to ri-vals. Most woodpeckers are solitary except for Acorn woodpeckers, which nest, roost and feed in groups. Woodpeckers drill holes for many reasons. If one is drilling small holes in your eaves, it is foraging for insects and you have a bigger problem than the wood-

pecker! You might want to have your home checked for insect damage. The woodpecker will continue to drill as long as insects are present. Acorn woodpeckers drill multiple holes about ½” across and then pound acorns into the holes to store for the win-ter. They drill in tree trunks as well as barns or other wood structures, often us-ing the same holes for many years. All woodpeckers are cavity nesters. They nest in cavities that they excavate in dead branches or trees. They typically construct a new nest each year, but may reuse nests if dead trees are scarce. Be-cause dead trees are often removed in cit-ies and suburbs, potential nesting sites are at a premium, so woodpeckers may use your house instead. If woodpeckers are drilling into your home, there are several deterrents that may work. • Try covering a problem area with a heavy, slippery plastic. • Hang two-to three-foot long pieces of

Local Woodpeckers By Susan Heckly, Lindsay Wildlife Museum

On December 9, 120 courageous and talented Village Music School students performed to an appreciative audience of proud parents, friends and families at St. Andrew’s Celebration Center. It was truly a special day, where students received round after round of applause for their hard work, preparation and excellent per-formances. Performers of all ages played a vari-ety of instruments including piano, uku-lele, electric guitar, drums, saxophone, flute, bass, acoustic guitar, and clarinet. Several students performed original ma-terial they composed with their teachers’ guidance. A proud parent noted, “The kids get to see each other play for once…. all of the different instruments, ages and skill levels, this is just great!” “Performance speaks directly to the positive and rewarding results of prac-tice, and it takes courage,” said Robert W. Konkle, Founder & CEO of Village Cen-ter for the Arts. “Performing and playing music should be fun! The most impor-tant thing is that students are staged for success, and having a successful associa-tion of their experience is key!” Robert went on to say, “During recit-al rehearsals, I tell students to look at the audience applauding them; they earned it and should remember what a room full

of people acknowledging their accom-plishments looks like.” Students are also coached to say, “I’m proud of myself,” as they bow. “I run through this as a part of the rehearsal. Getting a room full of kids to yell out, ‘I’m proud of myself!’ is the best part of my job!” “Our students did a fantastic job of getting up there and courageously sharing with the world all the musical skills and tools they have been studying!” said Ex-ecutive Director, Liz Beggs. The venue was St Andrew’s Celebra-tion Center, a large spacious hall with high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling win-dows that provide a cascade of natural light. The building served as a charming environment to capture the essence of a live performance and the celebration of creative progress. CONGRATULATIONS to all Village Music School students who participated in the recital! The Village Center for the Arts team would like to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy 2013! Village Center for the Arts is locat-ed at 1720 Linda Dr. Pleasant Hill, CA 94596. VillageCenterForTheArts.org | 925-676-8400

PaID aDVerTOrIaL

State of the arts By Robert W. Konkle, Founder & CEO, Village Center for the Arts

Mylar ribbon (Bird Scare®) from the eaves or try Mylar balloons with “predator eyes.” • Ropel®, a bitter but non-toxic product, may be sprayed on houses, trees or other surfaces. • Fake owls or rubber snakes do not work as deterrents. You can help woodpeckers by being very careful when trimming trees. Many baby woodpeckers are brought into our wildlife hospital every year when their nest is accidentally destroyed. The safest time to prune trees is late fall or early win-ter, after the babies have flown away and before the next nesting season. If you can, leave dead tree limbs or snags for wood-peckers to live in or hang woodpecker

nest boxes that are available at many wild birds stores. For more information about Lindsay Wildlife Museum and ways you can help wildlife, visit www.wildlife-museum.org.

Also man’s best friend Hillcrest sees years of love

and loyalty ahead

HILLCREST VETERINARY HOSPITAL

925-676-1909


Part 1 First Stop: Virginia City - Side Trip to the Old West I invite you to travel with me as we journey down Highway 395 from Reno to Lone Pine, what some would call the prettiest avenue ever seen. Along the way discover quaint towns, extreme geologic forces, tourist destinations, sweeping vis-tas and a few great food discoveries. Per-haps you will be inspired to plan a grand adventure of your own down this re-markable and historic highway. To help you plan your trip, spend some time researching travel websites and bring along a good map, even if you have a navigation system. I had good fortune using www.TripAdvisor.Com to learn about restaurants, places to stay and points of interest along the way. Ad-ditionally, I strongly recommend having good maps such as those provided by AAA or “Hwy 395, Carson City to Lone Pine,” available from Amazon.com. Although there are a number of high Sierra passes that will connect you with Hwy 395, they are often closed in winter (Hwy 89 Monitor Pass, Hwy 108 Sonora Pass or the Hwy 120 Tioga Pass). I rec-ommend you begin in Reno. The East-ern Sierra is rugged country; roads de-mand you plan for extremes in weather, environment and altitude. Bring water, sunscreen, snacks, warm clothing (even in summer), strong shoes, well-running vehicles with top notch brakes and trans-missions and, most importantly, aware-ness of your health concerns as altitude

gains are sometimes rapid and sunshine at 9,000 feet is very unforgiving. It is im-portant to note that cell towers are few and far between, so cell phone coverage can be unreliable. Let’s begin the journey just outside of Reno, Nevada, in one of the area’s most charming tourist destinations. From Hwy 395 south bound, take highway 341 to venerable Virginia City, the grand dame of late 1800’s silver mining and Mark Twain tales. The curvy road quickly as-cends above Reno. As you ascend, take a moment at the overlook pullout to ap-preciate the climb and vista of the Reno valley. Virginia City is perched on a hill; the streets above cascade down in steps, each level a new lettered street. Aside from a few modern homes clinging to the hillsides, the view quickly changes from suburban chic to 19th century an-tique. Homes with a modicum of frill and fancy, leaning walls and sagging decks and tired but proud storefronts, confront one another face to face in an endless duel to survive the modern world. “C” Street is your entry point into town. At the north end and below are the cemeteries, place-holders of memory that offer respectful

visitors a chance to glimpse the history of people who called the area home. If time permits, take a walk through the Ma-

sonic and adjoining grounds; from here you will get an idea of how people lived, whether they were rich, poor, or posi-tioned and had fam-ily or not. The view from the cemetery hillside will give you a good sense of the town’s spread, the surrounding geogra-phy, vegetation and mining way of life.

Reservations are highly recommended for motels and B&B’s, especially on week-ends and popular travel months. A quiet, early morning stroll into town before the crowds arrive adds to the ambience and character of the place. Along the way you find many buildings built in the latter 1800’s, still in character and lovingly preserved “the way it was.” This walk into town is a lesson in Victo-rian architecture, filigree ornamentation and “whatever works.” Collapsed stone walls, uneven plank boardwalks, tall win-dow and doorframes and sagging wood structures echo Virginia City’s past-its-prime look and feel. Good family attrac-tions include the mine tour, gold panning experience, a ride on the Virginia and Truckee Railroad and costumed western-

theme photo shops. Slow down, sashay or saunter down the boardwalk while you imagine jingling spurs, gingham dress-es and a stagecoach pulling into town. Though only a few blocks long, the town is full of interesting, entertaining store-fronts and historic sites best enjoyed at a slow pace. For dinner, locals referred us to the Cafe Del Rio (south end of town); the continental menu, specials of fish, steak, chicken and Mexican plates were beau-tifully prepared and priced fairly. The next morning, we ate at the Virginia City Coffee House and enjoyed our breakfast sandwiches and good coffee outside so we could absorb the panoramic view of the Washoe Valley and parade of hors-es walking loose down the main street. Stand on the edge of “C” street, look east, and contemplate the rugged, never-quite-finished look of the town: the spire from the Catholic Church piercing the sky-line, the barely visible painted signs on the walls of old buildings, the windswept barren hills, and the sense that there are ghosts still roaming the area, not quite able to give up on the dream that was Virginia City. When you leave, I recommend the drive south out of town to Highway 50 and then west to reconnect to south-bound 395. Next month, Bodie- ghost town ex-traordinaire... View more of Christopher’s photos at www.VardasPhotography.com.

Historic and beautiful 395 - a Town-by-Town SeriesStory and Photos by Christopher Vardas


Is the Cinéarts Dome Doomed?

Seeking Performers

Support Soroptomists

School Writing ContestBy Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff

As news spreads of the pending de-molition of the CinéArts Theatre (the Dome) in Pleasant Hill, a Facebook page entitled “Save Independent Film and the CinéArts Dome in Pleasant Hill” has been created to save the historic theatre from demolition and redevelopment into a Dicks Sporting Goods store. Built in 1966,

with a giant curved screen, the Dome shows both independent and commercial films. Pleasant Hill resident Kelly St. Ger-main said, “CinéArts has done an ex-cellent job of adapting the Dome to the marketplace. High quality movies are playing there all the time. Even during

Soroptimist International of Martinez and Soroptimist International of 24-680 are holding a Crab Feed and Silent Auc-tion at the Oakwood Athletic Club in La-fayette on Saturday, February 9 beginning at 5:30pm. Tickets are $45.00 per person and must be purchased in advance; no tickets will be sold at the door. For tick-ets or additional information contact Gay Gerlack at 925.228.6717 or [email protected]. Soroptimist is an international or-ganization for business and professional women who work to improve the lives of women and girls in local communities and throughout the world. Over 80,000 sorop-timists in about 120 countries and territo-ries contribute time and financial support to community–based and international projects that benefit women and girls. The name Soroptimist means “best for women,” and that’s what the organiza-tion strives to achieve. Soroptimists are women at their best, working to help other women to be their best. Soroptimist members belong to local clubs, which determine the focus of vol-

unteer work for their communities. Club projects include renovating domestic vio-lence shelters, providing mammograms to low-income women, and sponsoring self-esteem workshops for teenage girls. In addition, soroptimists participate in orga-nization-wide programs including: the So-roptimist Women’s Opportunity Awards, Soroptimist Club Grants for Women and Girls, the Soroptimist Workplace Cam-paign to End Domestic Violence, the So-roptimist Violet Richardson Award and Soroptimists STOP Trafficking. Soroptimist also sponsors Live Your Dream.org, an online community empow-ering offline volunteer action. The self-mo-tivated network is made up of people who wish to support women and girls in their quest to lead better lives while gaining in-spiration in their own lives. Members of the free online community work on topics such as women’s economic empowerment, ending violence against women, human trafficking, and more. They also have ac-cess to inspirational articles, tips, and blogs that can help them live their own personal dreams.

For twenty years, Star Quest of Pleas-ant Hill has brought amazing performanc-es from our youth to the community. The committee is now planning the show for 2013 and encourages school-age children to audition. Since Star Quest began in 1992, its in-tent has been to provide a positive program where young people of Pleasant Hill, grades K through 12, could showcase their artistic and theatrical talents. Last year, Star Quest celebrated its 20th anniversary with an amazing show that included special perfor-mances from the past twenty years and sev-eral past Star Quest vets.

The show this year is on April 20 and 21 at DVC theatre. Applications are now available at local schools, the Pleasant Hill Recreation & Park District Office, and at Pleasant Hill City Hall. If you are a singer, dancer, musician, comedian, magician, etc., pick up an application and submit it to the Recreation & Park District Office at 147 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill. Auditions will be held in early February for those applying. For further information, call Pleas-ant Hill Rec at 682-0896 or the show’s pro-ducer, Jim Nunes, at 689-2249. Star Quest is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Pleasant Hill.

Middle school students all over Con-tra Costa County are preparing for the annual Young Writers Contest. Since 1995, the California Writers Club, Mount Diablo Branch, has offered cash prizes and certificates to students for their writ-ing. What started with thirty entries from the Mount Diablo School District has grown to include every Contra Costa school that reaches sixth, seventh and eighth grade school students in our coun-ty. Last year we received over 500 en-tries and awarded 24 prizes in the catego-ries of short story, poetry and personal narrative. We bestow $100 to first place winners, $50 for second, and $25 for third place winners in each category and in each grade. In addition, there are numer-ous honorable mentions. First, second and third place winners and their parents and teachers are invited to the awards banquet held in May at Zio Fraedo’s Restaurant in Pleasant Hill. This year, the event will be held on May 11 and author Mike Jung is our featured speaker.If you have a middle school student or know of one, please visit: http://mtdiablowriters.org/youngWrit-ers.html to discover the complete writer’s

guidelines for our contest and details of our workshop. Deadline for this year’s contest: April 1! In addition, our Young Writers Pro-gram has been awarded a grant from the Leroe Foundation to place authors in lo-cal classrooms. If you are a principal or teacher who would like a free writing workshop at your school, tell us why by e-mailing [email protected] and you will get a fabulous poetry or short story writing workshop for your students. Finally, if you are an adult who en-joys writing and/or reading, the Mount Diablo Branch of the California Writ-ers Club meets the second Saturday of every month at Zio Fraedo’s Restaurant in Pleasant Hill. We listen to speakers discuss their books and the publishing world. We are open to the public as long as you send us your reservation ahead of time. Visit us online at http://mtdiablow-riters.org/. Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff is a Pleasant Hill resident and author. She gives writing prompts for students and adults on her blog and answers questions about writing and the publishing world. http://lizbooks.wordpress.com/

the day, many auditoriums are full. Not only is the theatre nostalgic, but eco-nomic factors make the Dome a valuable site for Pleasant Hill. Two Sports Author-ities, Sport Chalet, Sports Basement, REI, and Any Mountain are located within a few miles of each other. Dicks will fail or will force its competitors to. There is no

value there.” Ideas to save the site from demolition include registering the Dome as a Califor-nia historic site. A petition has been cre-ated on Change.org by Supporters of the CinéArts Dome. The plan is to deliver it to SyWest Development and the city plan-ner of Pleasant Hill in the coming weeks.


In the MixBy Paul Cotruvo, Cover2Cover

This area is filled with such amazing musi-cal talent; it sure makes my job of sharing it with you easier. But not only is it about the talent, it is about using this talent for the betterment of our commu-nity. One such humanitarian is Chris Bryant. Chris, also known as “cb” or “CH’Bodi,” is a huge believer in local community involvement and recruit-ing other musicians to volunteer their time and talent for various causes – and just for keeping live music alive! Some of his recent accomplishments are raising money for Toys for Tots and the Martinez Relay for Life. Chris also co-hosts an open mic every Thursday at Roxx on Main in Martinez. He is a true believer in the power of music, and feels everyone should have a voice. Cb has been playing guitar and making music since he was in his teens. He is the founding member of Garage-Land Rodeo, a local band which plays cover tunes in their own musical style. Or, as he puts it, “the belief that there are only two kinds of music in the world, the kind you like and the kind you don’t.” No compromises. He is also a member of Ro-Duo, an acoustic smaller version of “the Rodeo”, featur-ing the amazing vocalist, Jenny Star-mack, and Jay Olson on harmonica. He is also a member of the original band, Rockinghorse. So, it seems time to put him in the limelight to share a little bit of himself.PC: At what age did you decide to become a musician? CB: I’ve always had a love of music,

but it really kicked in about age14-15, when I got my first electric guitar. From then on it’s been a part of me.PC: How old were you when you had your first paid gig and where was it?”CB: What? You mean we can get paid for this? It was no doubt some back-yard high school party over on the peninsula around Menlo Park when I was a 17-18. We played a LOT of gigs back in the day, all throughout San Mateo County.PC: Who are some of your influences? CB: There are many, but the main ones are the Stones, Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Replacements and lots of old blues guys. To this day I’m still influenced by the artists I listen to or other musicians I play with. There’s always something new to learn - I often hear or see things I then copy from beginners as well as seasoned pros.PC: I know you perform in many dif-ferent formats. What is your favorite: duo, trio or full band, and why?CB: I think with the duo it’s easy to try new things and it provides the most freedom to explore things, but the full band (GLR plus the Horny Boiz), when it’s all coming together, is my current favorite. GarageLand Rodeo and Rock-inghorse, to an extent, often allow the material to go where it wants, to live and breath on its own in rehearsals and performance. I find, when all the musi-cians are really listening to each other and exploring a bit, things really gel.PC: What have been some of your fa-vorite moments in your career so far?CB: The feeling I get from the various benefit shows I’ve been a part of are the most moving. The willingness of all these great musicians I’ve been fortu-nate to meet and work with who have

PauL’S PICKS FOr FebruaryFebruary 7: Chris Cain Band, Armandos, 707 Marina Vista, Martinez, 8pm.February 7: GarageLand Rodeo, The Round-Up, 3553 Mt. Diablo Blvd-Lafayette, 9pm.February 15: Come Together Benefit Concert featuring: Tender Mercies, Jim Caroompas & The Sisters of Mercy, The Bell Brothers, Cover Story, Dan DeShara, The Ro-Duo, Liz Lewis and Fiona and Deirdre Nelis, Pleasant Hill Senior Center 233 Gregory Lane, 7:30pm. February 16: Lumberyard, Dallimonti’s, 1932 Oak Park Blvd., Pleasant Hill, 9:30pm.February 23: The Rowan Brothers, Armandos, 707 Marina Vista, Martinez, 8pm.February 23: Sin Silver, Rocco’s Pizzeria, 2909 Ygnacio Valley Rd Walnut Creek, 8:30pm.

come to the call to help others without hesitation is amazing. Meeting new people and hearing as well as playing with them at open mics or various gigs. Hooking up with the group of people I play with now in GLR and Rocking-horse - both the full time members and the part-time subs - I’m having a blast at this point in time making noise with these folks.PC: What are your views of the music scene here in Contra Costa?CB: There’s an amazing amount of talent in the area, but fewer and fewer venues. I wish there were more places like Armando’s - venues where the

music is the focus and not an after thought.PC: If you were a song, what would it be and why? CB: I don’t even know how to answer that...it’s different daily, but I like to think it’d be something that made you take notice and moved you in some positive way... I know, cop out. Come and check out “The Ro-Duo w/ Jay Olson on February 15 for the Come Together #3 event. Check out www.garagelandrodeo.com Quote of the month:“Without music, life would be a mis-take.” --Friedrich Nietzsche

St. Patty’s Day Plans? There is a new twist to Pleasant Hill Rotary Club’s popular St. Patrick’s Day event and you won’t want to miss it! Pleasant Hill Rotary will host their St. Patrick’s Day celebration and fundraiser at the new Pleasant Hill Senior Center on Saturday, March 16 at 6pm. This year’s event will be an Irish themed cocktail party with an all-you-can-eat food court so guests can mingle, eat, and drink at their leisure. During this extended cocktail party there will be silent auction items and an “Instant Wine Cellar” - 48 bottles of wine to be won by a single raffle win-ner! There will also be raffle prizes and a live auction. Tickets are $45.00 per person.

This year’s event is being held at the new Pleasant Hill Senior Center located on Grego-ry Lane. Space is severely lim-ited, so contact Jim Bonato to buy or re-serve tickets now, 938-5433 or [email protected]. Corporate spon-sorship oppor-tunities are also available.

Chris Bryant, photo by Martinez Bee


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Broccoli crowns protrude out of fat emerald stalks and await the slice of a stu-dent’s nursery knife to unite with sizzling ol-ive oil and fresh, green garlic, culminating in mouthwatering, palate tickling, steaming bowls of love. No harm is done to any creatures by downing a bunch of fresh grown, or-ganic vegetables. In fact, how apropos a meal for the self-proclaimed Healthy Heart Month of February? As you may have guessed, the organic gardens in our schools, especially College Park High, are teeming with winter crops such as mizuna, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, arugula, red mustard, celery, radishes, onions, garlic, leeks, peas, lemons, and oranges…to name a few. We are fortunate indeed to be able to guide our willing squires through the entire growing process. Seeds and little seedling plants, placed into the warm soil of September and October by the enthusiastic hands of our students, morph into trailing, bushy stalks and trees of edible nourishment for body, heart, soul and mind in the chilly days of late winter. Our students are mesmerized by the Cara Cara orange. It is plucked off a burgeoning tree then peeled and eat-en while juice drips down chilly arms gesticulating wildly at the pink flesh of an extremely sweet orange. Turn

your thoughts to ruby, deep-water salmon flesh tones to imagine the in-side color of the Cara Cara. Originat-ing at the Hacienda de la Cara Cara in Valencia, Venezuela, in the 1070’s, it has only recently burst upon the scene of who’s who in citrus land. Tropical and richly sexy this winter, citrus is best eaten peeled and sliced into pre-cious segments for breakfast by itself or placed into a fruit salad with kiwi and dried cranberries. For a sophisti-cated dinner partner, try tossing aru-gula, shaved fennel, dried Italian olives and Cara Cara slices with juice of the showy Brazilian navel, rice vinegar and very good olive oil. Finish with salt and pepper and translucent shavings of reggiano parmesana. Smooth and low in acid, the juice is amazing driz-zled into champagne or citron vodka and adds a touch of sweetness and a pink glow to the drink as well as the mood. Word on the street says this is a cross with the brash, albeit wonder-ful, grapefruit. Not so, and it would be criminal to miss this glorious citrus ode to winter thinking it so. As you may have guessed, the Cara Cara is a farmers’ market find. All citrus is at peak season, bow-ing market tables and bending branch-es of local trees everywhere in town. If you see a tree with crazy excess fruit and you want some, go to the door and politely ask if you may pick. Usu-ally the answer is a resounding “Yes

Healthy Heart Month of FebruaryBy Lesley Stiles

please!” Satsuma Mandarins, found at the Pleasant Hill BART’s Wednes-day farmers’ market (11am to 6pm, east side of the station) from Ken’s Top Notch Organic Produce, are astound-ingly ugly and sweeter than you can imagine. He has sweet tangerines and the lovely Cara Cara as well. At all the year round farmers’ markets you will find delicious citrus to taste and pur-chase, helping to maintain that healthy heart thing, not just for this month, but at least a couple more to come. Pommelos, yellow and pink grapefruit, blood oranges, tangelos, navels, honey tangerines, this list just goes on and on. Kiwi also are readily available this month and taste so good when local and in season that they are more than worth the effort to peel. I am sure our resolve to carry on new beginnings, habits and resolu-tions decried on the eve of the New Year stand as solid as the ice of mid-January on plants and in puddles. No? Well guess what? You have another chance to fulfill! As Healthy Heart Month moves along for 2013, besides eating right and eradicating junk food from your house, your car and off the planet, one of the healthiest deeds con-trived for the heart and lungs is yours for the doing. One foot in front of the other - almost anyone can walk - no

charge, no fancy anything, and the re-wards are endless. Electrifying sunrises and sunsets, mossy green paths, hawks in flight, people to pass and greet en-thusiastically…and at the end, rud-dy cheeks encasing a carelessly wide smile. Move it or lose it! Lesley Stiles is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy, sus-tainable caterer and school garden educator. Contact Lesley at [email protected], www.lesleystiles.blog-spot.com and visit her new website: www.lesleystilesfoods.com.

Roasted Beet and Orange Salad

Wash beets and remove stem end and root tail. Rub with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in baking dish, cover and roast at 350º for about 45 minutes to an hour until beets are easily pierced with a knife. Let cool until you can easily handle them. Peel, quarter and slice the quarters about ¼ inch thick. Peel and slice the oranges. Place greens in a bowl. Toss in the beets, oranges and goat cheese. Drizzle remaining olive oil and rice vinegar over. Season with salt and pepper and gently toss to mix all. Serves 4.

4 medium sized beets (I use golden beets when I want color integrity of the dish; red beets tend to color everything in their wake a hypnotizing red hue.)1 Cara Cara orange1 blood orange

1 navel orange3 tablespoons olive oil2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar¼ cup crumbled chevre or feta3 cups assorted salad greensSalt and pepper to taste

Ingredients:

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Oncology Doctors receive Coveted award

exercise equals ImmunityBy Tonya Marie Amos, Aspire Pilates

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Who wants to exercise in this cold weather any-way? The winter days are chilly and it gets dark way too early. Maybe there’s a nasty ill-ness traveling around town and you think you’re getting the sniffles. Al-though you are inclined to hibernate under warm blankets, exercise may be the extra boost needed to stay healthy during the cold winter months. Age, stress, lack of sleep, and nu-trition all impact the immune system. Exercise is often overlooked, but is a wonderful partner in immunity. Have you ever felt like you were getting a cold, but gently worked out anyway? You may have felt better after this exer-cise and possibly even dodged getting sick. On the opposite spectrum, have you ever worked out aggressively as you were starting to get a cold? After do-ing this intense exercise, you may have been exhausted and wound up miser-

ably sick. Moderate exercise (gentle bik-ing, walking, playing golf, etc.) keeps us standing strong against illness. Re-searchers have various theories about why gentle exercise helps boost immu-nity. Faster circulation of antibodies and white blood cells through the body targets bacteria and viruses, may help flush bacteria from the lungs, increases body temperature (e.g., a fever may pre-vent bacterial growth) and slows down the release of stress hormones that break down immunity. While moder-ate exercise is linked to an increase in immunity, intense exercise (e.g., mara-thon training, intense gym workouts, etc.) can actually decrease immunity, so finding that happy balance is important. During the winter months, bundle up, wash your hands frequently and get your body moving. You’ll feel warmer, have more energy, happier joints, and your immune system will be ready for the sneezes and runny noses around you. Feeling a sniffle coming on? Check with your doctor then go for a walk.

The Patients’ Choice Award reflects the difference a physician has made in the lives of their patients. The honor is bestowed on physicians who have received near perfect scores as voted by their patients. Of the nation’s 830,000 active physicians, only 5% were accorded this honor by their patients in 2012. Every physician at Diablo Val-ley Oncology recently received this prestigious award. They are physicians Matthew Sirott, Robert Robles, Jewel Johl, Tiffany Svahn, Gigi Chen, Esther Catalya, Sachin Kamath and Sophia Rahman. These medical oncologists, hematologists and radiation oncologist were rated by their patients on vari-ous components of care such as ease of appointment, promptness, courteous staff, diagnosis accuracy, amount of time spent with the patient, bedside manner and follow-up care. They all received the highest scores, a near perfect four star rating by their patients. In fact, the prac-tice has more doctors recognized than any other oncology practice in the area. Dr. Robles, the group’s blood cancer

specialist, has received the award three years in a row. One comment from a patient’s review stated: “Dr Robles ex-plained my blood disease to me in a way I could understand. His medical knowl-edge and experience really impressed me. I know I am in good hands in his care. I would recommend Dr Robles to my best friend or parents.” Another patient wrote about Dr. Catalya: “The nicest doctor I have ever had. Wonderful lady and smart too!” To view the com-plete Patients’ Choice “MD report card” profile of each physician, go to: www.patientschoice.org Diablo Valley Oncology is located at the California Cancer and Research Institute in Pleasant Hill. The cancer center is the largest freestanding, non-hospital based facility in Contra Costa County. The center brings together medical oncology, hematology, radia-tion, chemotherapy, diagnostic imag-ing, clinical trials, and supportive care services – all in one convenient loca-tion. Satellite offices in Rossmoor, San Ramon, and Brentwood.

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Did you know your waist measurement is one of the most important risk factors to your health? The World Health Organization considers a person’s waist-to-height ratio -- the waist circumference (in inches) divided by height (in inches) -- a more efficient predictor of mortality than waist circumference or Body Mass Index (BMI).

For women, a waist-to-height ratio of 0.7 correlates strongly with general good health, fertility, and less suscepti-bility to diseases such as cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, PCOS, and certain cancers. Women with higher waist-to-height ratios have lower pregnancy rates, regardless of their BMI. Men with waist-to-height ratios of 0.9 have been shown to be healthier and more fertile,

with less prostrate or testicu-lar cancers.You Cannot Change Your Height, You Can Change Your Waist Size What can you do if your waistline is out of pro-portion? Metabolic balance® is the answer. An independ-

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2/2 – 2/28 - Jade Fon Painters Exhibit and Tribute to Jade Fon. The Jade Fon Paint-ers are having an exhibit of their paintings and artwork at the Orinda Library Gallery. The exhibit will include a retrospective trib-ute to the influence, teaching and guidance by Jade Fon, and will include some of his paintings, sketches, art materials, quotes and personal mementos. Please join them at a reception at the Orinda Library Gallery, 124 Orinda Way, Sunday, 2/10 from 2:30-4:30pm. Admission is free. Library hours: Mon-Thu, 10am-8pm; Fri-Sat, 10am-6pm; Sun, 1-5pm.

2/4 - Stitchers Unite! Valley Stitchers and Fiber Arts Guild will meet at the Faith Lu-theran Church, 50 Woodsworth Ln., Pleas-ant Hill, to watch Jane Belitti present the History of Ballet through costumes. Please arrive before 10am to go through our sales tables full of different arts. Guests are most welcome! For questions, please call Sheila Rogstad at (925) 945-1338.

2/5 - Pleasant Hill Garden Study Club monthly meeting, 7pm. Camellia Room -Gardens at Heather Farm, 1540 March-banks Dr., Walnut Creek. Speaker: Mimi Clarke. Topic: A Year in the Garden. Guests are welcome & free. Contact: 925-944-4898, www.phgsc.com.

2/9 – Wine and Chocolate Wine Stroll 2-5pm. Stop in participating stores and restaurants to sample delicious wines and chocolate treats. $15 advance purchase tickets include wine glass, wine charm and passport. Purchase online at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/5146832314 or call 925-228-3577.

2/12, 2/13 & 2/16 - Free College Fund-ing Workshops: Tue. 2/12: 6:30-8pm; Wed. 2/13: 6:30-8pm; Sat. 2/16: 10-11:30am. All workshops will be held in the newly opened Teen Center, 147 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill. Offered by Tamura Insurance Serv-ices. To register online, go to www.funds-forthefuture.net, call 925-639-8889 or email [email protected].

2/13 - Society of American Magicians As-sembly #112 meets the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 7pm. Open to all! Round Ta-ble Pizza, 2960 Treat Blvd., Concord. Join us this month and learn magic! Contact Fred at (925) 451-1292.

2/16 & 17 - Join Valley Stitchers and Fiber Arts Guild who are participating in a 2-day

EVENTS

Calendarworkshop on Art Quilt - Free Motion Stitching - Quilt of Mt. Diablo or Vine-yards. From 11am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday at Wooden Gate Quilt Shop in Danville. Cost: $50 payable to VSG; plus quilt kit, payable to the quilt shop (price to be determined). Minimum participants 8; Maximum 10. Must pay to be counted.

2/24 - Contra Costa Camp Fair, 11am – 3pm – 2 gymnasiums filled with camp, preschool, daycare, sports, martial arts, gymnastics, enrichment, performing arts, scouts, family vacations. Free face painting, Radio Disney Crewser, JoJo the Clown, Monster Mural, sports, games. Free Admission. Acalanes High School, 1200 Pleasant Hill Rd., Lafayette. www.Contra-CostaCampFair.com

AT THE LIBRARY

FPHE EVENTS

CRAB FEEDS

2/18 - All libraries are closed for Presidents’ Day.

Pleasant Hill: Tuesdays - Doorstep Farmers Pick Up 5-7pm. Sign up with Doorstep Farmers, a lo-cal CSA, at www.doorstepfarmers.com. All subscribers will receive a 5% discount for choosing Pleasant Hill Library as their pick-up location.

Wednesdays - English Conversation Practice for Adults 1:30-2:30pm.

Wednesdays - Mother Goose Storytime 11:15-11:45pm. Ages 0-5.

Wednesdays - 2/6 & 2/13 - One-On-One Computer Tutor 11am-12pm & 12-1pm. Set up an appointment for a one-hour, one-on-one computer training session with one of the Pleasant Hill Library’s trained computer tutors.

Thursdays - Preschool Storytime 11:15-11:45am. Ages 3-5.

Fridays - Storytime 11:15-11:45pm & 1:15-1:45pm. Ages 0-3.

Fridays - Contra Costa Teen Chess Club 3-5pm. Instruction, friendly matches, and tournaments. All levels are welcome. Par-ticipants are encouraged to bring own chess board and pieces.

Saturdays - Story Time 11:15-11:45am. Ba-bies, Preschoolers, Kids.

2/7 & 2/21 – Wii Thursdays for teens. 3-4:30pm.

2/9 – One-On-One Computer Tutor 11am-4pm. Set up an appointment for a one-hour, one-on-one computer training session with one of the Pleasant Hill Library’s trained com-puter tutors.

2/12 – Valentine’s Day Family Story Time 6:30-7:30pm for ages 0-11 years. Come dressed in pink of red for songs and stories.

2/13 – Teen Advisory Group (TAG) 3:30-5pm. Join the TAG to meet with the teen librarian to create fun programs and suggest new resources at the library for you and other teens. Receive volunteer hours for your time.

2/16 – Library Volunteer Orientation 3-4pm. Want to volunteer at the Pleasant Hill Library? Pick up an application and get started with our Volunteer Orientation.

2/19 – PH Book Discussion 6:30-7:45pm. This month we are reading David Brook’s The Social Animal.

2/26 – Cascada de Flores: A Celebration of Song & Traditions of Mexico and Beyond 6:30-7:20pm. This musical group creates a

2/9 –40th Annual Crab Feed jointly spon-sored by the Pleasant Hill Lions Club along with the Pleasant Hill Dolfins Swim Team, at the new Pleasant Hill Senior Center, 233 Gregory Lane. All the crab, pasta, and salad you can eat for $50 per person, with door prizes, silent auction, raffles, music and dancing! No Host Bar at 6pm and dinner at 7:30pm. Contact Ken Wombacher at (925) 687-0858 or the PH Recreation & Park District at (925) 682-0896 or any Lion or Dolfin parent for tickets. Come and have a good time and also check out the new Sen-ior Center!

2/16 - Mt. Diablo High School Sports Hall of Fame Annual Crab Feed. Zio Fredo’s 6pm. Music & Dancing. Tickets are $55 per person. All tickets will be held at the door. Reservations required: call Lou Adamo 925-212-9332 or email [email protected]. We hope you can join us! Pro-ceeds go towards helping fund sports pro-grams at Mt. Diablo High.

5th Anniversary Party - Music by the FOG5! Place and date to be determined. Check website for updates.

Dine Out for Education – February/March restaurant fundraisers. Details available soon at www.fphe.org.

4/28 – 2nd Annual Amazing Race - Visit www.fphe.org in March for details.

sound that harkens back to the golden age of song from Mexico and Cuba. They will per-form on a variety of guitars and will enchant audiences of all ages with dance and story-telling of their musical traditions. Program is free.

For Children’s Programs questions contact Patrick Remer, 925-927-3235

Martinez:Tuesdays – Mother Goose Story and Craft Time 10:30-11:30am. Ages 0-3, includes a story time and a simple craft. Enjoy some early literacy fun at this light-hearted story and craft time designed just for the young-est crowd. Join us as we bounce, tickle, and rhyme our way through the morning! Stories are followed by a simple craft time that will enhance motor skills and creative expression. Ages 6 months through 3 years old. No regis-tration required.

2/5 & 2/19 – Knit and Crochet Class 5:15-6:15pm. Learn the time-honored arts of knitting and crochet at this 6 week class run by blue-ribbon experts. Materials will be pro-vided free of charge for those under 18 year. Registration is required, so sign up now!

2/9 – 100th Birthday Celebration: A Walk Down Memory Lane 2-4pm. Join us for an afternoon of history and entertainment at the Martinez Library, celebrating the 100th birthday of the Contra Costa County Library. Andrea Blachman, Director of the Martinez Museum will give a presentation on the his-tory of the Martinez Library (founded in 1885). The presentation is followed by refresh-ments and music by Spinning Wheel. Help us celebrate 100 years of “Bringing People and Ideas Together.”

2/12 – Leung’s White Crane Lion Dancers 6:30-7:30pm. Celebrate the Chinese New Year at this special performance by the renowned dancers. Prepare to be delighted! Rich cos-tumes and astonishing acrobatics define these dancers. Bring a little “lettuce” to feed the lion; start the New Year right! Event for all ages.

3/2 – Early Spring Book Sale 11am-4pm. Friends of the Martinez Library will hold a bag-of-books sale (one bag, $8; two bags, $15). Sale held at lower level of library, 7400 Court Street. All proceeds support library programs.

Book discussion group cancelled until 3/12. For Children’s Programs questions contact Lea Stone, Youth Services Librarian, 925-646-9900. For Adult Programs questions contact Catherine Oliver Library Assistant, Adult Services (925) 646-9921.


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Hagin’s AutomotiveHeritage Soccer Club

Hillcrest Veterinary HospitalHire My HusbandHitchcock Realty

Home Detailers HousekeepingJennifer L. Martin D.D.S.

Kobe JapanLand Home Financial

Les Schwab TiresMain Street Martinez

Matthew C. Rinn, State Farm InsuranceMassage Envy

Minuteman PressMoulding Company

Myra Nissen HomeopathyNavlet’s

Parkway Smiles DentistryPayless Painting/Quick Change

Pleasant Hill Rec & ParkRon Jones, Sterling Realty

Samuels ConstructionSenior Helpers

Smokey D’s BBQSusan Looker, Pacific Union International

UPS Store – Virginia HillsVillage Center for the Arts

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FPHE Kicks Off 5th Annual Campaign!

HELP SCHOOLS THRIVE - GIVE $75!DONATE AT www.fphe.org

Donations to FPHE’s 2013 Annual Campaign reduce the impact budget cuts have on the 11 Pleasant Hill public schools. Your donation directly benefits language arts, math, science and enrichment programs.

I wish to contibute the following to Foundation for Pleasant Hill Education:

Please mail this coupon to: FPHE, P.O. Box 23851 Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 (Tax ID#: 26-2326345)

Payment Enclosed Please Charge my: Visa Mastercard AMEX

Card # Expiration

Please make check payable to FPHE

Signature Security Code

Home Phone

Cardholder Name (Please Print)

Address

E-Mail City/Zip

5th Annual Campaign Goal: $60,000. It’s an aggressive goal, but with community help, FPHE will reach the goal.

How You Can Help: FPHE suggests a donation of $75 or more, but donations of all amounts are appreciated. Funds raised go to May 2013 school grants. FPHE’s ability to issue grants is heavily dependent on the support of the community. You can donate online at www.fphe.org or to FPHE, P.O. Box 23851, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523.

Why Give? Strong Schools Bene�t You. Strong schools greatly bene�t students. They also help increase property values as more homebuyers understand our community’s dedication to supporting local education. Businesses also thrive and grow. Most impor-tantly, strong schools enhance the future of our community.

2013 Campaign events include:• Fund Drive – FPHE’s appeal to the community to support our schools. • Dine Out for Education – February/March restaurant fundraisers. Details available soon at www.fphe.org.• FPHE’s 5th Anniversary Party - Date and Place to be determined, check website for details . Come dance to FOG5!• The Pleasant Hill Amazing Race – The 2nd annual Amazing Race will take place on April 28. Be sure to join us this year! Visit www.fphe.org in March for details.

Since 2009, thanks to community support, FPHE awarded $120,000 to our community’s 11 public schools. FPHE funded: books for entire grade levels: reference, biographies, key literature pieces, early reader series; classroom equipment: maps, graphing calcula-tors, DNA research tools, lab equipment, LCD projectors, interactive whiteboards, PC stations; curriculum support: Board Math, science/math Probeware, history and literature programs.

Be a Part of Progress - Donate Today for the Future of Our Community’s Schools.Please donate at www.fphe.org or mail the coupon below. Questions? Email [email protected].

Thank you for your commitment to education and our community.

Help Schools Thrive$75 $100 $500$250 Other

february '13

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