Adults 13 to 61 – $10.00 ($8.00 Advance)
Children 5 to 12 – $5.00 ($4.00 Advance)  (Free on Kid’s Day, 9/16)
Under 5 – Free
Seniors 62 and better – $6.00 ($5.00 Advance and $4.00 on Senior Day, 9/15)
Family Admission – $22.00 (Two Adults / Two Children)
Parking – $5.00

Tuesday 9/14 – The Count V
Wednesday 9/15 – Bucky Covington
Thursday 9/16 – Antsy McClain and the Trailer Park Troubadours
Friday 9/17 – Family Stone
Saturday 9/18 – Gallagher
Sunday 9/19 – Pro Wrestling Revolution

Prentiss has also worked as an exhibit designer for museums and interpretive centers throughout Central California. Most recently, he designed and created the permanent exhibit at the new Watsonville Public Library and the Pacific Migrations interpretive center at the New Brighton Beach State Park.

The Capitola Begonia Festival started in 1952 however, the begonia blossom fields began their move from the fields of Capitola south to Moss Landing in 1930 and Marina (Monterey County) in 1972 where Brown Bulb Ranch planted over five million tubers under the market name of Golden State Bulb Growers.

Since 1921, four generations of the Brown Family have been growing with “tradition and passion” 53 types of begonias (Ruffled, Roseform, Picotee, and Hanging Basket). Justin Brown is now the company President.

Since the mid 1970’s, Brown Bulb/Golden State Bulb has annually been host to nearly a hundred carloads of Begonia Festival Nautical Parade volunteers. They come to harvest thousands of boxes of begonia blossoms from thirty acres of plants. Nels Westman, long time float builder, reports that the volunteers initially entered these magnificent growing fields through the entrance to the Marina Landfill.

David Madrigal, Field Manager told us that harvesting the blossoms does not harm the plants and are not needed by the grower. Their products are the tubers that lie beneath the soil which are marketed to home and commercial growers worldwide.

Producing a dazzling display unequaled by any other container plant, the tuber develops into a blossom festooned plant to enjoy from early summer through the first frost. With modest steps, these tubers can be encouraged to return year after year and can live up to 30 years.

One of the last places to enjoy the spectacle of flowering begonia plants for sale is Aladdin’s Nursery located on Freedom Blvd in Corralitos.

Gustav Beyer, owner, welcomes guests to this dramatic display starting in mid May.

The last begonia gardens in Capitola, Antonelli’s, left the area for Watsonville after a tragic fire destroyed their facility. Known for attracting tourists to their dazzling begonia display, they hosted our first festival fundraiser and have been sorely missed.

Capitola thanks the Brown Family, Golden State Bulb, and Antonelli’s for their continued support of our beloved Begonia Festival.

Over 150 fine artists, wine tasting from 20 Santa Cruz Mountain wineries, gourmet food from local restaurants and caterers and fabulous entertainment all in the beautiful beachside setting of Capitola Village.

A great way to entertain the family, The Capitola Art & Wine Festival combines Art, Wine, Music & Food all in Capitola Village by the Sea. Over 150 artists and 21 wineries will participate in this year’s Festival. Enjoy great entertainment all weekend!

11:30 to 12:00 – No Limits Dance
12:15 to 12:45 – Rod Sanford Martial Arts
1:00 to 1:30 – Santa Cruz Dance Co.
2:30 to 4:00 – Extra Large
5:00 to 7:00 – The Refugees – A Tribute to Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

11:00 to 11:45 – Te Hau Nui Dance Company
12:00 to 12:30 – Santa Cruz Pipes & Drums
1:00 to 1:30 – Elaine’s Dance Studio
2:00 to 2:30 – Dancenter
3:30 to 5:30 – Turn the Page – The Ultimate Tribute to Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band

11:30 to 1:30 – The Great Morgani
2:00 to 2:30 – Jetlag the Clown

The region designated as the Santa Cruz wine-producing area comprises the Santa Cruz Mountain range from Mount Madonna (at the summit of Hwy 152) to Half Moon Bay (Hwy 92) on both the western and eastern slopes. Areas are: Woodside, Cupertino, Saratoga, Loma Prieta, the San Lorenzo River Valley, Santa Cruz, Soquel, Aptos and Corralitos.

Taking advantage of the cool climate on the Western slope, winemakers have turned to Burgundian varietals such as pinot noir and chardonnay. On the eastern slopes where there are the warmer valley breezes, the climate is more like Bordeaux represented by rich reds such as cabernet Sauvignon, zinfandel, syrah, and merlot.

The wineries and vineyards of the Santa Cruz Mountains offer a step back in time with steep winding roads leading to small wineries with friendly hosts eager to share their wines and the winemaking history of the area.

Many of California’s original wineries founded in the 1800’s were located in the ideal Wine Country locations such as the Santa Cruz Mountains, Napa Valley, Alexander Valley and the Sonoma Valley. Unlike the warmer regions of California, the Santa Cruz Mountains offer a milder Mediterranean-like climate needed to ripen late blooming grapes.

These unique geophysical and climatic factors include the cool maritime influence of the Pacific Ocean with its coastal breezes that allow grapes to mature slowly and evenly without over ripening. As summer temperatures rise in California’s Central Valley, it pulls the cool, foggy air from the Pacific.

Park for free at the Crossroads Center parking lot on Bay Avenue and ride the free shuttle into the village. The shuttle runs Saturday, Sunday & Holidays. The lot is located off of the Bay Avenue exit from Highway. Turn right at the end of the off ramp; continue to the 4-way stop sign (Hill St.). Turn left on Hill St. and follow the shuttle signs.

There is a two hour time limit for Village parking meters. Capitola Police Department meter readers routinely chalk the tires; after two hours you must move your vehicle from the parking space or you will be ticketed. The cost is $1.50 per hour, bring quarters.  The parking along Cliff drive is $1.00 per hour.

Located behind City Hall on Capitola Avenue just a short walk to the Village, the cost of meters in Pacific Cove is 50 cents an hour and there is no time limit. The meters run from 8:00 a.m. to 8 p.m.

There are four different neighborhood permit parking programs — each with different rules, so read the signs carefully. Parking at the Pacific Cove Parking Lots is closer to the Village than any non-permit neighborhood parking.

SANTA CRUZ — Americans are infatuated with singing – American Idol and Glee have brought the exhilaration of singing to virtually every US household via television, internet or mobile device. But despite the popularity of singing and playing instruments among all age groups today, state budget cuts have eliminated most music education programs in Santa Cruz County public schools.

To offer a new option for music education in a group setting, composer and music educator, Stephen L. Bigger, has founded the Santa Cruz World Choir & Orchestra (SCWCO) for high school age and older adults. Minimal singing experience is required to audition, and skills training will be included in each rehearsal.

“Music offers young adults a creative outlet where they can shine in a non-academic area and gain self confidence. The SCWCO also gives families an activity they can do together,” said Bigger. “Participating will be fun and we will entertain audiences this holiday season with significant music that people will get excited about.” The SCWCO’s repertoire includes a wide range of music from around the world, from traditional to modern, ranging from Gregorian to Gaelic to Gospel.

Bigger plans to build the choir to 60 voices with an ensemble of 12 to 20 musicians to accompany it for performances. Music teachers or skilled performers on traditional instruments such as strings, woodwind, brass, percussion, and instruments from around the world will work alongside students. The orchestra will eventually grow to full symphonic instrumentation. “My vision is to be part of a thriving community of collaborative performance ensembles that provide the opportunity for people to create wonderful music with others and to enrich the lives of audiences,” said Bigger.

A series of informational open houses will enable singers and musicians to meet Bigger and members of the choir, learn about the repertoire, rehearsal and performance schedule, and view videos of Stephen’s past choral groups and music projects. The open houses will be held on sequential Tuesdays, August 24 & 31 and September 7, from 7 pm to 9 pm at the Soquel Congregational Church Fellowship Hall, 4951 Soquel Drive, Soquel.

SCWCO Director, Stephen L. Bigger is a highly skilled, versatile music professional who has been active full time in music performance and production since 1981 when he formed RockArbor Music. Bigger has written hundreds of pieces ranging from choir anthems and instrumental orchestrations to pop, rock, folk, and gospel songs, and produced professional recordings for many artists and songwriters. His work is distributed all over the world.

Bigger, as a staff producer in Nashville, produced over 300 songs per year for seven years. He has directed numerous choirs and symphonies throughout the US. Between 2008 and 2010, Bigger was Choral Director and Theater Technical Director at Aptos High School. Stephen has a BA in Music and is a member of: the National Association for Music Education, Teachers’ Association of California Santa Cruz Branch, American Choral Directors’ Association, California Alliance for Arts Education, and the American Society for Composers, Authors, & Publishers.

A good night’s sleep is one of life’s great pleasures. One that most of us take for granted each night when we switch off our lights and each morning when we roll over and hit the “snooze” button on our alarms. But for some it’s not that easy. What if, when the light goes out at night, you’re one of the millions who lie there, wide-awake, watching the minutes tick into hours?

Insomnia isn’t usually life-threatening, but if you suffer from it on a regular basis, you know just how terrible it feels-and just how much it can impact the rest of your life, making you sluggish and irritable, anxious, or depressed (usually at all the wrong times) and unable to focus on tasks. Up to 40 million Americans suffer with long term chronic sleep disorders while an additional 20 million have occasional sleep problems. What a huge statistic so many of us are part of! It’s not that comforting to know that we are not alone.

Sleep may not be life-threatening, but it is a necessity of life, so when it’s interrupted, so is the body’s ability to repair itself. Unfortunately most of the over the counter and prescription sleep aids are habit-forming, risky, usually just cover up the underlying problems or at the very least, leave you with a groggy “hangover” the next day. It may also affect your daily activities or work performance and can cause other serious health problems like reduced immunity. Insomnia is a symptom, not a stand-alone diagnosis or a disease you need a pill for.

Would it surprise you to know that the donut or toast and coffee for breakfast and desert after dinner could be a major contributor to poor sleep? Some people drink alcohol to go to sleep, which ultimately makes the sleep problem worse. What about staying up and using your computer until bed, or waking up and using the computer again? How does eating a SAD diet (Standard American Diet) affect us?

What exactly does stress do to our hormones circulating in the body, as well as our neurotransmitters in our brain have to do with each other and our poor sleep quality? Where do sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome and pain fit into the picture? Our lifestyle choices can have a direct effect on this aspect of our life and cause us sleepless agony. It’s essential to understand what we do to ourselves to make matters worse, and what we can do to stop the process.

Come and hear Dr. Carol Shwery, Santa Cruz volunteer for the national non-profit foundation The foundation for Wellness Professionals, give a free presentation at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Freedom Blvd. in Aptos Sept 14, at 7 p.m. The potential causes of this problem will be discussed and the natural solutions that have helped millions of sufferers will be revealed. Come join her and find out what you can do to get some sleep once and for all!

Three City Council seats are open for the November 2, 2010 general election. There are four candidates who have filed and all four current or former council members.

Incumbent Bob Begun is running for his second four-year term, as is Sam Storey. Both were elected in 2006. Storey, a lawyer, is executive director of local nonprofit Community Bridges and Begun served as city treasurer for six years before being elected to the City Council.

Planning Commissioner and nurse, Stephanie Harlan, has already served on the city Council for a total of 20 years, from 1984 to 1992 and 1994 to 2006 and was mayor three times. Also running is Planning commissioner and electrical supply company owner, Michael Termini who served four years on the council, including one as mayor, before very narrowly losing his re-election bid in 2008.

The longest serving Council member, Ron Graves, has decided not to run again. Graves, 72, has been on the Capitola City Council for a total of 32 years. He first became a council member in 1964 at the age of 26 and says he is stepping down for good. In his most recent election in 2006, Graves defeated Maureen O’Malley-Moore by three votes.

The City Council voted to approve plans to demolish what’s left after a mysterious fire of the historic Rispin Mansion. It will be remove to make the property a park across the street from the future Capitola Branch Library but the council also agreed to reserve the city’s right to build on the property.

Capitola must first schedule an environmental study to research the effects the demolition. An environmental review would supposedly cost under $15,000 covered by the Redevelopment Agency and could take from 4-6 months. After the review is complete and approved by the city, a thirty-day public comment period is required after which a coastal permit is required before demolition can go ahead.

The decision was 4-1 with Kirby Nicol voting no. The mansion, built in 1921 by Henry Allen Rispin, had 7,106 square feet with 22 rooms.

Since then, it has served as a private residence, a real estate showroom and a nunnery with four different owners and has been vacant since 1959. Plans were to have it rebuilt into a $14 million boutique hotel until it was gutted by a suspicious blaze in May of 2009. Despite fencing and patrols, the remains of the mansion have been repeatedly vandalized and it is considered a serious city liability.

The council postponed deciding what parts of the mansion to save until the environmental report is done even though there was agreement to preserve the reflecting pond and stairway down to the former mansion from Wharf Road.

The Council also voted 3-2, with councilmen Ron Graves and Sam Storey voting no, to request a one-year extension from the California Coastal Commission on Capitola’s permit to build on the property.

The City Council has emphatically rejected the Santa Cruz County Grand Jury’s recommendation that the community take over the Capitola Branch Library and turn it into a reading room.

The Council responded to the 2010 grand jury report, which included analysis on the Santa Cruz Public Library System.

The report recommended to the governing Joint Powers Board that local communities like Capitola could take over the smaller of the system’s 10 branches until the library system can build a cash reserve.

Council members noted the city’s agreement with Santa Cruz County to build a new, 7,000 square-foot library replacing the “temporary” 4,300 square-foot branch library building. The Capitola City Redevelopment Agency has already committed at least $2 million to the project while the city created a library committee to find a site, determine funding strategies and draft a development plan.

Because more than 60 percent of those using the Capitola branch are from outside city limits, this shows that it serves a regional need.

Quoting he city’s response, “the idea of converting the existing Capitola Library to a reading room, even for an intermediate term, is unacceptable.”

The libraries’ financial situation is because the system’s funding contracted from $12.6 million to $11.3 million last year. As sales tax revenues continue to decline because of the continuing economic recession, funding is expected to keep falling.

Half of the library system’s funding come from a quarter-cent local sales tax first passed in 1996 and made permanent “to prevent budget crises” by County voters in 2008.

The Joint Powers Board has appointed a subcommittee to develop long-term strategies for managing the branches as the recession continues. Library system Director Teresa Landers said she is waiting for the committee’s report before her recommendations.

City and school district leaders have agreed to settle a recent lawsuit over Jade Street Park. As a result of mediation, the Soquel Union Elementary School District agreed to a full environmental review if they decide to build a full school at the district-owned park.

Jade Street Park at 9.8-acres is the largest park in Capitola. Other parks in Capitola are Noble Gulch, Cortez, the Esplanade, Perry and Soquel. The park has been owned by the district since 1952 and has been leased to the city for more than 20 years.

The district plans call for the construction of a preschool plus two other classrooms at Jade Street Park that will serve about 80 children up to first grade. The district plans to begin the project within the net year and includes parking upgrades. The district has agreed to pay the city $40,000 to mitigate traffic, parking and circulation issues.

A community garden at Jade Street Park will disappear.

What concerned the City are the district’s plans for a full elementary school at the park. Last May the city filed a lawsuit alleging the district has not done an environmental review with a thorough analysis of impacts on traffic, parking and of the loss of the soccer field and basketball courts built by the city.

The district claimed it has no plan to build an elementary school, but that state law required them to make that part of the preschool project’s plans.

The City Council ordered more studies of Pacific Cove Mobile Home Park as they continue to try to find a balance between the town’s need for more parking and park residents that don’t want to move.

The upper level of the formerly two-level MHP is now a public parking lot behind city hall, with 42 mobile homes on the bottom level. Eleven of these units are owned by Capitola, 18 by part-time residents and 13 by permanent residents.

From 1875, when the Southern Pacific Railway was built, the property was operated as a campground until 1915. It then became a car campground and finally in the 1940s, a mobile home park.

Capitola bought the park 26 years ago with the purpose of meeting the city’s need for parking. Residents on the upper terrace at that time were bought out or moved into new coaches on the lower section while the upper section was turned into a parking lot.

In recent years because of inaction by the city, park residents can’t spend money to improve or upgrade their coaches as the city could eventually buy them for the planned parking lot.

The council has now asked staff to return in two months with information on subdividing the park for residents to own; continuing to buy coaches as they become available; returning the lower terrace to public use, with a park or parking lot; and how to provide alternative housing for current residents.

I don’t think we are ready to decide this matter.

The City has several items that need to be decided including a proposed hotel on the demolished theater site in the village. The City is about 250 parking spaces short according to the Coastal Commission. The proposed hotel cannot be viable unless parking is elsewhere.

Elsewhere is a parking structure behind City Hall. Parking structures of this type run about $25,000 per parking space. To make up for the shortfall and add enough spaces for the proposed village hotel runs about 300 spaces or $7,500,000. But parking in PCMHP for only part of the MHP (Mobile Home Park) is less than $5,000 per parking space for 71 spaces according to a 2005 report paid for by the City.

There is another issue to be considered. There is a second hotel under construction on 41st Avenue. The Capitola Inn has new owners and need to improve occupancy rates. To make these four hotels successful Capitola needs a small conference center. Building a small conference facility into the parking structure proposed behind City Hall needs to be examined.

My point is that the issues of what to do with PCMHP, parking for the new hotel on the demolished theater site, making up the deficit in parking spaces and a small conference center are one issue. They must be considered together rather than separately in order to arrive at the best solution for the Citizens of Capitola.

There is a high turnover in the village in the winter. When the four hotels are running with a conference center, the village character will change. It will have more high quality restaurants and fewer turnovers in the winter.

When the council agendized the issue of Pacific Cove Mobile Home Park, the e-mails and phone calls came in at a steady pace. The subject was the history of the park. In 1981, the City adopted a Local Coastal Plan. In order to meet the Coastal commission’s goal of assuring public access to coastal resources, the plan included a policy of providing 300 to 400 new parking spaces for Capitola’s beach uses. In October 1984, the City purchased the park. The resolution buying the MHP clearly states that the purpose of purchasing the park was for public parking.

A Blue Ribbon Parking and Traffic Committee helped in the purchase and recommended that lifetime residency be granted to existing permanent park residents at the time the park was purchased in 1984. The committee recommended installing parking meters in the village, enact a business license parking surcharge to be included in the annual business license fee, enact an in-lieu parking assessment fee for new construction and expansion of current businesses in the village.

However, rather than establishing a separate parking account all of the income was deposited in the General Fund. These funds were eventually diverted to other purposes. The merchants in the village who contributed to this fund have expressed very strongly that the City should honor the commitment to make PCMHP into a parking lot.

The owners of the Gottschalks property solicited bids for tenants and received about one hundred responses. These responses are being analyzed and a tenant selected next month or shortly thereafter.

“The enthusiasm at today’s very successful auction was just awesome,” said Monica DaCosta, chair of the charity event. “We’re extremely pleased to have the support of the local community so that we can continue to help meet the needs of women in Santa Cruz County.”

The more than $8,000 raised by the event will be used to fund organizations including WomenCARE, which provides free support services to women diagnosed with cancer, and Gemma, an organization for women being released from the Santa Cruz County jail system.

Soroptimist also awards individual scholarships and grants for education and community service.

More than 40 uniquely decorated bras were offered during the silent auction, and prizes including a weekend in Monterey, a week in Mexico, and 49er’s tickets were auctioned by retired Watsonville police chief, Terry Medina. Local artists ellen edith (cq), Karen Nevis and business leader Lynda Kaufmann judged the entries.

Cash awards for first, second and third place were presented to:

• Stacy Smith for her clever Monopoly inspired entry “Bra-Nopoly”
  
• Sandy French for her humorous entry “Holding My Own” and
  
• Sherri Larrabee for her glamorously jeweled and feathery entry titled: “Tickle Your Fancy”
  

Popular local singer and guitarist, Charlie Thomas, provided musical entertainment, and event sponsors included North Bay Distribution, Inc., Community Printers, Left Coast Digital, Rob & Kristin Rohan, Cathy Mayer, and Michael Alexander, MD.

Soroptimist (a Latin term meaning best for women) is a volunteer organization for business and professional women who work to improve the lives of women and girls locally and around the world. For more information or to make a donation for womens causes in Santa Cruz County, visit the website at www.best4women.org.

Making the change to a healthy lifestyle does not have to be difficult. Simple changes such as taking a daily vitamin, playing board games or practicing healthy oral health habits can help add years to your life. Here are a few tips to help you live a longer, healthier life.

Maintain a healthy weight by choosing an effective diet you can live with. Consume plenty of antioxidants, like vitamin E, to help slow diseases associated with aging and keep free radical damage at bay. Avoid high fat diets, smoking, excessive drinking and lack of exercise.

All reduce your chances of achieving a healthy, older age and increase the likelihood of a longer period of poor health in a shorter life.

Flossing, while an important part of your daily routine, is often overlooked. Make it easier by choosing floss that helps eliminate any difficulty or discomfort. Try an ultra-thin, smooth and shred-resistant to help the floss glide through tight spaces easily, helping to make flossing easy and painless.

“Practicing a healthy oral care routine is an important step in helping to maintain a longer, healthier life,” says Leslie J. Winston, DDS, PhD, a dentist and Director of Scientific Relations with Crest. “Flossing daily helps protect against gingivitis by removing plaque and food particles, keeping your teeth and gums healthy, while giving you a beautiful smile.”

Exercise for at least 30 minutes every day. You don’t have to be a fanatic about exercise, but it’s important to keep your muscles active.

Not exercising can take five years off your life expectancy.

Give your brain a workout. Social networks and brain-building games can help keep your brain active, which can add years to your life expectancy. Crossword puzzles, bridge, jigsaw puzzles, reading and learning foreign languages can all help keep your brain sharp.

Manage stress. Stress can cause a hormonal imbalance that negatively affects important organs and impairs everyday functioning. Practice stress-reduction activities like meditation or exercise. And keep a positive attitude about aging — it can add a couple of years to your life.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

From infancy, we use our hands to explore and interact with our environment. Our hands play an important role in helping us to learn, communicate and develop social bonds. Given how important touch is to our development, NIH-funded researchers designed a series of experiments to test whether the weight, texture and hardness of an object can affect our judgment about unrelated things.

Weight is often associated with seriousness and importance—for example, a “weighty matter” or “light reading.” The researchers gave people either light or heavy clipboards and asked them to evaluate resumes from a job candidate. Those holding heavy clipboards rated the candidates better overall and more serious about the position.

Roughness and smoothness are associated with difficulty and harshness; think of “a rough day” or “smooth sailing.” The researchers asked people to solve a puzzle with rough or smooth pieces. Then they had them read about a social interaction. The people who’d done the rough puzzle thought the interaction was more difficult and harsh than those who’d done the smooth puzzle.

Hardness and softness are associated with stability, rigidity and strictness—as in being “hard-hearted” or “soft on someone.” In one experiment, people asked to feel a hard block judged others to be more rigid and strict than those who’d felt a soft blanket. Those sitting in hard chairs were less willing to compromise on the price of a car than those sitting in soft chairs.

“The old concepts of mind-body dualism are turning out not to be true at all,” says Dr. John A. Bargh of Yale, one of the scientists. “Our minds are deeply and organically linked to our bodies.”

Courtesy the National Institutes of Health

Type 2 diabetes is one of the fastest growing health problems in Americans of all ages. Being overweight or inactive increases your chances of developing the disease. Research suggests that eating more refined foods, including white bread and sugary foods, might also raise the risk.

The new study followed about 200,000 people for up to 22 years. The people who ate at least 5 weekly servings of white rice had a 17% higher risk than those who ate less than 1 serving per month.

On the other hand, people who ate at least 2 servings of brown rice a week had an 11% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who ate less than 1 serving a month.

“We believe replacing white rice and other refined grains with whole grains, including brown rice, would help lower the risk of type 2 diabetes,” says study co-author Dr. Qi Sun of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

Courtesy the National Institutes of Health

SANTA CRUZ — Think Local First County of Santa Cruz, a nonprofit organization formed to support and promote local, independent businesses and organizations, announces the kickoff of the second annual “Local Check Campaign.”

Think Local First, will demonstrate beginning Wednesday, September 1, how five $100 Local Money checks can generate up to $15,000 in Santa Cruz County commerce in 30 days. By raffling off the five $100 dollars checks to Think Local First Members and having them spend it at local businesses within 24 hours, this campaign will demonstrate how spending money at locally owned and independent businesses can improve the economic vitality in the County of Santa Cruz.

Five $100 Local Money checks are being donated by Think Local First member financial institutions Bay Federal Credit Union, Lighthouse Bank, Santa Cruz County Employee Credit Union, Santa Cruz Community Credit Union and Santa Cruz County Bank. These checks will be given away in a drawing at Think Local First’s annual fall Back to Work mixer September 16.

For additional information visit our website at www.thinklocalsantacruz.org, or contact TLF Board Member Michael Olson at 831-566-4209 or mo@ksco.com.

Hurry, Hurry to the Market Street Senior Center, (SCO), to purchase your tickets for the 2010 Santa Cruz Follies presentation “Memories Are Made of This.” Written and directed by Bari Miller this, her fifth show promises to be an extraordinary production which includes many ‘Golden Oldies’ of the 50’s and early 60’s Hollywood Musicals.

Performing these treasured ‘Oldies’ and some dances is a cast of forty individuals from SCO, Mid-County Senior Center and other organizations. They range in age from 50 to a vivacious 91. This outstanding group, many veterans from previous shows, will keep the audience tapping its toes and enthralled with: an all female ensemble singing songs from “Sister Act,” great solo renditions, production numbers with fantastic costuming, quartet numbers and much more.

This show also features 14 dancers stepping out to clever routines to old favorites such as “Route 66” and “Rockin’ Robin” As per other years, the colorful and authentic costumes of the dancers will be worth the price of admission.

The first half of the show is set in Mel’s Diner and takes one on a journey down memory lane with such hits as, “Jail House Rock,” “Rock Around The Clock” and the melodic “Mr. Sandman.” Many of the props used in both the first and second acts of the show were made by Pat and Ivan Dodson.

The second half of this extravaganza features songs and dances from Hollywood Musicals of the sixties. The dancers in this half of the show perform a wonderful routine to a very popular song from the movie of the same name, “Singing In The Rain.” The clever yet seductive movie and song “Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend,” is also a great production number in the second half.

The Follies dates are September 15 to the 18th at 1:00 p.m. each day. There is also a Friday night show on September 17 at 7:30 p.m. All shows are at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium in downtown Santa Cruz. Tickets for adults are $18.00 children under the age of 12 are free.

You won’t want to miss this great show so, again, hurry and get your tickets now!

For further information, call the Market Street (SCO) at 423-6640.

Longing to hear old favorites such as “A String of Pearls” or the melancholy “Moonlight Serenade” played in the style of the 40’s? Then dust off your ‘glad rags’ and dancing shoes as you won’t want to miss the “Tenth Avenue Band” in their first performance at Mid-County Senior Center.

Interestingly, there is a sense of ’kismet’ surrounding bandleader, trombone player and vocalist Ed Zimbrick and Lewis Keizer who plays the cornet. They both attended high school in Oregon and played in the first “Tenth Avenue Band.” After high school, they went separate ways but, much later, found themselves in the same new location. Yet again they played in the band. Ed and Lewis have met in new locations through the years and are “Old Pros,” always coming back to, you guessed it, the “Tenth Avenue Band.”

Other members of this quintet have not had the longevity of Ed and Lewis. Nancy Cassle, bass player, and Marshall Root, drummer have been with the quintet two and three years respectively. Anthony Steinberg, a favorite of Choralier audiences for his talent on piano and fantastic vocals, has been with the quintet for two years.

The quintet has a large following in the Bay Area, as they have entertained from Monterey to Sunnyvale. They look forward to seeing some of their following at Mid-County Senior Center on Sunday, August 15 and again on Sunday, September 19 from 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm.

There is a $7.00 donation per person, with refreshments provided.

Grab you best friend or sweetheart and ‘Swing’ on down to Mid-County Senior Center at 829 Bay Avenue in Capitola for this fun event.

If you are interested in any activities come to the Mid-County Senior Center or call 476-4711. Our web site is www.mid-county-center.org.

Think Local First, County of Santa Cruz, a nonprofit organization formed to support and promote local, independent businesses and organizations, will celebrate the enlistment of member No. 400: Carpos Restaurant in Soquel, at a special cake cutting Wednesday, September 1, 4 pm to 5 pm at Carpos.

This ceremony will include the cutting of a Fabulous Four Hundred cake, the presentation of a Fabulous Four Hundred certificate to Todd Todd and staff of Carpos Restaurant, and a brief welcome aboard speech or two from Think Local First board members.

Think Local First will also announce its second annual “Local Money” campaign, in which the organization will demonstrate how five $100 Local Money checks can generate up to $15,000 in Santa Cruz County commerce in 30 days. (The first Local Money campaign generated $6,900 in local commerce in 30 days.)

Five $100 Local Money checks are being donated by Think Local First member financial institutions Bay Federal Credit Union, Lighthouse Bank, Santa Cruz County Employee Credit Union, Santa Cruz Community Credit Union and Santa Cruz County Bank. These $100 Local Money checks will be given away in a drawing at Think Local First’s annual fall Back to Work mixer September 16 at a location to be named later.

Check winners will have 24 hours to tender their check at a TLF member business.

For additional information, contact TLF Board Member Michael Olson at 831-566-4209 or mo@ksco.com.

•••

Think Local First Announces its Second Annual Local Money Campaign

SANTA CRUZ — Think Local First County of Santa Cruz, a nonprofit organization formed to support and promote local, independent businesses and organizations, announces the kickoff of the second annual “Local Check Campaign.”

Think Local First, will demonstrate beginning Wednesday, September 1, how five $100 Local Money checks can generate up to $15,000 in Santa Cruz County commerce in 30 days. By raffling off the five $100 dollars checks to Think Local First Members and having them spend it at local businesses within 24 hours, this campaign will demonstrate how spending money at locally owned and independent businesses can improve the economic vitality in the County of Santa Cruz.

Five $100 Local Money checks are being donated by Think Local First member financial institutions Bay Federal Credit Union, Lighthouse Bank, Santa Cruz County Employee Credit Union, Santa Cruz Community Credit Union and Santa Cruz County Bank. These checks will be given away in a drawing at Think Local First’s annual fall Back to Work mixer September 16.

For additional information visit our website at www.thinklocalsantacruz.org, or contact TLF Board Member Michael Olson at 831-566-4209 or mo@ksco.com.

“With her vast knowledge and experience as a financial consultant, Sheila brings a very helpful perspective to our Board,” said Sales. “We look forward to her support and commitment to the financial prosperity of the Credit Union and our members.”

Ms. Kellerman is a Certified Public Accountant with more than twenty years of experience in business finance, accounting, and taxation. She holds an M.S. in Taxation and a B.A. in Accounting from San Jose State University, and is an active member of the California Society of Certified Public Accountants. After starting her career with KPMG Peat Marwick, she established her own business, S.J. Kellerman & Associates in 1988, and has worked with companies such as Plantronics, Borland, Network Alchemy, DB Design Group, and Certify Data Systems. Her firm provides business finance, accounting, and taxation consulting to rapidly developing businesses and the high-tech industry.

“Bay Federal’s reputation is second to none,” said Ms. Kellerman. “I have deep respect for the Credit Union’s dedication to community service, and I am delighted to volunteer with an organization that does so much in the community and for its members.”

Ms. Kellerman will serve as an Associate Director until an opportunity to fill a vacancy on the board arises. She will serve with fellow Board volunteers Dana Sales, Dennis Osmer, Bob Bugalski, Jeanne MacLaren, H. Duane Smith, Ivonne Guzman, and Michael Leung.

Website: www.bayfed.com

For over half a century, Bogner Sheet Metal, Heating and Air Conditioning has served its customers with excellence, turning satisfied customers into lifetime customers. All work is done by highly skilled technicians and fabricators who take part in on-going education to keep their skills and knowledge current.

They provide installation, maintenance, repair, replacement, or fabrication in the following areas:

• HVAC Systems—Furnaces, Air Conditioning and Air Filtering and Ventilation
• Duct Inspection, Repair and Replacement
  
• Heating and Cooling Thermostats
  
• Exhaust Systems and Fans
  
• Flashings and Custom Flashing
  
• Architectural Sheet Metal
  
• Gutters and Downspouts
  
• Mansard and Metal Roofs
  
• Other Custom Sheet Metal Projects
  

They design and build new systems for energy savings, install all makes and models of heating systems (natural gas, propane and electric), and work on central air conditioning as well as window units. Currently, if a homeowner purchases a high efficient heater or air conditioner, they may be eligible for income tax credit and other rebates. These credits and rebates make the unit much more affordable, bringing the cost of a 95% efficient unit close to the cost of an 80% unit.

The Bogners started Bogner Sheet Metal in 1947 and in 1968 it was purchased by, Jerry Todd, the father-in-law of Bob Ciapponi, who now runs the business with his son, Keith, and daughter, Katrina. Bob tells customers that just as you keep your car in high performance with regular maintenance, a heating or cooling system needs yearly service to extend its life and operate at its highest efficiency. “Take care of the heating and cooling system that takes care of you,” he says.

Winter is on the way again. Getting a heating system checked out now will prevent an unpleasant event when the mercury dips into the 40s or 30s as well as reducing the risk of a potentially hazardous situation. Bogner Sheet Metal services and repairs all brands of natural gas, propane and electric forced air furnaces, wall heaters, central and window air conditioners, electric heat pumps, electronic air filters, bathroom exhaust fans, attic fans, range hood fans and residential and commercial ventilation systems. Service calls are not just about filter replacement. The technicians perform a 23 point inspection including safety checks, a performance analysis and tune up to ensure maximum efficiency and a calibration of the thermostat to reduce your energy bills and maximize your comfort.

Ciapponi readily admits that the greatest features of Bogner Sheet Metal are the men and women who work there. These people have a long-standing history with the company, take pride in their work and they ensure complete customer satisfaction in the job performed.

The company as a whole has a long list of core values that allow the consumer to trust their home or business to them: honesty and doing what they say they will do; treating customers with respect and treating the home as if it was their own; listening to the customer and answering his or her questions; standing behind their products and their work; advising customers of what is in their best interest and helping them to get the best value for their investment and always cleaning up after themselves.

Because Bogner Sheet Metal is experienced in a large number of product lines, they are eager to work within the budget of the customer, suggesting the best choices with that budget in mind and not pressuring the customer. When a company can make trust such a large part of their corporate culture, customers can relax and have peace of mind making their decisions and letting the technicians into their homes.

Bogner Sheet Metal is not just for homeowners. Building owners and property managers call upon them for all aspects of building maintenance, repair or installation of ventilation, heating, cooling and sheet metal systems. They can also be called upon to assess and remedy air quality problems, energy management issues and duct testing. Their crews have worked on all sizes of commercial projects, such a small tenant improvements, remodeling and major building projects such as classrooms at UCSC and CSUMB.

Bogner Sheet Metal is known in the building industry as a problem solver. Their estimators and service people have worked with general contractors in situations that required diligence and imagination, working out difficulties to the great satisfaction of the project manager and owner. By keeping up with all the latest technology they make sure their customers have options available that will keep energy costs down and have minimal environmental impact.

Bogner Sheet Metal, Heating and Air Conditioning is an expert in their field and expertly maintain a great local reputation by making every job a job well done.

Local talented youth and adults performed beautifully with songs, dance and music, directed by Melanie Useldinger and Bari Miller, and hosted by the Great Sardini of the Monterey Bay, Daniel Aguirre. At intermission, a lively silent auction was held. Children bubbled with excitement over the raffle prizes, and adults reaped some amazing deals, including a bargain one-week stay in a Kauai condo.

Christian Youth Theater is a national non-profit educational organization that is funded primarily through its tuition and ticket sales, and outside contributions. CYT offers after school classes in drama, dance and voice, as well as some specialty classes for kids ages 6 - 18.

High quality, family friendly musicals are produced three times per year and performed for the community.

CYT is not affiliated with a church, and people of all faiths are welcome. CYT’s greatest assets are the development of character values in children including commitment, discipline, self-esteem, confidence, and integrity, encouraged by role model teachers, directors and parent volunteers. An affiliate site of CYT is approved to begin January 2011,and the classes will be held in Santa Cruz.

The interest in starting CYT began in the fall of 2009, when several parents met to hear about CYT’s benefits, experienced by one recent transplant from Vancouver Washington. Tired of expensive drama programs that sometimes cross the line of “family friendly”, this small group decided that bringing CYT to this community was worth the required hard work and dedication.

As a member of this start-up group, Skip Epperson, Theater Arts Department Head at Cabrillo College, says “I am excited about the opportunity for the people of Santa Cruz to participate in and enjoy the fruits of a theater company whose focus is upon Judeo-Christian values.”

The momentum and excitement about CYT has been building and will hopefully very soon be presented to Santa Cruz kids through its fun and dynamic ministry.

•••

For more information, please call Carol Chandler at (831) 345-4128, e-mail us at cytsantacruz@gmail.com, and check out he website: www.cyt.org.

Matthew King has a significant family legacy to talk about. His father Clifford King began his Farmer’s Insurance agency in Soquel in 1964 by meeting residents, doing house calls and getting to know the title insurance and real estate professionals. He used the old-fashioned work ethic of making it about the people he helped and about the good product he represented and that lesson has rubbed off on his son, Matthew King.

When his dad was only 41 years old, he died suddenly, leaving Matthew’s mother, Katherine King, to run the agency for nine years. Upon graduating from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, King made the decision to take up the agency reins. That was 22 years ago and he has a much passion for the business as he did in 1988.

What King finds very gratifying about the insurance business is that he represents a product that everyone needs, whether it is life, health, automobile, homeowners’ or business insurance. When reviewing his clients’ needs, he chooses to present them with options, and then let them decide what is best in their particular situation.

He focuses on what he calls a “connection of trust,” resulting in a high retention agency with lifetime clients won through excellent service and relationship building. His agency has a 96% customer retention rate. Having a personal agent means that he is standing in between you and the insurance company, making sure that your claim is handled properly and fairly and that all of your insurance needs are satisfied.

Buying insurance online affords you no such help when the time comes for personal service.

King also talks about the importance of having a personal agent rather than shopping online or via an 800 number, thinking it will cost less.

In reality, the savings may be small or non-existent when compared to a one-on-one with him as your agent, getting discounts for multiple policies and affinity groups. Affinity groups such as teachers, firemen, police officers, doctors or scientists are groups of professions to which Farmer’s Insurance extends discounts on premiums.

Something else that consumers may not take into account is that online insurance policies do not evaluate the comfort level of the consumer in the area of risk. King says, “If you give us an opportunity to do more than just quote you a price, if you give us an opportunity to risk manage your insurance, you’ll walk out of here knowing more. That’s what insurance is about: managing risk. My theory is to give you options to reduce your risk and provide you with peace of mind.” After an initial consultation with a client, King suggests they go home and digest the information he has provided and come back to him with any questions that linger.

King has studied statistics in his industry. He finds that over a ten year period, total premiums paid to all the major companies, whether online or not, will be about the same. The so-called low rates that are offered online today may not be there next year. He says that most people do not shop and change insurance companies every year. So bearing that in mind and thinking long term, he asks, “Wouldn’t your number one goal be to work with somebody that you wanted to, that would take care of you?” No insurance company has the lowest prices for 20 straight years. Prices fluctuate.

King is also a registered representative for financial transactions, helping clients with investments such as mutual funds, IRAs, 401k plans.

He says there are a very large and frightening number of people today who do not save, not because they can’t but because they do not know how. Even in this uncertain market, there are places to invest money and King guides clients in those choices and helps them plan for future retirement.

He says that a large number of people do not have a living trust or a will. Even though thinking about human mortality is unpleasant, safe-guarding your assets and protecting your heirs makes this an essential discussion. King can refer to an attorney to help guide you in the right direction.

King knows first hand how vital insurance is in this life. When his father passed away at 41, Clifford King left his wife Katherine and four children with a life insurance policy that provided for them. The home Matthew grew up in burned down in 1983 and the family had insurance for that too. He bought earthquake insurance in 1989 and had major damage—over $150,000 worth—in the Loma Prieta quake that was covered.

“My goal is to meet the peace-of-mind expectations of each individual client. It is not one package fits all,” King says. Don’t we all need peace-of-mind?

Aptos Yoga is conveniently located in the Deer Park Shopping Center in Aptos, up the steps from Deluxe Foods in the Deer Park Marketplace in Aptos. Take the Rio Del Mar exit off Highway 1 toward the beach.

So, which fruits offer the biggest health boost? Young named the following fruits, all of which are comparatively low in sugar, as her top five:

Raspberries - Raspberries are an excellent source of fiber, offering 30 percent of our recommended daily value, 8 grams per serving. Raspberries are also a rich source of vitamin C, with about 50 percent of our daily value. In addition, they are a rich source of manganese, delivering 60 percent of what we should have each day. Raspberries rank near the top of all fruits for antioxidant strength and contain many anti-disease properties if consumed regularly, helping to fight against inflammation, chronic pain, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, allergies, age-related cognitive decline and eyesight degeneration associated with aging.

Blackberries - Blackberries are notable for their high nutritional contents of dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, folic acid, and manganese. Blackberries are well ranked for having strong antioxidant levels, and they also contain copious amounts of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

Kiwi - Kiwi is a rich source of vitamin C and vitamin K, which is a natural blood thinner. It’s also a good source of potassium, just slightly less than that of a banana. Potassium is one of those nutrients that’s absolutely essential for heart health, yet many people don’t get nearly enough. Kiwi also delivers a mild laxative effect, possibly because of the high level of dietary fiber.

Strawberries - Strawberries are low in calories compared to many other fruits, and are a good source of fiber. They are also an excellent source of vitamin C and flavonoids, promoting lots of antioxidant activity in the body.

Oranges - Oranges are an excellent source of vitamin A and C, along with powerful antioxidants. Oranges also provide a good source of fiber when the pulp is consumed. The white pith of the orange also contains flavonoids, and some doctors are even using extracts from the pith to help fight certain types of cancer.

“Sugar is also something that you should keep your eye on, because it affects the health of your teeth and the functioning of your hormones, specifically leptin,” she added. “Leptin is the important hormone responsible for telling the body that you should stop eating. With excess amounts of sugar in your body, the amount of leptin is diminished, which causes you to overeat.

Iva Young was born in Munich, Germany, and her family moved to Toronto, Canada, when she was two years old. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and health promotion from California Polytechnic University.

California’s existing data breach law, authored by Simitian in 2002, requires companies and state government agencies to notify individuals when their personal information has been compromised. Senate Bill 1166 takes “the next logical step,” said Simitian, by specifying what information must be included in the notification, so that individuals might take steps to protect themselves against identity theft.

“No one likes to get the news that personal information about them has been stolen,” said Simitian. “But when it happens, people are entitled to get the information they need to decide what to do next.” Current notifications of data breaches vary widely in the information they provide and in their helpfulness to individuals who are affected.

Senate Bill 1166 would establish standard content for data breach notification, including:

· A general description of the incident;

· The type of information breached;

· The date and time of the breach; and,

· A toll-free telephone number of major credit reporting agencies for security breach notices in California.

The law also requires public agencies, businesses and people subject to California’s security breach notification law to send an electronic copy of the breach notification to the Attorney General if more than 500 Californians are affected by a single breach.

A survey by the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic at UC Berkeley found that 28 percent of data breach victims receiving a security breach notification letter “do not understand the potential consequences of the breach after reading the letter.”

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a non-profit consumer education and advocacy group, reports that at least 347 million sensitive records have been compromised nationwide since 2005.

“The changes proposed to the law by Senator Simitian’s Senate Bill 1166 enhance identity theft protection for Californians,” said Richard Holober, Executive Director of the Consumer Federation of California. “We’re hopeful that the Governor will sign it into law this year.”

At least 14 other states and Puerto Rico now require security breach notification letters to include specified types of information similar to the requirements of SB 1166.

For more information on Senate Bill 1166, visit www.senatorsimitian.com/legislation.

The Board of Equalization (BOE) today released California gasoline and diesel fuel consumption figures for May 2010. California’s gasoline consumption declined 0.1 percent compared with the same month last year while diesel fuel consumption declined 2.1 percent in May.

Gasoline consumption edged down 0.1 percent in May 2010 when Californians consumed 1.290 billion gallons of gasoline compared to 1.291 billion gallons consumed in May 2009.

“Gasoline consumption has changed little compared to last spring even though prices have increased more than 60 cents per gallon,” said Chairwoman Betty T. Yee.

California drivers paid an average price at the pump of $3.14 per gallon for gasoline in May 2010, which is an increase of 24 percent compared to May 2009 when the average price at the pump for gasoline was $2.53.

Sales and use tax revenue from gasoline sales in California in May 2010 was $337 million, an increase of $96 million compared to the gasoline sold at the lower price in May 2009 that generated $241 million. The May 2010 sales and use tax revenue of $337 million includes an additional $37 million due to the one percent sales and use tax rate increase that went into effect on April 1, 2009.

Diesel consumption in May 2010 shows that Californians used 205 million total gallons, which is a 2.1 percent decline from May 2009’s total of 209 million gallons of diesel used in California.

Diesel prices in California in May 2010 were $3.20 per gallon, which is an increase of 36 percent compared to May 2009 when California diesel prices were $2.35 per gallon. Diesel consumption generally follows economic activity and is especially closely related to construction and transportation of goods.

The BOE is able to monitor gallons through tax receipts paid by fuel distributors. The figures reported monthly are net consumption that includes BOE audit assessments, refunds, amended and late tax returns, and State Controller’s Office refunds. Figures for June 2010 are scheduled to be available at the end of September 2010. All monthly, quarterly, and annual figures can be viewed at: www.boe.ca.gov/sptaxprog/spftrpts.htm.

Taxable Gasoline Gallons: www.boe.ca.gov/sptaxprog/reports/MVF_10_Year_Report.pdf.

Taxable Diesel Gallons: www.boe.ca.gov/sptaxprog/reports/Diesel_10_Year_Report.pdf.

2010 Capitola Art & Wine Festival

Capitola Soquel Times: September 2010

A celebration of fine art, unique crafts, good wine and great flavors describes the 28th annual Capitola Art & Wine Festival September 11 and 12 in beautiful Capitola Village by the Sea. The quaintness of Capitola Village with its sandy beach and the sound of surf all provide the background for this end-of-summer event.

This Festival to art and wine was founded in 1982 by Barbara Reding, Eric Johnson and the late Carrie Jacobson May to showcase local artistic talent. Fifty Artists participated on the Esplanade that first year in the “Capitola Village Art Festival” as it was called then. The Capitola Chamber of Commerce became involved the next year in 1983. The late Jay Collins created a Poster for the event, Wine Tasting was added and the name was changed to the “Capitola Art & Wine Festival.” The festival has evolved into what it is today with food vendors, entertainment, and of course, Capitola Art & Wine’s Signature Wine Glasses.

Today, the Festival is still hosted by the Capitola-Soquel Chamber of Commerce and showcases Fine Art, Crafts, Food and Fun.

This year, as always, the Festival offers a fantastic selection of local, nationally acclaimed Artists, 20 Santa Cruz Mountain Wineries, 19 Gourmet Restaurants & Caterers.

2010 will be the festival’s biggest year for wine tasting!  Participating wineries include Alfaro Family Vineyards, Bargetto Winery, Beauregard Vineyards, Bruzzone Family Vineyards, Burrell School Vineyards, Cinnabar Vineyards and Winery, Clos La Chance Winery, Domenico Winery, Hallcrest Vineyards and the Organic Wine Works, Heart O’ the Mountain Winery , Hunter Hill Winery, Martin Ranch, Naumnann Vineyards, Nicholson Vineyards, Pelican Ranch Winery, Roudon-Smith Winery, Silver Mountain Winery, Storrs Winery, Thomas Fogarty Winery, Trout Gulch Winery, and Zayante Vineyards.

This year’s fabulous entertainment at the Esplanade Bandstand Stage includes the bands Extra Large, The Refugees and Turn the Page. Also entertaining there are the dance groups No Limits, Santa Cruz Dance Co., Te Hau Nui Dance, Elaine’s Dance Studio and Dancenter. Village lanes will offer street performers and the traditional face painter along with the Children’s Art area hosted by the Capitola Art & Cultural Commission.

Parking is easy with free parking available at the Bank of America Parking lot on 41st Avenue in front of the Capitola Mall. From there, take the free shuttle to the Festival. Or you can ride your bike and park free at the Valet Bike Lot at the David Lyng Real Estate Lot across from the entrance to the Festival. Admission to all this great art, wine, fun and entertainment is FREE.

This year’s Festival Sponsors are: Barry Swenson Builders, KWAV Radio, KSBW Channel 8, Z 97.9 Radio, Capitola Mercantile, Santa Cruz Sentinel, Capitola Mall, Wells Fargo Bank, David Lyng Real Estate, Comerica Bank, Union Bank, Woodworm Party Store, Alexis Party Rentals, Coastal Homes, Pacific Publishing, Bay Federal Credit Union, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, and is also sponsored by Shadowbrook Restaurant, Aldina Real Estate, Extra Space and Bay Federal Credit Union.

The Festival is a major fundraiser for the Chamber and also donates a portion of the proceeds to Soquel High School Sports Foundation, Soquel High School Music Foundation, New Brighton Middle School, Cabrillo Threshers and the Santa Cruz Triathlon.

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Both Venus and Mars are working well in your sign, giving you a stunning ability to get what you want in the easiest way possible. You wish it was always this simple! But don't ignore hard reality and the rule book while you're at it and recognize what limits you. See this as a small challenge rather than a major headache and provided you remain positive, you can easily make a difference. Working behind the scenes means that you may not yet get the recognition you feel you deserve, but you certainly don't go unnoticed!

Find Out More www.AnnabelBurton.TV

Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 22)

This month, both Venus and Mars enter your sign. Your personal charisma and magnetism go up in other people's estimation and you find that others are only too willing to help out and be your friend. Your natural creativity can get channelled in a new direction and there is a possibility that what you do for love can be earning you money too. A change in career looks tempting but it is wise to wait until after the 12th before you make any rash decisions. The Moon is in your sign then and you should be able to tap into your heart's desire.

Find Out More www.AnnabelBurton.TV

Sagittarius (Nov. 23-Dec. 21)

Although this is an excellent month in terms of your career direction and professional life, you are also getting to grips with how your personal ambitions fit into what is possible as far as your family is concerned. Jupiter your ruler, is back in emotional and intuitive Pisces and you would be as well to go with your instincts plus your knowledge. If something feels right then it probably is. Use this time to do what is right for you on a health and well being level too. The Sun in Virgo is about systems and practicalities on a fundamental level.

Find Out More www.AnnabelBurton.TV

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)

While the Sun is in Virgo you find that the world seems to make more sense and you are not dealing with so many mysteries and uncertainties. But that may be as a result of you taking charge, which you have been doing increasingly in recent months. The smallest changes can make a massive difference and set your intentions about how ideally you would like things to be. Certainly, the message that you send to your loved ones is clear enough. Connections with overseas can open up your world in intriguing ways.

Find Out More www.AnnabelBurton.TV

Aquarius (Jan 21-Feb. 18)

A little diversion is welcome and some kind escape is appealing. Taking yourself off somewhere to spend some valuable downtime is preferable at the start of the month and you really need time to go over different ideas to see where they lead. A change is coming but you are resistant to too much disruption. But there is likely to be less than you think, since a natural progression is taking place. News around your career is surprising and hopeful, and you could soon be doing something completely different.

Find Out More www.AnnabelBurton.TV

Pisces (Feb. 19-Mar. 20)

While Jupiter, planet of growth and opportunity, is back in your sign, you may find yourself returning to a place you though you had left once and for all. this can be on many different levels, but nothing is ever quite the same again. Meanwhile this month, Pluto, planet of change and transformation goes forward once more after nearly six months. Important connections with other people are key to your next steps. One thing can lead to another and it is time to cultivate who you know as well as what you know.

Find Out More www.AnnabelBurton.TV

Aries (March 21-April 20)

The Sun in Virgo is practical and awakens your desire to be there for other people. You are sometimes accused of putting yourself first, but not now. You have recently tried different ways of expressing yourself and see that the idea of give and take is finely balanced. Make the most of Mars, your ruler, spending time in Libra to give you a sense of balance and getting things just right, certainly in terms of your closest relationship. It's worth all the effort you put in.

Find Out More www.AnnabelBurton.TV

It's not until later this month, when Venus enters your chart area of relationships, that you see what a benefit this can be and even more so if you are single. Mars the action planet, is also there which makes September a sizzling time for love and romance. But don't dismiss what you can achieve with building good relationships on a professional level too. Find out what is needed and seek to meet that need. You are happy with the more practical mood of the moment and like to see something for what you have recently put in.

Find Out More www.AnnabelBurton.TV

While you are actively involved in creative pursuits this month, you can be frustrated by delays in an official capacity. Travel plans may also not go as well as you'd hoped earlier on but after the first few days, things are back on track. Using your natural skills to come up with innovative solutions can stand you in good stead for the future. Others may seek to steal your thunder so don't be too modest! The Full Moon on the 23rd marks a time where a secret ambition is at last gaining strength.

Find Out More www.AnnabelBurton.TV

You are up and down emotionally and that's because you are reacting fairly strongly to events that are outside your control. It's time to be a little more philosophical and accepting to save yourself unnecessary stress. In fact, the way you think can have a great impact on what you do. It's not just about being positive either, but practical solutions to complex situations are not that far away. Team work and collaboration with others can bring enormous rewards, especially if you are doing something with a charity.

Find Out More www.AnnabelBurton.TV

Your social skills are getting a work out at the start of the month and Venus and Mars together can create just the right chemistry if you are in a new liaison. But the sun is in sensible Virgo for the first three weeks, and although this doesn't hold you back particularly, you are more savvy than usual and a little less reckless. Take your time when it comes to making important decisions regarding your finances, and wait till after the 12th before you make a major commitment that can have far reaching effects for the future.

Find Out More www.AnnabelBurton.TV

You are more energetic and enthusiastic than usual and take the lead when it comes to making decisions and starting new projects. You have the ability to put yourself over well in interviews and meetings and clear headed when you have to give advice and your opinions, either written or spoken. Explore possibilities within public relations and connections with the media, and resolve to sort out an irksome financial situation once and for all. It takes discipline but you have that in abundance.

Find Out More www.AnnabelBurton.TV

Dragon Slayer Animal Therapy Program Offers Miniature Chickens Free

Aptos Times: September 2010

Dragon Slayers is a magical place. For over 40 years, in this haven located in Nisene Marks State Park, physically challenged people have been able to empower themselves with the help of exotic animals. Their partners in this adventure are Kublai Khan the camel, Voodoo the Watusi cow, Mazeltov the Poitou donkey, Samurai Warrior the Serama chicken, and many others.

The program, which is free of charge for the physically challenged, relies only on donations from the community to feed and care for the 60 animals. Some of the animals are bred and sold to help in maintaining the program, like a baby miniature donkey.

Dragon Slayers now offers free companion chickens that are fully trained for any handicapped person. They are also available to buy, and make excellent indoor or outdoor pet.

“Once they calm down, they’ll do anything for you,” says Rae Ellen, a student of Dragon Slayers for the last 21 years, with Lollipop, a Serama chicken that has been dyed pink sitting calmly on her laps. Seramas are the smallest breed of chickens in the world and weigh less than a pound.

“The smaller the chicken, the better the students can handle them,” said Josef Rivers, 73, owner and director of Dragon Slayers, himself wheelchair bound due to polio at a young age. Rivers to us that working with birds helps students with their motor movements.

“We train them, and do exercises with them. We put them on the hoop,” said Rae Ellen.

Dragon Slayers has many birds and mammals that their students can take care of.

Students groom the donkeys and the miniature horses, which helps them with their shoulder mobility. With the yak and camel, they can spin the fur into wool to make yarn and for knitting sweaters.

“I have three sweaters made from three different camels,” said Rivers.

Did you know that Emus lay dark green eggs that look like avocados? If you scratch the surface, the eggshell is white. Dragon Slayer students etch them making beautiful art.

One of the Watusi cattle has the largest horn circumference in the world at 41 inches.

“Do you know how many wives you could get for this bull?” said the person who donated the animal to Rivers. Sizes go from one extreme to another at Dragon Slayers. In one enclosure, adult miniature donkeys and horses are mingling with a young mammoth donkey already towering the rest of the group.

In the next enclosure, there’s the yak, and in the next, Indira Gandhi, one of the miniature adult Brahman cattle that could pass for a calf.

Roaming around on the grass, next to a large collection of Bonsai trees, is a family of Sulcatas, which are a large North African tortoise.

“Working with animals, you come out of yourself, you are not isolated,” said Sharon, a student for the past 10 years, with Barcode, a Rock Plymouth chicken with black and white feathers on her lap. “Animals help bring your personality.”

More than just physical therapy, Dragon Slayers becomes a spiritual experience. A 6-year student told Rivers that he flew with Turbojet, a homing pigeon, and saw how Dragon Slayers looked like from the sky. When Rivers asked how, the student didn’t want to tell his secret.

“I am not a man to say ‘no, this hasn’t happened’,” said Rivers.

What happens at Dragon Slayers stays in the heart and mind of the students. But what is sure, is that each and every student become more empowered and confident after the experience.

“I never felt I was anyone until I met Kublai. He gives me strength,” said one of the students to Rivers about the Bactrian camel.

When he was a child, Rivers was shy and introverted. Living in Bolivia at the time, his dad found that Rivers had a gift and ease with animals, and would bring him exotic animals like chimpanzees to take care of.

“He realized that animals brought me out of my shell,” said Rivers. His father also told Rivers something that inspired him and explains the name of the program: “Every man, woman and child you meet, has a dragon to slay.” Now Rivers helps others that are also physically challenged to slay their dragon.

“I tell my students: your disability can be an asset when used correctly.”

Merchants Pledge Portion of Sept. 18 Proceeds to Education Foundation

Scotts Valley Times: September 2010

It’s not often that you can achieve twin goals with the same act. Some might call it “killing two birds with one stone” (don’t worry bird-lovers, none were injured during the writing of this article!). But if you could shop locally and help our public schools on the same day – even with the same purchase – wouldn’t you be intrigued, just a little?

Some dedicated volunteers over at the Scotts Valley Educational Foundation (those are the folks trying to fund programs, services and equipment at our four public schools) are launching our town’s first “Community Day” on Saturday, September 18.

So far, scores of community-minded merchants listed below have agreed to participate by pledging a percentage of their sales on that day to the Ed Foundation. Dozens of residents around Scotts Valley are holding yard sales and bake sales on Community Day and allocating a percentage of their sales to the Ed Foundation. (For the most current list of participating merchants and yard sale locations, check out www.svef.net).

You may have heard of Santa Cruz’s “shop local” drives. This is Scotts Valley’s chance to do the same. Local resident Jane Arcangeli, her husband Dr. Carlos Arcangeli and their three sons, Michael, 7, Nicholas, 5 and Bobby, 3, plan to take full advantage of the day:

“We’re going to start our day with a haircut for me at Angles Salon with stylist Abby Duncan, and our boys will tour the amazing cars at Canepa, and maybe I’ll sneak in a facial at Scotts Valley Day Spa,” Ms. Arcangeli said. “We’ll have lunch at Bruno’s and then our boys will get in a bully-buster class at Elite Martial Arts. Our boys want to run a lemonade stand at our neighborhood’s Community Day garage sale too, and, if we have any energy left, we’ll cap off the day with dinner at Round Table and ice cream from Aunt Lali’s ice cream truck.”

Whew, that’s a dedicated family. But, as Ms. Arcangeli explained, “It’s great knowing our schools will be getting a portion of all the money our family spends that day doing things we love to do.”

Derek Timm, a local parent of two school-age children who is helping host a Community Day garage sale, is looking forward to Community Day. “I love the idea. I think it will help draw attention to real financial problems our schools are facing in Scotts Valley,” Timm remarked. “Not many people realize the enormity of the school funding crisis, and that Scotts Valley is one of the lowest funded school districts in California. Not only will Community Day raise awareness about the problem, but it will bring together our community to help solve it. Now more than ever communities like ours need to be there to help financially support our public schools,” Timm concluded.

Community Day is a simple concept: keep your shopping dollars in Scotts Valley on September 18 to benefit local schools. Community Day shoppers get what they need, local merchants who care about our schools get shoppers’ business, and our schools get some spare cash they desperately need.

If you’re a local merchant who would like to participate, or a resident who would like to hold a garage sale or bake sale (or even run a lemonade stand!), please contact Community Day chairpersons Gina Johnson at ginatjohnson@sbcglobal.net or 334-1640 or Lori Gentile at loriscraps@yahoo.com or 430-9680. And if you’re a resident or supporter of Scotts Valley, please “Shop Scotts Valley” on Saturday September 18.

The list of merchants at press time include:
General: Canepa Motorsports Museum (100% to SVEF), Elite Martial Arts (100%), Scotts Valley Tae Kwon Do Academy (TBD)

Food: Bruno’s Barbeque (10%), Malone’s Grille (20%), Papa Murphy’s Pizza Take & Bake ($2/pizza in SV), Round Table Pizza (15%), Santa Cruz Pasta Factory (30%), Scotts Valley Market (TBD), Taqueria Los Gallos (10%), Togo’s ($1/combo in SV), Tony & Alba’s (20%), Aunt Lali’s Treats (10%), Baskin Robbins (TBD), Yogizmo (TBD)

Services: Anderson Solar Controls (10%; call Sept. 18 for appt.), Brass Key Locksmith ($1/key in SV), Club One, Inc. (discounted guest passes), DVD to Go (20%), Elements Salon & Spa (in-store raffle), Glow Nails (15%), Flying Crane Massage (50%; appt. recommended), Hinde Chiropractic (TBD), Irish Eyes Beauty (TBD), Jesse Gabriel Photography (10% in Sept. plus free photo), Rub A Dub Dog (50%), Scotts Valley Carpet Cleaning (20% off plus additional 20%; call Sept. 18 for appt.), Scotts Valley Spa & Boutique (10%), Stylist Abby Duncan at Angles Hair Salon (100%; call before Sept. 18 for appt.)

Shopping: Cali Style (10%), Cruz’n Cellular (10%), Debutante Clothing Boutique (10%), Epic Adventure Games (10%), Insight Eyecare Center (10%), Postal Annex (TBD), Roudon-Smith Winery (20%), San Lorenzo Floors (20%), Scotts Valley Cycle Sport (5%), Scotts Valley Feed (TBD), Scotts Valley Jewelers (TBD), Scotts Valley Transmissions and Auto ($10 off for Sept.), Treasures Fine Jewelry (5%), Zinnia’s Home & Garden (TBD). Thanks also to Westside Beauty Supply in Scotts Valley, Paradise Party Store in Capitola and the Arcangeli family.

When shopping, please mention that you’d like to take advantage of Community Day bargains (and thank the merchant for participating!). Some merchants require shoppers to mention Community Day or have other sales restrictions. For details and an up-to-date list of participating merchants, check www.svef.net.

The Saturday concert presented Roller Coaster (2009) by Michael Shapiro; Dalliance (2003) by Sean Hickey; Night (2007) by Kevin Puts and City Noir (2009) by John Adams. City Noir was one of the two very finest works presented in the Festival this year and in this writer’s opinion, is the best work Adams has composed to date.

From the very full orchestral tutti opening, Adams displayed his musical imagination with a well thought-out selection of jazz inflected textures, alto sax quasi improvisational lines, brass and percussive punctuations that kept the work on the cutting edge from start to finish. Adams designed many orchestral textures that one could certainly relate to “night.”

Excellent orchestral contrasting textures between winds and brass and strings and brass with “minimalism” component this time employed creatively against textured static strings proved most impressive. Under the careful direction of Marin Alsop, the slow section came off as calm, richly imaginative, delightfully animated and to be sure with Marin Alsop perfection. This was an excellent musical experience.

In true Cabrillo Music Festival tradition, the cream rises to the top and savored at the very last. Sunday’s Mission concert included Heaven is Closed (2000), a very well composed work by Elena Kats-Chernin; Cello Concerto (2001) by Phillip Glass featuring cellist Wendy Sutter, performing on a 1620 Amati cello; Foils for Orchestra (Hommage a Saint George) 2006, yet another very finely written work by George Walker and In Aeternam (2000) by Pierre Jalbert.

Arguably, in this writer’s opinion and that of much of the audience, Aeternam was the most well conceived compositionally imaginative work of the 2010 Festival. The opening was hymn-like in character, beautifully conceived and orchestrated with a balanced texture of strings covering the high, low and middle ranges and in a way alluded to the musical power that soon was to be released.

The work gained momentum in calculated fashion and the full orchestra textures that followed were explosive and simply overwhelming. The eloquently designed slow section created a pensive and melancholy character and once again was colored texturally with perfectly balanced sustained strings with well-timed and effective metallic percussive touches. The ending was superbly articulated by Director Marin Alsop and faded to the close.

Times Publishing Group

This is the sweetest pup you will ever meet; she works as a mop, a best friend, and a GREAT addition to ANY family.

Longhaired dogs do not do well with toddlers, no matter how amazing the temperament may be of the two or four legged, due to the risk of hair pulling. However, the hair can be clipped short in order to avoid this. Also, dogs and cats should never be left alone with small children.

Please come meet Muffin and beg this wonderful pup to be part of your family.

The Santa Cruz SPCA’s adoption package for dogs and cats includes spay/neuter, vaccinations, micro-chipping, an ID tag, collar, coupons for a free health exam, discounted crate purchase and other animal care materials.

For more information call the Santa Cruz SPCA at 465-5000, or visit www.santacruzspca.org. The SPCA is located at 2685 Chanticleer Avenue in Santa Cruz and is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday, 11:00 A.M. to 5:00 p.m.

If you would like to help animals like Muffin and her orphaned friends, please consider donating to the Santa Cruz SPCA. The Santa Cruz SPCA is a 501c3 charitable organization and receives no government funding, relying solely on public donations to run its many programs that benefit the animals and people of our community.

The sixth annual cancer benefit put on by the Santa Cruz Cancer Benefit Group – Gourmet Grazing on the Green – takes place in Aptos Village Park on Saturday, Sept. 25 from noon to 5 p.m. This fabulous food and wine festival is an opportunity to sample some of our best restaurants, wineries and breweries – and various other vendors – in an afternoon of organically themed “gourmet grazing.”

This year will be bigger and better than ever – with around 20 restaurants and 20 wineries participating. The beneficiaries of funds raised are Hospice of Santa Cruz County; Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Support and Services; Katz Cancer Resource Center at Dominican Hospital; UCSC Cancer Research; and WomenCARE.

Tickets are $65 and are available at all New Leaf Community Markets, online at www.sccbg.org or call 465-1989.

Joe’s Pizza & Subs has opened up a third location in the heart of downtown on Pacific Avenue. The other two locations are on Branciforte Avenue and on High Street at UC Santa Cruz. Although Joe’s is famous for pizza and subs (of course!), he also makes a mean burger, terrific pasta, and, one of my favorites, falafel. It’s casual dining at its best.

Joe’s Pizza & Subs, 1207 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, 713-5650. Open seven days a week.

I met up with my friend Joan for a coffee recently. She insisted on going to Zizzo’s because they make “the best coffee.” Zizzo’s recently changed ownership, so my friend, who’s addicted to Zizzo’s and goes several times a week, and I sat down with the new owner, Christine Shelton-Anderson.

“It’s been three months of craziness,” says Shelton-Anderson of setting everything up at Zizzo’s with her husband Aaron, a recording and sound engineer who has traveled the world with major country acts. As I sip on my fabulous latte with Mexican chocolate – it’s almost like a meal! – and munch on my big fat scone, Shelton-Anderson tells us how her life has changed. For most of her life she has worked as a showgirl – Las Vegas, Reno – you name it. “I was a professional singer since I was 5 years old,” she tells me.

Now she has to be at Zizzo’s at the crack of dawn and is busy ordering scones from San Francisco and pastries from Heather’s Patisserie in Aptos – and changing coffee filters rather than costumes. But give Zizzo’s a try next time you’re in the area. They make so many different kinds of coffee and tea – and they even sell Umpqua oatmeal if you’re there at breakfast time.

Zizzo’s Coffee, 3535 Clares St., Capitola (in the Brown Ranch Marketplace near Bed Bath & Beyond), 477-0680. www.zizzoscoffee.com.

For those of you who remember (and surely loved) the old India Joze at its location on Center Street, you will be happy to know that master chef Jozseph Schultz is back downtown in a brand new location. Yes, indeed. A new India Joze has risen like a phoenix out of the ashes, so to speak, and, with Schultz at the helm, one is guaranteed some very tasty treats. With his tendency to “Wok on the Wild Side,” we can expect some creative culinary dishes – with an Asian twist.

The link to India Joze’ online ordering system is: www.indiajoze.com/order/menu.html
India Joze, 418 Front St., Santa Cruz, 325-3633. www.indiajoze.com.

Shadowbrook hosts people from all over the country, so this busy restaurant has to be constantly on its toes. Newly engaged executive chef Ashley Hosmer has a huge responsibility running the kitchen, but after working as the sous chef for many years, at least she knows the ropes. Shadowbrook has always maintained a high standard – and it is still one of the best places in town to celebrate.

Shadowbrook, 1750 Wharf Road, Capitola, 475-1511. www.shadowbrook-capitola.com.

As tempting as it is to start munching away when you have a plate of food in front of you, the polite thing to do is to wait for everyone else. Try to pace your eating so that you all finish at the same time; and don’t leave the table when people are still eating. I have seen people leap up from the table and start gathering up plates when people are still in the process of finishing their food. It’s simply not done.

Non-profit organizations throughout the San Lorenzo Valley are celebrating as they receive checks totaling $15,000 from The Redwood Mountain Faire, sponsored by The Valley Women’s Club (VWC). Faire Steering Committee Members and the VWC Board are delighted that the Faire, in spite of the Recession and the difficulties of keeping costs down, provided a wonderful spotlight on local arts and music, and could profit so many groups that are providing crucial services to the community.

Organizations benefitting from the proceeds of the June 5th Faire had provided volunteers for the dozens of tasks needed to put on the event. The many diverse organizations benefitting this year include the Santa Cruz Mountain Arts Center, Mountain Community Resources, Valley Churches United, Boy Scout and Girl Scout Troops, Glen Arbor Preschool, Camp Joy Gardens, SLV Community Band, SLV High Boosters, SLV High Football and Track Teams, South Street Centre, SLV Pop Warner, Cabrillo College Football Team and the SLV CERT Team. Many other organizations benefited by having informational booths at the event.

The VWC did not keep its share of the proceeds, but decided to increase the funds distributed to the other nonprofits this first year back.

The Redwood Mountain Faire, returning to the SLV after 14 years, was a success in many ways. Almost 2,000 people were there enjoying music, admiring beautiful treasures, eating wonderful food, sipping special beverages, learning about nonprofits in our community, finding shade under huge oak trees, listening to the train, watching their children have a great time, and just enjoying the event and the generations of people it brought together.

About 350 volunteers from 15 local nonprofit organizations worked at the event, and others helped with some aspect of organizing the event. Volunteers totaled well over 1500 hours of help for the day of the Faire alone! (At Santa Cruz County’s “Living Wage” that is worth over $20,250 in donated labor!)

Fifty-three musicians, in 13 bands, plus their support teams, provided an astonishing quality and variety. People of all ages gathered in the sun or shade to dance and clap and shake heads and ogle at the talent on stage, with the amazing voices of Mary McCaslin on the Creekside Stage, and Matt Costa on the Meadow Stage topping off the day!

Local artists and artisans provided some beautiful, and aromatic, and decorative, and creative, and wonderful items to enjoy, treasure, and take home.

Faire vendors bringing in foods and beverages (all those great microbreweries) had a level of quality and taste, not to mention variety that pleased everyone who attended.

Our local government representatives, State Assembly Member, Bill Monning, and Supervisor Mark Stone, came on stage to honor the Faire and the Valley Women’s Club, with wonderful proclamations talking of accomplishments and benefits to the community.

Everyone who attended loved Georgianna Clark’s wonderful Roaring Camp, encompassing the Faire with the beauty of our Valley at its best, the unique and wonderful old West town, and the train blowing off steam and whistling loudly, often at just the right time in a song.

In 2011, a two-day Faire is planned for June 4 – 5 and the organizers are already hard at work to provide another magnificent event.

The speed of progress and technology is shocking us, literally. Orson Wells’ signature, doomsday voice begins the movie adaptation of Alvin Toffler’s book, Future Shock, published 40 years ago this year: “Future shock. There’s a sickness which comes with too much change, in too short of time. It’s a feeling that nothing is permanent anymore. It’s the premature arrival of the future.”

In that same interview, Stuart Candy, a futurist (http://futuryst. blogspot.com), says, “The value of [Toffler’s] book was to teach people that the best defense against the future is to think about it, to imagine different scenarios and to try to avoid being taken by surprise.”

Note-to-self: Avoid being surprised? What kind of future would that be if we could figure it out, nail it down today? Explore the resistance that might underlie Stuart’s statement.

Here’s my view about the future coming at us like we’re drinking from a fire-hose: Rather than figure out the “best defense against the future … and avoid being taken by surprise,” let’s get good at being effective with change (my link blog post), using it to forward our goals.

For those who like the punch line first, then the trail leading to it, here it is:

Punch line: Being defensive throws us into the past and pulls us away from the present and the future. High-performance lives in the present, not the past. The more you defend, the more your performance decreases.

Trail: Consider what happens to you when you are in a defensive mode. By the way, I got better (and less defensive) at observing myself from an outstanding Strozzi consultant and coach, Susan Geear (http://susangeear.com). Here’s what I do. Physically, I clench my jaw, grit my teeth, furrow my brow, and raise my shoulders toward my ears. Emotionally, I feel afraid, wary, tentative, nervous, on edge. Mentally, I tell myself “Don’t let them get you,” “Get them first,” “Why don’t they like me?” “I’m right! They’re wrong.” Being defensive, I become the poster child for “digging my heels in.” Result: My effectiveness goes out the window.

Being defensive, we hunker into the past and close off the future. Essentially, when we dig our heels in, what we really dig is a grave in which to bury our capacity to innovate, adapt, see new solutions and create the kind of relationships to create the future that matters to us.

Rather than thinking about defending yourself from the future with its yet-to-come wonders and challenges, open wide, create and commit to a future that matters to you.

Scotts Valley Rotary Club celebrates its 5th annual Oktoberfest on Sunday, September 19, 2010, at the Scotts Valley Community Center, 360 Kings Village Road, Scotts Valley, CA.

Featured onstage: The Internationals in their only Santa Cruz appearance and German Dancers in authentic Oktoberfest costumes.

Scotts Valley Rotarian Bob Pagett, founding President of Assist International, a humanitarian organization dedicated to relieving human suffering around the world, will be honored at the event.

Purchase your ticket through the Scotts Valley Educational Foundation or the Falcon Club and 75% of the ticket sale will go to that charity.

All proceeds from this event are used to fund local and international charities.

There will be plenty of fun for the kids, including face painting, bounce houses, games and more!

Come down and support our local community!

•••
Admission: $10
Bratwurst, potato salad and sauerkraut meal: $10
Bratwurst only: $5
Beer and wine: $5
Cocktails available at varying prices.

Kids get in free as well as police, active firefighters, military and veterans. Tickets can be purchased through the website at www.scottsvalleyrotary.org or at the door.

By James Howe
Illustrated by Randy Cecil
Candlewick Press. $15.99 (Ages 4-8)
What happens when a cute dinosaur named Brontorina decides she wants to be a ballerina? Well, first she must find a teacher and then a pair of extra, extra, extra large dance slippers. Next, she must be very careful to not accidentally step on, squish, squash or mush the other students during practice.

Finally, there’s the problem of finding a big enough dance studio to take lessons in so that a certain ballerina doesn’t hit her head on the ceiling or tumble the supporting walls.

This cute story about a lovable dinosaur whose size is outmatched only by her determination to achieve a lifetime goal will delight small children.

There’s also a subtle message here too about not letting anything stand in your way if you want to do something and others say you can’t for some reason.

By Vincent Kirsch
Bloomsbury. $16.99 (Ages 5-8)
Rudy and Ridley’s parents own the Toolittle Toy Company. The brothers have the super cool job of testing all the new toys in the firm’s toy laboratory. But then one day Rudy tells his little brother that he’ll have to do all the testing by himself.

Rudy is too old to just play with toys. He feels it is time for him to take toy making seriously. What happens next is a disaster for the company. When Rudy decides to take all the toys apart to see how they work, he discovers he doesn’t know how to put them back together.

Only the mysterious Toolittle, Zigzagging Giggle-Wiggler will be able to salvage the situation and get everything back together. You’ll be surprised to discover who or what the odd looking, yellow and green Giggle-Wiggler really is, but I’ll let you find out for yourself.

The illustrations of the fanciful toys Vincent Kirsch creates for this picture is part of the fun of reading the story. You’ll find a Pictionary of them at the back of the book with a short description of each one. The challenge is to see if you can find them hidden in the story.

By Lara Bergen
Disney. $12.99 (Ages 3-6)
This novelty book invites youngsters to join Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the gang as they meet some new toys at Bonnie’s house. You’ll have to slide the windows open and lift the flaps to discover who these new playmates are.

After a game of hide-and-seek, the gang is in for a real surprise over at the dollhouse. Are those three-eyed, green Martians eating a pizza?

Yup!

When everyone is acquainted, it’s time join Bonnie in a little playtime fun.

Since there isn’t much text in this oversized board book and its main attraction lies with the interactive parts, I would think toddlers just beginning to get comfortable using their little fingers would enjoy this book.

Older children will probably not be that intrigued by this overly simplistic volume.

By Patricia Baehr
Illustrated by Margot Apple
Charlesbridge. $14,95 (Ages 4-7)
When Mr. and Mrs. Noodleman left the city and moved to the country and raise chickens, the couple wasn’t ready for the surprise that awaited them on the farm the purchased. It was haunted by Boo Cow.

Convinced that the ghostly apparition of Book Cow was spooking their 552 chickens and keeping them from laying eggs, the couple launched a campaign to rid themselves of the spectral cow.

After trying everything to chase Boo Cow away, the beleaguered chicken farmers suddenly discover that Boo Cow is not the source of their problems. There’s a far more earthbound reason they aren’t collecting eggs from the hen house every morning!

A fun story with the kind of twists and surprises not usually found in picture books like this, “Boo Cow” is perfect for read aloud sessions or for a child who is already reading.

By David Ezra Stein
Candlewick Press. $16.99 (Ages 4-8)
The little red chicken in this funny picture book always manages to interrupt her father whenever he is reading her a bedtime story.

Whether it is Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood or Chicken Little, the result is always the same. Before her father can finish the story, the little red chicken has to jump in to save the hapless characters from disaster.

“Don’t go in! She’s a witch!” cries the little chicken, warning Hansel and Gretel to steer clear of the candy house.

“Don’t talk to strangers!” admonishes the little chicken when she sees Little Red Riding Hood head into the forest.

Tired of his daughter’s inability to keep quiet when he reads her a story, Father Chicken turns the tables on his little one when he has Little Chicken read him a story.

Your brood will love this story with its humorous ending and vibrant artwork. And if they are prone to interrupt when you are talking, perhaps your little chicks will learn something too!

By Michael Singer
Disney. $24.95 (Ages 10 to adult)
This lavishly illustrated book offers page upon page of color photos of the making of this blockbuster Disney film. Michael Singer recounts the saga that began with Jordan Mechner’s video game and culminated with the movie. Everything from horsemanship training and ostrich racing to set design and construction is covered by the author.

You’ll find detailed cast biographies, sidebars about crucial props and weapons, and breathtaking, exclusive photography shot on location and in the studio that recreated the ancient Persian setting.

Anyone who enjoyed the movie will savor all the details and insider information Singer shares with his reader. Once again, you can relive the epic tale of Prince Dastan, Princess Tamina and the Dagger of Time as you learn how all the movie magic was created.

Elements Salon and Spa is a full service salon reflecting the personal style and artistry of owner Hannah Soto.  After graduating from UCSC with a degree in art history, Soto pursued her passion for hairstyling and make-up at the Vidal Sassoon Cosmetology Academy in Santa Monica.  After returning to Santa Cruz, her career path led her to work for Daryl Downey at his salon, Daryl Stevens, training and mentoring his staff and styling hair at this same location.  After several years, Soto purchased the salon from Downey and remodeled with her own flare.

Elements uses only the best and safest hair care products and all stylists are encouraged to take continuing education regularly to learn the latest styles.  Soto’s passion and high work ethic are reflected in the “family” of her staff.  They use Eufora products which are organic, aloe-based, and infused with essential oils; Redken which has a full line of professional hair products; and Bosley products to thicken and repair thinning hair.

Elements also offers the “Brazilian Blowout” which is a professional smoothing treatment that improves the health of the hair and uses no harsh chemicals.  With a protective protein layer around the hair shaft it lasts up to 12 weeks.  Beyond hair cuts and coloring, Elements offers permanents for straightening and curls, braiding, up dos and hair extensions.

Elements’ staff give manicures and pedicures using clients’ natural nails, not acrylics which are unhealthy for the nails.  Soto will soon bring artificial gel nails to the salon, offering a safe, breathable nail that can soak off without harsh chemicals.  Elements features the highest level of cleanliness—Soto is a clean nut—and uses the revolutionary “Amerispa” pedicure chairs with pipe-less technology for the best in hygiene.

Natural, organic skin care is offered using the Hungarian-made Eminence line which is like applying fruits and vegetables to your skin.  Jan Marini products are used as well; the same products available at medical day spas.  Facials and aftercare products address the skin care issues of dryness, sun damage, acne, rosacea, scarring and fine lines and wrinkles.  Facials can also be customized to the needs of the client and facials expertly suited to the male skin are available too.  Micro-dermabrasion gently exfoliates and polishes the skin of face, hands, arms or chest to bring younger skin cells to the surface, improve circulation and revitalize.

After completing her training at Vidal Sassoon, Soto was fortunate to assist for the Academy doing styling and make-up for large events and runway fashion shows.  Now Soto works locally with the Coconut Grove and the Chaminade annual bridal shows.  Elements offers the fun and practical experience of bringing a wedding party, folks preparing for a family portrait, or prom-goers into the salon and spa for hair styling and color, waxing, make-up, and any other service the spa offers.  (Soto also offers make-up application instruction so you can get that same great look on your own.)

Custom packages are available so the group or individual gets exactly what they desire.  For those inevitable photographs of your event, Elements is thrilled to offer “Sinsational Smiles” Teeth Whitening System.  This patented and cutting edge whitening system uses a proprietary catalyst combined with an LED light to give a brighter, whiter smile in just 20 minutes.

Elements Salon and Spa’s massage therapists offer a variety of treatments such as deep tissue massage, stress-reduction massage, aromatherapy massage, hot stone therapy and chair massage.  Fruit peels, alpha hydroxyl treatments, scrubs and body wraps offer deep cleaning and relaxation.  Waxing treatments include brow shaping, bikini, Brazilian, the face, arms, legs, and more.  Gift certificates for one or a combination of services are perfect gifts for any occasion.

Soto has recently added acupuncture to the list of her services at Elements.  Allison Johnson and Philip Garrison both have a Masters in Traditional Chinese Medicine and are Doctoral Fellows to deepen their knowledge.  Acupuncture can benefit women’s issues such as menstrual pain and irregularity and infertility and can be used as part of a weight loss program.  It can help men restore sexual vitality.  In general acupuncture is an ancient, whole-person healing system used for pain and stress reduction, improved sleep and digestion and much, much more.  It can also enhance beauty with facial rejuvenation treatments.

Currently, Elements Salon and Spa are taking part in a fundraising event for the Scotts Valley Educational Foundation.  Inexpensive raffle tickets ($3 each or 2 for $5) are being sold and the winner gets a choice of a massage or a facial and a hair cut or a pedicure.  All the proceeds go to the public schools of Scotts Valley.

To find out more, please call our Volunteer Coordinator at 430-3006. The 8-week Volunteer Visitor training begins September 21, 2010 at Hospice of Santa Cruz County in Scotts Valley.

Hospice volunteers are a remarkable and dedicated group of individuals and an important part of our team. They are drawn to hospice for different reasons, yet they share a common desire – to be of service and help others at this precious time of life. Our volunteers visit patients, support loved ones during their grief, and assist in our office. They also speak about hospice services in the community, and join together to present exciting fundraising events. Bilingual volunteers are especially needed.

HSCC has provided compassionate, professional care and support for individuals at the end of life and their families for more than 30 years.

HSCC receives funding from Medicare and most private insurances to cover the cost of its core hospice care program. However, the organization relies solely on foundation and community support to raise $1 million each year to cover the costs of community grief support, Transitions care, hospice care for uninsured and under-insured patients and end-of-life educational and outreach efforts.

National Preparedness Month occurs every September to encourage Americans to take the steps necessary to prepare for emergencies in their homes and work place. This year the focus is on four little things that can make all the difference to you, your family and your community during times of emergency, get a Kit, Make a Plan, Be Informed and Get involved.

First step is to get a kit, a disaster preparedness kit, which will provide you and your family with all of the basic needs during a disaster.

Your kit should include at least:

• Water - 1 gallon per person per day for at least 3 days.
  
• Food - enough food for everyone in your family for at least 3 days.
  
• Prescription Medications
  
• Radio, Flashlight and batteries
  
• First aid kit
  
• Basic tools
  
• Fire Extinguisher
  
• Cash
  

Second, make a plan. Develop a family emergency plan and make sure everyone in the home knows what it is. Have a family reunification plan that includes an out of state phone contact for family members to use.

Business owners should also have a stay-in-Business plan, which addresses all of their specific needs to insure that they are able to continue business following the disaster.

Third focus is to be informed. Learn about what types of emergencies are most likely to occur in your area and how they will likely affect your home and or business. Perform a risk assessment to determine your weak spots and then take the steps necessary to correct them.

Last but not least is Get Involved. Work with your community to build a stronger preparedness and response network. Develop or join a Community Emergency Response Team in your neighborhood and business. Contact your local chapter of the American Red Cross to see how you can become involved and help out with pre-event preparedness or response activities following an event.

None of us can prevent a disaster from happening, but together we can make a positive impact on the outcome of a disaster. For more information on this year’s National Preparedness Month, please visit their web site at www.ready.gov. You can find additional information on disaster preparedness on the Santa Cruz County Red Cross web site at www.sccredcross.org or visit the citizen corps web site at www.citizencorps.gov. And for more information on the Community Emergency Response Team program, contact your local fire department or visit the county CERT web site at www.santacruzcountycert.org.

Remember these four small steps will make a world of difference when disaster strikes. Don’t be scared get prepared.

If you have any questions for Captain Mike, e-mail him at, mikec@aptosfire.com

Today’s Market Contains Opportunity. The real estate market may seem bewildering to the average consumer, but to Gary Nickerson, who has almost 3 decades in the business, it is familiar territory through which he expertly guides his clients, whether sellers or buyers.

Nickerson worked full-time for 17 years for a local, traditional-style brokerage before he bought the local Help-U-Sell franchise in2003.

He decided he would give better service than the traditional brokers and do it for a much lower fee. He studies the statistics in our local housing market and right now, he has some good news to report.

Nickerson examined the last 18 months and sees a trend locally toward stabilizing of median sale prices and a 20 to 40% reduction in the days on market before a sale. In the second quarter of 2010, he finds that the average of days on market for Capitola was only 37 days and for Soquel was 76 days, both of which represent normalization. He found that the fluctuation of median prices was in a small range. In Capitola and Soquel, the median sales price in the first quarter of 2010 was $610,000 and for the second quarter was $599,000.

Nickerson and his fellow realtors agree that the opportunity for buyers could not be better right now. Interest rates are extremely favorable and the selection of homes is superb. It is truly a buyers’ market. Sellers who live in their homes and have maintained the property are in a much better position since many homes on the market have been abandoned, are bank-owned and are much less appealing than a well-cared for property.

Many people wonder what Help-U-Sell has to offer when compared to a traditional broker. Nickerson stresses that his sellers will get the very same marketing and exposure that other brokers provide. Today, the Internet is the primary vehicle for buyers and sellers and Nickerson uses all the Internet advertising available. The most heavily visited site is Realtor.com on which Nickerson places all his listings in the “showcase edition” which provides maximum exposure. This listing will link with his own website (helpusell.com/scottsvalley). He also uses the multiple listing service, mlslistings.com, zillow.com, trulia.com and craigslist. He buys ads in the local newspaper, provides full color brochures, signage, lock boxes and shows the homes on the Thursday brokers tours.

While traditional brokers will list homes and require a 5 or even 6 percent commission, the Help-U-Sell fee is only $6950 for most homes, paid from the sale price. If the buyer brings in their own agent, then the seller pays a 2 1/2 percent commission from the sale price to the buyer’s side. Nickerson says that owners’ holding their own open house is completely voluntary. If sellers do want to hold open houses, he teaches them how to hold one successfully and provides signs and advertisement on the Internet and in print. If a buyer comes to the open house without an agent and decides to buy, the seller will save that large buyer’s side commission, thus the “best-paying part-time temporary job in the world.” Of course, Nickerson and his staff handle all the escrow management and paperwork.

Nickerson says, “One of the most exciting aspects of my work is when I meet potential sellers and I present the Help-U-Sell business model. Once I have explained the benefit of Help-U-Sell, I can just see the confidence arrive and a sense of empowerment settle in. The seller has a role. Help-U-Sell has a role. There is no mystery in what is required for a successful outcome. Compared to the old ways of selling real estate, it is night and day.”

Here’s an easy way to understand this difference: House A in your town sells for $600,000 with a 5 percent commission, which equals $30,000. House B just down the road sells for $400,000 with a 5 percent commission of $20,000. The houses required the same amount of work to sell them, but the difference in the commissions is $10,000. Many homeowners would ask, why should it cost them an extra $10,000 when the agent did the same amount of work? With Help-U-Sell, that question never needs to come up.

This is real-world, practical mathematics. It adds up to this: Give Gary Nickerson a call. He has the experience and he will most definitely save you money.

This year’s juried exhibition was selected by guest curators Ruth Braunstein, owner, and Shannon Trimble, director, of the Braunstein/Quay Gallery in San Francisco. Nearly 300 works of art were submitted for review and an impressive number of works were selected for the exhibition.

Artwork ranges in media from classic oil on canvas, watercolor painting, ceramic sculpture and wearable art to photography, digital media, and complex mixed media installations. Ruth Braunstein and Shannon Trimble spent an entire day carefully choosing the work that will fill the 1000 square foot gallery space.

They were also tasked with selecting the one-person award winning artist and the cash prize recipients. This years one-person award goes to Santa Cruz based artist Jody Alexander. Alexander will exhibit her work in the Cabrillo Gallery during our 2012-2013 season.

Other artists included: Michele Indiana, Anderson Susana, Arias Celeste Baross, Judy Bingman, Donald Bradford, Bill Clark, Liz Crain, Barbara Downs, Myra Eastman, David Glenn, Pam Landram, laura laura, Barbara Lawrence, Stephen Lynch, Amy Marinelli, Catharina Marlowe, Anna Martin, John Maxon, Rachel Nelson-Smith, Margaret Niven, Janet J. Norris, Reneé Peck, Kelley Richardson, Narda Roushdi, Casey Shannon, Cynthia Siegel, Robynn Smith, Amy Stark, Erica Steiner, Susan Vaughan, Helen Wallis, June Yokell .

Come and enjoy authentic Greek Food, Pastries, Spirits and Live Bouzouki Music and of course, Dancing!

The Greek Community of Santa Cruz County is proud to present the 30th annual award winning Greek Festival in Downtown Santa Cruz. Greek Festival lovers will pack the streets at Center and Church Street, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, September 10 -12.

Come and enjoy authentic Greek food and desserts, live Greek music, Dancing, Gifts and Crafts, and a Rock Climbing Wall for the kids!

For thirty years, the Santa Cruz Greek Festival has grown from a small affair in the courtyard of the Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church, to a huge block party alive with the sounds of live Greek Bouzouki music and the smells of delicious Greek specialties like BBQ Souvlaki (soo-vla-kee) and Gyro (YEERO).

The festival also features its usual handcrafted variety of wonderful dishes such as Moussaka (Moo-SA-Ka) lamb dishes, calamari, Pastitso and many more. The tavern will be serving Greek and American beer, wine and traditional Greek spirits. After dinner delicacies include the ever-popular baklava (Bak-la VA), Loukoumades, as well as a variety of pastries and Greek Coffee.

Kids and adults both will appreciate the variety of food, and the low cost, all while experiencing a taste of the Greece here at home.

Attention all youth musicians! The Santa Cruz County Youth Symphony is scheduling auditions for the 2010 – 2011 season now for the next audition date on Tuesday, September 7, 2010. All interested middle school and high school student musicians are invited to audition for this growing and dynamic full symphony orchestra. Visit www.sccys.org to register for the auditions, view audition requirements and learn more about participating in the fantastic opportunities with the Youth Symphony.

Rehearsals for the Youth Symphony will take place every Sunday from 6:15 pm to 8:30 pm at the Georgiana Bruce Kirby School located at 425 Encinal Street in Santa Cruz. Student musicians are welcome to attend any of the rehearsals — walk-in auditions are accepted throughout the season. The general public is welcome to stop by anytime and listen to the talented young musicians too!

The 2010/11 season opens on Sunday, September 12 with the annual Concerto Competition at the Georgiana Bruce Kirby School. The winners of the Concerto Competition will be featured in the fall and spring Concerts. After a competitive conductor search, the Youth Symphony invited talented conductors to lead a dynamic and innovative season.

Guest conductor Nathaniel Berman will be conducting the Fall Concert on Sunday, November 7 at 2 pm at the UCSC Recital Hall on the UC Santa Cruz campus. The season continues with a joint concert with the Santa Cruz County Symphony on Sunday March 6 at 2 pm.

Youth symphony musicians have the opportunity to perform alongside professional musicians in this entertaining and fun event for all ages! The Youth Symphony season concludes with a Spring Concert led by guest conductor Lucik Aprahamian on Sunday, May 15 at 2 pm.

Single tickets for the fall and spring concerts ($5-$30) can be purchased from the Santa Cruz County Youth Symphony. Call (831) 426-3238 or purchase at the door. For more information, please visit: www.sccys.org.

The Youth Symphony is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing a high-caliber music education and performance opportunities for aspiring young student musicians in Santa Cruz County. The middle school and high school student musicians are united by their love of music, discipline and willingness to fully participate in weekly rehearsals and in three full symphonic performances.

The Youth Symphony mission is to foster a life-long appreciation for classical orchestral music in the youth of Santa Cruz County and surrounding areas, with an emphasis on the beauty and value of the experience of playing and performing. Come play with the Youth Symphony!

Livestock shows bring people together in their communities to display the latest techniques and gadgets for making life easier for the farmer and homemaker. Livestock shows were held to improve the various breeds of animals through competition.

Today the shows are a big part of the life lessons being taught by the 4-H and FFA.

Members show their animals that have been raised for the fair or are in their breeding program. Depending on the species of animal, the owners have to care for the animal from 60 to 120 days for market animals, while breeding projects are multi-year ventures.

Livestock projects teach young people many life skills — responsibility, record keeping and marketing. Through their projects, many raise the funds necessary to attend college.

“Very seldom, if ever, do you see a child that has an animal project get in trouble with the law. They are too busy learning how to be a good citizen and contributing to the betterment of their communities,” said fair volunteer Lynne Grossi.

At the Fair, you have the opportunity to watch these animals with their owners in the Livestock Arena, the barns and in the Nursery.

Like all departments at the fair, the Livestock Department is an all volunteer group dedicated to working with the youth of our community to make sure the young people have a positive experience at the fair.

The Junior Livestock Auction takes place Saturday, when the owners will be selling their market animals. Buyers for these animals will pay above-market prices to help the young person recover his/her expenses and make a profit. We invite you to come to the auction on Saturday to support the youth. The Auction Committee will be providing lunch and a BBQ dinner for auction buyers.

A race track, five horse arenas (two for warm-ups, three for show), three cattle barns, a livestock auction area, a rabbit building, gigantic model railroad, two floriculture buildings, a barn for small animals, a poultry building, the Art Building, Crosetti Building and Harvest Building are just part of it.

There’s the Grange Hall, the impressive and historic Rodgers House and, of course, Yesterday’s Farm, which features the Codiga Museum, the biggest barn in the whole fairgrounds and several other buildings and exhibits, including the farm’s own wheat field.

In fact, the fairgrounds are so large that it even contains 6,000+ parking spaces.

The land was a working grain farm before it was a fairground. It was purchased in the late ’30s and slowly crafted into the gem it is today.

“I am a great believer in how fortunate we are to have grounds like we have,” said Marie Skov, who has been volunteering at the fair for 47 years. “We have such gorgeous grounds. Your ticket pays for everything and you can stay all day. Your children can play and they’re safe. I love it all — every bit of it. So I am always back.”

John Prentice, who manages Ocean Speedway, said the fair is perfect for his season of racing and fits in well with all the other activities.

“You get to come to the fair, enjoy it, eat all the wonderful food and see the animals and all the other neat things — and then come in on to the races Saturday and Sunday afternoons and enjoy it all.”

Santa Cruz’s first annual ”Hot Rods for Kids” event will be held Sunday, September 5, 2010, starting at 8 a.m. at Ocean Honda, 3801 Soquel Drive, Santa Cruz. This remarkable event will feature cars that will impress and attract any lover of cars There will be food, an auction, raffle, and a free concert featuring The Organics, Superior Olive, and Distant Vision. The event is open to the public.

First place winner of the raffle can select either a Corvette Convertible donated by Ocean Speedway, or an 18 carat yellow gold and diamond ring.

Hot Rods for Kids proceeds will benefit Children’s Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition (CHPCC), an award-winning non-profit organization based in Watsonville, dedicated to improving care for children with life-threatening conditions.

The event site, generously donated by Ocean Honda in Santa Cruz, will be transformed into a “Celebration of Automobiles.” While strolling amongst this magnificent display, attendees can enjoy food, music, raffles and a live auction with packages donated by Pebble Beach, Ritz Carlton, Central Fire District, Laguna Seca Golf Ranch, local wineries, and more.

For more information, please visit www.hotrods4kids.com or contact Children’s Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition at 831-763-3070 or their website: www.childrenshospice.org and Classic Cleaners at 831- 423-2630.

Founded in 2001 by Lori Butterworth and Devon Dabbs, Children’s Hospice & Palliative Care Coalition is a social movement led by children’s hospitals, hospices, home health and grassroots agencies, and individuals to improve care for children with life-threatening conditions and their families. Children’s Hospice & Palliative Care Coalition provides training and support to hospice teams across the state so that when they are caring for a dying child they are able to meet the medical, emotional and spiritual needs of the child and the family.

CHPCC also works with children’s hospitals, home health agencies, hospices and community-based organizations and the State of California to promote policies and all-inclusive care programs that meet the complex medical, emotional, social, and practical needs of families who are experiencing great loss. (www.childrenshospice.org)

More about the Bands

• Distant Vision: Debuting at this event. The extensive and varied backgrounds of these five talented musicians bring together a remarkable combination. Tiran Porter on Bass Guitar, Vocals; Glenn Behanna on Drums, Vocals; Sunni K on Vocals; Jesse Holsapple on Guitar, Vocals; and Will The Thrill on Keyboards, and Vocals.
  
• The Organics: With an age range of 9 –12 years, The Organics have been rocking and rolling such venues as The Crape Place, Britannia Arms, Pacific Cultural Center, and Don Quixote’s. The Organics are integral part of Be Natural Music.
  
• Joe Ferrara: A local legend who has been entertaining audiences from Santa Cruz to San Francisco along with a string of 28 years performing the national anthem for the San Francisco Giants. Joe’s rich baritone voice and comfort with his audience has attracted fans of all ages.
  
• Superior Olive: Filling dance floors and concert halls from San Diego to Olympia, Hollywood’s New Music Awards 2008 named Superior Olive front man Tom Savell as New Artist of the year along with Santa Cruz Best Local Musician. With Tom Savell on Guitar, Violin, Vocals; Aynsley Dunbar on Drums; Joel Savell on Bass, Vocals; and Eric Sanford on Keyboards, and Vocals.

In an extremely competitive final round, Bobby overcame tremendous odds and outlasted challengers from Daytona and Pompano beaches in Florida, The Hamptons, New York and Galveston, Texas as well as members of the well known LA County Lifeguard program (Baywatch) to win the National Title.

Bobby, a junior, is a varsity athlete at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose where he plays running back for Mitty’s football team and runs track for the Monarchs. Previously, Bobby has trained as a member of the United States Olympic Luge Team in Lake Placid, New York.

He lives in Aptos with his family.

This full-length work asks the perennial question – “What happens after we die?” It braids dance, visual narrative, circus, text and music to make a rich mosaic of contemporary and traditional concepts of the afterlife — with a mix of humor, magical visuals and kinetic poetry that is classic Tandy Beal.

“It’s always a gift when art helps us explore important and difficult topics,” says Ann Carney Pomper, Executive Director of Hospice of Santa Cruz County. “Tandy’s show is not only beautiful, it’s thought-provoking and really opens up the discussion about what happens at the end of life and beyond. It’s something many of us wonder about but don’t always have a way to start the conversation. At Hospice, we know how valuable it is to have the conversation with those who are important to us.”

Although the two organizations approach the topic of death differently—HereAfterHere addresses people’s perceptions of what happens after we die, while Hospice deals with the process of what happens as we die—the fundamental goals are the same: to encourage conversations about this very natural part of life.

“Face it, death and dying is uncharted territory for all of us. We don’t even get one rehearsal,” declare Jon Scoville and Tandy Beal in a recent phone interview. “We are so grateful that an organization like Hospice exists to help us through the gateway. We want to use this performance as a tool to open the dialogue about death and dying and the afterlife so that we can all start talking about it openly and without fear.”

Presented by Tandy Beal & Company and the Cabrillo Dance Department at the Cabrillo Crocker Theater, HereAfterHere combines dance, circus and visual narratives to take us on a journey of the possibilities after life.

Opening night, Friday, September 10, features a special Benefit for Hospice of Santa Cruz County. Tickets are $50 per person and include premier seating and a post-show reception with Tandy Beal and members of the cast. Tickets are available by calling Monika at 430-3082.

All proceeds for this event benefit community programs of Hospice of Santa Cruz County.

Programs supported by Hospice include:

• Transitions: A program designed to ease the concerns of those who are not quite ready for hospice by helping to coordinate care and resources while providing an understanding of the disease processes.
  
• Grief Support: Support for Hospice families or to anyone faced with the loss of a loved one.
  
• H.U.G: (Healthy Understanding of Grief) helps children and teens with their grief by helping them to feel and direct their emotions of loss in a positive and healthy manner.
  
• Charity Hospice Care: Helps provide Hospice care for the under and uninsured community.
  
• Education and Outreach: A variety of programs that help educate the community about the services that Hospice of Santa Cruz County provides.
  

HSCC has provided compassionate, professional care and support for individuals at the end of life and their families for more than 30 years. HSCC receives funding from Medicare and most private insurances to cover the cost of its core hospice care program. However, the organization relies solely on foundation and community support to raise $1 million each year to cover the costs of community grief support, Transitions care, hospice care for uninsured and under-insured patients and end-of-life educational and outreach efforts.

Former Cabrillo College faculty member and legendary performer Tandy Beal, will celebrate the 40th anniversary of her performance troupe Tandy Beal & Company and her collaboration with musician/composer Jon Scoville, with the premiere of her newest work HereAfterHere: A Self Guided Tour of Eternity at the Cabrillo Crocker Theater, September 10 -12.

HereAfterHere, which sold out four previews, is a multi-media dance-theatre experience, which combines original music, video, theatre, dance and interviews, based on people’s concepts of an afterlife. The multi-media performance includes over 20 dancers and actors.

It also includes original music composed by Scoville, video segments by Jess Damsen, Denise Gallant, Ben Jaffe, Bruce Lee, Nada Miljkovic, and also features Guggenheim fellow Ellen Bromberg and galactic videos from the DVD “View From the Center of the Earth” by Joel R. Primack and Nancy Ellen Abrams.

“My concerts weave the serious with the humorous as a way of coming to the ‘big questions’ from different directions,” explains Beal.

“HereAfterHere shapes a multi-generational language for a multi-generational audience of the timeless question of what happens after we die. The Bible, the Qu’ran, Blake, Milton, even the New Yorker cartoonists, all celebrate the human capacity to imagine a place where none of us have yet gone. HereAfterHere will collectively imagine the unimaginable and the inevitable,” concludes Beal.

Ms. Beal once again breaks new ground by inviting the community into the art-making process. HereAfterHere intends to open a community dialogue about the age-old questions of the afterlife by engaging the community in conversation. Beal has started a website (www.tandybeal.com/hereafterhere) where the public can login their thoughts and read what others have to say on the matter. Some of the stories will be included in the show.

Beal is also conducting public interviews where people can share their thoughts on video. Nine days of interviews have already been completed with doctors, veterans, the homeless, the terminally ill and children, with more planned in the future.

At each performance, there will be a video truck at the entrance to the Crocker Theater where attendees can record their thoughts, pre- or post-show, about life after death. As audience members exit the theater, that night’s earlier video interviews will be projected in the lobby.

This is a rare chance for the public to participate in the unfolding of Beal’s art-making process.

“Including highlights of the video interviews and the web log into the concert reflects the diversity of our community’s beliefs and exposes each of us to the others’ viewpoints and imaginings, enriching both the work process and the end result.” shares Beal.

As Beal adds, “For forty years I have been making dances, performing, writing, directing, teaching, running non-profits and, through it all, dreaming … trying to make sense of this life by making moving images. My creative work springs from a sense of the great mystery of being here on this strange planet and the desire to communicate about this with a wide range of the community in celebration.”

Tandy Beal & Company is funded in part by a grant from the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County, The Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County, NEA, CAC and The Packard Foundation.

The September 10 opening performance is a benefit for Hospice of Santa Cruz. A $50 donation per ticket includes premiere seating and an invitation to the reception that follows the performance. Regular priced tickets are also available for the opening performance ranging from $12 to $35.

Tandy Beal & Company: HereAfterHere — A Self-Guided Tour Of Eternity. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 10 & 11 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 12 at 3:00 p.m.

Cabrillo Crocker Theater, 6500 Soquel Drive, Aptos Tickets: $12 -$35 (plus service charge) at 831-420-5260 or www.santacruztickets.com.

Tickets for Hospice of Santa Cruz Benefit, Sept. 10: $50 includes premiere seating and reception after performance. For Benefit tickets, please call 831-430-3082.

Don’t miss these other exciting events featuring HereAfterHere:

• Tuesday, August 24, 7:30 p.m.: Discussion at Bookshop Santa Cruz on Sukie Miller’s book Afterdeath. Tandy Beal will read and show video clips from HereAfterHere. Hospice representative, Julie Boudreau, will also speak. This event includes the release of Jon Scoville’s new CD of original music composed for HereAfterHere. FREE EVENT.
  
• Saturday, September 11, 3 p.m.: “Cultural and Religious Attitudes on the Afterlife.” A symposium including prominent religious speakers such as Lama Tharchin (Vajrayana Foundation), Rabbi Paula Marcus (Temple Beth El), Patrick Conway (Resurrection Catholic Church), and Nancy Abrams, Philosopher/scientist/author. Free Event at the Cabrillo Crocker Theater.
  
• Saturday Evening, September 11: Post-show discussion with Reverend Deborah Johnson, of Inner Light Ministries. Cabrillo Crocker Theater.
  

Fischer was born and raised in Santa Cruz County and is a graduate of UC Santa Barbara where he studied Business/Economics and Spanish.

He is a Watsonville Rotarian and is a member of the 2005 Focus Agriculture program as well as an active Board member of Santa Cruz Barrios Unidos. Prior to working for the bank, Doug spent 15 years working in the business sector in Central America and is fluent in Spanish.

Doug Fischer can be reached at 457-5003 ext. 2149; email: dfischer@sccountybank.com.

Robert Marani, 55, of Aptos, has been reappointed to the Santa Cruz County Fair Board of Directors (14th District Agricultural Association), where he has served as a member since 2006. He has been chief development officer for Meritage Real Estate Development Group since 2002. In 2008, Marani founded Corralitos Wine Company, where he is currently vintner and principal.

Previously, he was a land use consultant for Antelope Development from 1998 to 2002. He is a member of California Waterfowl Association, American Institute of Wine and Food and a master knight for Knights of the Vine.

Including another month or two for moving in, by June, 2011 there will be a brand new library almost three times the size of the current one. There will be areas specially designed for teens and for the young ones. Friends of the Library needs the communities help to fully equip the library from opening day.

You can buy a Commemorative Tile to inscribe your support in the tile entryway and help them raise the funds needed for the “extras” like upgraded furniture, a fireplace, media wall, laptop computers and more! The tiles will pave the main entryway to the new library and are available in three different sizes at a cost of $50, $100 and $250. Visit www/fsvpl.org for more information.

September 13 is the estimated opening date for the new Jack in the Box, which will be located at 6014 Scotts Valley Drive with neighbors such as the Best Western motel next door and the nearby Scotts Valley Chevron expecting increases in business.

Nearing completion is construction on the $650,000 building for the fast-food franchise. The property is where Denny’s once greeted travelers and was replaced by the Scotts Valley Diner. The building was demolished last May.

Based in San Diego, Jack in the Box currently has three locations in the county, one in Santa Cruz at the foot of Pacific Garden Mall and two in the Watsonville area.

First started in San Diego as a hamburger stand in 1951 the company now has more than 2,330 locations. The company has adapted to customer demands for healthier and less expensive food along with Kona coffee from Hawaii for $1.39.

Website: www.jackinthebox.com

The sales tax that pays for everything from public works projects and road improvements to public safety and parks in Scotts Valley is set to expire in seven months, but some residents - including one city council member - want to extend it for another five years.

In 2005, voters approved the quarter-cent sales tax, which went into effect on April 1, 2006. As of June 30, the tax has raised more than $3.7 million since its inception.

Now the tax is set to expire on March 31, 2011. However, at a council meeting in March of this year, Council member Stephany Aguilar asked members to consider placing a measure on the November ballot to extend the tax for five more years.

The council voted 4-1 against Aguilar’s proposal, saying that the tax is not needed because the city already has $5 million in reserves, and because voters were assured the Measure C would only last until 2011 when they voted to approve Measure C in 2005.

Now Aguilar wants to gather 1,400 signatures within 180-days to call for a special election in February. She expressed concern for city employees and said that when the tax expires, the city will lose about $435,000 in taxes for city services. The $5 million in reserves is supposedly restricted cannot be used to fund city services.

September 24 – October 10

Scotts Valley Performing Arts is presenting Into the Woods as their 2010 Fall Musical offering. The musical features music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and plot by James Lapine. This perennial favorite won several Tony Awards upon its 1987 debut, and has been produced regularly since then including a spectacular Broadway revival in 2002.

Based on several well-known Brothers Grimm fairy tales, Into the Woods is an imaginative, humorous and ultimately very human retelling of the stories of our childhood. An ambivalent Cinderella? A bloodthirsty Little Red Riding Hood? Prince Charming with a roving eye? A Witch ... who raps? They’re all among the cockeyed characters we meet in this charming tale.

And the music is vintage Sondheim; complex, haunting, and utterly beautiful, it will stay in your head – and heart - forever.

When a Baker and his Wife learn they’ve been cursed with childlessness by the Witch next door, they embark on a quest for the special objects required to break the spell: swindling, lying to and stealing from Cinderella, Little Red, Rapunzel and Jack (the one who climbed the beanstalk). Everyone’s wish is granted at the end of Act One, but the characters later on learn to “be careful what they wish for.” What begins as lively, irreverent fantasy becomes a parable about the loss of innocence and the price paid for achieving the things we really want. If life teaches us anything, it is that “happily ever after” isn’t necessarily where the story ends, but where it begins.

Andrew Ceglio is the production’s director for SVPA with Drew Lewis as the musical director. Both have been key principals of recent, highly successful Cabrillo Stage productions (Scrooge, Cabaret and I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change), and the company is honored to have them involved this year.

About this show Andrew says, “We’ve assembled an amazing cast, made up of the best and brightest upcoming local talent from all over the county. We’re using all the tools: puppetry, shadow plays, suggestion and misdirection, even magic. We are challenged daily as this show is a massive, complex piece of art, but we are creating a fantastic experience that will capture your hearts and thrill your imaginations.” Straight from the horse’s mouth... don’t miss this one.

Performances will be Friday and Saturday nights (7:30 p.m.) and Sunday afternoons (2 p.m.) from September 24 through October 10, at the Bethany University Community Theater in Scotts Valley. For more information and to buy tickets visit www.svpaa.org or call 831-818-1516.

Photos Curtesy of Bari Miller Photography

Innovative, Green plan finally to be realized

Aptos Times: Mid-August 2010

Ever since Highway 1 was relocated in 1949 and no longer ran through what is now Aptos Village, there has been an interest in expanding and unifying the various portions of the Village area. This resulted in the Aptos Village Design Framework, developed in the 1970s and modified in the 1980s. In 2001, there was a move to update that Framework and provide further details to form a formal Village Plan.

The Aptos Village Project follows the Aptos Village Plan, which determines future development of 15 acres in the heart of Aptos.

Currently six of these acres are undeveloped. The plan governs private developers as they build new shops and apartments, a public recreational use area (possibly a bicycle or skate park), a grassy commons and two new streets that bisect the Village area that fronts on Soquel Drive between Aptos Creek and Trout Gulch Roads.

The planned village green will have trees, picnic tables, raised planters and benches with room enough for people on their lunch break or 1,000 people for an event like a concert when the two new streets bisecting the property are closed to traffic.

Colorful Awnings are to provide shade over sidewalks and buildings will feature open porches making all making the new village center pedestrian-friendly.

The new buildings will include a variety of architectural styles and ideas borrowed from the 1920’s and 30’s with colors and textures matching those of current structures.

Some two- and three-story buildings will be mixed use to include first-floor storefronts and upper-floor balconies and residential apartments overlooking the street. The Bayview Hotel, at four stories tall, will remain the largest building in the village.

The historic apple barn, which was originally a packing plant, will be refurbished to unveil its vintage wood ceiling beams. The original redwood siding will be retained, reinforced and repainted.

The current schedule for the project according to Vice President Jesse Nickell of Barry Swenson Builder, depends not only on the process but also on the economy. “This will determine whether the residential spaces in the mixed use buildings will be sold or rented.”

The current project schedule: February 2010 Aptos Village Plan unanimously approved by county supervisors • July 15 - detailed drawings were submitted to the county • August/September - plan presented to the Historic Resources Commission • Sept/Oct/Nov - plan goes to the Planning Commission for consideration • Dec/Jan plan to go before the Board of Supervisors for approval • Late 2011, Early 2012 - Construction begins on Phase I.

The associated community planning process developed a number of key goals for the Plan, including:

• Creating a Village Common at the heart of the community.
• Establishing a new east-west street connecting Trout Gulch and Aptos Creek Roads.
• Establishing a new north-south street connecting Soquel Drive to the new east-west street, intersecting at the Village Common and connecting the existing Village businesses to the new area. This will provide a face for the new Village Core area to the vehicles and pedestrians using Soquel Drive.
• Aptos Creek Road to be improved as the entrance to Nisene Marks State Park.
• Setting aside a public recreational use area for possibly a skate or bike park.
• Building new housing as a transitional area to existing residential neighborhoods, with commercial and mixed commercial and residential uses in the interior of the Village.
• Covered sidewalks in the Village for pedestrians.
• On and off street parking for convenient shopping. Most off-street parking will be located behind buildings enhancing Village ambiance.
• Landscaped streets throughout the Village.
• A mix of housing, shopping, dining, community services and employment that complements the current Village area.
• Protect the existing business area along Soquel Drive as an integral part of the Village.

Given the complexities of property lines, infrastructure, and market conditions, the plan provides a clear vision for implementation with the County’s General Plan and zoning designations reinforcing the Village Plan.

Music Director/Conductor Marin Alsop guides this super star orchestra through challenging new compositions with a keen eye, sharp ear and the uncanny musical understanding and ability to insure that every intended detail is realized as intended.

Scherzoid (2003-04) by the English composer Turnage opened with sharp percussive punctuation, soprano sax, fast static pulse and repetitive lines to create a jazzy, motto perpetuo fabric. Sustained brass against rapid-fire vibes was well placed. The chords and melodic gestures retained a positive identity to the very end. Scherzoid was well conceived and well received.

On a Wire (2009) by Jennifer Higdon featured the Eighth Blackbird Sextet. The work began interestingly enough, but soon became theatrical, predictable and somewhat complacent. It seemed to wrap itself around itself becoming more restrained. The idea of having the sextet involved inside the piano attaching strings to the piano strings and bowing them along with improvisational-like percussive effects tapped out on the sound board alluded to the Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano (1946-48) by John Cage. Given the fact a fine orchestra was involved, the compositional purpose was questionable and fell a bit short of Higdon’s many interesting musical moments contained in past works.

Symphony No. 3 (2009) by Michael Hersch was in a sense perhaps the most “contemporary” work of the evening. Thick, dense, static textures with intermittent brass and percussive bursts became the formula of the piece. The entire work came off as measured and the idea of articulated orchestral pairings and contrasting densities were absent. Of the seven movements, the third was quite effective and the fifth the most compositionally imaginative.

Bobo and Diego became friends at the SPCA however they do not need to be adopted together.

Three legged dogs often do as well as their four legged counterparts. The only special needs they have are affection and unconditional love.

Please come to meet them and leave three footprints of love forever in your heart.

The Santa Cruz SPCA’s adoption package for dogs and cats includes spay/neuter, vaccinations, micro-chipping, an ID tag, collar, a free health exam with a licensed Veterinarian, one month’s free health insurance, discounted crate purchase and other animal care materials.

For more information call the Santa Cruz SPCA at 465-5000, or visit www.santacruzspca.org. The SPCA is located at 2685 Chanticleer Avenue in Santa Cruz, CA 95065 and is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday, 11:00 A.M. to 5:00 p.m.

Dietary fiber is found in the plants you eat, including fruits, vegetables and whole grains. It’s sometimes called bulk or roughage.

You’ve probably heard that it can help with digestion. So it may seem odd that fiber is a substance that your body can’t digest. It passes through your digestive system practically unchanged.

“You might think that if it’s not digestible then it’s of no value. But there’s no question that higher intake of fiber from all food sources is beneficial,” says Dr. Joanne Slavin, a nutrition scientist at the University of Minnesota.

Fiber can relieve constipation and normalize your bowel movements. Some studies suggest that high-fiber diets might also help with weight loss and reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.

The strongest evidence of fiber’s benefits is related to cardiovascular health. Several large studies that followed people for many years found that those who ate the most fiber had a lower risk for heart disease. The links between fiber and cardiovascular health were so consistent that these studies were used by the Institute of Medicine to develop the Dietary Reference Intakes for fiber.

Experts suggest that men get about 38 grams of fiber a day, and women about 25 grams. Unfortunately, in the United States we take in an average of only 14 grams of fiber each day.

High fiber intake seems to protect against several heart-related problems. “There is evidence that high dietary fiber consumption lowers ‘bad’ cholesterol concentrations in the blood and reduces the risk for developing coronary artery disease, stroke and high blood pressure,” says Dr. Somdat Mahabir, a nutrition and disease expert with NIH’s National Cancer Institute.

Fiber may also lessen the risk for type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes. Fiber in the intestines can slow the absorption of sugar, which helps prevent blood sugar from spiking. “With diabetes, it’s good to keep glucose levels from peaking too much,” explains Dr. Gertraud Maskarinec of the University of Hawaii.

In a recent NIH-funded study, Maskarinec and her colleagues followed more than 75,000 adults for 14 years. Consistent with other large studies, their research found that diabetes risk was significantly reduced in people who had the highest fiber intake.

“We found that it’s mostly the fiber from grains that protects against diabetes,” Maskarinec says. However, she notes that while high fiber intake may offer some protection, the best way to reduce your risk of diabetes is to exercise and keep your weight in check.

Weight loss is another area where fiber might help. High-fiber foods generally make you feel fuller for longer. Fiber adds bulk but few calories. “In studies where people are put on different types of diets, those on the high-fiber diets typically eat about 10% fewer calories,” says Slavin. Other large studies have found that people with high fiber intake tend to weigh less.

Different types of fiber might affect your health in different ways. That’s why the Nutrition Facts Panels on some foods list 2 categories of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber may help to lower blood sugar and cholesterol. It’s found in oat bran, beans, peas and most fruits. Insoluble fiber is often used to treat or prevent constipation and diverticular disease, which affects the large intestine, or colon. Insoluble fiber is found in wheat bran and some vegetables.

Still, experts say the type of fiber you eat is less important than making sure you get enough overall. “In general, people should not be too concerned by the specific type of fiber,” says Mahabir. “The focus should be more on eating diets that are rich in whole grains, vegetables and fruits to get the daily fiber requirement.”

Whole grains, fruits and vegetables are also packed with vitamins and other nutrients, so experts recommend that you get most of your fiber from these natural sources. “Unfortunately, a lot of people tend to pick low-fiber foods. They go for white bread or white rice.

Most of the processed foods—foods that are really convenient—tend to be low in fiber,” says Slavin.

The bottom line is that most of us need to fit more fiber into our day, no matter what its source. “It would be great if people would choose more foods that are naturally high in fiber,” Slavin says.

Increase your fiber intake gradually, so your body can get used to it. Adding fiber slowly helps you avoid gas, bloating and cramps. Eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts to add a mix of different fibers and a wide range of nutrients to your diet. A fiber-rich diet can help your health in many ways.
Courtesy of The National Institutes of Health

We respect and admire volunteers for their devotion to a cause and their willingness to sacrifice their own needs for the needs of others. These selfless acts can often be life changing for the person on the receiving end, but what about the person volunteering?

The health benefits of volunteering are well documented and include reduced stress and an increased feeling of self worth. It is no wonder that for many people with chronic conditions, volunteering can even help maintain or improve one’s physical health.

Hand in Hand for RA (www.handinhandforRA.com) is a national awareness campaign that encourages people with the painful chronic joint disease rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to learn about the benefits of volunteering and share their own inspirational stories.

“Volunteering is a huge part of my life that has really helped me through some tough times dealing with a chronic disease,” says Seth Ginsberg, cofounder and president of grassroots arthritis group CreakyJoints, a sponsor of the campaign. “Things as simple as getting involved with senior citizens in your local community - reading to them, driving them to the grocery store and even just talking with them - all help keep your mind off your disease.”

When Debbie McGrady, a 55-year-old mother of two and part-time bank teller, was diagnosed with RA, she decided she wasn’t going to allow the disease to take over her life. Debbie has gotten involved with Hand in Hand for RA and has found volunteering to be very rewarding and fun as she drives seniors to their doctor’s appointments, to the drugstore and on other errands.

“Helping others and giving back to the community has assisted me in keeping the focus on my life and not on my disease,” says Debbie. “Volunteering can be as simple as supervising children at an after-school program or coaching your children’s sports team.”

Volunteering also is a way to connect with others and offers people living with RA an opportunity to talk about their disease and communicate with people going through the same things.

To take advantage of what your community may offer or to find ideas, try visiting your local recreation center, YMCA or town hall.

These places post community activities and list where volunteers are needed. Also, visit the Hand in Hand for RA website to learn about how other RA volunteers are giving back.

Other tips on volunteering for RA patients include:

• Participate in a beautification project by planting a garden.
  
• Get involved in a local fundraiser for a good cause; or create one.
  
• Deliver meals to seniors in town.
  
• Help paint a local house in disrepair.
  
• Mentor youth.
  
• Volunteer at an animal shelter.
  

Before starting on any new activity, it is important to talk first with a health care provider about what volunteer activities would be the best to pursue based on your individual health status.

For more information on how to get involved with Hand in Hand for RA visit www.handinhandforRA.com.
Courtesy of ARAcontent

Parents don’t want to be the bad guy, nor have other parents perceive them as bragging that their child is perfect and all the other kids are bad. Instead parents take a stance, “They’re just kids, they all have problems, and they’ll work through it.” Parents commensurate with one another and, many times, believe they should just “hang in there” until the teen years pass. It’s an unfortunate mistake made by many parents who don’t understand the power of teenage friendship.

While working with teenagers in hospitals or drug programs, creating an approval list of friends was a top priority for me and my staff.

We worked with parents to identify a list of acceptable friends and then created a written contract for the rewards and consequences of following it. Most teens resisted, but with clear guidelines and determination, parents were usually successful. Ironically, many times it was the parents who had the most difficulty with the approval list, not the teenager.

Take a look at your teen’s Facebook page. How many friends do they have? For teenagers their “friend count” is like a trophy wall. Friends mean approval, significance and self-worth. If a group of teenagers decide something is cool, they are experts at reinforcing it in the circle of friendship.

If your teen is struggling with personal problems, the issue can reach dramatic proportions. The circle of friendship becomes a furnace, fueled by praise for taking risks, like engaging in sexual behavior or using drugs and alcohol. The problems become bigger than a teenagers capacity to navigate a way out, and it is a mistake for parents to think they can do it alone.

Remember when you were a child fighting with your sibling and your mother would say, “You two go to your separate rooms until I tell you to come out.” She understood that whatever the problem, separating one another would most likely solve the issue. It was the energy of being together that gave fuel to the argument and separating one another would change the circumstances.

Teenage problems are similar, the goal is to change the situation, remove the social reinforcement and create a new environment. It’s not about pitting one kid against another; it’s about removing the energy between them that sustains the problem. If more parents understood this, they would work together as a community and help one another during the challenging years of teenage life.

When creating an approval list there are few important things to remember. First, know that your teenager will think you have lost your mind. Of course, many of them don’t think you have a mind, so you aren’t loosing much. Regardless, they need your guidance and strength, not your popularity. They need to see your resolve, know you are serious and won’t compromise once the list is complete.

Teens will want to know upfront, “how long is this going to last?” I advise parents to create milestones – usually every thirty days—when you meet as a family, evaluate how things are going and modify the list, if needed. Teens don’t work well with statements like, “We’ll just have to wait and see.” It’s better to set some concrete dates for future discussions.

Secondly, know that parents of other teens won’t always be on the same page as you, especially if their kid isn’t on your approval list. I recently worked with a family whose 13-year-old teenager was having sex with his girlfriend. The parents decided to contact the girl’s mother to gain her support in ending the relationship. But the girl’s parents had no problem with the teens having sex. The parents of the boy were devastated and wondered if an approval list was worth their time.

This isn’t uncommon, but parents need to establish their own values and rules in their home. Teenagers will always find some parent out there who will allow teens to drink at parties, participate in sexual activities and other behaviors you may not approve of. You must set the standard for your family and don’t let others make your child’s decisions.

Finally, create a contract that supports the approval list. This is a very clear, concrete written agreement between you and your teen that spells out how you will monitor the approval list, what the consequences will be if it isn’t followed and how the teen will be rewarded—usually on a monthly basis— for keeping the contract. One final word –don’t police your teen.

Parents always ask me, “How can we monitor this? These kids go to the same school.” I tell them, “Create some basic checks and balances—review the phone bill and see who they are calling, randomly check their cell phone, meet with school counselors and teachers, review their internet history like Facebook and other social networks.”

But don’t put the focus on policing or trying to catch them doing something wrong. If kids are having problems with friends or difficulty at school, trouble always comes to the surface. Instead, put the emphasis on healthy relationships and creating a positive environment. Remind your child that they are in charge of the rewards and consequences for their actions.

If you create an approval list out of love and support, it is worth the investment. It’s the best advice I can give parents today. Do you need a formal list? Maybe not, but you always need to ask, “Who are you hanging out with these days?” If you don’t know your teenager’s friends, you don’t have a complete picture of what’s going on in their life.

Through the month of August and September, the cost to adopt an adult cat (over one year old) will be reduced from $100 to $55. While single kitten adoptions remain at $120, members of our community that adopt two kittens will get the second kitten for half price. Santa Cruz County Animal Services operates two animal shelters, the Live Oak branch at 2200 7th Ave. in Santa Cruz and the Watsonville Branch at 580 Airport Blvd. in Watsonville.

“We have a beautiful six year old brown tabby named “Frida” who has been at the Watsonville Animal Shelter for six months,” states Natalia Riviera-Espana, Animal Care Supervisor for the Watsonville Branch. “We are hopeful that Frida’s new parents will come in and fall in love with her because of this special pricing.”

“The cats we adopt are spayed or neutered, microchipped, receive all current vaccinations and are given a free collar and ID tag. With this special pricing, adopters are not only getting a new best friend, but they are getting a great deal, too,” states Allison Lozoya, Animal Care Supervisor for the Live Oak Branch.

Dr. Solimon’s appointment marks the formation of Salud’s Pediatric Dental Department. He will see pediatric patients at Salud’s Main Clinic, 204 E. Beach St., Watsonville and at Salud’s Clinica del Valle Del Pajaro, 45 Nielson St., Watsonville.

Dr. Solimon received his Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree from UC San Francisco, and completed a residency in Pediatric Dentistry CHAT (Community Health Advocacy Training) at UCLA. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Health Science at the University of Nevada, Reno.

His professional experience includes comprehensive oral health care in the pediatric clinic at the Eisner Pediatric and Family Health Center in Los Angeles, oral health care for rural pediatric patients at Community Oral Health Services in Salinas, and oral health care to the community at the Native American Health Center in both San Francisco and Oakland. Dr. Solimon speaks English, Spanish and Tagalog.

The first pedodontist at Salud, Dr. Solimon joins Salud’s Dental Director Dr. Dennis Baluyut and its Associate Dental Director Dr. Hugo J. Ferlito, along with eight other general family dentists. Salud provides dental services, including x-rays, to both children and adults in the two above-mentioned clinics in Watsonville and at its Beach Flats Clinic in Santa Cruz. Salud dentists also provide dental examinations and treatment, including diagnoses based on x-rays, to children in its seven school-based clinic sites in elementary and middle schools in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District in and around Watsonville.

Of Dr. Solimon’s appointment, Dr. Ferlito said, “We are extremely fortunate to have hired Dr. Solimon. His arrival enables Salud to take a major step forward: forming a Pediatric Dental Department. This means that Salud can now treat its pediatric dental patients in-house, and that parents will not need to travel long distances with their children to obtain the special skills of a pedodontist.

Dr. Solimon will also support the general dentists who provide general dentistry care and treatment to children in our school-based clinics. He will be the cornerstone of our expanding pediatric dental program. We welcome him and look forward to enhancing the service to our young patients in their pediatric dental home.”

By Sam Eastland
Bantam. $25 (Rating - Excellent)
Once the most trusted agent of Tsar Nicholas Romanov, Pekkala has languished in a Siberian prison since the Bolsheviks came to power. Now Prisoner 4745-P is given a new lease on life when he is resurrected by Stalin and charged with locating the slain Tsar’s killers and the royal child who reputedly survived the family execution in 1918.

With his own fate hanging in the balance, the man who was once known as “the man with bloody hands” finds himself plunged into the past as he tries to sort through a mystery that, if solved, could have international repercussions.

In this Russian period thriller, Sam Eastland weaves historical fact with fast paced action to create a gripping scenario that will have readers devouring this tightly written story. Multiple flashbacks and the authentic setting offer the exotic flavoring that makes this a tasty morsel that any suspense gourmet will savor from start to finish.

The author is already working on a sequel, so consider this just the appetizer to what will hopefully be a complete seven-course feast!

By Stephanie Laurens
Avon. $7.99 (Rating- Very good)
This latest Stephanie Laurens historical romance has all the elements of a ripping tale of passion and adventure. Combine a sex, amnesiac hero with a ravishing, strong-willed leading lady and then spice the relationship with some totally nasty villains and you have an unbeatable tale of amour and adventure.

Wounded in battle and forced to abandon ship, Major Logan Monteith’s mission is in serious jeopardy. Recuperating in a small English village, Logan struggles to regain his memory, although the woman who rescued him, Linnet Trevission, is becoming a major distraction.

That’s not to say the lusty soldier minds getting to know his hostess up close and very personally but here’s much more at stake here than just a fleeting romance. The question is, can Logan pull himself together quickly enough to complete his aborted mission? And, from Linnet’s perspective, this hopefully will develop into more than just a casual relationship.

In this third book of the “Black Cobra Quartet,” you’ll find the author allows some of her characters from the Cynster and Bastion Club stories to make cameo appearances in “The Brazen Bride.”

In a very crowded literary genre, Stephanie Laurens has set herself apart from other romance writers with her strong plots and memorable characters. If you enjoy novels set in Regency England, this is an author you want to add to your reading list.

By Carolyn Hart
William Morrow. $24.99 (Rating-Very Good)
With this novel, Carolyn Hart reaches a milestone with her “Death on Demand” series. The 20th installment of the stories featuring Annie and Max Darling, the owners of the Death on Demand bookstore, finds Booth Wagner, an overbearing and very wealthy businessman, using his influence to remove the director of the local youth recreation center.

Jean Hughes, the beleaguered woman, asks Max to help her fight to keep her job. Just as he is making progress with the center’s board members, Jean’s adversary is killed.

It comes as no surprise to find that the local police focus on Jean and see her as the most likely suspect. As Max and Annie work overtime to find the killer and save their friend, they discover that the dead man had plenty of enemies. But where to begin?

The suspicious death of a local teen sends the investigative duo in another direction, for the Darlings are convinced there is a link to Wagner’s murder. As the pressure mounts and the case against Jean builds, Max and Annie have to step-it-up to find the killer before he or she strikes again.

Introduced in 1987 when they made their debut in “Death on Demand,” these two amateur sleuths have created a large fan base of loyal readers. Carolyn Hart has worked hard to keep the series fresh and her characters interesting. The fact that after two decades Max and Annie are still going strong proves that the Oklahoma writer is a master of her craft.

By Philip Margolin
Harper. $25.99 (Rating- Very good)
The follow-up to his recent bestseller “Executive Privilege,” this latest Philip Margolin legal thriller takes the reader inside the U.S. Supreme Court as Brad Miller, Dana Cutler and Keith Evans are again united to handle a very ticklish situation.

The threesome will have to untangle a five-year-old case involving a ghost ship and the President’s nominee to be the next Justice, but the story begins with an Oregon woman’s appeal before the Supreme Court to overturn a murder conviction.

How this case, the retirement of one of the Justices, a shootout on a small freighter on the Columbia River and an attack on another one of the court members are related becomes the subject of this investigation. What Miller, Cutler and Evans uncover is a situation so bizarre that it nearly defies description.

With the nation’s court serving as a background, this is one of Margolin’s most entertaining and action packed novels. If you enjoyed “Executive Privilege” or any of the author’s previous stories, you’ll find this one equally engrossing!

By Paula Quinn
Grand Central. $6.99 (Rating-Good)
She ‘s been locked away in an abbey closely guarded by some of the king’s finest soldiers for most of her life because her true identity is one of the Crown’s most closely guarded secrets. But all that changes when the abbey is attacked. Now Lady Davina Montgomery must take care of herself or find someone else to look after her.

Scottish laird Rob MacGregor doesn’t give a whit about the British but he isn’t the sort of man to leave a woman, even an Englishwoman, in distress. So, perhaps against his better judgment, Rob delivers Davina out of harm’s way.

The idea was to get the ravishing beauty to safety and then send her on her way. Davina’s enticing personality and a stolen kiss cause a change of plans and even though her “secret” could destroy his clan, Rob finds he can’t let her go. So, what does the Highlander do now?

A classic tale of a romance that could tear a family apart, this Scottish medieval romance marks the beginning of a new series by Paula Quinn.

“Although diesel consumption shows signs of our continuing difficulties throughout the economy, gasoline consumption is a better indicator of consumer driving and consumption habits,” said Betty T. Yee, Chairwoman of the BOE. “This month saw a small uptick, but recent months have shown modest declines during a roughly 80-cent per gallon increase over last year.”

Gasoline consumption increased 0.6 percent in April 2010 when Californians consumed 1.255 billion gallons of gasoline compared to 1.248 billion gallons consumed in April 2009.

The average price at the pump for gasoline in California during April 2010 was $3.14 per gallon, which is an increase of 32 percent compared to April 2009 when average price at the pump for gasoline was $2.38.

Sales and use tax revenue from gasoline sales in California in April 2010 was $329 million, an increase of $110 million compared to the gasoline sold at the lower price in April 2009 that generated $219 million. The April 2010 sales and use tax revenue of $329 million includes an additional $36 million due to the one percent sales and use tax rate increase that went into effect on April 1, 2009.

Diesel consumption in April 2010 shows that Californians used 204 million total gallons, which is a 7.1 percent decline than the total of 220 million gallons of diesel that Californians used in April 2009. Diesel prices in California in April 2010 were $3.21 per gallon, which is an increase of 37 percent compared to April 2009 when California diesel prices were lower at $2.34 per gallon. Diesel consumption generally follows economic activity and is especially closely related to construction and transportation of goods.

Black and white photo studies as well as vibrant mixed media works await visitors in a new art exhibit presented by the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County in collaboration with the Santa Cruz County Department of Parks, Open Space and Cultural Services.

When taking care of such mundane tasks such as paying for a parking ticket, prepare to be enthralled at the transformation some exciting works of art bring to this drab government building. Be sure to leave enough time to view each piece. Doing so could brighten even the dullest and most routine chore.

Displayed on the 5th floor—both on the walls and in glass display cases—you’ll find exceptional art created by some of our most talented local artists: Rogan Lynch (black & white photographs); Mary Karlton (colorful mixed media works inspired by 20th Century modernism); and Mary Berkana (art gourds prompted by the natural world).

As an example of the peaceful sensations you might experience when viewing art, Lynch says of his process, “When we come upon flowing water, or a rose in bloom, we feel a sense of peace inspired by the encountered harmony. I look for that harmony in unexpected places—in the bark of a tree, or in the decay-softened geometry of farm equipment rusting in a field.” That experience can be had simply by walking through the halls of the County Government Center.

A reception will be held at the County Government Center on Friday, September 3 from 5 to 8 p.m.

The Cultural Council and the Santa Cruz County Department of Parks, Open Space and Cultural Services annually sponsor four exhibits at the Government Center. Applications to exhibit are available each August from the Cultural Council website, and are available to all artists residing in Santa Cruz County. Applications are now being accepted for the 2011 calendar year.

The County Government Center is located at 701 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz. For more information, contact Joyce at (831) 475-9600 x10, or by e-mail: joyce@ccscc.org.

The Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County leads and advances the Arts by providing funding, advocacy and support to artists and arts organizations.

•••

August 24 — October 19
2010 701 Ocean Street, 5th Floor, Santa Cruz
Gallery Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Reception: Friday, June 4th, 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., First Friday Art Tour

The grant has two goals: 1) Reduce the number of speed-related fatalities on the Santa Cruz State Route 129 (SR-129) traffic safety corridor as compared to the base period of January 1, 2008, through December 31, 2008; and 2) To reduce the number of speed-related injuries on the Santa Cruz SR-129 traffic safety corridor as compared to the same base period. The specific portion of SR-129 the CHP will concentrate on is between SR-129 and Blackburn Street, and SR-129 to Old Chittenden Road.

“Excessive speed consistently causes a large share of collisions,” said CHP Captain Christina Manriquez, commander of the Santa Cruz Area office. “Enforcement efforts will specifically be targeted at reducing fatality and injury collision victims on Highway 129.”

Along this stretch of roadway in 2008, three people died and eight others were injured in speed-related collisions. In fact, that same year in California, speed was indicated as the Primary Collision Factor in 28.4 percent of the fatal and injury collisions.

“The goal with this project is not writing more tickets, it’s saving lives. We ask the public to help us in this regard,” added Captain Manriquez. “Remember, speed limit signs are not just suggestions, they’re the law.”

The grant period of the Santa Cruz SR-129 traffic safety corridor is from August 1, 2010, through July 31, 2011. Enhanced enforcement is one of the strategies for this project.

Funding for the “Don’t Cross the line on 129” project is provided by a $220,729 grant awarded by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

SANTA CRUZ — On Sunday, September 5th, set sail on the Chardonnay II and experience a lovely cruise on the bay while watching the “Day on the Monterey Bay Regatta” sailing race. In support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Santa Cruz County, the Santa Cruz Yacht club is hosting this annual Regatta, now in its 19th year, to raise funds for local youth mentoring services.

Tickets for the Chardonnay II are $50 per person (space is limited) and include:\ a 2-hour sail on the beautiful Monterey bay, a catered dinner from Johnny’s Harborside, and live music in the harbor following the race. There will also be a silent auction, a limited $100 raffle for a 7-day vacation to Sayulita Mexico, and a $10 raffle for dozens of great prizes donated by local businesses.

All proceeds directly benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Santa Cruz County who has been helping children and youth navigate the challenges of growing up through quality mentoring services locally for the last 28 years.

Reserve your seat on the elegant Chardonnay II soon as space is limited! Call (831) 464-8691, email kaylia@santacruzmentor.org, or visit www.santacruzmentor.org for registration or more information.

Major sponsors of the 19th annual Day on the Monterey Bay Regatta include: Multiverse, S. Martinelli & Co, West Marine, Johnny’s Harborside, Lighthouse Bank, The Lee- Kahn Foundation, Comcast and KWAV.

Art supplies, custom and ready made frames, art work from local artists, and gifts from international and local artisans: Wild Rose has it all. And if you can’t find it, the exceptionally knowledgeable staff will help.

“For a small store, we carry a vast amount of art supplies for every kind of artist,” said store manager Melodie Milhoan. “If you don’t find it, we can order it for you. Teachers and students get special discounts.

With the Santa Cruz County Fair just around the corner, owner Tracy LeCroy has made sure Wild Rose is stocked up on ready-made frames for your fair entries. “People need quick frames for the fair. Here you can just take a canvas and drop it into a frame,” said Tracy.

If you have a piece of fine art or an family photo that you want to custom frame, the expert staff at Wild Rose can help you pick the perfect mat, glass and frame design to compliment the art, match your tastes and preserve it for the future.

“We carry supplies that some of the other stores don’t carry,” said Tracy. For example, Wild Rose stocks Michael Harding hand-made oil paints, and R&F Encaustic Paint.

“Since I took over four years ago, we have added some new sections,” said Tracy. “Come see if you haven’t been here in a while.”

Along side the wall of custom frames hangs artwork from local artists such as County Fair prize winning print maker Katherine Stutz-Taylor, and painter Sefla Joseph, who also teaches for the Santa Cruz Art League and the Corralitos Arts Council. Popular local artist and author Michele Faia, mixed media artist Roberta Lee Woods, watercolor artist and teacher Bonnie Carver and others also have their work on display for sale at Wild Rose.

The gifts section of Wild Rose includes art works from around the world as well as earrings that are handmade by the proprietress, Tracy LeCroy. “Wild Rose has great gifts. Our gifts are unusual, tempting and affordable,” Says Tracy.

For the student and the professional artist Wild Rose carries all kinds of paints including; oil, watercolor, gouache, acrylic, tempera, craft paints and all the necessary accompaniments. For drawing, there are sketchbooks ranging in size, paperweight, texture and color as well as a variety of large individual sheets of paper. There are tools, airbrushes, calligraphy pens and ink, and more.

For kids, there are paint-by-number kits, Klutz books, face paints, collage materials, bead kits, glitter, Sculpey, paper mache, plaster of Paris, blocks of clay and much more.

Wild Rose carries instructional books, on acrylic and oil painting, Chinese brush painting, drawing, composition, and many others.

Besides Tracy and Melodie, other Wild Rose staff members include: Jeanne Davis, who is an excellent framer, and artist/painter Kitsy Armato.

“My staff is the glue that holds it all together,” said Tracy. “They work so hard for the store. They believe in what is going on here—in what we are doing.”

Tracy has been a volunteer with the Pajaro Valley Arts Council. “I have worn many hats for the PV Arts Council,” she said. “I am now a passionate volunteer, donor and sometimes caterer. PVAC is a very special place”

Wild Rose Art Supplies and Custom Framing has been in business for nearly 30 years. Tracy bought the store from the original owners four years ago. Since then, she has made many innovative changes. With the dedicated and knowledgeable staff at Wild Rose to help, you will be sure to find what you are looking.

Two-dimensional artwork will be exhibited on the 1st and 5th floors of the Government Center, and three-dimensional work will be shown in glass display cases.

Artists must reside in Santa Cruz County and must not have exhibited at the County Building within the past year, or during 2010.
To apply, artists must submit an application packet by November 9, 2010.

Applications will be screened by a panel consisting of:

• Two professional artists
  
• One Cultural Council Board member
  
• One Santa Cruz County Arts Commissioner
  
• A representative from the County Parks & Recreation Department
  
• Two County employees
  

The Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County in collaboration with the County Department of Parks, Open Space & Cultural Services, produces the County Government Center exhibits.

For more information, contact Joyce at (831) 475-9600 x10, or by e-mail: joyce@ccscc.org
The Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County leads and advances the Arts by providing funding, advocacy and support to artists and arts organizations.
The Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County 2400 Chanticleer Avenue, Suite G, Santa Cruz, CA 95062. Ph: (831) 475-9600 • fax: (831) 475-9700 • email: info@ccscc.org • website: www.ccscc.org

On July 28, the Informational Meeting on the History of Water Supply Planning for the City of Santa Cruz and Soquel Creek Water District was held at the Santa Cruz Police Station Community Room. Approximately 65 people attended the meeting to hear presentations by Bill Kocher (Water Director, City of Santa Cruz) and Laura Brown (General Manager, Soquel Creek Water District).

An hour-long question and answer session followed with the presenters joined by Mike Rotkin (May, City of Santa Cruz) and Dan Kriege (Board Member, Soquel Creek Water District). The presentations and handouts in PDF format are now available on our website.

Questions and Answers from the meeting will be posted soon. Community TV of Santa Cruz County filmed the meeting. The video will be shown on Community TV and will be posted soon on our www.scwd2desal.org website.

Next Informational Meeting features Recycled Water on Thursday, Sept. 23.

The third in a series of scwd2 Community Informational Meetings will focus on the opportunities and regulations for municipal uses of Recycled Water. Come to this community meeting to learn about:

An overview of California regulation and policy direction for recycled water

The benefits and uses of recycled water on projects in Scotts Valley and Watsonville/Pajaro Valley area.

Potential recycled water projects and uses for the City of Santa Cruz and Soquel Creek Water District including the challenges and limitations they face.

This meeting will be held on September 23 at the Simpkins Swim Center (979 17th Avenue, Santa Cruz) from 6:30-8:30 PM. For more information on this meeting, please check the www.scwd2desal.org website.

Watershed Sanitary Survey for proposed desalination project now available.

scwd2 recently completed a watershed sanitary survey (WSS) for the proposed desalination project that included defining the watershed boundary of the potential source water and water quality sampling. A WSS is required by the California Surface Water Treatment Rule and California Department of Public Health (CDPH) will use this data to set the treatment requirements for the proposed project. The executive summary of the WSS is available on our www.scwd2desal.org website or by clicking here. The full report is available for review at the City of Santa Cruz Water Department’s Administrative Office and Soquel Creek Water District’s Main Office.

Graywater rebates now available

Soquel Creek Water District is now offering its customers up to $225 in rebates for graywater systems. The rebate is $75 for each graywater drain connection. This new rebate, launched July 1, 2010, covers graywater systems that utilize wastewater from showers, bathtubs, bathroom sinks and clothes washing machines to be used for irrigation. For more information, click here as certain requirements and restrictions apply.

Established in 1997, the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) is a unique organization that recognizes the athletic greatness inherent in all people with physical challenges and supports their athletic endeavors by providing grants for training, competition and equipment needs.

Grants are awarded for a wide range of physical challenges, across the entire spectrum of sport. CAF does not discriminate by age, disability, sport or level of ability. The hundreds of athletes assisted by CAF range from world class athletes competing on an international level to those who are recently disabled and are intent on becoming more active.

Grants are distributed once a year, with applications being accepted from September 1 to December 1 each year.

It is the mission of the Challenged Athletes Foundation to provide opportunities and support to people with physical disabilities so they can pursue active lifestyles through physical fitness and competitive athletics. The Challenged Athletes Foundation believes that involvement in sports at any level increases self-esteem, encourages independence and enhances quality of life.

To be a recognized leader in a movement through which physically challenged athletes are accepted and respected at the same level as able-bodied athletes

To have a great and significant impact on each physically challenged athlete served;

To reach out to the physically challenged community by providing inspiration, awareness and mentoring.

According to U.S. Paralympics, there are 21 million individuals living with a disability in the United States today. Only one in 10 takes part in fitness activities on a daily basis. A major impediment is cost. Equipment and specialized training that allows these individuals to engage in active lifestyles is very expensive – in fact, for many, it’s cost-prohibitive and is not covered by insurance.

September weather in Pacific Grove is beautiful. Most mornings start off cool and misty with sun breaking through by mid-morning.

Expect an average temperature of mid 70’s. The course is a looped course designed for the Olympic Distance Triathlete. The responsibility for counting your laps is the participants, so bring your own system to help you. However, split times will show any errors in lap counting.

• Friday, September 10, 12 noon – 7 p.m. Sports Expo & Packet Pick Up
  
• Saturday, September 11, 7 a.m. Race Start 10k Run
  
• Saturday, September 11, 7:30 a.m. Race Start Olympic Distance Triathlon
  
• Sunday, September 12, 7 a.m. Race Start 5k Run
  
• Sunday, September 12, 7:15 a.m. Race Start Sprint Distance Triathlon
  

The Olympic ocean swim course is .75 km (.465 mile). The swim course includes lifeguards, scuba divers, kayaks, and boats that will monitor the athletes at all times. Wetsuits and hoods or double swim caps are strongly recommended as a safety precaution because of the chilly water temperature (52-58 degrees).

Olympic Bike Course - 40k (24.8 mi) = 4 Laps

The Olympic bike course is a 10km (6.2 mile) “out and back” route along the breathtaking Pacific Grove coastline. The average lap time will be about 20–25 minutes. Olympic race participants will complete four laps. An Aid station with Power Bar Beverage, Water and medical supplies will be set up at the turnaround point.

Olympic Run Course – (10k Run Race) (6.2 mile) = 3 Laps

The run course is an “out and back” route beginning at Lovers Point and proceeding along Ocean View Boulevard. The course is flat, fast and fun with the finish line located on Ocean View Blvd adjacent to the Lovers Point parking lot. The Run Aid Station at the Aquarium turn-around will have Power Bar Performance Bar, Power Bar Beverage Recovery and Water. Finishing participants will also receive a Pasta Meal, Taylor Farm Salad, Fruit, Power Bar Recovery Drink, Power Bar and EarthWater.

Sprint Swim Course – 0.25 mile = 1 Lap

Swimmers will head out from Lovers Point. The swim course includes lifeguards, scuba divers, kayaks, and boats that will monitor the athletes at all times. Wetsuits and hoods or double swim caps are strongly recommended as a safety precaution because of the chilly water temperature (52-58 degrees).

Sprint Bike Course – 12.4 mile = 2 Laps

The Sprint bike course is an “out and back” route along the breathtaking Pacific Grove coastline. The average lap time will be about 20–25 minutes. Sprint course participants will complete a total of two laps. There are no Aid Stations, so make sure you pre-fill in the Transitions Area.

Sprint Run Course – 2 mile = 2 Laps

Beginning at Lovers Point, the run course is an “out and back” route. Athletes will finish on Ocean View Blvd adjacent to the Lovers Point parking lot where they will receive a Power Bar Performance Bar and Recovery Fluid. Participants will also receive a continental breakfast.

Intero Real Estate Services of Santa Cruz is hosting its third annual “Taste of the Harbor,” starting at 4:30 PM at Intero Real Estate at the Santa Cruz Harbor on Thursday, September 9. All proceeds donated to the Intero Foundation will benefit O’Neill Sea Odyssey.

Hosted by Intero Real Estate Services at the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor, the event will involve a raffle, live music by local artists DANJUMA & ONOLA, and food and wine provided by harbor area restaurants and local wineries, including: Aldo’s Harbor Restaurant, Café El Palomar, Crow’s Nest Restaurant, Johnny’s Harborside, The Kind Grind, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, and Vine Hill.

O’Neill Sea Odyssey (OSO) engages 4th - 6th grade youth with an education program in navigation, sailing, conservation, and marine science on a 65-foot catamaran sailing Monterey Bay, and in a shore-side education center. The program is free, and each group completes a community service project to participate. OSO has served more than 50,000 students. Not only has the interest of these students been stimulated in marine science and environmental conservation, they have also contributed directly to their community through their environmental community service projects.

Advance tickets are $39 a piece, or $45 at the door. For more information, or to purchase tickets online, link to Intero Real Estate of Santa Cruz at www.tasteoftheharbor.com. Tickets can also be purchased directly at Intero Real Estate Santa Cruz, 2222 East Cliff Drive, Suite 150, Santa Cruz, CA 95062, or (831) 464-5310.

Event parking at the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor will be $2.00. Complimentary shuttle service will be available from the upper harbor and water taxi from the west harbor.

Prizes will be raffled throughout the evening celebration - participants need not be present to win – including: El Salvador Surf Lodge; Tour of the Walton Harbor Lighthouse; Watsonville Wetlands Watch Tour & Book; Roaring Camp Railroad Tour; Private Charter aboard the Chardonnay II; Sail on the Team O’Neill Catamaran; Whale Watching Tour on Stagnaro’s Velocity, plus much more… raffle tickets are $5 each, buy four and get one free.

SANTA CRUZ — Gary Griggs, UC Santa Cruz Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Director of the Institute of Marine Sciences will discuss climate change and coastal erosion in a public lecture at the Seymour Center at 1 p.m. on Sunday, August 15. Griggs’ talk, “Climate Change, Rising Sea Levels and Coastal Retreat,” is part of the Science Sunday lecture series at the Seymour Center at Long Marine Laboratory. The event is free with paid admission or membership.

For the past several years climate change has become a hot button topic and even mentioning global warming seems to polarize many people. There are both natural causes and also human activities that have contributed to climate change. Regardless of the causes, one response to a warming climate has been the melting of ice caps and glaciers and the warming of the oceans, which both raise sea level.

The level of the ocean has been rising since the last Ice Age ended 18,000 years ago, and the shorelines of the world have been gradually retreating in response.

In his Science Sunday talk, Gary will talk about what drives climate change, how sea level has changed over the past several hundred thousand years, and what some of the projections are for future sea levels along our shoreline. He will also illustrate how the coastline of Santa Cruz has changed over the past century and present some perspectives on where we might go from here and options for the future.

Gary Griggs’ interest in surfing and the coastline led him to an undergraduate degree in Geology at UC Santa Barbara and a Ph.D. in Oceanography from Oregon State University. He is one of UCSC’s pioneer faculty and is a Distinguished Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Director of the Institute of Marine Sciences. He has been studying the coast of California for the past 42 years and has just come out with a new book, his 6th, Introduction to California’s Beaches and Coast. Gary also writes a bi-weekly column for the Santa Cruz Sentinel, Our Ocean Backyard. He was honored last year, along with several others including Julie Packard and Pierce Brosnan, by the California Coastal Commission and Sunset Magazine, as a Coastal Hero for his work on the California coast. Two years ago, he received the UC Santa Cruz Alumni Distinguished Teaching Award.

Located in Santa Cruz on the bluffs overlooking Monterey Bay, the Seymour Center provides exciting and engaging ocean education programs for the visiting public and for students of all ages. It is dedicated to educating youth, families, and the general public about the role science plays in the understanding and conservation of the world’s oceans. The Seymour Center is open six days a week, year-round, and serves more than 60,000 people each year.

Science Sunday at the Seymour Center – Climate Change, Sea Level Rise and Coastal Retreat by Gary Griggs, UC Santa Cruz Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Director of the Institute of Marine Sciences.

Much of the property floods and 18 acres is already in the process of returning to wetlands. The Land Trust plans to restore these wetlands and lease a third of the land as farmland. Land Trust Executive Director Terry Corwin said the wetland restoration would benefit wildlife, water quality, and help reduce upstream flooding. The property drains four of the five tributaries of the slough system, which flows into the Pajaro River and Monterey Bay.

Funding for the acquisition came from a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant secured by and awarded through the California Coastal Conservancy. The $860,000 grant will cover the purchase of the 45 acres, which cost $546,000, with the remaining funds to be spent on future slough acquisitions and restoration projects. The Nature Conservancy and the Wildlife Conservation Board were also key partners in supporting other acquisitions in the sloughs.

The Watsonville Slough system is the only large freshwater coastal wetland in Santa Cruz County. The sloughs are important habitat for migrating birds and for at least 12 species of birds considered of “special concern” to the state, including the California brown pelican.

The Land Trust is currently working on a number of restoration projects with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Resources Conservation District of Santa Cruz County and Watsonville Wetlands Watch. A Technical Advisory Committee comprised of these and other agencies and conservation organizations is providing assistance and expertise to the Land Trust in developing a long-term management plan for the sloughs property.

“The entire Watsonville Slough project is all about partnerships,” Corwin said. Corwin points out that the latest acquisition follows years of actions by others that have protected over a thousand acres in and around the Watsonville Slough. The California Department of Fish and Game protects 350 acres and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service protects 109 acres.

Corwin said the Land Trust would host a dedication of their Watsonville Slough Farms on September 19. “We hope everyone involved over the years in protecting the sloughs will come celebrate with us,” Corwin said.

Aegis of Aptos is offering an opportunity to learn from one of the foremost educators and experts in the field of managing challenging behaviors in people with dementia, Ms. Teepa Snow. Aegis of Aptos is presenting a workshop to help families recognize the difference between dementia and forgetfulness.

The public is invited to attend the free seminar which will be held at Aegis of Aptos, 125 Heather Terrace in Aptos on Friday, September 3 from 1:30 p.m. until 4 p.m. Please RSVP to (831) 684-2700 as space is limited.

Ms. Snow’s presentation will include an overview of what dementia and Alzheimer’s is and the normal and abnormal changes that take place in the aging brain. This session will help learners develop better interaction skills when working with people with dementia. It will emphasize the value of empathetic communication in combination with redirection and distraction. This approach is used to cope with distress and promote the use of “go with the flow” and improved non-verbal strategies to enhance understanding and responses. The goal of this session is to reduce or minimize unproductive conversations and resistive behaviors by using effective verbal and non-verbal skills.

Snow is an occupational therapist currently working as a dementia care and dementia education specialist. She has an independent practice as well as clinical appointments with Duke University’s School of Nursing and UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Medicine.

She provides educational and training sessions to organizations and providers throughout the U.S. and lectures for gerontology and health professional programs at colleges and universities across the country. She provides training and education for Alzheimer’s Association and Alzheimer Society conferences, state health care provider organizations, professional association meetings, and caregiver programs and organizations.

She works closely with several assisted living and retirement communities, hospice and day service programs, & dementia specialty service providers to improve and optimize programs and services to people with dementia and their families.

Snow received her MS degree from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and is a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association. She has received local, statewide, and national recognition for her expertise in geriatrics, dementia care and programming, and staff training.

The 23 international students and 10 MVCS student counselors carried buckets along the rows, picking strawberries as they went.

Carolyn Mariot, the program coordinator, said that strawberry picking is a way for the students to get a taste of local specialties and learn about the agriculture industry in Watsonville.

Edward, whose family lives in Taiwan, said, “It is hot, but it is fun to go to pick the strawberries because it’s my first time.”

“The trip is amazing. The biggest strawberry is just like a fist,” said Martin, a student from China.

When they finished picking, the students sampled slices of a Gizdich Ranch strawberry pie.

“After the strawberry picking I began to love strawberry pie,” said Danny, also from China.

“I made some foreign friends,” Angel said. “I chased Tiffany in the strawberry fields. And the strawberry pie was very delicious too.”

Asked why she had decided to serve as a counselor, MVCS senior Tiffany Koch said, “My dad has been to Taiwan, and I wanted to know more about what international students are like. They have so much in common with us. We’re all teenagers. We’re all thinking about the same kinds of things.”

The next day, the students had a contest to create the tallest, prettiest, or most strawberry-filled shortcakes using whipped cream and the berries they had picked themselves. One of the entries was shaped like a dinosaur. All of the shortcakes were then enthusiastically eaten.

“I was a counselor last year, and it’s even better this year,” said senior Trevor Blackburn. “This group has a great sense of humor.

“It’s been amazing to see the friendships that are forming between our local student counselors and the international students,” program coordinator Mariot said. “The student counselors are learning quite a bit about different cultures as they teach our ESL students about American culture and Monte Vista Christian School.”

“It’s interesting to find out about our differences,” said Mallory Bloesch, a junior.

The academic coordinator of the program, Joe McCroskey, is impressed by the exchange of ideas the students are contributing during their classes.

“I have never taught a more politically-minded and opinionated group of students,” McCroskey said. “This is making for lively and challenging discussions.”

Brittany Mattice, who graduated from Monte Vista in May, said, “I thought it would be hard to communicate because they’re learning a new language, but now they’re opening up and we’re learning about each other.”

Many of the international students plan to enroll at Monte Vista for the coming school year, and Monte Vista junior Jason Back said he’d be glad to see them. “It’s been so much fun. I’m looking forward to already having a new group of friends in the fall.”

Good stuff always happens on Aromas Day, and this year’s event happens Sunday, August 29, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Don’t miss this year’s event, held in the little rural town of Aromas, an easy drive on Highway 129 from Hwy 1 or 101. Follow the signs to the off-site parking lot on Markus and catch a free ride into town aboard a horse-drawn wagon.

You’ll want to start your day with a country-style breakfast buffet in the historic Aromas Community Grange Hall, beginning at 7 a.m.

While you’re there, be sure to check out all the goodies in the silent auction, benefiting the Terese White Memorial Scholarship Fund.

These scholarships are awarded to deserving Aromas students going on to college.

The street fair is open from 9 – 4, with arts and crafts vendors and tons of fun activities for the whole family. Check out the collector’s item T-shirts decorated with an original Aromas scene. If you love to look at classic cars and tractors, there will be a stellar collection.

Stroll through the lovely renovated community park, which is ground zero for “Art in the Park,” featuring works by the award winning Aromas Hills Artisans. It will be your chance to purchase watercolor and oil paintings, incredible crafts from a wide variety of media and stained glass, hand-crafted wooden boxes, weaving, sculpture, beaded jewelry, photography, prints, gourds, books and etchings.

There will be free art activities for the kids.

Children and the ‘young at heart’ will enjoy the petting zoo featuring farm animals such as chickens, ducks, little goats and bunnies. And, of course, there will be pony rides. Older children will want to tackle the climbing wall.

Enjoy a wide range of music by talented local groups.

On the Main Stage:

9 a.m.     High Hat Bill’s Open Mic Jam
11 a.m.   Buffalo Canyon Band
12 noon  10th Avenue Band
1 p.m.     Mariachi Hermanos Muratalla
2 p.m.     Parade
3 p.m.     Militia of Love

Don’t forget the food booths, where a portion of the proceeds will be donated to local non-profits like Scouts, 4-H and SPCA. 4-H Youth will have a booth on the street selling plants, planters, popcorn and homemade jam. They will be handing out information about the 4-H Youth Development Program.

The highlight of the day arrives at 2 p.m., the original small-town parade. It has all the charm and excitement you remember from the old days. If you wish to be in the parade, entry forms are available at Marshall’s Grocery store and the Old Fire House Market in downtown Aromas. For more information, call 726-1348 or go to www.aromasday.com

There will be Root Beer Floats, Balloon Dunk and kid’s games at Aromas Bible Church from 11:30 a.m. Join the fun!

The Aromas Eagles are the premier service club in Aromas and proudly sponsor Aromas Day. The Eagles, Aromas Hills Artisans (AHA), the Aromas Community Grange, Granite Rock and the Aromas 4-H will all contribute to provide the free horse-drawn wagon rides.

Other contributors to Aromas Day are; the Arts Council for Monterey County, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, the Community Foundation for Monterey County-Communities Advancing the Arts-Funded by the James Irvine Foundation with additional funding from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

Aromas Day is a free, family-friendly, knock it out of the park good time you don’t want to miss. We’ll see you there!

Again this year, the creatively decorated bras will be submitted for a gala reception and auction set for August 14, 2010 at the Mid-County Senior Center, 829 Bay Avenue, Capitola.

“Last year, we had 47 participants in this event,” said Monica DaCosta, chair of this year’s gala. “The creativity was amazing and everyone got into the spirit of the fun it generates.”

Those who wish to participate may download an entry form from the www.bras4acause.org website and deliver or mail it along with the $25 entry fee and their art bras between July 27-30 to the following location:

Brooktown Design, 219 Seabright St. (above Seabright Brewery) Santa Cruz, CA 95062

Judges will award cash prizes to the top three winners and ribbons to honorable mention entries. There is also a People’s Choice Award. All participants will receive a free ticket to the gala and auction (a $35 value), and a chance to win prizes.

SANTA CRUZ — The Cultural Council is pleased to announce the awarding of $37,380 in grants for local arts projects, and the selection of 315 artists for its 25th Anniversary Open Studios Art Tour. The funded projects will take place during fiscal year July 2010 to June 2011; this year’s Open Studios Art Tour runs the first three weekends in October.

Both the Grants Program and Open Studios welcomed new as well as seasoned grantees and artists into the program this year. These programs help the Cultural Council fulfill its mission to advocate for and promote local arts and arts organizations for the benefit of the entire community. The Cultural Council is the only source of grant funding for 80% of small arts organizations in Santa Cruz County.

According to dancer Cid Pearlman of Cid Pearlman/Performance Projects, “Support from the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County has made it possible for me to develop relationships with an extraordinary group of dancers. The ability to pay them modest stipends professionalizes our relationships within the company, and their individual relationships to the field of dance. I know that continued support from the Cultural Council will help continue to establish us as a voice for dance in Santa Cruz.”

The Cultural Council’s Open Studios Art Tour has sparked many successful art careers. Stephanie Martin, an oil painter who will participate in her 5th Open Studios Art Tour this year, said, “I have the Cultural Council to thank for setting me on this creative path. I can usually spot the visitors who wish they were creating art themselves; they have that look of longing in their eyes that I recognize so well. Many local artists have inspired me and I hope I am passing on that gift now.”

The Open Studios Art Tour draws up to 10,000 art-appreciating residents and visitors to our county. That attendance translates to an economic boost to the county through the taxable income earned by art sales of participating Open Studios artists. In 2009, this combined taxable income was close to $1 million.

This year’s Silver Anniversary Open Studios Art Tour will occur on October 2nd & 3rd, 9th & 10th, and 16th & 17th. A special promotional campaign will soon be underway. The Open Studios Artist Guide/Calendar will go on sale Friday, September 3.

More information about the Cultural Council’s Grants Program, including a full list of current grantees, as well as details about the upcoming 25th Anniversary Open Studios Art Tour can be obtained at www.ccscc.org.

Ride with Shuttle Smith Adventures! Starting at $15.00 per person, we can take you and your party to the top of Nisene Marks Forest for the 15-mile descent back to Aptos Village.

You can spend all day riding challenging single-track loops starting at the top of Soquel Demonstration Forest, one of the leading free-ride and cross-country destinations in Northern California. Or we can do custom shuttles — you design the route.

We can pick up and drop off at local airports, set you up in bike camping areas, whatever you like. Need repairs? Last-minute riding gear or accessories? We’ll take you to the appropriate bike shop.

Do you want to rent a bike while you’re in town? Have questions on routes, times, technicality or difficulty of trails? Consider Shuttle Smith your all-in-one resource for riding in the internationally famous Santa Cruz Mountains.

Call Dave at (831) 234-3383 or email Dave@ShuttleSmithAdventures.com

•••

Vapor Cleaners Now in Aptos!
Almost A Century in Santa Cruz

Vapor Cleaning first opened in March of 1912 on Pacific Avenue in Santa Cruz and started picking up and delivering laundry in 1913!

Now Vapor is in Aptos to provide you with the best in service for your dry cleaning and laundry. Or, why not let Vapor pick up and deliver your laundry and dry cleaning? It’s easier on you and easier on the environment.

Whether it’s cleaning uniforms, rugs or wedding dresses, everything Vapor Cleaners does is green from cleaning materials to energy. Their new Aptos location includes a drive-thru window, fluff & fold laundry service, and commercial laundromat with new equipment.

Vapor Cleaners, 415 Trout Gulch Rd., between Print Smith and Village Fair Antiques. Hours: 7:30 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. Tel #: 831-688-5011, Email: contact@vaporcleaners.biz, Website: www.vaporcleaners.biz

Come by to meet Sophrah, our resident mannequin who has her own website. Please visit www.sophrahswindow.tumblr.com for her daily fashion tips.