“The First Blooms of Spring Always Makes my Heart Sing” S. Brown
That is a fitting sentiment for our thoughts of spring. We enjoy the sun creeping up on the horizon ever so slightly and then lingering just a bit before it sets. Seeing the buds form on the trees and plants and warming temperatures just brings a smile to our faces. We both enjoy spending time in our gardens as we commune with nature there and spring brings the promise of the summer to our days. We like to commune with nature with more than just ourselves, having a few friends over is better but going to an outdoor event for music, food, friends and adult libations is even better. The fact that we can enjoy outdoor events here in much of the Bay Area from February until at least November is what really makes this part of the country so special. Many times we can revel in “outdoor” events earlier but February is generally a safe starting point to start thinking about the great outdoors. Hiking, running, drinking wine, outdoor cooking, a walk on the beach, or just taking a stroll in downtown – now is the time to get going…before the crowds pick up.
February and March are also great Home Improvement months, so take stock and make your list and then be sure to head to the Total Home & Garden Show in Vacaville in April so you can get the best deals on all of your projects this summer! You can be ready for your first BBQ of the season before Memorial Day which sneaks up on us every year.
In addition to the increasingly longer days, we’re even more excited since now is the time we unveil our 9th annual Local’ Choice Award winners. Did your favorite win? Were there some surprises? Whatever the results, they come from you, our readers. If you are not seeing your favorites there is always next year (actually our voting and nominations open in September) so you can plan ahead to campaign for your special choices. Until then, take a look at this year’s winners and stop by and learn why our readers chose them as the Local’s Choice!
We would like to send out a few birthday wishes for the coming months. Our oldest brother Larry is always high on our list, so we will start there, then on to Stephen, Megan, Jo-Ann, Mars, Marco, Tracey, Johnny, Myrna, Judy, James, Askari, John, Gary, Marc, Socorro, John Troupe, Louise, Betsey, Tim, Erin, Shane, Jenny, Kathleen, Rafaela, Christina, Patti, Chris, Dennis, Bill, Elizabeth, Judi, Dalia, Uncle Gabe, Frank, Francis, Raymond, Dennis, Hima, Louise, Reyna, Judy, Liz, Manuel, Eric, Daisy, and Juanita.
We hope all of you enjoy our upcoming spring season to the fullest. Cheers!
Robert Briseño & Deanna Troupe
2019 is quickly fading from view, and with it, 10 years of Local Happenings Magazine have come and gone as well. We are not sure if we planned to publish this long, but we certainly looked to the future. We’ve had a wonderful time producing these pages and the ones that have come before it, and we’re also looking forward to more in the coming years. With any luck, the magazine will continue to grow, and before we know it, we’ll be looking back in 20 years. We hope you have enjoyed taking the journey with us, and that you are looking forward to more as well. Please take the time to share your thoughts with us about the magazine and website and let us know how we can improve.
Also wrapping up along with our 10th anniversary is the 2019 Local’s Choice Awards. Hopefully, you have remembered to vote! The winners will be announced in our next issue, so stay tuned for those to see if your favorites were the winners this year!
We also want all of you to have a wonderful holiday season and an even better New Year. We would ask all of you to remember to be safe as well. Too many people get injured or even die during this time of year, and we want all of you to be able to enjoy 2020 with us along with our next decade of magazines. So, don’t drink and drive, be safe on the road, water your Christmas trees, be careful when deep-frying your turkey, blow out all your candles before going to bed and don’t eat too much rum cake!
Remember that there is also a plethora of happenings going on during this festive season. No matter what type of events you enjoy, from art exhibits to zydeco concerts, we are here to help. The calendar in these pages is just the start. On our website, there are literally thousands of events that happen each month. You can search by the type of event or for the ones nearby which makes the only hard part deciding what you want to do today!
Here are our birthday greetings to our family, friends, and readers. We will open with our brother-in-law, Ken, as well as Steven M., Marla, Rod, Joanne, Tony, Jill, Rob, Michael, Jose, Bobby, Rosemarie, Vrej, Vijay, Pancho, Margaret, Stacey, Gary, Momma Hand, Mary Hand, Monique, Connie, Lucy, Kathleen, Leslie, Jim, Elissa, Ginger, Bonnie, Linda, Bobbie, our brother Gregory B., Sid, John, Rick, Stephanie, Roman, John, Adrianna, Peggy, Samantha, and Steve, and to any and all whom we might have missed—we are thinking of you as well!
Cheers to the holidays and New Year!
Robert Briseño & Deanna Troupe
Well, valued reader, we are coming to the close of 2019. Yes, another year is wrapping up. You can tell that, when the stores start putting up their Christmas tree and other holiday decorations, it must be October (or maybe late August, in this case). The last 90 days are going to go by in a blink … unlike when we were young, and fall would drag on and on. Don’t lament the passing of this year quite yet since there is still so much to do and enjoy. We here at Local Happenings Magazine love the fall. Isn’t orange the new black? Isn’t pumpkin spice the most anticipated scent of the year? Isn’t it sweater season? Even if you don’t look as slim in bright orange or detest the scent of pumpkin spice, there are still many wonderful fall festivals to enjoy.
Did someone say festivals? Yes, there are quite a few happening during this pre-holiday season, so check out our photo and online calendars to get the dates. Beer is also in season at quite a few of those festivals as well, which is a favorite of ours. Wine drinkers have not been left out either—the crush is pretty much wrapped up, so that just means there are more wines to drink! So, don’t be sad that the days are growing shorter because we can help you fill them up, and the nights as well!
Fall also means that it is time to vote in our Local’s Choice Awards. Voting has been open for a few weeks now—but it is not too late to both nominate and vote for your favorites. Remember that there is ONE winner per category for each county (Napa, Solano, and Contra Costa). Make sure to nominate and vote for your favorites in EACH county, not just your own. Don’t forget that you get to vote more than once, though it’s only once per day. So, just like Chicago: vote early and often! Our polls close on Sunday, December 9th, so get out there and vote today, tomorrow, and every day until 12/9. Our winners will be announced in our 2020 February/March issue of Local Happenings Magazine.
We would like to make our regular birthday wishes, too; there are so many of our family and friends who are also celebrating their annual trip around the sun. We would like to wish Christopher, Clara, Rory, Tim, Michelle, Susan, Jeannie, Bea, Caroline, Monica, Jon, Liz, Mark, Cristina, Curt, Lori, Shawna, Kathy, Candy, Luis, Nico, Emily, Hermie, Xavier, Reagan, Ben, Norb, Jennifer, Shawna, LeeAnn, Ken, Amy, Ali, Julia, Connie, Tony, Kevin, Josette, Linda, Cera, John, Angelita, Larry, Paula, Alyssa, Kevin, Teena, Billie, and everyone celebrating their special day of the year in October and November!
And we always have room to print a special shout out to Mom and Dad Briseño (Genny and Ray, to everyone else); our father passed away this year, but this would have been their 66th wedding anniversary! Even though our father is not here physically to celebrate, our mother and the rest of us will mark the occasion with fond memories and love.
Until next time . . .
Robert Briseño & Deanna Troupe
We have rounded the corner for 2019, and we are already in the second half of the year. With less than 5 months until Christmas, we are sure that there are a few stores with their Christmas decoration sales already in full gear. We, here at Local Happenings Magazine, are NOT focused on the year’s end but rather the start of the voting for our Local’s Choice Awards. Yes, that time of year when you, our reader, get to nominate and select your favorites in Napa, Solano, and Contra Costa counties. Voting will open up in September, and you can read more about the details a little further in the magazine. You can also reach out to us if you have any questions about how to vote or nominate people or businesses.
Summer is in full swing and the Local Happenings calendar is full of events for you to enjoy. Make sure to visit our online calendar as well because we simply can’t get all of the great events into the pages of the magazine. You can also search online for the specific types of events you prefer the most. We have a couple of stories in these pages about some great events that are upcoming; check out our stories on Music in the Vineyards and the Pittsburg Seafood and Music Festival. Both are great for people of all ages. Remember, the first weekend of October is the Vallejo Waterfront Weekend—make sure to put all of these events on your calendars.
We are also coming up on our 10th anniversary. Our first issue came out in December of 2009—and now 10 years later—here we are! It has been a wonderful ride, not always up not always down. We are so happy to have spent this time with all our readers, and we are looking forward to sharing more great events and happenings with all of you in the future. Please drop us a line and let us know what you have thought about our first 10 years of the magazine . . . we can include them in our anniversary issue!
Now that we have brought up anniversaries, Robert Briseño, one of the magazine’s creators, and his wife, Regina are celebrating their 14th year of marital bliss. We would also like to wish happy birthday shout-outs to our sisters Karen, Barbara, Clara, and to our nephew Christopher. There are many more, of course, to recognize: John, Kenny, Joe, Catherine, Krystle, Jeff, Bob, Pippen, Yvonne, Michael, Duane, Christine, Wendy, Lou, Emily, Debbie, Dora, Therese, Freda, Cindy, Patty, Tricia, Harry, Joanne, Patrick, Cindy, Don, Mel, Derrick, Rich, Diane, Dan, Roberta, Holly, JoEllen, Jim, Eric, Caroline, Bea, Shannon, and everyone else whom we know and love who are celebrating in August, September and early October!
We look forward to talking to you again in our next issue, which will be in early fall. Have a wonderful summer!
Cheers!
Robert Briseño & Deanna Troupe
Well, here we are again, at the halfway point of 2019, and before you know it we will be singing jingle bells! Before then, we have summer and all the things that it brings to us every year. Tomatoes from the garden, kids playing at the pool, baseball, apple pie, and of course a TON of events during those long summer days. Since we know that winter is right around the corner, we need to get out now. Don’t wait, for we all know how quickly 2020 will be here! July 4th is a big event and as always there will be lots of fireworks to enjoy. I hope all of us make sure to use any fireworks safely. We have had too many fires over the past few years, and we are hoping that 2019 will not be a repeat of that destruction. As Smokey the Bear says: “Only YOU can prevent wildfires!”
Father’s Day is also coming up in June. As one may recall from our last issue, our father just passed away in February, so this Father’s Day will be our first without him. His whole family misses him greatly, and we would encourage all to share the day with your father, or any father you know and love … before you can’t. fathers… before one can’t. Perhaps, people can be a little more creative this year and forget the socks or a tie. Why not take him out to an event that you can both share? One suggestion: The Pirate Festival, which happens every Father’s Day in Vallejo. It’s an excellent event for you and dad because even if you arrrrrrrrgue, it will still be a great day! That, of course, is your “dad” joke.
This time of year is also big for weddings. With all the wet weather we’ve had late in the year, it should still be nice and green for June, at least. With the kids out of school, the biggest thing about summer is vacation time. Check out the events in our calendar and you can perhaps plan a “staycation” and take in all the sites and sounds in your community, just as the millions of visitors to the area from all over the world do every year. It always amazes us how much there is to do right here and without the hassle of getting on a plane.
Also, a quick reminder for our Annual Local’s Choice Awards: our voting will be opening up in September, so if you want to nominate a person or a business, that is when you’ll be able to start!
Finally, to all our friends and family that are marking their annual journey around the sun, we say Happy Birthday!! Here are but a few of them: our mother, Genevieve, Robert’s daughter, Veronica, as well as our niece, Danielle, along with Julie, Jim, Lisa, Donna, Christine, Victor, Kyle, Sam, Ken, Maureen, Marc, Faith, Ann, Lynn, Karen, Juan, Jodi, Gigi, Sherry, Kenny, Jack, Jay, Tom, Matt, Jennifer, Clint, Ken, Phil, Amelia, Tina, Doug, Krystal, Bob, Pippen and to all who are adding a year to their bio—we are celebrating with you!
Until next issue, Cheers!
Robert Briseño & Deanna Troupe
It is with a heavy heart that we have to announce the passing of our family’s patriarch. It is the first issue without him, and it is also the issue that we would normally mark his birthday, so it is especially sad for us. We, fortunately, have been blessed with a large family who is remarkably free of tragedy and death, and his life was both long and rich with family and friends. While he did not pass suddenly and we did have an extended opportunity to cherish his life and enjoy our time with him, it has nonetheless cast a long shadow on our lives and those of our family.
Ramon Briseño had spent all of his working life with the Navy, most of that as a printer. With his background, this magazine made him very proud. It made him feel as if a bit of his printing ink had metaphorically rubbed off on at least two of his children, and that brought a smile to his face every issue. He pushed and pushed his daughter Deanna to go into the printing world, and though she tried to swerve down other roads, she ultimately came back to his words of wisdom.
His love for going out and spending time with friends and family, along with our mother’s love for the same, rubbed off on us as well. In fact, it is a bit of an impetus to the creation of this magazine. We liked to be in the know about where to go on any given day, and this magazine filled that need. It has been great fun discovering so many of the cool and wonderful events and gatherings that the people of this community put on each year. It has been great to experience the new ones, sad to see some of the older ones stop, and heartwarming to take part in some that have gone on for generations—well before this magazine came to life.
It is uplifting to us when thinking of some of the events that we will attend with our family and friends this year and going forward, which we have also enjoyed with our father in years past. Some of those, like a Giants baseball game, will always hold a special place in our hearts, as we remember the times that we spent with him.
Some of you have made a tradition out of the events that we have shared in these pages, and we are glad that we have played a little role in that with you, over what will soon be a decade of publications. Some of you are, just today, discovering this magazine and perhaps we will help connect you to a new tradition soon, or sometime in the next decade. Regardless of how long you have been a reader of Local Happenings Magazine, we are glad that you have invited us into your life, and because of that, we feel a connection to each and every one of you. Because of that connection, we would ask all of you, on April 27th, that you might take the time to raise a glass or two in memory of Ramon Briseño, the man, who without, all of you would be missing out on some great Local Happenings!
In addition to our Father’s birthday, we would also like to celebrate the birthdays of Deanna Troupe, and Robert Briseño’s eldest son, Ramon (named after his grandfather) whose birthday also falls in April! To our friends and family who were born in April and May, Happy Birthday! Which includes, but isn’t limited to: Jackson, Debbie, Lindsay, Judy, Bonnie, John, Eric, Ronda, Juanita, Dennis, Shawn, Donna, Greg, Stacey, Dave, Carol, Sherri, George, Jim, Adam, Jimmie, David, Norman, Leeann, JD, Michael, Dan, Mike, Leonard, Amber, Benny, Steve, Joey, Tom, Scott, Renee, Kelly, Leah, Cathy, Jonathan, John, Leanne, Russ, Colleen, Leslie, Kathy, Wanda, Kim, Jeanne, Miguel, LaGuan, Marc, and all the rest of you wonderful people out there that make our community so amazing. We hope each of you have a fabulous birthday and a great year.
Until next issue, cheers!
Robert Briseño & Deanna Troupe
