Fixing It Right

In 1962, a man named Rudy Ramirez started a legacy in Solano County when he opened an auto body shop on Air Base Parkway, then simply titled Parkway Custom Auto Body. As the business grew over the years, Rudy quickly grew a reputation as a humble, hardworking man who enjoyed coming to work and getting to know his customers more than anything else.

In the 53 years since then, a lot has changed in Solano County; more people have moved to the area, automobile technology has drastically improved (and gotten more complicated) and, unfortunately, Rudy Ramirez is no longer with us. However, his beloved shop is still here—having moved to Humphrey Drive in Suisun City in 1990 and becoming the current Rudy’s Auto Body—and is being run by his son, Jon, who can remember the days when he would leave  school to come help sweep the floors at Rudy’s, the business he now owns and is getting ready to expand.

This is because Jon is getting ready for Rudy’s Auto Body to join a well-respected network of auto body shops known as Fix Auto, a franchise with shops across the country. Jon says he’s excited about the change,, which will broaden the scope of their service and expand the business, while keeping their focus on the customers, as it’s always been since Rudy opened his doors in the 60’s.

“I think part of what kept me here was the idea that it could be more, it could be bigger. Even though working with family can be challenging, it’s all I’ve ever done,” Jon said. “I know I could do other things, but this is what I chose to do: stay here, help my dad and take care of my mom and dad.”

When Jon entered the framework and started helping his dad with the business, as many of his brothers had done, he said Rudy told everyone he was planning to retire in a few years. “But he never did, and I knew he never would,” Jon said. His work ethic was too great, and he truly loved interacting with his customers. “Even though he wasn’t active in the business for the last 10-12 years of his life, he would always come by and talk to folks.”

For those reasons, among others, Jon is planning to keep Rudy’s name in the business title when the company officially joins Fix Auto, which Jon expects could happen by September this year. He also wants to make sure that both “Fairfield” and “Suisun” are part of the name since, in his words, “we’re all one community out here, and most of our employees are from this area too.”

“Fix Auto, they’re the best, as an organization and in their insurance relations,” he continued. “It’s going to be huge for us in the next few years.” Even though Rudy’s Auto Body has focused on collision repair for more than half a century, they’ve had to make many changes with the times. Since 1962, as one might expect, the technology of the automobile has changed drastically, which forces auto body shops to keep their ears to the ground and remain flexible and open to change.

“Technology has changed so much,” Jon said. “A technician to do body repairs is no different from a technician to do mechanical repairs. A set of hand tools would have cut it until a few years ago, but now computers are needed; you have to be tech savvy. Almost every repair has some kind of tech component to it.”

Thankfully, cars haven’t only become more complex, but have also gotten safer. Manufacturers have found ways for cars to absorb more impact during accidents, which they’ve accomplished by making more sections of the cars collapsible, basically, to ensure that when there’s a crash, your car might get messed up, but your face is less likely to. Unfortunately, that also makes it easier for cars to get totaled or more damaged during wrecks. But that’s why it’s good to have collision repair people—like Jon—who take extra care for their customers, he said.

“Our focus has always been the community and the customers. It’s not about how much money we can make, it’s always about the customers,” Jon said. “I’m proud of the fact that I live here, work here, and that I grew up here. That’s something my dad instilled in me. We’re not a big machine in town from another area.”

On the odd side of things, Jon has occasionally found himself working on objects other than cars. He recently built a 6.5-foot red kettle and donated it to the Salvation Army as part of their fundraising Red Kettle campaign. One of the strangest requests he’s ever gotten was from a local dentist who needed their dentist chairs painted. Jon was up to the task and he says he sometimes likes to try a project that’s out of the ordinary as a friendly challenge.

“But we typically stay away from the customizing industry. We pretty much like to do auto repairs,” Jon said. “That’s what the guys are great at, that’s what they’re trained for, and that’s what they love to do.”

If you want to maintain your car, it’s important to get check ups, make sure to change the oil regularly, and to remember that if you get into an accident or fender bender, choose an auto body shop that’s right for you.

“Find somebody you can trust; don’t get pushed by where your insurance company wants you to go,” Jon said. “You have the right to go where you want, so find someone you trust, who can help fix your car and get you back out there on the road.”

Fix Auto Fairfield/Suisun City – Rudy’s Auto Body is located at 1510 Humphrey Drive in Suisun City. They’re open Mon-Fri from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. For more information, call 707-422-1072 or visit www.rudysautobody.com

For more information on Fix Auto, visit www.fixautousa.com

Nate Gartrell

Nate Gartrell grew up in Benicia, studied journalism in college, and has written for a handful of media outlets since age 15. He aspires to visit all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums and to hit the trifecta at the horse track. 

Discover Danville’s “Happenings”!

The charming Town of Danville always has some events going on but over the next couple of months they have gone a little wild! First off the Premier Consignment shops of Danville have come together to promote dining in Danville.

Discover Danville Association, Town of Danville and Danville Premier Consignment Shops have come together to sponsor Double Deals in Danville when you dine and shop.

Danville has become the center of dining in the San Ramon Valley ranging from award winning gourmet cuisine to fun sports bars and kid-friendly pizza and burgers.

Walk Prospect, Hartz and Railroad and you’ll find the perfect breakfast, lunch or dinner. But on that same walk you’ll realize why Danville has also been recognized as the center of Premier Consignment Shopping in Northern, CA.

Within a two block radius you’ll find designer and vintage treasures that will surely complete your wish-lists. A Dress Change, Something Old – Something New, Cottage Jewel and Consignit Couture are the four different pieces of the perfect consignment puzzle.

The ideal Danville outing is grabbing a bite and shopping consignment. From August 6th to14th Danville will celebrate CONSIGNMENT WEEK with an exciting DINE & SHOP offer. Simply bring any Danville restaurant receipt over $50 and you’ll earn a Free $10 Consignment Discount on any purchase over $50. Yes, just bring in the receipt and you can even use it at each consignment store as you explore Hartz, Prospect and Railroad Avenues during the Danville Dine & Shop Consignment Week.  All Danville eateries are participating, just keep your receipt of $50 or more dated July 16th – August 14th to show to the merchants

The fun does not stop there though! Look at the facing page and see the myriad of events that are planned. The First Thursday in Danville, The Art & Wine Stroll, Relics on Railroad and of course the Tinsels and Treasures Holiday Boutique are all on the schedule and should not be missed!

The 9th annual Danville Antiques and Art Faire has a new name and an expanded line up of entertainment for vintage collectors, history buffs and shop-a-holics.  Join the fun on Labor Day, Monday September 7th for a full day of shopping, dining and playing at the “new” out-doors Relics on Railroad Antiques market in the parking lot behind the Museum of the San Ramon Valley.

Each year a core group of professional pickers and artistic repurposing crafters are joined by dozens of “newbie” vendors who clear out their collections, unload unseen treasures and surprise us with their unique offerings.  The small show boasts quality over quantity with 50-80 vendors featuring classic vintage goods, paintings, newly assembled and fine period jewelry, enamelware, ephemera, Halloween décor, vintage hats, antiques merchants, tools, toys, Asian arts, porcelains and China, buttons, garden art, mosaic work, animal art, Western and primitives as well as home furnishings.  All in one day you can find a great piece of old wood furniture and meet several chalk paint specialists (The Bloom Space, Paris Flea Market or Heirloom Court) to choose your paint or take a DIY workshop.

While there is no free lunch in Danville, this faire is open to the public and the Museum is offering FREE tours of their Circa 1880’s train depot building and their current exhibit, “Journey Stories”.

Don’t leave town without a visit to Danville’s award-winning Best Antiques Boutique and Best Place to Buy a Gift, Cottage Jewel Antiques. Celebrating 15 years of business, Cottage Jewel will offer every shopper 15% off starting on the Labor Day Relics Antiques show and continuing through September to the next big event: Tinsel and Treasures Halloween and Holiday Folk Art Sale on Saturday October 3rd in the Veterans Memorial Hall.  To learn more about Danville haunts, upcoming events or vendor space in the Relics on Railroad show, contact info@cottagejewel.com or visit the shop in person at 100 Prospect Ave in downtown Danville. Wear your walking shoes and enjoy the hunt!

SOLANO’S FITTEST CITY Changing the Nation One City at a Time

Kaiser Permanente, Lucky Rabbit Events, and the Solano Town Center present this year’s SOFITCITY 5K & 10K, the county-wide walk/run/party that welcomes every city in the county to compete for the largest number of finishers, and the distinction of ‘Solano’s fittest city.’  The event takes place in Fairfield near the Solano Mall, and includes a one-mile family walk and a fitness expo to encourage healthy fun for residents of all ages.

While every runner gets an official time, this competition is “not about speed,” says event manager O. Johnson. “This is about having the courage to start, supporting each other to the finish, and sharing this moment with friends along the way.”

The winning city earns what’s been dubbed the ‘People’s Trophy,’ while city councils and county supervisors compete for the Mayor’s Cup. Every new runner at SOFITCITY receives a commemorative medal, and every returner gets a custom alumni pin to decorate their original ribbon. Challenges for military, fire, and police departments add to the fun.

“This year, we’ve also launched an ambassador pin alongside a city ambassador program on Instagram,” says event coordinator Elicia Stewart. “There are so many fitness successes out there; we wanted to recognize those that inspire others.”

Solano is just the beginning for SOFITCITY. Each year, national magazines rank cities for health and fitness on a variety of macro metrics. Organizers of SOFITCITY say civic engagement and participation is the most important metric, and one that is largely ignored. They have created SOFITCITY (#SFCDAY) as an annual day for residents to change the long term health of their city by voting with their feet.

Currently, Solano County tops the charts for diabetes in the state. Organizers say the portal www.SFCDAY.com, and the pending app, will allow residents of any state to run with their town in support of a healthier city and nation. In time, SOFITCITY hopes to pioneer a new city ranking based solely on the number of people that participate on the day. “It’s the most democratic vote ever because every single finisher counts,” said Johnson. “Our goal is to build healthier cities by medaling every resident in the county.”

While usual rates apply for race perks, participants can pledge to walk or run for free at www.SFCDAY.com.

“We love the idea of SFC DAY,” says Alan Kerzin, Executive Director of the Children’s Network. “It encourages everyone to participate, regardless of age, income, culture, health, or location in the county.  It is truly an inclusive event.”

“If everybody walked or ran, we would not only have one incredible fitness party,” says Race Manager, Todd Rewick, “but we could literally make our county the fittest in the nation. Let’s show California how strong we can be.”

Funds raised by SOFITCITY benefit local non-profits like the Matt Garcia Youth Center and the Children’s Network. For expo or race information, email info@SOFITCITY.com. Use discount code: LHMag to register online at www.SOFITCITY.com.

Tales of the Kitchen – Mole Poblano

Well here it goes, I have contemplated this subject for some time. I have been asking friends and relatives for their recipe and what it comes down to is that everyone makes this dish just a little bit differently. I was actually a little concerned about this topic. Concerned enough to ponder it for some time then place it on a shelf to consider it more, only to lose the research into a little corner of my office, and if you have ever seen my office you would know that that is pretty easy to do. I have to confess, I am actually NOT a big fan of this dish. Though I personally think that is due to the dish rarely being made correctly. This is not something you would just assemble for a quick dinner. It takes time, planning and a lot of prep (mise en place). The sauce has deep roots in Mexico, the name “Mole” (it is pronounced MOH/leh which sounds a little like olé and it might also rhyme with café but at NO time should it sound like you are referring to the small burrowing mammal that you sometimes find in your yard) comes from the Aztec word Mōlli which means sauce.

Many people mistakenly think there is only one mole, “Mole Poblano” which is the most commonly known dish from the Mexican state of Puebla. This dish is going to take a LONG time to prep – 6 to 8 hours – so it is best to do this in stages. There are the green moles using tomatillos, with springs of fresh coriander, green chilies, nuts or pumpkin seeds. Oaxaca has 7 moles that range in color from spring green to yellow, rust and black.

The cooking technique in making mole is similar to making an Indian curry.  The ingredients—chilies, tomatoes, nuts, herbs and spices—are all ground to a coarse paste. Another thing to keep in mind is the mole paste has to be cooked in fat, otherwise the chilies will not blend with the other ingredients. The trick, I think, is to lower the heat as soon as the mixture is in the skillet and begin stirring.

All moles are thickened with nuts and seeds, but they don’t all have chocolate. The best versions do, I think, but the chocolate is only used in small proportions. If you use chocolate try to use Mexican chocolate, which is made with sugar, cinnamon, almonds and vanilla. If you cannot find Mexican chocolate use unsweetened cocoa, but only 1/3 of the volume.

Another fact I discovered is that moles in Mexico are normally made with turkey, not chicken. There is no rule that you must use turkey; any protein can be used, even duck, pork or beef. The only thing to remember is to not overcook your meat. If you use turkey I would not go any higher than 160° as you don’t want it dry, and the carry over cooking will finish the turkey to a moist bird.

The traditional mole poblano must have the correct chilies, mulato, ancho, and pasilla—all three are essential. Mulato chile distinguishes mole poblano from other moles. It offers a slightly anisey tartness.  Ancho is a common dried chili and it gives the sauce an earthy and fruity flavor while providing a mild to medium heat. Please take note that the mulato and ancho look almost identical. The ancho is reddish and somewhat translucent, while the mulato is almost opaque-black brown. The pasilla will give depth to the sauce. This chili is sometime labeled chile negro or chile pasilla mexicano. The optional chipotle chilies will add smokiness and more heat.  A chipotle is simply a smoke dried jalapeño.

Lard—I know what you’re thinking—but I have read that browning the lard plays an important role in the final flavor. This does not mean the mole will be heavy or greasy, but if lard is not for you, vegetable oil is a good substitute. Whichever fat you use, just be sure to skim any that remains from the surface of the sauce.

Another important piece of information: the blender is the best for puréeing the mole, not a food processor. If you were going to go old school you would ground on a metate (a flat stone used for milling grains and making mole sauce), but I would not even contemplate that task. The blender will make a smoother sauce, the blades in a blender move faster than a processor. You will need to strain the sauce. The consistency should be like a heavy cream.

A mortar and pestle or spice grinder should be used to pulverize the peppercorns, cloves, anise and cinnamon stick. I use a coffee grinder, it works great for this technique.

This dish will take a lot of time and energy to make correctly but I think it would be worth it to try it out for your family or friends for a special event or a Sunday family dinner. I am going to post the recipe on the Local Happenings website since we do not have the room here. So, if you want to take up the challenge please look for it online there.  I will suggest that you break up the preparation into three days. I have read and been told the sauce is always better (as many sauces tend to be) the second day.

We are so fortunate to have a great many Mexican markets in our area that you should be able to find everything you need. Happy Cooking!

MOLE POBLANO RECIPE

16 Medium Dried Mulato Chiles (about 8 oz)

5 medium dried ancho chiles (about  2 ½ oz)

6 dried pasilla chiles (about 2 oz)

3/ 4 cup lard or vegetable oil

1 large ripe tomato, roasted or broiled until the skin is lightly blackened, peeled, and cored or ¾ of a 15 oz can or whole peeled tomatoes, well drained

2oz Mexican chocolate, roughly chopped or 2/3 oz unsweetened cocoa

10 black peppercorns (or a scant ¼ tsp. ground)

4 cloves

½ tsp. aniseed

1” piece cinnamon stick or about 1 tsp. ground

¼ cup sesame seeds

½ tsp. coriander seeds

Heaping 1/3 cup of unskinned almonds

1/3 cup of raisins

½ medium onion  (sliced)

2 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 stale corn tortilla

2 pieces of stale white bread

1 canned chipotle chile, seeded

About 2 ½ qt. turkey broth

10 to 12 lb turkey (or chicken)

About 2 tsp. of salt

About ¼ cup sugar

Stem seed and devein the dried chiles, reserving 2 tsps.  of the seeds. Tear the chiles into large pieces

Heat ¼ cup of the lard or oil in a large pan. When hot fry a few of the chiles, for several second until they turn nut brown.  Transfer them to a large bowl, letting as much fat as possible drain back into pan.  Cover the chiles with soiling water, weight them down to keep them submerged, soak at least 1 hour, and drain.

In a large bowl, break up the tomato with the back of the spoon.  Add the chocolate to the tomato.

With a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder, pulverize the peppercorns, cloves, aniseed, and cinnamon stick.  Add to the tomato mixture.

In a dry skillet set over medium heat, toast the sesame, coriander, and reserved chile seeds, one kind at a time, stirring until lightly browned.  Add to the tomato mixture.

Heat another ¼ cup of the lard or oil in the skillet.  Add the almonds, and stir frequently until browned, about 4 minutes.  Remove draining well and add to the tomato mixture. Add the raisins to the hot oil and fry stirring constantly until they puff.  Drain well and add to the tomato mixture

Add the onion and garlic to the hot fat and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until browned 8 to 9 minutes.  Press on them to drain the excess fat and transfer to the tomato mixture.

If necessary add a little more fat to the pan then fry the tortilla until browned, break it up and add to the mixing bowl.  Add the bread to the pan, quickly flip it over to coat both sides with fat, then brown it on both sides.  Tear into large pieces and add to the tomato mixture.

Puree the drained chiles and the chipotle.  Work in three batches and add just enough broth to keep everything moving, about ¼ cup. Pulsing with help.  Strain the purée through a medium sieve to remove skin and seeds.  Puree the tomato mixture the same way.  Set aside the two purees separately.

Heat another ¼ cup of fat in a large pot.  Pat the turkey pieces dry with a paper towels, brown in the hot fat, 3 to 4 minutes per side.  Transfer the browned turkey pieces to a roasting pan.

With the same large pot pour off excess fat leaving just enough to coat the bottom of the pan.  Set over medium heat, add the chile puree, it should sear when it hits the pot.  For smoothness, it must concentrate to a past stir constantly until the puree darkens and is very thick, about 5 minutes. Next the tomato mixture stir for several minutes until everything thickens again.

Stir in 5 cups of broth until smooth partially cover  reduce the heat to low and let simmer gently, stirring occasionally  about 45 minutes.  Taste and add salt and sugar as needed. The sauce should be the consistency of heavy cream.  If it’s too thick thin it with a little broth.

Heat the oven to 325 pour the sauce over the turkey in the roasting pan and back until the turkey is tender but moist about 150.  Remove the turkey from the pan spoon off any accumulated fat, taste sauce and reseason with salt and sugar.

When the turkey is cooled skin each piece and cut the meat from the bone in large pieces.  Arrange the meat on heatproof serving dishes.

Before serving pour the sauce over the turkey, cover and heat in a 350 oven for about 15 or 20 minutes, sprinkle with sesame seed and serve.

 

By Chef K. Marie Paulk

They’ve Got … Steam Heat! A look next door at the largest geothermal resource worldwide

Northern California is amazing. That’s a fact. Need proof? Just look around. We’ve got the Golden Gate Bridge, the Redwoods, half of Lake Tahoe, the largest geothermal energy facility in the world … What’s that? Yes, it’s true, referred to as The Geysers, we are right next door to one of the rarest geothermal energy landscapes on the planet.

Houston-based Calpine Corporation operates 14 of 16 power plants at The Geysers generating 725 MW of power, which is enough energy to power 725,000 homes or a city the size of San Francisco. The other two plants are run by Northern California Power Authority (NCPA) generating an additional 100 MW, totaling 825 MW of power being generated on the premises. The Geysers account for one-fifth of the green power produced by California, satisfying almost 60 percent of the average electricity demand in the North Coast region spanning from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon border. They provide 5% of all of PG&E’s power supply, 100% of Sonoma Clean Power’s “Evergreen” program (plus 12% to their “Clean Start” program), and also provide power to Marin Clean Energy.

To get an idea of exactly where this place is, it’s sort of … nowhere. It’s in the Mayacamas Mountains, if that helps. “It is within no cities,” said Jim Kluesener, Regional Vice President, Geothermal for Calpine. The official address claims Middletown, which is still not quite right. The Geysers straddle 45 square miles of Sonoma and Lake counties and are located about 25 miles east of Cloverdale, 20-25 miles northeast of Healdsburg, and about 15 miles northwest of Middletown. So, there.

Not only are The Geysers in Middletown but, there are no actual geysers at The Geysers! They were misnamed by a grizzly bear hunter in 1847 and the name stuck. “A geyser would be a mixture of steam and water,” Kluesener explains. “We have what are called fumaroles: steam coming out of the ground.” Water boils at 212°, but underground at The Geysers temperatures reach 350-450° which is enough energy to keep the h20 as dry “superheated” steam. “Most geothermal resources don’t have enough heat to keep the h20 as a gas—as steam,” he says. “Most geothermal areas are hot water.” Kluesener wants to emphasize that when he later refers to the reservoir at The Geysers, “I’m not talking about a water reservoir—it’s a steam reservoir, underground; like groundwater, but it’s groundsteam under there.”

In 2011, Calpine received the California Department of Conservation’s Outstanding Lease and Facility Maintenance Award for Operations at The Geysers—for the tenth time. Calpine has focused on sustainability since their inception at The Geysers in 1998. “Today we have employees with Masters and PhD’s from Stanford and Berkeley who are helping us to sustain this for the long-term,” said Kleusener. “There’s a lot of pretty heavy science that is going into the long-term sustainability of this renewable resource.”

Sustaining a natural resource? It’s actually harder than you think. In fact, The Geysers gets about 20 million gallons of treated wastewater pumped into their facility every single day to keep the steam pressure where it needs to be. That’s 11-12 million gallons from the Santa Rosa/Rohnert Park/Cotati area, and 8 million gallons from Lake County. But … what about this “drought” we keep hearing about in California? Yep, still at thing, but this wastewater being used is not potable, and actually has no other place to go.

“The Santa Rosa wastewater treatment plant really wanted to avoid discharging to the Russian River,” said Kluesener. “There’s a lot of tourism, fishing, rafting, all kinds of things going on in the Russian River.” They have treated it to a cleanness that is officially legal to discharge into the river, but it still isn’t drinkable so they try and wait until there’s a fair amount of flow going down the river—generally only during a storm—so it would be diluted as much as possible. “They’re able to really have a great green environmental story by taking their treated water and sending it up the hill to turn it into renewable energy, rather than discharging it into the river.”

There’s a similar benefit for Lake County. Clear Lake is the largest natural lake in California (as Nevada also shares Lake Tahoe) and it is relatively shallow being mostly less than 20 ft. deep. As a tourist attraction, there are a lot of homes with septic systems right on the lake, said Kluesener. “The more we can get those folks to hook up and take [their wastewater] to a treatment plant, the less likely those … nutrients … are to get into Clear Lake and make it less than clear.”

In 1987, The Geysers peak output was approximately 2,000 MW, which is 1,175 MW more than today. In the 80’s, business was booming at The Geysers. Investors kept installing more and more power plants to maximize their profits. Of course, good things tend not to last. “You can never fully predict where you’re going to be at when you maximize your steam output,” said Kluesener. Each new power plant kept on producing, so why not build more? He explains that unlike today, where The Geysers consist of only two companies carefully working together with sustainability in focus, back then there were practically dozens of investors with money on the mind.

“They would just stake out their claim, like a gold rush, put as many straws in the ground as they could and pulled on it really hard so they could make as much money possible until it ran out,” said Kluesener. “Instead of trying to design something on how to best utilize the energy in the reservoir it was about how to make money, so without a major stakeholder in the operation, like [Calpine is] today, the longterm viability of the resource was in question.”

After the peak in ’87, production began to slowly trail off. 10 years later in 1997 the 29-mile pipeline from Lake County was completed, followed by the completion of the 40-mile pipeline from Santa Rosa in 2003, so the reservoir was able to remain stable after that. “That replenishing of the reservoir allowed the steam decline to basically stop,” said Kluesener. “The injection has kept it largely flat since then.” Plus, by the early 2000’s, Calpine had bought out pretty much everyone else at The Geysers except NCPA, he adds. “Now we have the opportunity to really look at this holistically and try to sustain this reservoir for the longterm.” And that’s just what they’ve been doing.

Care to see for yourself? The Geysers offer free tours and are happy to show you around the facility. “I love watching co-workers giving tours and really bragging about what we do up here,” said Kluesener. “It’s impressive. There’s a lot of great morale with the team.” With over 300 employees on the premises at The Geysers, there’s a lot to learn on the tour. There are several entrances for the tour, but coming from Middletown’s direction is highly recommended as that way you can start the tour by exploring their interactive visitor’s center—learn how a steam turbine generates electricity, see the size of those water pipes coming from miles away, touch drill bits, turn a crank and power a light bulb, all sorts of fun and interesting ways to educate yourself before the tour begins. Then you’ll hop on a chartered bus, walk through a power plant, get fairly close to the fumaroles, and if it’s a nice day you may even see some lovely views including the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Mount Tamalpais.

What does the future hold in store for The Geysers? Aside from maintaining their geothermal steam reservoir as well as their power plants, the oldest of which was built in 1971, they are still looking ahead. “We are currently involved in a lot of battery research, and even battery negotiations with PG&E and others,” said Kluesener. “We would be very interested in trying to help solve some of the California electrical grid problems.” He explains that there’s an oversupply of power at certain times of the day—the gas plants scale back while solar and wind are supplying most of the power, but have to be ready to fire up when the sun goes down; “If we can increase our storage, generally through batteries, then we can mitigate some of that need for the gas plants and we would be storing renewable energy while we’re at it.”

Nothing but good things happening at The Geysers. Pay them a visit if you can, learn about the process, and who knows? Maybe you’ll find yourself on a new career path. There’s plenty more information on their website, as well as a very interesting historical timeline. For further intrigue, visit www.geysers.com.

20150518 Matt Larson in a chair pic

Matt Larson is a writer/actor/comedian native to Vallejo who travels back and forth from Los Angeles way too much. He’s desperate for attention and urges you to follow him on all social medias @MarsLegstrong. He lives for likes, please keep him healthy.

Vallejo Waterfront Weekend Boat races, chili cook-offs, classic cars—come see Vallejo at its finest

From last year forth, every first weekend of October is to be known throughout the Bay Area as the Vallejo Waterfront Weekend. The goal for the event is simple: unite the Vallejo community, showcase local nonprofits to the public, and financially assist with the rehabilitation of the Mira Community Cultural Center. Over a dozen local organizations have come together to make this weekend happen, jam packed with a wide variety of fun and entertaining events including a Celebrity Dunk Tank, Waterfront Glow Run, Classic Car Show, Chili Cook-Off, Whale Boat Regatta and much more.

“We wanted to bring back some of the cornerstone events that used to be so popular on the waterfront,” said Jon Riley, chairperson for the Vallejo Waterfront Weekend event. “We wanted to get an opportunity to showcase what Vallejo has to offer.” So they have a weekend full of as many events as they could squeeze in to really show off Vallejo at it’s finest. “Our city is moving in a positive direction. We’re trying to attract investors in economic development and what better way to do that than to show that the city can come together? And proceeds go to a very worthy cause — the Mira Theater.”

The Mira Theater, aka the Mira Community Cultural Center, aka the Bay Terrace Theater, has a lot of history in Vallejo and will again be the beneficiary of the Vallejo Waterfront Weekend. “It’s an historic building, it’s in my neighborhood, my father and uncles went to grammar school there … we were able to get everybody to agree that it is a worthy cause,” said Riley. “We want to make the Mira the jewel that people see when they come into Vallejo off of 37. It’s something that everyone wanted to get behind.”

This theater has actually been a community project for some time. “Initially it needed a roof and had been trying to raise money for about 10 years or longer,” said Riley. “So we got a bunch of folks together in the community—some roofing unions, contractors, engineers—taking a look at the roof. In the process, we identified the fact that if we want to make this a jewel and really invest it in the community, we’re going to have to broaden the scope of the project.” Rebuilding Together Solano County, a housing nonprofit organization, has taken on Mira as a project. “We’d like to do a full-around facelift on the building so that it will be that jewel that catches people’s eye when they come into the city.”

So the plan is to finish the Mira, no matter how long it takes. “The committee has agreed and they’re very supportive of the fact that the proceeds for the Waterfront Weekend will continue to go to the Mira until we’re done with that project. Until we get it done,” said Riley. “Then we’ll set our sites on a different project.”

While the Vallejo Waterfront Weekend is a major fundraiser, it is a free event. “We’re going to be raising money through our sponsorships,” said Riley. “Also, what we offer is an umbrella for nonprofits that want to raise money for their particular organization.” They can become involved in the event so long as they agree to give 50 percent of their net proceeds to the Mira Theater, keeping the remaining 50 percent for themselves. For example: “The Straits of Mare Island Rowing Association can raise money for their club and give 50% to Mira, though last year they gave 100% of their proceeds,” said Riley. Other nonprofits, including Better Vallejo with the Dunk Tank and Foster Greatness with the Glow Run, did the same for Mira last year. The whole community is really on board with making this decade-long dream of restoring the Mira a reality.

“[Mira is] moving into a community center kind of model,” said Riley. “They’ll offer the amenities that a community center would offer, as well as the theater. I’m really looking forward to seeing what kind of potential we can realize with the project.”

The Whale Boat Regatta is one of the main events to look forward to at the Vallejo Waterfront Weekend. It used to be a pretty big deal in Vallejo during the 70s, 80s and 90s. It came back for a couple years in 2004 with the beginning of the Vallejo Waterfront Weekend, then that recession thing happened. “We brought it back last year in 2014 and it was a huge success,” said Riley. “Now it will be a yearly event.” There’s going to be live music in two different locations for the weekend, activities galore, there’s a lot of local happenings coming to Vallejo this first weekend of October and we suggest you don’t miss out. The weekend is being carefully planned out.

“We hold these meetings … there’s 25 people representing 25 organizations that show up every week,” said Riley. “Every entity that’s been involved has been very supportive. It’s amazing what you can get accomplished when everybody is working toward the same goal.” Last year the Weekend didn’t seem possible until they decided to go for it in April, giving them only 6 months to prepare. “This year we’re hoping to double in size, activity, money, the whole 9 yards.”

Something different you’ll see this year is that they’re moving all of the festivities down to the waterfront, with some other small tweaks to you may notice at some of the events. “Last year the Glow Run was a 5k/10k, this year we’ve made it a 5k walk/run; it’s going to be a costume event, animals and pets are encouraged, so that’s one change,” said Riley. “Sunday morning we’re going to have a triathlon.” The first-ever Vallejo Kayak Race was held at the event last year. “In the spirit of the kayak/watersport community in Vallejo there will be kayak races during the whale boat races, as well as a kayak division in the Sunday morning triathlon.” So many things, and so much time, really. Vallejo is going to keep you entertained from beginning to end this Weekend.

“We’re really focusing on the whale boats,” said Riley. “We really want to encourage people to get those friendly rivalries that we used to have back in motion and make this huge. There used to be 150 teams in the Whale Boat Regatta back in the day,” he said. “Last year I think we had 25, so we’re shooting to try to get 50.” They want to get a competitive atmosphere surrounding the event which made it so exciting before. “We want to reintroduce another generation to the whale boat community.”

An exciting component for the event is that SolTrans is going to expand the bus tour. “It’ll go over to Mare Island, stop at the coal shed, historic museum, the chapel, people can explore Mare Island and explore downtown,” said Riley. And to make it an official tour, “we’re going to have actors actually on the bus giving the history.”

Another new facet is an interactive art project called Trolls Under the Bridge. Underneath the Mare Island causeway there are pillars holding it up that will soon be decorated—with trolls! “They’re going to put trolls on the bridge,” said Riley. “It’ll be done offsite, installed under the bridge as a tourist attraction.” The Vallejo Times-Herald, GVRD and the local school district are running an essay contest for the youth to decide what the “legend” of the trolls under the bridge will be, with prizes being awarded across three separate grade divisions. The top three essay submissions from each category will be published in the Vallejo Times-Herald for the public to vote one, with one winner being selected in each category. The deadline to submit was July 24th, but look for submissions on the Times-Herald website!

“The Vallejo Waterfront Weekend will continue to grow, but our goal this year is to fine tune what was successful last year and make it bigger and better,” said Riley. “The car exhibit last year was great, this year it’ll be better. More and more people now want to come in and we’re really looking forward to making that waterfront the place to be for two days, every first weekend of October.”

Vallejo has big plans with this Weekend, so prepare now to start making it a yearly tradition. “It’s an awesome event,” Riley says. “There’s something for family members of all ages, it’ll go to support a great cause, and it’ll be an opportunity for people to see what Vallejo really has to offer—our waterfront, our historic Mare Island, our downtown area—it’s just a nice place for everybody to come out.”

The Vallejo Waterfront Weekend is to be held on October 3rd and 4th, the first weekend of the month. For information on all the different events and to find out how you can get involved, visit www.vallejowaterfrontweekend.com.

20150518 Matt Larson in a chair pic

Matt Larson is a writer/actor/comedian native to Vallejo who travels back and forth from Los Angeles way too much. He’s desperate for attention and urges you to follow him on all social medias @MarsLegstrong. He lives for likes, please keep him health

From a Friend

Well, gentle readers, our June-July issue is out and thus marks the middle of 2015 … once again, the year is slipping away from us! Far more quickly than some of us older folk would like.

Summer is now upon us and there are lots of “Happenings” to enjoy here in our lovely home in the Bay Area. One of our summertime favorites is an outdoor music concert. It’s just a nice opportunity to enjoy our weather, good music, food, friends and an adult beverage or two as well. We are spotlighting a few music events in the region in this issue but those are just the tip of the iceberg for outdoor music in the area. What is even better is that not only are there many more to enjoy but most of them are free as well! It is hard to beat a great summertime concert that is also free. The key to continuing to have the FREE concerts is that we have to get out and enjoy them so that the organizers can say, “What great crowds we are getting! We must continue doing this every year,” Or something to that accord. By going to these events now we can be sure to inspire our local producers to continue to putting these events on year after year. This is actually true for all of the great events that we have all around us—we HAVE to get out and enjoy them or they will simply cease to exist. That was one of our primary drivers of creating this magazine and website: helping you discover all the amazing events around us every weekend, if not almost every day!

We have plenty of other stories and happenings in this issue to check out and put on your calendar. We would like to ask all of our readers to start thinking about our Local’s Choice awards as well. We know we just announced our winners a couple of issues ago, but voting for next year opens up in September so now is a great time to think about who you want to nominate and vote for in our annual readers’ poll. It is never too early to think about who you would like to see as our next year’s winners. Stay tuned for more details about our voting and when our polls will open.

On a more somber tone, this time of the year also marks the annual Relay for Life events in our communities. If you are not familiar with Relay for Life, or you have wondered what it is, wonder no more: Relay For Life is an annual fundraiser event for the American Cancer Society held in most cities and communities across the country. It is a time to gather to remember those lost to cancer and those who are struggling with it now. We think it is safe to say that all of us have had cancer touch our lives in one fashion or another and this is a great way to not only raise money and awareness but to renew friendships as well. We do have a listing of some of those events for this year but there are always more than we have room to print. You can always find more at our website and at the American Cancer Society’s website as well: www.relayforlife.org. Please take the time learn more and participate as best you can.

Finally, we will offer our birthday wishes to all of you who are celebrating over the next two months as well as some of our family and friends. We would be remiss not to start off with our mother, Genevieve, as well as our niece, Danielle, who is celebrating her 21st birthday along with Julie, Jim, Lisa, Donna, Christine, Victor, Kyle, Ken, Maureen, Marc, Faith, Ann, Lynn, Karen, Juan, Jodi, Julie, Gigi, Sherry, Kenny, Jack, Jay, Tom, Matt, Jennifer, Clint, Ken, Phil, Amelia, Tina, Doug, Krystal, Bob and Pippen—Happy Birthday to you all, and to all whose names we do not have the room to list!

Cheers!

 

Robert Briseño & Deanna Baillie

 

Classic Autos Cruise into Napa Valley for Father’s Day

V Marketplace celebrates the “art of the driving machine”

The Napa Valley will proudly welcome car connoisseurs from around the Bay Area and beyond as V Marketplace in Yountville, hosts the 25th Annual Father’s Day Invitational Auto Show on Sunday, June 21, 2015 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Auto entries are by invitation. The event is Free to the Public.

From the national champions, to the local favorites, to the one-of-a-kind collector curiosities, more than 150 early and late model autos spanning almost 100 years of production can be seen at this non-competitive, open-class invitational exhibition. Whether nostalgia means rolling down the road in a classic 1928 Model A Phaeton, sliding into the drive-in with a ‘57 Chevy, or cruising the fast lane in a Ferrari, this show-stopping collection presents some of the finest autos to grace the highway in any era and is the perfect gift for Father’s Day!

V Marketplace has also invited local nonprofits to add to the festivities. Firing up their grill, serving delicious sausages and hot dogs, will be the Fire Explorers and the Yountville Fire Department. Manning the booth where cool beverages can be found will be the Native Sons of the Golden West and the Native Daughters of the Golden West.  Operation Love will be on site collecting donations to provide care packages to our deployed armed forces stationed in harms way and the Duke Truck will be selling icy cold treats for the Pathway Home.  All proceeds from these sales go directly to the nonprofits.

Make it a Father’s Day weekend escape to Napa Valley! Surrounded by lush gardens, beautiful water features, and meandering cobblestone walkways, V Marketplace, provides a beautiful backdrop for this annual event. Visitors can look forward to a unique variety of distinctive specialty shops, galleries, restaurants, wine tasting, hot air ballooning and Michael Chiarello’s NapaStyle and Bottega Ristorante. The Yountville Trolley will be offering shuttle service free of charge to and from the California Veteran’s Home where additional event parking can be found.

V Marketplace is located just 1 hour northeast of San Francisco at 6525 Washington Street in Yountville – Napa Valley. Take Hwy 29 to the Yountville/Veterans Home exit, 9 miles north of the City of Napa. Hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily.

For Information, Call (707) 944-2451

www.vmarketplace.com