The sounds are sweet and lively coming out of Benicia Middle School’s band room as veteran music teacher Glenn Walp leads his large group of obviously engaged students in still one more afternoon practice. But he realizes more than anyone else that these sounds are sweeter than they ever might be, due to the outreach from a giving philanthropic couple, Donald and Rose Marie Wong. Each year, through the Wong Music Mini-Grant Program and administered by the Solano Community Foundation, multiple grants are awarded to help bridge statewide funding cuts that threaten to reduce the ability of classroom teachers to fully keep their quantity of needed supplies viable.
Receiving a $2,000 grant to purchase music score books, Walp explains, “I teach dance and jazz bands as well as beginning instruments and intermediate level so each group has specific needs for the music they will be performing. I like to change the pieces to push them since in some cases I have the same kids for three years and it can become really boring if you don’t vary things with a variety of materials.”
And Walp was not alone in feeling the generosity of this program. Other teachers at county schools were given funds to purchase a true range of needed music-related items and enhanced services including a new cello, percussion equipment, a replacement bass clarinet along with an allotment for instrument repair.
This ambitious donor-based outreach is but one of a truly large amalgam of charitable services the nearly two decade-old organization currently offers to those who want to give to help other non-profits and charities, who in turn are helping their community and its residents.
Foundation CEO Connie Harris explains: “SCF is a non-profit 501c3, which means it is tax exempt, so contributions come in from the community, and then grants go out to other non-profits to further support community needs. Schools are government entities which are considered tax-exempt so we are able to make grants to them as well.” And this desire for the Foundation to center many of its proudest efforts on the need to enhance and increase educational opportunities dates back to the very origin of the organization in the mid 90s. The theme of giving has been the basis for establishing several extremely valuable endowment programs.
When Solano civic leader and philanthropist Max Rossi discovered the existence of a community foundation in nearby Sonoma, he decided to join with 11 other similar-minded local professionals, businessmen and community leaders to create the SCF in 1995. The vision was to help bolster the community and its economy using private donors and long-lasting contributions. The Rossi’s desire to help those in need, particularly the young, is echoed by his wife Nancy who carries on the family tradition via her work as the fund holder of the Max Rossi Memorial Endowment Fund. There, she is active in making grants that include programs that serve children in need.
(To see a description of the foundation’s vast assortment of available funds and grant programs and information on how to contribute to one of your liking, establish your own, or request a grant, visit their website at www.solanocf.org or call them at 707 399-3846.)
Without a doubt, one of the in-house created funds that the foundation is proudest of is their Education Plus! Mini-Grant Program. Funded through donor contributions and community development fees, this competitive program supports recipients in Solano County public schools with materials and services needed to implement creative classroom projects fostering critical thinking skills and enhanced learning. Funding is requested by submitting an application up to a maximum amount of $1000 for each project.
Actually not too far away from Glenn Walp’s band room on Benicia Middle School’s campus can be found evidence of this invaluable outreach in the classrooms of 8th grade physics teachers Peter Rodgers and Roger Pence. Their “FOSS Force and Motion” grant has allowed students a novel way to beef up their own investigative skills through use of classroom sets of science kits.
“A lot of the next generation science standards are looking at this whole idea of critical thinking and being able to put obtainable facts together rather than the old focus of being told to learn them by rote to score well on a test,” Pence explains.
And colleague Rodgers totally agrees, explaining that because of their Ed Plus! Grant, the teachers were able to purchase enough kits to create three class sets for numerous small group activities focusing on a variety of topics during the year. One of the most engaging is during the “Force and Motion” unit, where the kit makers at the Lawrence Berkeley labs have provided a two-meter track complete with little battery-powered dot cars to run down them.
“In previous years we’d have to have the kids pull together their hot wheel tracks and bring in their own hot wheel cars,” Rodgers says. “Now with the same cars we have real uniformity in measurements generating really good data, as opposed to being all over the map.”
Many teachers receiving help in developing crucial basic skills in unique ways are recognized also on the lower grade levels with Ed Plus! mini-grants. Such is the case with Vallejo’s Beverly Hills Elementary School 2nd grade teacher Pam Schecter, who used her $500 award to combine both non-fiction writing and science education. The project, covering a considerable five-month span, had her kids assembling their own 17-page “Awesome Animals” book, which featured the six different categories of animals along with a table of contents. “My students were very interested in the animal theme,” she comments. “It helped them learn about writing, putting together a project and science.”
Another very generous way that the Foundation touches those wanting to enrich their education is via the Harry and Eleanor D. Nelson Vacaville Endowment Fund, which for years as a private foundation has been awarding outstanding students attending that city’s high schools with large scholarships. After dissolving and turning over administration of their fund in 2008 to the Solano Community Foundation, this practice has continued and giving has increased. Now, five $20,000 and two $5,000 scholarships are awa rded each year.
Fraternal twins, John and Julia Stern, who both attended Vacaville High and were exceptional students, were lucky enough to earn one of these high honors; John receiving the four-year grant of $5000 per year while Julia received a one-year $5,000 scholarship.
Both have just finished their first successful year at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and are extremely grateful for their growth experiences, largely made possible by these generous grants, and enhanced even more by a combination of other scholarship monies that they received which covered most of their expenses.
“My dad is a teacher and my mother a stay-at-home mom. They’ve got three kids currently in college so this was a tremendous help,” John says.
On a more personal level Julia adds, “Not having to get a part-time job permitted me to focus on my studies and will allow me to work for a better GPA, and to graduate and find a good job where I can hopefully give back to the community someday.”
Another great recent community-involving endeavor created by SCF is the Non-Profit Partnership Program, where for just a $50 annual membership fee, members can take part in an extensive monthly schedule of workshops intended to bolster the skills of those involved in local non-profits throughout the entire region.
October’s theme will be, “Preparing Your Non-Profit for an Audit,” and November’s, “Gift Solicitation & Compliance Requirements.” To emphasize the Foundation’s desire to create countywide community awareness, members also play a role through their NPP membership fees, which enable a selected local charity to be given a small grant each year.
In addition, The United Way Health Endowment Fund has just awarded a $60,000 grant that will help establish an exciting and extremely needed Solano senior fall prevention program. Falls are an ever-increasing risk for seniors, and this competitive award to the Area Agency on Aging will see them develop a program devoted to helping those over 65 with risk assessment, exercise programs, home visits and educational outreaches.
There are so many ways and so many programs worth contributing to for those wishing to give ’til it really helps their family, neighbors and the Solano community at large. And that’s probably why Board of Directors Chair Teresa Fitzgerald sums it all up this way:
“When I think of where we live, I think of it as a bedroom community, where we go off to work but return here each day. We raise our kids here and we’re going to get old here. So for me that’s what the Foundation is all about. Giving just helps us all live and create a better and happier life. Our motto does say it all,
‘For good. For ever. For Solano County’
Les Honig is a features freelancer and former journalism teacher from back East who relocated to the OC before landing in Benicia to savor the joys of Northern California living.
It won’t be long now. Not long before those gates enclosing the 77th annual Walnut Festival will swing open once again, revealing many more new and special experiences sure to delight and excite folks of all ages. This coveted celebration has already proven its delightfulness many times before with a long history that even precedes its formal premiere as a big weekend gala in 1938 at downtown Walnut Creek’s Civic Park, before later moving to its present Heather Farm Park location in 1976.
The whole series of mid- to late-September festivities, carrying this year’s Walnut Creek centennial theme, will begin with the September 13th kick-off Twilight Parade and culminate with the Festival itself, which runs from Thursday the 19th through Sunday the 22nd.
During this period, many of the same captivating features will be present, along with some new ones, as the producers hope to rekindle the same undeniable super spirit that made bygone decade festivals and parades so intensely involving. And behind it all is a continuing history of the same community-involved association that developed with a vision as a nonprofit fundraiser and grant disperser, dedicated to helping in-need local citizens, particularly kids, as well as promoting the success of other worthwhile but generally lesser known groups.
Indeed, as you entered last year’s festival you would notice the banners announcing that over $1 million has been raised since the association’s incorporation, with that amount going not only to those in need but also to nonprofits to help give them a rare and invaluable forum to promote their super-positive work.
As some members of its governing board are likely to also point out, the Walnut Festival Association is more than just this super special group of autumn activities. Indeed its efforts and offerings extend year-round to other events too. These include May’s downtown Walnut Creek-based Art on the Main showcasing the original work of artisans from all over the West Coast, January’s Crab Feed held at Pleasant Hill’s Senior Center to raise funds for their activities and this fall’s Oktoberfest, intended to do the same to help the city’s teen center.
“People assume that because ‘walnut’ is in the name of our association that we’re just located here in Walnut Creek, but we also travel around and are trying to expand to other parts of the Diablo region as well,” explains Senior Event Specialist Laura Fielding.
Yet for many in the public, their awareness is rooted in the fun, crowd-pleasing September happenings, all of which were created and fostered by past board members and officers. There is the 10k/5k Run for Education, suspended temporarily this year due to logistic problems, and then there’s the incredibly popular Twilight Parade, co-sponsored with the City of Walnut Creek, which has now grown in significance due to its greater recognition by local high school music programs.
“We’re now more important than ever since we’ve become a sanctioned event,” reports four-year Association President Jim Goonan. This means that along with the thousands who line the parade route to see a variety of colorful floats and decked-out cars carrying local civic leaders, city officials, businesses and non-profits alike, there are the competing marching bands and cheer squads from a number of area high schools hoping to receive points from the state-sent judging staff that will help them qualify for larger championship contests. “There are trophies, cash prizes and the King Walnut award to the grand winner giving them bragging rights for the entire next year” says Fielding.
Actually it is the parade itself that connects back to the earliest basis for today’s major festival extravaganza. The annual commemoration, signaling the harvest of their main cash crop, first began in 1911 when local residents celebrated the Grape Festival, highlighted with the crowning of their first queen, Mary Ridgway. The coronation and pageant parade continued sporadically over the following years but was firmly set as a tradition when the Walnut Festival was officially launched in the late ‘30s.
A six-year hiatus during World War II halted the festivities but they picked up again as the festival and the queen-naming tradition soon resumed. Still, the decision was later made to replace the coronation with a scholarship ceremony that awarded cash gifts to deserving teens who involved themselves in community-based work, and that tradition continued for some time after. While currently suspended, there still continues much outreach as the Association, for example, donated $1000 to each of seven local high school music directors to help compensate for program cuts.
That charitable spirit now also manifests itself as the Festival begins with a Special Needs night to take place this year on the Wednesday evening preceding the general event launch the following day.
As Fielding explains: “We open the carnival ‘by invitation only’ to these visitors and they can ride the rides and experience everything they wouldn’t be able to easily do when it’s really crowded. It is free to them and their families and our carnival people are fantastic. They donate the night and bring other workers to help us too. And companies like Domino’s Pizza and Steel Smokin’ BBQ & Catering feed them dinner, Safeway provides water and Coca-Cola distributes soda as a donation to this event.”
Developed during the past decade by former presidents Wendy and Steve DeVoe, the event has grown to the present major size with both younger and adult special-needs visitors swelling its ranks from the original 25 families to now around 1000 attendees.
“It’s one of our best ways to give back,” reports Goonan, who himself plays a major supportive role that night as owner of Steel Smokin’ BBQ & Catering.
And once Thursday arrives it is the general public that can now savor the many great experiences that await their five senses. These include the return of the main attractions for the youngest of heart and body: their large variety of over 30 rides brought in annually from Midway of Fun. These include a huge ferris wheel, bumper cars, circling teacups and other favorites like the zipper, the ranger and the tornado.
Festivalgoers can wander amongst the large number of booths, both commercial and nonprofit, play games, purchase edible treats and learn about the great work many groups are engaged in. They can also attend some recently created and returned events, like the popular car show. Last year, that automotive showcase debuted with the first day of the two, a rained-out bust, but still seeing that Sunday rebound to feature 50 cars from a variety of Bay Area clubs. This time around with any luck the event should be a much sunnier success.
“I picture the Festival serving not only our youngest visitors through the rides but more and more involving the entire family,” Fielding says. “While their children are on rides, dad is walking through the car show and having a brew in our beer garden and mom is on the grounds listening to the music.”
In fact, for Fielding it is the music that most excites her. A self-described musical buff, she has filled the two stages with a constant variety of the best of local East Bay talent. And she has actively been recruiting younger, undiscovered, potential future superstars as she looks to find some great kid bands to hone their skills on the same performance stages, where their older, already more established counterparts play. She works too with radio-rock powerhouse 107.7 The Bone, which sponsors Saturday night, last year the featured headliner was Tesla’s Frank Hannon live.
To add to still more fun options, former President Bob Lloyd has set up a morning fishing opportunity, where he has stocked the Park’s lake and even provided free poles for those wanting to see what they can reel in.
“We’ve really seen this festival being reborn,” explains Goonan, who himself brought his own Pleasant Hill Boy Scout troop 282 to the festival to volunteer when he first became involved a number of years ago.
He explains: “A lot of the more recent board members were around for 25 years and they were getting tired. You can only go back to the old stuff so many times. You’ve got to really get yourself to think outside the box and that’s what we’ve now been doing.”
“I am confident we can still continue to help more and more local people get involved and newer nonprofits let us help them as they work hard to establish themselves. And I think we can also keep making the Festival and our other events even fresher, richer, more relevant and engaging for the newer generations who will be coming here each year to check us all out.”
For the latest info on the festival and parade and to learn how to become involved yourself as a volunteer or sponsor, go to the Walnut Festival Association’s website at www.thewalnutfestival.org.
Les Honig is a features freelancer and former journalism teacher from back East who relocated to the OC before landing in Benicia to savor the joys of Northern California living.
With school right around the corner, discount warehouses and department stores are practically loaded with all kinds of back-to-school advertisements and flashy displays of school supplies which, make our decades-back Pee Chees look like plain brown sacs. With all of this pomp and circumstance surrounding the back-to-school must have’s, there is one other store that gets its own fair share of hype: the supermarket. Gobs of shiny, pre-packaged goodies, proximately directed to catch your child’s eye. And with all of these shiny, pre-packaged options, how do we keep kids happy while wading through all the nutritional information ourselves? It’s no easy task. I mean, when did the Lunchable replace the PBJ? When did PBJs come in packages with the crusts already cut off? And when did schools stop serving traditional lunches in favor of these modern conveniences?
With busy lives and tighter budgets, everyone still wants kids and families to be able to eat healthier. We would all love to have the time and inclination to make everything from scratch and make sure everyone eats an organic and nutritious diet. Let’s face it—life happens, budgets happen, junk food happens. So when tasked with this article, I wanted to compile a list of tips that other mothers have used to help keep kids (and parents) healthy and happy as we get back to the fall routine.
Involve children in grocery shopping.
If no one is going to eat it, it probably will go to waste. Ask children what they would like to eat this week and incorporate those items into your weekly menu and budget. People are definitely more likely to eat what they’ve helped select. Sometimes children have a better grasp on nutrition than adults. Maybe your 15-year-old has given up meat and only wants tofu. What a great way to work in a couple of meatless meals a week while embracing your teen’s decisions and boosting everyone’s health. In that same vein, keep an open mind. My daughter loves seaweed chips (which is just thin sushi nori). I don’t love them but I recognize she couldn’t have a better snack in her snack drawer so I support their presence nonetheless.
Involve children in cooking and meal preparation.
Ask our friends, the Briseño’s: kids love to cook. But aside from kids, just learning to prepare more nutritious meals and being able to apply those lifelong skills, cooking teaches other things too such as reading comprehension, math skills and creativity, while engaging all the senses. Children also feel more valued and appreciated when their dish is a hit at the dinner table. There is no more common thread between humans than the consumption and sharing of meals.
Encourage kids to prepare their own lunches.
With schools’ ever-shrinking budgets and parents’ ever-shrinking time, it’s easy to adopt the “eat-what-is-served” program. The truth is the modern school lunchroom is a far cry from what we remember. Long gone are the friendly ladies in hairnets, serving up lasagna, salad, Jell-O and sloppy joes. I think most parents would be surprised to learn, just as I was, that many schools serve food that is the rough equivalent of heat-and-eat food you could get at your local mini-mart. Even with federal standards for school lunches, and children receiving fresh fruit and vegetables as options, it still comes pre-packaged, pre-prepared and is frequently microwaved. Having kids make their own decisions in lunch preparation helps build confidence and good nutrition at the same time.
Get involved.
Know your school’s snack policy. Many teachers will allow time for children to eat snacks brought from home. Others may actually provide a snack for the class based on the classroom budget. Know what your teacher allows and offer to provide snacks on occasion or donate money to the classroom earmarked for that purpose. If all kids are equally satisfied with healthy snacks, the classroom generally fairs better as a whole in behavior and academics. Locally, fall is a great time to bring in fresh grapes and apples. Winter is great for nuts and oranges. In springtime, strawberries, blueberries and cherries are always a hit. Other convenient food options for school snacks include carrots with ranch dressing (recipe follows), granola bars, string cheeses, trail mix, graham crackers with peanut butter, popcorn, Chex Mix (recipe to follow) or bananas. Sliced watermelon is also a big hit with smaller kids for snack time.
Make nutritious foods accessible.
Sometimes little hands need lower shelves in the refrigerator or lower drawers, or cupboards in the kitchen to freely access snacks. An eye-level shelf in the refrigerator stocked with pre-cut melon, strawberries, carrots with homemade ranch dressing, yogurt, string cheese, and tiny oranges goes a long way to keep kids happy and healthy in-between meals. And, if a meal runs late and your little one decides to fall asleep before that meal, you won’t feel guilty they haven’t eaten yet.
Don’t overbuy.
Frequently kids will tell you they love something. So, you buy ten containers because they were on sale and seemed like a healthy choice, only to find out the kids only liked them for one-and-a-half containers. Be patient and keep calm. Find a neighbor or dog on which to offload the other seven containers. Next time you shop together and someone insists they love something, just buy a container or two and if that goes well, next time buy more. Tastes change. Products change. The BFF who had that must have item at lunch the other day? They change too.
Read ingredient labels.
I’m always shocked at what I find when I read ingredient labels. Try to choose snacks with the fewest number of ingredients and stick to ingredients you can pronounce. Manufacturers hide all kinds of things in food. You may think you are just buying a bag of pre-shredded cheese but if you look at the label, you’ll also find corn starch. On the other hand, Nabisco’s Triscuit crackers seem like they would be loaded with all kinds of things. In reality, there are just three ingredients on the package.
Add chocolate.
Huh? Yep: add chocolate. Don’t think your kids like apples, berries, melon, pineapple, oranges or grapes? Throw a little cup of chocolate (regular or sugar-free) on the fruit plate and watch it disappear! You can even put chocolate syrup on plain Greek yogurt and top with raspberries for a great afternoon snack.
Homemade Ranch Dressing
Here is a great recipe from my sister, and co-blogger, Amelia. Never again will we buy ranch dressing or dip!
Ingredients:
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon finely ground sea salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Mix all ingredients in a bowl with a whisk until smooth.
Refrigerate overnight for maximum flavor or use right away. Store refrigerated in airtight container up to 10 days.
Homemade Chex Mix
This is a great grab-n-go classic for kids and parents alike. If you are trying to cut carbs, add more nuts and fewer Chex and pretzels.
Ingredients:
½ cup butter
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 ¼ teaspoons seasoned salt
¼ teaspoon garlic
3 cups Chex squares
4 cups assorted nuts
1 ½ cups small pretzel rods
Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. On medium-low heat in a shallow pan, melt butter and stir in Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt and garlic salt. In a large bowl, mix together Chex, pretzel rods and nuts and toss with sauce mixture to coat well. Transfer mix to a large roasting pan with sides. Bake 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Cool and enjoy. Store up to two weeks in a Ziploc freezer bag.
Trish Lee is a long-time Vallejo resident and loves to cook, plant and meditate in person and on the web at www.cookplantmeditate.com.
They say that public speaking is the number one fear among human beings. All eyes on you, putting yourself out there in front of judgmental strangers who are eager to tweet unauthorized reviews about you to the world … probably not, but it’s a rational thought when experiencing stage fright before a public performance. In reality, most everyone wants to see you succeed and do well, yet people are still afraid to put themselves in the spotlight. Interestingly enough, however, very few people are afraid to pay and watch someone else do it. And if public speaking is the number one fear … what about public singing?
Many of us are actually very capable singers but don’t even know it. Nerves often block the freedom to release our vocal talents to the world, subjecting them to the privacy of our car or shower doors, never to be heard by the outside world. Even some of the most impressive singers on talent shows like American Idol and America’s Got Talent are terrified to sing in public (albeit their public consists of millions and millions of viewers). The point is, sometimes you’ve got to step out of your comfort zone to realize your true potential. If you live near the Napa/Solano area, you can put that potential to the test and audition for Sing Napa Valley!, a community-based vocal choir that’s open to absolutely anyone who wants to sing their heart out.
If performance isn’t your thing, then you can still feel that same thrill, vicariously, by watching someone else put his or her reputation on the line. Sure you can scroll through YouTube or Vine to listen to some gifted up-and-comers, but what about supporting talented members of your own community that have rehearsed a show just for you? That’s what Sing Napa Valley! has been doing for more than 50 years.
Jan Lanterman has been the Artistic Director for Sing Napa Valley! (formerly Napa Valley Chorale) since 1984. “We’ve done some exciting, wonderful things,” she said. “It keeps me very interested … and busy.” They just got done celebrating their 50th anniversary last year, which included a performance of Messiah in collaboration with Symphony Napa Valley that provided an interactive experience for the audience. “We did a sing-a-long of the ‘Hallelujah’ chorus,” said Lanterman. “The choir actually went out into the audience and sang with them. People seemed to enjoy that a lot.”
Sing Napa Valley! is a nomadic choral group with no true place to call home except, of course, for the greater Napa community as a whole. They perform in a variety of venues including several different churches throughout the Valley, The Lincoln Theater in Yountville, the school district auditorium, neighboring cities such as St. Helena and Vallejo, as well as Jamieson Ranch in American Canyon.
When the group is called, they often respond. They do stay pretty local, which is quite fitting as it’s comprised of members of the community, it’s here for the community and should therefore be enjoyed by the community as well. But don’t let the word “community” fool you when it comes to having a quality experience at one of their shows. “We strive for a very high level of performance,” said Lanterman. “We try to do a wide variety of music, we don’t just do classical; we’ve done some jazz, pop, spirituals, a cappella, sometimes we are able to hire an orchestra.”
Currently Sing Napa Valley! has about 50 active members. Over the years the group has never gotten too big to where Lanterman has had to put a cap on how many people can perform, probably because she’d never be able to turn someone away. “When people are qualified and really want to sing, I really want to give them a good place to sing,” she said. When it comes to Sing Napa Valley!, the more is quite literally the merrier.
The process of teaching 50 people to sing the same song in unison at varying harmonies and equal volume may seem like an impossible task to some, but Lanterman’s been perfecting that process for the last 30 years with the choir. “We introduce new music to the choir as a whole, then they go home and actually learn the music on their own, so that when they come to rehearsal we’re able to actually practice and make music, rather than just learning notes,” she said. Such a practice makes for a very efficient learning process. It only takes the group about 8-10 weeks of rehearsal to get a new piece ready to perform before an audience. “Some of that music is ready very early and some of it we’re working on until the very end,” she explained. “The task at the rehearsal is getting them to do it all together and when they finally do—it’s wonderful.”
After a summertime hiatus, Sing Napa Valley! has a lot planned for the latter half of their 51st season.
In August look for Salon X: The Unknown Factor, scheduled for August 10th at 3 p.m. at Huether Studio in Napa. It’s a show they’re doing with only about 20 singers from the group. “We’re going to do a variety of things, from solos to duets, dramatic reading, poetry—it supports the local artists’ studio,” said Lanterman. “We try to do a variety of music and experience so that, as an audience member, you don’t just go to a concert to sit, watch and listen.” If you’re curious as to what that means, you’ll just have to attend the show to find out.
“We are also doing a program in October that we’re loosely calling ‘Americana’,” said Lanterman. “Everything will be based in styles that are typically American: folk songs to patriotic songs, American composers, it’s going to be pretty eclectic.” Sing Napa Valley! doesn’t stick to any one particular style or genre and are open to whatever musical influences interest them at the time. “We just did a performance of rock n’ roll music at Silo’s in Napa,” she said. “The whole second half being music from the Grateful Dead/Jerry Garcia songbook. It was very fun. We packed the house!” That performance only consisted of 10 of their singers, along with a band.
At this point, some of you may be wondering how to join. “It’s open to anyone but we do have auditions,” said Lanterman. “It’s intergenerational. We have some high school students, some senior citizens and everything in between.” Even her granddaughter who, yes, also had to audition for the group. “We put her through a pretty rigorous audition!” she laughed. But in all seriousness, “We do try to keep the auditions as low pressure as possible.”
To audition you will be asked to simply sing a song of your choice. Even muttering a few notes of the “Happy Birthday” song or “My Country ’Tis of Thee” would qualify. “I always ask that it be something they know very well and feel very comfortable singing,” Lanterman said. “Then I ask them to sing some vocal exercises so that I can determine range—how high and low they sing.” The whole process takes about 10 minutes. If things go well, you could be singing with Sing Napa Valley! in no time.
You never quite know what to expect when attending a Sing Napa Valley! performance, except for one thing: “You’re going to have a fine musical experience,” said Lanterman. “And that actually happens for the singers as well as for the audience. We love to sing and we love to have people in our audience.” So come on out to a performance and see what your talented friends and neighbors are up to.
Keep updated with Sing Napa Valley! at their website: www.singnapavalley.org. Or give them a call at (707) 341-6790. Support your local talent and engage yourself in a community event that’s rewarding for everyone involved.
Native to Vallejo, Matt Larson is living in Greater LA to pursue all that is good in the entertainment world. Support his career and follow him on Twitter @mattnstuff.
The media has been giving a lot of attention to a real estate market that is changing, but there’s a lot of misinformation floating around in the media about the current situation. Some reports lack detail, while others take either too narrow or too broad a focus, so it’s hard to get a true picture of what the market is truly doing. I’ve even heard some people say that the market is “really hot” right now. But, is it?
Home sales prices have been rising in most areas and in most price points, but this is due to a real lack of inventory of homes on the market, while other factors—such as rising incomes and plentiful jobs—that would indicate a truly healthy housing market, do not seem to be contributing to this rise in home sales prices. There are fewer buyers looking for homes than a year ago and there are fewer houses for sale than a year ago. Across the entire Bay Area, the number of homes for sale is down from 40,906 in July, 2013, to 38,102 in July, 2014, a decrease of 6%. Also, the number of homes that have sold has also decreased from year to year: The yearly sales from July 2012-July 2013 was 32,444 homes sold. From July 2013-July 2014, total homes sold is 27,878; a decrease of 14%.
The good news (for sellers, anyway) is that the average price of homes that have sold in the past year has increased by 20% and the median sales price has risen 23%. This is an average, taken across all price points, property types (detached homes, condos and townhouses) and all Bay Area counties. This is good news for sellers who have been underwater for many years, allowing some people to be able to sell without doing a “short sale”, or without getting a “notice of default” from their bank, and having to deal with derogatory credit report information, or worse, being foreclosed upon.
More good news for sellers is that the average amount of days a home sits on the market prior to selling has been dropping steadily since January of this year, going from an average of 42 days on market down to 22 days. This has been giving seller’s more confidence to push their prices up, and many have been able to get their asking price, or even above it, with many homes receiving multiple offers.
However many buyers who are watching this scenario are opting out of buying right now due to a perception that there is another bubble forming, and they believe prices will deflate again. Another factor in the smaller number of buyers shopping is due to strict lending standards by mortgage providers, making it still very difficult for many buyers to acquire a home loan.
What’s coming in the years ahead? According to mortgage industry reporting agencies we are still not out of the storm. There are still a lot of homeowners underwater and a lot of foreclosure properties to work through the system. And there is another, more ominous, cloud forming: The interest rates on Home Equity lines of credit, taken out during the housing bubble (2003-2007) and usually written for a 10-year term, are about to be reset at higher interest rates. Borrowers who chose to make interest-only payments on those home equity lines will have to start paying on the principle balance as well, which could double the amount some borrowers will have to pay monthly on these loans. There is some nervousness in the banking industry that this could cause another avalanche of foreclosures.
Will prices remain strong and continue to rise, or will a new wave of foreclosures and defaults begin to erode the gains experienced over the past year? The market may be hot right now, but it seems that there is a long way to go before a “balanced” real estate market is achieved and the home loan industry shakes off the “illness” caused by the excesses of the past to find true health and equilibrium. But, the real estate market and industry does seem to be heading in that direction.
Tomaj Trenda, Broker/Owner of Better Homes Realty is a real estate educator, author and Top Producer in Contra Costa & Alameda counties. Feel free to contact him at 415-505-3536 or at homes@tomajtrenda.com.
If you live in Benicia, or if you spend a lot of time loitering around the old downtown train station there, then perhaps you’ve noticed a bit more color out on the First St. waterfront over the last couple years. While sailors, jet skiers, and wind surfers have been a part of Benicia’s waterfront façade for decades, the smaller watercraft, like paddle boats, have always been a comparably rare sight until recently. Nowadays, though, you can bet money on seeing a cropping of paddle boats, kite surfers and maybe even a few kayakers out in the Benicia side of the strait, several times throughout the day.
Surprisingly, the bulk of this change can be traced back to a single local shop: Benicia Kite and Paddle Sports. Located at the end of First St., across the street from the old Tannery Building, Benicia Kite and Paddle has been supplying locals (and, by extension, the Carquinez Strait) with the water vessels, flotation devices and equipment necessary to fulfill their recreational boating needs.
Their wares are for folks who want to enjoy a good time out on the water, but aren’t looking for the type of long-term money commitment that usually comes with, say, buying a yacht. Benicia Kite and Paddle’s customers are typically Benicians or Vallejoans looking to spend some hours soaking up the sun on the Carquinez Strait while sailing, paddling or rowing to their heart’s content. For that reason, Benicia Kite and Paddle’s products are available not just to buy, but also to rent for folks who want to boat around for a day but might not want to bring home a canoe or a board.
Established in 2012, Benicia Kite and Paddle’s existence begs the question: with sunny, old Benicia having such a magnificent basin of water right at its front door, why hasn’t somebody tried this sooner? Store owner (and founder) Chris Gatewood says that he’s wondered that too throughout the years, but adds that he was more than happy to come and fill the void.
“I love the town here; it’s small and close knit, but we’re close to a big metropolitan city,” says Gatewood. “And I love being close to the water too. It’s a playground out here.”
Gatewood is a longtime Benicia resident who lives in town with his family, and originally came to this area so he could attend the California Maritime Academy in Vallejo. He grew up (and spent much of his free time) near The Delta too, and has amassed quite a bit of knowledge about local waters and related spots of interest, having spent almost two decades seeing things from a different perspective, out on the water looking in.
“There’s tons of history out here. Out in Martinez there’s this old schooner, The Forrester, which has some pretty amazing backstory,” says Gatewood, when asked what the Solano County waters have taught him. “There’s an old destroyer up by Napa, which I think has been there since World War I. There’s tons of marine life; I see river otters, sea lions and harbor seals. The younger pups will follow you, they’re curious, like a dog.”
Gatewood says he’s had a lifelong love of water and water-related activities, and even worked for years as a crewman on a tugboat. Some expeditions had him away from home for as long as 30 days, and while he loved the ocean, the time away from his family was too much to bear, so he ultimately came back to land. He worked as a sales manager for a number of years, but established an online business and started selling kite boarding equipment from home. That side hobby eventually blossomed into Benicia Kite and Paddle, when it grew to the point that Gatewood was able to quit his corporate job and focus most of his attention back on the water.
“It’s been a lot of fun. I’ll have birthday parties for kids and we’ll be like the big brothers, helping them out and showing them what to do,” Gatewood says, when asked about the experience so far. “Then, the other day there was this 76-year-old guy who went out with us—he had never been on the water before. Or these two ladies who wanted to go out but were afraid of the water. It was a great opportunity to help them get over their fear and they were so happy afterwards. It’s just been a lot of good times.”
In addition to selling and renting boating equipment, Benicia Kite and Paddle also gives lessons in any of the types of boating or windsurfing they can, so if you’re interested in learning or improving boating skills, feel free to stop on by. There are also morning groups that go out around 9:30 a.m. for a morning paddle, usually every day, and Gatewood says that anyone who’s interested should feel free to come by the store and sign up.
Gatewood himself is a frequent kite surfer, and sets aside as much time as he can to spend on the water, despite usually having to work at least six days a week. Having spent much of his life on the water, he’s picked up some good safety tips for people to keep in mind when boating on the Carquinez Strait, which can have a strong current and heavy winds some of the time, but other times can resemble a big, glassy lake.
“You just have to have respect for the water,” Gatewood says. “It’s a shipping lane, so you’ve got recreational and industrial traffic that you need to watch out for. Stay safe, use proper safety equipment. Be respectful, know your capabilities and don’t take risks.”
Since their start, Benicia Kite and Paddle has expanded their wares beyond the scope of a traditional skate and paddle shop. They sell regular kites, a tip of the cap to the popular Benicia hobby of flying kites on the big grass fields downtown. And they also sell some skateboarding equipment and long boards.
The decision to go longboard heavy, as opposed to selling mainly skateboards, was motivated by the fact that longboarding is more of a “beach” activity, and correlates with their other products. It was also a show of respect for Wheels in Motion, the skate and bike shop up the street that’s been in town for years—a courteous gesture that is typical of small businesses in Benicia.
“Come on down and play! It’s a ton of fun, we ensure a good time,” Gatewood says.
Benicia Kite and Paddle Sports is located at 238 First St. in Benicia, and typically open from 12-5 p.m. daily, though their hours vary. For more information, folks can visit www.kiteskatepaddle.com or call (209) 304-2200.
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.
Local Happenings Magazine continues to work hard to help you find the best events in the area and we are now rolling out the 4th Annual Local’s Choice Awards, so that you can help us identify some of the best businesses and people in the area. They then can help all of us with our next Happening.
This is our official announcement of the 4th Annual “Local Happenings Awards.” The award winners will be announced in the February – March 2015 edition.
We are inviting you, the public, to help choose the winners. We have nominated a handful of people and businesses in 12 categories and we are asking you to vote for your favorites or add to our list by nominating your favorite in those categories.
The Rules
The businesses nominated must be within the bounds of Napa, Solano or Contra Costa counties.
The businesses must have been in business since at least
January 1, 2011 – as most new businesses fail in the first three years, we want to focus on those companies that have withstood the test of time.
The voting and nominations will open up on our website on Saturday, September 1, 2014 and concludes on Sunday, December 8, 2014.
You may cast your vote in the following ways:
Online: www.LocalHappeningsMagazine.com
E-mail: info@LocalHappeningsMagazine.com
Fax: 707-557-3166
Mail: Local Happenings Magazine
207 Wallace Ave., Vallejo, CA 94590
If you fax, e-mail or mail your votes please include your name, address and e-mail address on your entry to be considered a valid entry. We were going to post an official entry form on the web but if you could download the form you could also just vote online – so there is no “official” ballot for votes or nominations.
Please include “Local Happenings Awards” in the subject line of e-mails and at the top of faxes or letters.
Just like in American Idol, you should vote early and often – you may vote once per day for your favorites so make sure to spread the word and help them to get selected!! We look forward to you helping us to select our winners and helping you learn about some of these great businesses and people within our community.
The Categories
1. Restaurants/Food
2. Golf Courses
3. Retailers (any type, from car dealers to clothing stores; if they sell product to the general public they would qualify)
4. Event/Festival
5. Personal Service Business (i.e. Hair Salon, Nails, Spa, Massage, etc.)
6. Business Services (Banks, Insurance Companies, Attorneys, etc.)
7. Realtor (Favorite Realtor)
8. Health Care (Doctors, Dentists, Hospitals, Chiropractors, etc.)
9. Children’s Activities (Discovery Kingdom, Jump House Providers, Public Parks, etc.)
10. Animal/Pet Activity/Business/Event (Groomers, Dog Parks, Pet Stores, etc.)
11. Best Customer Service (any Business)
12. Humanitarian – this can be a person, non-profit or a business
Well, we have rounded the turn on 2014 and are into the backstretch of the year. With less than 5 months away from 2015, are we the only ones saying where is the year going? On the plus side, we are coming into September and that means two things: Baseball playoffs are right around the corner and the start of a new NFL year! Fall is also on the horizon so lets get out there and enjoy the rest of summer before it fades into memory. The Local Happenings Magazine calendar is always the best place to start your search for things to do. We have also made our website much more mobile friendly so that you can use it while on the go! Let us know what you think of our improvements.
August also means that our Local’s choice awards voting is getting ready to open up. Here are our current winners: http://www.localhappeningsmagazine.com/the-locals-choice-awards-for-2014/
If your favorites are not up there make sure to nominate them AND vote for them as well once our annual contest begins on September 1, 2014. Let your friends know to do the same and remember what they say in Chicago, vote early and often!!
The school year is also looming large. The kids will soon be back and parents everywhere will once again rest easy not having to worry about keeping them occupied for the summer. Labor Day is always the last push before we say goodbye to summer so be sure to plan accordingly. Isn’t it odd that there is no major holiday in August? How did the national schedule makers miss that? All of this, of course, means that we will all be extra busy enjoying life and all that there is to do as we wrap up our vacations and enjoy as much sunshine as we can. The Scottish games, the Renaissance Festival, loads of outdoor concerts, plays and other events are on the schedule to fill up everyone’s calendars.
Lots of birthdays coming up (Christmas and New Years is always a favorite time for the families to start) so we would like to send out a birthday wish to: Barbara, John, Karen, Yvonne, Kenny, Catherine, Dora, Christine, Christopher, Clara, Joe, Krystal, Bob, Pippen, Laura, Freda, Cindy, Therese, Laura, Jeff, Duane, Wendy, Debbie, Cindy, Derrick, Mel, Rich, Danny, Eric, Liz and of course our own Robert and Regina, all of whom mark another orbit around the sun…Happy Birthday to you all.
Enjoy and don’t forget to vote. Cheers!
Robert Briseño &
Deanna Baillie
Les Honig is a features freelancer and former journalism teacher from back East who relocated to the OC before landing in Benicia to savor the joys of Northern California living.
