Applications for the Valley Center Western Days parade are now available.
The parade theme “United We Stand” celebrates the diversity of our town and honors all the residents.
All applications must be accompanied with a “featured script” stating exactly what your group or organization wants the announcers to highlight as you are on the parade route.
“Over 220 applications went out the first week of February," said Sandra Rockefeller - Farmer, chairman of the parade committee. “We anticipate the parade to be one of the most colorful events of our time. It is our hope to draw more marching bands, floats and walking groups. I encourage everyone to get involved in our town’s celebration of uniting all.”
If you have received your mailed copy of the application complete it as early as possible. Deadline for all applications is April 30, 2004. In the event you do not write your script, the application will be returned. Scripting must be included this year.
All entrants who return their completed application will receive confirmation by May 15, 2004.
All float entries need to include the length and width of the float. Group entries are encouraged to include numbers for participants. For animal entries, water will be provided at the staging and loading areas the day of the event only.
Car entries must include the names of those in the vehicle.
The parade will take place on Saturday, May 29, 2004. To simplify the staging and loading areas every entry will be color-coded.
The color scheme for entrants will be bright green for all equestrian entries, white for all Shriners, all automobiles / emergency vehicles will be lavender and bright yellow is the color for all floats, bands, walking groups, tractors, motorcycles, dune buggies, etc.
To get your parade applications go to your favorite Valley Center business location. Applications are available at The Roadrunner office, Bear Valley Farm Supply, California Bank & Trust, Terry’s Hay & Grain, Valley Center Feed or you can download your copy from the Internet site www.vcwesterndays.com
The next parade planning meeting will be Thursday, March 4 at 6:30 p.m. at the Coldwell-Banker offices, 27301 Valley Center Rd. (the corner of Valley Center Road and Woods Valley Road). Only a few volunteer positions are still open. All residents are welcome and encouraged to support the parade committee.
If you want to share ideas or have questions call the VC Chamber of Commerce at (760) 749-8472 or Sandra Rockefeller - Farmer at (760) 638-0311.
WANTED: Western Days T-Shirt Art—$100 Reward!
The Chamber of Commerce is offering a $100 cash reward—and community fame!—to one Valley Center artist.
The winning design will be featured on 2004’s Western Days shirts and programs. Participation is open to all VC residents—students to professionals.
Deadline is March 15. Entries can be dropped off at the Chamber office (above Olson Realty), the bank, or the Pharmacy during regular business hours.
The winning design will be selected by the Western Days Committee shortly thereafter.
The design should be Western in style, bold, and eye-catching. It may include the Parade theme of “United We Stand.” Wording is not required on the art. It can be added afterwards.
ART REQUIREMENTS:
• 12 by 12 inches (approximately);
• Black and white line art, along with a colored version (optional);
• Art MUST be your original design—not copied from any copyrighted art or photos;
• Fine detail is not recommend for screen printing, and art may need to be adjusted for the best quality;
• Don’t forget to include your name and phone number on the back of your art.
Last week The Roadrunner interviewed Erin Koch, campaign manager for the Yes on Prop. A Committee. Prop. A requires any newly subdivided parcels on approximately 694,000 acres of rural land in northern and eastern San Diego County to be a minimum of 40, 80 or 160 acres.
The interview follows:
Q: What, in your view, would be the main benefits if your initiative passes?
A: San Diego is going to grow by about one million people over the next 20 years. We need to figure out how we’re going to grow. This initiative will limit growth in the east and north county.
Q: What is the most important message about Prop. A that you feel is not being covered adequately in the press?
A: The press has not done a good job pointing out the strong support we have from organizations like the American Lung Assn. and the League of Women’s Voters. These are not the kinds of folks who want to destroy farmland or the Backcountry. They are looking out for the best interests of San Diego. Another interesting thing is that the Lung Assn. hardly ever gives support to an initiative, so they have to feel strongly about it.
Q: What is the biggest misconception about Prop. A?
A: That it harms private property rights. Prop. A has no effect on current zoning. It does limit the ability to subdivide lots, but if you bought a parcel of land and they told you, you could build four buildings on that parcel, you could do that before and you’ll be able to do that after Prop. A
Q: Would Prop. A obviate the need for General Plan 2020? Would the County have to redo the plan entirely?
A: Absolutely not. Prop. A would establish a cornerstone for smart planning and smart growth and the county plan could build on that, add to it. Our concern with the county’s plan is that, A, it’s three years late, and B, the county are the folks that kind of got us into the mess, as far as traffic and sprawl. We feel that it’s time to rein them in a little bit.
Q: “If you were to describe the average supporter of your initiative, what would that person be?
A: This campaign is unusual in that we really have no average supporter. Our polling shows support across party lines, across gender, across age, across geography even. People want to really prevent San Diego from turning into Los Angeles.
Q: How would you describe the average person who would opposes Prop. A?
A: That person is probably a rancher who owns 5,000 acres or more and is hoping to subdivide it and sell it off. I also think that many who oppose Prop. A need to learn more about it and open up their minds and do a little information and fact finding. I think a lot of people who oppose it are scared unnecessarily.
Q: Can you name a community where your solution to urban sprawl is currently being implemented?
A: Portland Oregon. They implemented this solution about 30 years ago. They basically said ‘This is where we want our city to be and this is where we want our country to be.’ They have the lowest housing costs on the West Coast and they’ve created a highly desirable city with great public services, great public transit, surrounded by beautiful open space and farmland.
Q: Do you think taking power from elected boards and transferring it to a direct democratic process such as an initiative is the wave of the future?
A: Well, I think that voter control is important when the elected leaders have failed. You saw that with the recall a few months ago. It’s important for the voters to say, enough is enough, we’re going to take charge.
Q: Not many business organizations support Prop. A. Why?
A: We need to do a better job of communicating with them. If you look at what happens when you’ve got suburban sprawl, the kind of businesses that spring up are like Wal-Mart. Everybody loves Wal-Mart but business owners know that it takes away their customers. If more businesses would look closer at this they would support it.
Q: What are the biggest lies that your opponents are telling about Prop. A?
A: Probably the biggest single lie is that it hurts ag. The real reason it was drafted was to protect ag, and it does that by preventing large, 5,000 acre ranches from being converted into sprawl and subdivided.
Q: Would Prop. A help alleviate freeway gridlock?
A: No. It will not alleviate it, it will prevent current conditions from getting worse. Example, if you take 5,000 homes and throw them up east of Alpine on I-8, you and I both know what’s going to happen to I-8. It doesn’t make current situation better but it keeps it from getting worse.
Q: If Prop. A passes do you think it will affect the price of housing, either up or down?
A: I think it will bring housing prices down. If you look at the types of homes being built in east Chula Vista, or north of Vista, on the edge of the county, these are $500,000, $800,000 houses. If you look at the housing being built in existing urban areas, in downtown San Diego, you have 200 brand new condos in the mid-$200,000 range. It’s clear that building within existing cities is more affordable than many estates they put in the suburbs.
Q: The Farm Bureau’s Eric Larson accuses you of distorting the truth by citing a 60 Minutes expose of farm bureaus as owned by big corporations, without mentioning that the farm bureau exposed in the piece is in Iowa. Comment?
A: Don Bauder in the San Diego Reader quotes Larson as admitting that real estate interests are fueling the Farm Bureau’s No on Prop. A campaign. It’s transparent that real estate plutocrats are behind it.
Q: That still doesn’t address the mischaracterization of farm bureau members as corporations, when they are not.
A: Bottom line is that the No on Prop. A campaign is being funded by large corporations.
Q: Clearly, you don’t believe that the farmers represented by the Farm Bureau are true farmers, but rather developers-in-waiting. How do you define a true farmer and how would we recognize one if we saw him?
A: I define a true farmer as someone who’s actually out farming his or her land. Most farmers in San Diego do so on smaller farms. They are not the ones with the 5,000 acres who want to divide it and sell it to the developers.
Q: How would Prop. A promote clean water and air since it doesn’t stop people from moving into the county, or being born here, but simply concentrates them in the cities?
A: A significant percentage of the water we drink comes from reservoirs in east county, so by eliminating sprawl development around these reservoirs, Prop. A protects clean water. On the air quality, look at L.A., they’ve got some of the worst air quality in the nation and they’ve got traffic everywhere. Prop. A defines San Diego. This is where we want to have cities and this is where we want countryside. Once we do that we can redefine mass transit and get people out of their cars.
Q: Explain why it’s fair for the city dwellers of the county (since they compose the great majority of voters) to impose their values on local communities such as Ramona, Julian and Valley Center, instead of letting those communities make those decisions.
A: I actually think that the folks who live in the East County are the ones who should be supportive of Prop. A. Why? Because Prop. A protects their quality of life. Those who live in East County live there for a reason, because it’s not San Diego and it’s got more of a community feel. I think they are actually going to come out in great numbers and support Prop. A.
VC’s Wayne Abernethy last week unveiled three statues to honor firefighters who battled the Paradise blaze in October.
“We’ll never forget the fine job done by the fire personnel in VC during the ‘fire storm’ of 2003,” Abernethy told firefighters and business leaders who contributed funds for statues at VC’s three fire stations
“We looked up Woods Valley Road and could see nothing but smoke and flames. It looked for certain that the whole valley was being destroyed. After the smoke and flames had cleared away, it was a miracle,” said Abernethy.
By SHIRLEY GOOD
First, this is only the second time in eleven years that I have “suggested” David and Dale let me write for the paper. Normally they won’t let me within ten, make that 100, feet of writing, other than as a ghost with their editing or if I let them write what I have on my mind. They say I don’t know how to write in newspapereez. Well too bad. Here goes.
Have you ever wondered how projects get started in our hometown? I have. But, one hit me recently, and I thought you might enjoy the experience.
There I was last December at the Kiwanis Gala Auction. Dale did not feel well and had left early. I was sitting there thinking “poor Dale,” however, it also meant I was free to bid on anything I wanted, i.e., no sports stuff to worry about.
First, I bid and won time from Al, the Handyman. Those of you who know Dale, know why this is important. Then I decided to have some fun bidding up a few items.
I was following my normal pattern and had picked out the items I wanted to bid on. The “gentlemen” from Kiwanis know my history and like to have fun with me bidding up the items to, shall we say, increase the donation. Then came a massage by Jana at Valley Center Wellness Spa. Ok. This is serious business; I know this is a great prize.
I was bidding and watching my competitors closely when Al Stehly came over and sat down.
“Hi Al. How is business?”
Those of you who know Al and the extended Stehly families, know they are very pleasant, involved, concerned citizens.
“Oh, oh! What is the price of the massage and am I the last bidder? I really want this massage.”
I know Al has something else on his mind, but the bidding is heating up. Ok. There is another massage coming later, I will go for that one.
“So, Al what is on your mind?”
Al explained that as he has been doing his normal travels through our community he had noticed it might be time to think again about the efforts of Elizabeth Murphy some years ago to clean up our hometown.
He had also thought about the beautification contest the Garden Club runs each year for commercial property and business owners.
“How about putting together a promotion or contest for residential properties and commercial groves?”
Al said he would be happy to help and knew other grove owners who might be willing to help too.
“How about The Roadrunner?”
Talk fast Al. The next massage is coming up.
“And, yes The Roadrunner would be very willing to help. I think it is a great idea. But, no preachy stuff. This needs to be fun, perhaps a little fun competition and sharing of ideas.”
Also, we agreed this shouldn’t be about spending the most money, but about improving the appearance of properties from our roads. We agreed to talk after the holidays.
Time to bid on the next massage. Got it. It had been a good night. Visited with friends, had some tasty dessert, I could look forward to a great massage, the school children will benefit from the proceeds of the auction and Al shared a great idea. Hope Dale feels better.
Please look for David’s article on page A3 for the details on what happened next.
The Valley Roadrunner
P.O.B. 1529, Valley Center, CA 92082
Tel. 760.749.1112 Fax 760.749.1688
Website: www.valleycenter.com
Email: editor@valleycenter.com
Copyright © 2002, Palomar Community Newspapers, dba Valley Roadrunner. All rights reserved. This content may not be archived, retransmitted, saved in a database, or used for any commercial purpose without the express written permission of the Valley Roadrunner.