Valley Center Wellness Spa’s proprietor Jana Limon entertained over 140 people Thursday afternoon and evening with gourmet food and wine tasting to celebrate the grand opening of two new treatment rooms.
Visitors lingered in the cool spring evening, sampling Almond flavored wine from Wilson Creek Winery or sipping pineapple punch. They dined on fresh fruit, garlic smashed potatoes, fennel roasted vegetables and rosemary lemon salted chicken catered by Victoria’s Gourmet Catering.
Harp music was provided by Deahn Ayers. Massage therapist Jesica Lambertson prepared the homemade chocolate truffles.
Guests were able to tour the new suites, which were finished by Marco Limon and Bill Crosby and to savor the elegant quiet private waiting area where clients can relax after treatments.
The addition of two treatment rooms more than doubles the available space at the spa. Also planned before Mother’s Day is a boutique shopping room offering signature gift wrapping on all spa and boutique items.
To celebrate the grand open, the spa will offer specials on all body treatments.
It recently expanded the services that it offers, which include luxurious body treatments, Ayurvedic beauty care, and a larger number of massage treatments and packages.
The following evening the spa hosted the monthly Chamber of Commerce Sundowner.
Mrs. Limon thanked Stehly Grove Management for allowing her to use their suite as a prep room for the event, and Courtyard owner Laura Lee Stephens, “for making the Courtyard so special.”
Last November, as the Paradise Fires still raged, a public meeting attended by over 500 residents heard from government agencies such as FEMA that “everyone would be helped.”
Well that didn’t happen. Yet, there are local groups working to help those who “slipped through the cracks.” Probably the most active is Valley Center Fire Recovery, whose director. Michelle Schied, has behind the scenes been coordinating assistance with other agencies.
In case you’ve wondered if the new trailer in the County yards has anything to do with fire relief, it does.
Mrs. Schied’s operation is located at the same spot where the Local Assistance Center operated for several months.
Meantime, VC Fire Recovery has become an active member of a county-wide recovery team includes several groups: The San Diego Fire Storm Community Recovery Team (CRT).
Agencies assisting include: Workforce Partnerships, which provides employment opportunities for individuals who lost their jobs as a result of the fires; Salvation Army, American Red Cross, UMCOR (United Methodists Charities Organization). This last organization helped orchestrate 38 volunteers from Louisiana State University who helped local residents restore irrigation at their farms last week.
Another group, Student Conservation Assn. (SCA) received funding through Home Depot to assist with replanting in high risk areas. They will be working at the San Pasqual Reservation.
According to Mrs. Schied Habitat for Humanity recently met with the San Pasqual tribe, finalizing plans to rebuild several homes for elder tribal members. Volunteer labor will be needed to assist in this effort.
St. Vincent De Paul has also assisted several families directly. VC resident John Jackson is the local representative of St. Vincent. Schied took him to several property sites last week and introduced him to survivor families.
Another family lost their garage and have no insurance through no fault of their own.
“They will need assistance, “ says Mrs. Schied, “which we plan to do sometime in August.”
She is also helping several flower farm owners near Paradise Mountain to get materials and supplies that they lost in the fire.
Another grower lost 60 citrus trees near Lake Wohlford. Mrs. Schied is orchestrating volunteers to remove the burnt trees.
“At the present time we are assisting more than forty families with developing permanent housing plans and solutions,” she says.
“Some are already back home, with new or used manufactured homes. A couple are waiting for their new purchases. Some have begun construction. We’ve assisted with debris removal. We are providing moral support. We’ve had two insurance workshops to date to assist families with complications or challenges, and also general education,” she said.
Workshops planned, although not yet scheduled, will include Oakland real estate attorney George Kehrer, who lost his home in the Oakland fire of 1991. He offers workshops all over Southern California on dealing with disaster insurance claims.
Jerry Hemme, a retired insurance broker, is offering his time at the trailer as his time permits.
“We’re addressing clarifications with FEMA claims, assisting families to get all of the assistance they are entitled to from FEMA and SBA,” said Mrs. Schied.
Families can also come in to the office to use landline phone, desk space, send or receive Faxes or use the computer’s Internet.
Recovery office hours are Tuesday-Friday, noon-6:30 p.m.
It is also open on alternating Saturdays 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. Appointments for individuals are available for one on one consultations by calling in advance 760-749-7927 or 760-518-7135.
There is also a donations intake line for those who have furniture, appliances, artwork, kitchenware, bookcases and toys for families whose possessions were destroyed last fall.
If you have any of these items, call 749-9584.
In its third year, the Valley Center Rodeo committee is starting to build a core group of people who are devoted to the event, and who are becoming veterans at organizing it.
Joyce Holmes and Geraldine McHugh, who, with Joe Egar, share the chairmanship of the rodeo committee, dropped by the paper office to talk about how the event is evolving.
“With three years I see more and more devotion and people taking more and more responsibilities and doing a wonderful job with it,” McHugh told The Roadrunner.
In many ways the event will be the same as it was last year. Again, it’s being approved by the National Police Rodeo Assn. Again, it’s open to contestants within 35 miles of VC. Rules.
Entry forms can be printed from the website (vcrodeo.org) or can be picked up at The Roadrunner office or at Krueger Realty and online.
One thing is new. A trick roper, Benny Martinez has been added to the intermission entertainment line-up Martinez has appeared at many schools and at the Tournament of Roses Parade.
Also new, of course, is the Rodeo Queen contest, which is being held this weekend at Aerie Park.
Another new thing is the VIP catered meals, which are offered, along with preferred seating, for $25 per person VIP meals will be catered by Impressions, whose proprietor is Dawn Gordon, out of Castle Creek.
Come to think of it, there’s lots that’s new!
Like the improved parking lot for Western Days and the rodeo.
According to Holmes, “We now have the lot at Betsworth and Lilac on John Belanich’s property, for which we thank him. Parking, or the lack of it, was our biggest complaint last year. We hope this will make people happier.” Handicapped parking will be located next to the rodeo.
The meal will consist of an old-fashioned Western Barbecue with corn on the cob, potato salad, poultry, beef and biscuits.
McHugh, who sampled the food before deciding to bring Impressions on board, calls it “unbelievable!”
Vern & Sandy Peltzer took over the managing of the VIP area, and their company, Peltzer Plumbing, is also sponsoring it.
Also new this year is a Western Town facade that will be built at the entrance to the rodeo. Designed by Owen Trogdon, local businesses can buy space on sponsoring banners on ten scenes of the facade.
Sponsored in part by Hawthorne Machinery, Washington Mutual, Valley View Casino, and Jack Powell Dodge , the VC rodeo is a daunting undertaking that costs about $27,000 to put on.
Volunteers are used at all levels, from the parking lot to those who collect the tickets, and those who assist the contestants.
The 35 plus volunteers come from the Vaqueros horse group, from friends, neighbors and relatives. Tellers from California Bank & Trust have volunteered to run the ticket booth.
About 350-400 contestants are expected for the rodeo, including kids competing in the mutton busting.
Tickets in advance cost $8, and are $10 at the gate. Kids 5 and under get in free free.
Tickets are available at Escondido Western Warehouse, Hawthorne Country Store and Cowgirls; VC Terry’s Hay and Grain, Kreuger Realty, Bear Valley Feed, California Bank & Trust.
Questions? Call 749-1857.
Five deputies working out of the Valley Center Sheriff’s substation were among 124 honored for valor in the Paradise fire last fall.
Three of these, Jake Jucenas, Alvin Vasquez and Juan Tamayo, received the department’s top award, the Medal of Honor.
The awards ceremony took place April 9 at the Marriott San Diego Mission Valley’s Grand Ballroom.
Sheriff Bill Kolender individually honored staff, volunteers and civilians with medals and special commendations.
Most of the awards were for heroic and extraordinary actions during the 2003 fire storms.
The Sheriff will be awarding three Medals of Honor, thirty-seven Medals of Valor, nine Medals for Lifesaving, four Distinguished Service Medals, one Medal of Merit, numerous certificates or letters of commendation along with numerous unit citations and civilian awards.
Deputy Alvin Vasquez rescued Michael and Angela Scott from their Valley Center home as flames surrounded the residence. Deputy Vasquez carried Angela Scott to safety from the bathtub, where she had taken refuge from the smoke and flames.
Deputies Jake Jucenas and Juan Tamayo encountered John Roach emerging from the flames in Valley Center, who said his children had been following him. Deputies Jucenas and Tamayo, without protective gear, immediately went into the smoke to try and find the children.
There they encountered Allyson Roach, who had been severely burned and took her to safety. Then Jucenas went back into the oncoming fire to try to locate more victims, where he became completely disoriented.
Realizing his fellow deputy was missing, Deputy Tamayo risked his life to go back into the smoke and flames and rescue him. When Tamayo found Jucenas, he was disoriented and his hair had been singed in several places – Tamayo was able to lead him to safety.
Thirty-seven Medals of Valor were also awarded for actions taken by deputies during the fires.
Among them, Sergeant James Mika, Deputy Jeanette Shaloub and Deputy Nicholas Maryn were awarded Medals of Valor for risking their lives in an attempt to locate more victims in and around the Roach home.
Thirty-four additional Medals of Valor were awarded for acts of heroism and courage involving the evacuations and rescue of residents in the San Diego Country Estates, Ramona, Wildcat Canyon, Crest, Pine Valley, Julian, Poway, Blossom Valley, Valley Center, and other areas involved in the Cedar and Paradise Fires.
VC deputies receiving these awards included Dan Lopez, Vic Perry, Craig Rembold and Steven Spoelstra.
The VC substation also received a meritorious unit citation.
Lydia Vogt, principal of the Lilac Elementary School, and a longtime employee of the district, will retire at the end of this year.
Her retirement was announced at Thursday night’s school board meeting.
Mrs. Vogt has worked for 31 years at the district, and grew up in the area.
During her career in VC, which began when the district had a single elementary school, she taught kindergarten through middle school age students in one capacity or other, taught both bilingual and English only students, and was principal of the primary and Lilac schools.
The latter she opened in the fall of last year.
Mrs. Vogt, who is known for her colorful and artistic fashions, has been something of an “art czar” for the school district.
She headed the district’s art steering committee and helped develop grants that brought art education into the classroom.
She has also consulted with other school districts in art education, and plans to continue.
Several years ago she spent six weeks in Argentina as a “shadow principal” of a rural school. Later the principal that she worked with spent six months as Mrs. Vogt’s “shadow principal” at the primary school.
She and her husband plan to travel once she retries.
“I do have a daughter who lives in France and a sister who lives in Thailand and a granddaughter who lives in Valley Center,” she told The Roadrunner.
Reflecting upon an entire career spent in Valley Center, she said, “We’ve seen Valley Center grow. When I was here in 1973 there was one K-8 school. The next year we opened the lower school.
“It’s been interesting to see how the district has grown from that one school to a district with well over 4,000 students. I believe it has done it gracefully.”
The last act of her career was to birth the Lilac Elementary School, which opened last fall.
“It’s off and running and had a great start,” she says.
She will continue to live in Hidden Meadows.
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
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