Saturday’s Western Days parade, held under cool, cloudy skies, attracted thousands of visitors from all over the county.
Parade chairman Sandra Rockefeller-Farmer told The Roadrunner: “I think we had some very interesting entries this year, including 24 horse entries.”
The parade went smoothly except for one incident where a group of six horse riders who were not part of the parade attempted to enter it where Miller Road intersects Valley Center Road.
“They attempted to come in among the fire trucks at the end of the parade when the fire trucks were blowing their sirens. They had tried to become part of the parade earlier and had been told they were not part of the line-up.” said Rockefeller-Farmer. “This could have been a real disaster. That’s the worse place in the world they could have come in.”
The chairman commented on the lack of band music in the parade. “I was very concerned that we didn’t have any bands representing Valley Center, after all the support that the community gives to the bands.”
They were unable to get the Marine Corps marching band, which usually participates, because of the Iraq war.
“We are sending out applications in the early fall to all area high school bands inviting them to participate
The Marine Corps marching band, which often participates the parade, was unavailable because they are off in Iraq. “But we are sending out applications in the early fall to all area high school bands next,” she said.
Trophy Winners For 2004 Western Days Parade
Note: This information is provided courtesy of the parade committee.
Classic Cars
1st, Steve Walters, ‘52 Red Chevrolet Convertible
2nd, Barbara Combs, ‘55 Thunderbird
3rd, Carl Brucks, ‘55 BMC Stake Bed Truck
Custom Cars
1st, Dick Newcomb, ‘41 Ford Pick-up
2nd, Dale Waters, ‘44 Ford
Specialty Car
1st, Matt Munaco, ‘23 Ford Convertible T-Bucket
Off Road
1st, Chester & Lee Elliott, ‘42 Army Jeep
2nd, Rick Roberts, ‘70 AM General Military 2.5 Ton Truck
3rd, Mike Nedo, ‘53 Model 60 John Deere Tractor
Emergency Vehicle
1st, John Wilton, ‘67 Crown Firecoach 75ft., Snorkle Fire Truck
2nd, ‘75 - Crown Firecoach Pumper
3rd, Oak Knoll Campground VFD 75 - Crown Firecoach Pumper
FLOATS and MARCHING
Baton Twirlers
1st, Vista Twirlers
Drill Teams, Special
1st, March of the Tines
Color Guards, Military Walking Group
1st, Youth Marines Color Guard
Marching Units- Walking Group, Open
1st, Pauma Valley 4-H
Marching Units-Walking Group. 3 or more
1st, Jay Jeffrey, VC Inn Dance Hall Girls
2nd, Eldred’s Tae Kwondo Kids
3rd, St Frances Episcopal Church
Commercial Floats
1st, Coldwell Banker
2nd, Lake Wohlford Café’ Mini Tractor & Boat
3rd, US 95.7 Radio Station Clear Channel Country
Clubs and Organizations
1st, Dos Valles Garden Club
2nd, Live Oak Girls Scouts
3rd, Jeffrey Jay’s Dance
Civic
1st, VC Republican Women
2nd, VC Marshall’s Posse
3rd, VC Rodeo
Religious
1st, Light of the Valley Lutheran Church
2nd, Ridgeview Preschool
3rd, St. Frances Episcopal Church
Clowns and Unusual Singles
1st, Jeffrey Jay’s Stilts
2nd, Eleftherios Hatzakis (aka “Left Eddy”, Ballooned Hawaiian Fat Tourist
Decorated Bicycles
1st, Dominic Welch
2nd, VC High School Staff Bicycle Brigade
Other Entrants
1st, Escondido Humane Society Canine Crew
EQUESTRIAN
Multi-Hitch, (13 Hands. Over)
1st, Rancho Verano Clydesdales
Mini Horse Hitch
1st, Mini Horses & Cart, Lake Wohlford Café’
2nd, Mini Donkeys & Cart, Lake Wohlford Café’
Mounted Group
1st, VC Rodeo Queen and Court
2nd, Escondido Mounted Posse
3rd, Valley View Casino
Mounted Group Novelty
1st, VC Ladies Sundown
Mounted Color Guard
1st, Escondido Mounted Posse Color Guard
Gaited Breed Horse (open)
1st, Debra Fisk
2nd, Jenna Hickenbottom
3rd, Toni-Anne Townsend
Plain Rider
1st, Elise Aballi
Charro/Charra
(open, singles)
1st, Carlos Santoyo
2nd, Christine Santoyo
3rd, Salvador Santoyo
Working Western
1st, Gordon Liebscher
Family Group
1st, Echo Farms Miniature Horses
Other
1st, Bridgette LeHaye
Children
1st, Alysha Cranmore
2nd, Amanda Cranmore
3rd, Caryn Cranmore
Gordon McIntyre Award
Ron McCowan, ‘57 Red Chevrolet 2 door Hardtop
President’s Award
Chester & Lee Elliott, ‘42 Army Jeep
Sweepstakes Award VC Republican Women
By CASEY ANDERSON
A fast moving brush fire, believed to have been intentionally set, blazed its way towards the top of Palomar Mountain last Tuesday, May 25.
Due to the extremely dry conditions, the fire could have easily spread and shot to the top of the mountain and surrounding areas, according to the incident commander. However, because of multiple agency cooperation and a quick response, firefighters got the blaze under control within an hour.
The fire was set almost directly behind the Pauma casino, just an eighth of a mile outside the reservation boundaries.
Tom McPhearson, investigating officer, concluded that there were no power lines in the area that could have caused the fire. No other device was found.
Some witnesses said they heard off-road vehicles, either quads or dirtbikes, in the area prior to the fire. The possibility that the fire was a result of arson has not been concretely proven yet, but it is under investigation.
When he was asked, CDF Battalion Chief Mike Neill said they are very concerned that many recent fires [including the devastating Paradise fire) have happened near the casinos.
McPhearson attempted to contact various reservation residences to see if they have any tips. Few had had information to give about the possible cause of the fire.
Neill said the fire started at 2:10 p.m. “The fire was two to four acres when we arrived. We responded with 15 engines. It was extremely difficult to fight. If we had had the same weather conditions where we had ambient temperatures in the 80s, then it would have burned all the way to the top of the mountain. Fortunately, we saturated the area, and because of our determination for it not to get away, we put a quick and large effort into it.”
Six CDF fire engines were involved, as well as five from the US Forest Fire Service. These were joined by one engine from the San Pasqual and Pala fire departments.
In addition, six CDF hand crews, one US Forest Service Hot Shot hand crew, and a CDF bulldozer participated.
Directed by an air attack coordinator, was one large helitanker made water drops. Four other choppers with pilots and heli-attack crews also hit the flames. The pilots set the crews down and made water drops while the crew worked on the ground.
They were joined by four fixed wing aircraft dropping fire retardant. Two planes were sent from Ramona. Two came from Hemet.
The fire burned a total of 20 acres and 211 personnel fought it. Fire crews had control of it within and hour, but worked on it and watched it until late in the evening.
Neill added, “We have been lucky so far. If we have the resources, we can [respond the way we did], but if you have another fire or if they move our resources, then it becomes harder to put the fires out.”
Mission San Antonio de Pala will dedicate a new $2 million building Sunday June 6 at the mission’s annual Corpus Christi fiesta.
The additional space will help Pala Mission, the last remaining California Mission that still operates as it was built to do (including operating a mission school), continue to serve its parishioners.
“For me the most interesting thing about the mission is that it still fulfills the purpose for which it was built, whereas some other missions became museums, said Father Paul M. Marconi, who has been pastor for eight years.
Father Paul noted that the new facility will include a large meeting place that will be able to accommodate 600 people. Larger services will be held there, although on normal Sundays the mission will continue to serve for masses.
The mission serves 3,000 Indians on four different reservations: Pala, Rincon, La Jolla and Pauma, with services conducted at each of those bands’ chapels. It also serves 500 Mexicans at their own chapel.
Some of the money for the construction was raised by The L.J. Skaggs and Mary C. Skaggs Foundation. The rest was found by the San Diego Diocese.
Ancient Festival
The ancient Corpus Christi Festival provides a unique mixture of Catholic pageantry, piety, Native American bird singing, forklorico dancing, music and celebration, along with plenty of feasting that includes a Spanish style pit barbecue.
Corpus Christi, of course, means “Body of Christ.”
The Corpus Christi Fiesta is always celebrated on the first Sunday in June. The fiesta begins with an outdoor mass and is followed by a procession through Pala Village.
During mass the priest offers wafers representing the body of Christ and celebrating the Christian beliefs that his death gave mankind life.
Guests are always welcome at this celebration.
The mission was founded in 1816. The mission itself is a fine example of Franciscan mission architecture. It has a unique bell tower that rises 50 feet and is separated from the main mission.
The mission museum and gift store is worth visiting to see examples of Native American art and sculpture as well as artifacts from the California mission era.
For information about Pala Mission call 742-3317.
The shopping center approval is “not a done deal” according to planning group chairman Sandy Smith, responding to criticism that she has altered her stance on the controversial center.
Smith was one of ten planners who outvoted four other planners to give conditional approval to the Weston shopping center.
Two months ago Smith was in the majority of a 4-1 vote of the shopping center subcommittee that recommended that the shopping center NOT be approved because it allegedly violated the VC design guidelines.
At that time the subcommittee did not attach any specific conditions to the center.
“I couldn’t get specifics from the committee,” Mrs. Smith told The Roadrunner.
The conditions have not yet been attached to the planning group’s kinda, sorta, maybe endorsement of the proposed Weston center, and, according to the chairman, “In my opinion people are jumping the gun. We have twelve more conditions to talk through. More are probably going to be added to that list. People who feel that it is a done deal need to know that.”
Reaction could be described as “stunned” among members of the planning group who had hoped to get the group to endorse the subcommittee’s recommendation.
One member of the planning group in an e-mail broadcast to members of a community online forum after the vote wrote, “Quite frankly I’m totally disgusted with the process, the back door dealing and all the rest of the _____. . . The easy road would be to resign, let VC have what’s coming because there isn’t a conscience for this group, it’s over, we have gone sold our souls to the devil & he’s paying dividends. If the people of VC thought that the rubber stamp of approvals was large before, wait till you see what’s coming now baby!”
This fiery accusation might be seen as a rebuke of Smith or some other planning members who were seen as being sympathetic to the shopping center subcommittee’s motion to disapprove.
“I haven’t changed my feelings on the project,” Smith said. “I felt that the motion should be more specific at the planning group stage.
“A year ago we approved it in concept with all those conditions. This round we are trying to give him more specific feedback on what has to happen,” she said.
“I think it comes down to people’s interpretation of the community plans and guidelines and how they’re going to get that to work.”
Whatever conditions the planning group ultimately imposes on the shopping center, “they need to be written more from the plan and the guidelines and less from an interpretation that tells the developer how to design it. When we got into interpretations, that’s where we had problems.”
The planning group will take up the rest of the conditions Monday, June 7, 7 p.m. at Valley Center Elementary Lower School.
Each spring for 21 years the Dos Valles Garden Club has made Civic Beautification Awards to the two finalists who have shown outstanding new landscaping or who have carefully maintained existing frontage.
These awards go to businesses or offices on the major roads, such as Valley Center Road, Lilac and Cole Grade.
These plantings help make Valley Center the pleasant environment we all appreciate.
Last year the Valley Center Library and the Old Town Center were the winners of the civic beautification awards.
The Awards Committee has selected eight finalists for 2004 from which the two winners will be selected: Bates Nut Farm, PVI Insurance, Light of the Valley Lutheran Church, VC Community Center, Valley Professional Center, Pacific Orchids and VC Middle School.
The committee consists of Art Weller, Lindy Behymer and Dick Kraus.
This year the club, in cooperation with the Valley Roadrunner and Stehly Grove Management, is also handing out awards in the Hometown Improvement Competition. Those homes and their awards will be featured in the June 9 edition of the paper.
The winners of all the competitions will receive a wall certificate and an outdoor sign as well as a thank you at the Garden Club Annual Picnic in Adams Park; this year scheduled for June 8 at 12:30 p.m.
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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