May 10, 2006 - Top Stories
This year’s Western Days will include a huge carnival as well as an unprecedented number of vendors—all to keep you happy, well-fed and entertained!
For the first time, entertainment will be provided for four days, from Friday-Monday May 26-29.
“Bigger is better. That has been my philosophy this year for Western Days,” says LaVonne Johnson, who is in charge of both vendors and the carnival this year for the Western Days Committee.
This year vendors will offer drawings and activities other than just “information,” says Mrs. Johnson.
“I’m trying to discourage info only booths. I want them to offer the community something,” she says.
There will also be demonstrations going on during Saturday afternoon. Therese Thomas of VC will show how to do hand spinning with lamb’s wool and llama wool. Elder Tae Kwon Do will exhibit some of the fancy moves that it teaches it students.
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Valley Center Western Days is an event sponsored by the VC Chamber of Commerce. It is held at VC Community Center and the Western Days parade is held along Valley Center Road, during Memorial Day Weekend. It is unconnected with the VC Stampede Rodeo.
Questions? Call the Chamber at 749-8472.
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This year’s carnival will be provided by Guadagno & Sons Amusements, a Garden Grove firm.
They will provide three “spectacular” rides, including a Ferris wheel, Gravitron and Round-up, plus four kiddie rides. There will also be a full game and concession midway.
Schedule
Friday, opening day, the carnival will operate from 6 p.m. -closing (i.e. the carnival will stay open as long as they have people who want to ride.)
Saturday, noon-closing
Sunday noon-closing
Monday , noon-closing
Presale carnival tickets will be available at local businesses (locations to be announced). A packet of 20 will cost $12. Rides cost one ticket per ride on the majority of the rides.
If you buy tickets on the days of the carnival the prices for a packet of 20 is $16. That’s $0.80 each. Packets of 32 will be sold for $22.
Wristbands for unlimited rides all day will be pre sold at $12 or sold at the carnival for $16.
Guadagno & Sons have been providing carnivals for schools, churches, civic groups and fraternal organizations in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas for 50 years. They have also provided carnivals in Spring Valley and the Del Mar Fair.
Mrs. Johnson explained why they picked this particular firm: “They are a family-owned business. They have been in business for over fifty years. Plus, the guy, Tony Guadagno, is so nice. He met us at the community hall and he was a really nice, personable gentleman.”
She added, “I’m just so glad that we have stepped up to the plate this year. What we’re going to be offering the community this year will be so exciting! Hopefully people, instead of leaving for Memorial Day this year, will stay and enjoy what’s being offered.”
Vendors
Everywhere you turn at the VC Community Center on the Memorial Day weekend, there will be things to see, enticing smells, tempting foods, refreshing beverages, demonstrations and gifts.
Here’s a partial list of what’s in store for visitors at this year’s event:
Locally owned Country Kettle Corn will once again serve their lightly sweetened popcorn.
Matheny’s Wagon Works will offer barbecue style chicken and ribs.
El Guadalajara will sell Mexican food, including burritos, tostadas and tacos.
Boba Joe’s makes fruit smoothies, and iced and hot coffee drinks.
St. Stephen’s Catholic Church’s Knights of Columbus will sell hamburgers and hot dogs again.
VC Rotary Club will do their traditional pancake breakfast at “Griddle Square” (corner of Valley Center & Cole Grade Roads.
Homesteaders 4-H will do barbecue Saturday after the parade at the community center, serving lunch and dinner.
VC Lions Club will do their pancake breakfast Sunday morning at VC Community hall.
But festival goers do not live by bread alone. Those looking for other adventures will not be disappointed.
Here’s some of the attractions that will be offered:
Ten Hands— A gift house that offers hand-carved jewelry boxes.
Shato Headwear—Selling all kinds of hats.
Quilts for Kids— Sellers of baby quilts and different-sized children’s quilts.
Ernie Pyle Enterprises— This vendor has been coming to Western Days for many years. They provide games for children up to 10-years old, such as Tic Tac Toe. They guarantee that there’s a winner every time!
VB Enterprises—Sells woodwork fountains and spinners.
Wendy’s Pool Service—Pool service and accessories.
VC Women’s Club— The club will offer information about their club and hold a drawing for prizes.
760 Motorcycles — Sellers of all sorts of clothing and headgear for motorcyclists.
Mike Barton Designs— Sellers of wood products, such as cutting boards and wooden clocks.
Horse Feathers—Feather art, such as dream catchers.
Express Gifts—A new business in Valley Center that does executive gift baskets.
Fine Accessories— Sellers of handmade photo watches and jewelry.
Home Plate Productions—Sellers of sports cards and beanies.
Friends of Hellhole Canyon Preserve—The volunteer organization that supports this county preserve will hand out free baby trees and hold a drawing for a quilt.
VC Insurance Agency— They will hand out balloons and do a drawing.
The Healthy Gourmet— They will do cooking demonstrations.
Heritage Makers—They can consult with you to help you do sample books, legacies that preserve your heritage for succeeding generations.
Crafts by Dar— Sellers of handmade gifts.
Valley Center Wireless— This local company will have information on wireless Internet. They will also hand out balloons and do a drawing.
Valley Center Pageant Assn., will do a duck pond and a drawing.
Lindsay Conti-Carvable Pumpkins & Party Supplies— This new business in Valley Center does Halloween fixtures and decorations.
Valley Center Community Theater—The newly formed club will sell tickets to their upcoming production of The Sound of Music, at the Maxine Theater.
Palomar Community College— Reps from the local college will have schedules for what classes they are offering next semester.
Valley Center Pop Warner will take applications for football and cheer. Throw a football through a tire.
Valley View Casino recently donated a total of $22,500 to local Valley Center organizations to support this year’s Western Days parade and Valley Center Stampede rodeo.
Both events will take place during the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
“Since our casino opened in 2001 we have been proud supporters of Western Days,” said Bruce Howard, general manager of Valley View Casino. “It’s the perfect opportunity to give back to our neighbors by supporting one of the best parades and rodeos in the county.”
Howard and San Pasqual Casino Development Group Inc. President and CEO Joe Navarro presented a $5,000 check to the Valley Center Optimist Club to support this year’s Valley Center Stampede Rodeo.
A $17,500 check was presented to the Valley Center Chamber of Commerce to help pay for costs associated with the Western Days parade and festival entertainment.
Valley Center Western Days starts Friday, May 26 and runs through Sunday, May 28.
Event highlights include a Saturday morning parade beginning at 10 a.m., followed by the Western Days Festival at the Valley Center Community Hall. In addition to craft vendors, mouth-watering food and refreshments the festival will also include musical entertainment by five top-notch bands throughout the weekend.
The 5th Annual Valley Center Stampede will be held at Bates Nut Farm and features rodeo events like bronco and bull riding, barrel racing, roping and mutton busting.
The rodeo starts at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 26 and is followed by a dance and live entertainment by Hillbilly Noise.
On Saturday, May 27 events begin at 4 p.m. and feature post-event entertainment by The Working Cowboy Band.
“The San Pasqual Tribe prides itself on being a good neighbor to the surrounding community,” said Navarro. “Supporting Western Days is just one way we fulfill this goal. Valley View Casino is proud to be the major sponsor of Valley Center’s Western Days events.”
The California Fire Museum, led by Mike McDonald of Western Heavy Equipment in VC, has begun inquiries into using the old CDF station on Cole Grade as a fire museum and educational center.
CDF (California Dept. of Forestry & Fire Protection) moved its operations from the old station to a new one on Vesper last year.
“We look forward to someday being able to open the California Fire Museum and hopefully it will be in Valley Center,” Darrell Gilbert, president of the California Fire Museum, told The Roadrunner this week.
Since 2003 they have worked with The Great Park which is the old El Toro Marine base.
That area is going to be turned into something similar to Balboa Park in San Diego with ballparks, museums etc.
“When we heard about the closed CDF station in Valley Center we were very excited,” said Gilbert.
They contacted Phil Rath, aide to Fifth District Supervisor Bill Horn. He helped them with contacts with the State, which still controls the property.
“We are following those leads to see if it would be possible to use the old station as a Fire Museum-Safety Center until such time the property is needed for something else,” said Gilbert.
The school district has shown interest in the past in the property, as has the water district, but so far no offers have been made to the State of California, which actually owns it.
According to Supt. Lou Obermeyer of the VC-P school district, “The school district might be interested if the land became available for an affordable price and we had funds at that time.”
Under state law that governs surplus property, the local school district always gets first option. If they don’t want it, it goes up to any public agency.
One of the CDF Captains saved the bronze plaque that was on the old building, shined it up and displayed it at the new CDF Station on Vesper.
The plaque described the buildings built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps with materials from a World's Fair.
California Fire Museum is a non-profit, tax exempt organization, founded in 2003, that preserves the history and heritage of the fire service, with special emphasis on the California fire services.
It is made up of a group of firefighters and businessmen throughout Southern California.
It collects, restores, preserves and exhibits apparatus, equipment, art and artifacts of the firefighting profession.
It also educates the public about firefighters, firefighting and emergency services.
The goal of the museum is to preserve the history of fire fighting, preservation of equipment. To show how firefighting started and what it has developed into.
“No longer are firefighters just firefighters,” said Gilbert. “Today they are first responders as paramedics, hazard material identifiers and clean up, bee keepers and every other problem that affects the public.”
The goal of the museum board is to not only show the history but also to set up a safety center to educate the children.
“The California Fire Museum has equipment and display ready to go however we do not have a home to put them in. We do several traveling shows thoughout the southland year round,” said Gilbert.
School Supt. Lou Obermeyer and residents of Palomar Mountain have reached an accommodation whereby the one room schoolhouse will stay open as a traditional school for another year and residents will raise $25,000 to help defray expenses.
The residents also agreed to look for solutions for the problem of fluctuating enrollment, said Tom Cunningham, the spokesman for those who have been working with the school district.
“This is a great solution. I couldn’t ask for anything more,” said Cunningham.
Dr. Obermeyer will recommend that the school board approve of this agreement at Thursday night’s board meeting.
A special budget session is planned for 4:30 p.m. with a closed session at 5:30 p.m. and the public meeting resuming at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at the VC High School library (media center).
Because enrollment had fallen so that six students are expected next fall, the district has been looking at closing the school or reducing classes to half time to save money.
At the same time that parents of the mountain community try to raise $25,000, the district’s Olivia Lescheck, Administrator in Charge of Special Projects, will work with State Sen. Dennis Holllingsworth’s office to push forward a bill that would once more qualify Palomar Mountain School for “Necessary Small Schools Funding.”
Such a bill was passed several years ago but then-Gov. Gray Davis vetoed it.
According to Dr. Obermeyer, “they [the mountain residents] agreed that if there is no more funding or if they are not able to raise the number of students attending to twelve, that we will have to shut down the school.”
She added, “We’re in this together. It’s not an us vs. them situation. We don’t want to close the school. But I don’t think we can keep a school open for five students.”
Cunningham commented on the mountain residents’ understanding of the agreement.
“I think it’s an agreement that’s acceptable to both sides and I’m very happy with it,” he said.
The residents hope to deal with the problem of fluctuating enrollment with a five point strategy:
1) Through reviving the Necessary Small Schools Program. If the State approves the funding, which the school used to get when it was part of the Pauma Union School District, it would provide the additional funds to make up the shortfall in ADA (average daily attendance).
2) Increase enrollment by attracting more students to the one-room schoolhouse. “We’re hoping to use word of mouth and the media to attract students from down the hill to come up to Palomar Mountain,” said Cunningham. “The attraction because of the small classroom, unique learning experience, a track record of higher scores, a great teacher, a supportive community and all of the things that make a school what it is.”
3) Apply for grants. “There’s lots of grants out there,” said Cunningham. “We just have to find the right one and get it.”
4) Find corporate sponsors. According to Cunningham there are schools in our area that have corporate sponsors. One such school is Monarch School in San Diego, which is a school for homeless and at risk children.
5) That the residents of Palomar Mountain and supporters of the one room schoolhouse will make up the shortfall for next year. “We don’t feel that we can do that every year,” said Cunningham, “but if we have to we can probably come up with the revenue to keep the school open another year.”
He said they already have $15,000 in pledges from multiple sources.
The deadline is fast approaching for local residents to enter the Spring Residential Improvement Project contest, which The Roadrunner is running in cooperation with the Dos Valles Garden Club’s Civic Beautification Program.
There’s some real money and prizes for those intrepid homeowners who have been making their homes and surrounding property into things of beauty in the eye of the beholder.
They are in the running for four sets of prizes, which range from first place, which includes $1000 and a gift certificate for $250 from Grangetto’s to the fourth place prize of $250 cash.
Deadline to enter the contest is May 26. Applications and the rules for the contest can be downloaded from The Roadrunner’s Web-site at www.valleycenter.com.
Don’t forget that the Civic Beautification Committee of the garden club is getting ready to judge the landscaping of our town’s businesses. Judging takes place at the end of May. So you still have time to spruce up and enjoy the rewards of your toil.
Awards and prizes will be presented at the garden club’s annual picnic in Adams Park in June.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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