An entry honoring the armed forces of the United States, Hope for Heroes, won the top award in Saturday’s Western Days parade.
A freak storm came close but just missed messing up the parade. Sheriff’s deputies estimated that about 10,000 turned out for the parade, and that between 10,000-15,000 attended all of the Western Days and rodeo-related events on Saturday.
About 1.6 inches of rain fell during a 24-hour period in Valley Center on Thursday and Friday and created difficulties for the crew setting up the carnival and the fairgrounds at VC Community Center.
Road work issues continued to create unique challenges for the parade, as they did last year. They were exacerbated by long stretches of road devoted to mudholes and pools of water for many who came to pitch their shelters and unfold their chairs Saturday morning.
This apparently pushed most of the crowds towards the eastern end of town, near the bank, although people were scattered all along the parade route, up to Lilac Road. There was even a confused contingent that set up chairs along a stretch of the road past Lilac, where the parade doesn’t go and never has.
Although the number of entries was fewer than in the past, there were three high school marching bands, and several unique entries, so the quality was high, and so was audience enthusiasm.
Max Mazzetti, who led the parade as Grand Marshal, had a few observations about the event:
“It was definitely a high honor for an old Indian, when we think of the military personnel, the clergy, executives and the many leaders of Valley Center and the communities.”
He added, “I noticed that a few people did a lot of the work and the parade was exciting—waving to the people and friends. The driver said to me, ‘I didn’t know you had so many friends! Along with me was my great-granddaughter, Sage Mazzetti, waving the American Flag!”
Mazzetti concluded, “This Old Indian will long remember this day as one of the greatest days in my life as the days fade and the Old Indian returns to the clay from which he was molded to the Rincon Indian Reservation!”
The Hope for Heroes entry was put together by Epsilon Sigma Alpha, an philanthropic international woman’s organization, which has a North County chapter. They have taken up the cause of Hope for Heroes, whose main purpose is to send items that fighting men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan need.
The entry included vehicles representing the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army, and with Navy and Army members riding on them and and a float with the California Chairman of Eta Theta, Betty Goff and local chapter president, Arlene Meek.
Charlie Smith, one of the chairmen of the event told The Roadrunner: “Overall I’m happy with the way it turned out. We were able to bring up the attendance, make it more family friendly event and Sunday’s Community Day was a better day than it had been during the ten years that I’ve been there.”
John Yeager, last year’s Chamber of Commerce president, who typically wanders along VC Road, taking pictures of the parade, commented, “The crowd looked large to me, but probably because it was crammed into a smaller area due to the construction. I was walking around taking pictures, but my wife was sitting in the crowd and said everyone seemed to be having a good time.”
Parade winners are as follows:
Grand Marshal’s trophy: Hope for Heroes; President’s trophy: Rancho del Martians Youth Group; Sweepstakes: Friends of Hellhole Canyon.
Best Trick Riders: Carlos Santoyo, Christian Santoyo; Best Bands: Oceanside High School, VC High School; Best Floats: Teenage Republican Club, Ridgeview Church; Best Automobiles: VC Chamber of Commerce, San Diego Shriners
Equestrian: Young Riders with VC Vaqueros, Dream Team; Miscellaneous: Branch 22 Tractor Club; Service Club: Calico Club, VC Women’s Club; Spirit Award: VC Pop Warner, VCHS ASB
Best ‘08 Western Days Theme: Hope for Heroes; Best Drill Team: European Riding Academy Dream Team, Dos Valles Garden Club March of Times; Best Color Guard: Escondido Mounted Color Guard
Best Tin Lizzie: Fire truck, Cop & Slammer; Best Classic Car: San Diego Shriners Paddy Wagon, San Diego Shriners ‘66 Blue Mustang
Best Marching Band: VC Middle School Jazz, VC Orchestra; Best Audience Participation: Jeffrey Jay & VC Dance Hall Girls, Valley View Casino
Best Vocals: VC Community Theatre, Girl Scouts Lilac Oaks; 6-Legged Award: Madelyn Wagner riding Handy Hank; Best Antique Fire truck: Western Heavy Equipment 1960 Crown Fire truck, Western Heavy Equipment 1978 American-laFrance Pumper
Best Pageant Wavers: Miss Vista–Miss Teen Vista, Rodeo Queen–Jr. Rodeo Queen; Best Dignatary: Citizen of the Year–Ron McCowan
At one point on Friday afternoon the organizers of the VC Stampede Rodeo had to decide whether or not the rain was going to stop the event from happening.
Around 4 p.m. the raindrops were still coming down steadily.
At that point the organizers said, “Rain or shine the show must go on!”
And it did.
Joyce Holmes, an organizer of the event, commented that the event was “Great, successful and no person or animal was injured.”
The rodeo committee thanked Dale Misner for his additional entertainment during the bull-riding event.
“Rain or shine the event had to go on and it went on successfully Friday night and Saturday thanks to all the volunteers and attendees,” said Holmes.
For a complete list of winners, turn to page B1.
The July 4 fireworks show will go on, thanks to an after-the-deadline donation by Valley View Casino that put donations over the top—and ensures that it goes on with the same number of fireworks as it had last year and in previous years.
“Thank you to Valley View Casino for stepping up to make sure this Valley Center tradition would continue this year,” said Kelly Crews, the event organizer. "I came to them with a request for $3,500 so we would be able to do a scaled down version of the fireworks show. But without hesitation Valley View Casino asked what we would need to do our full-blown production and went above and beyond our request by donating $5,500.”
That means that the $18,000 show that VC residents are used to will happen once again.
The show is going forward under the umbrella of the Chamber of Commerce, thanks to Verle Yoder, John Yeager, and Bob Payne and all the other board members.
Charlie Smith, this year’s Western Days co-chairman, has agreed to be the director of the event and oversee all logistics and supervision, according to Mrs. Crews.
After many requests to the community for donations and a close call to being cancelled, the annual VC Fireworks show at Jaguar field will go on this year, thanks in part to Valley View Casino, who donated $5,500 to the firework fund to fulfill the remaining balance and ensure the show will take place July 4.
Mrs. Crews also gave credit to John Price and Bruce Gordon, who sent out numerous email solicitations and kept the hope alive.
“Let’s not forget the first one’s to give us money were just as important as any other contributor,” noted Mrs. Crews (see list of donors and their contributions below).
“It is our honor to help out with the show this year,” said Joe Navarro, president and CEO of the San Pasqual Casino Development Group, Inc. “We want the Valley Center community to know that we care and will help keep these traditions alive any way possible.”
“Helping out with the fireworks show was a perfect fit for us,” said Michael Gorczynski, general manager of Valley View Casino. "We are all about fun and the community coming together to have a good time. Thanks to the support of the community, this year's 4th of July celebration will be better than ever.”
“We want to give the people of Valley Center the level of entertainment to which they have become accustomed,” said Ric Militi, vice president of marketing at Valley View Casino. “If we can bring some of the country's best performing acts to Valley Center; we can definitely help ensure that the firework show continues for years to come.”
That’s doesn’t mean that everything is lined up and ready for the show. Lots of help from local residents is still needed to help make the show happen.
“I am having trouble arranging the bouncy stuff for kids,” said Mrs. Crews. “Many things are all sold out and the things we had last year are not available. Maybe someone has another company we can use.”
“We still need people to help set up and set out road signs the day of the event. Help is needed to direct traffic and keep trash cans empty and then help with clean up,” said Mrs. Crews.
Organizations that have pledged to participate, include the VC Lions Club, the Valley Center La Crosse Team along with Country Kettle Corn.
In its tenth year, the annual July 4 celebration features food, games and fun for the entire family. Festivities start at 6 p.m. with the fireworks beginning about 9 p.m.
The Valley Center Firework show would not have been possible without the help from these additional sponsors:
Last year balance: $2,142.35
$10,000: Rincon Tribe of Indians; $5,500 Valley View Casino; $2,000 Wells Fargo Bank; $1,500 Price Products
$1,000: Rotary of Valley Center, Portino’s
$500: Valley Roadrunner, Subway, Valley Center Wireless, A-1 Irrigation, Bank of Escondido
$350.00: Lynn & Charlie Smith
$250: Becker & Sons
$100: Cpt. Baldry, Salisburry, Diane & Rick Moore, Will Rogers Co., Cheryl & Bob Carlin
In Kind Donations: Diamond Environmental; EDCO; Aggregate Supply; Newell Cummings, Attorney at Law; Erik Jensen, Valley Center Insurance
Total: $26,742.35.
With water cutbacks for growers a grim reality and similar cutbacks a possibility for residences next year, the VC Municipal Water Board at its May 19 meeting fired a warning shot at a developer.
The board provided the 350-unit Lilac Ranch project concept approval for its water, wastewater and reclaimed water designs, but with a very strong admonition that in a few years when they are actually ready to build, there may not be any water to serve their development.
Lilac Ranch will also have to produce a Water Usage and Conservation Report outlining efforts to reduce the net imported water demand. The project may also be subject to fees used to offset net imported water demand through the development on new local supplies.
The water district is facing an even grimmer year next year than currently. Although farmers have already been required to cut back 30% on their usage, next year doesn’t look much better.
Rain and snow started off well above normal but wound up below normal with one of the driest March and April on record. It looks as though much of the snowpack in the Sierras is being retained in the watersheds by the very dry soil conditions, so the yield may be even less than the 35% predicted.
Add to this the fact that California is also in the midst of a “manmade” drought created by a federal judge’s order that limits pumping to Southern California to protect the Delta Smelt, and it is likely that mandatory restrictions for businesses and residences will be introduced beginning next year.
According to water district Gen. Mgr. Gary Arant: “We would still be under the ag restrictions even if we would have a wet winter due to the pumping restrictions. These restrictions could be increased with proposed limits to protect the Longfinned Smelt and the Winter and Fall Run Salmon.”
The board, which has three farmers on it, learned that overall growers are meeting their obligations to cut usage.
Through the end of April, the local conservation rate was at 31.5%, or 1.5% below the district’s 30% reduction target.
Although the approval of the the environmental document for the Turner Lake Solar Project was on the agenda, the board was not able to approve it. Only three directors were at the meeting, and one of them, Bob Polito, wasn’t able to vote because of the close proximity of his property to the project.
Here’s a surprise: a lot of kids in Valley Center would like to see a skateboard park.
That was the Number One concern from a group of 22 letters that the Valley Center Planning Group received a few weeks ago from Crystal Rienick’s seventh grade class.
But the youngsters expressed a lot of other hopes, dreams and gripes about Valley Center.
The planners decided to answer the letters at their May 12 meeting. The planners’ jurisdiction, if that word really applies, is limited to land use matters, but they decided to provide a civics lesson to the children by attempting to answer all of their letters.
Each of the planners got letters that related to that planner’s expertise.
As planning Chairman Oliver Smith noted, “The issues raised by the letters are issues that we discuss, although a lot of them are outside the scope of what we do. But we can advise them where to go if we can’t handle it.”
Out of the 22, five wanted a skateboard park.
Bill Lewis, a local civil engineer, gave a short talk on this issue, reading from a paper prepared by local resident Wayne Hilbig.
“Community support is essential,” before any such park can be built, said Lewis, who recommended that a committee be formed to study the issue.
“Planning is critical. Skateboard parks are very sophisticated. They should be done by people who know what they are doing,” he said.
Because of the liability involved, almost all skateboard parks are operated by municipalities.
Poway has a such a park, which cost $900,000. Oceanside has two, and is accepting bidding for two more at around $700,000.
Types of skateboard parks include below ground, which look like swimming pools and the above ground. A third type is a competition type, which is huge.
If such a skateboard park were to be built in VC, it would probably require between $600,000–$1 million, said Lewis.
Another planner, Leon Schwartz, addressed a letter from a student who wants to form a club to clean up litter along VC roads.
Schwartz raised this with the VC Optimist Club, of which he is a member. He invited to letter writer to talk to the Optimists about them providing start up costs for the club.
Keith Simpson’s letter was from a boy who wanted to stop all development in VC because of his concern for global warming.
“I encouraged him to consider a couple of ideas that might not have crossed his mind, including that the world has 8 billion people, and if we want homes for people it might be a good idea to continue development to meet their needs,” said Simpson.
Other students expressed a desire for a welcome sign to VC, a grocery store, a local animal shelter, a stoplight at Old Castle & Lilac and a farmers market.
For each question the planners tried to provide cogent answers, or suggested places where the students could find out answers themselves.
Several students from Rienick’s class attended the night meeting and heard the answers in person.
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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