AUG 14 Clayton Pioneer 2015

A long-awaited report tothe Contra Costa CountyOffice of Education concern-ing charges made against Clay-ton Valley Charter HighSchool’s administration andgoverning board was releasedpublicly last week, and ratherthan bringing long-standingissues to a conclusion, thereport seems to have createdmore controversy.

The report, which hit theweek before students settled infor the new school year, hadboth critics of the school andthe CVCHS administrationclaiming victory. While criticsof the school say the reportvalidates their complaints,CVCHS administrators say thereport did not fully investigatethe allegations and didn’t seekinformation from the school torebut the accusations ofwrongdoing.

“In assuming the validityof each and every complaintmade, the report presentsCVCHS in the worst possiblelight and in a fashion of ‘guiltyuntil proven innocent by spe-cific written documentation’ –biasing the investigation andreport in the favor of thecomplainants,” ExecutiveDirector David Linzey said in astatement after the report waspublished last Thursday.

The full-service education

Rev your engines, Clayton.The 12th annual Clayton Com-munity Church Labor DayDerby and Car Show will beheld from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. onSept. 5. But besides the excitingraces, the derby will also featurean opportunity for residents tohelp needy children in Africaand Syria race to finish line inschool, too.

All derby and car show par-ticipants are invited to join in theWorld Vision “Promise Pack”Drive, providing needed back-packs filled with school supplies,basic hygiene items and insect-repelling blankets for impover-ished children in Africa andSyria.

“Around the world, millionsof children are unable to attend

school simply because their fam-ilies are too poor to provide thebasic school supplies they need,”says Shawn Robinson of theClayton Community Church."These children, particularlygirls, are at greater risk forexploitation and a life defined bycrushing poverty. In the sameway, lack of access to the mostbasic hygiene supplies, and therisk of insect-borne illnesses likemalaria can rob a child of theirhealth, happiness and a hope forthe future."

Robinson says they hope toprovide at least 1,000 backpacksfor children in need. Derby-goers can stop by the PromisePack booth and for $22, helpassemble a pack.

They should expect a goodturnout, as the free derby andcar show is one of the morepopular events in Clayton, taking

place on Main Street and sur-rounding streets.

There will be a “soap-box-like derby” for the children, ages7 to 14. No driving experience isnecessary. The racing cars will beprovided as well as some quickdrivers’ training. The course is astraight shot down Main Street,down a seven-foot ramp at theclock at Marsh Creek Road, end-ing at the finish line right in frontof the church’s office at DiabloStreet. Each racer will run twice,with the average of the twodetermining their overall time.

Free tee-shirts will be givento all who compete, with tro-phies awarded to the winningracers in each of the three agecategories. More than 30 derbycars are sponsored by local mer-chants. Racers must pre-registeronline to at www.claytoncc.com.

At the same time, a Classic

Car Show will be held at theother end of Main Street. Therewill be more than 270 classic,restored, muscle, Hot Rods and

even a few police cars on display.A Trophy Parade will be held

What would Clayton dowithout The Grove Park?

Thanks to the actions ofsome city leaders and forefa-thers, residents won’t everneed to find out. A stonemonument and bronze plaquerecognizing this figurative“heart of the city” as a his-toric site by the Clayton His-torical Society will take placeon Saturday, Aug. 29,, justprior to the Saturday nightconcert.

The timing is appropriate,as The Grove has been host-ing events like concerts andother activities for decades.

“The Grove Park is a rally-ing point for the city,” sayslongtime resident Dick Ellis,co-chair of the CHS’s His-toric Marker Committee, thegroup that has installed nineother markers across town inthe past 20 years.

But the Grove has beenground zero for activities inthe small bustling communityof Clayton for more than 100years. In 1878 W.G. Scammon

planted a park-like grove ofeucalyptus trees on lots thathe owned. Because of thedrought strain in the 1970sand again in the 1980s, these38, 120-foot tall, 114-year oldtrees were removed in 1992for safety reasons, Ellis says.The Grove also avoideddevelopment by a privateequity firm to turn it into asmall shopping center.

On Oct. 7 1999, the Cityof Clayton purchased thisproperty which was dedicatedas “The Grove” on Jan. 122008. But throughout theyears, it has been home tomany community-wide func-tions and events, including thepopular Fourth of July cele-brations.

LONG HISTORY OF

CELEBRATIONS

Back in the early days ofClayton’s cityhood in the1960s and 70s, and evenbefore, Clayton’s Indepen-dence Day celebrations werelegendary across the East Bay,as many community organiza-tions brought floats, cars,marching bands, drill teams,

horse acts and more for adowntown parade that closedthe streets.

“There weren’t as manycities offering up their owncelebrations back then, sopeople flocked to Clayton,”Ellis says.

After the parade peoplewould flock to The Grove foran afternoon of old-fash-ioned fun and games, includ-ing tug-o-war, three-leggedraces, gunny sack races andthe ever-popular egg toss.

Children were also able totry and capture greased pigs inan enclosed pit, and youngswains would try and impresstheir lady friends by climbinga greased flagpole.

Even earlier, Ellis says, thefun and games included nail-ing spikes into railroad ties,horseback rides and a verypopular go-cart course.

LEGACY CONTINUES

These days, of course, TheGrove is used for many com-munity events put on byorganizations such as scoutsworking on award projects,and the well-attended Con-

certs in the Park on Thurs-days and Saturdays during thesummer months featuringlocal bands.

“Recently we had morethan 4,000 people attend aconcert here,” Ellis says. “Itwas a lot of fun.”

The Historic Site Preser-vation Committee wasformed in 1994 with threeClayton City Council mem-bers and eight CHS members.Over the years nine other his-toric sites have been recog-nized with a stone monumentand bronze plaque:

The two-room schoolhouse (1995), Endeavor Hall(2000), Clayton Post Office(2001), the museum garden(2001), The Clayton Museum(2002), The Clayton Club(2002), LaCocotte (2003),DeMartini Winery (2004) andBlack Diamond Way (2005).

“I am so glad that we arecontinuing this program tomemorialize the significantplaces in our community’s his-tory,” says city council memberJulie Pierce, a member of the

IT’S YOUR PAPER

www.claytonpioneer.com August 14, 2015 925.672.0500

Interim Police ChiefKoford takes over

DAVE SHUEY

MAYOR’S CORNER

PRSRTSTD

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PAID

CLAYTON, CA94517

PERMIT190

Postal Customer

ECRWSS

What’s InsideAround Town . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Community Calendar . . . . .14

Directory of Advertisers . . . .7

Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

School News . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Plaque honors The Grove’splace in Clayton historyPlaque honors The Grove’splace in Clayton history

As the second safest city inCalifornia, Clayton has benefit-ted from a seamless transitionwith the hiring of an interimpolice chief during our searchfor a permanent hire. InterimPolice Chief Doug Koford wasenjoying retirement but washappy to come help us.

Chief Koford was thetwice-elected Napa CountySheriff from 2007 until hisretirement in 2012. Prior tothat he was the Police Chief ofAmerican Canyon for fiveyears and has been in lawenforcement since 1985. Asyou read this, Chief Kofordwill have already been a judgefor the Clayton Business andCommunity Association’s RibCook-off and has been ensur-ing we remain safe in our littlehaven.

Unfortunately the chief hasindicated that there has been arash of vehicle burglaries inClayton and other cities andurges everyone to keep theirvehicles locked and valuableshidden.

The deadline for applica-tions for a permanent chiefrun-through the middle ofAugust and then we will gothrough an interview processand hope to have a new perma-nent hire in short order.

Lighting up Clayton: Wealso have some of the bestdarn streets in California andwe hope that many of you sawthat our 2015 NeighborhoodStreet Repaving Project wascompleted in July using dedi-cated funds and not dippinginto our General Fund. Light-ing those streets has becomeless costly and more environ-mentally friendly as bothPG&E and the city (throughPG&E) have been and willcontinue to retrofit street lightsto LED. We are doing it right.

Good money news: Howabout some sound fiscal man-agement to round out the goodnews? Recently, Gary Napper,our great city manager, and hisstaff were able to concludenegotiations with the State ofCalifornia of disputed moniesregarding the dissolution ofour Redevelopment Agency.There is a lot of bureaucracyinvolved in wrapping up theseagencies throughout the state

Annual derby offers more than cars

County reporton CVCHSsparks morequestions thanit answers

SYRIAN REFUGEE CHILDREN will be the focus of a backpackeffort mounted by the Clayton Community Church as partof this year’s Labor Day Derby Sept. 5.

TAMARA STEINER

Clayton Pioneer

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

PEGGY SPEAR

Clayton Pioneer

A STONE MONUMENT AND BRASS PLAQUE RECOGNIZING THE GROVE AS A CLAYTON HISTORICAL MONUMENT will be dedicatedat the Saturday night concert on Aug. 29. The monument was constructed by the ‘Clampers’ of E Clampus VitusJoaquin Murrieta chapter 13. Pictured above are Eric Sorensen, Tyson Freeman, Travis Denten, Jack Brown andJason Arther. E Vitus Clampus is a non-profit organization dedicated to historical preservation.

See Plaque, page 3

See Charter, page 7

See Derby, page 4

See Mayor, page 7

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201 Falcon Pl. . . . . . . . . . . . $805,000 . . . . .2467 . . . . . .4/3 . . . . . . .7/24/15

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408 Hummingbird Pl . . . . . . $712,000 . . . . .1877 . . . . . .3/2.5 . . . . .7/24/15

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On June 26 Team Anuheld a fundraising dinner andauction at the home of Debraand Steve Gonsalves. Theevent raised over $20,000 forRelay for Life of Clayton.

The event was in honor ofAnu Ray who lost her life tocancer last year.

Pat and Jim Middendorfdonated the grand prize of thenight — a SF Giants Extrava-

ganza. Keith and Cindy Hay-don were the lucky winners ofa set of premium tickets to aGiants game. The will sharethe tickets with Ed and CeciliaHartley.

Team Anu raises $20,000

Jim and Pat Middendorf, Sanjay Ray, Keith and Cindy Haydon, Cecelia and Ed Hartleyand Debra and Steve Gonsalves gather to raise funds in memory of Anu Ray for theAmerican Cancer Society Relay for Life Aug. 15-16.

A young Clayton highschool student with a stronginterest in history recently metwith one of Clayton’s historymakers in person.

When Grayson Shaefer, 15,saw the front page story onWWII veteran Dewey Dob-son’s return to Iwo Jima in theApril 10 issue of the ClaytonPioneer, he wrote asking for anintroduction.

Dewey and Grayson finallymet at Dewey’s home in June.Grayson went with curiosityand a thirst for Dewey’s firsthand accounts of that famousbattle. He was not disappoint-ed. In addition to a lot of his-tory, Dewey gave Graysonsome of the black sand fromIwo, two Iwo Jima remem-brance caps and several books.

History in person for Clayton teen

DEWEY DOBSON AND GRAYSON SHAEFER

Pioneer Travels

Sonja Wilkin packed us along on a fun-filled family adven-ture in July to Washington and Oregon. Sonja joined the celebra-tion for brother Michael’s 50th anniversary in Seattle. Sonjaspent the next week with son, Chris, and family in Seaview onthe Long Beach Peninsula. We joined her in front of a whalecarved out of driftwood on the dunes at Long Beach. Sonja andfamily watched Sandsations, the annual sand sculpting competi-tion, while there. They also took the Astoria Bridge over theColumbia River to dine at brother Tony’s restaurant in Oregon.

Alan Wraa, Olivia Wraa and Craig Jacobsen hiked HalfDome last month with a group of 17 determined people. Theycompleted the hike in 8.5 hours — not to be outdone by Jamieand Alisa Bowron and Pete Laurence in the last issue of thePioneer.

Rome was just one stop for the York family on their recenttrip to Italy. The family also visited Venice, Lake Garda, Florenceand Pisa. But, as busy as they were, they still had time to catchup on hometown news in the Pioneer. Pictured are Kevin, Lisa,Madison, Todd and Emily at the Coliseum.

Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com August 14, 2015

Around Town

You could say it was hogheaven.

Amidst thick smoke andthe wafting smell of cookingmeat, 30 hard-working teamsvied for the title of King ofthe Grill last week during thesixth annual Clayton Businessand Community Association’sRib Cook-off behind the Clay-ton Club Saloon.

This year’s field was themost crowded in the event’shistory, said Rib Cook-offorganizer Rory Richmond,with teams coming from as farnorth as Sacramento and as farsouth as Morgan Hill.

Besides the allure of cashprizes – $400 for first place,$250 for second place and$150 for third place – the con-testants also competed for thecoveted People’s ChoiceAward.

But the event was also amajor community draw, notonly for the hungry crowdswho could buy heaping platesof ribs, but because of someof the attractions added thisyear to make it more familyfriendly, including ice creamsales and a kids’ play area.

But the stars of the showwere the impressive – andimaginative – rigs the amateurchefs used to smoke and cookthe pork ribs.

“The rigs are getting big-ger and better each year,”Richmond said, looking overthe booths that included elab-orate barrel smokers andcookers, professional-gradecookers and even a “UBO” –Greg Ferrell’s UnidentifiedBarbecue Object styled fromtwo satellite dishes thatlooked like a flying saucerstraight out of “Lost inSpace.”

When the smoke cleared,the winners included a mix ofnewcomers and past award-winners. First Place went to3B’s BBQ, led by Glenn Car-son, Second Place was awardedto Alan Bender of Bad Dad’sBBQ, while the Third Placeprize went to newcomers HelloBBQ, led by Nick McCoy.

The Cunning Hams, led byTony Ucciferri and WalidAbdul-Rahim, took home thePeople’s Choice Award for anunprecedented second year ina row, cooking just on simpleWeber kettles.

When asked how they man-aged to please the People’sChoice judges – chosen from araffle – Abdul-Rahim said thatrib cooking was all about strat-egy. “Timing is everything,” hesaid, which is why he prefers touse the Weber kettles thatrequire frequent tending.

Judges this year includedMayor Dave Shuey, Vice-mayor Howard Geller, city

councilman Keith Haydon,CBCA President Gregg Man-ning, Interim Police ChiefDoug Koford, Garden Clubrepresentative Chris Callaghan,Brad Slaughter of Travis

Credit Union, and Tony Kib-linger of Orchard SupplyHardware.

The final round of judgingwas done by a professionalpanel that included Tim Ford of

Armadillo Willy’s restaurant,Lance Sutherland of BeaverCreek Smokehouse, MattVansloten of Back 40 TexasBarbecue and Dave Robersonof Bonehead’s Texas BBQ.

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August 14, 2015 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com

Saturdays 6 to 8:30 p.m.

At the Gazebo inThe Grove

Set up chairs & blankets onthe lawn after 4 p.m.

Concerts

inThe GroveinThe Grove

Aug 15Fundamentals

high-energy stage show, 3 dynamic, lead vocalists,

“Red Hot Rockin’ Soul”

Aug 29Forejour –

Pays tribute to the music of80s mega bands Foreigner

& Journey

Sept 12East BayMudd -

10-piece cover dance bandwith a powerful 4-man

horn section

For more band infor-

mation, go to

www.cityofclayton.org.

Chairs and

blankets may be set

out after 4 p.m.

on concert days.

Thursdays7 to 8:30 p.m.

Aug 20PHD’sSept 3

CrossmanCountry

Thurs. Concerts

end promptly at

8:30pm

Plaque, from page 1

THE GROVE will officially be named a Clayton Historical Siteat the plaque dedication on Aug. 29.

Historical Marker Committee.“The monuments are a won-derful addition to the ClaytonHistory Walking Tour startedyears ago by Eldora Hoyer.Honoring our history is part ofwhat makes Clayton such a spe-cial community.” Donations forthese markers came from indi-viduals and local businesses tothe Historical Society. Already102 donors have contributedfor The Grove’s plaque and onethat will be installed at KellerRanch in 2016. Funds are alsobeing collected for two otherMain Street sites that areplanned.

For more information, visit theClayton Historical Society’s websiteat www.claytonhistory.org or call925-672-0240.

CORRECTION The obituary for Joan Culver on page 7 of the July

10 Clayton Pioneer was edited incorrectly and theedit changed the facts. Joan Culver was never mar-ried. She was born Joan Dorothy Billings to parentsFrank Billings and Dorothy Kimman. DorothyKimman later married Charles G. Culver who died in1949. In 1963, Joan Billings took her stepfather’sname, legally becoming Joan Culver.

We apologize for the error.

Rib Cook-off serves up new fun, bigger rigs and old winners

Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD-WINNERS TONY UCCIFERRI (LEFT) AND WALID ABDUL-RAHIM celebratetheir second win at the CBCA annual Rib Cook-off with event organizer RoryRichmond and first People’s Choice winner Cecilia Hartley.

TAMARA STEINER

Clayton Pioneer

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Keller Ridge GrandeDame! Serenademodel at the top of theridge with 5 bed/3 fullbaths! Full bed/bathdownstairs for au-pair/guest privacy, beautifully remodeled kitchenw/custom harlequin patterned backsplash, gran-ite, stainless. Plantation shutters, crown mould-ing, stunning River Rock Fireplace and more!Sparkling Pool, spa, waterfall, and play area. Norear neighbors - just beautiful peaceful openspace. www.5205KellerRidgeDrive.com

Diamond RidgeStunner! Completelyremodeled and gor-geous throughout! This4 bedroom, 3 full bathwith hardwood floors,designer paint, crown moulding, plantation shut-ters, +++ is ready to move in! Beautiful stonecounters in kitchen, laundry, bathrooms, andlinen pantry! Gorgeous new stainless appliances,crushed & granite sink in kitchen. Extra large 3-car garage, views and more!www.4701CrestoneNeedleWay.com

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SOLD This beau-tiful Willow modelin ChaparralSprings Oakhurstoffers 3 bedrooms,3 baths with 1709sq ft of livingspace.Community pooland spa and locat-ed just steps to downtown Clayton. Offered at$529,000. www.1375ShellLn.com

SOLD Don'tmiss thisCustom 1960'sClayton Rancherin a private,tucked away lot!This sprawlinghome retainsoriginal charmand provides stylish updates throughout. Lushlandscaping and several outdoor entertainingareas make for perfect California living. Offeredat $699,000. 1342ElCaminoDr.cbrb.com

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at about 2 pm with trophiesawarded to the Best Cars in 21judging categories. If you areinterested in entering your car,visit the website www.clayton-derbycarshow.org to pre-register.

In the past 12 years, morethan 2,700 kids from ages 7-14have raced down Main Street inthe derby, and more than 3,600classic cars have been displayedby their owners for the public to

enjoy. The event has drawnmore than 20,000 people in itshistory.

“Thanks to the generosity oflocal business who have spon-sored derby cars, hundreds ofchurch volunteers and otherresources from Clayton Com-munity Church, this has trulybecome a Clayton tradition andwonderful celebration of com-munity,” Robinson says.

Derby, from page 1

Steve Stafford

Racers rev up for the 12th annual Labor Day Derby

“You’ve Been Flocked!” Theemployees and guests at theRoyal Rooster, Skipolini’s andMoresi’s Chophouse were allsurprised to find this notice anddozens of purple flamingoesdecorating these establishmentsin downtown Clayton a fewweeks ago. This playful fundrais-er by Team Anu signals thatRelay for Life of Clayton isalmost here.

All 19 teams have steppedup not only their fundraisingefforts, but also their recruitingof team members to walk at theRelay event this Saturday andSunday, Aug. 15-16. All proceedsgo directly to the American Can-cer Society to raise money forcancer research, education,advocacy, and service.

“Paint the Town Purple” isalso a call out to everyone to par-ticipate in this 24-hour event.On Aug. 8 downtown Claytonwas decorated in purple to high-light the importance of thiscause and its backing by thecommunity. The Clayton RelayTeam has already raised morethan $64,000 toward its goal of$87,500, which they need toreach by the end of August.

Many relay participants havepersonal goals as well, and awebsite to raise money, while

teams hold ongoing fundraisersall year long, such as the month-ly bake sale at Starbucks, dinnersand auctions at their homes,events at their churches andmany more. Many businessesalso contribute by donating apercentage of their profits oncertain days. In five years previ-ously of sponsoring Relay, thetown of Clayton has raised morethan $220,000.

The Relay event begins at 10a.m. on Saturday at the trackbehind Mt Diablo ElementarySchool and features inspirationalspeakers and the introduction ofimportant leadership members,followed by a survivor and care-giver lap. Individuals can registerat any time for this event. Whilethere is no cost to walk, donorsof $100 or more will be given anevent tee-shirt. The team

Campers for a Cure will giveeach participant a lanyard andthen a bead to record each lapthey walk.

The festivities continue allday long. All of the teams andevent staff will have booths sur-rounding the track with activitiesincluding raffles, live music, aphoto booth, yoga demonstra-tions, crafts, movies and foodand beverages.

The mood turns moresomber at dusk when theLuminaria Ceremony takesplace. This is a touching andsolemn ceremony to rememberfamily members and friendswho have lost their battle tocancer and to give hope tothose who continue their fight.Luminaria bags can be pur-chased for $10 to be lit and dis-played at this ceremony.

Teams continue to walkthroughout the night, signifyingthat cancer is a 24-hour battle.The closing ceremony begins at9:30 a.m. on Sunday morningand the event wraps up at 10a.m. with the announcement ofthe grand total amount raised.So come by and join a team,walk a few laps, buy a treat, andbe inspired.

For more information visitwww.relayforlife.org/claytonca or go towww.facebook.com/RFLClayton-CA.

Relay fundraising coming down home stretchPAT MIDDENDORF

Special to the Pioneer

DOWNTOWN TURNED PURPLE FOR A PURPOSE last week to callattention to the American Cancer Society Relay for Life onAug 15-16 at Mt. Diablo Elementary School. Purple is theofficial color of cancer survivors.

Ever since the story ofAdam and Eve, western cul-ture has had an aversion tosnakes. The fact that a fewspecies are venomous justadds more fear. In NorthernCalifornia there is only onevenomous species of snake,the Northern Pacific Rat-tlesnake (Crotalus oreganusoreganus). All other snakes inthe Bay Area are harmless.

Our local rattlesnake isvery distinctive from otherlocal snakes because of therattle attached to its tail andthe diamond-shaped headthat is far wider than its neck.Its coloration can vary,matching its environment.When young, its blotchy pat-tern is generally much moredistinct, fading as the snakeages. Color can very fromdrab olive green, to dustybrown, reddish brown, greyor golden, with the darkerirregular blotching along thelength.

When encountered, thissnake is not aggressive andtries to either freeze so not todraw attention to itself or itflees, trying to escape anyconfrontation. Like any wildanimal it will attempt todefend itself when molestedor attacked. This is whenpeople see it in its most-oftenportrayed position of coiled,tail rattling its warning, andhead held high to observe itsattacker. Like all snakes, rat-tlesnakes do not attack peo-ple. The venom they possessis for the purpose of killingsmall prey animals and they

do not want to waste it on atwo-legged predator.

There are many, manymyths and exaggerations con-cerning snakes in general butthere are even more concern-ing rattlesnakes. The North-ern Pacific Rattlesnake rarelygrows more than 36 inches inlength and one over 48 inchesis a real granddaddy, yet Icommonly have people tell mestories of the six- to seven-foot rattlesnakes they haveencountered in the Bay region(fear and imagination gotogether). The actual strikingdistance for a snake from acoiled position is approxi-mately a third the distance ofits body length, but let’s givethe snake the benefit of halfthe distance, just to be safe.That means a three foot snakecan only strike out approxi-mately one to one-and-a-half

feet. You would have to beright in that snake’s face to gethim to strike. They do notstrike without reason. Leavethe snake alone and he willleave you alone.

As we approach fall we

enter the birthing season forsnakes, late July through earlyOctober. Rattlesnakes are oneof the few live baring snakes(opposed to egg laying).Mother rattlesnakes can givebirth to seven to15 young who

actually stay with her for thefirst couple of weeks. Theyoung are distinctly patternedreplicas of the adult exceptthey initially have a single but-ton on their tail. They will notget a second rattle until theyshed their skin for the firsttime, generally within a fewweeks. Rattlesnakes get a newrattle every time they shed andmay shed three to four timesin the same year. Thereforethe number of rattles does nottell the age of the snake. Sec-ondly as the snakes age rattleswill commonly break off.

Young rattlesnakes possessvenom when they are born. Itis the same venom as theadults, just less of it. The biteof a small rattlesnake is notmore dangerous than an adultbut adult rattlesnakes havebeen known to give a dry bite(no venom) 30 to 40 percent

of the time. Nevertheless anybite from a rattlesnake needsimmediate medical attention.Although death from a bite isvery rare, hospitalization withsevere pain and suffering isthe norm.

Rattlesnakes, along withall other snakes, fill an impor-tant ecological niche andshould not be killed. They eatnumerous rodents and in turnare attacked and eaten bylarger predators, includinghawks, eagles, owls, bobcats,coyotes, etc.

Rule of thumb: Do not tryto touch, capture, pick up ortease any wild life…even acute little cottontail rabbit willbite and claw to defend itself.


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Shedding light on local rattlesnakes

Summer is winding downand for some it’s just a matterof weeks or even days beforethe school bell tolls and classis back in session. For mostparents, the routine of get-ting the kids ready and outthe door in time for schoolwill be starting up again.Time flies, and for most,years go by before thethought of the cost of higher

education comes to mind.The pursuit of a degree or

advanced degree, certificate ordesignation from a higherlearning institution is often-times the desire of many.However, the question mosthave to address is how to tack-le the cost of the education.Well, maybe it’s time to con-sider the option of savingthrough a 529 plan.

BRIEF 529 PLAN HISTORY

Starting back in the late1980s, separate states hadoriginally adopted legislationknown as Section 529 plans tohelp individuals save in a tax-efficient investment vehiclefor post secondary educationexpenses. It wasn’t until the

mid 1990s that Congress for-mally adopted Section 529 ona national level in the InternalRevenue Code. It was thenthat these college savingsplans took hold and grew inpopularity over the next 20years as one of the best vehi-cles to use in saving for educa-tion expenses. In 2006, thePension Protection Act alsomade permanent the tax-freetreatment of the account pro-ceeds if used for qualifiededucation expenses.

BENEFITS OF 529 PLANS

There are multiple benefitsto a 529 Plan including theability of the donor to retaincontrol of the funds in theaccount, possible state tax

breaks, federal tax-free bene-fits, flexibility to changeinvestment options, the abilityto change the beneficiary ofthe plan or move the plan toanother state. In addition,substantial plan contributionsare allowed and if done cor-rectly, can be used as anestate-planning tool for futuregenerations.

Simply stated, any individ-ual who would like to save forthemselves, or gift funds toanother, could establish a 529Plan. Commonly, we find par-ents will open a 529 Planaccount, remain as owner ofthe account and then nametheir child as beneficiary.Should their child get a schol-arship or decide to not pursue

a post secondary education,the parent could name anoth-er child as beneficiary or with-drawal funds from theaccount to offset the scholar-ship proceeds. There are evenmore options than the twostated above, but for the sakeof this article, I won’t go intothose details here.

So is a 529 right for you? Agreat resource to learn moreis: www.savingforcollege.com.In addition, I encourage youto speak with your tax advisoror financial planner to weighthe best options for you.

John Wenzel is an investmentadvisor with Archvest WealthAdvisers. Send questions and com-ments to [email protected]

Get smart on saving for college

JOHN WENZEL

FINANCIAL SENSE

MIKE MARCHIANO

MOUNTAIN MIKE

Michael Marchiano is a natural-ist with Mt. Diablo InterpretiveAssociation. Email him at [email protected].

Mike Marciano

COUNTER TO POPULAR OPINION (or fear), our local rattle-snakes are not aggressive. They will typically flee to avoidhuman contact.

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Q. I have a close friendwho is planning on sellingher house. When I wentover to help her get it readyfor sale and took a goodlook at it I was shocked. Ithink my friend is a hoarder.She has collections of whatI would consider junk thatshe won’t even let me touch.For instance, she has stacksof newspapers that are fiveyears old. What do youthink I can do to help her?Do you think it would helpto get a realtor involved?She is not eager to let onecome in. She has to sell herhouse for financial reasonsand she is so delightful oth-erwise.

A. Yes, if you get a realtorinvolved they have access to ateam of professionals thatthey can call on who specializein various fields such as deepcleaning. In my business Ihave had some “hoarders.” Itis always a shock.

Some hoarders don’t evenrealize they have a problem.Hoarding is a mental condi-tion that affects two to five

percent of the U.S. populationin a recent survey. Be compas-sionate when dealing with thehoarder. Everything in theirhome carries emotionalattachments. Don’t treat themas a lesser person. As youwork with the hoarder saythings like “our realtor told methat we’ll need to clean up thisspace in order to maximize thesales price.”

If it is possible, cleareverything out of the house,then clean and add back incertain staging items to warmup each room.

Before adding anythingback into the home have com-plete inspections done, such asa structural pest report (ter-mite report) and a homeinspection at the least. Younever know what you will findunder the items that have beensitting in one spot for a verylong time.

Two more things toremember are that this salecannot be done quickly.Everything will move alongslower than in a normal sale.The other thing, and the most

important thing, is that you aredealing with a human beingthat has talents and abilitiesjust like yours. If getting thehouse ready for sale is just toomuch for you hand it over toanother friend who is moreequipped for the job.

Q. I am fortunateenough to be a homeownerin the Bay Area. I achievedthis with a lot of help fromfamily. It also was easier todo several years ago. I haveseveral friends that want tomove here and own a homeand others who would justbe happy living here andrenting. How can they do itwith rental rates so highand it seems they are get-ting higher?

A. I don’t have a goodsolution for your friends. I amsorry about that. I do have anopinion though and some sta-tistics. My opinion is that therental crisis that we are in can’tsustain itself. I will probablymake some enemies but itstarted with greedy landlords.People need places to live. So

it has gone from under a thirdof income for housingexpenses to now over one-halfin some places. These arehigher payments than if theyhad a mortgage. The bad thingabout that though is the bankskeep tightening up their quali-fications so people can’t affordto buy.

Those struggling mostseem to be the middle classfamilies earning between$45,000 and $75,000. I thinkthese rents will work them-selves out. As more peoplecan’t afford the rents then thelandlords will have to lowertheir rents — sort of like arental housing bubble.

Cruise’s Mission: Keep on running

Tom Cruise just keeps onrunning. The cumulative total ofmiles run by him in all his filmsmust total over 50. In the fifthinstallment of his “MissionImpossible” franchise, titled“Rogue Nation,” Cruise is backas IMF Agent Ethan Hunt. AsHunt, Cruise spends a lot of thefilm (and the franchise) chasingafter bad guys, often on foot. At53, Cruise has not sloweddown; he still does most of hisown stunts.

At times, it is tough to keepup both with him and the scriptfor “Rogue Nation.”Writer/Director ChristopherMcQuarrie lets the film bogdown occasionally with toomuch exposition. However, thetop-notch action sequences andthe chemistry between the vet-eran actors make the film worththe price of admission.

The film opens with Hunt

hanging on the door of a giantplane during take-off. His fellowagent, Benji Dunn (SimonPegg) hides in the brush, tryingto get the door open by hackinginto the plane with an iPad. Thesequence is expertly filmed butthe banter between Hunt, Dunnand a sidelined Agent Brandt(Jeremy Renner) forms the realbackbone of the scene. Thesethree actors clearly have spentenough time together off-screen to make all their charac-ters’ interactions overcome anyshortcomings in the script.They balance the gravity ofeach situation with equal dosesof both seriousness and wit. It’sa shame that Renner spends halfof the film on the other side ofthe world, as his character dealswith the C.I.A.’s absorbing ofthe IMF. After seeing him runaround as Hawkeye in the Mar-vel films, it’s tough watchinghim sit in courtrooms andoffices opposite Alec Baldwin’sC.I.A. director Hunley. OnceRenner gets into the game,along with Ving Rhames’Luther, the film truly picks up.

With the IMF disbanded, allthe agents are recalled. Weassume they have hundreds ofagents, but we only see a hand-ful. Of course, Hunt is toowrapped up in a case to return.He has been kidnapped bymembers of “The Syndicate,” a

shadow organization Huntbelieves is responsible for mostof the recent calamities acrossthe globe. After an excitingescape sequence, Hunt con-vinces his fellow agents to cometo London to try and help himfinally bring down The Syndi-cate. Hunt and the gang getthemselves into, and out of,some very tight spots in someextraordinary ways. Cinematog-rapher Robert Elswit takes fulladvantage of the latest in cam-era technology to film severalelaborate, hard-to-believe actionpieces.

“Rogue Nation” features anassassination attempt at anopera, an underwater escapeand a lengthy motorcycle chase.Nothing less should be expect-ed from a “Mission Impossible”film. As well, the audience

should expect any Tom Cruisecharacter to be brought back tolife after dying…because, well,he’s Tom Cruise. At least a briefmention is made of how Huntprobably shouldn’t be drivingmere minutes after beingshocked back to life. Yet, with-out that questionable decision,we would not have the incredi-ble car chase that follows.Despite a few questionabledecisions with the script,“Rogue Nation” is the secondbest film in the franchise after“Ghost Protocol.” Hopefully,Cruise has many more years ofrunning ahead. B+

Sneak a peek into ‘Slade House’It’s not often that I review

a book two months beforepublication, but because DavidMitchell is one of my favoritenovelists I tore into “SladeHouse,” in spite of the fact itis about a haunted house. I’mnot a fan of scary movies orscary novels, but I loved“Slade House” (RandomHouse, October, 2015).

Now the trick is to con-vince you to the merits ofMitchell’s haunted housebook. Slade House is a man-sion, real enough in the novel,but real also in the Blitz ofWorld War II when it wasbombed to smithereens. Thenovel opens decades later, in1979, when a divorced pianistand her young teenage son areinvited to a musical soiree tobe held by Lady Grayer, thepresent owner of Slade House.Rita and her son Nathan arethe first of five visitors, eachvisit taking place at nine yearintervals.

Slade House, for all its

magnificence, is situated in amost unlikely neighborhoodon Slade Alley, a rundownneighborhood with little tocommend. All those “invited”to visit Slade House must firstfind a small, well-hidden, blackiron door, a door without han-dle or keyhole. I will tell youright off that almost no onewho makes it through that irondoor will ever be seen again.

That being said, it isMitchell’s magic that compelsthe reader to continue. Thosefamiliar with his writing will

recognize his deft handling oftime – present, past and every-thing in between. He dropsclues like leaves falling fromtrees in the always-changinglush gardens of Slade House.

Exactly who are Lady NoraGrayer and her brother Jonah?What do they want from thosewho come? Once the mysteryof Slade House is publicknowledge, why would anyonebe so recklessly curious as tolook for that small, black irondoor? And, after all, who’s tosay that the road less traveledis always of our own choos-ing?

Great fun exists in therecurring words that are partand parcel of Mitchell’s tale,words like: Lacuna, orison,engifted, aperture, Banjax,glyph, Horologist, Operandi,Atemporals — the list goeson. Setting the novel in fiveyears (1979, 1988, 1997, 2006,2015) is an artful way of carry-ing the reader into each andevery event. What we learn

about what happens in 1979, ifwe read carefully, moves usinto 1988, and so on, eachbuilding on our understandingof what is really happening.The narrative structure isdownright masterful. Thecharacters, too, build on eachother, directly and indirectly;they are not stock ghost storyfigures, but people to careabout, people with recogniza-ble human frailties. They aredesirable and even devouredsouls.

How willing we are tobelieve what we need tobelieve, to think the impossi-ble quite likely despite all thewhile knowing this cannot behappening. “Slade House,”Mitchell’s small yellow book,needs no key: pick it up, openit, you’re in.

Send your question and look foryour answer in a future column. [email protected]. French isthe broker/owner of WindermereLynne French & Associates. Contacther at 672-8787 or stop in at 6200Center St., Clayton.

LYNNE FRENCH

REAL ANSWERS

AT 53, TOM CRUISE HAS LOST NONE OF HIS EDGE, as he provesin the latest Mission Impossible, ‘Rogue Nation.’

Jeff Mellinger is a screen writerand film buff. He holds a BA inFilm Studies and an MFA in filmproduction. He lives in Concord.Email comments to [email protected].

JEFF MELLINGER

SCREEN SHOTS

SUNNY SOLOMON

FOR THE BOOKS

Sunny Solomon is a freelancewriter and head of the Clayton BookClub. Visit her website at bookinwithsunny.com for her latestrecommendations or just to ‘talkbooks.’

law firm Dannis Woliver Kel-ley was hired in January toinvestigate myriad chargesmade against CVCHS, whichincluded conflicts of interest,Brown Act violations, boardelection procedures, fiscalimpropriety, hiring practicesand athletic department issues.DWS says in its executive sum-mary that “the report will notmake factual findings or deter-minations regarding the validi-ty of the facts presented” yetthen proceeded to make 39“critical recommendations”based on allegations withoutdetermining their validity.

They added, “This reportis intended to serve as a tool toassist in evaluating the com-plaints and allegations againstCVCHS when making theindependent determination ofhow to proceed, if at all.”

Both the factions makingcharges against CVCHS andLinzey claimed the report but-tressed their position. The dia-logue continued this week whenthe school started its fourth yearas a charter Wednesday morningand that afternoon CCCBOEhad its monthly meeting thatwas slated to include discussionof the report.

School supporters claimedthe report’s authors not onlyfailed to properly investigate thecharges or give factual findingsbut that they have a major con-flict of interest. DWK was hiredby CCCOE to handle the inves-tigation and they also have a six-figure annual contract as an out-side counsel with Mt. DiabloUnified School District, whichis still smarting from havingCVCHS leave the District in2012.

Allison Snow, who hasbeen an outspoken critic ofthe charter and one of thefounders of Stakeholders forTransparency Facebookgroup, sent an email with theDWK report to the press say-

ing, in part, “The findings areas we anticipated: The Direc-tor and Board have apparentlyfar overstepped the charterand therein contains long listof immediate fixes to theiroperations.”

The report includes fourand a half pages of “criticalrecommendations” that DWSsuggests the school or its gov-erning board implement toaddress allegations made in2014 about CVCHS.

The report’s one-para-graph conclusion begins, “Atthis time and with CVCHS’scooperation, the issues appearlargely resolvable throughadditional training, transparen-cy, communication and over-sight.” It says there are a num-ber (39 termed “critical”) ofsuggested actions for thecounty to consider.

At the same time, Linzeyissued a long statement chal-lenging the process and rec-ommendations: “It is nowclear that CVCHS has notviolated the law or its charterpetition, that there is no basisfor the call for revocationcoming from some anti-char-ter elements in the community,and that many of the com-plaints were in fact based onmisstatements of fact andmisinterpretations of charterschool law.”

He goes on to say that thisdoes not imply that CVCHSagrees with the process used byDWK in developing the report,“the factual inaccuracies andanalysis that are contained in thereport, or the initial premisethat DWK has operated from inassuming that the allegationsare “not false” (i.e., true) with-out giving the Charter Schoolthe opportunity to rebut theseallegations.

“It remains disappointingthat CCCOE and DWK didnot afford CVCHS the oppor-tunity to address the allega-tions addressed in the report[and] to submit documentsdirectly responsive to the alle-gations,” Linzey said.

The full report can beviewed at CCCOE’s website,www.boarddocs.com/ca/cccoe/Board.nsf/files.

and many cities have sued ormay sue the state over disput-ed funds. But with the assis-tance of new State SenatorSteve Glazer, we obtainedword that disputed agencyobligations totaling $976,899would be recovered by thecity. This is a huge successfuloutcome for our city, andavoids the unpleasant neces-sity of having to sue the state.Congrats to our staff for agreat job on behalf of theCity of Clayton.

Tech-savvy Clayton: NewCommunity DevelopmentDirector Mindy Gentry isalso spearheading a Technol-ogy and Modernization Planwith the goal of installing andutilizing technology in orderto be more efficient. This willallow staff to spend moretime conducting the city’sbusiness and to do more withless, especially given the city’slimited financial resources.Further, utilizing technologyto create efficient and stream-lined processes will not onlyhelp city staff be more pro-ductive, but will provide addi-tional tools to enhance ourassistance and accountabilityto the public. Yes, for good orbad, our city abacus and sliderules will be updated.

In honor of technologyand improvement, I changedmy password to “incorrect.”So whenever I forget what itis the computer will say“Your password is incorrect.”

Email me at [email protected].

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Directory of Advertisers

P.O. Box 1246

6200 Center Street, Suite H, Clayton, CA 94517

TAMARA AND ROBERT STEINER, PublishersTAMARA STEINER, EditorPETE CRUZ, Graphic DesignPEGGY SPEAR, Copy Editor JAY BEDECARRÉ, Sports PAMELA WIESENDANGER, Administration, Calendar Editor

STAFF WRITERS: Peggy Spear, Pamela Wiesendanger, Jay Bedecarré

CORRESPONDENTS: John Jackson, Kara Navolio, Patricia Romero, John T. Miller

We remember Jill Bedecarré - Her spirit is our muse

PIONEER INFOCONTACT USTel: (925) 672-0500Fax: (925) 672-6580

www.ClaytonPioneer.comTamara Steiner

[email protected] ads to

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LET US KNOW Weddings, engagements, anniver-saries, births and deaths all weavetogether as part of the fabric of ourcommunity. Please let us know ofthese important events. We ask onlythat the announcement be for a res-ident in our home delivery area. Sub-mit on our website and be sure toattach a JPG photo that is at least 3MB but not bigger than 6MB. Youcan also mail or bring your print tothe office and we can scan it for you.

Also on the website are formsfor calendar items, events & pressreleases.

LETTERS TO THE EDITORBoth Pioneer newspapers welcomeletters from our readers. As a gener-al rule, letters should be 175 wordsor less and submitted at least oneweek prior to publication date. Let-ters concerning current issues will

have priority. We may edit letters forlength and clarity. All letters will bepublished at the editor’s discretion.Please include name, address anddaytime telephone number. We willnot print anonymous letters. E-mailyour letter to [email protected].

Letters must be submitted viaE-mail.

CIRCULATION as of Sept. 2014

Total circulation of the Clayton Pio-neer is 5,500 to ZIP code 94517, alldelivered by US Mail to homes, busi-nesses and post office boxes. Wecannot start or stop delivery toindividual addresses. This must bedone directly through the PostOffice.

The Concord Pioneer is deliv-ered monthly to 30,500 in Concordby carrier. Papers are delivered oncea month on a Friday morning nearthe end of the month. To stop deliv-ery for any reason, call the office at(925) 672-0500 or send an email [email protected].

If you are NOT receiving thePioneer, please check the distribu-tion map on the website. If you livein the shaded area and are notreceiving the paper, please call us orsend an email to [email protected]. If you are not inthe shaded area, please be patient.We will come to your neighborhoodsoon.

SUBSCRIPTIONSTo subscribe, call the office at

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Charter, from page 1

Mayor, from page 1

Did you know that shel-ters always have a have a bigselection of animals lookingfor a new home? You canfind dogs, cats, puppies, kit-tens, birds and other smallanimals and even horses andlivestock at many shelters. Infact, any type of animalavailable for sale at your

local pet store or breeder isprobably waiting for adoptionat a nearby shelter. You onlyhave to take a look. Thanks totoday’s technology it’s easierthan ever to find shelters andrescue groups.

Most pets end up home-less through no fault of theirown. “Moving” and “landlordissues” are common reasonsgiven by people surrenderingtheir pets to shelters, meaningshelters and rescue groups arefull of wonderful family-readypets.

Looking for a purebred?Twenty-five percent of pets inshelters are purebreds. Breedspecific rescue groups alwayshave purebred dogs and pup-pies looking for homes.

Pets adopted from sheltersand rescue groups typicallycost less than pets purchased— or even acquired for free.Once you add in the cost ofvaccinations, spay/neuter sur-gery, microchip, de wormerand other extras included in

your adoption fee, you’llprobably be surprised what abargain an adopted pet reallyis.

Most shelters and rescuegroups conduct a behavioranalysis of each pet to ensurethat your pet will be the rightfit for your family, dramatical-ly improving the chances thatyour new pet will fit right in.

Shelters and rescue groupscan give you advice on mak-ing your relationship withyour pet the best it can be forthe rest of his life so you’llnever have to go it alone.

So now you’ve decided toadd a new pet to your family,the first question to ask is whatkind is the best for your house-hold? Do you have enoughtime to devote to the dailyneeds of a dog? Is anyone inyour home allergic to cats?Doing your homework inadvance will make your searcheasier and increase the chancesthat your new pet will be ahappy addition to your home.

If for some reason youdon’t find what you’re lookingfor right away, don’t be dis-couraged. Sadly, pets are sur-rendered to shelters and res-cues groups every day so keepchecking back. Some groupskeep a waiting list so they cancall you if a pet matching yourpreference becomes available.

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One-year-old Yoko is asweet social girl ready for anyadventure. Don’t let her smallsize fool you; this girl is preparedfor action. She’s up for all kindsof weekend activities fromfetching squeaky toys to snug-gling on the couch and hikes, orpracticing to be the next AnimalPlanet agility champion. We rec-ommend Yoko take a Small Dogor Basic Manners class whereshe can start a new life with youwith the best paw forward. Ifyou have small children, we rec-ommend bringing them for ameet and greet before adoptingYoko. She currently weighs 7pounds.

The adoption fee for adult

dogs is $250 and includes a dis-count on the first six-week ses-sion of ARF U Manners classes.

Tangerine, 2, is a sweettreat with her loving personality.She may be a little shy at first butwarms up and will make a greatpal, once she gets to know you,Playing with wand toys is one ofher favorite pasttimes. She issuitable for a first time catguardian.

Tangerine’s adoption fee hasbeen prepaid by a generousdonor.

Meet your forever friend atTony La Russa’s Animal RescueFoundation, 2890 MitchellDrive, Walnut Creek, during

adoption hours: Noon to 6 pmWednesday & Thursday, Noonto 7 pm Friday, and Noon to 6pm Saturday & Sunday. The pri-mary caretaker must be presentto adopt. ARF also encourageskids 16 and younger and caninefamily members (dog adoptionsonly) to be present during theadoption process.

Would you like to be part of theheroic team that saves the lives ofrescued dogs and cats? Can youshare your talents to connect peopleand animals? ARF volunteers aremaking a difference! For more infor-mation see our website,www.arflife.org, or call (925) 256-1ARF.

Debbie DeMello is a dog trainerand owner of Who’s TrainingWho in Walnut Creek. Contacther at [email protected]

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Try rescues, shelters for pet shoppingPets

Club News

Clayton residents will havenew places to sit, boogie andogle sweet rides, thanks toCBCA members voting “yes” toseveral requests for funding atthe July 23 meeting of the Clay-ton Business and CommunityAssociation at Oakhurst Coun-try Club.

The CBCA voted to fundthe purchase of 14 child-sizechairs for the Clayton Commu-nity Library. CBCA had fundedthe purchase of study chairs in2013 and club chairs in 2014.

CBCA also allocated fundingto help support Thursday NightConcerts in the Grove and willpick up the sponsorship of thepopular Classic Car Show. Thiswill be the fourth year for theThursday concerts, which focus-es on local bands.

Ed Hartley revealed that theCBCA would sponsor a JoanCulver Memorial Bocce Tourna-ment in November to honor therecent passing of a long-timepillar of the community andCBCA stalwart. Proceeds from

the first year will go to sponsor-ing a table at the courts withJoan’s name on the plaque. Insucceeding years, proceeds willgo to Joan’s favorite charities.

Officer Rich Enea gave thepolice report, subbing fordeparting chief Chris Thorsen.Enea reported on a break-in at ahome while the owner was inbed. Clayton police respondedand caught the fleeing suspectwithin 30 minutes and hauledhim off to jail.

“If you commit a majorcrime in Clayton, we guaranteeyou’ll spend time in jail,” Eneasaid. “We don’t have that muchto do, so when something bighappens, we’re all over it.”

Co-Chair Mary AnnLawrence guaranteed that thisyear’s Oktoberfest, the 12thannual, slated for Oct. 3 and 4,will be the best ever. However,volunteers are still needed. Con-tact Lawrence or MarilynSchmidt to join the fun.

Clayton Valley GardenClub members Jan Rubiales,Diane Selmer, Rory Richmondand Carin Kaplan surprisedresidents of Diamond Terraceretirement community byweeding and tidying up thefacility’s Residents’ Garden onJuly 22. Due to water restric-tions, the irrigated, raised bedsare dotted with just a fewtomato, melon and floweringplants this summer.

Clayton Valley Garden Club cleans up Diamond Terrace Garden

CBCA approves chairs, concerts and carsGARY CARR

Special to the Pioneer

As the new school year getsunderway at Clayton ValleyCharter High School, it willnot be just about the syllabus,new teachers and class rules.For the entire sophomoreclass, it will be all about empa-thy, connections and support.

For the third year in a row,the sophomore class will par-ticipate in Challenge Day fromAugust 24-27. Each day 100-125 students, along with 25adult volunteers, will gather fora six-and-a-half hour experi-ential program led by trainedprofessionals. The purpose ofthe program is to build con-nections and empathy andreduce bullying. Founders ofthe program, Rich and YvonneDutra St. John, have a mission:“That every child can live in aworld where they feel safe,loved and celebrated.”

“The program goes beyondthe message that bullyinghurts,” states Susanne Renner,Challenge Day organizer forCVCHS. “Teens see that oth-ers have experienced the samechallenges that they have andthat we all have more in com-mon than we have differences.Challenge Day connects peo-ple.”

Through ice breakers andsmall group activities, kids whomay never have talked to eachother before make new con-nections and begin to under-stand each other at a deeperlevel.

One such activity has beenfeatured on an MTV realityshow called “If You ReallyKnew Me.” Each person in asmall group begins with “Ifyou really knew me, you wouldknow that …” and then theyfill in the blank. Everyone feelssafe enough to let their guarddown and share. They receivelots of support and begin tosee others for who they reallyare, not as a stereotype. As sen-ior Maris Degener says, “Chal-lenge Day came at a difficulttime in my life. It gave me thetools to open up, learn how toaccept support and give sup-port to others.” Degener isnow President of the “Be TheChange Club” on campus, afollow-up to the ChallengeDay program which encour-ages students to continue sup-porting each other long afterthe program is over.

The program, in its 25thyear nationwide, was originallybrought to Clayton Valley HighSchool in 2005 after the schoollost two students to suicide.Singer Alanis Morissette

donated the program to theschool that year. Then for thenext three years Challenge Dayoffered the program for free tothe school. After that, therewas no more funding available.In 2013, when current Princi-pal David Linzey heard aboutthe program, he was in favor ofbringing it back. With thefinancial support of Susanneand Charles Renner, the schooland the Parent Faculty Club,the program is now offeredeach year to the sophomoreclass.

Many students describe theday as life-changing. AsDegener says, “The programchanged my life. I found the

confidence in myself and knewthat there was a brighter futurethan what I thought before. Iencourage all the sophomoresto go in with an open mind.”

Oprah Winfrey featured theprogram on her show in 2006and stated, “I’m not kiddingwhen I say this is how wechange the world.” SomeCVCHS alumni feel so strong-ly about the program that theyhave volunteered to come backthis year as adult volunteers.The program could still use afew more adult volunteers. Ifinterested in volunteering forone of the days, contact Ren-ner at [email protected] or 925-216-9228.

Everyone has a “type.”Whether it’s tall and skinny, ormuscular with a sharp jawline,everyone has something thatsuits their fancy.

For Colin Singleton, histype is Katherine. In “AnAbundance of Katherines” byJohn Green, Colin has dated19 girls named Katherine, andwith all of them, he found nolove and no luck.

While of a road trip, Colintries to prove that with the helpof the “Theorem of Underly-

ing Katherine Predictability,”he can predict the outcome ofany relationship that the futureholds for him and hopefully,help him map out how he isgoing to obtain the girl of hisdreams, whether or not hername is Katherine.

It’s a great story; plus, thereare so many beautiful quoteswoven into this novel. Myfavorite one is: “…but therewas no denying her smile. Thatsmile could end wars and curecancer.”

Even though this bookwasn’t my favorite by JohnGreen (that would be “Look-ing for Alaska”), it still packedquite a punch. I’ve always thor-oughly enjoyed reading any-thing by him and this storysurely met my expectations. Ican’t wait to see what elseGreen has in store for us in thefuture.

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Schools New principal takes the reins

The 2015-16 year is off andrunning at Clayton ValleyCharter High School.

Even if classes haven'tstarted yet, if you go to theCVCHS campus any timefrom now on, the Ugly Eaglesare in full swing. This pastweek welcomed back all of ourstudents for registration, butthat is a small taste of the cam-pus flavor. Band camp is rock-ing and sports teams are gear-ing up. Teachers are tricklingback and classrooms arealmost ready. Our new teach-ers are getting indoctrinated tothe CVCHS way and look likegreat additions to our team.

Finally, the Class of 2019was in full force last week asour freshmen participated in aweek-long program that hope-fully got them excited for highschool. This program is run by

a group of upper classmencalled Link Crew and theydevote part of their summer tomentoring our ninth graders.

It is an exciting time to beat CVCHS. As I enter my firstyear, it’s hard not to beimpressed with what I see. I’mgoing into my 29th year in edu-

cation, most of it at the highschool level. I’ve seen a lot ofexamples in my career, bothgood and bad, of what a highschool looks like, and CVCHShas a lot of which to be proud.The student achievement ishigh and as I meet the studentsI’m immediately impressedwith the way they conductthemselves. That is a reflectionof their character and theirparent and teacher role modelsthat help them develop. I’mproud to be on the team.

Look for CVCHS to con-tinue to evolve in this newschool year. We are a charterschool because we believedthat an independent highschool can provide a qualityeducational experience for theyoung men and women whoattend. To do that without thesupport of a large district is

innovative and no easy task.Everything I’ve seen to thispoint tells me that the missionhas been accomplished. Wehave a quality school with qual-ity data to match.

I saw something else thisweek, though, that convincedme that I was in the right place.About 2,000 students pickedup their schedules, playedmusic, lifted weights andwalked around campus in thepast few days. Most of themwere wearing hats or shirtswith the Ugly Eagle logo.Clearly, this is their school andthey are proud of it. We willbuild on what is here and con-tinue to make CVCHS a placeof pride for our young people.

Jeff Eben is principal atCVCHS. Email him [email protected].

CVCHS starts off new year withpowerful Challenge Day program

Determining the righttype of ‘Katherine’

JEFF EBEN

CVCHS PRINCIPAL

A new performing artscharter school expects to openits doors in Concord nextAugust.

The Contra Costa CountyBoard of Education lastmonth ratified the charter forthe Contra Costa School ofPerforming Arts, whose organ-izers appealed a rejection oftheir proposal the previousmonth by the Mt. Diablo Uni-fied School District.

The school is the brainchildof Neil McChesney, the for-mer Clayton Valley CharterHigh School administrator andCVHS graduate who wasinstrumental in getting hisalma mater’s charter passed.

McChesney and his organ-izing committee are now get-ting down to the real workneeded to open the school in12 months. First of all, they areforming a five-member gov-erning board which theyexpect to have in place thisweek and hold its first meetinglater this month.

The board will have over-sight of the charter and willbegin by mapping out thescope of work and the matterof funding the school until it isopen and receives state moneybased on its daily attendance.McChesney, the school’s exec-utive director, will report to theboard.

Unlike Clayton Valley Char-ter High School, which is aconversion school, the SPAgoverning board will includeonly non-interested members.He expects the majority, if notall, of the board members to

come from within MDUSDboundaries.

In the next couple ofmonths the School of Per-forming Arts will hold infor-mational meetings as it doescommunity outreach. Theschool will solicit interestedfamilies to sign non-bindingintent to enroll forms. In a per-fect world McChesney wouldlike to see 100 students regis-tered in each of the threegrades (sixth, seventh andninth) planned for 2016.

He points out the publiccharter school will ultimatelyinclude 700 students in gradessix through 12. It will have“equity of access” (no audi-tions and tuition free) forprospective students, give pri-ority to students from theMDUSD enrollment area andoffer a “school of choice” forstudents interested in the per-forming arts.

Dance, music (vocal andinstrumental), theater and pro-duction and design, includingstage tech and arts manage-ment course tracks, will beoffered. The rigorous arts-inte-grated curriculum will be basedon University of Californiaand Cal State University admis-sion requirements.

McChesney and his steeringcommittee have identified theConcord Pavilion grounds astheir No. 1 site for the charterpublic school. The Pavilionproperty is owned by the cityof Concord and leased to LiveNation concert promoters.Both the city and Live Nationincluded letters of support inthe charter proposal packet.

KARA NAVOLIO

Correspondent

Emily York is a junior atCVCHS.

EMILY YORK

TEEN READS

‘Dream School’ willprovide arts education

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

See School, page 18

Clayton Valley Charter’sUgly Eagles football team hasenjoyed unprecedented suc-cess the past three years,culminated last December byan appearance in the CIFDivision II State champi-onship game in Southern Cal-ifornia that they lost in bitterfashion 34-33 to RedlandsEast Valley.

The locals begin this sea-son at state DI champs Fol-som on Aug. 28 and coachTim Murphy and his staff willbe working to blend returningstarters with newcomers and2014 varsity backup playerswho got lots of experiencewhile the Eagles forced a

running clock in the secondhalf of 11 blowout games.

Murphy’s wing-gunoffense has averaged almost10 yards per carry over thepast three years. CVCHS wasNorth Coast Section champi-on in 2012, semi-finalists in2013 and titlists again last yearwhen they also won theNorthern California DII Bowlgame in Gonsalves Stadium toreach the CIF finals.

His running attack, whichlast year was the most prolificin all of high school footballover the past 15 seasons, hasfeatured a workhorse back.Joe Protheroe in 2012 andMiles Harrison the last twoyears rushed for over 2000yards and scored more than 30touchdowns each. The team

gained a remarkable 7051yards rushing last season. Bycontrast opening game oppo-nent Folsom passed for nearly6000 yards.

A quintet of departingseniors and all-league quarter-back Nate Keisel, who hasmoved with his family toUtah, accounted for over 5000yards of the Clayton Valleyrushing total. The coachexpects all-round athleteLouis Ramos to play a key roleon offense, perhaps replacingKeisel at QB.

Gavin West gained nearly728 yards in limited duty lastyear as a sophomore (“great

vision and power”) and trans-fer Ray Jackson (who sat outlast year after being all-leagueas a sophomore at CollegePark) will be backfield factorsthis fall.

Other returning startersinclude juniors Koti Vaisimaand Jalen McKenzie (linemanwho has grown one inch andlost 30 pounds), Jamel Ros-ales, all-league defensive backJake Peralta, Isaias Padilla andNate Ewing.

Anatol Skyler is called the“most improved player on theteam bar none” by his headcoach. Murphy also pointedout “big-time improvement”

by Sebastian Ruiz (“played DBlast year, moved to offensiveline and his heart is bigger thanhis 180-pound body”), Rosales,West, Joe Nguenti, JustinRoper and Angel Quesada.

Murphy refuses to com-pare teams but says his seniorsdon’t want to see the school’s17-game league winningstreak (that goes back to 2011)broken. He adds, “The goal is,and always will be, to improveon the past.”

Other returnees who fig-ure to get lots of playing timeare Ryan Fischer, Jake King,Evan Barney, Andy de Lira,Zach Hanson, Jack Miller,

Miguel Sarmiento, Jake Lin-derman and Robert Carson.Varsity newcomers (transfersand players moving up fromJV or frosh teams) includeBryce Brand, Akeal Lalaid,Elijah Tafao-Braganza, ColeHegwer, Sebastian Ruiz,Sebastian Deisieh, AaronFonseca, Jeff Williams, ZiaRhamany, Ja’Ron Jackson,James Teofilo and BenAcebo.

Following the Folsomgame the Eagles travel toTracy Sept. 4 and then havetheir home opener in ConcordSept. 11 against CardinalNewman of Santa Rosa.

Sports Clayton Valley Charter football team needs tointegrate newcomers for continued success


JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

LOUIS RAMOS (21) BEGINS HIS THIRD YEAR WITH THE CLAYTON VALLEY CHARTER HIGH VARSITY FOOTBALL TEAM. The two-way play-er may find himself busier than ever as he figures as a possible replacement for the transferred Nate Keisel at quarter-back as well as playing middle linebacker on defense for the defending NCS champs.

Jason Rogers photos

JUNIOR LINEMAN JALEN MCKENZIE will have college recruiterslooking at Clayton Valley Charter games and film over thenext two years. Younger brother of 2015 top nationalrecruit Kahlil McKenzie, he helped the Ugly Eagles to theState Division II championship game last year and figuresto be a dominant figure in the line this season.

FALL, WINTER PROGRAMS

OPEN AT ALL OUT

SPORTS LEAGUESFall and winter programs

for youth and adults are nowopen in Clayton offered byAll Out Sports Leagues.Youth basketball and volley-ball begins at the end ofSept. Thanksgiving andChristmas break basketballclinics for boys and girls infirst through 10th grades areaccepting signups. There’s abasketball shooting lab everySunday from 9-10 a.m. at

Clayton Community Gym.Fall Clayton adult bowlingand volleyball leagues getunderway Aug. 26 and regis-tration closes next Thursday.For complete information onAll Out Sports programs,visit alloutsportsleague.com.

CLAYTON VALLEY FALL

BALL COMING SOONThe Clayton Valley Little

League Fall Ball program isaccepting boys and girls forbaseball (8-12 years old) andsoftball (12 and under). The

three-month program startsthis month and will include11 practices and 13 gameswith a focus on fundamen-tals. For more informationand to register visit cvll.org.

DIABLO FC FALL REC

SEASON TAKING SIGNUPSDiablo FC is holding its

fall rec league Sept. 1through Oct. 20 in Concordat Newhall Park. Training forboys and girls under five, U7and U9 age groups with par-ent coaches and professionalDiablo FC staff is on Tues-days with games on Satur-days Sept. 12-Oct. 24. For

more information and sched-ule visit diablofc.org.

CONCORD ADULT

SOFTBALL REGISTRATION

NOW OPENTeam registrations are

being accepted for Concordfall adult softball leagues.Men’s, women’s and co-eddivisions are offered on vari-ous nights throughout theweek, Sunday through Fri-day. Concord softball’s fallleague is a seven-game sea-son with playoffs in Septem-ber and running throughearly November. Registrationdeadline is Aug. 21. Regis-tration and informationpackets are available onlineat teamsideline.com/con-cord. To receive the packetby mail call 671-3423.

TERRAPINS FALL CLINIC,YEAR-ROUND PROGRAM

TAKING SIGNUPSThe renowned Terrapins

Swim Team will be hostingits annual Fall StokeImprovement Program fromSept. 14 to Dec. 11 at Con-cord Community Pool. Theprogram offers rec swim-mers six-year-olds throughhigh school the opportunityto train under the profes-sional Terrapin staff forthree months. Limited clinicregistration is now beingtaken online at terrapin-swim.com. The Terrapinsyear-round USA Swimmingprogram is also acceptingapplications now for its fallseason that begins Aug. 31.Call 680-8372 for more infoor visit the club website.

ST. BONAVENTURE CYOCROSS COUNTRY STARTS

TRAINING MONDAYSt Bonaventure CYO

cross country begins its sea-

son training Monday. Theprogram is open to boys andgirls in 2nd-8th grades in theSt. Bonaventure attendancearea. Cross country is ashort, family-oriented seasonwith practices Monday,Wednesday and Friday at5:30 p.m. Parents are highlyencouraged to run too.Meets begin in late Septem-ber on Friday evenings withthe Oakland Diocese meet inmid-October. The teammeets at Newhall Park nearchildren’s play area. Signupswill be taken at practice orvisit stbonaventurecyo.comfor more info.

SHUFFLE THE CARDS

FOR CVCHS FOOTBALL

BENEFIT OCT. 3Clayton Valley Charter

football is hosting its fourthannual Texas Hold ‘EmPoker Tournament and din-ner on Saturday, Oct. 3, ben-efiting Ugly Eagles footballprogram. Prize money of upto $500 for first place will beoffered for the tournament.Tickets for poker and dinneror dinner only are availablenow. Dinner begins at 5:30p.m. with poker tournamentat 8 o’clock at ShadelandsArts Center in Walnut Creek.Dinner is catered by Lisa Vand Dee-Licious. Ticketsavailable at claytonvalley-

football.com. Call 348-3452or 260-8304 for more infor-mation.

CARONDELET GRAD

CHELSEA CHENAULT

GOLD MEDALIST AT

WORLD UNIVERSITY

GAMESUniversity of Southern

California sophomoreChelsea Chenault was part ofthe gold medal 800 meterfreestyle relay for the UnitedStates at the World Universi-ty Games in Korea lastmonth. The 2013 Carondeletgrad, a two-time NCAA all-America, still holds theNorth Coast Section recordin three individual and tworelay events.

ST. BONAVENTURE CYOBASKETBALL TAKING

SIGNUPS UNTIL SEPT. 18Online registration will be

active until Sept. 18 for St.Bonaventure CYO basketballfor boys and girls grades twothrough eight. Player fees goup $10 after Aug. 31. If youhave any questions or wouldlike to coach or volunteer,please contact Tim O’Haraat 672-5774. The season runsfrom September throughFebruary with postseasonplayoffs. All registration isbeing done online atstbonaventurecyo.com.

Sports Shorts

Clayton Pioneer wants to publish your sports news

Please let us know about your sports news, specialevents, fund raisers, tryouts, signups and accomplish-ments. Youth leagues, clubs, schools and adult programsare all welcome to send us a rundown on what you’redoing. Include all the necessary details (too much informa-tion is better than too little!) and your contact information.It’s as simple as sending an email to [email protected]

CVLL All-stars wrap up season

Photos courtesy Clayton Valley Little League

THE CLAYTON VALLEY LITTLE LEAGUE ALL-STARS finished the District 4 tournament with a 4-2 record and a third-place finish. After beating Antioch twice, East County and SouthOakland the CVLL Stars were knocked out by Walnut Creek. The team included, frontrow from left, Joey Hawk, Quinton Mahloch, Carter Kosturos, Clayton Mahloch, JasonZimmer, Riley Mendonca, Terrell Hopson; back row, manager John Mahloch, TannerMaltbie, Matthew Hubbard, Charlie Saylor, Tyler Perkins, Jake Lucas, coach KevinZimmer, Dominic Pelligrino and coach Dwayne Bianchi.

The dog days of summerare upon us and that meanscollege football nears. The sea-son officially begins locallySept. 5 and both Cal and Stan-ford are looking to make asplash in the Pac-12 this year.

CAL

The past season was bitter-sweet for the Bears. The teamimproved its record by fourgames from the 2013 seasonbut still finished with a 5-7record. The last bowl game Calplayed in was in December2011and the last one they wonwas the Emerald Bowl in 2008.

It is somewhat of a make-or-break season for head coachSonny Dykes. While the teamshowed some improvement in2014, the lack of a winningseason in his two years as headcoach leaves much to bedesired.

Despite the struggles ofthe Cal team their quarterbackJared Goff is a beacon ofhope. Goff is lauded as being apotential first-round pick inthe 2016 NFL draft by ESPNanalyst Mel Kiper Jr. In fact thedraft guru says he’ll be the firstQB selected next year.

The 6-foot-4 junior passedfor 7,481 yards and 53 touch-downs through his two seasonsas the Bears starting quarter-back.

The offensive side of theball will be managed by Goff,so it is up to the defense toreally push the Bears back upthe Pac-12 standings. Thedefense struggled greatly thelast two seasons, in some casesto historic lows.

Continued improvementson defense and Goff continu-ing to become a polished quar-terback are essential for a suc-cessful 2015 campaign for Cal.

STANFORD

Over in Palo Alto, the Stan-ford Cardinal have made them-

selves into a national power-house. The team went to fourstraight BCS games betweenthe 2010-13 seasons.

The 2014 season ended inan 8-5 record for the Cardinalcapped by a win over theMaryland Terrapins in the Fos-ter Farms Bowl.

The preseason Top 25coaches poll has Stanfordranked as the 21st best team inthe nation. To compete andfinish high in a competitivePac- the Cardinal need to beable to close out games incrunch time.

In three of their losses lastseason, the Cardinal lost by afield goal. If Stanford winsthose games they have a 10-2record and are in the conversa-tion for a playoff berth.“What-if ” scenarios are usual-ly pointless, but the fact of thematter is that the Cardinal arebetter than their record lastseason. Fifth-year senior quar-terback Kevin Hogan will hopeto help with that turnabout.

Better clock managementand in-game decisions will bemain focal points for Stanford.

OVERALL

Cal and Stanford shouldboth improve this season. Calhas their phenom quarterbackin who should have a fantasticyear.

Stanford will continue toplay its style of grinding foot-ball, running the ball and play-ing solid defense. It should beespecially exciting with BarrySanders Jr. taking the majorityof snaps at running back forthe Cardinal.

The two teams will meet inthe Big Game at Stanford Sta-dium on Nov. 21. At this timeStanford would be a heavyfavorite, but who knows? Col-lege football is great because itcan be so unpredictable. Asalways, the Big Game shouldbe fun to watch as Cal andStanford fans eagerly await tosee who takes home the Stan-ford Axe, which has been wonfive years in a row by the teamdown on The Farm, much tothe chagrin of Old Blues.

Dana Hills and Oakhurstswim teams both had very suc-cessful Concord City Swim-ming Championships lastweekend as the Otters cap-tured their 23rd championshipin the past 24 years while theOrcas won another sportsman-ship trophy and also had theirhighest City Meet team finishever when they took third in BDivision.

The final team tally sawDana Hills amass 518.5 pointsmore than runner-up ForestPark from Concord with Wal-nut Country third in A Divi-sion scoring. Forest Park tookthe B title with Dana Hills sec-ond and Oakhurst CountryClub third after the Orcas weresixth a year ago.

Dana Hills and Forest Parkdominated top awards at the49th City Meet with the Otterstaking both best relay honorsand setting eight City Meetrecords. Forest Park estab-lished five standards. In theindividual A Division high-point awards Dana Hills andForest Park each had sevenwinners.

The Orcas repeated asTeam Sportsmanship Awardwinners, the fifth time since2004 the Clayton club hasearned that trophy.

The rec swim season endsthis weekend at the 55th annu-al Contra Costa County Meetat Acalanes High in Lafayette.Dana Hills has been in the topfive of the last three countymeets.

13 MEET RECORDS FALL

Dana Hills girls relays in11-12 medley (Paige Land-strom, Sophia Miller, CaelaHetherton and Ryanne

Boland) and 13-14 free (Isabel-la Samardzic, Gianna duLong,Gabi Mancini, Logan Sher-man) plus the 13-14 boys freerelay (Niklas Weigelt, ClaytonSeastrand, Jacob Coppa,Jimmy Costello) all set CityMeet records. The 11-12 girlsand 13-14 boys were namedoutstanding relays of the meet.

Karlie Seastrand of DanaHills set a city mark in the 11-12 girls butterfly as did team-mates Anthony Vines in 15-18butterfly, Molly Boland 7-8girls fly, Gianna duLong 13-14girls free and Landstrom 11-12girls backstroke.

A Division high-point win-

ners for DHST were MadelynCottam and Abbey Keller (6and under girls), Zoe Lahanasand Boland (7-8 girls), EricaduLong (15-18 girls), Weigelt(13-14 boys) and Ryan Levy(15-18 boys). Levy repeated ashigh point swimmer from ayear ago. Molly DeSeelhorst(11-12 girls) of DH and MaryKate Jacoby (7-8 girls) ofOakhurst won B Divisionhigh-point honors.

As usual, the deep Ottersteam dominated City Meetrelays by winning 17 of the 24relays and taking six seconds.

Also finishing in the topthree of individual A and B

Division girls events for theOtters were Libby Celentano,Camylle Callahan, SophiaMiller, Gabi Mancini, AbbieKubota, Kayla Conger, CamiMcGee, Melissa Cark, AlyssaDern, Caela Hetherton, JessicaNielsen, Ryanne Boland,Madelyn Vines, Maddy Web-ster, Samardzic, Kate Madigan,Darya Solayman, Miley Catalanand Hailey Conger.

DHST boys top three fin-ishers were Dominic Celen-tano, Will Miller, Justus Little-john, Keaton Curtis, ColtonSeastrand, Kieran Moss, Clay-ton Seastrand, Sean Thomas,Dylan Lynch, Kyle Hetherton,Coppa, Gio Castaneda,Michael Albert, Joshua Ewert,David Wishnow, PrestonMarks, Jimmy Costello, JamesMauritho, Keegan D’Arcy andDiego Castaneda.

Oakhurst’s eight-year-oldsBrooke Koller and Finn Clearyeach won A Division finalswhile the 7-8 girls free relaytook second. Top three finish-ers for the Orcas B Divisionsquad were Kiera Jarvis, BobbyGroth, Marissa Ennis, AntonioBallardo, Carolyn Silva, NicoStojanovich, Jack Stack,Hunter Silva, Taylor Silva,Connor White, Emily Nelson,Siobhan Jacoby, Caleb Pappas,Liam Jacoby, Hope O’Brienand Faith O’Brien.

Sports

Recent Diablo View MiddleSchool graduate Gabi Mancinihas been a busy member thissummer on her Dana Hills Swimteam. Last month she won theDevil Mountain Pentathlon ADivision for 13-14 girls. The pen-tathlon has each swimmer (morethan 80 girls in the 13-14 agegroup) swim all four strokes plusthe individual medley with their

total time compiled to determinethe fastest. She beat her runner-up swimmer by just .03 secondover the five races. Mancini fol-lowed that up last weekend at theConcord City SwimChampionships with an individ-ual first place in the backstrokeplus helping the Otters to a pairof relay victories. She was alsothird in the IM and freestyle. The

DHST 13-14 free relay set a meetstandard as Mancini joinedGianna duLong, Logan Shermanand Isabella Samardzic in therecord-breaking performance.Mancini and her Otter team-mates conclude the season thisweekend at the County Meet inLafayette. Swimming since shewas five, Mancini plans to playwater polo and swim for ClaytonValley Charter High School thisyear. She’s also competed for theSt. Bonaventure CYO track teamand has been a fall swimmer forthe New Wave Aquatics USASwimming team.

The Clayton Pioneer congratu-lates Gabi and thanks Athlete Spot-light sponsors Dr. Laura Lacey &Dr. Christopher Ruzicka who havebeen serving the Clayton and Con-cord area for 25 years at FamilyVision Care Optometry.www.laceyandruzicka.com

Do you know a young athlete who shouldbe recognized? Perhaps he or she has shownexceptional sportsmanship, remarkableimprovement or great heart for the sport. Sendyour nomination for the Pioneer Athlete Spot-light today to [email protected].

AthleteSpotlightGabi ManciniAge: 14

Team: Dana Hills SwimTeam


Tyler Lehman is a junior at SanFrancisco State University and a2012 CVHS graduate. He ismajoring in print/online journalismand wants to be a sports writer.Email your comments or questionsto [email protected].

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

Welcome backcollege football

Dana Hills wins 23rd City Meet swimming titleahead of this weekend’s county Championships

Photo Jay Bedecarre

DANA HILLS SWIM TEAM’S 11-12 GIRLS had a tremendous Concord City SwimChampionships meet last weekend. The 11-12 girls medley relay, from left, of PaigeLandstrom, Sophia Miller, Caela Hetherton and Ryanne Boland set a City Meet record of2:00.44, nearly three seconds under the 2006 mark by DHST, earning them the meet’soutstanding girls relay award. Additionally, Landstrom set a 50 backstroke record.

Photo courtesy CSK Photography

OAKHURST ORCA 9-10 TEAMMATES LAINE MORAES (LEFT) AND OLIVIA TELLEZ congratulate eachother at the end of the 50-yard butterfly B Division finals last Saturday at the ConcordCity Swimming Championships. The Orcas ended up third in the B standings, the Claytonteams best-ever finish.

TYLER LEHMAN

SPORTS TALK

Photo courtesy Kern family

Clayton sisters Kelly and Katie Kern competed in thepole vault at the USATF Junior Olympics National Trackand Field Championships last week in Jacksonville, FL.St. Agnes School eighth grader Kelly Kern (above) wasranked No. 1 in the country for 13-14 girls and upheldthat ranking with a gold medal vault of 11 feet, 2 inch-es (3.4 meters). Sister Katie Kern, a senior atCarondelet who finished eighth at North Coast Sectionlast spring, was 20th among 40 vaulters in the oldest17-18 age group for coach Chris Moore.

Kelly Kern wins JuniorOlympics pole vault title

High school football prac-tice is underway and while eachfall season is different onething remains pretty much thesame: De La Salle is rankedNo. 1 in the pre-season ratingof all high school teams inAmerica by MaxPreps.com.

The Spartans are defendingCalifornia state open divisionchampions and return a major-ity of their starters from thatundefeated 14-0 team, includ-ing a couple top nationalrecruits.

Last year’s team started theseason as a major motion pic-ture about DLS football,“When The Game StandsTall,” was showing in movietheaters around the country.This season begins nearly 1500miles from the Concord schoolin two weeks when De La Salletravels to Vernon NewsomStadium in Mansfield, TX near

Dallas for its first-game gamein the Lone Star State.

It’s ironic that De La Salle isgoing to Texas, the setting for“Friday Night Lights” whichwas the previous big-timemovie about high school foot-ball.

Perennial Texas powerTrinity is hosting De La Salleon Saturday, Aug. 29, in a gamethat will be broadcast national-ly on ESPN2. Trinity was 12-2last year, losing in the state 6Aplayoffs 30-27 to Allen, even-tual state champions and, likeDLS, a top five national teamin 2014.

Third-year coach JustinAlumbaugh has a roster loadedwith veterans including 5-Starrecruits Devin Asiasi and BossTagaloa. In discussing the sea-son opener Spartans coachtold MaxPreps.com, “Whenyou talk about high schoolfootball, Texas naturally comesup. It’s exciting.”

Alumbaugh has a 28-1record in his two years at thehelm after replacing legendarycoach Bob Ladouceur. He hasa pair of 1,900-yard rushers inAntoine Custer and AndrewHernandez to spur the offensethat will be quarterbacked byAnthony Sweeney.

The Spartans at-largeschedule also includes a trio ofgames against Southern Cali-fornia powerhouses—Servite,Orange Lutheran and LongBeach Poly (reprising their leg-endary 2001 and 2002 games)—and two versus Sacramentoarea schools, Del Oro andGranite Bay.

FOLLOW-UP TO

GREAT SEASON

Last season was unprece-dented for local high schoolsas all five Concord schools—

Concord, Ygnacio Valley, Mt.Diablo, Clayton Valley Charterand DLS—-plus Northgateand Berean Christian were inthe five-tiered North CoastSection playoffs in the sameyear. It was especially gratifyingfor Diablo and Berean whoreturned to post-season playafter an absence of five andtwo years, respectively.

This fall Concord and Mt.Diablo high schools have newcoaches. Derek Clements is incharge of the Red Devils whileConcord is formalizing its newcoach this week, according toprincipal Rianne Praltzgraff.Local observers expect coach-es Randy Coddington and JonBell to play key roles for theMinutemen.

Brian Hamilton was hiredaway from Concord thismonth as the offensive qualitycontrol coach for the Califor-nia Golden Bears. He was thehead coach and director ofathletics at Concord for thepast 11 years where he led the

Minutemen to the Division IINCS title game in three of thepast five seasons including asection crown in 2010. Hecame to Concord from Clay-ton Valley High.

Last year Clayton ValleyCharter defeated crosstownrival Concord in the NCS Divi-sion II championship game forthe Eagles second title in threeyears while De La Salle won theNCS DI crown, the school’s30th Section football champi-onship, 28 coming under thestewardship of Ladouceur.

OPENING GAMES AUG. 28• Berean Christian at

Cloverdale• Mt. Diablo at Mt. Eden,

Hayward• Northgate at Rodriguez,

Fairfield• Clayton Valley Charter

at defending Div. I statechampion Folsom

• Concord at Benicia• Ygnacio Valley at

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925-672-9598Clayton’s Kristian Ipsen

took sixth and seventh in histwo events at the FINA WorldChampionships in Russia latelast month as divers fromaround the globe began thelead up to the SummerOlympics next August in Riode Janeiro.

Ipsen and his new partnerSam Dorman took seventh inthe men’s synchronized three-meter final. The Americanpair scored 405.99 points,while China’s Cao Yuan andQin Kai took gold after fin-ishing with 471.45 points.Ipsen and Dorman were insixth place through fourrounds, but a miss for just67.20 points on their reverse3 ½ tuck in round fivedropped them to ninth.

“You miss one dive andyou’re out, but we had fun. I

went over on my gainer. It hap-pens, but you’ve got to moveonto the next dive,” Dormansaid. After the miss, the paircame back with 82.95 pointson their final dive, a reverse 1½ with 3 ½ twists, to movethem back up to seventh. Theywere only 2.67 points behindthe fifth-place team fromCanada.

“(The finals) went prettywell. Our timing feels reallygood. We just missed one diveand in a contest like this that’lltake you out of it,” said Ipsen,a 2012 Olympic bronze medal-ist in synchronized 3-meterwith Troy Dumais. “I feel likewe have a lot more in store forus in the future.”

The three medalists earnedtheir countries a spot in the2016 Olympic Games. Fouradditional spots will be deter-

mined at the 2016 FINA Div-ing World Cup where the USwill need to secure a slot forRio.

Michael Hixon came frombehind to win bronze in themen’s one-meter competitionfor one of two Team USA div-ing medal at the World Cham-pionships. Ipsen finished sixthin that event. Hixon scored428.30 points to edge Mexico’sJahir Ocampo by 0.95 pointsfor third, while China’s Xie Siyifinished with 485.50 points totake gold.

Hixon became the first U.S.man to medal on 1M at aWorld Championships sincefour-time Olympian Dumaiswon silver in 1998.

Ipsen was sixth with 420.65points. He was in 10th placewith one round to go beforefinishing with 86.40 points on

a reverse 1 ½ with 3 ½ twiststo move up to sixth in the finalstandings.

“I’m pretty satisfied, but Idid leave a little bit on thetable with my fifth dive. I cando that dive (reverse 2 ½pike) better, and I thought Iwas going to hit it. I wasmoving really fast, but I got alittle too excited,” Ipsen said.“Overall, I’m really happywith both the prelims andfinals on 1-meter, but I couldhave done a little bettertoday.”

David Boudia closed theWorld Championships with thesilver medal on 10-meter plat-form giving Team USA its sec-ond medal of the Champi-onships.

USA Diving provided materialfor this story.

De La Salle again rated pre-season #1high school football team in America

Photos courtesy Phillip Walton, SportStars Magazine

TIGHT END AND DEFENSIVE END DEVIN ASIASI (16) at 6-5, 260pounds is a two-way Spartan standout. Both Asiasi andTagaloa are rated among the ESPN 100 college recruits.

DE LA SALLE has beennamed the pre-season No.1 high school football teamin America. Senior BossTagaloa (75) is now tippingthe scales north of 300pounds on a 6-3 frame.He’s a rare four-year starterat DLS.

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

Ipsen sixth, seventh at World Championships

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Sports 3 Diablo FC premierteams capture tourneychampionships in July

Photos courtesy Diablo FC

DIABLO FC 98, 99 TEAMS TAKE BOYS CUP TITLESBoth the under 16 Diablo FC 99 boys and U17 Diablo FC98 Boys Premier teams won their flights at the Boys Cuplast month hosted by their own Diablo Futbol Club. DiabloFC 99 won two games and tied the third to finish with thehighest point total in the U16 premier division.Diablo FC 98 had three straight shutouts to claim the U17Premier title at Boys Cup. The DFC 98 team includes, frontrow from left, Mason McKay, Oscar Martinez, ReneAlvarado, Kai Squires, Parker Matsumoto, Jack Mortensen;back row, Fabian Wence, Martin Valentines, Omar Jiron,Cohen Mix, Javier Hernandez, Abraham Rosales, JuanCarlos Ayala, Luca Parodi and Taylor Hueurman. Not pic-tured, Faisal Hakimi, Pedro Hernandez, Adrian Ortiz,Jacob Wright and coach Charlie Campbell.

UNDER 14 DIABLO FC 01 GIRLS RAGE IN PLEASANTONCoach Scott Alexander’s Diablo FC 01 girls made surethey would emerge with the Premier Division title at theprestigious Pleasanton Rage Showcase Tournament byshutting out all four opponents at the end of July. Theyopened with 3-0 win over Union Sacramento FC and 2-0victory over local rivals Walnut Creek SC. Going intoSunday’s game, the team needed a win or tie to advanceto the finals and they did that with a scoreless draw withSan Diego Surf Academy. The then won a narrow 1-0 vic-tory over host Pleasanton Rage U14 ECNL team. The teamincludes, bottom row from left, Kaitlin Niedziejko, BriannaMurray, Serena Connel, Julia Betti, Sarah Smith, SophiaSalimpour; back row, Tori Gray, Kaitlyn Sheffield, ArianaChavez, Carly Oshel, Darby Dresdow, Sienna Berdan,Alexus Zandonella-Arasa, Carissa Capinpin, Cassia Souza,Chloe Taylor, Natalia Leroux and Logan Silva.

Design • Installation • Maintenance Lic

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Commercial & Residential • 925-381-3757

You can put your mark onthe East Bay’s newest park, a2,540-acre expanse of grassyhills and oak woodlands at theformer Concord NavalWeapons Station.

The Park District is seek-ing the public’s help in trans-forming longtime militaryoperation into a regional hubfor trails and open space.Whether it’s hiking, mountainbiking, camping, educationalprograms or historic preserva-tion, the district wants toknow what you want.

The property, which com-prises about half of the for-mer base, lies south of High-way 4 and straddles the hillsbetween Concord and Pitts-burg. It will provide links inseveral regional trail systems,including the Contra CostaCanal Trail and De AnzaNational Historic Trail, as wellas trails in Mt. Diablo StatePark, Black Diamond MinesState Park and beyond.

The new park will alsoinclude a visitor center focus-ing on the Port Chicago disas-ter of 1944, in which morethan 300 mostly AfricanAmerican sailors died in amunitions explosion whileloading ships. The tragedy,ensuing mutiny and publicprotests, led to the desegrega-tion of the military and was anearly milestone in the CivilRights Movement. The center,a partnership with the Nation-al Park Service, will also fea-ture exhibits on the role ofthe Naval Weapons Station infour wars, the contributions ofveterans, and the rich historyof Concord and the DiabloValley.

Another important aspectof the new park is that it’sclose to a BART station. Link-ing regional parks and trails topublic transit is a priority forthe district board, and hope-fully will be a boon for bicy-clists and hikers throughoutthe East Bay.

The public’s help is alsoneeded to pick a name for thepark. It’s currently calledConcord Hills Regional Park,but planners hope to replacethe name with somethingmore dynamic. A few sugges-tions so far: Todos Santos,after the original name forConcord; Los Medanos, afterthe official name of the hillseast of Concord; and Ranchodel Diablo, after one of theSpanish-era land grants in thearea.

To learn more about the projectand contribute your ideas, visitwww.ebparks.or g/about/plan-ning/cnws.

COYOTES ABOUND IN

REGIONAL PARKS

If you’ve been to any ofthe East Bay’s wilder parkslately, especially at dusk,there’s a good chance you’vespotted a big-eared, 40-poundcanine trotting across a hill-side: A coyote.

Coyote populations in theBay Area have been rebound-ing the past few decades ashunting regulations have tight-ened, public attitudes havechanged and these highlyintelligent, adaptable creatureshave become more adept atliving near cities and suburbs.In recent years coyotes havebeen spotted in San Franciscoand even New York City.

In the East Bay RegionalPark District, coyotes live inalmost everywhere except forBrooks Island and BrownsIsland. They’re most com-mon, though, in the largerparks east of the CaldecottTunnel. Briones, Black Dia-mond Mines, Contra Loma,Sunol, Round Valley andBrushy Peak are all idealplaces to catch a glimpse ofthese beautiful animals, espe-cially around dawn or earlyevening.

Coyotes are importantpredators in our parklandecosystems, eating large num-bers of mice, rabbits, gophersand squirrels. But they’re alsovery resourceful, and in citiesmay eat garbage, cats or smalldogs.

Here are a few tips to helpthe public learn to live withcoyotes:

• Keep cats and dogsindoors at night

• Don’t leave pet food out-side

• If you’re on a hike and seea coyote, put your dog on aleash

• If a coyote approaches youor your pet, shoo it awayby throwing small rocks,yelling or waving yourarms

• Never feed a coyote.

These days, as the droughtintensifies, coyotes might bemore visible than usual.They’re likely to be drawn tocreeks and ponds in search ofwater, and also following preywho are trying to survivethese hot, dry months.

It’s a treat to observe thesehandsome, resilient animals.Just give them plenty of spaceso they can remain wild.

CAROLYN JONES

PARK IT

Please let our advertisersknow you saw them in

the Clayton Pioneer

Helpplan anewpark

Carolyn Jones is public affairsofficer for East Bay Regional Parks.Email her at [email protected].


IN CLAYTONSSaattuurrddaayyss tthhrruu SSeepp.. 1199,, eexxcceepptt SSeepptt.. 55FFaarrmmeerrss’’ MMaarrkkeett8 a.m. – 12 p.m. Diablo Street between Main and Centerstreets, downtown Clayton. pcfma.com/clayton.

AAuugg.. 1155,, 2299SSaattuurrddaayy CCoonncceerrttss iinn tthhee GGrroovvee6 – 8:30 p.m. Aug. 29 includes historic marker dedication toThe Grove. The Grove park, downtown Clayton. Free. cityof-clayton.org. For a complete concert series list, see Page 3.

AAuugg.. 2200,, SSeepptt.. 33TThhuurrssddaayy CCoonncceerrttss iinn tthhee GGrroovvee7 - 8:30 p.m. The Grove park, downtown Clayton. Free. cityof-clayton.org. For a complete concert series list, see Page 3.

AAuugg.. 1155 –– 1166RReellaayy FFoorr LLiiffeeAmerican Cancer Society fundraiser. Join a team or walk as anindividual. Activities for participants and spectators. 10 a.m.Saturday to 10 a.m. Sunday. Mt. Diablo Elementary School,5880 Mt. Zion Drive, Clayton. Register at relayforlife.org/clay-tonca.

SSeepptt.. 55DDeerrbbyy aanndd CCaarr SShhoowwClayton Community Church’s 12th Annual Labor Day event.Kids 7 – 14 race derby cars down Main Street. Car show andparade. 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Main Street, Clayton. Free. Registerkids at claytoncc.com and cars at claytonderbycarshow.org.

SSeepptt.. 111199//1111 RReemmeemmbbrraannccee

A flag andinformationabout each fire-fighter andpolice officerlost in 9/11 willbe placed in thelawn at ClaytonFire Station 11.The public iswelcome andencouraged tovisit and paytheir respects.6500 CenterSt., Clayton.

IN CONCORD

PPaavviilliioonn CCoonncceerrtt SScchheedduulleeThe Concord Pavilion is located at 2000 Kirker Pass Road,Concord. theconcordpavilion.com. Shows start at 7 p.m.unless otherwise noted.

AAuugg.. 1144,, TThhee PPiinnkk PPrriinntt TToouurrAAuugg.. 2266,, SSlliippkknnoottSSeepp.. 66,, KKBBLLXX HHoott SSuummmmeerr NNiigghhtt, 4 p.m.SSeepp.. 1199,, CChhrriiss BBrroowwnnSSeepp.. 2200,, CCoouunnttiinngg CCrroowwss

MMoonnddaayyss ssttaarrttiinngg AAuugg.. 1177OOffff tthhee GGrriiddRotating lineup of eight food trucks; live music from local musi-cians. Food trucks 5 – 9 p.m.; music 6 – 8 p.m. Grant Streetbetween Salvio Street and Willow Pass Road, Concord. offthe-gridsf.com.

TTuueessddaayyss FFaarrmmeerrss’’ MMaarrkkeettTuesdays year round. 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Todos Santos Plaza,downtown Concord. cityofconcord.org.

TThhuurrssddaayyssMMuussiicc aanndd MMaarrkkeettThursday night live music and farmers’ market. Music: Aug. 20,Foreverland; Aug. 27, Native Elements; Sept. 3, The RaveUps;Sept. 10, Lafayette Studio Big Band. Market 4 – 8 p.m.; music6:30 – 8 p.m. Todos Santos Plaza, downtown Concord. cityof-concord.org.

33rrdd SSuunnddaayyss AAnnttiiqquuee FFaaiirreeAntiques, collectibles, handmade arts and crafts. 9 a.m. – 4p.m. Todos Santos Plaza, downtown Concord. Free admission.concordantiquefaire.com.

AAuugg.. 2266CCoonnccoorrdd HHoommeeoowwnneerr EEnneerrggyy EEffffiicciieennccyy WWoorrkksshhooppSponsored by the Bay Area Regional Energy Network and host-ed by the city of Concord and Contra Costa County. 6 – 8 p.m.Council Chambers, Concord Civic Center, 1950 Parkside Drive,Concord. Free. Response required at concordhomeownerener-gyefficientworkshop.eventbrite.com [email protected].

AAuugg.. 2299 –– 3300GGeemm aanndd JJeewweellrryy SShhooww aanndd SSaalleeGems, jewelry, minerals, fossils, meteorites, tools and equip-ment. Demonstrations, kids’ activities, door prizes, café.Sponsored by the Contra Costa Mineral and Gem Society. 10a.m. – 5 p.m. Centre Concord, 5298 Clayton Road, Concord.$6; kids under 16 free with adult. Go to ccmgs.org for moreinformation and discounts; 289-0454.

ON THE MOUNTAINMount Diablo Interpretive Association programs listed are freewith the exception of park entrance fee. Go to mdia.org andclick on Events Calendar for more information.

OOnnggooiinnggTTaarraannttuullaa HHiikkeessSearch for Mount Diablo’sgiant arachnids. Checkthe website for tarantulahike dates and times.Reservations are requiredand fill up fast.

AAuugg.. 2222DDoo GGoo GGeennttllyy iinnttoo TThhaatt GGoooodd NNiigghhttHike and look for bats, owls, tarantulas and other critters thatgo bump in the night. 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. Meet at MitchellCanyon Visitor Center. Reservations required:[email protected] or [email protected].

EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENTTThhrruu AAuugg.. 1166““TThhee LLiittttllee MMeerrmmaaiidd,, JJrr..””Presented by Poison Apple Productions. Lesher Center for theArts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $22. lesherartscenter.org.943-7469.

AAuugg.. 1144SSoouutthhwweesstt SSuunnsseett SSoocciiaallLindsay Wildlife Experience brings animals native to the habitatsin The Ruth Bancroft Garden for an evening of family fun in thegarden. Live music; refreshments for sale. 5 – 8 p.m. RuthBancroft Garden, 1552 Bancroft Road, Walnut Creek. $8-$15.ruthbancroftgarden.org. 944-9352.

AAuugg.. 1155CCoommeeddyyPerformed by Scott Capurro. 8 p.m. California Theatre, 351Railroad Ave., Pittsburg. $17-$37.pittsburgcaliforniatheatre.com. 427-1611.

AAuugg.. 1155EExxcceeppttiioonnaall PPllaannttss ffoorr HHoott SSiitteessJoin Susan Handjian, horticulturist and author, to learn aboutplants that do well in hot, dry climates. Many for sale. 9:30 –11:30 a.m. Markham Regional Arboretum Society, 1202 LaVista Avenue, Concord. Free. Reservations required [email protected]. markhamarboretum.org.

AAuugg.. 1155RRooyy OOrrbbiissoonn RReettuurrnnssWiley Ray and the Big O Band pay tribute to Roy Orbison. 8p.m. Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek.$25-$45. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

AAuugg.. 1166MMuujjuu PPaarrkk TTaaeekkwwoonnddoo DDeemmoonnssttrraattiioonn TTeeaammPresented by Kang’s Taekwondo Academy. 3 p.m. El CampanilTheatre, 602 W. Second St., Antioch. $25-$35. elcampanilthe-atre.com.

AAuugg.. 1177SSttaanndd UUpp CCoommeeddyyHeadliners from the Bay Area hosted by Mean Dave. 7:30 p.m.Vinnie’s Bar & Grill, 2045 Mt. Diablo St., Concord. Free. Mustbe 21 or older. vinniesbar.com. 685-9515.

AAuugg.. 2200 -- 2211““GGeenneerraattiioonn ooff DDrreeaammss””Two college students hope to get others involved to fight prob-lems of racial and social inequities. Presented by Don’t EvenTripp Productions. 7 p.m. Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 CivicDr., Walnut Creek. $15-$20. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

AAuugg.. 2211““AAbbbbeeyy RRooaadd:: AA TTrriibbuuttee ttoo tthhee BBeeaattlleess””One of the most musically and visually satisfying Beatle tributeacts in the world. 7:30 p.m. California Theatre, 351 RailroadAve., Pittsburg. $25-$45. pittsburgcaliforniatheatre.com.

AAuugg.. 2211““TThhee MMaann ffrroomm II..MM..PP..RR..OO..VV..””Presented by Trapped in a Rumor. 8:15 p.m. Lesher Center forthe Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $12-$15. lesherartscen-ter.org. 943-7469.

AAuugg.. 2211““TThhee WWiizzaarrdd ooff OOzz””Movie on the big screen with the California Symphony playingthe full film score live. 8:30 p.m. Concord Pavilion, 2000 KirkerPass Road, Concord. $28-$78 per ticket, plus $10 parking fee.californiasymphony.org.

AAuugg.. 2222 -- SSeepptt.. 55““LLeett MMee HHeeaarr YYoouu SSmmiillee””A comedy revolving around the difficulties of love and marriagethrough youth, menopause and senility. Onstage Theatre at theCampbell Theatre, 636 Ward St., Martinez. [email protected]. 518-3277.

AAuugg.. 2222,, 2299JJaazzzzAug. 22, Cyrus Chestnut with Joel Frahm and Warren Wolf;Aug. 29, Martin Taylor and Bucky Pizzarelli. 5 and 8 p.m.Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $40.lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

AAuugg.. 3300““TThhee GGoollddeenn FFoolllliieess 22001155””Performed by the spectacular senior performers, The GoldenFollies. 2 p.m. El Campanil Theatre, 602 W. Second St.,Antioch. $12-$25. elcampaniltheatre.com.

SSeepptt.. 44 –– OOcctt.. 1100““TTeennddeerrllyy””Triumphant musical about legendary Rosemary Clooney. LesherCenter for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $37-$63.centerrep.org

SSeepptt.. 1111““IImmpprroovv 99--11--11””Presented by Trapped in a Rumor. 8:15 p.m. Lesher Center forthe Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $15.lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

SSeepptt.. 1122““IImmpprroovv CCoommeeddyy CCoorrnneerr””Presented by Commander Doug Productions. 8:15 p.m. LesherCenter for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $15. lesher-artscenter.org. 943-7469.

SSeepptt.. 1133““IInn MMyy LLiiffee””A musical theatre tribute to The Beatles. 2 p.m. Lesher Centerfor the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $39-$90. lesherarts-center.org. 943-7469.

CHURCHES AND RELIGIONAAuugg.. 2222MMoovviiee NNiigghhttThe St. Bonaventure Knights of Columbus invite the communityto see “Despicable Me.” 7 p.m. food court opens; 8:15 p.m.movie starts. St. Bonaventure lawn near south lot, 5562 ClaytonRoad, Concord. Free movie; refreshments for sale. ContactGeorge Brown with questions: 363-4708.

FUNDRAISERS22nndd aanndd 44tthh SSuunnddaayyssPPaannccaakkee BBrreeaakkffaassttVeterans of Foreign Wars serve breakfast to the public: Eggs,pancakes, sausage, beverage. 8 – 11 a.m. VFW Post 1525,2290 Willow Pass Road, Concord. $5, $3 children under 12.vfwpost1525.org.

AAuugg.. 2222MMuussiicc aanndd BBBBQQ oonn tthhee PPaattiiooSponsored by the Concord Moose Lodge Family Center. TrishaPulido performs. 3 p.m. 1805 Broadway St., Concord. Freeadmission; donations accepted. 798-0887.

AAuugg.. 2233IIccee CCrreeaamm SSoocciiaall aanndd SSeeaassoonn KKiicckk--OOffff PPaarrttyyEnjoy ice cream, games, live music, raffle and silent auctionwhile supporting the arts. Sponsored by Pittsburg CommunityTheatre. 1 – 4 p.m. Church of the Good Shepherd, 3200Harbor St., Pittsburg. $10. Tickets at Railroad Book Depot,Pittsburg, or eventbrite.com.

AT THE LIBRARYThe Clayton Library is at 6125 Clayton Road. Programs are freeunless otherwise noted. See full schedule of events at claytonli-brary.org or call 673-0659.

AAuugg.. 2222:: JJooyyss ooff JJoouurrnnaalliinngg,, 11 a.m.AAuugg.. 2244:: CCllaayyttoonn KKnniittss,, 1:30 – 4 p.m.SSeepptt.. 1122:: HHyyppeerrttuuffaa WWoorrkksshhoopp,, 10:30 a.m.

The Concord Library is at 2900 Salvio St. Programs are freeunless otherwise noted. See full schedule of events at ccclib.orgor 646-5455.

AAuugg.. 2277:: FFiinnaanncciiaall EEdduuccaattiioonn WWoorrkksshhoopp,,6 p.m.; 7:30 in SpanishAAuugg.. 2299 -- 3300:: CCoonnccoorrdd AArrtt AAssssoocciiaattiioonn AArrtt SShhooww aanndd SSaallee..10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sat; 1 – 3 p.m. Sun.SSeepptt.. 88:: AArrtt DDeemmoonnssttrraattiioonn,,12 – 3 p.m.

GOVERNMENT11sstt aanndd 33rrdd TTuueessddaayyss,, eexxcceepptt SSeepptt.. 11CCllaayyttoonn CCiittyy CCoouunncciill7 p.m. Hoyer Hall, Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road. 673-7304 or ci.clayton.ca.us.

22nndd aanndd 44tthh TTuueessddaayyssCCllaayyttoonn PPllaannnniinngg CCoommmmiissssiioonn7 p.m., Hoyer Hall, Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road. 673-7304 or ci.clayton.ca.us.

Clayton Community CalendarPLEASE SUBMIT YOUR COMMUNITY CALENDAR EVENTS BY 5 P.M. SEPT 2 FOR THE SEPT 11 ISSUE. ITEMS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY EMAIL TO [email protected]

Meeting dates and times for local clubsand organizations are listed atclaytonpioneer.com. Click on ‘Links’

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Delicious ice cream, gamesand more await those attendingPittsburg Community The-atre’s (PCT) Ice Cream Socialand Season Kick-Off Partyfrom 1 to 4 p.m. on Aug. 23 atthe Church of the Good Shep-herd in Pittsburg. The fundraiserincludes the Pacific Brass Bandperforming favorite Americanfolk songs, rags, marches andmusical theater selections. Anarray of raffle and silent auctionitems include four Disney ParkHopper passes, two GreatAmerica tickets, restaurant cer-tificates, gifts, hair care, makeup,and much more donated by gen-erous local residents and busi-nesses.

PCT’s 2015-16 season willalso be announced at the eventwith a special gift offered to allthose purchasing season sub-scriptions. Advanced event tick-ets ($10) are available at the Rail-road Book Depot in downtown

Pittsburg or at EventBrite.com.Call 925-439-7529.

If you love stand-up come-dy, check out the local talent atVinnie’s Bar & Grill, 2045 Mt.Diablo Blvd., in Concord begin-ning at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 17 andSept. 21. Produced by Concordresident Kathryn McCarty, themonthly comedy night has beenmaking local audiences laughout loud for more than twoyears. Host Mean Dave has per-formed with the show for a yearand a half. Like many of theother comics he travels “a fewhundred miles a week” perform-ing. The show blends localcomedians with featured per-formers. For more information,call 925-685-9515 or go towww.vinniesbar.com.

Onstage RepertoryTheatre presents the spiritedcomedy “Let Me Hear YouSmile” Aug. 22 – Sept. 5 at theCampbell Theatre, 636 Ward St.,in Martinez. The play followsHannah, her husband Neil andher brother Willy as they dealwith life from youth to old agebut in reverse order. The audi-ence first meets the characters asthey prepare for retirement inthe 1970s. The play then goesbackwards to the 1940s andends in the early 1900s when the

characters are children. HelenMeans directs with Sheilah Mor-rison as Hannah, Sal Russo asher husband and WayneMcRice as her younger brother.

“I knew I wanted to castolder performers who wouldhave to become younger ratherthan the other way around,” saysMeans. “It makes for a real chal-lenge for the performers.” Call925-518-3277 for reservations.

California ShakespeareTheater offers up Charles Lud-lam’s campy homage to the hor-ror genre in “The Mystery ofIrma Vep.” Directed byJonathan Moscone in his finalproduction as Cal Shakes’ Artis-tic Director, the show runs Aug.15 – Sept. 6 and features DannyScheie and Liam Vincent. Begin-ning on a “dark and Stormynight,” the satire pokes fun atHitchcock’s “Rebecca,” “TheMummy’s Curse” and more.

“I’m so happy to get somesilly on at the Bruns,” saysMoscone. “This is an endlesslyinventive literary-cinematic-the-atrical mash up.” For moreinformation, call 510-548-9666or go to www.calshakes.org.

Here’s a chance to seebehind the legend of a remark-able woman and singer in “Ten-derly: The Rosemary Clooney

Musical,” running Sept. 4 – Oct.10 at Walnut Creek’s LesherCenter for the Arts. Thebeloved actress and singercharmed America for almostfive decades. This inspiring newmusical follows her rise to Hol-lywood stardom, her struggleswith life’s unexpected challengesand the triumphant resurgencethat made her a legend. For tick-ets, call 925-943-SHOW or go towww.lesherartscenter.org.

Kick off a sweet PCT season


Performing Arts

SALLY HOGARTY

STAGE STRUCK

Sally Hogarty is well knownaround the Bay Area as a newspa-per columnist, theatre critic andworking actress. She is also the edi-tor of the Orinda News. Send comments [email protected]

Now available

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International violinist andcrossover Star Mads Tollingreturns to Pleasanton’s Fire-house Arts Center for a spe-cial summer performance ofhis popular program entitled“Mads Men: A Celebration ofInstrumental Hits from the1960s Mad Men Era.” Theshow features popular TVand movie themes and Top10 hit recordings rangingfrom “Mission Impossible,”“The Pink Panther” and“Meet The Flintstones” to“Georgia On My Mind” and“What A Wonderful World.”

Tolling, originally fromCopenhagen, Denmark, recent-ly debuted his Violin Concertocomposition with The OaklandEast Bay Symphony. He won

two Grammy Awards for BestClassical Crossover albums, wasnominated for a third Grammythis year, and is a featuredYamaha Artist.

He has appeared at manyof the world’s most presti-gious jazz festivals and per-formance venues, and contin-ues to tour nationally and

internationally with morethan 1,000 concert appear-ances to his credit fromaround the globe. He is aformer member of both Tur-tle Island Quartet and StanleyClarke’s band.

Joining Tolling in his MadsTolling Quartet are world-classmusicians Colin Hogan atpiano, Sam Bevan on bass, andEric Garland on drums.

“Mads Men: A Celebration ofInstrumental Hits from the 1960sMad Men Era” will be performedat 8 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22 atthe Firehouse Arts Center, 4444Railroad Ave. in Pleasanton. Fortickets and more information, call925-931-4848 or visit the websitewww.firehousearts.org/events.

THE MADS TOLLING QUARTET returns to the PleasantonFirehouse Arts Center Aug. 22.

AT CENTERREP, Lynda DiVitois Rosemary Clooney

MEAN DAVE hosts Concordcomedy nights at Vinnie’s.

Sally Hogarty

SHEILAH MORRISON WITH SAL RUSSO AND WAYNE MCRICE run the clock backwards in Onstageproduction ‘Let Me Hear You Smile’ at the Campbell in Martinez, Aug. 22-Sept. 5

American ConservatoryTheater (A.C.T.) kicks of its2015-16 season with StephenAdly Guirgis’ outrageousPulitzer Prize-winning comedy“Between Riverside andCrazy.”

Starring stage and screenstar Carl Lumbly, “BetweenRiverside and Crazy” is a hilar-ious and timely story that tack-les gentrification, recovery,faith, sketchy houseguests andthe saving grace of family.

It will be performed Sept. 2through 27 at A.C.T.’s GearyTheater.

The winner of the 2015Pulitzer Prize for Drama,“Between Riverside andCrazy” tells the story of ex-cop and recent widower Walter“Pops” Washington (portrayed

by Lumbly, last seen onA.C.T.’s Geary Theater stage in“Let There Be Love”), who isdesperately trying to hold on tohis prime piece of real estate— one of the last great rent-stabilized apartments in NewYork City — while simultane-ously battling his innerdemons. His landlord wantshim and his newly paroled sonout; his cop friends are begginghim to back down from a law-suit against City Hall; the localliquor store has closed; and abeautiful, mysterious Santeriapractitioner promises salvationin the midst of all the chaos.

Tickets go on sale July 27 andare available at the A.C.T. BoxOffice at 415-749-2228 or onlineat www.act-sf.org.

Have a merry little Christmas singing contem-porary Christmas songs in various styles by tryingout for the Diablo Women’s Chorale during openrehearsal with auditions from 6:30 – 9 p.m. onAug. 17 at Saint Matthew Lutheran Church, 399Wiget Lane, Walnut Creek. The Chorale is gearingup for their 2015 December concert “ChristmasSwings.”

Response requested by contacting PresidentLynne Chapman via email at [email protected] or call (925) 954-1305.

Singing with the Chorale is a chance to enjoybeing with other women in a cohesive, creativechorus. Join Director Steve Mullins every Mondaynight from 7 to 9 p.m. at Saint Matthew’s.

Please share this with mothers, daughters andfemale friends, neighbors and colleagues!

Diablo Women’s Chorale has been entertaininglocal audiences since 1942. It is a lively group ofcommunity singers. Voice part practice recordingsare provided. Experienced singers have opportuni-ties for solos and small group ensembles. For moreinformation, go to www.diablowomenschorale.orgor www.facebook.com/diablowomenschorale.

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Nick EisenbartOwner/Service ProviderConcord resident Serving all of Contra Costa County for 15 years

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Tolling returns for a Mads-cap performance

Sing your heart out thisholiday season with theDiablo Women’s Chorale

‘Crazy’ start toA.C.T.’s new season

The bounty is still there:juicy peaches, crisp corn on thecob and unique heavenly-sweetmelons are just a taste ofwhat’s available at the ClaytonFarmers Market. But what’smissing at the weekly marketare the crowds of people tobuy them.

Attendance at the market,located on Diablo Streetbetween Main and Centerstreets, has been falling overthe past few years, from 1,400shoppers on average in 2012 toonly about 350 this year. It issmall with only 12 stalls in use.

The reason for this isunclear, says Jenn Diggs, theClayton Market Manager.However, farmers have beenpulling out of the market dueto the low crowd counts.

Diggs says she hopes thesense of community the mar-ket offers, as well as the otheramenities it features, will startattracting more shoppers. Inaddition to produce from localfarmers, shoppers can enjoylive music by community musi-cians, a cookbook exchange,kids’ activities like plant-your-own-veggies, and a monthlygarden activity led by the Clay-ton Valley Garden Club. It isopen every Saturday morningfrom 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. fromMay 9 through Sept. 19.

“If we can raise numbers

back to about 900 on average,we will be able to attract morevendors,” says Alyssia Plata,Marketing and PromotionsSpecialist for Pacific CoastFarmers’ Market Association(PCFMA).

As shoppers stroll by thevarious stalls, they are oftenoffered samples to entice pur-chases and can ask questionsof the people who are actuallygrowing the food, an experi-ence not offered in grocerystores.

“Another benefit of thefarmers market is that by pur-chasing from local small farm-ers you are actually helping to

conserve water and sustainfarming as a way of life formany families,” Plata says.

Jorie Hanson of ButtercupFarms Garden adds, “We aretaking several precautions toreduce our water usage fromthe 2013 level. Whenever pos-sible, we use drip irrigation forthe most efficient use of water,we use shade cloth to reduceevaporation, and we beginwatering at 5:30 in the morningbefore the sun is up so there isless chance of water evaporat-ing before it reaches the rootsof the plants.”

Many farmers have had toreduce the acres they planted

this year and are seeing shortergrowing seasons, all of whichthreaten their livelihoods. “Wehad to plant 13 fewer acres thisyear due to the drought. Thatreally reduces our income,”says a Brentwood area farmerwho preferred not to use hisname. In addition, some farm-ers are affected by a June 12order by the California WaterResources Control Board tocompletely stop pumpingwater from rivers for irrigation.

Despite the challenges tofarmers this season, mostfarmers markets, other thanClayton’s, are thriving, withshoppers enjoying the fresh-ness of produce picked on theday of or the day before themarket. The produce has notsat on a truck for days or beenstored in a warehouse.

PCFMA runs both the Clay-ton and Concord Markets, aswell as more than 65 other mar-kets from Vallejo to San Jose.

Shopping at the market, inaddition to being a fun familyand community experience,helps to support local, smallfamily farms. Whether you areinterested in buying locally-grown produce, supportinglocal farmers, enjoying somelive music in the sunshine, orparticipating in some of thecommunity building events,stop by the Clayton FarmersMarket. The market’s futuredepends on the community’ssupport.

Marvelous melons make the meal

Take both hands and diginto a big slice of juicy water-melon. Or cook thick wedgesof cantaloupe on the grill. Orcube several varieties of

melon, add to a big bowl andtoss with goat cheese andherbs for a real taste of sum-mer. Yes, melons are here inabundance this time of year.

There are many new vari-eties of specialty melons atyour farmers market now. Can-taloupe, honeydew, casaba,canary, Crenshaw and water-melon are the most well-known varieties. From Casabaand Crenshaw, to Persian andCanary melons, they’re all tasty,sweet and packed with lots ofvitamins. Look for more spe-cialty varieties at the market.We’re lucky, as California is thenumber-one melon supplier inthe nation.

Remember the followingtwo attributes of a ripe melon.Rely on your nose, and lookfor a melon with the strongestfragrance, for this will mostlikely be the best tasting. Next,look for a melon that is heavyfor its size, because if you havetwo melons of equal size, theheavier one is almost assuredlythe riper and better tastingmelon.

Most melons will ripenafter they are picked, but theirsugar content won’t increase,

so try to select only ripe mel-ons at your market. Keepuncut melons at room temper-ature for two to four days oruntil fully ripe, then refrigeratefor up to five days. Refrigeratecut melon in a covered con-tainer for up to three days.

It is suggested that youwash melons thoroughlybefore slicing to remove anypotential bacteria. The easiestway to enjoy a melon is to cutit in half or in quarters(depending on the size),remove the seeds in the por-tion you plan to eat, thenscoop out the flesh with a tea-spoon.

SHAVED MELON SALAD

1 tsp. grated lemon rind 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice 1 Tbsp. sherry 1 tsp. honey

3/8 tsp. kosher salt 1/4 tsp. freshly ground

black pepper 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive

oil 1/2 medium cantaloupe 1/2 medium honeydew

melon 3 Tbsp. torn fresh mint

1. Combine first six ingre-dients in a large bowl, stirringwith a whisk. Gradually add oil,stirring constantly with thewhisk.

2. Remove and discardseeds from cantaloupe andhoneydew melon. Cut melonsinto two-inch-wide wedges;remove rinds. Cut melonwedges into long, thin ribbonsusing a mandolin. Add melonribbons to dressing; toss gentlyto coat. Sprinkle with mint.Serve immediately.


KARA NAVOLIO

Correspondent

Schaefer’sP A I N T I N G

Bryan Schaefer(925) 260-6065 Clayton Resident

License #708321Family Trade since 1936

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Attendance dropping at FarmersMarket, growth spurt needed

DEBRA J. MORRIS

Pacific Coast Farmers Market

Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer

LYDIA HSU FROM BUTTERCUP FARMS GARDENS welcomes shop-pers on Saturday morning. Buttercup is all local, bringingproduce from their farm on Morgan Territory Road.

We are compiling a list of all holiday festivals,

non-profit boutiques, concerts and performances,

tree lighting events and holiday home tours occurring in

late October, November and December through New

Year’s Eve. Please send event name, date, time, location

& your organization or sponsor with a one sentence

description to [email protected] by Oct. 1

A Local Guide

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The “master” bathroom:That’s such a fancy name for abathroom. With a title like this,you would think the plumbingfixtures were gold-plated andCarrera marble covered everyvisible square inch.

The term master bathroommight make you think ofamenities found in a luxuriousspa or five-star resort. Think ofa large, open shower with avariety of showering heads andbody sprays. Or maybe a free-standing bathing tub placedmajestically in the niche of abay window with a hand-blown

Italian glass chandelier daz-zling above. For a little relax-ation, a cedar-lined, infraredsauna sits just steps away froma cottage-sized, walk-in closet.Or imagine strategically placedwindows covered with naturalwoven Roman shades, floor-to-ceiling mirrors with hand-carved frames, and fluffy,white organic cotton towels,rolled into happy lollipopshaped swirls, sitting perfectlyin thick, hand woven sea grassbaskets. Where does this glori-ous madness end?

Whether you have ample

square footage to accommo-date any amenity you can imag-ine, or just enough space forthe basics, your master bath-room has the potential to befabulous. Period.

STEP ONE:LOOK FOR THE POSITIVE

Physically, or mentally, clearout your master bathroomfrom area rugs to artwork.Take notice of the positiveaspects and work with them; abay window calling for a deco-rative window treatment, anopen wall that might hold adecorative or functional pieceof furniture, or the spaceabove your vanity that couldpotentially accommodate areally fantastic mirror. If you’relooking for a bigger bang foryour master bathroom, lookfor additional square footage ina nearby closet that canbecome a shower, a tub, anextra large vanity…the listgoes on.

STEP TWO: REPLACE DATED

WITH CLASSIC

If you follow any onlinedesign blogs or peruse homedesign magazines, it’s plain asday what an updated bathroomlooks like. Yes, the projects ondisplay may be heavily acces-sorized with expensive art andantiques, but if you look at thebathroom itself, more oftenthan not, the color scheme ispretty basic: shades of white ornatural stone in an array of

textures and sheens with really,really good lighting. If a masterbathroom remodel is in yourimmediate future and you’renot sure about a color scheme,or have concerns that a specif-ic color scheme is permanent,consider this same design path,and then add layers of colorand personalization.

STEP THREE: SERIOUSLY

ACCESSORIZE

Depending on theambiance you are hoping tocreate in your master bath-room, your accessories shouldreflect that specific feeling. Forexample, if you’re hoping for aspa-like experience, visit yourfavorite spa and take note ofthe details, like decorative glasscontainers and woven basketsfilled to the brim with cottonballs and q-tips, and a big, bearhug-looking robe that hangscasually on a shiny chromehook. Or check out the teakbench sitting in the walk-inshower, while a scent ofLavender lingers. Accessoriesdo not need to blow the budg-et, but they do need to beselected with a thoughtful eyeand purpose, and above all,delight and sparkle.

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Women love a bargain. Iused to love to spend a daybargain shopping the saleracks, finding discount upondiscount until I convincedmyself the stores were practi-cally paying ME to shop. Itwas like they were giving theclothes away.

At the end of the day, itwas not unusual to have spentmore than $500 on my “greatdeals.” Unfortunately, in myfrenzy, I ended up buyingpoorly constructed merchan-dise that was ill-fitting anddid not match anything elsein my closet. I never evenwore some of the pieces, andthey all eventually ended upgoing to charity. That waswhen I decided to stop themadness. I decided to focuson buying quality pieces thatI would feel great wearingand that would last for yearsto come, even if that meantspending more for the indi-vidual pieces.

THE COST-PER-WEAR

ANALYSIS

In my outlet days, I wouldspend upwards of $500 andwear the things I boughtmaybe only one time. So, the“cost-per-wear” was $500.Are you with me? I canreduce “cost per wear” bypurchasing items of qualitythat I know I will wear often.

When you purchase anoutfit of a skirt and a jacket,for example, for $520, your“cost-per-wear” is $520 forboth pieces. Yet, think aboutit — you will wear the jacketwith other skirts or slacks andthe skirt with other blousesor sweaters and wear themboth so many times that the“cost-per-wear” will rapidly

diminish. Translation: costeffective.

When it comes to thosepieces you wear over andover, such as casual tees andcardigan sweaters, it might betempting to run into a dis-count store and buy a stack oftops for what you think is agood price. Sure, we’ve alldone that. What I havefound, however, is that thosepieces do not “wear” well.Frequently the tops do nothold their shape or their colorand the cardigans stretch outand bag at the elbows. Thebetter option is to invest insome quality pieces that willlast throughout several sea-sons. Look for quality, NOTwhat is on sale.

DONATE NOW Take a look in your closet

today. If you have not worn

something in over a year orthere are items in your closetthat still have the tagsattached from a sale, (becauseyou just had to have it) andhave never worn it, donatethem. There are many won-derful organizations outthere. If you need sugges-tions on worthy charities,please contact me for myfavorites. I clean out my clos-et every season and alwayshave at least two bags todonate.

Please join me for theETCETERA Fall Show Aug.12 through 20 in Clayton andFall/Holiday Show Oct. 22through 30.

SUSAN SAPPINGTON

CLOTHES UP

Susan Sappington is awardrobe consultant the area devel-opment manager for EtCeteraStyles. Send comments [email protected]

JENNIFER LEISCHER

DESIGN & DÉCOR

Jennifer Leischer is the owner ofJ. Designs Interior Design based inClayton. Contact her with ques-tions, comments and suggestions [email protected].

If you don’t wear it, it’s notmuch of a bargain, right?

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Three steps to a sparkling master bath


There is an excellent speci-men of a multi-trunk SmokeBush planted in the meridian ofClayton Road and Old MarshCreek Road near the gateway ofDown Town Clayton. Look forit. The Smoke Bush has round,reddish-brown foliage and issurrounded on its north sidewith trailing New Gold Lan-

tana. It is a very successful,drought tolerant and sun lovingcombination. This multi-trunkSmoke Bush has folks interest-ed in finding out more aboutthis fabulous ornamental tree,and other considerations thatembrace the same shape.

Multi-trunk is a term usedin landscaping to describe theshape of a tree that has multi-ple trunks and is low branch-ing. Typically a tree or largeshrub that is multi-trunkexposes one-third to one-halfof its height with its legs(trunk) and the remainingstructure has lateral branchesand foliage. It is common tosee Crape Myrtle, Smoke Bush,Madrone, Redbud and olivetrees assume this natural shape.

Smoke Bushes haveextremely desirable attributes.This small tree is very hardy todrought, sun and heat. It hasreddish-brown foliage fromspring through early fall, and inautumn its leaves change to col-ors of yellow and orange. Forthe past few years, some havechosen to install a Smoke Bushrather than a red-leafed JapaneseMaple, which we all know suf-fers from summer leaf burn andcan prove to be finicky at times.

You can expect a Multi-trunkSmoke Bush to mature around10-feet high and six-feet wide,making it a lovely foundationplant for a water-wise landscape.

Crape Myrtles are a verycommon street tree. We seethem planted all around townand in many landscapes. Themulti-trunk shape of this orna-mental is the Crape Myrtle’s nat-ural form. Aside from the sum-mer flowers, another fabulousfeature of the Crape Myrtle is itsstriking, smooth bark. Maturesizes of Crape Myrtles varies,depending on selection.

Arbutus Marina is a hardy,

evergreen tree that is available atnurseries in both a tree shapeand a multi-trunk shape. Thisevergreen has dark green leaves,and periodic, pendulous flowers.One of the most unforgettablefeatures of Arbutus Marina is itsexceptional bark. The bark ofthe Arbutus is cinnamon col-ored with streaks of beige. Itmakes an outstanding landscap-ing specimen. When installed asa multi-trunk tree, you get theopportunity to enjoy more ofthis tree’s best feature. Arbutuswill grow large, and you shouldexpect heights anywhere from18- to 20-feet tall and nine- to10-

feet wide. This evergreen needsminimal summer water, toleratesClayton summers and isn’t pickyabout our clay soil.

Multi-trunk Western Red-buds are spring blooming orna-mental trees with mediumgreen-heart shaped leaves. Inlate February, before its leavesemerge the Western Redbud’stwo-lipped shaped flowers ofmagenta-purple appear lining itswoody stems. Install Multi-trunkWestern Redbud on a Claytonhillside this autumn, and you’llbe thoroughly pleased once earlyspring arrives.

Fruitless Olive trees are backin style since they thrive in heatand love drought conditions.Fruitless Olive trees keep theirleaves all year long. Their leavesare powdery gray, which addscontrast to the more commonred and green foliage plants.Fruitless Olive’s are slow-grow-ing trees, so you should expectto pay more for them.

Multi-trunk trees can makesuccessful landscape installa-tions, as they provide uniqueshapes with tons of interest.


NICOLE HACKETT

GARDEN GIRL

Nicole is the Garden Girl at R&MPool, Patio, Gifts and Garden. Contacther with questions or comments [email protected]

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With the myriad permits,tests, studies, contracts andfund-raising needed to get threeproposed two-story schoolbuildings of 24,000-30,000square feet constructed on thePavilion site it’s likely the schoolwill open and operate in anotherlocation in its formative years.

The alternatives for a siteinclude surplus or underutilizedspace owned by MDUSD suchas Glenbrook Middle and Hol-brook Elementary schools,which were closed in 2011. The

charter group cites Prop 39which sought to “level the play-ing field for charter publicschools to have access to pub-licly-funded facilities.”

The charter is also examiningprivate property that might beleased as a temporary home.

DIFFICULT ROAD TO

CHARTER

The CCCOE Board narrow-ly approved a five-year charterfor McChesney’s dream school.

McChesney and his com-

mittee of educators, arts pro-fessionals and parents turnedaround the CCBOE from itsinitial unanimous charter appli-cation rejection at the begin-ning of this year. The grouphad originally applied for a“county-wide benefit” charterthat was summarily voteddown by the board.

The group then went to theMDUSD Board of Education,which heard a “fine-tuned”charter proposal in April butunanimously turned down thatapplication in May.

McChesney and his groupimmediately appealed the char-

ter application rejection to theCCCOE. At the June boardmeeting McChesney made anoral presentation to the boardand answered their questions.Ultimately county staff recom-mended a no vote.

There were 50 School ofPerforming Arts supporters anda half dozen people in the audi-ence objecting to the charter.The board voted 3-2 in favor ofa full five-year charter authoriza-tion. (CVCHS was only given aninitial three-year authorization.)After the vote McChesney sayshe “was in shock” with a mix-ture of relief and satisfaction.

Schools, from page 9

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Multi-trunk trees thrive in Clayton

MULTI-TRUNK SMOKE BUSH

AUG 14 Clayton Pioneer 2015

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