Skateboarder and Pocket resident Eustaquio Lafranco.

Pocket residents Demetrius Williams and Eustaquio Lafranco both love to skateboard.

Williams, who has been skating for five years, enjoys the freedom skateboarding gives him. “With this you’re not really required to do anything – you’re required to go out there and have fun, learn as much as you want or as little as you want,” he says.

And Lafranco, who has been skateboarding for the last 10 years, says the skateboard population in the area is steadily growing and although there is now a skate park at Reichmuth Park in South Land Park, it would be beneficial to have more skate parks as an interest in skateboarding continues to grow.

Now with the help of the City of Sacramento, the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD), Freeport Renovation on the Move (FROM) and other community members are coming together to give skateboarders like Lafranco and Williams another skate park at Argonaut Park in Freeport Manor.

Getting Support

During their initial work on trying to get a local skate park built, the teens were meeting at the Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven Library, where they met Kathi Windheim, president of the Friends of the Pocket-Greenhaven Library. She suggested Argonaut Park as a possible location as it was adjacent to New Technology High School and she knew the school had a group of skateboarders.

Windheim contacted New Tech’s Principal Paula Hanzel, who supported the project. “We’re in a neighborhood where kids need stuff to do, and they need the right stuff to do,” she explains. “And the more we can put in that park for not only my kids, but all the kids in the neighborhood to do, the better off we are.”

Next on board was Darrel Woo, second vice president for SCUSD Board of Education representing District 6, who believes the skate park will be a nice compliment to the workout stations that were put into Argonaut Park a few years ago.

Also on board is Sacramento City Councilman Jay Schenirer representing District 5. “I think anything that we can do to provide positive outlets for young people and safe places for them to be when they’re not in school is a good thing,” Schenirer says of why he supports the project.

And the group received support the of FROM, which according to President Barbara Moore works to provide a healthy way of life for children and teens in the Freeport Manor, South Land Park and Pocket areas. “It’s a need and we have so many kids that like to skate,” she explains. “There’s not (a skate park) that close, so we decided let’s put a skate park over here – we have the space and it would be a great thing.”

Skateboarder and Pocket resident Demetrius Williams. // Photos courtesy of Eustaquio Lafranco

Plan in Action

Now with support in place, plans could start for the Argonaut Park skate park.

According to Windheim, as another skate park is being built at McClatchy Park in the Oak Park area, they asked Schenirer if they could be part of the design process for McClatchy so they could design both at the same time to save money, and he agreed.

On March 5, Windheim says a meeting was held at the Evelyn Moore Community Center to begin planning the design of both skate parks. The meeting was lead by Aaron Spohn from Spohn Ranch Skate Parks in Los Angeles, who Windheim says will be designing both parks.

Dennis Day, landscape architect for the City of Sacramento, says Spohn discussed with those at the meeting what was possible for the skate parks. “He led them – there were some adults there as well as high school students – on what they would like to see in their ideal skate park,” he explains. “They got to design and move around templates of skate elements.”

Community skateboarders, including Lafranco and Williams, attended the meeting to give their input on what they would like to see in the skate parks. “He pretty much gave us a piece of paper and a layout of other parks he’d did that were similar, and just said put the pieces where you want them and that’s what we did,” Williams says.

Hanzel says letting the neighborhood kids help design the Argonaut Park skate park is huge. “You want to teach kids to be civically responsible and civically involved, and the sooner you get them involved and have that be a positive experience, the more likely to have that continued throughout their adult life,” she explains. “When you empower, you create positive people and positive people move things.”

Multi-Use Design

Although a design for the McClatchy Park skate park has reportedly been finalized, the design for the Argonaut Park skate park is still in the works.

According to Woo, the concept for Argonaut Park is still conceptual, but they are looking at a design that would create a “low-level stage amphitheater that the kids can skate around” with a pathway around the perimeter. This way, he says the skate park could serve multiple purposes as it could also be used as a stage area for New Tech. “It looks like a plan that will harmonize with the existing facility without taking away the other purposes of the facility,” he adds.

Hanzel says right now New Tech does not have a room where she can fit all of her 300 students at the same time. ” It would be great to have an outdoor space where we could all gather and engage in the things that we now have to do twice,” she says.

And Windheim says they are considering some skateboard-specific elements for the park, such as a stair set with rail and “hubba bank,” a roller, “curved taco” and flat ledge. She says the Argonaut Park skate park will be roughly 5,000 square feet. “We will be smaller than McClatchy Park (skate park), but with many of the same great elements and a different layout,” she adds.

Finding Funds

Although plans for the design are in motion, much is still needed to be done in terms of fund raising to build the skate park.

Windheim estimates the Argonaut Park skate park will cost around $120,000 to complete.

According to J.P. Tindell, manager of park planning and development for the City of Sacramento Parks & Recreation Department, the City has set aside $20,000 of Park Impact Fees as “seed funding” for the Argonaut Park skate park

Windheim says they are now in fund raising mode for the rest of what they need. “We’re trying to raise the rest of this money through grants, fundraisers, (and) different community support,” she adds.

In regards to fundraisers, they recently held a rummage sale in Belle Cooledge Park, and are now planning an event at Argonaut Park on Saturday, June 8 from 1-5pm that will feature a jazz band, food, prize drawings and a skateboarding demonstration. Windheim says the event will be funded through an $815 community grant they received from Schenirer’s office.

And they will be launching an online fundraiser where community members can vote for the best skateboarding trick videos on votdo.com. Windheim says from May 15-30 skateboarders can upload their videos to the site. Then visitors to the site can vote for $1 per vote from June 1-30. The most votes in each category, Windheim says, will win skateboarding gear donated by Spohn and Spohn Ranch Skate Parks.

Something Positive

Williams says he is going to be “pretty proud” once the Argonaut Skate Park is built as he will know he had a hand in helping make it happen. He also feels the additional skate parks will help people improve and build a love for skateboarding. “It’s going to be bring a lot more people out there to try to skateboard because every time there is a park, there’s people that see the park and say I want to try and they get out there.”

Moore also believes the new skate park will get more kids interested in skateboarding. “I think it’s going to revitalize the youth out there and make really something positive to bring to them because they need some positive reinforcement in the neighborhood,” she adds.

Lafranco believes the new skate parks may even bring new businesses to the area. He says right now skateboarders in the area have to travel to Elk Grove, Natomas, or downtown for skateboarding supplies. “With all these new skate parks emerging, … it could bring in a new business opportunities for skate shops,” he says.

Donations for the Argonaut Skate Park can be made out to “FROM” and mailed to Barbara Moore, 6013 McLaren Ave., Sacramento 95822. For more information on the Argonaut Skate Park, call Kathi at 392-0101 or e-mail Rosio Ruano in Councilmember Jay Schenirer’s office rruano@cityofsacramento.org.

Argonaut Park is located on Kitchner Road near Freeport Boulevard.

The Palomino Room, shown in this 1995 photograph, operated at 3405 El Camino Ave. from 1956 to 2000. Photo courtesy of Boroski/Borowoski family

Editor’s note: This is the ninth part of a series regarding the history of the “four corners” of Watt and El Camino avenues.

The northwest corner of Watt and El Camino avenues has been home to a wide variety of businesses throughout its history.
As presented in the last part of this series, Jack’s House of Music was among this corner’s most notable businesses.
This longtime popular shop, which operated at 2528 Yorktown Ave. from about 1956 to 2002, was originally part of a series of businesses of the Garden Rustic Shops.
This set of shops was named after one of the shops’ businesses – the Garden Rustics & Nursery at 2520 Yorktown Ave.
A 1955 advertisement for Garden Rustics & Nursery, which was owned by Tom Russell, notes that the business offered seeds, shrubs and trees, fertilizers, insecticides, garden hardware, copper and brass items and pottery.
Garden Rustics & Nursery began operating in the north area in about the mid-1940s with its 2900 Fulton Ave. location.
Russell, who owned the aforementioned Yorktown and El Camino avenues property, became associated with a man named Ray Boroski (1924-1999) in 1954.
It was in that year that Russell rented a business space at 3405 El Camino Ave. to Ray for an appliance store.
Ray, an automobile mechanic by trade, came to California from Cleveland, Ohio with his wife, Stella (Plezia) Boroski, in 1946.
In about 1948, Ray, who then resided at 2305 I St., opened Master Motor Parts, a gas station and garage at 3417 Broadway in Oak Park. His original partner in the business was his brother, Fred W. Borowski, of 4224 T St., and Joseph W. Capra of 700 54th St. was later added to this partnership.
The spelling of the Borowski surname was only altered in Ray’s family, as he dropped the “w” of this name while he was serving in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II.
Master Motor Parts, which relocated to the former location of a Safeway grocery store at 3409 Broadway in 1952, continued its operations at this latter location until 1956.
Under the sole proprietorship of Capra, Master Motor Parts later grew into a small chain of stores that experienced many years of success.
Stella, 87, said that she was not entirely fond of her husband’s previous occupation, since he returned home each evening with greasy clothes and hands.
And she added that it was not Ray’s ultimate dream to own an appliance store.
“There were no bars around the neighborhood (within the area of Watt and El Camino avenues) at all and (Ray) said a bar would be a good (business) to put in (that area), and when he set his mind to something, he made sure he got his way,” Stella said. “My husband rented the (El Camino Avenue) building from Tom Russell, who owned it. In order to get a bar in there, you had to pass all kinds of city ordinances. There was a Bible reading class across the street (near Rytina Laundromat at 2525 Yorktown Ave.) and they objected to a bar going in, so my husband opened an appliance store. In the meantime, he jumped hoops to get the bar going, and he finally got it in.”
The bar, which was opened by Ray and his brother, Harry A. Borowski (1917-2000), on Monday, Aug. 6, 1956, was known as the Palomino Room.

Left to right, Harry Borowski, David Boroski, Fred Borowski and Ray Boroski are shown at the Palomino Room in this 1980s photograph. Photo courtesy of Boroski/Borowoski family

Ray had recruited Harry to become a partner in the business, partially because Harry was the owner of a tavern in Cleveland and thus had experience as a bar owner. Harry’s son, Fred Borowski, said that the Cleveland bar was known as the Tremend Club.
Although the Palomino Room opened primarily as a bar, many people remember the business as a place that served high quality lunches and dinners.
In commenting about this fact, Stella said, “The bar was first, but you had to serve food (in a bar) at that time. We served sandwiches and chili and things like that and then we went further. Prime rib was (later) our biggest seller, so we were noted for our prime rib.”
A Palomino Room advertisement, which appeared in the Feb. 21, 1960 edition of The Sacramento Union, noted that its customers could also order steaks that were “tender, not tenderized.”
Stella said that the Palomino Room began serving prime rib and other more elaborate entrées about a year after its opening. And hired to prepare this more elaborate food were Frank Russo, who worked at the restaurant for about 20 years, and Nick Jukich, who remained with the business until the late 1990s.
Another notable part of the Palomino Room’s history was its live music performances.
The business, which seated about 45 people in its original dining room, included a piano bar, and one of the earliest pianists to entertain this establishment’s guests on a regular basis was Dodd Baker.
Other pianists who later played at the Palomino Room were Ronnie Kemper, who was once a member of Dick Jurgens’ band, Abe Battat of San Francisco, and Randy Carmichael, one of the sons of the legendary jazz pianist, composer and singer, Hoagy Carmichael.
As for the name of the business itself, Ray’s son, David Boroski, said, “The name came about, because at the time, in the north area, the sheriffs’ posse had a squadron of palomino horses and they were all bordered in the north area. My father thought that it would be a great idea to tie in the sheriffs’ palominos, which appeared in parades downtown and maybe even in some Tournament of Roses parades, with the restaurant.”
Ferdinand Morant, 89, said that he enjoyed going to the Palomino Room during the 1960s.
“I first went (to the Palomino Room) in around 1965,” Morant said. “We used to go in there with a group (for dinner) weekly, because of bowling. The Swiss (Helvetia Verein) lodge had a bowling league (at Country Club Lanes) at that time. They started in (about 1960) or something like that. The whole group liked to go in there to the Palomino Room. It was good food all the time there. They were known for good food.”

Nick Jukich was a chef at the Palomino Room from the late 1950s to the late 1990s. Photo courtesy of Boroski/Borowoski family

Ray was also recognized as a good bowler with a very high average.
In addition to members of bowling leagues, members of various businesses, organizations and groups, including the Kiwanis Club of Sacramento Suburban, The Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co., Masonic lodges, attorneys and accountants also used the Palomino Room as a meeting place.
During its history, this business expanded to accommodate a greater number of guests.
Eventually the Palomino Room featured seating for about 60 patrons in its front room, seating for about 50 people in its Gold Room (aka “Gibson Girl Room” due to its various Gibson Girls prints that hung on its walls), about 125 to 150 people in its California Room (which had its own bar, dance floor and restrooms and was the site of weddings and receptions) and about 30 people in its Garden Room.
In 1973, Ray and Harry purchased Leonard’s Liquor Shop at 3401 El Camino Ave. The business, which was then renamed the Palomino Bottle Shop, was previously owned by Clyde Leonard.
It was also in the early 1970s that Ray and Harry purchased the entire corner of El Camino and Yorktown avenues. This property also included Jack’s House of Music.
Fred and David took over the operation of the Palomino Room in 1982.
Six years later, the Palomino Room underwent a $400,000 remodel, which gave the place a less western and more upscale appearance.
This remodel also included the elimination of the bottle shop, the Gold Room and the Garden Room, which all became part of the Palomino Room’s front room.
From 1999 to 2000, the building was leased to David Hinkle, who continued the operation of the Palomino Room.
And after a fire destroyed Jose’s Mexican Restaurant at 5451 Fair Oaks Blvd., the restaurant, said former Jose’s server Alan Boehle, operated at the old Palomino Room location for six months prior to its closure in late December 2002.
Other businesses to occupy the site were V.I.P. seafood and sushi buffet restaurant, East Meets West steak and sushi buffet restaurant and Farmer’s Daughter, a café and specialty food store.
In 2004, Fred and David sold the old Palomino Room building and its property, and its accompanying property and buildings to Ethan Conrad Properties.

Ravenous Café owner Wade Sawaya fondly remembers the wonderful dishes his mother made for her family and the love and care she added to make each meal special.
Born in the Azores Islands in Portugal, Sawaya had his first experience in the restaurant business washing dishes at the air base where his father worked as a civilian.
“When I decided to join the Air Force years later, I still had a part-time job waiting tables,” Sawaya says. “I decided to keep on that path.”
Sawaya has been in the restaurant business for over 20 years and is a certified Sommelier. Sawaya worked for the world renowned Broadmoor Hotel and many other fine establishments before buying his own restaurant. He believes what is most important is making sure the diners have a good time. Sawaya is completely dedicated to his business and doesn’t mind working 24/7.
Ravenous chef, Roberto Lainez has been preparing appetizing dishes for close to seven years and Sawaya says he is incredible.
“I can pretty much do what I want here, making my own twist on the food,” Lainez said. “If someone comes into the restaurant and wants something a little different than what is on the menu, I try to remain open to their ideas.”
Lainez is from New York and started his career there. He said he has always enjoyed trying new restaurants to see what other chefs are making and still enjoys going to new places.
Sawaya moved to Sacramento from Boulder Colorado after he bought Ravenous in August 2011. Sawaya likes the fact that Sacramento is in the heart of good wine. He said the Pocket is a great neighborhood and the people are friendly.
“This is your restaurant,” Sawaya says. “It’s Pocket’s fine dining in a relaxed atmosphere and people don’t have to drive too far.”
A specialty offered by Ravenous is the endless mimosas for $10 when ordering an entrée for Sunday brunch. The signature dish at Ravenous is the risotto. There is a different risotto every day in addition to the fish of the day. Arctic Char and Barramundi are a couple of the chef’s favorites. There is a European influence in most of the dishes prepared. Ravenous changes their menu each season to provide the freshest ingredients in their food.
“I love it!” says Karen Waring, a Pocket resident for 22 years. “This place stands up to any restaurant downtown.”
Waring said it’s nice to have a restaurant so close that serves gourmet food. There’s a good wine selection and Waring said it’s also a nice place to just order appetizers and wine with friends.
Ravenous believes in supporting small businesses and buys everything locally. As part of their wine selection, they carry Scribner Bend wines, a local winery from Clarksburg, Bella Bru bakery breads, produce from Produce Express, which are all the local farms with an 80-mile radius and their meats from Preferred Meats out of Oakland.
A native of Sacramento, Skip Lee provides the art on the walls at the restaurant. The art adds warmth.  Sawaya wants people to feel cozy, like they are at home.
“I feel like I’m entertaining folks every night in my dining room,” Sawaya says. “Great music, great food and great wine.”
“Over the years I have learned the importance of beginning with the freshest ingredients, preparing them with care, and serving them with love so that people do not just have a good time at a restaurant, but they felt like they were treated like family.”
Sawaya highly recommend reservations.
Ravenous Café is located at Pocket Road and Greenhaven Drive.
The hours are as follows: Thursday through Sunday dinner 5-9 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 pm., Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday dinner (no lunch) 5 to 9 p.m. (Endless mimosas for $10 with purchase of entrée).
Ravenous is closed Mondays. The restaurant will serve a five-course prefix menu on New Year’s Eve for $75 per person. Reservations are required. Visit  http://www.ravenouscafe.com/ or call 399-9309 for details.

An anti-bullying training for parents and community members will be held at John F. Kennedy High School on Wednesday, Nov. 14. Principal Chad Sweitzer hopes it will help make parents aware of how they can support school staff at home by knowing what to look for when it comes to bullying.

Sweitzer said he has seen a huge increase in bullying through technology, on the Internet on Facebook and Twitter and via texting. He said many times the bullying will occur over a weekend with one student saying something about another on Facebook, and come Monday morning rumors are flying. “We always try to bring the kids in and sit them down face-to-face with some of our students that do peer mediation or with our counselors on campus and try to work out the problems,” he said.
Sweitzer would like to see their auditorium, which can hold about 450, filled to capacity for this training.

The training is part of a district-wide crackdown on bullying that began in June 2011 when the Sacramento City Unified School District’s Board of Education approved a new anti-bullying policy aimed at reducing incidents of bullying on campus and in cyberspace.

According to Sheila Self, bullying prevention specialist for SCUSD, this policy spells out rules and regulations that reflect changes that have occurred in California law as it relates to bullying.

Additionally, she said there is a greater understanding of the health consequences of bullying. She said students who are bullied have three times as many headaches and twice as many sleep problems and stomachaches, plus feelings of depression and anxiety.

“We’re beginning to understand that it’s not just about the right of passage, but that bullying has a direct effect on to our health and in terms of feeling safe at school on our academic performance,” Self said.

Sweitzer said last year’s anti-bullying information session was well-attended.

“The parents asked a lot of questions, I think they even learned a thing or two, and learned what the responses can be when the students are being bullied and who they can turn for help on the school campus,” he said.

Providing Tools

One person very happy SCUSD is stepping up to provide anti-bullying training to parents is Pocket resident Maria Sullivan. She worked last year with Self to bring a similar anti-bullying program to Genevieve Didion K-8 after both her children – now 4th and 7th graders – were the victims of bullying.

Sullivan said programs like these has helped her have the tools she needs to teach her children how to handle bullies. “(My son) thought it was his fault because kids didn’t like him, and now he has the skills that he doesn’t think it’s his fault and if he doesn’t think it’s right, he knows he has the right to say something,” she said.

Additionally, Sullivan said anti-bullying programs also help teach parents what to do if it’s their child who is the bully. Most parents, who have a child who bullies, don’t know it. “It’s not because you’re a bad parent, it’s just that you don’t understand and they don’t understand it’s not okay,” she said. “Sheila’s program gives the kids that skill on both sides of the fence.”

Getting Involved

So what will parents who attend the anti-bullying program at JFK High School learn?

Self said they will learn a number of things about bullying, including just what the scope of the problem is, myths, what SCUSD’s anti-bullying policy is, and how to report bullying. “Parents will get a really good sense of both sides of the coin – if your child is actually bullying others or if your child is being targeted,” she said. “We are very much promoting working with both students in order to remediate the bullying on campus.”

In addition, Self hopes parents who attend the anti-bullying training become confident communicators with their kids about bullying. “I think becoming more hopeful that this isn’t something that has to continue, that we can take action to stop it when we see it, and that we can have safe school campuses where learning really can take place,” she said.

Sweitzer said the training promotes parental involvement, including the need to monitor students’ cell phones and Facebook pages. “As a high school student, I would imagine I wouldn’t want my parents looking at my Facebook page, but parents still need to be active participants in what’s going on in their kids’ lives and that’s a huge part of it,” he said.

And Sullivan said it’s important for parents to take part in an anti-bullying training like this to help them understand what their children are confronted with and how to offer support.

“Bullying is real and to protect your child so your child does not become a victim . . . we have to make sure they have the tools to succeed,” she says. “It’s important that parents step up and are there.”

corrie@valcomnews.com

The sixth season of the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District’s Check Before You Burn program starts Nov. 1 and runs through Feb. 28, 2013. Wood burning will be restricted or prohibited on days when fine particle pollution is forecast to be high. The law is in effect in Sacramento County and the cities of Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Folsom, Galt, Isleton, Rancho Cordova and Sacramento.

Sacramento County recently achieved the federal PM 2.5 standard due in large part to emission reductions from the public’s compliance with the Check Before You Burn program. “It is critical that residents continue to comply with declared No Burn days so the county stays in attainment of the air quality standard,” said Larry Greene, Executive Director/Air Pollution Control Officer of the Sacramento Metropolitan AQMD.

The law applies to the use of indoor and outdoor fireplaces, wood stoves, fire pits and chimneys that burn wood, pellets, manufactured logs or any other solid fuel by residents and businesses. A voluntary request to discourage burning will be issued when air pollution levels are on the rise.

Check Before You Burn Categories:

Stage 2 – All Burning Prohibited
• All burning is prohibited in any device when fine particle pollution is forecast to exceed 35 micrograms per cubic meter. It is illegal to burn any solid fuel, including wood, manufactured logs and pellets.
Stage 1 – No Burn – Unless Exempt
• It is illegal to burn when fine particle pollution is forecast to be 32-35 micrograms per cubic meter unless EPA certified fireplace inserts or stoves, or pellet stoves are used and they do not emit visible smoke.

Burning Discouraged – Voluntary
• Burning is discouraged when fine particle pollution is forecast to be 26-31 micrograms per cubic meter. The AQMD asks you to voluntarily not burn.

Legal to Burn
•When the forecast is 25 micrograms per cubic meter or lower then it is legal to burn and the use of manufactured fire logs is acceptable at this level. If you choose to burn please follow clean burning techniques in order to burn as cleanly as possible.

To find out if you can or can’t burn:
1. 1-877-NO-BURN-5 (1-877-662-8765)
2. Visit www.AirQuality.org
3. Sign up to receive daily Air Alert emails at www.SpareTheAir.com (input a Sacramento County zip code and select the Daily Air Quality Forecast box)
4. Read the Sacramento Bee’s weather page on the back of the Our Region section
5. Listen to television and radio weather forecasts
6. Go to Twitter.com/aqmd
 

Exemptions:

The following exemptions apply to Stage 1 and Stage 2 categories:
 
•Homes where wood burning is the sole source of heat
•Financial hardship waiver approved and renewed each burn season by the Air Pollution Control Officer
•Devices that operate exclusively with natural gas or propane
•Cooking devices
•Ceremonial fires related to a specific religious ceremony
 

Enforcement:

Enforcement will be through public complaints (800-880-9025) and sightings of visible smoke by Air District enforcement staff. First time violations will result in a $50 fine or the violator can choose to complete and pass a wood smoke awareness course. Fines for subsequent violations are higher.
 
Visit www.AirQuality.org or call 916-874-4800 for more information.

May

"Chicken Little" is available for adoption!

[ANIMAL ID 19609359] Chicken Little is a little shy when he first meets you, but offer him a few gentle pets and he’s your new, very affectionate friend who will be glad to climb onto your lap for even more pets. Then, offer him a treat and watch him balance on his hind legs to receive it. Chicken Little is a very lively, playful, little guy but then he is still a puppy even though he might appear older. He loves to run and play with other small dogs and his Dachshund/Beagle personality really presents itself when he’s given the opportunity to explore. Yes, Chicken Little loves to explore, nose to the ground. He is currently learning to walk on the leash but it’s hard when there are so many interesting scents in the world that need to be investigated.

Even though he’s older, Chicken Little is still a puppy and requires a lot of affection, attention, supervision, socialization and guidance, as well as play. A positive training class would be beneficial for him and his new family to help him mature into a well-mannered dog they will be proud to call their own.

Probably the best home for Chicken Little would be a fairly active home where he can be kept occupied. Left alone and bored, many dogs, especially Dachshunds and Beagles, may dig and chew things to keep themselves entertained. Chicken Little would also probably enjoy another small, friendly dog to play with and keep him company.

If you could use a lively companion to accompany you through life, Chicken Little could be the one for you. He’s waiting at the Sacramento SPCA to join that forever family he knows he’s destined to be a part of. Come meet him and see if you don’t feel the sky falling on you with delight as you welcome this little guy into your heart and home. Visit him today at the Sacramento SPCA or online at www.sspca.org

February

Pet of the month "Cody"

How can you resist that face!? Sweet, eight-year-old Cody is looking for a home to spend her Golden Years. A little shy at first, Cody is a very charming and energetic little pup who is sure to warm up to you. She prefers the company of adults (older kids OK) and isn’t a big fan of other dogs or cats. Cody is lively, sweet and looking for a nice family who gives good scratches behind the ears. Come vist Cody! Visit her today at the Sacramento SPCA or online at www.sspca.org

December

Cat of the month named "Lucy"

Meet Lucy!

Lucy’s owner had to give Lucy and her sister, Ethel, up when the lady’s health started failing and she had to move across the country to be closer to family members. Even though Lucy is 17 years old, she is in excellent health. She lived with the same person since she was a kitten, and has adjusted well to the Adoption Center and the other cats. Lucy likes people and she loves tobe petted. Both Lucy and Ethel just need someone to take them into their home to let them live out their lives in peace and quiet, and with a lot of love.

Happy Tails (916) 556-1155 6001 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento http://www.happytails.org/

November

Small pet of the month named "Louie"

Louie, Louie! A very sweet and handsome Himalayan, this boy will be sure to warm your heart. He’s only about six-months-old and is said to make a really great, friendly companion by SPCA volunteers. As a young kit, his sibling had a habit of nibbling on his ears, but you’ll see that he is fully healed and he doesn’t let that little impurity stop him from being a good-looking rabbit! Come visit Louie and his friends and siblings at the Sacramento SPCA. www.sspca.org.

Cat of the month named "Buddy"

My name is Buddy and I am big gorgeous boy. I was rescued from an abusive situation so I am a little standoffish at first, and I am taking my time to learn and trust humans again. When I was first fostered by a Happy Tails volunteer, he said I was a complete teddy bear, and loved sitting on laps and being carried. I will be a loyal and loving companion for the patient kind-hearted person willing to give me a safe, permanent home.

Happy Tails (916) 556-1155 6001 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento http://www.happytails.org/

October

Cat of the month named "Meow Meow"

Meow Meow is about 5 years old with a funny little mustache! She was found abandoned in a warehouse, and Happy Tails welcomed her into our adoption center. She was recently put on a special diet and received special living quarters — our office! She is very independent and does not really get along with other cats. She will be sitting on her cat tree waiting to meet you!

Happy Tails (916) 556-1155 6001 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento http://www.happytails.org/

Dog of the month named "Boxer Boy"

Boxer is a very special boy, this 5 yo Boxer/ Beagle mix is looking for a home. He only has one eye, but also sweet, outgoing and an overall happy dog! Boxer loves to walk or play fetch, but he’s most content being at your side! A friendly boy that gets along well with other dogs and older kids. Available through our Senior Adoption Program to those that are at least 65 years-old. (We’ll waive the adoption fee!) Visit him today at the Sacramento SPCA or online at www.sspca.org

Mary with a large quilt she made / Photo by Sally King

Mary Schenck, a Greenhaven Pocket resident, finds it hard to sit in a chair for very long with her hands folded.
Schenck and her friends from the Ladies Oriental Shrine, Ila Neb Court No. 51, spend much of their time sewing or quilting blankets for the young patients at the Shriner’s Hospital for Children.
“I love to sew,” Schenck said. “Give me a sewing machine and I’m happy. It’s the best therapy.”
Schenck has four sewing machines and each one has a different purpose. Two of the walls of her sewing room are lined with fabric and projects. Schenck learned how to sew in high school and later began quilting. Schenck used to own two quilt stores, one in Sacramento and one in Davis. Schenck eventually sold the stores to work fulltime at U.C. Davis as an administrative assistant.
Now retired, Schenck believes making quilts and blankets for the children at Shriner’s Hospital is a great way to give back.
The Shriner’s built their first hospital for children in 1922 in Shreveport Louisiana. According to the Shriners, through their commitment and fundraising skills, nearly one million children have been treated at one of the 22 Shriner’s Hospitals for Children across the United States, and in Canada and Mexico.
Jane Butler, another member of Ila Neb Court No. 51, said, in addition to blankets, their group also sews wheelchair bags, boys pull on shorts, draw string pants and pillowcases. These items are all made out of child friendly material.

Child's quilt / Photo by Sally King

“Each child gets to pick out a blanket that is theirs to keep and take home with them,” said Butler. “Some of the blankets are embroidered with animal prints, some have holiday themes.”
Butler said their group also repairs items at the hospital such as curtains and bedspreads.
Anywhere from 10 to 12 women show up on the fourth Tuesday of each month at the San Juan Masonic Temple, to sew the blankets and do mending. Ila Neb No. 51 also sponsors fundraisers to raise money for various needs at the hospital, such as prosthetics.
Schenck just made a quilt in browns and golds with the theme of ‘Around the World’ for a Shriner fundraiser being held in November.
Schenck said it takes maybe a day to sew the blankets.
“It takes me around 40 hours to make a quilt, ”Schenck said. “I piece the top part of the quilt, then send it out to be professionally quilted, when it comes back, I sew the binding and the hem.”
Schenck said it’s sometimes a real challenge to piece the different fabrics, trying to match colors and designs that look good as a quilt pattern.
Butler said Mary does beautiful work. Her quilts are a delight to see. It is a skill to be able match fabrics; one has to have an eye for putting fabrics together.
“It’s a pleasure to be involved in something so worthwhile,” Butler said. “It is nice to be part of making a child comfortable.”
Janet Johnston, another member of Ila Neb Court No. 51, retired 10 years ago and finds making the blankets a worthy cause.
“The blankets are darling and so nice and soft,” said Johnston. “The camaraderie we experience in our group is special.”
Johnston said Schenck is a very giving person, so sweet and unassuming and she gets the job done.
Johnston said Ila Neb provides a service for the children without the child’s family worrying about monetary things. Johnston believes Shriner’s provides the best services for its patients. Johnston pointed out that folks not involved in the Shriners also contribute their time, talents and monetary gifts to the hospital.
Schenck, Butler and Johnston view their time making the blankets and quilts for these children as time well spent. They receive joy from giving these children something warm to hold onto during times when a child is dealing with a serious illness.

sally@valcomnews.com

The California Preservation Foundation (CPF) has awarded Catherine Taylor with the President’s Award for 2012 for her work to preserve California’s heritage and historic places. Taylor is the district superintendent for the Capital District of California State Parks and is known for providing statewide leadership, advocacy and education to ensure the protection of California’s diverse cultural heritage and historic places. CPF honors individuals and organizations for their dedicated preservation efforts that allow others to gain a deeper appreciation of historic resources and their value to California’s economy, environment, and quality of life.  The award will be presented at a special 2012 California Preservation Awards event at the AT&T Center in Los Angeles on Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012.

As district superintendent for the Capital District of California State Parks, Taylor oversees operations for nine state historic parks and state museums that include the following:  the State Capitol Museum, State Railroad Museum, State Indian Museum, Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park, Governor’s Mansion State Historic Park, Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park, Old Sacramento State Historic Park, Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in Jamestown, and the Woodland Opera House State Historic Park. In addition to her daily operational duties, she also oversees two major development projects underway at the California Indian Heritage Center and the Railroad Technology Museum, both in the Sacramento region.

Before being named district superintendent, Taylor served as museum director for the California State Railroad Museum for six years, as executive director of the California State Railroad Museum Foundation (the non-profit support affiliate for the museum) for over a decade, and was responsible for its most significant growth and development. Taylor also managed two major Railfair events in 1991 and 1999, both drawing more than 180,000 visitors to Sacramento to celebrate railroad history and technology. Today, Taylor works with many non-profit organizations and paid and volunteer California State Parks staff throughout the Capital District to help develop strong partnerships and fiscal sustainability for the parks in her district, and to secure the preservation of these significant historic sites.

More information about the California Preservation Foundation is available at www.californiapreservation.org and more information about the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks is available at www.parks.ca.gov/CapitalDistrict.

Union Pacific – Building America for 150 Years! Event Includes:
•     Tours of the cab of legendary steam locomotive No. 844
•     An up close look of Union Pacific’s newest experimental locomotive, UP 9900
•     Board the traveling museum car to see 150 years of Union Pacific history
•     Excursion train rides
•     Entrance into the Railroad Museum and Sacramento History Museum
ROSEVILLE, Calif., September 13, 2012 – Union Pacific Railroad will continue its year-long 150TH anniversary celebration with a huge, two-day signature event in Old Sacramento September 29-30 that will include free excursion train rides and free entrance into both the California State Railroad Museum and Sacramento History Museum. The community celebration will commemorate 150 years since President Abraham Lincoln created the original Union Pacific by signing the Pacific Railway Act of July 1, 1862. In partnership with California State Parks, the Union Pacific – Building America for 150 Years! celebration will be the most elaborate event staged in the Western United States as part of Union Pacific’s sesquicentennial year to be held at the California State Railroad Museum.

“Union Pacific’s 150TH anniversary gives us a special chance to celebrate our historic past with the communities that are important to our future,” said Scott Moore, Union Pacific vice president, public affairs – Western Region. “We are proud to celebrate 150 years of innovation and building America with a signature event in Old Sacramento, which has a fascinating past rich in the history and heritage of the West.”

Saturday morning at 10 a.m., the public is invited to join Union Pacific Railroad, California State Parks and state and city officials to a special kick-off event outside the California State Railroad Museum. At the opening festivities, which are sure to delight railroad and history enthusiasts from near and far, Sacramento officials plan to honor Union Pacific’s 150th anniversary, and the railroad will proclaim the Sacramento community an official Train Town USA. The first 500 people to arrive at 9:30 in advance of the kick-off presentation will receive a limited-edition 150th Anniversary pin from Union Pacific.

In addition to live music, entertainment and period-appropriate performances happening in various locations throughout Old Sacramento State Historic Park, a variety of locomotives and other equipment will be on special display during the two-day Union Pacific – Building America for 150 Years! event in Old Sacramento, open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Event highlights will include:

•     The chance for visitors to see the inside of the engineer’s cab of the crowd-favorite steam locomotive No. 844 known as the “Living Legend.”
•     The public’s first opportunity to see the experimental locomotive UP 9900 equipped with the very latest emissions-reducing technology that provides a glimpse into the future of railroading.
•     The popular 1960‘s vintage Promontory baggage car that has been retrofitted into a state-of-the-art traveling museum.
•     History-rich passenger cars and equipment.
•     Modern UP police and maintenance vehicles.
•     Free train rides on Union Pacific’s popular miniature train, UP 956.
•     Free weekend excursion train rides on the Sacramento Southern Railroad (based on availability). For visitors interested in a luxury train ride experience along the Sacramento River, train rides aboard the first-class El Dorado are available for $15 per person (ages five and under ride free) and can be booked online in advance at www.californiastaterailroadmuseum.org.
•     Free entrance to the California State Railroad Museum, widely recognized as North America’s most popular train museum, and access to a special exhibit launching that weekend highlighting the legacy of the transcontinental railroad.
•     Free entrance to the Sacramento History Museum, a popular destination that offers visitors a chance to explore the region’s rich history from the days before the Gold Rush to the present.
More information about Union Pacific Railroad, the series of special events or the Union Pacific – Building America for 150 Years! celebration is available at www.up150.com and www.californiastaterailroadmuseum.org.

About Union Pacific
It was 150 years ago that Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act of July 1, 1862, creating the original Union Pacific. One of America’s iconic companies, today, Union Pacific Railroad is the principal operating company of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP), linking 23 states in the western two-thirds of the country by rail and providing freight solutions and logistics expertise to the global supply chain. From 2000 through 2011, Union Pacific spent more than $31 billion on its network and operations, making needed investments in America’s infrastructure and enhancing its ability to provide safe, reliable, fuel-efficient and environmentally responsible freight transportation. Union Pacific’s diversified business mix includes Agricultural Products, Automotive, Chemicals, Energy, Industrial Products and Intermodal. The railroad serves many of the fastest-growing U.S. population centers and emphasizes excellent customer service. Union Pacific operates competitive routes from all major West Coast and Gulf Coast ports to eastern gateways, connects with Canada’s rail systems and is the only railroad serving all six major Mexico gateways.

The path to a college degree is never easy. For Sacramento State’s Katrina Currie, it was an especially rough road, but a road that has paid off in more ways than one – most recently with the honor of a William Randolph Hearst/CSU Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement.
Currie is one of 23 students from California State University campuses to receive a $3,000 scholarship. All the students will be honored at the Tuesday, Sept. 18, meeting of the CSU Board of Trustees in Long Beach.
Abused at age 12, addicted to alcohol and drugs as a teen, and a runaway from home, Currie became a single mother at age 15 and again at age 17.
Then, one day at a park, her young son fell and broke his arm. Even though Currie was not there and her son was under the care of one of Currie’s relatives, the incident sparked a turnaround in her life.
“I finally realized I needed to focus more on my children and take a more active part in their lives,” she says.
She got her GED and then started college.
Her initial goal was an associate degree in nursing. But she kept going beyond that. She came to Sacramento State, twice winning the prestigious BEL Foundation Scholarship and earning a bachelor’s degree in gerontology. And she’s still going, coming back this fall in the master’s of education, curriculum and instruction program. Amid all this, there also has been an internship at the UC Davis Hospice Program, plus volunteer work at the Senior Safe House.
Eventually, Currie plans to become a consultant and educator to get care facilities to offer a person-centered care approach to those with dementia.
“If I would have seen myself becoming like this seven years ago, I would have said it was impossible,” Currie says.
Currie says no one ever encouraged her to go to college, and one of the best things about her new life is serving as a role model for her children. Her daughter, now 17, is already on her way and wants to become a special education teacher. “If I made it this far, they can,” Currie says.
For more information on the Hearst Scholarship, visit www.calstate.edu/foundation/hearst/. For media assistance, call Sacramento State’s Public Affairs office at (916) 278-6156.