When Capitol Nursery, the popular fixture on Freeport Blvd since 1931, vacated their property last August they left a deserted lot with gobs of property. The land was scooped up by Raley’s Supermarket and that’s when the rumors started to fly. Some folks in the neighborhood as well as some Raley’s employees were pontificating that Raley’s would move to the former Capital Nursery location. The rumor was that Raley’s would move from their present location, which is leased, and move it on over to the Capitol Nursery property that they now own. A new state of the art Super-Raley’s! I spoke with Raley’s media representative John Sagali and he said there are “no plans for Raley’s to move from its present location“. He said they “have not decided on a plan for the Capitol Nursery location yet“. He also mentioned the fact they didn’t want another grocer to move in on their territory and that’s why they purchased the plot of land from Capital Nursery. He compared it to the game show Hollywood Squares. Paul Lynde for the block!

Another speculative rumor was Green Acres Nursery would take over the Raley’s spot once it moved to the Capitol Nursery location. Another local rumor that is “completely false” according to Kellie Natoli, a representative from Green Acres. “We have no interest in having a store in that location.” So what will become of the coveted spot? So far the only one using it is The King Of Curls. He’s got his yellow and red promotional truck parked in the lot on a daily basis. He’s the King Of Free Promotion.

Soccer Planet is a new premier indoor soccer facility in Sacramento that is causing some uproar in the Hollywood Park neighborhood. The goal of Soccer Planet is to make it the “Disneyland of Soccer”. Unfortunately, some of the neighbors don’t think it’s the “Happiest Place On Earth”. In fact, some are downright grumpy about the family friendly facility.

At the Hollywood Park Neighborhood Association meeting recently there were a few outraged vocal residents who were unhappy about Soccer Planet. Soccer Planet does not have enough parking spaces on-site to accommodate their patrons; the cars overflow onto Haldis Way and 25th street. This happens mainly on weekends and evenings disrupting the quiet neighborhood. I spoke to a few of the neighbors who did not want their names used for this article. One HP resident I spoke with said he likes the soccer facility because it gives kids something to do during the summer instead of sitting in front of a TV all day. He spoke to me in hushed tones because his next door neighbor is vociferously opposed to Soccer Planet and the overflow of vehicles. This issue is actually pitting neighbors against neighbors. Some want permit parking, others do not. Another resident on Haldis stated he would like it if they “brought back Johnson/Butler rugs“. Sounds like a party! One neighbor, who didn’t want his name used, mentioned he had a few words with a patron who parked in front of his house and the next day he noticed his Honda Accord had been keyed.

There is also a “Neighborhood Manifesto” being passed around that advises residents how to report any and all violations by Soccer Planet. There are names and numbers of the Fire Marshall, Supervisor of parking enforcement, even the head of the Alcohol Beverage Control. The neighborhood manifesto encourages residents to “keep a watchful eye on Soccer Planet and report capacity violations to the fire marshal” which creates fines for the business. The fines get greater each time they are reported and found not complying to the 61 person capacity. The manifesto also suggests nearby residents “keep a diary and take photos of any and all violations“. Reporting Soccer Planet and it’s alleged violations sounds like a full time job!

There are some valid points made in the “neighborhood manifesto“. 24th street can be dangerous to cross on foot…especially at dusk. It’s a four lane street with no speed limit signs and No Parking signs. Suggestions  included getting a crosswalk and a flashing light for patrons and installing 35 mph speed limit signs. Another solution for the parking problem could be change the street from 4 lanes to 2 lanes and have parking and a bike lane. Similar to what they are planning on Freeport BLVD which is much busier. Unfortunately the two lane street is also not in the plans right now.

Another piece of literature is a mysterious, sarcastic flier that was mailed out to residents in the neighborhood with the Soccer Planet logo. It says things like “With summer quickly approaching you will be happy to know that Soccer Planet will be going strong night and day 7 days a week as soon as school lets out“. Another section states, “Thank you and please keep the parking spaces available in front of your homes. It will probably be a lot more livelier (sp) for you all soon; beer and wine are on the way”. This is all in bold letters. (Soccer Planet has applied for a Beer And Wine license.) Maybe not the best way to get peace in the neighborhood. Perhaps some communication between residents and Soccer Planet management would be a better plan rather than inflammatory ill-conceived fliers that only create more of a rift between neighbors and businesses. What is it that Rodney King said? A board member from the neighborhood association is getting involved and trying his best to alleviate the concerns of the neighbors and keeping peace in Hollywood Park.

Another issue is Soccer Planet is in an EA3 Overlay zone which means it is in the flight path of the Executive Airport. The threshold of persons per acre allowed on an EA3 overlay zone is 50 persons per acre and Soccer Planet is on 1.29 acres. There is a current investigation with code enforcement in regards to this. The City Council would have to vote to give Soccer Planet an exemption to the overlay zone law. One resident at the HPNA meeting mentioned the tragic Farrell’s Ice Cream plane accident that occurred at an air show in 1972 as well as the government sequestration that will affect air traffic control.

Perhaps Soccer Planet could move to the former Capital Nursery location and everybody could live happily ever after.

Land Park/Greenhaven Jazzercise is hosting a donation drive to benefit the animals at the Sacramento SPCA in honor and loving memory of dachshund Olive Collins, a Pocket resident whose life was tragically cut short when she was hit by a passing auto.

The donation drive will be held on Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 25. Those interested in attending a team taught Jazzercise class at 9:15 a.m. are welcome. However, it is not necessary to participate in Jazzercise to make a donation that will help the animals.

In addition to monetary donations, the SPCA shelter animals and the humans who care for them need: art display boards/easels, bath towels, bleach, manual can openers, Carefresh animal bedding, cat toys and treats, cat trees and scratching posts, collars, dog toys and treats, grooming clippers (Oscar A5/#40 blades), heating pads, humidifiers (for sick animals), KMR – kitten milk replacement, Kongs, leashes, long-handled squeegees, meat-flavored baby food (for sick and finicky eaters), newspaper (rolled tubes of 25-35 sheets each), peanut butter, pet beds, plastic litterboxes (small) and stainless steel dog and cat bowls.

If you plan to be out of town on Thanksgiving Day, items can be dropped off with Linda Pohl at the Valley Community Newspapers office, located at 2709 Riverside Blvd. in Sacramento.

One of the Carmichael Recreation and Park District’s most unique parks, Patriots Park, will add one more name to its Wall of Honor during a special ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 6 at 10 a.m.

Although the park is only three years old, many who are familiar with this 3.68-acre neighborhood park know that it is far from an ordinary recreation and leisure spot.

At the center of the park sits a 20-foot-long by 3-foot-tall by 3-foot-wide concrete and stone wall with much more significance than its durable materials.

Recognized as the Wall of Honor, the wall is so significant, in fact, that when the park was dedicated on Nov. 15, 2008, an entirely separate dedication was held on the same day to present the Wall of Honor and its first inductees to the public.

The park, which is located just east of the Carmichael-Fair Oaks border at 6827 Palm Avenue, off Dewey Drive, features the latest in park designs with walking paths, a playground, a picnic area, a basketball court and a butterfly garden.

But it is the Wall of Honor, which is the park’s most treasured feature.

The wall features 11 plaques with the names of local heroes, who gave their lives serving their country or community.

The Nov. 6 ceremony will honor former Navy pilot, Lt. j.g. David A. Warne, who was lost at sea at the age of 27 on Jan. 12, 1991 during a nighttime training mission over the Mediterranean Sea.

Tracy Kerth, recreation services manager of the Carmichael Recreation and Park District, explained the background of the creation of the Wall of Honor.

“We were trying to name the park and the community came forward and they said, ‘Well, how about we name it after this young man (the late Army Sgt. Ronald L. Coffelt), who grew up in the area and his family still lives here.’ But then we started thinking about all of our heroes. So, then we thought about naming (the park) Patriots Park and having a Wall of Honor and that would include not only military people, but it would include firefighters and police and CHP and Sheriffs and civilians who died in the line of duty.”

With the creation of the wall, such local heroes who resided, worked in or served the community within the park district boundaries could be honored as part of this lasting monument.

This honor is available to those who showed acts of courage beginning as early as 1945, when the district was established.

Nominations for candidates for the Wall of Honor are accepted until July 31 every year.

Official nomination forms are available through the district’s Web site www.carmichaelpark.com or by calling (916) 485-5322 to arrange for a form to be mailed via the United States Postal Service.

The first inductees

The first inductees to have their names placed on plaques and displayed on the Wall of Honor were:: As previously mentioned, Coffelt was the inspiration for the Wall of Honor.

Army Sgt. Ronald L. Coffelt

Raised within walking distance from the park, Coffelt, a graduate of Del Campo High School, died on July 19, 2007 from wounds that he suffered as a result of a bomb that exploded near him in Baghdad.

Army Spc. Raymond Nigel Spencer, Jr.: Spencer, who was raised in Carmichael and excelled in hockey during his youth, was killed less than a month prior to Coffelt’s death when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device and small arms fire.

Sheriff Deputies Kevin Patrick Blount and Joseph Kievernagel: Blount and Kievernagel, who worked as partners in the North Division serving Carmichael, lost their lives during a burglary call on July 15, 2005, when the engine of the helicopter they were flying failed and the helicopter crashed.

CHP Officer Ronald Eugene Davis: Following his graduation from the California Highway Patrol academy, Davis moved his family from Carmichael to Barstow.

Davis died at the age of 25 when he was driving about 100 miles per hour while en route to a traffic accident.

When a pair of motorists failed to heed his siren, Davis, in order to avoid a collision, died when he drove off the highway into the desert.

Army 1^st Lt. Robert Scott Byrnes: A graduate of La Sierra High School, Byrnes, a former lifeguard and swimming instructor at Carmichael Park, lost his life in Vietnam.

Firefighter Dean Wesley Rhoades: An El Camino High School graduate, Rhoades died shortly after fighting a house fire in Carmichael on Jan. 6, 1981.

The second inductees

Last year, plaques for the following inductees were also added to the wall:

Army Spc. James Edward Schlottman: An El Camino High School graduate, Schlottman was killed by a booby trap while on patrol in Vietnam on Aug. 22, 1967.

Sgt. Brian E. Dunlap: A graduate of Del Campo High School, Dunlap was killed at the age of 38 on Sept. 24, 2005, when a roadside bomb exploded during his patrol in northern Baghdad.

Sgt. Larry Morford: The courage of Morford is recognized in the book, “The Least Beastly,” by Bernard “Burn” Loeffke.

Within a memorial tribute to Morford in this book, it is explained that despite being a young man who did not believe in war as a method of resolving disputes, Morford felt that he could not stay at home knowing that other young men were fighting for his country.

On Feb. 12, 1970, Morford, a graduate of La Sierra High School, was killed at the age of 21 in Vietnam while serving in his patrol just a few days prior to when he was scheduled to return home.

Cpt. Olin E. Gilbert, Jr.: While flying an F-106 in a training mission at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida on June 11, 1968, Gilbert was met with the plane’s sudden mechanical difficulties.

Instead of parachuting to safety, Gilbert, a Vietnam veteran, piloted the plane out to sea and away from coastline homes in Port St. Joe, Fla.

This act of heroism cost Gilbert his life, but in turn saved the lives of many other people.

A special honor for a local heroUnlike the previous two Wall of Honor ceremonies, the upcoming Nov. 6 ceremony will honor only one inductee.

This year’s inductee, David A. Warne, formerly resided in Fair Oaks and graduated from Sacramento State University in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.

David, who enjoyed skiing and fishing and briefly worked at Aerojet prior to entering active duty in the Navy in 1987, completed his pilot training two years later and was assigned as an F/A-18 pilot.

Although David has a marker in the Arlington National Cemetery, since his body was never recovered after he was lost at sea, it was not possible for his remains to be buried in a local cemetery.

Because of this fact, David’s family and some of his closest friends, who will be attending the event, are additionally appreciative that David will have his name officially placed on the Wall of Honor.

David’s mother, Betty Warne, recently expressed her appreciation that her son will have a local memorial to honor him.

“We don’t have the grave marker here in the area for him, so that’s really nice to have (David’s name on the Wall of Honor) here in this area,” Betty said.

David’s father, Evans Warne, a retired Air Force colonel, pilot and Vietnam veteran, also expressed his appreciation that his son’s name will be placed on the wall.

“(Having David honored on the wall) means an awful lot to me,” Evans said. “It means that somebody is recognizing his service and that whoever goes to that park will realize what a sacrifice he made and recognize what he did.”

Lee Ann Yarber, administrative analyst of the park district, said that the ceremony, which will also be attended by park district advisory board members and Sacramento County District 3 Supervisor Susan Peters, is a great opportunity for the community to show appreciation for David, as well as other heroes of the Wall of Honor.

“We absolutely invite all the community to come out – anybody who ever lost a loved one or anybody who wants to pay honor to the family of the fallen hero,” Yarber said. “It’s just a nice ceremony, so come on out and honor our local heroes.”

About the time I reached twelve years of age, I had an accident while swimming at Glen Hall Pool. I dove too deeply into the shallow end of the pool and struck my face on the bottom.

As a result of the collision, I chipped my upper front tooth almost half off. A few days later I visited our family dentist. He put a silver cap on the damaged tooth and told me, “Since your teeth are still growing Marty, I can’t repair this damage until they have finished growing.”

So, that was that. The cap remained on the tooth until I reached 17 years of age.

I damaged my teeth even worse a year later, when I fell into a concrete porch while playing on Janey Way. That accident knocked my other front upper tooth completely out. So, in addition to the silver cap, I had a gap in my front teeth.

This damage to my teeth had an effect on me. One day, a boy looked at me and asked, “Where did you get that silver tooth?”

I responded, “What’s it to you?”

Fearing repercussions, he said nothing more, but having the silver tooth definitely embarrassed me. Over the next several years, I rarely smiled, and then, only with my mouth closed: a kind of Mona Lisa smile.

My friends were great, they never taunted me about this. Others were not so kind. 

Later, when I attended Sacramento High, I participated actively in athletics, grew up, and soon forgot about the silver tooth. However, people always thought me a very serious person, as I rarely smiled. My high school graduation picture reflects this serious demeanor.

In 1964, the summer after I graduated from high school, I went to the dentist for a routine checkup.

As he examined my teeth, he said, “Your teeth have fully matured now Marty. It’s time to put in a bridge where your two front teeth have been damaged.”

So, over the next few months, I saw the dentist several times. He made a plaster of Paris impression of my teeth and from that constructed a bridge to fill the gap between the teeth. Finally, he installed the bridge in my mouth.

After he put my new front teeth in and had adjusted them to fit properly, he said, “Nurse, take Marty over to the big mirror and show him his new teeth.”

When I looked into the mirror and smiled, a feeling of joy came over me which I can hardly explain.

For the first time in five years, my teeth looked straight and white and beautiful. After that, I smiled often.

People sometimes say to me, “You sure smile a lot.” And I do. My mother always said that a smile doesn’t cost one cent, yet sometimes it can bring joy to other people. Now the silver tooth of my youth is just another not very happy Janey Way memory.

marty@valcomnews.com