Many of their stories resemble one another. They didn’t know they were having a stroke at the time and then after going to the hospital the trials of recovery really began.  Some had a difficult time speaking. Others couldn’t move around nearly as much as before. And yet, a group of them has come together to strike out stroke with the River Cats.

Every Thursday at Sutter Hospital around lunchtime a stroke support group gathers to talk about and listen to problems that they may have.

On Thursday, April 18, Tony Asaro, community relations director for the River Cats paid the stroke support group a special visit and reminded the group that on May 5 when the River Cats take on the Las Vegas 51s a portion of the proceeds benefit stroke camp, a place that can further facilitate bringing back some autonomy that may have been taken away after stroke. Held this year from Sept. 27-30 in Silver Spur Camp near Sonora, stroke camp includes: activities, arts, tie dying, music, guest speakers and even music therapy, some of which are led by stroke survivors.

At that April 18 meeting at Sutter, the group of nearly 100 survivors not only heard encouragement from Asaro, they were also treated to silly skits and songs performed by their fellow group members, as well as enjoyed hot dogs, popcorn, Cracker Jacks, lemonade and cookies. And one of the survivors, who used to play softball, practiced pitching a ball against Asaro to gear up for the May 5 game.

The singers, led by Pocket resident Barbara LaPlaca and known as the Miracle Minstrels, are miracles to those who know them. Some of them had trouble speaking after their strokes, but they have joined the Miracle Minstrels to regain confidence and practice singing. A retired music teacher from Elk Grove, LaPlaca is a stroke survivor herself and said that even she can’t do what she used to musically. But the support group is powerful as are the minstrels who will sing the National Anthem at the May 5 game. The April 18 meeting was one more time to practice before the big day. Rounds of applause echoed through the room because many of them know from experience that just the act of speaking may seem like an impossible feat.

Speech therapist Renee Garner said the support group and even singing for some helps people regain confidence.

“I think what (the group) provides is that if their speech and language have been affected, which is at least half of the people, they get to be with people who are patient listeners. So it minimizes anxiety when having to talk,” Garner said.

Garner said some refrain from speaking with family or friends, but if they come into an environment that’s patient, with time, they will open up, talk more and realize it’s OK to struggle. “I think it can regain confidence,” Garner said. “I think there’s a tendency for one to isolate themselves if they have disabilities. For those who have strokes, there’s a tendency to become reclusive, to stay home and even isolate themselves from activities they have participated in years, so the social support is remarkable,” she said.

The River Cats started a new program this year called the 2013 Non-Profit Partner of the Night Program, said Land Park resident Stephen Caselli who is the group events account executive for the team.

Caselli said last season the River Cats only had a few days where nonprofit groups could sell tickets as a fundraiser and they realized having everyone here on the same day was not very effective, so this season they decided they would make every game this season available to nonprofit partners and let them pick the date that best fits their schedule.

“For those partners who commit to at least 500 tickets, they become our ‘Nonprofit Partner of the Night,’” he said. “This gives them the opportunity to raise over $2,000 in funds, participate in a pre-game check presentation, throw out the first pitch and set up a table on the concourse. This allows them to share information with all of our fans about their organization and how fans can get involved. They are also recognized throughout the game on the scoreboard,” Caselli said.

Last season the Sutter Stroke Support Group brought about 40 people out to a game as a fundraiser and had a good experience and everyone involved this year is all very excited about this game.

STROKE TIPS

Stroke signs and symptoms: Tess Carter, stroke coordinator at Sutter Roseville began Stroke Camp 10 years ago. She said some include: weakness on one side of the body, crooked face, sudden loss of vision.
Risk factors include: hypertension, high cholesterol, heart rhythm problems, smoking, obesity, lack of activity and heart disease.
Prevention measures: Take blood pressure medicine, heart medication, eat healthy foods, exercise.
What to do if you think you are experiencing a stroke: Call 9-1-1. Do not have someone take you to the emergency room. An ambulance would take you to the correct hospital as not all hospitals are primary stroke centers. Carter describes stroke centers, like Sutter, as those that are held to a higher level of accountability. It ensures they give you a medication called tpa, which Carter describes as “Draino for the brain” as it breaks up clots that would prevent blood flow to the brain tissue.

If you go

What: Strike Out Stroke with the River Cats
When:  May 5, game starts at 1:05 p.m., gates open at noon.
Where: Raley Field, 400 Ballpark Dr., West Sacramento
Why: May is Stroke Awareness Month and proceeds benefit stroke camp
Order tickets online:  www.rivercats.com/fundraisers and select Stroke Awareness Night; the offer code is “support”
For more information: Call Spencer and Arleen Ellis at 455-4821, Tess Carter at 801-5213 or Sue Coleman at 422-4537.

First place winning photograph “A Winter Morning” by Sierra Brown, senior at C.K. McClatchy High School.

Approximately 60 Pocket area students, parents and community members came out to the Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven Library on the evening of Friday, March 15, to see more than 40 photographs taken by teens not just in their community, but all over the world.

The showing was part of a photography contest held by the Teen Advisory Board (TAB) at the library. TAB members and C.K. McClatchy High School seniors Allison Yamamoto and Michelle Sarracino had come up with the idea for contest as a way for area teens to both express themselves and learn more about what the library offers.

Yamamoto hoped the event would help draw teens to the library for more than just completing school work, but to also “show that we have these events going on at the library that are open for students to participate in and get something out of,” she says.

“A Changing World”

Tracey Joe, youth services Librarian for Robbie Waters Pocket Greenhaven Library, says the library was happy to support TAB and the contest, as well as give local teens an opportunity to express themselves through art and show it to the community. “We just wanted to give them the opportunity to be creative and interpret it however they wanted to, and we thought it would be a really awesome thing that we could do for the community,” she explains.

The theme of the contest was “A Changing World,” which Yamamoto says they came up with when noticing the differences between generations that came to the library. “We thought it would be cool to see how other teens would interpret ‘A Changing World,’ whether they think it’s a good thing or a bad thing,” she explains.

Of the approximately 40 entries the photography contest received, 24 were from local students while 18 were from teens across the United States and even from other countries such as Peru and Australia. Yamamoto says she created a Facebook event for the contest, which helped spread the word to teens in other areas.

Sarracino was pleased they were able to include photos from teens all over the country as it would allow all those that attended the gala to “not just see the changing world around our community, but also expand their horizons and get a feel for how other kids see the changing world in other places,” she adds.

Kathi Windheim, president of the Friends of the Robbie Waters Pocket Greenhaven Library; Sierra Brown, senior at C.K. McClatchy High School and first place photography contest winner; Tracey Joe, youth services Librarian for Robbie Waters Pocket Greenhaven Library; Allison Yamamoto and Michelle Sarracino, both seniors at McClatchy.

And the Winners Are …

Four judges – including library staff Joe and Brendle Wells, branch supervisor; Kathi Windheim, president of the Friends of the Robbie Waters Pocket Greenhaven Library; and Corrie Pelc, reporter for Valley Community Newspapers – determined the winners of the contest, which included top three awards for local contributors, as well as an International Award, and awards for “Best Perspective” and “Most Moving.”

Top honors went to Sierra Brown, a senior at C.K. McClatchy High School who took first place for her photo “A Winter Morning.” “I found that flower in the garden and just thought it was really neat how it was a yellow flower, but had this white glistening signs of winter on it even though winter hadn’t hit yet, so I just took a picture of it,” she says.

Brown – who has been taking photos since the ninth grade – says her photo fits the theme “A Changing World” as it shows that the world is constantly changing. “We can see this best in even the most insignificant things, such as a simple yellow flower painted in winter’s frost,” she explains. “True, today winter is here and the flowers are dying. But not matter what, we can always expect that tomorrow will bring another sunrise, a new flower, and constant change.”

She also believes it’s “extremely important” for teens to have a way to express themselves, such as through photography. “The youth have such a different view of the world than do adults, and I think the best way to voice such a view is through artistic expression,” she says. “It’s great that teens have so many opportunities to share their expressions with others, such as the library’s photo show.”

Other local winners of the photography contest included Benjamin Potter, a senior at McClatchy, who took second place with his photo “Abandoned,” and Andrew Kageyama, a junior at Cosumnes Oaks High School in Elk Grove who took third place for his photo “Fall in Love.” Daniel Escobar, a junior at McClatchy, won “Most Moving” for his photo “Soarin’ Solar Dreams.” The “Best Perspective” award was given to Jonathan Beach from Los Angeles, while Ashleigh Polinelli from Perth, Australia won the International Award.

Joe says the library hopes to keep the photos from the contest on display for a few more weeks so community members who were unable to attend the gala can enjoy them.

And Sarracino hopes the contest will become an annual one, “but maybe bring in some other types of art as well,” she adds.

Back in the 1950s when I grew up on Janey Way, in East Sacramento, over 40 children called it their home.  We played together daily in the neighborhood and in the pit (the vacated sand and gravel site behind the houses on the eastern side of the block.)  We formed close friendships, and proudly called ourselves the Janey Way Gang.  But other neighborhoods in the area formed their own “gangs” too.
Three blocks away, the Pesce’s, Franzoia’s, Myais and others called themselves the O Street Boys.  We sometimes feuded with them.  Remember the story I wrote about Christmas Tree Wars.
Further south, across the railroad tracks, on T Street, another group of boys usually ran together.  They were the T Street Boys.  This group included guys I know well today:  Dan Blakolb, Don Fancher, George Vargas and Larry Simson.  Our gang often tussled with them in the pit.  We had no fist fights or anything like that, but rock fights were not uncommon.  We sort of figured the pit was our territory.  They had different ideas.  Fortunately, no one ever sustained serious injuries.
Just a few blocks west of Janey Way on 56th Street, Al Wilson, the Gilson brothers and Frank Masuda formed a small band of brothers.  They were a small group, however, and eventually merged with our gang.  Al Wilson and Mike Gilson attended St. Mary’s school with me, and usually came straight to Janey Way after school. 
Finally, over in River Park, some of my other St. Mary’s friends had their own gang.  Vince Angell, Richard Carroll, Tom Watson and Mike Senna often played in Glen Hall Park or over by the American River.  We rarely saw them near Janey Way though.  It was simply too far away from our neighborhood.
By the mid-1960s our world began to expand and some of these rival gangs became our good friends. 
Bob Pesce drove his car over from O Street to cruise with us on K Street, ride over to the river, or drive out to West Sacramento on Saturday nights to watch the hard top races.  We made him an honorary member of our gang. 
The T Street boys came over to play football or poker at the Ducray house.  They were a small group and ultimately joined forces with us.  Today, over 50 years later, we still maintain strong friendships with them.
Al Wilson and Mike Gilson joined us and became my close friends.  Sadly, they are no longer with us.
On January 29, 2012, my lifetime friend Randy Puccetti, held a reunion party at his home in Elk Grove.  Old Friends from Janey Way, O Street and T Street attended.  We shared good food and drink and reminisced about the old times on Janey Way.  Nowadays, the times we spent back then, playing and feuding in the pit, are just some other wistful Janey Way memories.

President Keiko Wong, speech contest winner Daniel Li, and Treasurer Judy Foote at this year's club level speech contest held on March 7, 2013. Photo courtesy Rotary Club of Pocket/Greenhaven.

Now in its sixth year, the Rotary Club of Pocket/Greenhaven has been doing what it can to help those at home and abroad with projects such as distributing dictionaries to third graders, launching a high school service club, supporting the Robbie Waters Pocket Greenhaven Library, and even helping to eradicate polio in other countries.

Although their club is small — with currently 14 members — President Keiko Wong says they do the best they can to help. “We are community minded … we try to brainstorm and think what can we do, where would the needs be,” she adds.

Judy Foote — a charter member, past president and current treasurer of the Rotary Club who was recently named Rotarian of the Year for their district — says the club helps meet the education and literacy needs of children in the Pocket area, and she believes by the club being involved in worldwide efforts they can share this information with family friends to make them more aware of what’s going on in other places. “All of a sudden we have a chance to have some concrete information to share with others, and I think it’s a wonderful thing to be able to do that,” she adds.

Helping Out

A number of the Rotary Club’s projects revolve around education and literacy. For instance, one project the Club recently completed on March 7 was the delivery of about 75 dictionaries to third graders at Yav Pem Suab Academy in the Pocket. Wong says this is the third year the Academy’s third graders have received dictionaries. “A lot of times the kids may not even own a book, so this is a wonderful thing for them to have and they get to take it home and it is there’s – we label it and put their name on it,” she explains. “They’re just thrilled to death to receive that.”

Another project of the Club is helping the Friends of the Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven Library with their book sales. Wong says the next Friends of the Library book sale the Rotary Club will be helping with will be held on March 23.

Foote says the Club helped with book sales early on before the library was built and they were held in the Elks parking lot by helping set up and take down the book sales and sell the books. Now the Club still helps the Friends by working at their large book sales during the year, and helping to keep the book sale storage areas organized. “It’s a wonderful place for us to at least make sure that we have books in the hands of kids,” Foote adds.”

RotaryPocket_Pic2

Third graders at Yav Pem Suab Academy enjoy reading the dictionaries donated to them by the Rotary Club of Pocket/Greenhaven on March 7, 2013. Photo courtesy Rotary Club of Pocket/Greenhaven.

However, the Club also has a number of community efforts throughout the year. For example, on April 21 the Club will hold a Rotary Day fundraiser at the River Cats with a portion of tickets going towards helping to end polio, Wong says. Additionally, Wong says the Club provides a number of tickets to a community youth group to attend who may not normally have the opportunity to attend a River Cats game. Last year the Club sponsored a group of 20 high school students to the game. “It was special for them and special for us to give back to the community,” Wong adds.

And on July 25 from 9:30am to 1:30pm, the Club will hold its 2nd Annual Blood Drive with BloodSource. Wong says a mobile unit will be parked at Pacific Business Centers at 1104 Corporate Way next to Greenhaven and South Land Park. Those interested in donating blood can contact Tracy Wilson at 395-4400 to make an appointment.

Supporting the Future

One local student that has become quite involved with the Rotary Club of Pocket/Greenhaven is Daniel Li, a senior at John F. Kennedy High School. Since his sophomore year, Li has won Rotary’s annual speech contest on the club level — including just winning this year’s contest on March 7, for which he will compete on the district level in Elk Grove on April 2. Last year Li won both the club and district levels and took second place in the regional speech competition.

Additionally, last year Li was selected by the Club to be sponsored for RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award), which Wong says is a week-long leadership/motivation camp usually in the Tahoe area. “They learn all sorts of leadership skills and get in touch with themselves and learn to take it to the next level,” she explains.

Li says the opportunities he has had through the Rotary Club so far have been “pretty exciting” and allowing him to expand his ideas and express himself in a way he does not normally get to. And he says his RYLA experience was “fascinating” as it was the first leadership camp he ever attended. “(RYLA) provided a really great foundation for me for the rest of my life in terms of leadership and communications and just finding out things for myself,” he says.

Charter members of the new Interact Club at John F. Kennedy High School, which was charted on February 13, 2013 in the Kennedy Little Theater. Photo courtesy Rotary Club of Pocket/Greenhaven.

Interact Club

Through RYLA, Li says he was able to meet those that were involved in Rotary’s Interact Club, which is a service club for high schools. “I was very interested in forming one at JFK to provide the foundation for other Kennedy students,” he says.

After returning home with the idea of an Interact Club and getting support from his school, Li and the Rotary Club of Pocket/Greenhaven charted a new Interact Club at John F. Kennedy High School on February 13.

Currently with 50 members, the Interact Club has been busy with a number of fundraisers, including one that helped raise money for polio vaccinations in countries that cannot afford it, as well as a fundraiser through the international disaster relief charity ShelterBox to aid victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Li — who is president of the Interact Club — says they are working on new fundraisers, including selling bento boxes at JFK in May, as well as holding some car washes and helping out with book sales at the Robbie Waters Pocket Greenhaven Library.

Foote says the Rotary Club is very proud of the Interact Club and the fundraising work they have done so far. “Youth of today, they’re so excited and encouraged and they want to act — they don’t want to sit back and listen, they want to do something,” she says. “They’re the leaders of the world, that’s our future, and I think to be cognizant of the needs of the world and helping people instead of fighting people is going to make a huge impact on our world.”

Li says by being part of the Interact Club he has learned there is a need to help, and if he and his peers band together and unify themselves, they have the power and will to make a change. And he also says being involved with the Rotary Club has made a very good first impression and has plans on joining a local chapter in the future. “It is a club that I will definitely join on the college level, and that’s definitely something I’ll want to be a part of for the rest of my life,” he says.

The Rotary Club of Pocket/Greenhaven meets every Thursday morning from 7:30am-8:30am at Aviator’s Restaurant at the Sacramento Executive Airport. For more information, visit pocketgreenhavenrotary.org, or call Keiko Wong at (916) 718-7400.

Bob Rogers is a GSSC player and tournament star as well as a long-time sponsor of the Golden Seniors. When he played he was a manager, pitcher and infielder. Lou Coppola describes him as a versatile player. / Photo courtesy of Lou Coppola

For more than 30 years, the Golden Seniors Softball Club of Sacramento has been one of the nation’s bedrock organizations for slow-pitch players who have reached the age of 50. The club has about 450 members and provides nearly 420 games from mid-March into September.

Close to 100 of these members like it so much that they play in more than one of the club’s six leagues. For many, there is no such thing as “enough softball.” But there is plenty of room for someone new to the game, or who hasn’t swung a bat in more than a decade. “Hey, it can be like riding a bike. Just get back on and enjoy the ride,” said the club’s president, Tom Sansone. “Softball can really be a game for the ages — and the ageless.”

Playing 22-game schedules, there are three six-team night leagues for players 50 and over at the Sacramento Softball Complex — Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, with games at 6:30, 7:45 and 9. Two leagues play on Tuesday mornings, also at the Complex, for players 60 and older. The club’s Monday morning league at Howe Avenue Park is for players at least 70.

Sansone, 65, said playing softball at this stage of his life has been a very satisfying experience. “It gives me incentive to exercise and try to stay in shape. I enjoy the camaraderie. There are a lot of people who are really dedicated to this club. I urge anyone who wants to continue playing softball well beyond their middle-age status to check us out. You’ll be impressed with our quality of play.”  The Elk Grove resident pitches on Tuesday morning teams and is entering his 11th season with the club.

Mel Tennyson joined the club in 2009 when he was 55. He now plays in all three night leagues and serves as the commissioner in charge of the club’s Tuesday night league. He also plays for a nationally ranked traveling tournament team. Mel, a West Sacramento resident who pitches and plays the outfield, said, “I love the game” and the Golden Seniors club has provided opportunity to play with and against people more his own age while being more relaxed and less-competitive than his tournament team. “It keeps me healthy and I enjoy meeting people. I play softball for athletic and social reasons. My advice to anyone thinking of playing ball is to come out, have fun and stay young.”

Anita Kemp, 53, who resides in south Sacramento, joined the club in 2011 and became a fixture at third base, first base or catcher on Tuesday nights. She plays on a couple of coed teams and said she wanted more softball, so a friend suggested she try the Golden Seniors. How has it worked out? She said she has not been disappointed and felt welcomed as a new member. “It’s fun, to be honest with you. My other leagues are real competitive, true 5-women, 5-men coed teams.” The Golden Seniors is “really a fun league.” And when a guy thinks he can hammer a grounder by her at third, she said she takes a great deal of pleasure in her ability to throw him out.

The GSSCS Tuesday night league has about a dozen women spread among six teams. The club would like to attract more women, and Anita said more women would join if they knew about Golden Seniors. The club needs to advertise.” (Note the ad in this newspaper.) “Everyone gets along and gives you a pat on the back. It’s a friendly environment.”

The Wednesday and Thursday night leagues attract more competitive players, many who also play on tournament teams.

Ernie Kidwell is one of 137 current Golden Seniors “life members” who have played at least 15 consecutive years and attained the age of 75 or 10 years and celebrated their 80th birthday. Kidwell, who will turn 81 this year, lives in north Sacramento near Carmichael. He joined the club in 1991. He began playing in the night leagues and for the past decade has been playing Mondays and/or Tuesdays.”Why do I continue to play? Because I just like to play. I like the camaraderie, the fellowship … Softball is a good reason to get up and go somewhere.”

While leagues for the 2013 season are scheduled to conduct drafts in February, the first league games are not scheduled until mid-March. Some leagues may have immediate openings for those wishing to sign up, or players can sign up, come out and play as substitutes or be permanently assigned to teams as roster vacancies occur.

The club’s fees are very reasonable, Sansone said, amounting to less than $5 a game, and include uniform jersey, cap and umpires. And the fees are prorated for players who come aboard later in the season.

The club has a website, www.gsscs.org, where details can be found on how to join. The club’s player agent, Myron Dahl (916 451-2450), can answer questions and provide sign-up forms. Each league plays 22 to 24 games in a season that runs into September and concludes with league championship playoffs and a picnic.

The health and safety of club members is of paramount concern. Anita Kemp said the toughest thing for her was getting used to the base-running rules that are designed to reduce the risk of injury from runner-fielder collisions or from awkward slides into bases. As many men and women join the club not having slid into a base in 20 years, sliding is not allowed.

Besides special base-running rules, members are encouraged to sign up for training in the use of the club’s defibrillators, or AEDs, and to become certified by the Red Cross in CPR. According to doctors, more than one Golden Seniors player is alive today because of this program and staying active on the ball field.

Ron Roach is the editor of GSSC’s ‘Dugout Chatter’ and active player in two leagues. Accompanied photos were taken by Lou Coppola.

Jade and Edmund Abay in the Pocket Bistro. Photo courtesy Pocket Bistro.

In December, Pocket residents Edmund and Jade Abay will celebrate the second anniversary of the opening of their restaurant, the Pocket Bistro.

Edmund says over the past two years, the restaurant has become a community fixture, making it a “meeting place for the community” where guests constantly run into people they know. “We give the community a place to call their own – if you live here in the Pocket, you know where Pocket Bistro is,” he adds.

This is one of the things long-time Pocket residents Marina and Jeff Armbruster love about the Pocket Bistro. The couple says they see people they know all the time at the restaurant. “It’s a neighborhood place,” Marina adds. The Armbrusters also enjoy the “friendly bar atmosphere” and “wonderful” food, especially the clam chowder.

The Opportunity

The Abays had always dreamed of owning their own restaurant as both have experience in the restaurant industry.

Originally from the Bay Area, Edmund had received a degree from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco in 1995, and then worked for a variety of restaurants in Washington, the Bay Area and Sacramento, from private-owned bistros to chains like Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse.

Jade grew up in the Greenhaven Pocket area, having attended Genevieve Didion K-8 School and Sam Brannan Middle School. She says she worked at various restaurants all through high school and college, focusing on the front of the house duties such as bartending, serving, hostessing, and training serving staff.

Now raising their children in the Pocket since 2003, the Abays found themselves with an opportunity to make that dream a realty in their own community. “We felt there was a need in the neighborhood for (somewhere) the community (could) go to have a good meal, have a cocktail or a nice glass of wine, and not have to go all the way downtown,” Edmund says.

The Food

For the menu at the Pocket Bistro, Edmund says his motto is to keep it simple, straightforward, and good. That starts with the ingredients – Edmund says he looks for the best quality at the best price so he can give his customers the best value.

Additionally, he strives to satisfy the tastes of the various ethnicities in the Pocket through the menu. “We have a large Asian community, we have a large Portuguese community, there’s a lot of meat and potatoes out there,” Edmund explains. He says he tries to satisfy all the diverse tastes through a smaller menu with specials that help add variety.

Asian marinated skirt steak from the Pocket Bistro. Photo courtesy Pocket Bistro.

Edmund says some of the popular items on the menu include the braised short ribs and the skirt steak that he says is marinated in an Asian “sweet soy” marinade. Scallops, halibut, rib-eye and prime rib are popular items occasionally on the specials menu.

In addition to its lunch and dinner menus, the Pocket Bistro now offers a brunch on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., offering items such as salmon eggs benedict, biscuits and gravy, and omelets. “We wanted a place on Sunday where you can enjoy brunch and not have to go all the way to downtown or to Elk Grove,” Edmund says.

And for the sweet tooth, Pocket Bistro offers a dessert menu with all items made in house and from scratch by a pastry chef. “We wanted to stay away from purchasing outside of the restaurant for our desserts and keep everything in house – that was very important to me to make sure that we try to make everything in house,” Edmund says. And he says again items on the dessert menu – such as the coconut bread pudding – reflect the various tastes of the Pocket community.

The Community

When developing the menus for the Pocket Bistro, the Abays also decided to include a kids’ menu. “In the Pocket, there are so many young families with children, (and) ourselves, we have three young kids,” Edmund says. “We wanted to also give the value there for the kids.”

Kids can choose from a kid-friendly item like chicken tenders or grilled cheese, plus they receive a potato, vegetable, drink and dessert. All of this is served on a ceramic “TV dinner tray,” which Edmund says gives it a unique twist.

For first-time Pocket Bistro diner Michelle Miranda, the kids’ menu offered her a “good value to enjoy dinner together” with her husband, two children and dining companion Anna San Juan, who was the one who had suggested they dine at the Pocket Bistro that evening.

San Juan describes the Pocket Bistro as a convenient, family place that offers “nice dinner cuisine” in the middle of the neighborhood. Both Miranda and San Juan plan to come back to the Pocket Bistro.

Additionally, Jade says they feel they give the Pocket community “somewhere they can take their friends and family to eat when they’re in town – they don’t have to go all the way to downtown.”

Pocket resident Loretta Manfre agrees. A frequent diner at the Pocket Bistro, on this particular evening she was happy to have a place to take her friend visiting from Saratoga. Manfre says the Pocket Bistro “brings upscale dining” to the neighborhood, which is “something we have needed for a long time.” Yet, she says it’s still “casual enough you can just call and walk in.”

The Future

So what does the future hold for the Pocket Bistro?

In the near future, the Abays plan to expand offering brunch to Saturday as well as Sunday. Edmund plans to expand the menu a bit more by adding some specials that have proved to be very popular. “That’s what we’ve been doing over the last couple of years, you find out what the community is responding to – is it more seafood, is it more meat,” he explains.

And Jade says they plan on keeping things fresh, fun and exciting to “keep everybody on their toes.” “We don’t want anybody to get bored, so we definitely have ideas for the future,” she adds.

Big plans are underway for The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, located at the corner of Alhambra and F Street. New facilities, such as a courtyard, education and administration buildings, will replace their aging counterparts. New parking areas will increase parking capacity and a new access drive will improve circulation, on and off site.
After more than 20 years of considering various options to build new facilities at other locations, the parish has committed to renew and invest for the future at its present campus.
To the church community, this renewal represents a like for like replacement of facilities centered on a new campus heart – the Kardia.

Here’s a bit of an overview
-The existing church will remain.  It has a seating capacity of up to 450 people and is 7,380 square feet.
-The Kendron, or multipurpose center (social, cultural, recreational), provides meeting and recreational space as well as a small religious bookstore.  Banquet seating capacity is 450. It’s a total of 22,500 square feet, with 17,000 square feet at the ground level and a 5,500-square-foot mezzanine.
-The education and administrative building provides administrative and education space necessary for operations and ministry functions. The administration wing includes offices for the secretary, priests, and parochial assistants (youth, visiting clergy), a library and meeting rooms. The education wing will support the parish’s daycare/preschool as well as its Sunday schools, youth programs and other various ministries that serve the community at large. This building will have two floors, totaling 16,800 square feet.
A project in phases
The project will be phased.  Phasing depends upon the success of fundraising.  It is envisioned that the Kendron can be initially developed, along with the Kardia and a portion of the parking lot.  Under this scenario, the Parish will continue to operate out of the existing Kendron until the new Kendron completed and ready for occupancy.  The next phase of the Master Plan would include adding the Education/Administration  Building, its adjacent outside play area, the remaining parking lot, the access drive and balance of the  Kardia enhancements.

A Proud Foundation
For more than 90 years, Greek Orthodox Christians have been served culturally and spiritually at facilities located at 600 Alhambra, just across from McKinley Park in East Sacramento.  Initially the existing Church was constructed in 1952 by a proud group of energetic and patriotic Greek Americans eager to lay the foundation their children’s future and the generations that would follow.  As time went on, the community grew to become an integral part of the Sacramento Metropolitan region and subsequent generations acquired much of the block bounded by F and G streets (to the north and south) and Alhambra Boulevard and 30th Street (to the east and west).
Additional facilities such as the education/administration building and Kendron (Social Hall) were constructed over the years and have come to comprise the Annunciation’s parish campus, which continues to serve Orthodox Christians of many backgrounds and ethnicities.

Changing needs and growth
Over the years the community’s needs have changed significantly from those of a few immigrant families from Greece.  The Annunciation Parish has become a thriving community of over five hundred supporting families with sister parishes in Elk Grove and Roseville.  To better meet present and future needs, the Annunciation  Parish has developed a Campus Master Plan that will replace its aging facilities and create a new parish identity.   In the same manner that earlier generations laid the foundation that enabled the community to grow, the new Campus Master Plan represents the Annunciation’s commitment to future generations, and reflects the Parish’s role as an integral and dynamic community of Sacramento.

A new parish campus vision and master plan
Over the past 20 years the parish has entertained other options to relocate its campus away from the current site, but none came to fruition due to conditions that were beyond the Annunciation’s control.  In June 2010 the parish decided that there was no better place than its present campus upon which to rebuild and renew the spiritual, cultural, and civic connections make up the very fabric of the Annunciation Community.   From this commitment a new Campus Master Plan – to be initiated in phases as resources allow – will enrich and enhance these very connections over the coming years.
The proposed Campus Master Plan is centered and organized around the Kardia (Greek for heart), a multi-function outdoor courtyard where the Annunciation will gather for cultural, religious, social, and community events.
It will front along Alhambra Boulevard and is situated between the existing Church and a new Kendron, which will replace the existing Kendron.  The Kardia will be paved and landscaped with shrubs, lawns and trees which will provide the shade, atmosphere and ambiance to transform the Kardia into a space that enhances the community and serves as the “Heart of the Campus”.
Further, the Kardia is envisioned to act as a complementary visual extension of McKinley Park (across Alhambra Boulevard) through  cool and restful shade found in its arcades and cloisters.  As noted above, the Parish’s existing Church – which fronts on Alhambra across from McKinley Park – will remain, on the north side of the Kardia.

Disclosure: Editor Monica Stark’s husband works for the architecture firm, Comstock Johnson, which is heading up the plans.

Francis High School students pack up 131,216 food items for Foodlink and Elk Grove Food Bank / Photos courtesy of St. Francis High School

Sacramento Emergency Foodlink and the Elk Grove Food Bank got a big boost from the St. Francis High School student body, which collected 131,216 cans and packages of nonperishable food items, breaking last year’s food drive record by 30,000 items.

Each fall St. Francis High School’s Homecoming festivities involve numerous activities designed to build class spirit and unity, from pseudo-sports competitions to creating elaborate, theme-based decorations, skits, dances, songs and cheers. The annual Food Drive is part of the competition among the classes and serves as an amazing display of the power of young women to optimize their resources and serve their community.

St. Francis High School students in the gym, displaying a portion of the 131,216 good items collected for Foodlink and Elk Grove Food Bank / Photos courtesy of St. Francis High School

Family connections in the food industry, grocery store requests and going door to door in their neighborhoods helped St. Francis students gather the extraordinary quantity of food, which included 1,008 ounces of baby formula, 17,328 cans of food from Raley’s, 9,952 cans of fruits and vegetables, and 77,000 boxes of Mac and Cheese.

The main beneficiary of the food drive, Sacramento Emergency Foodlink, serves over 150 local agencies and food closets throughout the Sacramento community. Thirty percent of the food collected will be donated directly to the Elk Grove Food Bank.

St. Francis High School students also raised money through recycling, bake sales and a portion of sales from Leatherby’s Family Creamery to raise $2,441 for Catholic Charities of Sacramento, Inc., an agency that provides a wide variety of social services to people and families in need throughout the 20 counties of the Diocese of Sacramento.

Students of the School of Engineering and Science stand in front of the school’s new Solar SunFlower, an 18-foot-high outdoor learning lab. Students can rotate the panels to see how much electricity the sun provides and study changes in the voltage and current being generated. / Photo courtesy

By planting Solar SunFlowers at Sacramento-area schools, SMUD is hoping to generate more than just electricity.

SMUD wants to generate interest in math and science – subjects that will help students develop the skills needed to adapt to a changing energy future.

Topped by six solar panels capable of generating nearly 400 watts of electricity, the Solar SunFlower is an 18-foot-high outdoor learning lab. Students can rotate the panels to see how much electricity the sun provides and study changes in the voltage and current being generated.

The energy readings are stored in a digital recorder that stores the information so students can use the data to perform calculations and conduct experiments.  Students can also plug their iPods, laptops and electronic devices into the SunFlower for charging purposes.

With funding provided by SMUD’s Community Solar program, SunFlowers have been installed at five local schools in the last year: the School of Engineering and Science in the Pocket area; Will Rogers Middle School in Carmichael;  Leo Palmiter Junior and Senior High School in the Arden area; Oakdale School in North Highlands; and Harriet Eddy Middle School in Elk Grove.

“To see the students’ reactions and to hear the questions they ask about the technology is worth every cent of the cost,” said Brent Sloan, SMUD project manager for the SunFlower. “The SunFlower delivers the practical knowledge. You can see the wheels turning in their thought processes. It’s a great learning tool.”

J.P. Leatherby, Elijah Leatherby, “Good Morning Sacramento” host Mark S. Allen, and Jake Leatherby get down and dirty in an ice cream eating contest during Leatherby's 30th Anniversary celebration in August at the Arden location. Photo courtesy Leatherby's Family Creamery.

In 1992, then Arden resident Kelly Joppa began an experience that would impact the next 20 years of her life by teaching her lessons that she would end up applying to many facets of her life, such as teamwork and generosity.
That experience was working for Leatherby’s Family Creamery in the Arden area.
Joppa recalls pursuing a job at Leatherby’s when in high school, thinking it would be a fun place to work. “I started off scooping ice cream like all of us do – back then it took two to three years to work up to being a waitress,” she says. In total, she worked about nine years at Leatherby’s including two years making ice cream, six to seven years waiting tables, and about a year in management.
Joppa fondly remembers working under her then manager Jennifer Leatherby, who she calls a mentor and friend, and Dave Leatherby, Sr. – known to most as “Daddy Dave” – and his wife, Sally. She talks about watching how generous the owners were in the community through food donations and taking part in fundraisers, and how they would hire people that sometimes other places would not to give them a chance.
“I was (around) 16 years old, seeing that and being impressed by it,” Joppa says. “I knew that not many places out there cared about the community in the way they did – they were just filled with generosity in that way.”
And it was these impressions that kept Joppa there for those nine years despite being wooed by other restaurant owners in the Sacramento area that told her she could make more money working for them. “I thought I love my job, I love the people I work with, I love the people I get to serve – it’s the happiest family-friendly environment,” she says. “The idea of making money wasn’t as attractive as knowing I had a great job with people who just enjoyed being there, and that’s what kept me around for all that time.”

Three happy ice cream makers at Leatherby's Family Creamery in the Arden area. Photo courtesy Leatherby's Family Creamery.

A Little History
That enjoyment of what they do seems to be one of the secrets to the success of Leatherby’s Family Creamery, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
According to Dave Leatherby, Jr. – who currently operates Leatherby’s with his brother, Alan – the idea for Leatherby’s started a little over 30 years ago when he, his father and grandfather decided they wanted to try forming a new business together, and so they began to look at different opportunities. “My Dad, Dave Sr., said I want to do something that is not just a business that makes money, I want it to do something that benefits the community,” Leatherby recalls.
During this time, the trio heard from one of Leatherby’s sisters about an old-fashioned ice cream parlor being run in Oakland that they should look at. “We drove down to Oakland and my father walked in and said, ‘this is it,’” Leatherby says. “He said look at this business that has been here for 70-80 years at the time. He said we can improve on this – keep what’s good and we can do this ourselves, and we did.”
From there, the Leatherby family – which at the time included 10 children – spent a year formatting their concept for the business through visiting ice cream parlors in California and developing and testing recipes, Leatherby says. Then on August 14, 1982, the first Leatherby’s Family Creamery in the Arden area opened for business.
This initial success of the Arden location found the Leatherby family inundated with requests from across the U.S. with people wanting to start their own Leatherby’s location. So Leatherby says the family decided to establish a franchise company, which resulted in the opening of 28 Leatherby’s location in six states. “At that time the family stayed here and ran the ice cream parlors, and my Dad and I started focusing our efforts on franchising,” Leatherby says.
That splitting of the family eventually resulted in the Leatherby’s selling their franchise company and concentrating their efforts closer to home. Today Leatherby’s manages stores in the Arden area, Citrus Heights – which originally started by the Executive Airport on Freeport Boulevard in 1985, and 22 years later moved to its current location – and the newest location in Elk Grove, which just opened in May.

Kelly Joppa's 2-year-old daughter, Leah, at the Leatherby's 30th Birthday party. // Photos by Corrie Pelc

I Scream, You Scream
Now 30 years later, Leatherby’s is still known mainly for its ice cream, served up in enormous sundaes, dripping with decadent toppings, and named after a Leatherby family member.
Leatherby says one of the secrets to their ice cream’s success is its freshness. Each store makes its own ice cream every day, which is frozen quickly in negative 30-degree freezers to ensure a creamy texture. Additionally, Leatherby’s only uses the highest quality ingredients they can find, including cream and milk from Foster Farms Dairy and Ghirardelli chocolate.
Each store also makes the various toppings they use in their sundaes. “We make all our caramel, chocolate, hot fudge – everything is made right here,” Leatherby says. “We have a great bit copper kettle that makes 50 gallons at a time.”
And the company even grows its own nuts. After realizing how much they were spending on purchasing almonds, walnuts and pecans, the family decided to purchase a walnut farm in Sacramento and took classes to learn how to farm. “We belong to a co-op where we turn in the walnuts that we don’t use here and we can exchange them for different kinds of nuts, so everything we use it generated from our farm,” Leatherby says.
Although Leatherby’s is known for some unique flavors, Leatherby says surprisingly their biggest seller is vanilla. At a close second is their toasted almond ice cream, which is used in the company’s number one selling dessert, Alan’s Black & Tan, which Leatherby says includes toasted almond and vanilla ice creams, caramel and chocolate sauces, and homemade whipped cream.
Today, Leatherby says about 70 percent of the stores’ sales are from ice cream and 30 percent from food from its lunch and dinner menu. “It’s very simple food that’s made to complement our ice cream,” Leatherby explains. “We don’t want people getting too full on food that they can eat our ice cream. We do have some people that come in and skip their meal and eat the ice cream for their meal – we get a lot of that.”

Two girls enjoy their Leatherby’s black and white sundaes. // Photos by Corrie Pelc

Then and Now
Over the last 30 years, there have been a few changes made to Leatherby’s Family Creamery. For example, Leatherby says the food menu has been expanded and now includes more salads. Additionally, the dessert menu now includes different size portions, as when the company first started only one size of sundae was available.
Changes have also come over the last few years with the economic downturn. To continue to make Leatherby’s budget friendly for families, the restaurant added a child’s menu and began offering meal specials at a discounted rate.
At the same time, many things about Leatherby’s have not changed, as attested to by Joppa, who during the last 10 years worked in commercial real estate, had two children, and successfully battled breast cancer. During this time Joppa also started a blog – myhonestwalk.blogspot.com – in which she talks about her fight against cancer and what she learned during her time at Leatherby’s.
Joppa returned to Leatherby’s in July as a manager at the Elk Grove location, and says everything is still done the same. “The size of our sundaes has not changed, the way they’re made has not changed – the product has stayed completely the same,” she says. “I think the value, the heart, the generosity – all of that (is still there).”
Leatherby’s also continues to do what it can to give back to the community. Leatherby says the company supports a number of charities, and also does a number of donations throughout the year, both in ice cream and certificates to the restaurant. “We believe very strongly that we have a responsibility to give back to the community in many different ways,” he adds.
Looking forward to the next 30 years, Leatherby hopes Leatherby’s Family Creamery will continue to be a wholesome gathering place for the community where every person is welcome. “They come, they feel welcome, and they find joy here,” he says. “I hope we can continue to do that in some fashion.”

corrie@valcomnews.com