Around Town Woodland

Fun in the Sun!

Summer is fast approaching, with sizzling temperatures and many opportunities to be outside having fun and enjoying many of the family oriented events and activities in our community.

Spending quality time as a family is increasingly important these days, so check out the information on page 7, courtesy of First 5 Yolo.

There is still time to do some garden work, but the type of plants you choose can make a difference to the ecosystem, so be sure to check out the information provided here.

For those who love hot rods and custom bikes, check out the Hot Rod Reunion and Motorcycle Show event at the Fairgrounds on June 8. Or take a motorcycle ride with Iron Steed Harley on June 28.
Check out the revised Community Calendar on pages 14 and 15 – June seems to be bursting with activities, so there is no lack of things to do.

All this, and more. Read and enjoy. Have fun in the sun!

Quality Family Time in Yolo County

Tips for Activities to Bring the Family Together

No matter how busy life gets, it is important for families to connect regularly. Studies show that spending time together as a family boosts children’s self esteem and promotes healthy social development. This quality family time is particularly important during a child’s first five years - the time when his or her brain develops most.

“Between work, school and other commitments, it is often difficult for families to sit down for even one meal together each day,” said Julie Gallelo, executive director of First 5 Yolo. “In spite of our limited time, it is important we find a time that works to connect with our children.”

Activities for the Whole Family - Spend time together doing a variety of activities suitable for the entire family.

• Start a family dinner tradition. Once a week, assign everyone a task to help prepare the family’s meal. Encourage your children to be creative with their jobs, whether it’s helping choose the menu, mixing ingredients or working with an older sibling to set the table.

• Host a weekly game night. Each week, have a different person in the family choose his or her favorite game to play.

• Spend time outdoors. Go for a walk together or ride bikes in your neighborhood, at a park or on the beach.

Activities for Parents - Parents are children’s first teachers. Spending time together is a great way for parents to encourage a love of learning in their children.

• Take a field trip. Visit a zoo or museum to learn about exotic animals, fascinating history facts and many other educational topics. Call local zoos and museums to see if they offer free or discounted tickets on certain days.

• Set a play date. Show your children the importance of play and exercise by taking them to a local playground or park. Challenge each other on the monkey bars and demonstrate your skills on the swings.

• Make every moment count. Use every moment together to learn from and listen to your children, even when running errands. For example, while grocery shopping ask your children questions about their favorite foods. Have your children help bag fruits and vegetables while describing each food’s shape and color.

Activities for Older Brothers and Sisters - Encourage older siblings to spend time with their younger brothers and sisters by sharing their interests and experiences.

• Share school stories. Have older siblings discuss what kindergarten or preschool was like for them.

• Encourage younger children to ask questions to make them feel comfortable in the classroom.

• Play teacher. Give your older children the job of playing teacher. Chal-lenge the big brother or sister to teach the younger ones how to do one of their favorite hobbies, such as dancing or drawing.

• Read by example. Send older siblings to the library to choose their favorite childhood books. Then, have them read to their younger brothers and sisters pointing out their favorite parts.

Activities for Grandparents - Grandparents have so much love to give to their grandchildren. Suggest these ideas to create new memories together.

• Create a craft box. Use everyday objects from around the house to create a special craft box for young grandchildren. Encourage grandparents to keep a box of scrap paper, stickers, stamps, crayons and scissors for art activities when grandchildren visit.

• Swap stories – both old and new. Suggest grandparents tell family stories, including tales from their childhood. To keep children interested, show photos to illustrate the stories. For added fun, challenge grandparents and kids to create their own silly stories.

• Prepare traditional family recipes together. Ask grandparents to prepare family recipes with the help of younger children.

For more information on quality family time activities or First 5 Yolo programs, call 669-2475 or visit www.First5Yolo.org.

About First 5 Yolo

Research shows that a child’s brain develops most dramatically in the first five years and what parents and caregivers do during these years to support their child’s growth will have a meaningful impact throughout life. In November 1998, California voters passed a statewide ballot initiative to add a 50-cent-per-pack tax on cigarettes. The funds collected are utilized to fund education, health, and childcare programs that promote early childhood development from prenatal through age 5. For more information about First 5 Yolo, please visit www.First5Yolo.org.

Plant Right

California home gardeners protect wildlands and wildlife by avoiding invasive plants.

By Ann Schmidt-Fogarty

With a burst of spring energy, California’s PlantRight campaign has kicked off across the state to empower home gardeners to avoid using invasive plants. Invasive species are the second leading threat to wildlife and biodiversity, and are expensive for public parks and agencies to remove. Although most garden plants are not a threat, more than half of invasive plants originally arrived through gardens and landscaping, so home gardening choices matter. The PlantRight campaign is led by a diverse partnership of the horticulture industry, environmental groups, scientists, public agencies and other experts to help home gardeners make smart gardening choices that protect California’s unique wildlands and wildlife.

“Most of the plants used in gardens and landscaping do not invade natural areas and harm wildlife. But a few species can – and do – escape from cultivated areas into open landscapes and cause serious ecological problems,” said Terri Kempton, PlantRight Manager at Sustainable Conservation. “Fortunately, there are plenty of beautiful, safe alternatives to invasives, so it’s easy for gardeners to find plants that will thrive in their yard.

For each region of California, PlantRight’s steering committee identified the problem plants and non-invasive alternatives that will thrive in that area. These are shown on the PlantRight website, www.PlantRight.org.

The PlantRight campaign asks gardeners to: (1) Avoid planting invasives; (2) Plant beautiful non-invasive alternatives; (3) Find local retail partners and other resources at www.PlantRight.org.

“Invasive plants like brooms, Arundo donax and iceplant cause significant harm to parks and natural areas across California,” said Ruth Coleman, Director of California State Parks. “They crowd out native plants, insects and animals. Once they take hold, they are expensive to remove or control. Invasions can also lead to flooding and fires.”

For example, Arundo donax (giant reed) forms massive stands that crowd out the native plants that provide valuable habitat for birds and other wildlife. At least 10 protected animal species in California, including the endangered bird the Least Bell’s Vireo, suffer habitat loss due to invading Arundo. These tall plants burn quickly and at high temperatures, allowing flames to jump streams that would normally act as barriers to the spread of wildfires. Safe alternatives include Clumping Bamboos (Bamboos multiplex, B. oldhamii, Fargesia nitida) and New Zealand flax (Phormium tenax cultivars).

Nationally, invasive plants cost more than $35 billion per year in eradication work and economic losses. In California alone, $85 million in taxpayer funds go to fighting invasive species every year. Fortunately, home gardeners and professionals are making smart choices to avoid planting invasive varieties.

“Plant growers, garden centers and landscaping professionals can help gardening enthusiasts find the perfect match for their needs,” said Bob Falconer, Executive Vice President, California Association of Nurseries and Garden Centers.

In addition to being environmentally responsible, some non-invasive plants offer additional benefits such as drought resistance, lower fertilizer requirements, attracting wildlife and reducing fire risks.

About PlantRight

PlantRight was created by the California Horticultural Invasives Prevention (Cal-HIP) partnership to help protect California wildlands and wildlife from invasive plants. Sustainable Conservation, a nonprofit organization known for forging lasting collaborative solutions to critical environmental problems, created the Cal-HIP partnership and manages PlantRight. www.PlantRight.org.

Iron Steed Chapter Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.)

By Keri Clements

The Iron Steed Chapter of Harley Owners Group invites all motorcycle riders to participate in their annual Poker Run this year on Saturday, June 28, 2008. The event will start at Iron Steed Harley-Davidson in Vacaville, ride through our area back roads with a few quick stops for leg stretches and will circle back to the Harley-Davidson dealership for a full BBQ Tri-Tip / Chicken lunch. Portions of this event will benefit local charities. This event is open to all motorcycle types & riders and includes lunch, games, live music, raffles and lots of fun!

The Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.) is an organization founded and sponsored by Harley-Davidson Motor Company. The group was established to offer motorcycling benefits and services to Harley-Davidson enthusiast throughout the world, and to develop a close relationship between the Harley-Davidson rider, the dealer, and the Harley-Davidson Motor Company. Currently there are over 1 Million H.O.G. members worldwide.

The purpose of the Iron Steed Chapter is to promote responsible motorcycling activities for Harley Owners Group members by conducting chapter activities and encouraging participation in other H.O.G. events. The Chapter’s events are family oriented and non-political. Each Chapter is sponsored by a Harley-Davidson dealer and in our case this is Iron Steed Harley-Davidson located at 100 Auto Center Dr. in Vacaville. Iron Steed Harley-Davidson, formerly known as Vacaville Harley-Davidson, has recently changed hands and is under new ownership.

Our chapter has over 200 members all supporting our goal of “riding and having fun”. On any weekend, there are motorcycle events in the Northern California area sponsored by H.O.G. Chapters and other motorcycling groups such as poker runs, observation runs, and tours.

Iron Steed H.O.G. volunteers in the community with various projects such as working traffic control and security at Merriment on Main in Vacaville, the Vacaville Toy Run during the holidays, and Ronald McDonald House in Sacramento. We have been working closely with Ronald McDonald House for several years helping with their annual Christmas Party, Easter Egg Hunt, fund raising, and have been selected as one of their volunteers of the year in the past. We support Opportunity House with donations of supplies, Vaca FISH with food and support during the holidays, and have worked with Court Appointed Special Advocate of Solano (CASA) in fund raising.

As a group, we have rides each month for our members to sites in the local area, on the coast, and the in the Gold Country. We have day rides and also plan overnight trips with our longest being to the 105th Anniversary of Harley-Davidson/25th Anniversary of H.O.G. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 2008. This group likes to travel and attends National and State H.O.G. Rallies annually as opportunities allow.

Ladies of Harley (L.O.H.) is a part of our group encouraging women in their pursuit of “riding and having fun” on motorcycles. L.O.H. sponsors rides and has regular dinner meetings – L.O.H. activities and dinners are open to all members and not limited to ladies only.

To join the Iron Steed Chapter of H.O.G. you must be a member of H.O.G. National and own a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. If you would like further information about the Iron Steed Chapter, contact the Director, Keri Clements, at 510-691-6553.

Woodland Street Cruisers - How It All Started

By Larry Vogelesang

Everyone has heard of Hot August Nights in Reno, Nevada. It is one of the biggest attractions for classic and hot rod cars in the nation with more then 5000 cars registered. Did you know that the original Hot August Cruise Night started in Woodland in the late Seventies? It all started with Bob Blair and other local car enthusiast cruising Woodland’s main street on the weekends.

In 1984 it developed as an all day event. The idea came from Woodland Street Cruiser members Manual Arteche, Fred Broesch and Doug Souza to make it more of an organized event and the Hot August Cruise Night was started. The Show and Shine was in the morning and afternoon and the cruise in the evening. With more then 800 cars registered for the Show and Shine the cars lined up on Main Street from California to Sixth Street.

Many residents in Woodland volunteered to help from crowd control to blocking the side streets. You could find the Boy Scouts on the side streets helping with blocking traffic The Cruise also had a lot of help from the Police Department. Many of the businesses got involved from sponsoring to helping with the raffle prizes. Some of the prizes were car engines and even a restored classic car was a prize one year.

It was a big party with craft and food booths and a dance in the evening. The evening had some of the biggest names of the 50 and 60 music scenes performing in Heritage Park. In 1994 a pre cruise night prom was started and held at the Woodland Hotel. Where ’50s and ’60s dress was encouraged.

Hot August Cruise Night was for many years one of the biggest attractions in Yolo and the surrounding counties. Cars as far as the bay area were registered for the Show and Shine.

Finally in 2000 it was the last Hot August Cruise Night as an event. The Hot August Cruise Night became more difficult to set up and have adequate crowd control. In May of 2000 another event was started with some of the members wanting to have an event at the Fairgrounds that could be better controlled. It was called Hot Rod Reunion and Motorcycle Show. To help get the event going some of the local car enthusiasts brought multiple cars. Charlie Lillard brought over four and Joe Hiedrick Jr. more then six.

The Woodland Street Cruisers since 2000 have held the Hot Rod Reunion and Motorcycle Show event at the Fairgrounds. There are now over 200 cars and motorcycles that will attend the event. Many of the car owners come back year after year because it is a fun show for the entire family. The Hot Rod Reunion and Motorcycle Show has food, craft vendors, music and something for everyone. Since 2006 B.A.C.A. (Bikers Against Child Abuse) and the Roadrunners Motorcycle Club have helped with setting up this event.

The event is usually on the first Sunday in June. This year’s event will be on Sunday June 8th. Many of the local sponsors of the Hot August Cruise Night are also sponsoring the Hot Rod Reunion and Motorcycle Show. The sponsors are a very important to the success of the yearly Show.

The Woodland Street Cruisers is a nonprofit organization and proceeds from the Show go back to the local community. The Woodland Street Cruisers are always looking for new members for the Club. You do not have to own a classic car but just love the old classic cars. It is a good way for new car enthusiast to get to ask questions from the other members on building or restoring a classic car. The meetings are on the second Tuesday of the month. For more information on the Woodland Street Cruisers call Larry 530-662-3814 or hotrodreunion@yahoo.com.

Melissa Chandon mural unveiled at Woodland Children’s Clinic Grand Opening

Much anticipation was brewing in Woodland as the newest state-of-the-art medical office building geared up for it’s opening 58,000-square-foot complex on May 15, 2008.

The work of Melissa Chandon embraces a wide range emotion, both figurative and abstraction- Her most recent painting is dedicated to her parents Howard and Anne Chandon of Esparto, California.

The mural, which measures 8 feet high and 16 feet wide, provides a beautiful center piece for the striking new building of the Woodland medical office building was designed by Boulder and Associates Architects, which specializes in creating hospitals and medical office buildings that pair function and smart technology with beautiful aesthetics.

The building, which is sleek and contemporary but also warm and welcoming, was designed to fit in with and enhance the surrounding neighborhood. “It’s a much nicer, more modern facility,” Dr. Ormiston says. “The physicians who have toured the building are really excited.”

Ms. Chandon, states- “My inspiration came from the local landscape. I tried to use strong colors to create the feeling of vastness that the opens spaces offer.”

Chandon first painted a prototype and submitted it to the committee for their approval. The prototype for the hospital was chosen for the cover of the May edition of Southwest Art magazine, a national publication. Ms. Chandon is featured as a contemporary painter in a multiple page article on her work and her sphere of influences.

She is a fifth generation resident of Yolo County. The mural will be donated to the Woodland Clinic by Ms. Chandon’s siblings in memory of their parents, Howard and Anne Chandon.The brand-new facility, located in Woodland on the corner of West Gibson and Cottonwood Street, 58,000-square-foot complex was designed to replace a number of medical offices that are currently scattered throughout the hospital’s campus. The idea was to put all of the services that are most frequently used by patients in one place, making a visit to Woodland Healthcare easier and more convenient.