Around Town Woodland

Hot Fun in the Summertime!

School is out, vacations are being planned, and there is a lot to do, whether you are traveling or staying in and around town. Inside you can find some great tips on camping safety, and how to prevent your “campouts” from becoming a disaster.

Enjoying the great outdoors is a favorite summertime activity, whether it be camping or just spending time in your yard. With the hot, dry days of summer here, David Giger offers valuable information on drought resistant plants.

Woodland has scored big with the Kids Triathlon coming to town in August. Details on this incredible event for kids ages 4-17 can also be found inside.

A historic landmark, the Capital Hotel, is currently being renovated in the heart of downtown Woodland, and you can read all about what is planned for this unique landmark.

Woodland has some exciting activities planned for the 4th of July celebration – everything from a pancake breakfast to a parade and fireworks. It’s an old-fashioned community celebration, and the whole town is invited!

All this, and the Community Calendar, inside. Read and enjoy. Have a safe and happy 4th of July, and lots of fun this summer!

Camping Safety

Roasting marshmallows on a stick, hot dogs on the barbeque, and fishing in a lake. Does any of this sound like fun to you? Camping is a great recreational activity that families can enjoy together. Whether you prefer camping with a pop-up trailer, RV, or getting closer to nature in a tent, the Fire Department would like to share with you some camping safety tips.

Keep your family safe while cooking in the great outdoors:

• Some national and state forests do not allow the use of camping stoves during high fire danger periods. Check to make sure that camping stoves, barbeques and campfires are allowed in your camp area.

• Do not use camp cooking appliances when it is rainy or windy.

• Make sure you have adequate lighting while cooking and preparing foods.

• Never leave your cooking area unattended while appliances are turned on or fires are lit.

• Wait until all cooking appliances have cooled before leaving your cooking area.

• Keep a 3-foot childfree zone around your cooking area.

• Keep your cooking area clean and free of clutter, especially from items like paper towels, paper plates, and other flammable materials.

• Keep dry leaves and pine needles away from your cooking area.

• Always include potholders, lids for pots and pans, and a fire extinguisher with your camping supplies. An ABC fire extinguisher is the most preferred.

• Never use water on a grease fire or try to move a pan with burning oil. If you feel you are able to hold a lid with an oven mitt and gently place it over the pan on fire without getting injured, do so. Do not move the pan until it has cooled.

Camping safety tips:

• Purchase tents that are UL listed as flame retardant.

• Set up tents away from the campfire area.

• Use flashlights or battery powered lanterns inside tents or other enclosed spaces.

• Always build your campfire down wind, away from your tent.

• Build your campfire in an area that is free of vegetation.

• Make sure your fire pit is deep enough to keep the fire contained and that there are rocks surrounding the pit.

• Store lighter fluid away from tents and campfires.

• Always put out a campfire before going to bed or leaving the campsite.

• To extinguish the fire, cover it with dirt or pour water over it.

• Keep pets out of the cooking area.

• Keep pets away from campfires.

• Always carry water and some food while hiking.

• Do not park cars or RVs over dry vegetation, this can cause a fire.

• Be aware of your surroundings while smoking.

The Fire Department would like to wish you and your family a fire-safe and fun camping season! If you have any questions please call your local Fire Department.

Largest Kids Triathlon in the U.S.A.!

7th Annual California Kids Triathlon relocates to Woodland

What started out 6 years ago as a fun way to fill a summertime void has blossomed into the largest kids triathlon in the country with over 1,000 participants.

Conducted in a traditional swim-bike-run format, the California Kids Triathlon provides athletes (ages 4-17) of all abilities the chance to participate in a fun, safe and most importantly, a fitness-based event. The philosophy behind the triathlon is to build self-confidence as well as to encourage a foundation for daily exercise.

“Woodland is a city that our foundation has been eyeing for quite some time”, states Dave Miramontes, president and Executive Director of A Change of Pace. “The City of Woodland offers the perfect market and demographic to serve one of our boards’ goals: to educate, promote and enable ALL kids the opportunity to participate in highly visible, well-attended and professionally produced event that is build around youth fitness”.

The California Kids Triathlon is more than your average city-based event; it is a regional attraction with a national recognition. In a nutshell, we have reintroduced three common sports in a simple, pure and non-competitive manner. By doing so, we brought the fun back to exercise with no strings attached. Everyone who participates is a winner and even our faster athletes blend in with each and every finisher. The common goal for all is to simply to give it a TRY (tri).

By placing 100% of our focus on attempt and completion rather than placement and time, we create a stress-free environment that enables kids to enjoy themselves without any pressure from an outside source. Competition, high expectations, and the possibility of failure have taken the fun out of many sports and caused hesitation toward future participation. Our company believes the California Kids Triathlon is a perfect example of how one can successfully bring the fun back in youth competitive sports while reducing the intimidation factor.

With the rise of childhood obesity and Type II Diabetes continuing to affect our nation, large-scale, well-publicized and well-executed events such as the California Kids Triathlon can serve as an incentive for exercise as well as an event for others to mimic. In California, we seem to have rediscovered a goldmine. With only 1,000 spaces available….let the gold rush begin!

SPECIFICS:

Event Name: California Kids Triathlon
Location: Woodland, CA
Date: August 10, 2008
Years in Existence: 7th Annual in 2008
Participation: 1,000 athletes ages 4-17
Event Producers: A Change of Pace Foundation
Event Director: Dave Miramontes
Phone: (530) 757-2012 ext. 13
Fax: (530) 758-1850

• E-mail: davem@changeofpace.com

Website: www.changeofpace.com

Historic Hotel to be Re-born

New vision planned for Capital Hotel

By Crystal Lee

The historic Capital Hotel in Woodland’s downtown is expected to open this fall fully restored and with an expansion to the back of building. The 12,000-square-foot, three-story 1868 Italianate-style brick building at 601 Main St. had been vacant for several years. Pilot Properties in Elk Grove bought the building in 2006 and construction began early this year.

Pilot Properties CEO Tim Mullikin plans to convert each floor of the building into restaurant, office and lofts space. Mullikin said he expects work on the entire building to be complete in October.

If the timing is right, the ground-level restaurant could also be opening that same month, he said. “All the permits are in,” he said. “Now it’s just a matter of working full speed ahead.”

The restaurant, which has an alcohol license, will operate as Capital Saloon & Grill unless someone makes an offer to rent the space, Mullikin said. In which case, the tenant can serve any type of food and operate under a different name if desired. “I always like to be flexible,” Mullikin said.

Recently, Mullikin chose charcoal, green and white paint colors for the building’s exterior and the foundation is being laid for the one- story, 3,000-square-foot expansion in the back. The framing and plumbing is also being put in for office space and five 500- to 900-square-foot lofts for lease on the second and third floors, respectively.

Mullikin said he hasn’t “really pushed it” yet, but there has been some interest in the lofts. He said he also hopes to find tenants for the offices soon, since the area can still be adapted to tenants’ requests.

The building was originally called the Planter House before being renamed the Capital Hotel. It had 54 rooms and also included a barbershop and saloon on the premises. A Mexican restaurant and bar that was open for several years in the 1990s was the building’s most recent tenant.

An Old Fashioned 4th of July Celebration

With the high price of gasoline these days, there is no need to travel out of town to enjoy the 4th of July holiday. Woodland has a lot of activities taking place to celebrate our nation’s Independence Day, so no matter what your plans are for that day, you and your family have the opportunity to enjoy some, if not all, of them.

The City of Woodland Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department will kickoff the 4th of July Holiday with their Annual Fun Run/Walk. This family oriented event will start and finish at Pioneer Park located at 1925 Branigan Avenue. The run has been part of the City’s 4th of July celebration for over 15 years. Registration will be held at Pioneer Park from 7 to 7:45 a.m. The run will follow shortly after, around 8 a.m. Fees are $10 per person, which include a commemorative 2008 4th of July t-shirt. Participants interested in registering early can do so at the recreation office (2001 East St.) through June 30. Proceeds will go to the Woodland Recreation Foundation for next year’s 4th of July events. For further information, please contact Hector Lopez at 661-5880. Volunteers wanting to help out at this event are also urged to call.

Joining in as part of the community activities, local firefighters are sponsoring their annual pancake breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m. at Woodland Fire Station #3, located at 1550 Springlake Court. The menu includes pancakes, sausage, coffee and juice, and a whole lot of community spirit. The cost is only $3 per person, and children under 5 are free. The firefighters are also holding an Open House at the station, which continues until 12 noon.

After a hearty breakfast, the public is invited to the Stars and Stripes Scooter and Bike Parade from 9:15 until 11 a.m. starting at Heritage Plaza, on Second and Main Streets. Decorating begins at 9:15, with judging taking place at 10:15. The parade begins at 10:45 at Heritage Plaza and ends at Freeman Park, 1001 Main Street. Following the parade, Freeman Park hosts the Family Funfest from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.

No hometown 4th of July celebration would be complete without ice cream, so make plans to attend the Old Fashioned Ice Cream Social at the Woodland Community & Senior Center. The social event runs from 1 to 3 p.m., and cost is only $2 per person. The center is located at 2001 East Street.

For those seeking relief from the sizzling hot temperatures, a free Swimfest is being held from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Charles Brooks Community Swim Center at 155 N. West Street. The event features swimming music and a giant waterslide, offering a chance to cool off and have fun.

The Woodland High School Stadium at Beamer and California Streets offers a myriad of pre-show activities from 6 to 9:15. Visitors there can enjoy music, bounce houses, a rock climbing wall, and games, all free of charge. Donations for next year’s event will be gratefully accepted, and BBQ, hot dogs, hamburgers will be available for purchase.

The 4th of July festivities wrap up in a very traditional way, with the 16th Annual Fireworks Display from 9:30 to 10 p.m., featuring Brianne Wilson performing the National Anthem.

Drought Resistant Planting

By David R. Giger, The Garden Coach

Some say that we are in a drought year. When many home gardeners hear this they automatically start thinking of drought tolerant plants because they want to conserve water. You’d be surprised how much vegetation there is currently around your home landscape that doesn’t require a lot of water. There are also many plants you can install that are not super slurpers.

Those old shade trees around your house are a great example of plants you don’t worry about watering. The important thing to do of course is to deep water them for the first two years after planting. After that just be sure to keep your lawn at least 18 inches away from the base of the tree! Those big shade trees are also really important for water conservation all around your home. The more shade you have the less water you will be using on the rest of the plants, specially the lawn. Energy conservation of your home will be improved also.

Like trees, shrubs also do not need a lot of water after establishment. This is about a year after planting. Infrequent deep-watering is good. A drip system or soaker hose works well for this. Some shrubs don’t need much supplemental water at all like photinia, nandina and dodonaea (purple hop bush). This depends, however, that we get the normal rainfall in the winter. Also, soil type makes a difference. Heavy soils that are high in clay content will hold water much longer than sandy soil. This is a big problem with lavender in clay soils. The soil holds so much water that the plant gets root rot and dies. Your shrubs should stay healthy as long as you don’t prune them when the weather is hot and dry. Actually, only a few acid-loving shrubs such as camellias and azaleas need frequent watering.

Most perennials need regular water. That is when the top several inches of the soil is dry it is time to water. I have found that some perennials like agapanthus, common geranium and bearded iris are drought tolerant. Like lavender, armeria (sea pink) and scaevola don’t like wet feet. The main thing with perennials and shrubs is that they are in the right environment. If they are in the environment they are meant to be in they will be fine. This environment is usually listed on the plant tag. The Sunset Western Garden Book will also have all the pertinent cultural facts on your plants.

Some people recommend native plants. These are great because they are used to only what nature provides. You will have to look hard, however, to find them in nurseries. My favorite native is the California poppy. These are easy to find in seed packets. Just spread them in the fall. One great place to see and buy California natives is the UC Davis Arboretum (arboretum.ucdavis.edu). Also the Arboretum Terrace next to Borders Bookstore in Davis is a great little place to see hardy Central Valley plants together in a landscape setting.

-David R. Giger has been a professional landscape gardener in Woodland since 1993. He can be reached at Dmmegiger@aol.com.