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April 9, 2015Volume I Number 14

The Times-AdvocATeServing Valley Center

See BANK page 16

Teen entrepreneur Cole Striler is an ambitious young man who already has an amazing business sense.

Page 8

Coates MatriarchNancy Coates, a major benefactor of the History Museum, whose family owns Guejito Rancho, died March 12.

Page 9

See PAGEANT, page 16

Western Days committee members: ‘It’s all about working together for the community’

“Nobody was hurt,” says bank man-ager Nicky Lovejoy through the glass door Friday after the robbery attempt.

The unified Western Days committee, Ron Johnson of the Optimists, Joyce Holmes of the VC Stampde Rodeo and Stuart Holthaus of the VC Chamber of Commerce.

Learning CPR—

The first thought most people have when hearing that a bank in Valley Cen-ter has been hit by a robber is: “Oh it must be the Western Days outlaws!”

Friday night’s attempted robbery of California Bank & Trust was not staged for Western Days, however. It was the real thing. No one was hurt, however.

The incident occurred about 5:15 p.m., 45 minutes before the bank nor-mally closes on a Friday night.

According to a witness the robber, wearing a ski mask and carrying a back-pack, drove up to the bank in a black four door Impala without any plates, got

Bank robbery attempt fails

Saturday’s Valley Center Stam-pede Rodeo Queen’s Pageant crowned Bridgette LaHaye as Queen, Molly Fagan as Junior Queen, Kaylee Tate as Young Miss, and Samantha Picot as Little Miss.

San Pasqual Band of Mission Indi-ans opened up the gates of Indian Hill

Ranch for the Horsemanship portion of the 2015 Valley Center Rodeo Queen Pageant on April, 4.

The ranch offered the contestants the perfect location to show off why they should be the 2015 Valley Center

Valley Center’s new rodeo queens. See story.

Stampede Rodeo crowns four queensMalcolm Baum performing CPR on a manikin, with Ben Thompson instruct-ing. The local Cub Scouts visited the Lilac Fire station recently and got in-structions in CPR and lots of great tips on fire prevention. See another photo on 4.

By DAVID ROSSRon Johnson, Joyce Holmes and

Stuart Holthaus are meeting regular-ly to hammer out details of Western Days. Johnson, of the VC Optimists, Holmes, chairman of the VC Stam-pede Rodeo and Holthaus, president of the VC Chamber of Commerce, are the troika running the festival this year.

Also part of the committee is John McGlenn, although he doesn’t repre-sent a particular group.

The Optimists are sponsoring the entire celebration, which includes three days of activities the Memorial Day weekend. Entry is free to the fes-tival, although it costs $15 to attend

the rodeo (kids under 12 get in free), which will be held Friday and Satur-day afternoons.

Holmes is again running rodeo operations on the Belanich property. The festival itself will be held at VC Community Center. Holthaus and the

Chamber are in charge of the parade on the Saturday of the festival.

This year there is no competition between the groups. There will be only one Western Days t-shirt. The Cham-ber is producing it.

“I believe that all of us have seen things go awry in the past that we want to do it right this year,” said Holmes. “I like having peace in the Valley.”

“Everything is about the com-munity,” added Johnson. “That’s the primary thing. It’s not about making money. I have no idea how much we are going to make on this. That’s not the point. The more the community gets involved in putting it on, the more we can give the VC Parks & Rec Dis-trict.”

He added, “We have to be united and with Stu and us all on the same page this year there is no battle.”

It costs about $10,000 to put on the parade, much of which goes to pay such things as a California Highway Patrol presence on the day of the event and to rent portable toilets along the parade route.

“The whole point of the parade is See FESTIVAL page 8

2 - April 9, 2015 The Times-Advocate

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The Times-AdvocateValley Center & Escondido, CA

PublisherKelly Crews

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AdvertisingMichelle WickBob Kimzey

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To advertise withThe Times-AdvocatePhone: 760-535-6166

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The Times-AdvocateValley Center & Escondido, CA

Phone: (760) 535-616629010 Lilac Road, Suite CValley Center, CA 92082

Region faces worst drought in anyone’s memoryHow will local water agencies cope with the governor’s new executive order?

Governor Jerry Brown last week issued an executive order requiring a 25% cut in water usage statewide. The Times Advocate interviewed several heads of local water agencies to find out how this may affect local residents.

The reduction of the Sierra-Nevada Snowpack for the 4th consecutive year means that the drought is intensifying. At last measure, the snowpack was 6% of normal (the lowest level since 1950) with nothing in the way of significant rain or snowfall on the horizon. Storage levels in major reservoirs statewide are at 50% of normal, or less.

The Department of Water Resources has declared that the State Water Proj-ect (SWP), which delivers about 40% of our region’s imported water sup-ply, will only deliver 20% of contract requests in the 2015-16 water year. It had been almost certain that on April 14, 2015 the Metropolitan Water Dis-trict (MWD) was going to take action to impose up to a 20% reduction in de-liveries to its member agencies, effec-tive July 1, 2015.

Governor Brown’s executive ac-tion, however, preempts much of what MWD, the SDCWA and local agencies can do.

The San Diego County Water Au-thority, which buys water from the MWD and sells water to San Diego agencies, greeted the governor’s an-nouncement with approval: “Today’s call to action by the governor and the record low April snowpack emphasize just how urgent water conservation is for San Diego County and the rest of California. While we are still review-

ing the details of this morning’s execu-tive order, we support the governor’s leadership and will do everything pos-sible to help our region comply with the mandates,” said Mark Weston, chairman of the Authority.

“San Diego County has prepared prudently for drought conditions, but we are entering uncharted territory af-ter four dry years coupled with record high temperatures. The Water Author-ity’s board of directors meets on April 23 to set water supply cutback levels, but residents and businesses shouldn’t wait. Reduce landscape irrigation, trim shower times, fix all leaks immediately – and urge your friends and neighbors to do the same. By conserving now, we preserve our limited storage reserves in case next winter’s snowpack is as mea-ger as this one,” said Weston.

Gary Arant, general manager of the Valley Center Municipal Water District (VCMWD) agreed, commenting: “This drought is unprecedented. The Gover-nor’s response is appropriate and ads weight and urgency to the situation.”

VCMWD is the second largest wa-ter district in the area outside of San Diego City.

Greg Thomas, general manager of the Rincon Del Diablo Municipal Wa-ter District, which serves part of Escon-dido, told the Times Advocate, “Rincon Water and our customers have been diligently working on meeting the pre-vious water reduction goals, through reduced use of potable water, increased use of recycled water and conversion to drought tolerant landscape. Rincon Water is currently evaluating the Gov-

ernor’s Executive Order and new re-quirements.

Thomas added, “Rincon Water is already in the midst of establishing drought rates, and has been in discus-sion with our wholesale supplier about potential reductions in allocations. The Governor’s new Executive Order will most likely change some of the allo-cation percentage. We will keep our customers informed through the press, news releases, updates on our website, and bill inserts and mailers.”

Elisa Marrone, Environmental Programs Specialist Utilities/City of Escondido told the Times Advocate, “We’re reviewing what the governor has said. We haven’t made any changes as yet until we’re done reviwing the ex-ecutive order.”

Linden Burzell, general manager of the largely agricultural Yuima Mu-nicipal Water District in Pauma Valley, commented, “After reading through the whole text of the Governor’s Executive Order, I think that the incremental effect on the district’s agricultural customers will be fairly small, since we already anticipated about a 20 percent cutback in imported water supplies from the Metropolitan Water District/ San Diego County Water Authority relative to the same benchmark that the governor is proposing.”

Burzell added, “My guess is that Met’s and the Water Authority’s actions will turn out to be more significant than the Executive Order, since Met/SDC-WA’s cuts are aimed at agriculture and the Executive Order mainly targets mu-nicipal and industrial customers. Also, Met’s and the Water Authority’s cuts could go much higher than the Gover-nor’s 25 percent. How significant all of these mandatory cutbacks are depends very much on the weather. A hot sum-mer will aggravate the problem and a cool summer will reduce the effect on local agriculture. Also, we don’t yet know how local supplies will be treat-ed under the new rules. So as usual, we remain largely at the mercy of the weather.”

The specifics of how the governor’s Executive Order will be carried out re-main largely a matter of speculation, said Arant, “At this point, we won’t know until the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) takes action to adopt the new emergency regulations directed by the Governor. We would expect that to happen later in April or perhaps May. We then will have to go through our process to implement them locally.”

Arant noted that as of August of 2014 VCMWD imposed a Level 2 Water Alert on domestic (i.e. non-ag) custom-ers. This required several mandatory water use restrictions, including water-ing hours, run-off prohibitions, wash-ing down hard surfaces, and repairing leaks with three days of notification. Notices were mailed to all customers,

advising them of the new requirements, the fines and sanctions for repeated vio-lation, and information about a water waste hotline.

District staffers are on the lookout for water use violations in the field. When they discover such violations, or when people report them on the hotline, the district sends out letters to custom-ers. So far a number of advisory letters have been sent, but no fines have been needed to be levied.

Last month the SWRCB adopted new, more restrictive provisions, in-cluding limiting outside irrigation to a specific number of days during the week, serving water at restaurants only on request and hotels/motels giving guests the option of not washing tow-els and linen every day. The VCMWD board reviewed these modifications on Monday, and is expected to adopt the updates at its April 20 meeting.

So far, said Arant, district ratepay-ers have responded well to the crisis. “From August, 2014, through Febru-ary, 2015, our M&I (domestic/commer-cial) gpcd (gallons per day per capita) has fallen from 283.8 to 115.3, or 59.3 percent. From an overall standpoint, our usage is flat, which has resulted in higher ag usage driven by the very dry and hot weather,” he said.

Arant added, “So, in our view our M&I customer response has been out-standing. Our growers, who use some of the most expensive water in the world for farming and only buy water from the District when they absolutely have to, have done well when you con-sider that with record heat and dryness

See DROUGHT, page 13

April 9, 2015 - 3The Times-Advocate

OPINION

Letters to the editor

Editorials

WHY HAS MEDIA NOT REPORTED THIS FACT?Editor, Times Advocate:

An important fact missing from this article is that Ken Lounsbery was the Escondido City Attorney during some of the years that the Country Club area was developed during the 1960s and 1970’s in an area that at that time and still to this day is zoned R1-7 on the zoning map of Escondido. The city does not report variances or special use

to the county as required by state law. If this law had been followed when the area was developed, the Country Club Saga that continues today could never have happened. It is difficult to under-stand why the media has not reported this fact.

FRANK WOOLRIDGE, Escondido, * * *

By RORIE JOHNSTONAs a recent graduate of the Citizens Water Academy, sponsored by the San

Diego County Water Authority, I have become keenly interested in our current water resources and future water needs.

Considering the length and severity of our current drought, and the recently imposed 25% water restrictions directed to the State Water Resources Control Board, now is the time for all of us to conserve this natural and necessary re-source.

Water is not an abundant luxury for San Diego. The earliest recorded drought was on July 16, 1769 by Father Junipero Serra of the San Diego Mission on Presidio Hill. “The water supply was not reliably sufficient to sustain the crops.” After five years, the Mission relocated six miles east to its present site in Mission Valley where a dam could be built to water the crops during the dry season. The San Diego Mission dam and flume, built from 1803 to 1817 by Diegueno Indians and Mission padres was the beginning of water development in San Diego. Until 1946, San Diego remained solely reliant on its own water resources. Following World War II, the population doubled from 300,000 to 600,000, significantly in-creasing the demand for water. With the threat of the water supply being stripped in the current drought, it became necessary to import water. Through the directive of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the U.S. Navy built a pipeline connecting Metropolitan Water District’s Colorado River Aqueduct to the City of San Diego and into the just completed San Vicente Reservoir. On November 26, 1947, the first Colorado River water flows into the dam, thus allowing San Diego to continue to flourish, as the county was now able to provide water to meet current and future demands.

Metro Water District remained the only imported source through 1992, mak-ing up 95% of San Diego’s water portfolio. With the 1987 – 1992 drought, and the severe shortage allocation plan affecting more than half of the city’s water supply, diversification became the number one priority for the San Diego Water Authority.

Developing a ‘keen interest’ in state’s water issues

Needless to say, the current water portfolio is vastly different than the 1992, 95%/5% portfolio, allowing San Diego to better handle the recurring droughts. However, 13% of the current portfolio is through conservation, or reduction in our current and future water needs. How is this reduction accomplished? A ma-jor improvement for water conservation was the lining of the Coachella Canal, greatly reducing the loss of water through absorption. Another is by reducing the need to use water on landscaping by replacing lawns with arid native plants. New housing developments are more water friendly, and with family homes consist-ing of multiple generations, the individual water use is also reduced. Some of the water conservation changes took place in the 1990’s with the development and implementation of reduced water use toilets, thus saving gallons per flush.

We will also gain additional water when the Carlsbad Seawater Desalination “Poseidon” Project comes on line this fall, delivering water to the Twin Oaks treatment plant. The water will already be potable, but for distribution and to not significantly change the taste of the water currently being delivered, it will be mixed with the water already coming through this plant. To further bolster the portfolio, the Water District has developed and is currently testing purification of tertiary water. Also, by increasing the water storage capacity with new dams and restructuring the San Vicente dam, San Diego County is well positioned to maintain its current growth rate and weather the dry seasons.

San Diego continues to grow with 2/3 of the population increase from natural births. From 1990 through 2014, the population of the San Diego region increased 29%, economy increased 82% and the number of jobs increased 34%. However, water use decreased 11.7%. An interesting fact as development and population growth would naturally increase the need for water. However, smart planning, conservative use of water, implementing new water sources and being wise with the water we have readily available from every tap is foundational to a healthy economy and thriving communities.

I will continue to quench my thirst for knowledge regarding water as I engage with the San Diego County Water Authority and Metro Water District. One thing is clear; water is truly a precious resource. Using it wisely is everyone’s respon-sibility. In light of the recent mandatory water restrictions, take some time to investigate your own water use. Make sure irrigation use is according to drought guidelines, fix any leaks, only do full loads of laundry and remind restaurants that water should only be served upon request. These are minor adjustments. For more information, go the San Diego County Water Authority website and check out the “When in Drought” information at ww.sdcwa.org/whenindrought.

While you are soaking up the California Sunshine, remember to pray for rain!* * *

Rorie Johnston is President/CEO of the Escondido Chamber of Commerce.

Rorie Johnson (center) with her diploma for attending the Citizens Water Acad-emy.

By DAVID ROSSHillary Clinton is not your father’s presidential candidate. She’s your

grandfather’s. And if the best we can do from among all of the talented Republicans is to pick another member of the Bush family then all I have to say is, “What’s wrong with the other 300 million Americans out there? No good candidates among them?”

The words “inevitable” have been used so much about the candidacy or even coronation of Hillary Clinton that it’s started to irritate her support-ers so much that the have issued a list of words and phrases that we in the media are not supposed to use when referring to her lest we be perceived as bigoted misogynists.

It’s just as irritating to me that the Republican establishment wants to jam Jeb Bush down our collective throats. I wasn’t that impressed with the presidency of the George H.W. Bush, and I found plenty to dislike about his son “W” who was arrogant and cocky without having anything to be arrogant and cocky about. Why must we settle for Jeb, who disagrees with mainstream GOP voters on several key issues, such as immigration and Common Core?

Why either of these people is considered “inevitable” beggars the imag-ination. This is the country that produced Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and the Roosevelts. Yes, we have our political families, but we don’t need our political families. What we need is for the voters to be able to choose the nominee of each party without the party elites predetermining who is going to win.

If they are not able to do that, that’s not democracy. That’s oligarchy.

No ‘inevitable’ candidates, please


ESCONDIDO COMMUNITY

Escondido SATURDAY Market, Held every Saturday from 10 am– 2pm on Kalmia between Grand Ave and Second. North County’s newest artisan market in historic Downtown Escondido.Come for unique products and fresh produce in a hip urban market.

Escondido Farmers Market, Tuesdays 2:30-6 p.m., Year-Round, event is held on Grand Avenue between Juniper and Kalmia Street in downtown Escondido. Local, farm fresh produce. Local flowers and plants. Arts and crafts from area artisans.

Get the Times Advocate in your mailbox—Be sure you continue to receive the Times-Advocate. Mail your $20 mailing fee for ten edi-tions to: Times-Advocate, 29010 Lilac Rd., Ste. C, Valley Center CA 92082.

Republicans to host party Chair-man Jim Brulte—At their April 22 meeting, Escondido Republican Women, Federated (ERWF), is hosting Jim Brulte, Chairman of the California Republican Party (CRP), as their keynote guest speaker. Elected Chairman of the CRP in March 2013, Brulte served 14 years in the California State Assembly. He then joined California Strategies to head up the Inland Empire Office. Chairman Brulte will give the group an update on the Republican Party and the 2016 election. Registration begins promptly at 11 a.m. The meeting begins at 11:30 a.m. at Cocina del Charro, 890 W. Valley Parkway, Escondido. Open to the public, the cost is $16 and includes a tostada buffet luncheon. For reservations (due April 20), contact Rosalia Zamora at [email protected] or call 760-489-1407.

Be Money Smart—Escondido Public Library continues the series, Be Money Smart @ Escondido Public Library, with Managing your Debt/Credit Cards on Tuesday, April 21, at 6 p.m. in the Turrentine Room. The Library is partnering with the San Diego Financial Literacy Center to provide this series. This program provides an overview of understanding your net worth, different types of credit, and useful tools and methods to eliminate credit card debt. For more information about Be Money Smart @ Escondido Public Library call 760-839-4214 or [email protected].

AroundEscondido

Main house has 3 br/2ba withhuge sun room; RV parking.

Second home 1,400 sq ft, 2 brpermitted guest house with ownstorage building, meters, entryand private fenced yard.Incredible value at $677,000.

BRE License# 00999582

2 beautiful view homes, one price!

760-685-2672 • rebearvalley.com

An evening of music and art will be presented at the Creative Center for Spiritual Living Escondido and the Philosophical Library of Escondido on Friday, April 10, 6-9 p.m.

Local musicians, Cahill & Delene (The Hot Pursuit Band—HotPursuit-Music.com) will provide soundscapes that range from folk-rock to gentle new age. This husband and wife team speaks with one voice from one heart and soul. The music resonates with messages of love, peace, serenity and harmony.

Barry Cahill & Delene St. Clair of Valley Center move and inspire their audiences. Their original music is in-fluenced by jazz, rock, folk, R&B and world music. Cahill’s vocals exhibit a wide range, from Sinatra to Michael McDonald. Delene St. Clair’s vocals evoke the delicate touch of Karen Carpenter, all the way to the power of Linda Ronstadt. She provides impecca-ble guitar accompaniment. Cahill also plays sax, flute, and keyboard.

An art exhibition and sale will kick off the evening, featuring some of Es-condido’s finest local talent -- artists whose works will truly delight and inspire. Whether it’s watercolor, oil,

Philosopical Library to present ‘An Evening of Music and Art’ April 10

sculpture or jewelry, there’s something for everyone.

Tickets cost $15 per person and may be purchased at the door.

Go to (http://www.ccslescondido.com/) for more information.

The Creative Center for Spiritual Living Escondido, Philosophical Li-brary & Bookstore are located at

1330 E. Valley Pkwy, Suite G, Es-condido.

The Hot Pursuit Band

FROM THE FILES OF THE ES-CONDIDO POLICE DEPT.—On March 29 at about 11:15 pm, officers from the Escondido Police Department were dispatched to the area of Lincoln Ave and Broadway regarding an injury collision involving a vehicle and a pe-destrian.

Officers arrived on scene and found a white Chevy 2500 truck stopped in the #1 E/B lane of Lincoln Avenue with significant front-end damage. The pe-destrian was also in the roadway and sustained major traumatic injuries due to the collision. Escondido Fire medics transported the pedestrian to Palomar Hospital where he later died.

According to witnesses and driver statements, it appears the driver of the truck, a 58-year-old male resident of San Marcos, was driving E/B on Hwy 78 going through the intersection at Broadway on a green light.

The pedestrian, a white male ap-proximately 35-years-old, was walk-ing S/B in the crosswalk against the red light. The driver of the truck did not see the pedestrian in time and was un-able to avoid striking him.

There were no passengers in the truck and alcohol was not a factor for the driver; the impairment and identifi-cation of the pedestrian is unknown at this time.

The traffic investigation is ongo-ing and is being conducted by Officer Tom Venable of the Traffic Division. Anyone with information on this case is encouraged to call Officer Venable at (760) 839-4483.

Police investigate traffic death March 29

By MARIE WALDRON, assembly-member, 75th District

In early March, officials reported that the Sierra Nevada snowpack is far below normal and that 2015 is on track to join the record years of 1977 and 1991 as one of the driest on record.

Currently, Lake Oroville, the State Water Project’s most important water source, is at about 70% of normal capac-ity. Likewise, Shasta Lake, the state’s largest reservoir, is holding about 78 of its normal water supply. However, melting snow keeps reservoirs full well into the summer and fall. Absent a se-ries of unusual spring storms, prospects for water deliveries are bleak. Severe water cutbacks will negatively impact our entire state’s economy and the food supply for millions.

In order to help deal with this crisis, I was happy to join my colleagues to pass Assembly Bill 91, which will ap-propriate funding from voter-approved water bonds to provide immediate relief state-wide for drought related

problems. This bi-partisan vote ensures funding for infrastructure projects, desalinization grants and wastewa-ter treatment will be appropriated in a timely manner.

While legislative action can help, more proactive steps are becoming nec-essary. Governor Brown has ordered that cities across California implement mandatory restrictions that will reduce water use by 25 percent, the first such order in the state’s history.

Long-term, we need more desalina-tion, more storage and greater access to the water we have available, even dur-ing a severe drought. We’ve all seen the bumper sticker – “Where water flows, food grows.” But that’s only true if the water flows into reservoirs and aque-ducts, not into the sea.

California’s drought continues

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VC COMMUNITY NEWS

SCHOLARSHIP GOLF TOUR-NEY—The 11th annual Valley Center Real Estate Professionals Scholar-ship Golf Tournament will be held Fri-day, April 17 beginning at 11 a.m. at Woods Valley Golf Club. There will be hole in one prizes, Lunch, Golf, Din-ner and incredible raffle. All proceeds go to scholarships.

FOUR PIANISTS AT LIBRARY CONCERT—Music by classical composers Chopin and Brahms to show tunes by Jerome Kern will be featured this Sunday (April 12) when four pianists come together to per-form and dedicate a newly-acquired grand piano at the Valley Center Li-brary. The concert will be held in the Library Community Room at 2 p.m. Admission is free, and no tickets are required. The event is sponsored by Friends of the Library which received the grand piano as a donation. The instrument replaced an aging spinet.

At the keyboard will be Sydney Circle, Laurie Johnson, Mike Klingbeil and George Vickrey. All are accom-plished musicians and are residents of Valley Center. Preceding the con-cert at 1:30 p.m. will be the annual meeting of the Friends of the Library at which officers will be elected and a budget approved. The library is at 29200 Cole Grade Road. For more information, visit vcfol.org or call 760-749-1305.

SECOND MONTHLY BINGO-LUNCH PARTY APRIL 22—The group had such a good time at their First Bingo Lunch that they couldn’t wait to set up a second one! It starts at 11 AM on Wednesday, April 22 at Light of the Valley Church, 28830 Li-lac Rd. There will be plenty of food, fun and laughs, and bingo. Winners get prizes, too. A $5 donation is vol-untary and can help cover the cost of the next Bingo-Lunch. RSVP to Cher-yl at 619- 885-5033 if you can attend.

LITTLE COWGIRL, COWBOY CONTEST—One of the first activi-ties of Western Days will be the Best Little Cowboy, Cowgirl contest at the Vaqueros kick-off May 16 at 5:30 p.m. at 28210 Lilac Rd., next to the Lilac fire station. The contest is jointly sponsored by the Republican Women Federated and the Vaqueros. Buy tickets in advance at www.vcrwf.org and www.valleycentervaqueros.com.

AroundValleyCenter

The Valley Center Tennis Club is seeking new members—all levels, in-dividuals and families are welcome.

Through the Tennis Club choose from organized ladies’ doubles, men’s organized doubles (day & evening) and Tuesday/Friday morning, senior mixed doubles.

All members receive an updated club roster of active players. The club has members from Vista, Rancho Ber-nardo, Hidden Meadows, Temecula, Pauma Valley, Fallbrook, Escondido, and, of course, Valley Center. If you have a youngster interested in attend-ing the local Summer Tennis Camp, club members usually receive a dis-count.

Through the club, you also qualify for league play. The club also has an active, ladies’ doubles league. You will receive the quarterly Newsletter and participate in club socials, tennis clin-ics and special events.

Club dues help to sponsor events and contribute to Valley Center Parks & Rec District (VCP&RD) for tennis facility maintenance. The board active-ly seeks new members and collaborates with VCP&RD, to provide a safe, ac-tive tennis environment for all. To join the Valley Center Tennis Club, visit their website at: www.valleycenterten-nis.club and download the membership form. Or call Linda Fox, Club Trea-surer at 760-751-9824 ext 3.

Announcing --- a Spring Tennis Social

The club is planning a Spring So-cial for Saturday, April 25. You are invited to join in and mix and mingle and play tennis. The club will provide refreshments, prizes, and a round robin format. Visit the website for additional updates. Information will be posted at the Adams Park tennis courts too.

The courts at Adams Park are lo-cated at Cole Grade Road & Valley Center School Road. To play tennis all you need is a racquet, shoes, and some fuzzy yellow balls.

Valley Center Tennis club invites new members

VC Rotary Club and VCHS Interact Club bring you a free community event: E-Waste Collection & Document Shred Event Saturday, April 25 from 9 a.m.-noon at the Valley Center Elementary School 28751 Cole Grade Rd.

Do you have old, broken or un-wanted computers, televisions or other home electronic items that you want to dispose of? Well, don’t place them in the trash! Instead, help keep the harm-ful substances in these items out of the landfill by bringing them to a free Ro-tary electronic waste (e-waste) collec-tion event. Consumer fraud and iden-tity theft are becoming an epidemic in our communities. To raise awareness and to promote prevention, VC Ro-tary will also have a community shred event. Limit two boxes (10” x 12” x 15”) per household. Donations of $5 per additional box requested to offset costs. All documents will be shredded onsite. Document shredding event may end prior to noon if shredders reach full capacity.

Rotary sponsors e-waste collection April 25 at elementaryA lot of rock breaking

for Miller Plaza

Artist’s conception of Miller Plaza, where crews are currently rock crunching.

Some businesses do numbers crunching. Others do rock crunching. There’s a whole lot of rock breaking going on a granite hill overlooking the corner of Miller & Valley Center roads. You can hear the sound of metal on rocks for more than a mile around the site.

The Times Advocate talked to Na-poleon Zervas of VCVP Ltd. (formerly Valley Center View Properties) this week about the project, which has been dubbed Miller Plaza.

“We’re about fifty percent complete with the grading,” said Zervas. “We will soon be exporting rock fill directly across the street—which is a separate county permit.

About half of the site is pre-leased.

One will be a Shell convenience store and gas station. “We have some doc-tors and locals coming in,” said Zer-vas. Spaces for restaurants, retail and offices are available in the 16,000 square foot project.

“We are trying to finalize construc-tion details with the county and start going vertical when the grading is done in about sixty days,” he said.

Construction should be completed by February 2016. The project is ex-pected to cost in excess of $5 million.

Zervas conceded that a lot of rock crunching is going on at the site. “We are trying to save as many rocks as we can. The community would like us to use as many rocks as possible for land-scaping. There are a lot of challenges

and constraints of the terrain.”Nevertheless, quite a number of

rocks that locals consider somewhat “iconic” have been lost to the develop-ment. At least one such huge boulder rolled down the hill earlier this year and almost took out a commercial struc-ture next to the site. Fortunately, trees slowed it down.

If you are interested in leasing an of-fice or retail space, call VCVP at 619-523-0133.

Woods Valley protest hearing April 13

A protest hearing for propery own-ers within the assessment district of the Woods Valley Water Reclamation ex-pansion project will be held April 13, 6 p.m. at the Valley Center Municipal Water District’s board room.

Property owners will be able to cast ballots pro or against the expansion project, which would create a sewer for property owners in both North and South Villages.

The vote will determine if the sewer project goes forward, so a good sized attendance is anticipated.


FAITH

The Escondido Thai Community is hosting the Thai New Year festival that will be held on Sunday, April 19at Wat Buddhajakramongkolratanaram (the Thai temple in Escondido), located at 139 West 11th Avenue, Escondido.

This year’s celebration will include Thai classical dance performances, an exhibition of Thai food carvings, and countless traditional delicious Thai dishes and desserts while familiariz-ing with Thai culture. Attendees to the Songkran Festival will also have an op-portunity to meet with several leaders within the Thai community of San Di-ego and Escondido.

In conjunction to the Songkran Fes-tival, according to Jarija Bartolome, beauty pageant committee member, there will be a “Miss Songkran 2015” Beauty Pageant, open to all young la-dies in the Escondido community from ages 15-30 years of age.

Cash prizes along with sponsor prizes will be awarded to the winners. All pageant entry contestants will also receive a professional photography color portfolio contributed by TWS Photography and Richard Schultz Pho-tography, of Escondido. All ladies will

receive a gift bag of soaps, creams and makeup.

Having fun is a big part of Thai cul-ture, and having fun amidst scorching heat is no exception. The hottest month of the year, April in Thailand sees the entire country go bananas in friendly water fights and street parties that last nearly a week.

During Songkran, most office build-ings, banks as well as family-run shops and restaurants shut down completely, while big shopping malls usually re-main open. Bangkok experiences a mass exodus, as at least half of its resi-dents travel back to their hometowns for family re-unions. In their place are tourists, who fly into Bangkok particu-larly to enjoy one of the most colorful and festive times of the year.

Note. Songkran in Thailand 2015 is traditionally officially observed be-tween the 13th and 15th of April (three days national holiday), although in re-ality, celebrations often last the entire week!

According to Ranee Lounsbury, member of the Board of Directors of the Thai American of San Diego County and President of the Rites of Songkran

2015 for the Escondido Thai Temple, has provided the answer to the follow-ing question. “What are The Rites of Songkran”?

“The Rites of Songkran (Thai New Year) at the Thai New Year there are rites and rituals that people participate in as part of the New Year blessings and Buddhist merit-making.” One of these is the splashing of water. In Bangkok, the traditional event has become more spirited with water guns and water-filled balloons, with the rinsing of the old new and birth of the New Year, usually taking place mid-April.

Contradictory to what you may have witnessed through-out Songkran, fun-loving Thais don’t just throw water at each other for no good reason (besides having a kick out of seeing other people soak-ing wet). The real meaning behind the splashes is to symbolically wash off all misfortunes in the past year, thus welcoming the New Year with a fresh new start.

The event starts at 10 a.m. and will conclude at 5 p.m. Admission to this cultural event is

Thai New Year Festival to be celebrated April 19 at local temple

free of charge. The membership of the Escondido Thai Temple, in conjunction with the Board of Directors of the Thai American Alliance of San Diego are sponsoring the event.

Anyone interested in entering the “Miss Songkran 2015” Beauty Pageant is encouraged to contact Ding Smith 619-890-5909 or Jarija Bartolome at 858-735-8917 for more details, infor-mation and entry application forms.

CHAMBER NEWS—The Val-ley Center Chamber of Commerce has reserved July 2 for Valley Center Day at the Del Mar Fair. If you would like FREE a table in the pavilion contact Mary Gordon at the Chamber office at 760-749-8472. Space is limited so RSVP soon.

Save the date for the Chamber’s 4th Annual Block Party and Business Expo. It will take place on Saturday, September 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at A-1 Irrigation.

* * * CUSTOMER APPRECIA-

TION—A-1 Irrigation is also holding its annual Customer Appreciation Day on April 18, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the store property in Valley Center.

When I was interviewing Ron John-son about Western Days, he mentioned

that the Optimist Club is always look-ing for new members. They meet every Wednesday at 7 p.m. at VC Commu-nity Hall. “If you want to have a good time and support your community, we want you,” he said.

* * * PLANNING RESIGNATION—

There has been a recent resignation on the Valley Center Community Plan-ning Group. The vacancy is for a seat whose term expires January 9. Appli-cations for the vacant seat (#15) should be submitted to Hans Britsch, chair-man of the Nominations Committee no later than 7 p.m. on May 6, 2015. Contact Hans for application packets at 760-535-4312 or [email protected].

Getting everyone wet is part of the fun at this festival.

See NOTEBOOK, page 13


CHURCH NEWS

Church DirectoryValley Center Community Church

Valley Center Community Church is a Christ-centered, Gospel-driven church. Services are on Sunday at 10:00am inside theMaxine Theater on the VC High School Campus. Nursery,BibleQuest (K-5th), and Youth Bible Study classes are offeredduring the service. An Adult Bible Study class meets at 8:45amin room #800. Visit vccc.org for more info.

Would you like to be in the Church Directory?It’s Affordable!

email us at [email protected] call 760-638-0552

Send us your Church Newsfor the next edition of the

[email protected]

John Yeager with Summit Mortgage donated $1,000 Friday morning to the Re-lay For Life Valley Center at the Valley Center Chamber of Commerce Sunriser. Shown with Yeager are (from left) Julia Boulos, Tasha Meredith, Bobbie Weiss, John and Michelle Wick.

Relay for Life Gift—

ST. STEPHEN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Congratulations to the parish’s new-ly Baptized and Fully Initiated Catho-lics who were brought into the Church at the Easter Vigil. The parish celebrat-ed 13 baptisms and also welcomed 12 others who were fully initiated through First Holy Communion and/or Confir-

mation. THE FEAST OF DIVINE MERCY

- this Holy Hour will be conducted by Father John Struzzo on Sunday, April 12 at 3 p.m. This is a combined celebra-tion for the North County inland region of St. Mary, Resurrection, St. Stephen and St. Timothy parishes. There will be Holy Hour of Adoration, Divine Mercy Chaplet, Reflection, Veneration of the Divine Mercy Image and relic of Saint Faustina. A short film titled “Message of Hope and Healing” will be shown in the parish hall at 2 p.m. Light refresh-ments will be served. Call Mary at 760-751-1157 with any questions.

Now that Easter is over the parish will return to regular activities. This includes middle and high school youth groups, RCIA, Women’s Bible Study, Faith Formation for the elementary age children, Bible study for the youth at the home of Hannah Boyd, Pre-Baptism Seminar with Deacon Chuck, Confession, Bible Study with Gloria Salinas and St. Vincent de Paul food distribution.

* * *

Get your $10 pre-sale tickets NOW ($15 at the door) Colleen 760-855-2510 or VCHS office or VC Chamber

For More Information: Call Mary at 760-749-1636

Seventeenth Annual

Jaguar Auction

When: Saturday - April 25th at 6 pm

Get your bid-card at early check-in: Sat. 9 am to noon

Where: VCHS Gymnasium

31322 Cole Grade Road, Valley Center

Live and Silent Auctions:

Hundreds of Fabulous Items: • Vacations • Golf Packages • Weekend Get-a-ways • Sporting Events • Theme-parks • And More!

Complemented with appetizers, desserts and beverages Ticket includes entrance into a drawing

for a flat screen TV Fundraiser for Valley Center High

School clubs, teams and activities

“Enhancing our Students’ Experience

VCHS FOUNDATION

GREAT FUN

GREAT CAUSE


See COLE, page 16

After classes ended on Thursday, March 12, Cole Striler, a 16-year old junior at Valley Center High School loaded his pickup with two EZ-ups, three tables, several banners, and a couple hundred pairs of socks.

He drove all night to Las Vegas and only got a few hours of sleep before wak-ing up at 5 a.m. on Friday the 13th to set up his sock display on Fremont Street alongside other sponsors of the famous Mint 400 race.

“It was still dark when I got to vendor row,” the young entrepreneur told the Times Advocate. “When I found my spot, two other companies were already in my space. I had to ask them to move their displays so I could fit mine in. But, I knew that once the Xuxa Socks booth was set up they’d be glad because it would attract a lot of people.”

VC teenage entrepreneur makes over $2,000 in Vegas on lucky Friday 13th

“A lot of people” is an understate-ment. The event was supposed to last from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., but by 2:30 p.m. Cole had sold out of socks – more than 200 pair at $10 per pair. In less than six hours, Cole had nothing left to sell. “Since I had the SAT test the next morning, I packed up early and drove back home in time to get some sleep before the test. I think I was the first vendor to leave,” he said.

Xuxa Socks is Cole Striler’s 18-month old entrepreneurial venture. He started the company last year when he realized that socks were becoming fashionable among youth. “In some retail stores, socks are now a category and no longer just an accessory. Ev-eryone’s buying cool socks.” In its first year in business, Xuxa Socks grossed about $15,000. Cole made not only Xuxa-branded socks, but also private label socks for Lucas Oil and Tonka. Last month, Cole secured the exclusive right to design the official sock for the Mint 400, so he made the long trek to Las Vegas to sell them.

“I’m learning a lot about importing, production, and distribution,” he said. “Last year, I took an accounting class at Palomar College to help me set up my books. I also took a digital imag-ing class so I could learn graphical layout for marketing and the Website. Those were probably the two most use-ful classes I ever took. I make journal entries into QuickBooks and update the Website almost every day.”

Surprisingly, Cole Striler views his sock business as an investment, not a career. “The main reason I started Xuxa Socks was to get leadership experience. My goal is to serve in the military. I want to go to a service academy after high school. My grandfather retired as an officer in the Army and he showed me so many benefits of being in the military that I think it’s an honor to be able to say that I served my country. I really want to put in my time.”

When Cole was in Middle School, his grandfather took him on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Ft. Irwin Na-tional Training Center, where Lt. Colo-nel Striler was stationed twenty years earlier. “I got to see real soldiers in a simulated battle,” recalled Cole. “They were literally shooting each other with actual weapons that used lasers instead of bullets. I got to stand next to the sol-diers and watch them fight. Seriously, I was less than one foot away from one guy who was shooting an M-16. There was even a one-legged soldier with fake blood who pretended that he got his leg blown off so his troop had to come in and rescue him.

“It was so cool watching them

train—working together—that I knew at that moment that I wanted to join the military. I think I was 13 at the time. It’s been my goal ever since. I even visited West Point and the Air Force Academy last year. I love the atmosphere. Everyone who goes there wants to serve.”

Running Xuxa Socks has given Cole great leadership experience as he’s em-ployed many of his friends and family to work on weekends at various events. But running a business is not all he does. He’s also the captain of Varsity Wrestling team and he spends three hours studying every night to maintain his straight A’s.

According to Wes Jones, head coach of the Valley Center Wrestling Jaguars wrestling team, “Cole is a driven young man. He sets ambitious goals and te-naciously strives to achieve them,” evidenced by the fact that he was one of three wrestlers from Valley Center High School to advance the San Diego CIF Masters Tournament last month.

Andrew Walford, who has taught chemistry—arguably the hardest sub-ject at the high school—for over a decade, agrees. He said, “Cole is the epitome of well-roundedness. Deter-mined and athletic, a fantastic student and businessman already, he is among the top one percent of my students of all time.”

Ken Boone, the former president of the Valley Center Little League, recalls the days when Striler used to play base-ball. “It’s been an honor watching Cole grow up,” he said. “He played for many years, T-ball through Juniors. I’ll never forget how Cole used to take charge of the game and call time outs and walk to the mound when he was a catcher so he could talk strategy with his pitchers and rally his team. His coaches in the dugouts would shake their heads and laugh, ‘Here he goes again,’ in a good way, though. Most kids only did what they were told to do, but not Cole. He took charge.”

Taking charge again, Cole recently started a new club called The Business Insiders. The purpose of the club is to give students a behind-the-scenes look at how things are made and how com-panies are run. The Business Insiders have already visited two companies and gotten tours of their manufactur-ing facilities. The next two stops for the Business Insiders will be Fender Guitars and the MAVTV television network. Any middle school and high school students who are interested in touring local manufacturing plants are welcome to join. “There are no fees or screening process,” Cole said, “every-

Cole Striler, a 16-year-old entrepreneur, and his product: socks.

FESTIVAL from Page 1———to promote local businesses,” said Holthaus. “About five thousand peo-ple attend the event and it doesn’t cost anything for a business to participate. I can’t think of a less expensive way to promote your business.” Applica-tions for the parade can be obtained at the Chamber Website: http://www.vcchamber.com.

“We’re busy lining up vendors,” said Johnson, who noted that anyone who wants to take the ABC training in pouring beer may take the April 15 class. “I’m hoping it will be standing room only,” said Johnson. The class will be held at 6 p.m. at VC Commu-nity Center, 28246 Lilac Rd. Ques-tions? Call him at 760-419-7633.

Food and beverage vendors will be operating at both the rodeo and the festival, although entertainment will be confined to the stage area at the Community Center, owned by the VC Parks & Rec District. There will be about 20 vendors at the rodeo and 50 at the festival. Vendor applications are available to download at vcstam-pederodeo.com/

Vendors at the rodeo include the popular “Bull Tacos” and many more. VIP dining and seating will be offered Friday and Saturday, but dis-counted $10 on Friday. The VIP meal, including wine and beer, is catered by Wranger BBQ. It costs $40 Saturday and $30 Friday. It is served under the tent out of the sun, and next to the bucking bronco chutes.

The Honorary Mayor’s Race is al-ready under way, (check beginning in the next issue for interviews with the five candidates). This year’s contes-tants are Hank

Weldon of the Optimists, Gina Roberts from the Kiwanis, Kami Vo-ertman of the VC Chamber, Oklaho-ma the mule for the Vaqueros, Hermit of Hellhole Canyon Preserve and Di-ane Conaway from the Community Aid Group of the local Realtors.

The weekly “Mayor’s Race Throwdown” will be held each Wednesday from 5:30-7 p.m. night

at Hilltop Winery, 30803 Hilltop View Ct. Candidates try to outdo each other in raising money. The Kiwanis will hold their annual Mayor BBQ at Triple B Ranch on Sunday 19 April at 2 p.m. Candidate Gina Roberts will be serving her six time winning Irish Stew recipe. Other mayor events will be publicized as we hear about them.

Once again Mutton Busting will be offered for the little ones. There’s only room for 40 kids to ride those sheep, so you are encouraged to visit vcstampede.com as soon as possible.

“We’re expecting to have one band on Friday night and two to three on Saturday,” said Johnson. Cattle Call LLC and Jimmie Cline, “trail boss,” are in charge of providing entertain-ment. The bands haven’t all been “nailed down” yet, but according to Johnson the band Nightshift will be playing Saturday night after the ro-deo.

Sunday from 9 a.m.-1 there will be a free exhibition of Mounted Shoot-ing. This will be followed by local cowboys roping from 1-3 p.m. put on by Dennis Turner, who supplies calves to the rodeo. Hamburgers and hotdogs will be sold on Sunday and vendors from Friday and Saturday who want to stay on through Sunday are invited to do so.

“My ultimate goal is to someday have a Sunday concert to finish the festival,” said Johnson. “We’ve go 2,000 plus seats already there for the rodeo.”

Wake UpEscondido!

Toxic Psychiatryharms our children and us

Public Meeting April 18, 2:00 pmEscondido Library

www.toxicpsychiatry.us


VALLEY CENTER COMMUNITY

Matriarch of Rancho Guejito dies at age 94

Mrs. Benjamin (Nancy) Coates and former Valley Center History Museum Pres-ident Bill Hutchings at 2006 event to announce creation of museum Endowment Fund.

The Board of Directors of the Valley Center History Museum this week re-membered and paid tribute to the mem-ory of Nancy Coates who died at age 94. A major benefactor of the museum, Mrs. Coates was the matriarch of his-

toric Rancho Guejito in Valley Center, the last remaining Mexican land grant ranch in California.

“She was a grand and gracious lady,” said Museum President Earl Brown, “and we are profoundly sad-

Valley Center Fire Department visited the High Sierra Academy preschool on March 24 and 25. They taught the children about fire safety and showed the children their gear and engines.

Designed with the Community in Mind

Learn more about our neighborhood at www.LilacHillsRanch.com

GROW SMART, LIVE GREEN

Lilac Hills

Ranch

Lilac Hills Ranch is designed to support the local community.

Planned infrastructure improvements will enhance the area, and provide natural gas lines and a recycled water delivery system.

Housing options for seniors, empty nesters, and young homebuyers will give local residents the opportunity to stay in the community they love.

Easy freeway access to commercial centers in Vista, San Marcos, Bonsall, Escondido, and Fallbrook allows residents to support area businesses.

Lilac Hills Ranch will be the perfect place to grow smart and live green.

dened by her passing. She championed the preservation of the historic ranch whose caretakers are maintaining the integrity of one of California’s most important historic sites,” he said.

Established in 1845, Rancho Gueji-to was acquired in 1974 by her late hus-band, Benjamin Coates, Sr., who died in 2004. In his memory, Mrs. Coates established an endowment fund at the museum and provided the initial gift of $100,000. Subsequent contributions by the Coates family and others have seen the endowment triple in size.

In addition to financial support for the Valley Center museum, Mrs. Coates also donated a number of historic mate-

rials including a Chain of Title tracing ownership of the ranch from the King of Spain, and a leather-bound portfo-lio containing copies of original docu-ments from 1845. A complete history of the 23,000-acre ranch is maintained by the Valley Center Historical Society, which makes its archive available to researchers and students documenting early California history.

Survivors include daughter Theo-date Coates, son Benjamin Coates, Jr., and grandchildren and great grandchil-dren. Funeral services were March 20 following her death on March 12.

Firefighters visit preschool—


BUSINESS

• House Calls

• SurgeryOrthopedic & Soft Tissue

• DentistryIncluding Non-Anesthetic

• Internal Medicine

• Digital Xray/Ultrasound

• Cold Laser Therapy

• Grooming & Spa

• Upscale Boarding

• Shot Clinic3rd Saturday Every Month

29209 Cole Grade Roadacross from the librarywww.csvet.com

Ask us about our Wellness Plans.Dr. Deborah Hofler • Dr. Tim Sherman

Dr. Jessica Nichols

760-749-3656 WeAccept

Care Credit

Providing Full Service Animal Care

Buy a six-pack of flea and tick preventative, Nexgardin April, and be entered to win an iPad Mini!

See SOLAR page 14

You have until end of 2016 to save 30% of the cost of your home’s solar system in federal tax credits

R I N C O NOUTDOOR MARKET

Join Us For:Local Fresh Produce! • Local Farm Products!

Local Artisan Foods! • Local Artists & Crafters!Fun Activities for Kids!

10 am to 2 pmSunday, April 12th • Sunday, May 3rd • Sunday, June 7th

Sunday, July 12th • Sunday, August 2nd

34323 Valley Center Road, Valley Center(North of Harrah’s Casino ~ Next to the Teepees!)

For Info: Diana Sourbeer (760) 310-1291 or [email protected]

Ken Johnson, President of the Solar Energy Industries of America, SEIA, reports as part of its annual nationwide Environment Poll, that Gallup has just released important new data: 91% of Americans believe the U.S. should place more emphasis, or the same em-phasis, on Solar Energy.

The poll showed bipartisan support, with 70% of Republicans and 82% of Democrats favoring increased growth of the Solar Industry. Solar was the only energy source that saw an increase in favorability over Gallup’s 2013 poll.

The State of California started giv-ing incentives for installing Solar Elec-tric and Solar Hot Water about 10 years ago. The state rebate money finished in early 2015 for Residential Solar. There are still rebates for Commercial Solar, but it is close to the end.

The Federal tax credits are still good through the end of 2016. We are talk-ing about actual credits used to reduce your federal tax burden. Judith Shadzi, Vice President of Cosmic Solar, Inc., a VC-based company that has installed close to 300 in Valley Center, and over 1,000 solar systems in the county, told the Times Advocate, “These are actual taxes back. It’s thirty percent of the cost of the system and you get it back from the federal government. Currently

it is available for both residences and businesses until the end of next year.”

Those credits mean that your solar system is nearly one third cheaper than it might be a year and a half from now. That’s plenty of time to take advantage of the credit, but not so far away that you shouldn’t get started. The system must be fully installed and in operation before the deadline.

Cosmic Solar makes sure that cus-tomers know about this great way of saving money. It’s in the contract!

Today it’s easier than ever to get fi-nancing for your solar power system. Many more banks and credit unions of-fer such loans. There’s also the HERO (Home Energy Renovation Opportuni-ty) financing program. The repayment of HERO Financing is included in your property tax bill, which is delivered and collected by the county. You will see a line item titled HERO financing on your property tax bill. If you make property tax payment through an im-pound escrow account, your lender will adjust your monthly payment to include the amount due for HERO Financing. Because of this, the loan, which is a 20-year loan, goes with the house.

If you install your solar system in January, for example you don’t have to pay anything until you get your prop-

Cosmic Solar’s board of directors: (from left) Bahram Shadzi, president; Judith Shadzi, vice president, and Pey Shadzi, operations manager.

erty tax bill in April. “The most popular loan is through

an Equity Line of Credit,” said Mrs. Shadzi. “You can pay yourself back for your home solar system in about 3.5 years now. The HERO program is also very popular.”

Another popular option is Solar Leasing. Cosmic Solar is a SunPower dealer. SunPower is a California manu-facturer with a very high quality panel. This is a 20-year program where you don’t actually pay for the system; in-stead of paying the electric company you make a payment to SunPower ev-ery month. “Currently the payments are 20 to 60% percent less than what you pay the power company. As the price of electricity goes up your price stays the same and your savings increase over the years,” she said.

SunPower is a California manufac-turer with a very high quality panel. SunPower’s Leasing program is for homeowners only.

Solar systems have a 25-year-war-ranty, but the systems last a minimum of 30 years and when you lease a sys-tem all maintenance is included and the power production is guaranteed for the entire time.

The type of solar technology Cos-

mic installs is a photovoltaic panel that generates electricity. “The solar panels are a pretty mature technology,” said Mrs. Shadzi. “It’s not like electronics. In the eight years we have been in busi-ness we have seen electrical generating go up by 100 watts per panel. They are doing a lot of research on storage bat-teries. That’s where the technology is going to improve in the future.”

Their first system was 160 watts and now it’s 260-327 watts per pan-el. Panels are 3 X 5 feet. An average home takes about 20 panels, if you are going to generate all of the electricity you will need. Some homes use 40-50. Typically in Valley Center half of the panels are ground racks.

Currently it takes about 90 days to install a system, which includes a month to get the permits and order the equipment.

Cosmic Solar has done about 1,000 systems in eight years, including about 300 in Valley Center and perhaps 100 in Escondido. They have two offices, in Valley Center and a warehouse in Vista.

Currently Cosmic Solar is look-ing to expand its staff of 15. “We are


BUSINESS

Lazy H RANCHgreat food since 1948

LODGING • RESTAURANT • COCKTAILSPrime Rib, Steaks, Seafood, Pasta

16787 Hwy 76 • Pauma Valley • 760-742-3669lazyhranchresort.com

C O U P O NBuy one dinner at regular price& get the second one 1/2 price.

Drinks Not IncludedMust Present Coupon • Valid with coupon only through April 23, 2015

Suzie Q’s offers classic diner fare with a 50s flair

By DAVID ROSSLooking for biscuits and gravy like

your grandmother used to make, only better? Or fried pickles? Do you have a hankerin’ for country fried potatoes made from fresh spuds? If so, then we may have found your new favorite place.

Suzie Q’s Diner, located at 258 E. 2nd Ave. (corner of Juniper & 2nd) in Escondido, offers classic diner fare amidst a fun atmosphere of the 1950s and 60s. It’s family owned and oper-ated at a highly visible location that has seen several iconic establishments over the years such as the old Metaphor Café.

You’ll find menu items such as the Ricky Ricardo (two eggs scrambled with chorizo, jalapeños, tomatoes, on-ions and cheese with jalapeño hash browns), 50s style burgers such as the Bobby Sox Burger, the John Wayne (a quarter pound beef patty with barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese, fried pickles and onion straws) and the Big Bopper (a double patty with sautéed mush-rooms and onions, topped with Swiss and American cheese). All the burger patties are made from fresh hamburger meat hand patted.

There are sandwiches such as The Hop, the Hound Dog, the Mickey Mouse Club Sandwich and the Mick-ey Rooney and the Marilyn, (which is made with grilled marinated chicken breast with bacon, avocado and Swiss cheese on a whole wheat bun).

Yes, there is a Suzie! Suzanne Isem-inger has been in the restaurant busi-ness for 35 years, at so many restau-rants that one might easily lose track of them in the telling. She has also been in the catering business. She worked at the Del Mar Champagne French Bak-ery for ten years. She was also chef and caterer for the Eurest Compass Group,

which provides corporate dining. Suf-fice it to say that she knows her way around a kitchen and that you as the customer will benefit from it. Add to that the fact that she is obviously a true “foodie” in that she loves to talk about food and its preparation. You’ll find her in the kitchen in the back of the restau-rant on most days.

Suzie Q’s opened on December 21 of last year. After three months in busi-ness it’s easy to tell what the most pop-ular menu items are. They include the Biscuits and Gravy, made from an old family recipe using Jimmy Dean Sau-sage and bacon fat; served on home-made biscuits and full of flavor.

The Country Potatoes are made us-ing fresh potatoes, peppers, onions and garlic. The chicken breasts are fresh and marinated. For the fish and chips they use fresh fish (never frozen) breaded with panko.

“I’m soon going to add corned beef and hash,” says Iseminger. “It will be made with fresh corned beef, hand grated and with a little bit of milk add-ed. It’s sooo good!”

She adds, “We stick to the tradition-al fare of the 1950s. Most diners don’t do this.”

Everybody loves the fries at Suzie Q’s, and customers try to figure out what gives them their particular flavor and crispness. The secret is ranch sea-soning and seasoned salt. Oops! The secret is out!

Besides the Biscuits and Gravy, the most popular menu items are the Suzy Q Signature Burger, a quarter pound patty with homemade barbecue sauce, fried pickles, fried onion straws, topped with bacon and cheddar cheese on a grilled French roll; and the Suzy Q Signature Omelet, made with four eggs, green chilies, jalapeños, toma-toes, sausage, bacon, peppers topped

with chili, sour cream, salsa and pep-per jack cheese.

Many of the burgers are topped with fried pickles and deep fried onion straws. The onion rings that you can order on the side are made with beer batter.

Iseminger makes most of her own sauces, salsa and dressings. When I interviewed her she was adding a big screen television and some big speak-ers to enhance the 1950s atmosphere of the place. “One complaint was that it was too quiet,” she said with a smile. “We’ve got an old juke box, but peo-ple wanted the period music blasting a little bit louder.” The TV will be tuned to, what else? popular shows of the pe-riod and old movies.

There are some special menu items

on weekends, including special soups and fresh cinnamon rolls.

There are no reservations at Suzy Q’s, but plenty of seating, including seven tables outside so you can enjoy Escondido’s lovely mornings, after-noons and evenings.

Suzy Q’s is open Tuesday-Sunday 7 a.m.-3 p.m. During Cruisin’ Grand it is open on Fridays from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Call 442-999-5178.

Q’s, but plenty of seating, including seven tables outside so you can enjoy Escondido’s lovely mornings, after-noons and evenings.

Suzy Q’s is open Tuesday-Sunday 7 a.m.-3 p.m. During Cruisin’ Grand it is open on Fridays from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Call 442-999-5178.

Suzanne Iseminger is the owner of Suzie Q’s Diner in Escondido. Look out for her homebaked cinnamon rolls on weekends.

The decor of the diner is classic 1950s style. You almost expect to see a Bobby Soxer go swingng by!

Advertise with [email protected]

[email protected]


See SISLER, page 14

PREP • CLUB • LEAGUELOCAL SPORTS

By JIM TAL EVANSThe name of Sisler is renowned in

the game of baseball. The man who made it so was George Sisler, a slick-fielding, sweet-swinging first baseman who experienced his heyday during the 1920s with the then St. Louis Browns.

How good was Sisler? Saying he was great might be doing him a dis-service. Sisler was both spectacular and historic. He was enshrined in the baseball Hall of Fame in 1939 and is universally acknowledged to be among the top 40 players of all-time.

As a hitter, he was simply lights out. He was one of the American League’s most feared batsman. His staggering numbers reflected an awesome ability to swing the lumber. Over the course of his 15-year career, the sublime Sisler averaged a remarkable .340, hit .352 or better five times, and twice topped the magical .400 plateau (.407 in 1920, .420 in 1922).

Two times he paced the AL in aver-age, hits and triples. In fact, his mind-boggling number of 257 hits in ’20 remained a major league record for an astonishing 84 years until Seattle’s nonpareil Ichiro Suzuki slapped and slashed his way to a total of 262.

Simply put, Sisler was a master of the stroke. The man knew how to rake.

Today, there’s another Sisler who’s following in his great-great-grandfa-ther’s footsteps. And like his accom-plished distant relative, Clayton Sisler knows a thing or two about making contact. The kid can produce some fire-works of his own at the plate. And the main beneficiary of Sisler’s educated stick is a Valley Center High squad that after winning the 3A Division in the recent Lions Baseball Tournament, ap-pears primed and ready to make some real noise once league competition commences.

The fact that Sisler’s bat is scorch-ing to the tune of .477 through 13 games comes as a surprise to no one. He has long been a proven commodity. Already a three-time first-team Valley League selection, Clay has been wreak-ing havoc ever since his freshman year when he produced a cool .346 average. Last season as a junior, Sisler contin-ued his assault on opposing pitchers. The athletic, 6’3”, 185-pounder went into a beast mode of sorts, rapping out

35 hits, scoring 24 runs and producing a smoking .389 BA.

But all the splendid work that Clay has done before seems to have been merely a prelude for what, thus far, has been a stellar senior season that offers the promise of turning into something truly special. In addition to his hefty average mentioned above, Clay has al-ready banged out 21 base knocks and six doubles. His sheer dominance is reflected by the fact that he leads the Jaguars in plate appearances, at bats, hits, two-baggers and ranks second in average and runs scored. Already, in a season that hasn’t quite yet reached the meat of the schedule, the gifted young-ster has thrice had games of three hits and delivered five more with two raps. Multiple-hit games have almost be-come second nature to him.

So what makes Sisler such a dan-gerous stick that would cause even his celebrated ancestor to sit up and take notice? Let us count the ways. To be-gin with, he has a nice set-up because he’s squared to the plate. His hands, arms and shoulders are positioned in textbook fashion and a subtle waggle acts as his trigger mechanism. He takes but a modest step before uncoiling his swing which is short, sweet and com-pact, with the bat whipping through the zone on a flat and level plane. In base-ball vernacular, he would be consid-ered to be quick to the ball. Technique- wise, he has a swing with seemingly no holes.

Sisler is an equal opportunity hit-ter, spraying and driving the ball to all fields. In his own words, “I like to use the whole field.” He possesses bona fide gap-to-gap power and is a legiti-mate home run threat, though he has yet to hit a big fly this season. But, as he notes, “I’ve come close a few times, I’m getting there.” Indeed, he’s al-ready narrowly missed on a couple of roundtrippers by the merest of inches.

Sisler is mature beyond his years when it comes to patience and plate discipline. It’s hard to get him to chase and if pitchers try to get him to reach, it usually backfires. Clay is more than content to take a walk and rarely does he go fishing for something that has him off-balance.

Though he mashes the fastball, Sisler can readily adjust and pound

Sisler wields sizzling bat for Jaguarsaway on other pitches as well. In short, he’s one tough out. He explains his hit-ting approach in a very rudimentary and straightforward way. “My goal is to be very aggressive in the strike zone and simply put the ball in play,” he in-forms.

Like his illustrious predecessor, Clay is also a plus defender. A center-fielder blessed with plenty of speed, Sisler can cover lots of ground, chew-ing up huge chunks of real estate. He can go get it with the best of them and on that rare occasion when he doesn’t get the best of jumps, his ability to motor big-time allows him to quickly recover and track down just about any ball within his area code.

He’s also the owner of a potent and strong arm. Baserunners are taking a substantial risk should they choose to test his notable gun.

And speaking of Sisler’s arm, he’s put that to good use on the mound as well. Since joining the Jaguar varsity as a frosh, Clay has been a factor on the hill, either as a starter or backend reliever. His most productive season came as a sophomore when he won four games, sported a nifty 1.47 earned run average and fanned 54 batters in 57 innings.

Last season Sisler dealt with an el-bow issue that greatly affected his ef-fectiveness but now, with his health restored, he seems close to rounding back into form. Thus far, he’s made two starts and the results have been en-couraging. “I’m getting back to where I should be,” he shares.

What pitching role Sisler will oc-cupy going forward remains to be seen. That will be determined by head coach Ron Sisler, who happens to be Clay’s father. Armed with a tight, over-the-top

motion that allows him to generate lots of velocity and uncork a fastball that can max out at 88 mph, Sisler can be a real weapon when toeing the slab. The elder Sisler may use his son as one of three frontline Jag starters and or could employ him as a late-inning reliever or closer. In any capacity, Clay should be a factor.

So the kid can hit, throw and pitch. He can also run like the wind which makes him a menace on the bases. A genuine stolen base threat, Clay looks to run whenever the opportunity pres-ents itself. “In certain situations, I’ve pretty much got the green light to go,” he explains as his eyes light up.

Because of the way he carries him-self, his on-field performance and his easygoing demeanor, Sisler has emerged as true team leader. But he leads more through actions than words. “I’m not a super vocal guy,” he admits, “I just try to motivate the guys by play-ing my game.”

Sisler engenders deep respect among his teammates because he’s a tenacious worker, often the first at practice and the last to leave. Taking additional batting practice at 6 a.m. isn’t at all an uncommon occurrence for him. Clay loves the game and rel-ishes the commitment required to be-come a standout. Paying the price has never deterred him.

With Clay as their ringleader, the Jags are expected to challenge for a Valley League title and make a deep run in the postseason. Coach Sisler feels this is the second best team he’s had at VCHS and with a club loaded with 14 upperclassmen and players growing comfortable in their respective roles, the potential for a memorable season is there. “We’re definitely a contender,”


COMMUNITYRincon farmers market returns April 12

The popular Rincon’s Farmers Mar-ket will return on April 12, from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. at 34323 Valley Center Rd. on the Rincon reservation.

The farmers market will be held once a month, always on a Sunday: April 12, May 3, June 7, July 12 and August 2.

Once again Diana Sourbeer is the organizer. She’s promising “more ven-dors, and more variety of vendors.” There will also be a kids zone with an inflatable jumper, art station, petting zoo and possibly a science station for kids put on by her husband, Dan Sour-beer, dean of math, natural and health science at Palomar College.

The kids will do things like look at honey under the microscope to see the bits of pollen suspended in the amber liquid.

There will also be more crafters at the market, include makers of clay pots, a practitioner of mason jar art, garden art and two vendors of natural soaps, lotions and balms.

Lucy & Jose of Ballen Artisan Bak-er will also be on hand. Lucy will serve some homemade tamales, tacos and tortillas with fresh salsa and beans and cactus salad.

Lemonade vendor Louise Tompkins will sell slushy lemonade and caramel apples.

Another feature will be vendors of jams and jellies such as Miss Ellie’s Pantry, who will sell marmalades made from her homegrown fruit.

Last year’s farmers market.

Frances Everett of Frannie Farms will sell a cold spread made from raw persimmon mixed with agave and chia seeds.

Rio Del Rey Farm out of Pauma will sell heirloom beans. Solidarity Farm, also based in Pauma will be selling bio-dynamic vegetables. The term means veggies grown without pesticides but not officially certified as organic.

“True Pasture Beef,” a local ranch-er, will sell beef and salmon.

Mrs. Sourbeer told the Times Advo-cate: “The Rincon tribe wants to sup-port local agriculture and small busi-ness so they are hosting the market to

support small farmers, hobbyist grow-ers, artisan food markets and local art-ists and creaters. The tribe is providing a place for them to sell to local people and a fun community event.”

The tribe provides the location and the tent that has fans and misters so that shoppers can browse in comfort. “It’s an investment in the community and a way to bring the community together.”

For more information contact Mrs. Sourbeer at 760-310-3291 or [email protected].

with which to contend, they have held the line with usage in 2013, a cooler and wetter year.”

The governor’s executive order means that the whole state is, “in un-charted territory,” said Arant. “In the past, our actions locally have been triggered by MWD, then the SDCWA and then on to our customers through VCMWD. We were preparing for that process, anticipating MWD to take ac-tion to restrict deliveries at their up-coming April 14, board meeting, then the SDCWA taking action to pass the MWD reductions on to our M&I and Ag customers on April 23, 2015, with

reductions to our customers to become effective July 1, 2015.

According to Arant, “Governor Brown’s action leaps over the interme-diate steps of the MWD and SDCWA and leaves local agencies somewhat unsure of what their roles will be at this point.”

Arant is critical of state officials who target this individual drought without dealing with the underlying problems that have exacerbated it.

“We need a real state water master plan which identifies supply (wastewa-ter recycling, seawater desal) storage (groundwater and surface) and convey-

DROUGHT from Page 2——— ance projects to maximize the use of our overall water resources and not the typical state report of late which identi-fies how much shortage, where it will occur and hopes for regional solutions to save the day,” said Arant.

Arant and others say it’s time to grease the skids of the regulatory pro-cess so that the next water supply proj-ect so that it doesn’t take more than two decades like the Carlsbad Seawater Desal Plant took. “If the legislature can wave the “magic wand” and exempt football stadiums in L A (2011, AB 292) and Santa Clara for the 49’ers (2011, AB 900) and from CEQA in the name of “Jobs and Eco-

nomic Improvement”, why can’t it help water projects with regulatory reform to move forward. What can California live longer without, sports, or water?”

The last statewide water project was completed more than forty years ago. Smaller agencies have not been idle during the interim, but the State Water Project has remained unfinished despite geometric population growth.

Arant, having worked in the Cali-fornia water community since 1973, quipped, “You cannot essentially ignore your backbone water system, the State Water Project, for over four decades and then be surprised when this critical aspects of our economy and lifestyle fi-nally fails.”

Lunch with the ‘Kids’—You might think this to be a meeting of the local Raggedy Ann Club, but the ladies in the foreground, Susan Upson and Dorothy Conley from Oregan are just admiring of the handiwork of Lenore Cobbs (in the back, holding two dolls). These are the first ones she has produced. “I’ll make more if they pay enough!” she said. If you want to talk to her about it, call 760-331-3268.

The applications will be reviewed at the May 11th VCCPG meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. at the Valley Center Community Hall. Nomination by the Planning Group will be at the June 8, 2015 VCCPG Meeting, subject to ap-pointment to the vacancy by the Board of Supervisors, for the remaining bal-ance of the 4-year terms of the resigning member, expiring January 9, 2017(seat #15).

Applicants must be 18 years of age, and registered voters, and residents of the Valley Center Planning Area.

* * *BIG BREW-HA-HA—Congratu-

lations to Stone Brewing Co. which is now the 9th largest craft brewery in the country. The Escondido-based brew gi-ant previously had been in 10th place.

* * * ESSENTIAL OILS—Essential

Oils Beginner’s 101 ‘Make & Take’ Class will be held Saturday, April 11 at 3 p.m. at Constyle It Resale Boutique in Valley Center, Learn how to decrease health robbing toxins in your home and in your life!

RSVP is required. Call 760-749-1850 or email [email protected]. Constyle it is located at 28746-B Valley Center Road (directly behind Portino’s Restaurant).

NOTEBOOK from Page 6—


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SISLER from Page 12———

CLASSIFIEDSSend us your classified ads for the next issue!

$20 for 20 words or less!Contact us for rates and discounts for advertising in print and [email protected]

FOR SALE1986 GMC Sierra $2,600. Overload rear springs. Dual 15 gal. gas tanks. New starter, battery and fuel pump. Call 760-749-4976.

COMMERCIAL SPACE AVAILABLECommercial space available at 28714

Valley Center Rd. “The Courtyard,”. Great for offices or shops.Call 760-751-1101

RETAIL COMMERCIAL SPACE

Retail/commercial space for lease at 27350 Valley Center Rd. Currently Inspiration Quilt Shop. 3,500 sq ft. excellent frontage. 760 855-4081.

predicts Clay.Once he moves on from Valley

Center, Clay’s next stop will be Provo, Utah where he’ll take his talents to play for BYU. Recruited as both a position player and pitcher, Sisler is looking forward to making an impact with the Cougars and enhancing and refining his game even more. And the situation couldn’t be more ideal. Clay will be playing for a relatively new and prom-ising coaching staff headed by Mike Littlewood, who just so happened to

have played with his dad Ron in col-lege. As Clay says of his new destina-tion, “A great school and a chance to be part of a great team.”

What Clayton Sisler has done, what he’s accomplished on the diamond has certainly been noteworthy. He’s not only measured up to an esteemed base-ball name, he’s honored it. Somehow you get the sense that if George Sisler is looking down, he’s feeling mighty proud.

SOLAR from Page 10———always looking for talented people to help us install. We are looking for two installers and an assistant for our oper-ations manager,” said Mrs. Shadzi. “If anyone is interested, please send your resume to [email protected].

Cosmic Solar is number one for cus-tomer service in Solarreview.com, the most reliable Website for solar compa-nies. It has over 100 perfect reviews.

“Our motto is to be honest, to do exactly what we tell them we are going to do and we never charge more than what we say,” said Mrs. Shadzi. “The biggest compliment we get is that we did exactly what we said we were go-ing to do. We want our customers to be happy.”

Cosmic Solar is a member of CALSEIA (California Solar Energy Industry Association) a consumer ad-vocate group with the state. Many solar companies are members of CALSEIA, which fights for “solar rights” such as laws that say that everyone has the right to install solar. “An HOA can’t stop you,” said Mrs. Shadzi. “They

have their bylaws, but Cosmic Solar works with the homeowners associa-tions.”

CALSEIA is also the advocacy group that provided the wording for the solar rebate program. “Arnold just signed it,” said Mrs. Shadzi.

Originally California law called for a 2.5% ceiling of the state’s electric-ity to be generated by solar. CALSEIA lobbied for 5% and won.

San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) is of the opinion that the state will reach that 5% threshold next spring. When that happens things such as how much it costs to connect to SDG&E’s power grid will be renegotiated as well as how much it pays customers who put more electricity into the grid than they use. But that will only affect the new solar installation.

To find out more about how you can start generating your own power using the sun, visit Cosmicsolar.com, call 760-749-1111 or email [email protected].

The Valley Center Library will host an Artist Meet & Greet with Sandra Lee Zelasko, award winning and published wildlife photographer on Saturday, April 18, 2-4 p.m. at the Valley Center Library, 29200 Cole Grade Rd., San Diego, 92082. Zelasko will be sharing fifteen images from her “Wildlife Collection” ex-hibition. She will discuss techniques used to capture images that tell a story and answer questions to help you improve your photography. Zelasko says success in photography all comes down to dedication, passion and continuing education. “The best advice I could give an aspiring photographer is to study work of others in the field. Begin with an exceptional capture, add a solid workflow and you will start seeing the potential in your images,” Zelasko says.

“Sandy is an accomplished and dedicated artist,” said Barbara Graham, presi-dent, Valley Center Art Association. “She is a very well-known and respected wildlife photographer. We feel privileged Sandy is willing to share her talent with her Valley Center neighbors.” “We hope everyone interested in art, photog-raphy or wildlife will come to meet Sandy,” said Carolyn McGraw Valley Center Art Association member. Sandy is not only generous with her time and expertise but great fun to talk with. Her experiences photographing in Alaska, Wyoming, Montana and other beautiful areas are wonderfully entertaining.”

For more information about the artist, contact Sandy at [email protected]. You can see more of the “Wildlife Collection” at www.WatchingWildlife-Rocks.com, visiting www.SandraLeePhotography.com and http://sandraleepho-tography.blogspot.com

Wildlife photographer at VC library

Cub Scout Visit—The local Scout troop poses with firefighters of Valley Center Fire Protection Distrct at the Lilac Station. The firefighters set up a bouncy house for the kids.


PAGE 15 IS A COLOR PAGE

COMMUNITY EVENTS

By MOLLY DAVISAhhhhh…..Can you smell it in the

air? Taste the goodness in the foods you eat? Can you hear it as soon as you step outside with the birds? Yes, it is spring and that means that we, Valley Center Middle School, have moved on from the 3rd quarter and saying hello to the 4th and last quarter of the school year. Let’s make this one count, set challenging goals for yourself so that by the time summer hits you can say, “I’m proud of myself”. Then we will never want summer break to end be-cause we know we worked so hard.

Spring break is approaching fast! We have less than a week and some change. After break we will have only 9 weeks of school left until summer! As my grandpa Martineau always says, “Only 9 more Wednesday’s left”. Let’s start 4th quarter with some motivation, “If you work hard enough one day you will be standing in the ‘Hall of Fame’. Your signature can one day be an auto-graph” Let’s do this VCMS!

The last school dance is April 24th and fast approaching. You don’t want

to miss it. The theme is ‘Dancing with the Stars’ which is a space theme. So don’t miss out on the last school dance party. This is the time to show off all those great dance moves you’ve been saving up or practicing at home. Dance until you drop!

Congratulations to all of the cast members of the play, High School Mu-sical. You made my mouth drop and you impressed many. I am still in the WOW factor of how you memorized all of those lines and moves. You all did AMAZING!

April 10th is Stripe’s and Polka Dots day at school. Deck out in stripes and or dot patterns for school. Earn spirit points for your grade. So far the stand-ings are: 1st place: 6th grade, 2nd place 8th grade and 3rd place is 7th.

Turn in as many white socks or spare change to your 1st period teach-er and join Mrs. Coltrera’s 1st period class for a little competition for the most collected.

That is all for today. Have a great rest of your week and I will see you next time.

Molly’s ColumnSchool enters the fourth quarter

The Valley Center High School Foundation is planning for the

17th Annual Jaguar Auction on Saturday, April 25th

The 17th Annual VCHS Jaguar Auction will be held on Saturday, April 25 at the VCHS Gymnasium at 31322 Cole Grade Rd. Doors open at 6 p.m.

The Valley Center High School (VCHS) Foundation, along with its many helpers, are preparing for the annual tradition of opening the VCHS Gym to the public for Valley Center’s largest fundraiser.

Tables are brought in, then filled with silent auction items like gift bas-kets, gift certificates, jewelry, home items, tickets for theater performanc-es, sporting events, theme-parks and more. Bigger items are on the floor. In the past live auction items have in-cluded party packages, asphalt drive-ways, photo booth rentals, advertis-ing, attorney services, condo rentals and whitewater rafting trips. Bidders have a variety of choices.

More tables are brought in for seat-ing, so you can take a break from bid-ding and enjoy the complementary ap-petizers, desserts and drinks. A stage is created for the MC and auctioneer who provide lively commentary and keep the auction moving.

The VCHS Foundation is a non-profit supporting the high school’s many clubs, teams, organizations and activities. Club volunteers have been hard at work soliciting for auction items for over a month.

Pre-Sale tickets are available now for $10. They will be $15 at the door. Each ticket gets you admission, appe-tizers, desserts, beverages, and enters you into the drawing for a flat-screen TV. Most Valley Center High School students sell tickets for their sport or club or you can stop by the high school office or the VC Chamber of Commerce for tickets. You can also reserve a table for the evening for a $100 donation, contact Colleen at 760-855-2510.

Save time and come to the VCHS Gym on Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to noon to get your bidder’s card before the evening event, maximizing your shopping time.

17th annual Jaguar Auction, April 25, to raise funds for high school activities

The auction is a great community event and you may go home with some new treasures of your own.

Decorated tables at the VCHS gym await the Jaguar Auction.


PAGEANT from Page 1—

BANK from Page 1 —

out of the car, burst into the bank and screamed for everyone in the place to get on the ground. “This is a robbery and I have a gun!” he reportedly said.

However, since everyone obeyed his commands to hit the ground, no one re-mained at the window to deal with the robber.

The robber scanned the scene, turned on his heel and got into his car and drove away.

The would-be bandit behaved as though he had a firearm but never showed it. One witness said that he ap-peared very nervous.

Rodeo Queen, Junior Queen, Young Miss, and Little Miss.

The 14 Contestants started off the day by showing off their Horsemanship skills in Indian Hills Ranch’s indoor arena. Following the Horsemanship portion they were subjected to personal interviews with the judges. This gives the judges the opportunity to really see if the contestants are up for the job of being a Valley Center Rodeo Queen.

The evening portion of the pageant was held at the Valley Center Middle School. The contestants opened up the pageant with dancing to the song Geor-gia Peaches. Mariah Hunt, the 2015 Poway Rodeo Queen was the evening’s Mistress of Ceremonies.

The contestants then wowed the crowd modeling their Western wear and giving speeches and answering im-promptu questions.

According to pageant director Julie Picot “These young women have spent the last three months preparing for this evening and it really showed.”

The evening came to an end with the crowning of Bridgette LaHaye as Queen, Molly Fagan as Junior Queen, Kaylee Tate as Young Miss, and Sa-mantha Picot as Little Miss.

one’s welcome to join us.”When asked what he’s going to do

with Business Insiders and Xuxa Socks after he goes to college next year, Stril-

COLE from Page 8—

er said, “The club will be handed over to whoever wants to run it. There are about fifteen members now, but I think it’ll double in size by the end of this year. And, Xuxa Socks a family busi-ness, so my younger brothers are going to run it while I’m away. I’m already training them how to work the booth and process orders. We have Internet sales almost every day, so they’re get-ting really good at packing orders.”

From the way it looks now, they are going to be processing lots and lots of orders.

For more information about the Business Insiders Club, text Cole Stril-er at 760-994-3708. For more informa-tion about Xuxa Socks see www.Xuxa-Socks.com

This photo of the robbery suspect has been released by the Sheriff’s Dept.

Will there be 4th of July Fireworksin Valley Center this year?The future of Fireworks for Valley Center is uncertain

but one thing is for sure, the event never would have happened withoutthe support of the following sponsors, volunteers, and workers.

Valley View Hotel and Casino • San Pasqual Band of Mission IndiansHarrah’s Resort, Southern California • San Luiseno Band of Mission Indians

Mercedes Benz of Escondido, Angelo Damante • Weir Asphalt and Grading, George and Cindy WeirEscondido Sand and Gravel, Mark and Nancy Weir • Lilac Hills Ranch • Melrose Ranch, Arie DeJong

Darlene Shiley • SDGE • Valley Center Rotary Club • Bank of Escondido, Mike PetersMcCuskey Group, Sam McCuskey • Frontier Fence, Mark Miller • Becker Plumbing, Brad Becker

A1 Irrigation, Jack Bose • Community Pharmacy • Grangetto’s, Martha and Kevin GrangettoPrice Products, Jeanne and Jon Price • Wells Fargo Bank, Bruce Gordon

Country Kettle Corn, Charlie and Lynn Smith • Fire Marshall George Lucia, Fire Chief, Battalion Chief and others Jeff Johnson, Christine Williamson, Joe Napier and all the firefighters on site

Various individual family supporters:Kendall and Nancy Baldry • Oliver and Janice Smith • Thomas Construction, Rayleen and Tom Thomas

Nancy Cummings • Richard and Sally Moker • Mike LaTulippe • James Nolan • Alan Kirkpatrick

Donations of time or services:EDCO • Diamond Environmental • Ron Perry • Jauregui family • Newell E. Cummings Law

Sunset Tax Services • Valley Center Equipment Rental • Powerland EquipmentAggregate Supply • Jim Courter • Mike McDonald • JBT Trucking, John and Laura BrownSt Stephens Catholic Church • VCMWD, Gary Arant • Elizabeth and Craig Usher and family

VC Kiwanis, The entire great team! • VC Lions Club, Bill Laird and the entire great team!Gina Roberts • California Highway Patrol, Scott Payson • Valley Center Insurance, Erik Jensen

Valley Center High School, Lou Obermeyer and Mary Gorsuch, Ron McCowanJohn Belanich, Orchard Run • Valley Center Community Center, Doug Johnsen • Alan Kirkpatrick

Valley Center Volunteer Sheriff • Valley Center CERT, Inc. • Valley Roadrunner, Shirley GoodDavid Ross, now editor of Times-Advocate • Corene Schuble • Sherri Estes • County of San Diego, Bob Fuller

Valley Center Sheriff Department • Supervisor Bill Horn and Staff • Sheriff, Bill Gore and staff

Fireworks Board of Directors:Newell Cummings, Newell Cummings Law • Lori Lallo, Sunset Tax • Kelly Crews, North County Dwellings

valley center times-advocate

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