City Councilman and insur-ance broker Joseph Medranowill stand trial next month oncharges that he embezzled$165,000 from iPass Corpora-tion in 2009. A plea of not guiltywas entered at the arraignmenthearing on June 1.

M e d r a n o ,who ownsInsurance Man-agement Ser-vices, is accusedof keepinginsurance premi-ums that werepaid to him byiPass Corpora-tion and not placing the cover-age with Travelers Insurance.

Medrano claims iPassbreached their contract andthat they owed him the money.iPass filed a civil suit againsthim in Contra Costa County inDecember 2010. Medrano iscountersuing.

In August 2010, TravelersInsurance won a civil suit judg-ment against Medrano for$87,554. Court documentsshow losses from iPass andanother client were included inthe judgment.

A jury trial is set to begin July16 in Redwood City with a pre-trial conference hearing June 18.

All the hard work comesdown to the next few days forClayton Olympic hopefuls Kris-tian Ipsen and Kara Kohler.Each local athlete is consideredyoung for their sports of divingand rowing, respectively, butthey both have high hopes ofmarching in with the Americanteam for the Opening Cere-monies of the London SummerGames July 27.

Ipsen will be competing inthe US Olympic Diving Trialsstarting this Sunday in FederalWay, WA. The Stanford fresh-man is a strong contender in thethree-meter springboard and a

favorite along with three-timeOlympian Troy Dumais in the3M synchro event. About 140divers will be in Washingtoncompeting for 14 spots on theUS Olympic team. Kohler’s fatewill not be determined in thesame manner as US Rowingmakes a selection of rowersbased on competition and train-ing results.

The new NBC Sports Net-work will be covering theOlympic Diving Trials withIpsen figuring to be on TV nextWednesday, Friday and Sunday.

Based on performances byAmerican divers in qualifyingmeets the US will have 14 berthsin Olympic diving events. USDiving calls the Olympic Trials

“one of the most prestigious,competitive, drama-filled divingevents in the world. This eventwill showcase the best diving inAmerica and will serve as thefinal team selection competi-tion.”

Dumais, 32, has competed inthe past three Olympics, whichshould help his much youngerteammate Ipsen as they beginqualifying this weekend in thethree meter synchro, which theyhave dominated domesticallysince being paired together byUSA Diving after the BeijingOlympics. The 19-year-oldIpsen has been cast in the roleof the next great American

A Clayton man credits theairbag with saving his life afterhis Honda Odyssey mini-vanwas hit head on in a crash thatclaimed the lives of two 20-year-old men returning from a trip tothe Delta. Brian Wheeler ofClayton and Hayden Trost ofConcord died in the crash. Bothmen were former CVHSstudents.

Clayton resident, DarylHoon, 45, was heading east onMarsh Creek just east of Russel-man Park Rd. around 10 p.m. on

June 1 when he saw a west-bound Acura Integra sedandriven by Trost “wobbling” as itapproached him.

“Suddenly, it crossed into mylane,” said Hoon. “I had barely asplit second,” he said. He turnedthe wheel to the right, trying toavoid the Acura, but it wasn’tfast enough and the two vehiclescollided.

According to CHP OfficerJohn Fransen, Trost was travel-ing at an unknown high rate ofspeed when he lost control andcrossed the center line.

Every year, Clayton ValleyHigh School dedicates a specialnight to honor the best andbrightest of the graduating class.On May 22, the school hostedSenior Awards Night. Proudand emotional parents gazedupon the 107 deserving seniorsthat received various honors andscholarships from departmentawards to the prestigious AltairAwards.

The Altair Awards honorfour graduating seniors who arerecognized for achieving excep-tional feats in the areas of schol-arship, leadership, and commu-nity service.

CVHS Principal Sue Broth-ers explained during her pres-entation that “the attainment ofan Altair award is the highesthonor a Clayton Valley studentcan receive.” The awards,named after the brightest star inthe constellation Aquila, areearned by only the most excel-lent and brightest “stars” atClayton Valley.

SERVICE

This year’s Service Altair was

awarded to Derek Weinmann.His determination and persever-ance earned him the recogni-tion. “I would have to say it isthe fact that even when things

get tough, I never give up,” saidDerek. “A lot of the time I takeon more than I can handle, but Ipush through, always comingout on top.”

Derek has been involved inschool leadership as this year’sAssociated Student Body VicePresident, and has beeninvolved in school clubs, being amember of the CaliforniaScholarship Federation, tendingto the beautiful, edible gardenon campus, and even teachingtoddlers at the Clayton ValleyHigh School preschool. Soon,he will be heading south toattend Cal State Fullerton and isplanning on majoring in childand adolescent studies so thathe can fulfill his dream of

becoming an elementary schoolteacher.

LEADERSHIP

The Leadership Altair wentto a student that not onlymakes incredible choices everyday, but serves as an examplefor other students to follow –UC Berkeley-bound GillianRush. “I felt really proud to beup there because in thatmoment I realized I do workhard to be a positive leader andit felt great to know that otherpeople noticed and thought so

as well,” explained Gillian.Gillian has been especially

involved in the Public ServiceAcademy at Clayton Valley,wishing not only to have animpact on her community, buton the entire world as well. “Weworked in groups to put boothstogether at the ‘If I CouldChange the World Fair,’ and Iwas part of a group that mademe so proud to be part of ourcause – ending the use of childsoldiers in Africa.”

Clayton will host the 2ndAnnual “Relay for Life” eventon Aug. 11-12 at the ClaytonCommunity Park. “Relay forLife” supports the AmericanCancer Society’s mission to savelives by helping people stay welland get well, by finding curesand by fighting back. Not onlydoes this event provide anopportunity for a community tojoin together in the fight againstcancer, it also allows partici-pants to honor cancer survivorsin their lives and rememberthose lost to this disease.

Organizers are looking forvolunteers, teams and sponsorsto make this community-driven,volunteer-run event successful.For more information, contactthe Volunteer Event ChairMindy Thompson at (925) 207-5564 or send email totinklover70@gmail.com.

Have you noticed all thework going on in our medians

HOWARD GELLER

MAYOR’S CORNER

Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Community Calendar . . . . . .16

Design Diva - NEW . . . . . .17

Directory of Advertisers . . . . .5

DVMS Reporter . . . . . . . . . . .8

Fashion Over 50 . . . . . . . . . .7

From the Chief . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Mind Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Obituary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Performing Arts . . . . . . . . . .18

Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Pioneer Photo Album . . . . . .19

Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Teen Speak . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

The Charter Papers . . . . . . . .8

What’s Inside

PRSRTSTD

US POSTAGE

PAID

CLAYTON, CA

PERMIT190

The poop aboutcleaning trails

See Mayor, page 15See Crash, page 6

See Olympics, page 9

See Altair, page 11

TAMARA STEINER

Clayton Pioneer

TAMARA STEINER

Clayton Pioneer

DEREK WEINMANNSERVICE ALTAIR

GILLIAN RUSHLEADERSHIP ALTAIR

TAYLOR TOVREAACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

TED HALLGRAND ALTAIR

ROBBY PARKER

CVHS Reporter

IT’S YOUR PAPER

www.claytonpioneer.com June 15, 2012

CVHS honors best with Altair Award

Decision time for local Olympic hopefulsJAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

Court setstrial date inMedrano case

JOSEPHMEDRANOTwo killed in Marsh Creek car crash

ROWING CHAMP KARA KOHLER

of Clayton will find out nextweek if she goes to Londonin July.

Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer

FLOWERS, NOTES AND MEMENTOS left by friends and family mark theplace on Marsh Creek east of Russelman Park Rd. where BrianWheeler and Haydon Trost died in a head-on collision June 1.

Phot

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In this issue

Clayton resident and con-tractor Steffan Smith wasrecently presented with thePreservation Award by the

Berkeley Architectural HeritageAssociation for restoring andremodeling the kitchen of a1910 Craftsman-style home inBerkeley. “Maintaining the his-toric style and classic stronglines of this beautiful Arts andCrafts house, while creating afamily-friendly kitchen was themain goal for this restorationproject,” commented architectJerri Holan.

Smith’s refurbishmentsincluded new ceiling box beamsinspired by the original beamsin the living and dining rooms.Soapstone, marble and butcher-block counters were installed to

increase functionality whilecontinuing the traditionalambiance.

CCllaayyttoonn MMaarrkkeett UUppddaattee pprroovviiddeedd bbyy GGeeoorrggee VVuujjnnoovviicchh ooff BBeetttteerr HHoommeess RReeaallttyy

703 Condor Place................$262,500 . . . .1252 . . . . .2/2.5 . . . . . . .6/4/12

765 Bloching Circle..............$599,000 . . . .2325 . . . . .4/2.5 . . . . . . .6/1/12

3045 Windmill Canyon Dr....$525,000 . . . .2053 . . . . .3/2 . . . . . . .5/31/12

11 Eagle Peak Place ...........$528,000 . . . .2467 . . . . .4/3 . . . . . . .5/31/12

5869 4 Oaks Ln ...................$500,000 . . . .1649 . . . . .3/2.5 . . . . . .5/30/12

40 Mount Emory Ct..............$380,000 . . . .1567 . . . . .3/2 . . . . . . .5/25/12

18 Barcelona Way ...............$475,000 . . . .2324 . . . . .4/2.5 . . . . . .5/25/12

101 Oak Court .....................$748,000 . . . .3794 . . . . .4/3.5 . . . . . .5/23/12

1124 Peacock Creek Dr.......$590,000 . . . .3307 . . . . .4/2.5 . . . . . .5/21/12

1100 Curry Canyon Rd ........$649,000 . . . .3600 . . . . .9/5 . . . . . . .5/18/12

27 Long Creek Cir ...............$315,000 . . . .1457 . . . . .3/2.5 . . . . . .5/16/12

3062 Windmill Canyon Dr....$585,000 . . . .2854 . . . . .3/3 . . . . . . .5/16/12

521 Hamburg Cir .................$580,000 . . . .2081 . . . . .4/2 . . . . . . .5/11/12

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31 Mt. Teton Court , Clayton Dana Hills! Coming Soon! Single StoryRancher tucked away on a quiet court!

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207 Rainbow Lane, Pleasant HillComing Soon! Desirable Oak ParkArea! Adorable House in a serenecreek side setting!

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Easley Estates! Highly Desirable andRare Single Story! 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, approx. 2081sf, inside laundry, 2 car

garage+ RV parking. Extensively upgraded & updated thru-

out! New gleaming hardwood floor! Extra thick baseboards,

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1561 Talisman Way, Concord Rose Glen! Single Story Rancher on alarge corner lot!

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31 Ava Lane, Pleasant Hill Just Listed! Sensational Custom SingleStory Craftsman on a Park-like level .58acre lot!

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privacy, rolling lawns, quaint patio’s, mature, vibrant land-

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Around Town Page 2 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com June 15, 2012

New Year’s Eve vows for CourtneyCarmignani and Christoph Lohmann

Courtney Carmignani andChristoph Lohmann were mar-ried on New Year’s Eve in theSaint Mary’s College Chapel inMoraga. Courtney is a 2001 grad-uate of Clayton Valley HighSchool. She received her Bache-lors from Saint Mary’s College in2005 and her Masters in Leader-ship from Saint Mary’s in 2007.She currently serves as the Asso-ciate Director of Alumni andVolunteer Engagement at SaintMary’s College.

Christoph is a native of Bad

Bentheim, Germany and a 1996graduate of St. Antonius. Follow-ing high school, Christoph servedin the German Navy before com-ing to the United States to com-plete his Bachelors which hereceived in 2003 from CSUHSacramento. He received his Mas-ter’s in Financial Analysis andInvestment Management fromSaint Mary’s College in 2005. Heworks for JPMorgan Chase.

Courtney and Chris live inMoraga and are planning a fallhoneymoon in Hawaii.

Pine Hollow’sRachel King wins

poetry contest

Pine Hollow Middle Schoolstudent Rachel King won firstplace in the poetry division of theCalifornia Young Writers Con-test, Mt. Diablo Branch, for herpoem, “I Am Currently in theProcess” in May. Rachel liked tomake up stories to go with thepictures in her books before andafter she learned to read.

Now she enjoys writing thestories. “Once I learned towrite…it came really naturally tome,” Rachel says. “I like fictionbecause it can go anywhere.”

The contest began in 1995. Itincludes free writing workshopsfor middle and high school stu-dents at local libraries taught bychildren’s authors Sarah Wilsonand Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff.The next workshop is 3 p.m. to 5p.m., Wednesday, July 18, at theClayton Library, 6125 Clayton Rd.

For more information, go tolizbooks.com or claytonlibrary.org.

RACHEL KING receives her firstplace award from ChapterPresident Elisabeth Tuck.

MDES kids spelltheir way to the top

Zachary Moore raised morethan the bar this year at the Mt.Diablo Elementary PFC Spell-a-thon. He spelled his way to over$595 in pledges for his schooland won a new Kindle Fire.

Every year, students are givena list of spelling words and apledge sheet to raise money fortheir school. The second prizewinner was Makaella Cherepy,who raised over $250 and won a$100 Visa gift card.The 100 stu-dents who raise more than $100were each given coupons donatedby Yogurt Shack.

Collectively, the studentsraised over $26,000 for the MDEFaculty Club.

TOP SPELLERS Zachary Moore (left)and Makaella Cherepy withMDES, Principal Irene Keenan.

Steffan Smith wins award for restoration design

Steffan Smith (on right) withhomeowner Gantt Galloway,architect Jerri Holan and home-owner Catherine Galloway.

New grandson for HartleysAnderson Paul Whelan

joined mom and dad NatalieTollefson and Graig Whelan andbig brother Mac as the newestmember of the Hartley familyon May 30.

Grandparents are Ed andCecelia Hartley and great-grand-parents are Jerry and GloriaKosel, all of Clayton.

CVH lacrosse teams play benefit for ‘Radar’The Clayton Valley High

School boys and girls lacrosseteams have created a traditionthe last several years by holdingtheir annual Boys vs. Girls gameto benefit a local cause. Thisyear the Eagle teams playedtheir game to help offset med-ical costs incurred by Pioneerphotographer Mike “Radar”Dunn (center to left of Eagle

mascots) as he’s battling cancer.As for the game the girls scored

a golden goal in overtime for a8-7 victory. Photo by Sarah Okimoto

Local girls on their way to science campDiablo View Middle School

students (from left) AlisonMitchell, Kacie Hennesseyand Megan Brys were chosenfor the American Association ofUniversity Women scholarshipsto attend this year’s Tech Trekcamp at Sonoma State Universi-ty from June 17 through June23. Tech Trek is a math and sci-ence camp created to encouragegirls to pursue these fields intheir education by offering

hands-on activities and expo-sure to related careers in a col-lege campus setting. COURTNEY CARMIGNANI AND CHRISTOPH LOHMANN

Clayton once again gatheredat the flagpole on Memorial Dayto remember those who losttheir lives serving in the ArmedForces. Local mayors HowardGeller (Clayton) and Ron Leone(Concord) were joined by Con-gressman George Miller, Cali-fornia State Senator MarkDeSaulnier, State AssemblyMember Susan Bonilla, CountySupervisor Karen Mitchoff tohonor in speech and song allwho died in battle with specialmention of Clayton’s lost veter-ans: Albert Morgan and HenryDuncan in WWI, Tony Giozzi

in the Korean War and JerryNovakovich, Ronnie Pimenteland Paul Coe in Viet Nam.

The six names are engravedon a plaque installed at thenewly refurbished VFW Memo-rial at the foot of Main Street.

“It is too brief and too infre-quent that we honor those whosacrificed to make our countrythe best in the world, but Clay-ton does it with dignity, class,honor and commitment,” saysCouncilman Dave Shuey. “It isdays like this when I get emo-tional, introspective and con-templative about the heroeswho have made us who we aretoday. Thanks to our veterans,their families and to Clayton forcontinuing to honor those whogive us liberty and justice forall.”

Photos from top left: A Vietnamera Huey circled downtown three timesto cheers and salutes from on those onthe ground; Jennifer Jay; Veterans,Steve Pierce; Flag, Shelly Shuey.

4290 Morgan Territory Road, Clayton $398,0005Acre Lot – Dream big! 5 acre parcel offers panoramicviews of Mt. Diablo & foothills. Build your estate nearother upscale ranches. Horse or livestock, zoned A-2.Public utilities at street. Just minutes from downtown.

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Wanda Way, Martinez $249,000Alhambra Valley – Level .69 acre parcel is located in anupscale area and offers panoramic views and lots of pri-vacy. Building pad, utilities at street, ready to go - sewer,city water. Build your dream home!

5205 Myrtle Drive, Concord $629,000Ayers Ranch Horse Property – Nearly an acrew/arena, stalls, storage & sweeping views of Mt. Diablo& Clayton Valley! Enjoy 3BD/2BA expanded to 2,000s.f. with a Florida room addition. Wonderful dining area.

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Garaventa Oaks – 3BD/2BA with 1,697 s.f. on flat lotbacks to open space & park. Updated family room offersa fireplace. Kitchen has slab granite & newer cabinets.Perks include indoor laundry & finished garage.

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June 15, 2012 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 3

Saturdays 6 to 8:30 p.m.

At the Gazebo in The GroveSet up chairs and blankets on the lawn after 4 p.m.

Concertsin The Grove

June 23 JACK POLLARD'S SWING SOIREE:9-piece precision band covering jazz and R&B from the30s thru 80s

July 7 LIVIN' IN THE USA — A CROSS-COUNTRY MUSIC TRIP:

Fully themed and costumed “all hits” cover band.

July 21 BUMP CITY: A Tribute to Tower of Power: 10-piece band their ownkind of urban soul

Aug. 4 DIAMOND DAVE: Singer Dave Hosley has been entertaining East Bay audi-ences for over 20 years with the classics to the latest HipHop

Aug. 18 ROLLING HEADS: Classic rock to new pop

Sept. 1 LAURENT FOURGO & HIS COMBO:7-piece band featuring jump, swing, dixieland and jazzfrom the 20s, 30s, 40s & 50s.

Sept. 15 EAST BAY MUDD: 9-piece cover danceband with a powerful 4-piece horn section returning fortheir 4th year.

Thursdays 6 to 8:30 p.m.

June 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Five by FiveJuly 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The RelyksJuly 26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Crossman CountryAug. 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TBDAug. 23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The PHDs

St. Bonaventure’s is askingyou to roll up your sleeve and giveblood on July 5.

The Diocese of Oakland,together with the MormonChurch and other faith communi-ties, has set a goal to collect 7,000units of blood during the monthof July.

“Every two seconds someonein the United States needs blood,”says event coordinator TreEssaPalmeri. “Yet blood cannot bemanufactured; it must be given byvolunteer donors.”

Because blood has a limitedshelf life, the community bloodsupply must constantly be replen-

ished to meet patient’s needs.Giving blood is easy and rela-

tively painless, Palmeri says. “Youmay feel a slight pinch – that’sall.” Allow about an hour for thewhole process including pre-screening, donating and post-restand snack.

The Red Cross will be in the

large hall with trained staff toaccept donations. Schedule anappointment to donate atwww.redcrossblood.org.

St. Bonaventure’s is at 5562 Clay-ton Rd., Concord. For more informa-tion, contact TreEssa Palmeri, (925)672-5800 ext. 2230 or emailtreessa.palmeri@stbonaventure.net

Diocesan Interfaith Blood Drive coming to St. Bonaventure

Memorial Day 2012

A late afternoon house fireclaimed the lives of three fami-ly dogs and caused an estimated$150,000 in damage to a homeat 23 Four Oaks Lane in Clay-ton on May 23.

Three family members weretreated at John Muir Hospitalfor smoke inhalation sufferedwhile attempting to rescue theirfive dogs. Two of the dogs per-ished in the fire and one diedlater.

The fire appears to be acci-dental and started in the attic,according to Fire MarshallLewis Broussard. The firedepartment received the reportat 6:12 p.m. The first crew to

arrive found the living area ofthe home engulfed in flames.

“The occupants were outsidethe structure but were trying togain entry to get their dogs out ofthe home,” Broussard said.

“Fire crews made an interiorattack along with a search andlocated five dogs. The dogs weregiven oxygen treatment from firepersonnel, but unfortunately twodogs could not be resuscitated.”

Katrina Reyes, a Mt. DiabloElementary School teacher, wasleaving work a short block downFour Oaks Lane when the firstfire unit arrived. “I had to helpthe firefighters drag the hosedown the street,” she said. “I

heard someone say it was theoriginal shake roof. (The rooffire) was like a trick candle, it justwouldn’t go out.”

The home was built in 1969by Victor Hare. “My grandpa

built this house himself when hecame to America after WWII,”reported third generation familymember Stephen Hare on thelocal blog Claycord.com.

Join the Concord Associatesfor Performing Arts

(CAPA)As they “cut the ribbon”

on their new endeavor

And share the vision to

Bring more performing arts to ConcordBring music and dance back into the schools

Chamber of Commerce Ribbon CuttingJune 18 at 4:30 p.m. Willows Theatre

1970 Diamond Blvd., ConcordFor more info, contact Kelly McGinnis, CAPA, 925-285-1749

The Performing Arts are on a Roll

Page 4 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com June 15, 2012

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Visit us at ClaytonValleyShell.com for more promotionsEast Contra Costa Fire Pro-

tection District is trying to digout of the ashes after EastCounty voters last week said aloud and clear “no” to a parceltax aimed at increasing revenueto keep stations open and savepositions.

Measure S, which wouldhave increased property taxes inthe district by $197 a year, esca-lating to $257 over five years,came up far short of the two-thirds super-majority required topass. The final vote was 44 per-cent yes, 56 percent no.

Without the increased rev-enue, the district will be forcedto close at least three stations –Discovery Bay, Bethel Islandand one Brentwood station –and lay off up to 19 firefightersin order to maintain safe staffing

levels at the remaining stations.The Marsh Creek Sunshine

station will remain open withECCFPD contracting with stateagency CalFire to staff the sta-tion year around. Prior to thisyear, CalFire operated the sta-tion during the fire season Mayto November under what isknown as an “Amador” con-tract. The district staffed the sta-tion during the rest of the year.

“Measure S was but oneminor note in a very large con-certo of government struggleswith faltering tax revenues, surg-ing costs and unpaid liabilities,”said ECCFPD Board MemberCheryl Morgan. “It was arequest for more resources thatsounded hollow to a votingpublic besieged by unemploy-ment, debt and financial woesof their own.” Morgan repre-sents the Marsh Creek/MorganTerritory area.

For the past several years, thedistrict has been faced withfalling property tax revenues,poorly performing investmentsand growing pension and bene-fit costs. Two years ago, the dis-trict threatened to close theMarsh Creek Sunshine Station.Closing the station would havemeant increased response timesand higher fire insurance premi-ums for property owners,prompting a vigorous responsefrom area residents. The$400,000-plus in property taxesfrom the Marsh Creek/MorganTerritory area more than cov-ered the $360,000 CalFire con-tract and the district backeddown.

Beginning this year, the dis-trict will contract with CalFire sixmonths at a time for year-round

FIRE CREWS BATTLED A STUBBORN HOUSE FIRE on Four Oaks Laneon May 23. Three of the family dogs perished in the fire.

Four Oaks fire claims three family dogsNICCI SHIPSTEAD

Clayton Pioneer

Despite defeat of Measure S,Marsh Creek Fire Station survives

TAMARA STEINER

Clayton Pioneer

See Measure S, page 5

Dieter W. Lauterbach passedaway on May 12 at his home sur-rounded by his family, includinghis brother and niece from Ger-many who arrived just in time tosay goodbye.

Dieter was born in Berlin,September 24, 1934 to Walde-mar and Gerda Lauterbach. Heimmigrated to the US at the ageof 16. He served in the U.S. AirForce stationed in Germany.After his service, her returnedColorado to finish collegebefore moving to San Francisco.

He was an enthusiastic,active member of Sons inRetirement (SIRS) Branch 8,where he made many goodfriends.

Dieter was a lifelong book-worm and had a long associa-tion with the Clayton Libraryserving as lead volunteer, andwas appreciative of their recog-nition of his work.

Dieter played the last handthat was dealt him with courageand dignity. He fought hard butin the end, he lost the battle. Heis survived by his wife 47 years,Sandra, sons, Eric (Martina) andHans (Rhonda), five grandchil-dren, his brother Reimar (Han-nalore Bage) and their threechildren.

Dieter took great pride in hischildren and grandchildren. Hewas a family man who lovedbeing a dad and especially beingOpa to his grandchildren. Heloved his daughters-in-law as hisown and enjoyed being part ofan extended family in California,Phoenix, St. Louis and Chicago.

His family wishes to thank

the wonderful doctors and staffof Epic Care, who were hischampions, and John Muir Hos-pital in Concord; Vitas Hospiceand Always Available HomeCare, who made it possible forhim to be at home. A memorialgathering for family and friendswill be held at a later date.

Remembrances in Dieter’smemory may be made to theLeukemia & Lymphoma Society,Northern California Chapter,1390 Market St, Ste. 1200, SanFrancisco, CA 94102-5306.

Auto

Clayton Auto Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .686-1000

Clayton Valley Shell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-3900

Business Services

Rising Moon Marketing & Public Relations . . . . .672-8717

Chiropractor

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Construction and Trades

Appliance Repairs by Bruce, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2700

Belfast Plumbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .457-5423

Black Diamond Electric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .777-3440

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Cheyenne Electric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .566-8226

Copa Painting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .682-2202

Diablo View Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .822-5144

Steffan Smith Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . .866-838-2923

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Dining and Entertainment

Clayton Club Saloon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .673-0440

Memo’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .914-0395

Ravioli’s Italian Market Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-3819

Subway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .693-0621

Willows Theatre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .798-1300

Events

Clayton Business & Community Association . . . .672-2272

Concord Association for Performing Arts . . . . . . .285-1749

Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .825-9090

Financial and Insurance Services

Held, Chris - Morgan Stanley Smith Barney . . . .930-3815

King & Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .465-2565

Littorno, Richard - Attorney at Law . . . . . . . . . . . .432-4211

Prosperitas Wealth Management . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-7700

Van Wyck, Doug - State Farm Insurance . . . . . . .672-2300

Funerals

Ouimet Funeral Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .682-4242

Home and Garden

Abbey Carpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .686-9901

Clear Splash Pool Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216-6245

Diablo Lawnscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .381-3757

Earth Blend Mulch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250-0334

Just Floors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .681-4747

Nichols Landscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9955

Utopic Gardens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .524-0055

Waraner Bros. Tree Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .831-2323

Waraner Tree Experts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250-0334

Mailing Services

The UPS Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-6245

Optometry

Foresight Optometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-4100

Pet Services

Monte Vista Veterinary Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-1100

Peace of Mind Pet Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9781

Pet Suites Inn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .432-7387

Rodie’s Feed and Pet Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-4600

Real Estate and Mortgage Services

French, Lynne - Windermere Real Estate . . . . . .672-8787

Klock, Leigh - Coldwell Banker . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212-5593

Laurence, Pete - RE/MAX Realty . . . . . . . . . . . .890-6004

Lopez, Stephanie - Coldwell Banker . . . . . . . . . .932-7329

Mazzei, Matt -Mazzei Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .693-0757

Vujnovich, George - Better Homes Realty . . . . .672-4433

Recreation and Fitness

All Out Sports League . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203-5626

Castle Rock Arabians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .933-3701

Clayton Valley Bowl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-4631

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Earthquake Arabians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .360-7454

East Bay Regional Park District . . . . . . . . . . . .ebparks.org

Kali Ball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .276-0845

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Schools

Walnut Country Preschool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .798-9686

Senior Services

Always Available Home Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-6887

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Diamond Terrace Senior Retirement Living . . . . .524-5100

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Directory of Advertisers

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Classified

P.O. Box 1246

6200 Center Street, Suite H, Clayton, CA 94517

TAMARA AND ROBERT STEINER, PublishersTAMARA STEINER, EditorPETE CRUZ, Graphic DesignPEGGY SPEAR, Copy Editor JAY BEDECARRÉ, Sports PAMELA WIESENDANGER, Administration

STAFF WRITERS: Denisen Hartlove, Nicci Shipstead, PamWiesendanger, Mike Dunn

We remember Jill Bedecarré - Her spirit is our muse

PIONEER INFOCONTACT US

Tel: (925) 672-0500Fax: (925) 672-6580

Tamara Steinertamara@claytonpioneer.com

Send ads toads@claytonpioneer.com

Send Sports News tosports@claytonpioneer.com

Send Club News toclubnews@claytonpioneer.com

Send Church News tochurchnews@claytonpioneer.com

Send School News toschoolnews@claytonpioneer.com

CLASSIFIEDSClassified rates per insertion:$48 for first 30 words, $.40 each

additional wordNon-profit: $24 for first 30 words,

$.20 each additional wordTo place your classified ad over the

phone, call the office at (925) 672-0500 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.Mon.-Fri. Or, you may fax your type-written ad and credit card informa-tion to (925) 672-6580. All classifiedsmust be paid for in advance by creditcard (Master Card or Visa)

We will not accept any ad that dis-criminates on the basis of race, color,sex, religion, nationality, family statusor disability. The Clayton Pioneerreserves the right to reject any adver-tising we believe is unsuitable.

LET US KNOWWeddings, engagements, anniver-

saries, births and deaths all weavetogether as part of the fabric of ourcommunity. Please let us know ofthese important events. We ask onlythat the announcement be for a Clay-ton resident. You will find the appro-priate form for your announcement onour Website. Attach your photo to theform. Make sure the image size you areabout to send is at least 3 MB but notbigger than 6MB. The only format weaccept is JPG. You can also mail orbring your print to the office and wecan scan it for you.

Also on our Website are forms forsubmitting Community Calendar itemsand press releases for yourorganization.

LETTERS TO THE EDITORThe Clayton Pioneer welcomes

letters from our readers. As a generalrule, letters should be 250 words orless and submitted at least one weekprior to publication date. Letters con-cerning current issues will have priori-ty. We may edit letters for length andclarity. All letters will be published atthe editor’s discretion.

Please include your name, addressand daytime telephone number. Wewill not print letters from“anonymous.”

E-mail your letter in a Worddocument to tamara@clayton-pioneer.com. Letters MUST besubmitted via E-mail.

COURAGEDo the Right Thing

Measure S,from page 4

June 15, 2012 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 5

Obituary

Dieter W. LauterbachSept. 24, 1934 - May 12, 2012

fire and emergency servicesoperating out of the SunshineStation. The six-month contractremains at $360,000.

At a board meeting on June11, the district will vote on a bal-anced budget plan that will keepthree or four stations open.

According to Morgan, thedirectors are pretty much inagreement on adopting thethree-station model.

The board has until June 25to make a final decision on newservice models. “While thisisn’t the outcome we desired,we’re prepared to provide thebest possible service with theresources available to us,” saidECCFPD Chief HughHenderson.

ECCFPD board meetings areopen to the public and are held thefirst Monday of the month at OakleyCity Hall, 3231 Main StreetOakley. For more information, go toECCFPD.org.

5438 Ygnacio Valley Rd., Ste. 20

(925) 672-2276 Clayton Valley Shopping

Center, Next to Yogurt Shack

New

Spring

Shoeshave arrived

When the summer monthsarrive, there is usually anincrease in the number of solic-itors that show up in our neigh-borhoods interested in sellingvacuum cleaners, magazines,books, cleaning supplies, or any-thing else of value.

While soliciting is legal,solicitors are required to followthe Clayton Municipal Code(CMC) that regulates solicitingin the city. Under Chapter 9.11of the CMC, it is unlawful foran individual to engage in ped-dling or solicitation activitieswithin the city without having inhis/her possession a valid andcurrent solicitor’s permit (withphotograph) issued by the Clay-ton Police Department. Thereare several exemptions allowedunder the CMC. These are:

Any solicitation that is madeon the premises owned or occu-pied by an organization uponwhose behalf the solicitation ismade. These are: � Any communication by an

organization soliciting contri-butions solely from personswho are members of thatorganization.

� Any solicitation in the form ofa collection at a regular meet-ing, assembly or service of acharitable organization.

� Any solicitation for relief ofany individual specified byname where the solicitor rep-

resents that the entire amountcollected shall be turned overto the named person.

� Any solicitation for sale, deliv-ery or collections of/for anewspaper.

� Any solicitation for the sale ofgoods by a person under theage of 18 years of age fornon-commercial purposes.

� Any solicitation for politicalpurposes.

Even though solicitors mayhave a valid solicitor’s permit,residents who do not want to besolicited can post a “no solicit-ing” sign at the front door, or atthe property’s edge. The signcan be hand written. In addition,residents do not have to answertheir door and should alwayscheck to see who it is beforeopening the door. Residentsshould report all aggressivesolicitors, persons refusing to

leave, or solicitors without solic-iting permits to the ClaytonPolice Department at 925-673-7350. When making the report,try to obtain a good physicaldescription of the solicitor, theassociated vehicle, and the direc-tion of travel in order to assistresponding officers. If you havequestions about the city’s solici-tation ordinance, the ordinancecan be viewed on the city’s web-site, or residents can call thepolice department at 925-673-7350, between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.Monday Through Friday.

Mt. Diablo Elementary

School PFC sends a huge

THANK YOU to the

generous sponsors of the

12th Annual Benefit

Auction & Dinner Dance

We could not have done it without your support

and that of all our donors and attendees.

CAPTAIN'S TABLE SPONSORS

Jeanne Strong & Family

Peter J. Tamases & Associates

Odisea Wine Co.

GOLD DOUBLOON SPONSORS

Aramark Sycomp

Yoga Sol Longfellow Wines

Diablo Bowmen Oakhurst Country Club

R.E. Renovations, Inc. Education Unlimited

NORCAL Mutual Insurance Company

Page 6 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com June 15, 2012

Crash, from page 1

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Trost was wearing his seat-belt properly, but Wheeler wasbuckled only at the lap, with theshoulder strap behind him.

It is unknown if alcohol ordrugs played a role. Toxicologyreports may take several weeks,said the coroner’s office.

The cause of the accident isstill under investigation

Pamela Michael who lives offMorgan Territory Road was thesecond on the scene. She saidHoon was out of the van andwaving a flashlight to warnapproaching drivers.

She called 9-1-1 and stayed tohelp Hoon with his two dogs,which were also in the van, oneof them seriously injured.

The crash closed MarshCreek Road in both directionsfor more than three hours.

Hoon suffered bruises fromthe seatbelt and a sore neck. Hecredits the airbag with saving hislife.

“If anyone is thinking of dis-connecting their airbag, don’t,”he warns. “It did its job.”

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It takes a village … this is truefor more than just raisingchildren.

The annual July 4 celebrationdowntown takes scores of volun-teers to create the downtownevent that celebrates the country’sbirthday.

With the town all decked outin its red, white and blue finest,the July 4 parade has become atrue “Norman Rockwell” event.

The morning starts off withthose hungry for pre-parade pan-cakes heading for Endeavor Hallfor the 7 a.m. pancake breakfastsponsored by the Clayton SunriseRotary Club. By 9:30 kids onbikes, scooters, Big Wheels, rollerskates, in buggies and strollers,pooches sporting patriotic wear

and parents are lining up for theKiddie Parade.

Just when everyone is con-vinced the kids are circling theblock for the third time, Station11 and Clayton PD, sirens blar-ing, lead the mayor and councilmembers down Main Street asthe main parade begins.

In honor of the upcomingsummer Olympics, the theme ofthis year’s parade is “ClaytonGoes for the Gold.” Those inter-ested in being in the main paradeshould submit an application tothe 4th of July Committee nolater than June 18. No registrationis required for the Kiddie Parade.

Due to the popularity of theparade and limited downtownspace, the number of entrants

may be limited. The committeewill review all applications andensure a variety of entries. Allvehicles must have appropriateliability insurance, a licensed driv-er, and all entrants are restrictedfrom tossing candy or usingwater squirt devices. Applicationsand information is available on

the City of Clayton’s web site atwww.cityofclayton.org.

To make this annual eventsuccessful, the committee isactively seeking volunteers helpout on parade day, including help-ing put up barricades and streetclosures, decorations, crowd con-trol, parade line-up, parade flowcontrol and clean-up.

If you or your organization canhelp anytime between 6 a.m. and 2p.m. on Wednesday, July 4, callClayton City Clerk Laci Jackson at673- 7304 or email:ljackson@ci.clayton.ca.us. Taxdeductible donations may be made tothe Clayton 4th of July Parade, Cityof Clayton, 6000 Heritage Trail,Clayton CA 94517.

Volunteers, entrants needed for July 4 Parade

Summer brings out the solicitors

DAN LAWRENCE

FROM THE CHIEF

Dan Lawrence is Clayton’s PoliceChief. Please send your questions,comments or topics you’d like to see covered to DanL@cpd.ci.concord.ca.us

“Don’t make me angry. Youwouldn’t like me when I’mangry.” Or so says The IncredibleHulk. I’m sure many of usremember this classic quote. Inreality, nobody likes us when weare angry. Heck, we usually don’teven like ourselves when we areangry. Anger scares the bejeebersout of us. When we encountersomeone who is angry, we enterinto “fight, flight or freeze”mode: We get aggressive, run theother way or we shut down.

Many of us have not had healthyand appropriate models for whatto do when we feel angry orwhen we experience someoneelse’s anger.

So, let’s start out by reviewingsome basic facts and bustingsome myths about anger. First ofall, anger is a normal, healthyemotion that we all experience. Itlets us know that we have feltwronged in some way and itmotivates us to protect ourselvesor those we love. Anger is alsoknown as a secondary emotion,which means that we often expe-rience another more vulnerableemotion like sadness, hurt orfrustration first. To feel vulnera-ble means to feel exposed, so weoften then feel anger as way toalso protect ourselves from theseother emotions or from the peo-ple who inspired those feelings inthe first place. All in all, there isnothing wrong with being angryor feeling angry. Where we getinto trouble is how we expressthat anger and deal with it.

We cannot control how wefeel, but we can control how wemanage those feelings. So, whatdo we do? The three main waysto deal with anger are expressing,suppressing or calming. Express-ing your angry feelings in an

assertive, not aggressive way, isone of the healthiest ways to dealwith anger. It requires you toknow what your needs are andhow to get them met withouthurting anyone; it allows you torespect yourself and others.Anger can also be suppressed andthen converted and redirected tosomething more constructive.This might happen when youstop thinking about it and focuson something positive instead.But, the anger needs some sort ofoutlet eventually or else it willbuild and be turned inward,which can lead to physical ormental health problems. Often,people who make a habit out ofholding in their anger tend to letit leak out in passive-aggressive

ways, or it can create a negative,cynical outlook on life. Lastly, youcan calm your internal responseto the anger by lowering yourheart rate and letting the feelingsdiminish.

Anger management is aboutdealing with both the emotionalfeelings and the physiologicalreactions. Give yourself sometime to reflect before you react.Count to 10. Breathe deeply.Acknowledge that the other per-son is not out to get you. See howyou can reframe the situation intosomething more positive. Seewhat changes you can make inthe situation. Just let it go if needbe. Lastly, remember your innerDr. Bruce Banner.

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Now servingbeer & wine

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June 15, 2012 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 7

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Church paysadditionalEIR costs,project backin motion.

Clayton Community Churchis moving ahead with an applica-tion for a land use permit tobuild a 4-building worship com-plex on Main Street.

The project stalled earlierthis year when the city asked thechurch for additional funds tocomplete the EnvironmentalImpact Report. The draft reportprepared by outside consultantsgenerated a greater number ofpublic comments requiring aresponse than was covered bythe scope of the contract.

Last month, the church paidthe city $68,000 to cover theadditional costs and the applica-tion is back in motion.

The controversial projectcalls for a 22,000 square footworship center and three otherbuildings for offices, class-rooms, youth center and com-mercial space totaling 42,300square feet.

Approval of the project willrequire the city to amend theGeneral Plan and the TownCenter Specific Plan to allow forassembly uses in an area that iszoned for retail. The church alsois also asking the city to waivethe requirement for onsite park-ing and allow them to use publicparking instead.

In addition to completingthe EIR, the church must sub-mit a parking mitigation plan toaddress the impacts of using thepublic parking lots at the libraryand Endeavor Hall and streetparking to meet their needs.

Clayton’s Community Ser-vices Director, David Wolteringexpects the next public hearingson the project to begin in lateOctober.

TAMARA STEINER

Clayton Pioneer

Don’t let anger turn you green

STEPHANIE HO

MIND MATTERS

Stephanie T. Ho is a licensed psy-chologist. She has a private practiceoffice in Walnut Creek and works atUC Berkeley. She can be reached atstephanie.ho.phd@gmail.com.

Get the scoop onsummer whites

Yes, we know you can wearwhite anytime now (my mother isturning over in her grave), butMemorial Day will always signalthe official start of summerwhites for us.

White is such an amazing no-color color. With sun-kissed skin,white gives that extra glow. Forthose who want to skip a tan, amilky white is a warmer hue.

MUST-HAVE WHITES:A plain, white t-shirt that fits

slightly loose — or simply go upa size. Layer it with a fitted whitetank top underneath and makesure the tank is long enough tocover below the stomach. Thetwo layers will make the whiteseem more brilliant, and thetank underneath will also help to

minimize any bulges. A classic, cotton men’s style but-

ton-up shirt. Try one from ClubMonaco or Brooks Brothers.The button-up style elevates thelook from just a simple t-shirt.Roll up the sleeves and pushthem up to the elbow for a styl-ish look. Wear a white lacecamisole underneath, so you canjust barely see the lace. Wearwith classic denim or a pair ofskinny jeans.

White jeans. These can betricky for anyone who doesn’thave toothpick legs, but you canstill make it work if you choose alarger fitting top like a tunic oroversized t-shirt that is longenough to cover just below thehips. To update the look roll thelegs up just above the ankle. Youcan choose a high heel, ballerinaflat or a sandal.

Wearing all-over white is flat-tering to the figure because itkeeps from breaking your bodyup into sections with contrastingcolors. Try it and see what youthink.

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Judith Marshall is the author of“Husbands May Come and Go butFriends are Forever.” Send commentsto Judith.Marshall@att.net.

Congratulations, kudos andhuzzahs to our two retiring Teen-Speak columnists.

With excitement for theirbright futures but a little selfishregret to see them go, we bidfarewell to Sarah Rosen and Tay-lor Tovrea. Both women aregraduating with honors fromCVHS this month and will beheading off to college in the fall.

Sarah will attend UC SantaBarbara to major in English andFilm Studies. Taylor is on herway to UCLA, where she willmajor in neuroscience with aneye to medical school in thefuture.

Sophomore Robbie Parkerwill continue as a CVHS reporterat-large.

We are looking for at least oneother student to write commen-tary and opinion columns, fea-tures and profiles and cover newsstories on campus and in thecommunity.

Students must have a livelywriting style with excellent gram-mar, punctuation and spelling,have something interesting to sayand not be afraid to say it.

Interested students shouldsend an email totamara@claytonpioneer.com.

The DramaMama teen per-formance program wrapped upthe year last month with aperennial favorite, “Annie: TheMusical.”

“Annie,” is the story of anorphan girl (played by JordanBen-Shmuel and Megan Robin-son), who lives in an all-girlsorphanage that is run by Ms.Hannigan, (played by VeronicaRenner and Devon Taylor) inthe 1900s. One lucky day,Grace, (played by Claire Olsonand Valeria Huaco), the secre-tary of the rich and famous

Oliver Warbucks (played byDaniel Jones), comes to theorphanage to ask a red-headedorphan child to spend theChristmas holidays with Mr.Warbucks. She ends up choos-ing Annie, who suddenly enjoysthe life of luxury she’s alwayswanted. When Mr. Warbuckswants to adopt Annie, sheresists, because when her par-ents left her at the orphanagewhen she was a baby, theypromised her that they wouldcome back for her.

The plot thickens when amysterious couple arrives at theWarbucks’s home claiming tobe Annie’s parents. Could theybe? Or, are they just after thebig money award and notAnnie?

I asked student Laura Rus-citti what part of “Annie” sheenjoyed the most. “I loved the

songs,” she says. “The actorsand actresses did a really goodjob singing them.”

There were many tears shedand heartfelt speeches at thefinal showing of the play. Aspecial speech was given by theonly five boys in Drama Mama— Sean Calimlim, DanielJones, Dylan Kies, Aaron Olk,and Vincent Tran. They all sanga special song to commemoratethe special final night.

Membership in DramaMama, is$80 a month. Students participate intwo shows a year, a spring show anda winter show.

Contact drama_mama@com-cast.net if you are interested in sign-ing up for the 2012-2013 school year

Dave Linzey, Clayton ValleyCharter High School’s executivedirector, continued to put togeth-er his leadership team, introduc-ing several new administratorslast week. They Patrick Gaffney,director of curriculum andinstruction, Pat Middendorf,director of operations and specialeducation, and Miguel Romo,director of student services. Alsointroduced was Tim Murphy,CVCHS’s new head footballcoach.

I asked each to introducethemselves through this column.This issue, we hear from CoachMurphy:

“In short, I use football andthe lessons it provides as a meansof preparing young people to besuccessful in all aspects of life,”says Murphy. “There are count-less things football can teachyoung people. If I had to break itdown, there are two things ourprogram is truly centered around;trust and work ethic. Establishingtrust in our program is showingup everyday, treating people right,

taking care of your school work,staying away from drugs andalcohol and never quitting nomatter how difficult the circum-stance.” I will have more ofCoach Murphy’s philosophy inthe next column.

Governing Board Update.Four teachers have been nomi-nated for the teacher position onthe Governing Board to replaceteacher Pat Middendorf. Scienceteacher Greg Hile, math teacherDennis Beck, English teacherJenny De Angelis and science

teacher Aaron Pascucci are thecandidates.

The Proposition 39 agree-ment with MDUSD is not com-pletely resolved yet, reportsteacher and Governing Boardmember Neil McChesney. “TheGoverning Board voted toapprove the Facilities use Agree-ment with MDUSD for the Clay-ton Valley site for one year. Thereare several issues that will requirefurther discussion and/or docu-mentation. This includes theprice for ‘rent’ known as the pro-rata calculation.”

Some of the points agreed to:CVCHS cannot make improve-ments that exceed $2,000 in costwithout prior consent fromMDUSD. There are two excep-tions, paint and re-keying.CVCHS will receive revenue forpublic use of the site, (with priorMDUSD consent or use permit).

The Governing Board alsoapproved a two year contractwith ExEd, a non-profit “backoffice” services provider. ExEdwill act as the business manager

for CVCHS. They will handlepayroll, budgets, accounts receiv-able and payable, mandated statereporting and help establish ven-dor contracts during the first yearof operation.

Volunteer information. Wantto volunteer at CVCHS but don’tknow how? Contact me atapril.winship@claytonvalley.organd help CVCHS shine.

Need landscape help. Is yourcompany’s expertise in landscapemaintenance or janitorial servic-es? CVCHS is now seeking bids.For details see the BIDS ANDSERVICES tab.

Freshman transition. Wouldyou like to help with the Fresh-man Summer Transition Pro-gram? Contact Kat Marzel atkatmar56@gmail.com.

My last column for the Clay-ton Pioneer… The way I see it,it’s impossible for this not to becheesy, so bear with me becauseI am being 100 percent honest.

Three years ago (ish), Iemailed publisher Tamara Stein-er, thinking that I might wind upwriting for the Pioneer once in awhile. I figured that my writingwould get better, and it wouldlook good on my college appli-cations. I had no idea that Iwould get so much more than Ibargained for out of the wholeexperience.

I didn’t really realize at thetime I started writing for thePioneer that I was given atremendous platform, a plat-form on which I could voice mytrue opinions. However, withthis privilege came a responsibil-ity to share my opinions without“preaching” to my readers.

I learned to find the delicatebalance between voicing myopinions in a constructive man-ner and essentially telling myreaders what they should andshouldn’t be doing.

Most importantly, I learnedto think more deeply about whyI held these opinions. It wasn’tenough to merely state what Ifelt and be done with it.Researching facts and pullingfrom my experiences to write acohesive and concise article

helped me to understand myown thinking on a deeper level.

While I hope I’m not ram-bling, I had sincere motivebehind writing my final pieceabout my experience with thePioneer. Peers, parents,strangers, and even some teach-ers ask me why I would everwant to voluntarily write and domore work any more often thanI have to.

The answer is simplebecause not only do I love towrite, but I am one of the selectfew teenagers out there who isallowed to open the eyes (hope-fully) of readers each month bywriting about anything I want.

As I head off to UC SantaBarbara this fall, it will feel oddnot wracking my brain eachmonth for an article topic; Iknow my fellow “Teen Speak”writer, Taylor Tovrea, can com-miserate with me on that one.

I’ll miss submitting a strongarticle that I know is controver-sial (like my article about thebullying problems I witnessed atAyer’s Elementary 5th gradecamp), and I’ll miss reading theeither biting or supportive com-ments some readers emailed tome after such articles.

I shall now attempt to givemy successors some soundadvice. Aside from the obvioushypocritical advice that you

should TRY not to wait until theday of the deadline to write yourarticle, I recommend seeingyour monthly column as anopportunity to think moredeeply about what you careabout.

What gets you really angry?Or really excited? Think aboutwhat disgusts you and makesyou ashamed to be a teenager.Start there and write everythingyou feel about that topic down,and finally, make it constructive.Consider whether or not youwould want to read that article ifsomeone else had wrote it. If itsounds like you’re complaining,start over.

Okay, I’m done ramblingnow. I hope that some of what Isaid sticks with anyone whowould consider writing op-edcolumns for a newspaper. WhileI sit in sunny Santa Barbara, Ilook forward to reading thefuture “Teen Speak” columnists’writing. Good luck!

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SARAH ROSEN

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Sarah Rosen is a senior atCVHS. You can e-mail her atsarah_rosen@claytonpioneer.com.

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Celine Herrera is in the eighthgrade at Diablo View MiddleSchool. Email comments or ques-tions to celine@claytonpioneer.com.

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Page 8 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com June 15, 2012

TeenSpeakwriters Rosenand Tovrealeave bigshoes to fill

diver and he’s been featured inprint and broadcast stories thathave served to put the spotlighton him during his first trip theOlympic Trials as a favorite toqualify. In 2008 Ipsen was just15 and finished fifth in the 3MTrials but was a long-shot tomake the team.

This year he and Dumaishave the target on their back asodds-on favorites in synchro.Just weeks ago they were silvermedalists at the AT&T USADiving Grand Prix in Floridabut the US has only one berth in3M synchro in London so thetandem can’t afford any slipups.

In the three meter spring-board with 43 divers qualifiedthere are several competitors,including Dumais, who figure to

be challenging Ipsen for one oftwo spots open to Americandivers. Those finals will be tele-vised live a week from Sundayon the final day of the Trials.

While the Olympic Trials arefairly cut and dried in determin-ing the American divers forLondon, US Rowing has a longprocess to determine rowers forits 12 boats in the Olympics.Some crews have already beenidentified but the women’s selec-tions will be announced nextFriday, June 22.

Kara Kohler, who just tookup the sport as a freshman atCal in 2009 after graduatingfrom Clayton Valley HighSchool, has been in Europe fora month competing with theAmerican team in World Cup

meets that were used to evaluatepotential Olympic lineups. Sheis now in Princeton, NJ with theNational team training in antici-pation of the Olympic selec-tions. She is a contender for aberth on the quadruple scullcrew (four rowers with twoblades, sculling without acoxswain. In a four or eightcrew the rowers are sweepingwith one oar only).

Kohler’s strength has placedher in contention even thoughat 21 she’s the youngest andleast experienced of the rowersunder consideration for Lon-don. If Kohler is passed overfor a first-team berth she maystill go to London as an alter-nate, gaining tremendous expe-rience seeing what it’s like to bein the Olympics. Over the pastthree summers she has gainedvaluable experience with Ameri-

can teams in meets aroundEurope, including claiming goldmedals for the US in 2010 and2011.

She will be returning to Calin the fall for her junior yearafter taking off the past schoolyear to train for the Olympics.Regardless of what happens thissummer the Clayton womanplans to continue with the sportthrough the 2016 Olympics inBrazil when she’ll be a veteran inthe sport

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Over the last year the Ameri-can Association of Feline Practi-tioners (AAFP) has initiated a CatFriendly Practice program devel-oping standards of feline care.Cats are not dogs and require amuch different approach for acomfortable veterinary visit andappropriate medical treatment.

Cats have become very popu-lar. But owners, due to theunpleasantness of the process,often miss routine wellnessexams as well as procrastinate onthat dreaded veterinary appoint-ment until their cat is critically ill.

Since transporting your cat isoften stressful to both feline andhumans, AAFP has produced abrochure, “Getting Your Cat tothe Veterinarian.”

The following tips from thisbrochure will help make veteri-nary visits easier for you and yourcat.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR

CAT’S BEHAVIOR

Cats are most comfortablewith the familiar, and need timeto adjust to the unfamiliar. Thevisit to the veterinarian is often

difficult because the carrier, car,and the veterinary hospital areusually unfamiliar. Respect yourcat’s need for time to becomefamiliar with new situations, peo-ple and places.

Stay calm. Cats can sense ouranxiety or frustrations, whichmay cause them to become fear-ful or anxious.

Cats do not learn from pun-ishment or force. Give rewards toencourage positive behavior. Forexample, if your cat is sittingcalmly in or near a carrier, give atreat. Likewise, rewards can begiven to help your cat becomefamiliar with the type of handlingthat may be encountered at theveterinarian (e.g., handling paws,ears and mouth). A treat is whatis highly desirable to your cat,which may be in the form of

food, play or affection. Be per-sistent and reward every time.

WHAT TYPE OF

CARRIERS ARE BEST?The best carriers are inexpen-

sive hard- sided carriers that openfrom the top and the front, andcan also be taken apart in themiddle. An easily removable topallows a cat that is fearful, anxiousor in pain to stay in the bottomhalf of the carrier for exams.Your veterinarian can often dothe exam in the bottom of a well-designed carrier. Avoid carriersthat require a cat to be pulledfrom or dumped out for an exam.

Some cats like to see out ofcarriers, whereas others are lessanxious when the carrier is cov-ered with a blanket or towel toprevent seeing the unfamiliar.

The goal is for your cat tolearn to associate the carrier withpositive experiences and routine-ly enter voluntarily.• Make the carrier a familiar place

at home by leaving it in aroom where your cat spends alot of time.

• Place familiar soft beddinginside the carrier.

• Place treats, catnip or toys insidethe carrier to encourage thecat to enter at home.

• It may take days or weeksbefore your cat starts to trustthe carrier. Remain calm,patient and reward desiredbehaviors.

• If you still have trouble, youmay need to assess the carrieritself.The brochure also offers tips

on how get your cat to the vet ifhe is not accustomed to the carri-er.

For the complete brochurevisit the AAFP website Guide-lines page. Click on 2011FelineHandling, then on “Getting YourCat To The Veterinarian” link at

http://catvets.com/profes-sionals/guidelines/publications/index.aspx?Id.

Part two of this article will coverThe AAFP’s Cat Friendly PracticeProgram and how to find a friendlypractice. Printed with permission of theAmerican Association of Feline Prac-titioners.

Elara is a dainty, sweet com-panion. She specializes in snug-gling, and she’ll be glad to curlup next to her new adopter. Aconsistent exercise routine willbe one of the keys to Elara’slasting health and happiness.Elara may enjoy attending aBasic Manners training classwhere she can showcase herfocus and devotion.

The adoption fee for adultdogs is $225 and includes 60percent off one 7-week dogtraining session.

Sarah is a pretty girl who islooking for a calm, quiet homewhere she can blossom into agreat companion. She is seekinga home that may be looking fora second cat or to adopt herwith a buddy here.

The adoption fee for adultcats is $50.

Meet your forever friend at TonyLa Russa’s Animal Rescue Founda-tion, 2890 Mitchell Drive, WalnutCreek, during adoption hours: Noonto 5 p.m. Wednesday, 3 to 7 p.m.Thursday and Friday, Noon to 5

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Would you like to be part of theheroic team that saves the lives of res-cued dogs and cats? Can you shareyour talents to connect people and ani-mals? ARF volunteers are making adifference! For more information seeour website, www.arf.net, or call925.256.1ARF.

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Abbett, AndrewAcevedo, JuanAknin, HaleyAlatini, SialeAnnison, AudreyArango, CaitlinBaker, MichaelBallard, JordanBarragan, AntonioBauer, ChristopherBaumbach, NathanielBenham, ChaseBenitez, AmyBen-Shmuel, JordanBiarash, CyrusBibbs, StevenBredehoft, ChristopherBrown, NicholasCalimlim, SeanCapinpin, AaronCapurro, DominiqueCarbajal, JuliaCarr, AlexandriaCarrico, SarahCarson, MichaelCascio, NicholasCastaniada, EmilyCastro, RaulCegielski, BrandonChand, CharleneChao, KaiChavdarova, BoryanaChavez, ReyCho, Yun, HaClaussen, JericcaColeman, NastassiaCorpus, CristoferCox, KristenCox, LynetteCox, Melissa

Coyne, KaytlynCursi, HarrisonDamian, LeslieD’Angina, KaraDavey, TaylorDegener, MarisDominguez, JesseDudley, ErynDugan, KyleDuncan, TylerEspinoza, MairaEssayan, KatieFagerlin, DrewFarrell, LazirusFerrara, NicholasFine, ZacharyFonseca, GeovaniFranich, AshleyFuentes, NicholasFunderburk, EmmaGelhaus, DanielleGhandi, AriaGittleman, EvanGodinez, DavidGoldeen, SamuelGonsalves, DominicGonzalez, BenitoGonzalez, JoelGrabher, AndreaGrant, AnnagailHaas, AbigailHaft, ColeHanson, JacobHaro, IsaacHarrison, MylesHaynes, AmeliaHein-Silva, ChristianHeinz, RyleeHellstrom, AndiHendricks, Alyssa

Hennessy, ShannonHerrera, CelineHeuser, SierraHinshaw, BrettHuffine, GraciellaHuovinen, AnneliseHurley, AnnemarieJeffers, ChadJimenez, ChristianJohnson, AlexyssJones, DanielKeener, DesireeKelly, JonahKies, DylanKilloran, TaraKim, ReinaKing, JacobKomins, ShaneKottal, CereenKratz, JosephKreisel, CharlesLally, CameronLane, AlexLarge, NicholasLavezzoli, JustinLeanio, MarissaLease-Marney, AngelLegault, AndrewLinderman, JacobLopez, AlejandraLopez, DiegoLopez, JaelynLujan, KarenLynch, JacobMacLean, KarynaMadden, DiviniaMalley, StevenMannie, RyneMayorga, VanessaMaytum, Anthony

McCluhan, EmilyMcPhail, TarynMead, MarshallMedrano, NicoletteMeharg, AlisonMercurio, NicolasMerrill, AddisonMeylan, ScottMikkelson, MitchellMiller, TristenMoise, AllynMolale, RyanMontijo, WrenMoody, AdamMorano, MarisaMorimoto, WilliamMudaliar, MadhuriMungo, BriannaNayyar, SoniaNelson, RyaNiemi, KaitlynNikaido, MarcusNoble, CarolineNyberg, RobertOchoa, JesusOlk, AaronOlson, ClaireOrtiz, ErikOsterkamp, MatthewO’Toole, OwenOwen, JohnOxman, CurtisPallotta, GiannaPanaligan, Angelika, GabriellaPayne, EmilyPerrey, ConnorPetrone, EmilyPittam, MarcellaPomeroy, MadisonPomeroy, Savannah

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An aspiring veterinarianwas the recipient of a $1000scholarship from the Clay-ton branch of the AmericanAssociation of UniversityWomen.

Margaret “Maggie” AprilTrees Keenan, a senior atCVHS will attend the Uni-versity of California atDavis in the fall, majoring inanimal science.

Maggie was a member ofthe ClaytonArts Academy allfour years of high schoolwhere she developed herdramatic arts talents. Shewas also active on theschool’s Link Crew, mentor-ing incoming freshmen tohelp them transition intohigh school.

The Clayton Business andCommunity Associationrewarded ten CVHS seniors

with scholarships ranging from$1000 to $3000 for their hardwork and scholastic achieve-

ment.Dalton Moore and Joanna

Fan both received Arts andMusic scholarships. AdamAgronow, Alison Abele, Aman-

da Johnson, Garrett Lemos,Sam Marchant, Charles Blazerand Nicole Dunkley all receivedacademic scholarships. Ted Hallwas awarded the Community

Service scholarship. Hall wasalso named Grand Altair, thehighest honor awarded a CVHSsenior.

Clayton ValleyWoman’s Clubhonors DVCstudent

Clayton Valley Woman’s ClubScholarship recipient for 2012 isKabria Pervoe.

Kabria will graduate fromDVC this spring and will attendUC Berkeley in the fall. Ambi-tions and intelligent, Kabria plansto pursue a doctorate in psychol-ogy with an emphasis on earlychildhood education andresearch.

“Our scholarship committeefound her to be a delightful, artic-ulate, hardworking and graciousyoung woman who holds educa-tion in high esteem,” saysCVWC’s Nancy Boyle. Continu-ing Scholarships were also award-ed to CVHS graduates JessicaFiglioli and Joshua Tan.

Troy Lakin won the PeteLaurence Wrestling Scholar-ship this year with his excellentwrestling record and provenleadership. In addition to beingnamed the team’s MVP forthree straight years, Lakin wonthe DVAL in his weight classfor each of those three yearsand as a senior took fifth in thestate, continuing to nationalcompetition where he finishedfourth place and was recog-nized with an “All AmericanWrestler” award.

Troy also competed atCVHS in water polo and base-ball, and was co-recipient ofthis years CVHS “Athlete ofthe Year” award

Troy will attend CuestaCollege in San Luis Obispowhere he will study LawEnforcement.

The Clayton Pioneer congratulates DiabloView Middle School 8th Grade graduates

FROM LEFT, CBCA SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE CHAIR, DAVE JOHNSON; Scholarship recipients Dalton Moore, Adam Agronow, Joanna Fan, Alison Abele, AmandaJohnson, Garrett Lemos, Sam Marchant, Charles Blazer, Nicole Dunkley and Ted Hall.

AAUW award goes to Maggie Keenan Pete Laurence Wrestling Scholarship

Clayton recognizes student achievement with scholarshipsCBCA Scholarship Winners

LIZ HANSEN AND MARGARET APRIL TREES KEENAN PETE LAURENCE AND TROY LAKIN

Gillian is planning on major-ing in psychology at UC Berkeley.“I see myself going to medicalschool and becoming a psychia-trist because I love listening topeople and trying to help in anyway I can.”

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

The ultimate academic

achievement is the ScholarshipAward. This award goes to thestudent with the highest tran-script in the graduating class. Thisyear it was awarded to TaylorTovrea, who is also a reporter andTeenSpeak columnist for theClayton Pioneer.

“Getting straight A’s becamekind of an expectation in middle

school so maintaining a goodGPA didn’t seem that big of adeal after a while, in my mind atleast. It’s nice to be recognizedfor my academic accomplish-ments. The prestige of the awardis just a perk,” said Taylor.

She plans to pursue a careerstudying the human mind andwill be attending UCLA in the fallas a neuroscience major in thehonors program. “I like to thinkof myself as an expert in multi-tasking,” she explained. “In highschool it seems like most people

pick something to focus themajority of their time and efforton — be it music, academics orsports. I feel like I’ve been able tothrow myself into quite a fewthings simultaneously and dopretty well in all of them.”

GRAND ALTAIR

Finally, one very deservingstudent was awarded the GrandAltair Award. The Grand Altairis a student who makes themost of high school and whois exceptional in community

service, leadership and aca-demics. This prestigious honorwas awarded to Ted Hall.

It’s clear how actively involvedTed is at Clayton Valley and in hiscommunity. After participating infour years of the Public ServiceAcademy, CVHS Cross Countryand Wind Ensemble and Sym-phonic Band, being a memberand president of the CaliforniaScholarship Federation and anEagle Scout for 12 years, attend-ing more club meetings than onecan count, and being crowned

Homecoming King, it is no sur-prise that he was presented theschool’s highest honor. “I feelquite privileged to have receivedthe Grand Altair Award. Sincemy freshman year, I’ve wanted towin that and it was a proudmoment when I heard my namecalled.” He aspires one day tobecome a U.S. Senator or Ameri-can Ambassador to anothercountry. He is attending Clare-mont McKenna College this fallto major in either government orinternational relations.

Altair, from page 1

Abele, AlisonCSF Seal BearerPresident’s Education AwardBiliteracy Seal AwardSCIENCE DEPARTMENTClayton Business and Community

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June 15, 2012 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 11

Sprint medley relay teamsfrom St. Bonaventure CYOplaced first or second fromfourth through eighth grades atthe season-ending Oakland Dio-cese track and field meet as theBulldogs of coach DarrenNewell put on another strongshowing which also included 12individual gold medal perform-ances from five different gradelevels. Two of the St. Bonaven-ture relay teams also set newmeet records.

The fourth-grade girls quar-tet of Jenna West, Cydney Walk-er, Kelly Kern and MaddieThompson (actually a thirdgrader competing up in therelay) broke the Oakland Dio-cese record with a time of

2:15.02. The sprint medley relayconsists of two 100-meter legsfollowed by a 200 and then a400 anchor. The sixth-gradeboys medley relay clocked2:02.01 for another new recordwith Kyle Vantonder, MarcusDickerson, Jamil Edwards andAidan Jackman. While not set-ting a record, the St. Bonniesfourth-grade boys relay of NickMueller, Nick Moseley, JacksonCastle and third-grader JakeKern won Diocese with a2:15.56 time.

Thompson was one of twoSt. Bonaventure athletes to bag apair of individual gold medals asshe took first in third grade 100-and 200-meter dashes whileclassmates Samantha Schaumanwon the 1600 meters withAudrey Burns second. West wasthird in the 800-meter run.

Fifth grader Nasim Chinwon the girls 200 meters andlong jump and took third in the100.

Other first-place finishersfor the local team were AzariBrown in the third grade boys50 meters, Castle in the fourth-grade boys long jump, Kern inthe 50 and Sydney Kupsh in1600 for fourth grade girls, BenAcebo captured the sixth gradeboys shot put, Shelby Brooks in6th grade girls high jump andJake Reel won seventh-gradeboys shot.

The fourth-grade boys of St.Bonaventure also own the sprintmedley. Second-place relay fin-ishers included fifth- and sev-enth-grade boys and eighth-grade girls. Taking third werethe sixth-grade girls and sev-enth-grade boys B team.

Silver medalists from St.Bonnies also included OwenCallison (800, 3rd grade),Braden Hart (1600, 3rd grade),Castle (100, 4th grade), Kern(400, 4th grade), Edwards (longjump, 6th grade) and Jackman(shot put and high jump, 6thgrade).

Third-place finishers wereTrent Hoffmeister (50, 3rdgrade), Brown (200, 3rd grade),Moseley (200, 4th grade),Gabriella Mancini (400 and 800,5th grade), Vantonder (200, 6thgrade), Kelly Osterkamp (1600and softball throw, 6th grade),Noah Williams (100, 7th grade),Brandon Abon (long jump, 7thgrade), Scott Vonfeldon (shotput, 7th grade), Jade Davis (100,7th grade), Kendall Christiansen(100, 8th grade) and JasmineWest (200, 8th grade).

Clayton’s own Megan Swannwill begin a unique new phase inher life starting July 1 when shetakes the reigns of the Universi-ty of California Mercedwomen’s soccer program. Theunique aspect for the 27-year-old Clayton Valley High Schoolgrad is that she will be starting abrand new collegiate varsity soc-cer program at the almost newUC Merced campus.

When she takes on this excit-ing post Swann leaves behindtwo jobs she cherished as acoach for Diablo FC since itsinception in 2008 as well as themost successful girls soccercoach ever at Ygnacio ValleyHigh School over the past twowinter seasons.

“One of the great thingsabout Diablo FC is we havegreat coaches,” said Diablo FCdirector of coaching BrianVoltattorni. “And the unfortu-nate thing about having greatcoaches is we have to learn tosay good-bye to those coacheswhen they move on to biggercoaching programs; such is thecase with Megan and UCMerced. The university is veryfortunate to have such a greatcoach lead its women’s programfor years to come.”

“My goal and dream hasalways been to be a head collegecoach. I applied for the job andthey invited me down for aninterview. About three weekslater they called me again to run

a training session and thenoffered me the position,” Swannsaid.

“We are excited to haveMegan as part of our UCMerced team, serving as ourhistoric first women’s soccercoach,” notes Marie Supanich,UC Merced’s Athletic Depart-ment’s Senior Women’s Admin-istrator. “Her ties with DiabloFC and the East Bay will surelyhelp in the initial recruitingprocess as we venture intointercollegiate women’s soccer.Also, having played at anNAIA institution, Megan isexperienced with the level ofcommitment and competitionit takes to be successful at thislevel.”

Swann was a four-year var-sity standout at Clayton Valley,including one league champi-onship season, before graduat-ing in 2003. She went on toplay for Vanguard University inOrange County at an NAIAschool. As a sophomore atVanguard she began to coachsoccer and “absolutely lovedit.” She graduated from Van-guard in May 2007 and movedback to the Bay Area. Voltat-torni gave her a coaching job atMt. Diablo Soccer League andshe became a junior high sci-ence and health teacher atNorthCreek Academy. Shecontinued to play in a women’sleague for three years.

“Megan has been a tremen-dous asset to Diablo FC for thepast five years. It is always greatfor a club to have the opportu-nity to bring back one of its

own alumni to coach on thesame fields they grew up playingon,” Voltattorni said, alluding toSwann’s youth club soccer withDiablo Valley Soccer Club.“Megan is very passionate aboutthe game and coaching. She is atrue teacher of the game.”

Besides her club coachingexperience Swann worked herway up from assistant coachingpositions with Clayton Valleyand Las Positas College beforetaking over at Ygnacio Valley ashead coach in 2010. Swannbrought the Warrior girls to theNorth Coast Section playoffsfor the first time in school histo-ry, compiling a 27-16-1 recordover two seasons.

At both Diablo FC and LosPositas Swann worked with leg-endary Brazilian soccer playerSissi do Amor, the formerBrazilian World Cup star andtwo-time Olympian. “Megan is avery passionate and dedicatedcoach. She will bring her experi-ence, dedication and desire toteach players to get to the nextlevel,” remarked coach Sissi.

UC Merced is the 10th andnewest University of Californiacampus. It opened in September2005 and seven years laterSwann is converting the school’sclub program to NAIA colle-giate soccer. Her long-term goalis to move Bobcats soccer toNCAA Division 2. Before thatSwann is busy buying equip-ment, selecting uniforms andstill recruiting players for theinaugural season. Her firstMerced training camp beginsAug. 12.

Sports

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

Page 12 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com June 15, 2012

Clayton woman gets dream coaching job

Photo courtesy Diablo FC

MEGAN SWANN HAS BEEN A POPULAR DIVISION ONE girls youth soccer coach since the inception ofthe Diablo FC five years ago and now will be starting with another new program when shetakes over July 1 as the first-ever head women’s coach of the University of California Mercedwomen’s soccer program.

2012 Fall Registration has been extended

Mt. Diablo Soccer - AYSO Region 223

Everybody Plays. . . Everybody Wins!

www.mdsoccer.orgregistration@mdsoccer.org

Mt. Diablo Soccer - Fall 2012Open to Boys & Girls, Ages 4 -18

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Register your child on our website before it’s too late,or check out some frequently asked questions on our website

Photo courtesy St. Bonaventure CYO

ST. BONAVENTURE BULLDOGS were proud participants in the pro-cession of teams at the annual Oakland Diocese CYO meet inUnion City and Livermore. The fourth-grade girls had an out-standing showing while setting a record in the sprint medleyrelay and having individual winners in Kelly Kern (50-meterdash) and Sydney Kupsh (1600M run). The record-setting relayincluded Jenna West, Cydney Walker, Kern and MaddieThompson (a third grader competing up in the relay).

Relay success highlights CYO track season for St. Bonaventure CYOJAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

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The recent CIF State Trackand Field Championships inClovis featured only one localathlete, TJ Brassil of Claytonwho represented De La SalleHigh School in the shot put.Although Brassil missed outmaking the finals at State he

did finish 12th in the prelimi-naries from a field of 30throwers and moved up fourspaces from his 16th seed. Hewas the top Bay Area shot put-ter at CIF. Brassil had finishedsecond at the Tri-Valley Areaand NCS Meet of Champions

competitions to Matt Esparzaof Amador Valley but bestedthe Don putter by three feet atState. Brassil is not new to CIFState competition as he was alineman on the DLS footballteams which won 2010 and2011 State championships. His

reward for the fine perform-ance this spring was an offer toattend the University of Ore-gon. Brassil signed his letter ofintent last month to join theDucks Pacific 12 championtrack and field team. He wasrecently honored for the thirdyear in a row with the DLSVarsity Throws MVP Award.He’ll be the second Brassilfrom Clayton to attend Ore-gon. His sister Kelsey graduat-ed from the Eugene school acouple years ago.

The Clayton Pioneer congratu-lates TJ Brassil and rewards hisachievement with a gift certificate toRocco’s Ristorante & Pizzeria.

Do you know a young athletewho should be recognized? Perhapshe or she has shown exceptionalsportsmanship, remarkable improve-ment or great heart for the sport.Send your nomination for the Rocco’sPioneer Athlete Spotlight today tosports@claytonpioneer.com.

AthleteSpotlight

Name: TJ BrassilAge: 18 Team: De La Salle High School

Track & FieldSport: Track & Field

The University of Chicagois known more for its academ-ic excellence than athletics butthe school’s women’s tennisteam made history this springby reaching the championshipmatch of the NCAA DivisionIII tournament before losingto five-time championWilliams College of Massachu-setts. The reason this is news inthese parts is that 2011 Clayton

Valley High School gradMegan Tang played a key rolefor the Maroons, earning firstteam All-University AthleticAssociation honors in singlesand doubles as a freshman.Tang didn’t play high schooltennis during her junior andsenior years but continued tohone her skills under thewatchful eye of coach FredSafipour at Oakhurst Country

Club. The Clayton resident fin-ished her first collegiate seasonwith a 19-5 singles record and18-6 mark in doubles. Chicagowon the UAA league champi-onship before becoming onlythe second team in school his-tory to reach a NCAA finals(the 2003 women’s soccer teamalso lost in the championshipmatch). Her parents traveled toNorth Carolina for the NCAA

finals and mom Buffy said,“The beautiful courts, awe-some tennis, umpires sitting uphigh calling scores, fist pumps,‘come ons’, high fives, grunt-ings, on court coaching, cheer-ing, sun and thunderstorms tobe able to witness all that wasquite a memorable experiencefor me. It was a tennis addict’sparadise. There were someemotional moments on and offthe courts which I have neverseen as her tennis mom for thepast 10 years.”

The Clayton Pioneer congratu-lates Megan Tang and rewards herachievement with a gift certificate toRocco’s Ristorante & Pizzeria.

Do you know a young athletewho should be recognized? Perhapshe or she has shown exceptionalsportsmanship, remarkable improve-ment or great heart for the sport.Send your nomination for the Rocco’sPioneer Athlete Spotlight today tosports@claytonpioneer.com.

AthleteSpotlight

Name: Megan TangAge: 18 Team: Univ. of Chicago TennisSport: Tennis

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Submit SportsItems Online

Submit competitionresults, ideas for sto-ries, nominations forAthlete Spotlight andSports Shorts on ourWebsite, www.clayton-pioneer.com.

On the left side ofthe page, under“Sports Items” youwill find links to theproper forms.

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Mt. Diablo ElementarySchool third grader SarahBarker of Clayton had “thebest day of her life” earlier thismonth when she competed inthe Aquafina Pitch, Hit andRun Sectionals at AT&T Park,home of the San FranciscoGiants. She had scored 839points at the local WalnutCreek competition to win the9-10 girls bracket with the thirdhighest score among all boysand girls 7-14 years-old andmoved on to Sectionals. In SanFrancisco the 9-10 girls bracketwas hotly contested with only afew points separating the topthree. Barker ended up thirdbut her baseball day was just

getting started. Her ClaytonValley Little League Mustangsteam was playing an importantgame at 1 p.m. and the Barkerfamily rushed back from SanFrancisco to make the firstpitch. Sarah Barker is a pitcher,shortstop and catcher for thefirst-place Mustangs. In thebottom of the last inning shestruck out three of five battersto preserve a 17-16 win overthe CVLL Crush. Still not filledwith baseball the familyreturned to catch the Giantsbeating the Cubs. The gamewas in the fourth inning whenthey made it back to AT&TPark as the Giants eventuallywon 4-3. Photo courtesy of Barker family

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SUMMER BASEBALL CAMP AT CLAYTON VALLEY THIS MONTH

Los Medanos College and former Clayton Valley HS coach CaseyCoakley has put together a staff of current LMC and CVHS coachesand players to provide baseball instruction to youngsters 7-13 years ofage this month. Eagle Baseball Academy camps will be held next weekJune 18-21 and June 25-28. Each daily session runs 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Fee is$150 for one week or $275 for both weeks. To reserve a baseball campspot email eaglebaseballacademy@gmail.com.

KICK IT 3V3 SOCCER TOUR COMING TO

BOATWRIGHT FIELDS JUNE 23-24 The world’s largest 3v3 soccer tour is coming to Boatwright Fields

in Concord on the June 23-24 weekend. Teams of all skill levels andages from five to adult can register for the KickIt 3v3 tournament spon-sored by KNBR, KFOG, The Bone, KGO and KSFO radio stationsand hosted by Diablo FC. Teams include three to six players and willplay up to six games. Each entrant gets a T-shirt. There are also free soc-cer clinics each day and the San Jose Earthquakes will be on hand. Reg-ister online today at KickIt3v3.com.

FUTURE EAGLES CHAMPIONSHIP FOOTBALL CAMP NEXT WEEK

Future Eagles Championship football camp for boys and girls enter-ing third through ninth grades runs June 18-22 at Gonsalves Stadium onthe Clayton Valley High School campus from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Camp direc-tor Paul Reynaud, assistant director Mike Dominguez and the Eaglescoaching staff and players provide fundamental instruction and dailyfull contact competition. There is a trainer on site. Each participant getsa camp shirt and written evaluation. Cost is $125 plus a refundable $75equipment fee. For more information, email coach.dmngz@gmail.com,call (925) 381-5143 or pick up a brochure at the CVHS front office.

FOOTBALL, CHEER SIGNUPS OPEN FOR CLAYTON VALLEY FALCONS

Registration is open for Clayton Valley Youth football and cheer.Football is open for ages 7-14 while cheer accepts ages 5-14. In-personregistration days for the CVAA Falcons are Sunday, June 24, from 1-3p.m. and Thursday, July 12, 6:30-8 p.m. at Mountain Mike’s Pizza byClayton Bowl. Season practice starts July 30. For more information andonline registration visit CVAAFalcons.com

ADULT COED KICKBALL LEAGUE COMING TO CLAYTON GYM

The newest offering by All Out Sports League at Clayton Commu-nity Gym is an adult coed kickball league this summer running July 8-Aug. 19. Teams and individuals (who will be placed on a team) can reg-ister at alloutsportsleague.com.

CLAYTON VALLEY LITTLE LEAGUE HOSTING POST-SEASON PLAY

The regular season is over but Clayton Valley Little League will behosting post-season softball and baseball tournament games this monthinto July. Junior baseball and major/junior softball play begins tomor-row. More softball divisions start later this month while junior softballplay will be held July 7-11. Check llcad4.org for specifics on local gamesin post-season play.

U8 SOCCER ACADEMY SUMMER SESSION ACCEPTING APPLICANTS

Diablo FC’s renowned Soccer Academy is taking signups now for itssummer session which runs July 9-Aug. 17. Boys and girls five to eightyears of age can participate in the U8 Academy with instruction atBoatwright Fields from Brazilian Olympian Tafa, Diablo FC director ofcoaching Brian Voltattorni and District 4 coaching director Steve Shott.Registration and more info are available at diablofc.org.

KNBR BASEBALL SKILLS CLINIC IN CONCORD JULY 12The second annual KNBR Baseball Skills Clinic comes to the area

on Thursday, July 12, at Willow Pass Park in Concord. The 9 a.m. - noonclinic is open to boys and girls from six to 12 years of age. Eachattendee gets three hours of instruction, a t-shirt, lunch and clinic cer-tificate. Cost is $20. Registration is taken now at KNBR.com.

CONTACT DIABLO FC FOR U23, YOUNGER PLAYER EVALUATIONS

Men’s and women’s U23 teams are now taking player signups for alimited summer schedule with Diablo FC coaches Scott Alexander(women) and Richard Weiszmann (men). Competitive soccer team try-outs with Diablo FC for boys and girls for the 2012-13 season havebeen completed. Director of Coaching Brian Voltattorni says there arestill openings on some teams. The competitive youth soccer club hasboys and girls teams from U8 through U23. Boys and girls who missedtryouts should go online to register for a tryout at diablofc.org and theirage group coach will contact them.

STILL TIME TO REGISTER FOR SUMMER DAY CAMP IN CLAYTON

All Out Sports League Summer Day Camp for children four to 15is still accepting registration for the program which begins next Mon-day, June 18, through Aug. 10. Children can participate full time or parttime. There are a variety of activities including indoor and outdoorsports, visits to the park, arts and crafts and learning important charac-ter traits like leadership, teamwork and responsibility. Registration isbeing taken online at alloutsportsleague.com.

MDSA REGISTRATION EXTENDED FOR FALL SOCCER

Girls and boys four to 18 years can sign up through Sunday, June 17,for the 32nd AYSO season of Mt. Diablo Soccer Association. Regis-trants Registrants through Sunday are guaranteed a team position.Email questions to registration@mdsoccer.org or visit mdsoccer.org tosign up.

Sports Shorts

May was a busy month forAYSO youth soccer teams withthe Pacifica Fog Classic, Con-cord Cup XIX and Davis WorldCup filling up every weekendthat didn’t include Mother’s Daywith soccer action. Mt. DiabloSoccer Association teams wereinvolved at all three tourna-ments and came away with aload of medals, topped by theunder 12 boys MDSA Chivaswho won championships at allthree tourneys.

At the Davis Cup MDSAChivas were seeded in the samepreliminary group with three ofthe four finalists but respondedwith two wins and a draw. Winsover Concord, Davis Tigers andMtn. View

Terremotos by a combined12-4 score earned Chivas theirthird tournament title of themonth. Coaches Joern Weigeltand Ricardo Barba had enteredthe team in two US Club Soccertournaments early in the seasonand that experience playingcompetitive teams paid off dur-ing the AYSO season.

At Concord Cup XIXChivas prevailed in a challengingand physical championshipmatch over PHMSA Barcelona3-1. Barcelona was the onlyAYSO team to beat Chivas thisseason. Mtn. View also lost 2-1to the MDSA team in the Pacifi-ca Fog Classic finale.

The MDSA Dynamite U10girls won the red division atDavis World Cup. After fivesuccessive victories the Dyna-mite, coached by Mas Morimotoand Mark Wickham, met CarsonCity Dragons in the final match.Megan Morimoto, Serena Con-nel and Rylie Velez scored andsetup the goals as the MDSAgirls broke open a close champi-onship game. The Dynamiteprevailed by outscoring its sixopponents 32-5. The weekbefore Dynamite lost a tough 4-

3 final to PHMSA Xtreme atConcord Cup XIX and prior tothat was third at Pacifica.

In the same age group atDavis World Cup the MDSAU10 Select girls completed theirseason with their best finish.The team was added at the lastminute for the spring seasonsince so many girls were inter-ested in playing tournaments.The young team suffered manylopsided defeats but continuedto improve and grabbed thirdplace in their bracket at Davis.Head coach Kim Apana calledon a pair of players from DiabloFC, Nikki Apana and DevanneZalewski, to help her train theSelect team, which never gaveup despite having less than satis-fying results during the yearuntil they got their just rewardsat Davis.

MDSA Velocity U10 girlsplaced first at Pacifica Fog Clas-sic. In the final they played thehometown favorites, PacificaStrikers. It was an exciting matchas each team created multipleopportunities that were shut

down by excellent defense. Atthe end of regulation and extratime the teams were scorelessbefore Velocity won 4–2 onpenalty kicks.

The MDSA U10 boys, Dark

Knights, won their third andfourth tournament champi-onships in May and in both thePacifica and Concord Cup finalsthey met and defeated their localrivals Concord United.

MDSA Sentinels chargedinto Concord Cup XIX U14boys semi-finals with a maxi-mum 20 points. The Sentinelsbeat PHMSA Clash 5-1 toadvance to the championshipagainst Sunnyvale Strikeforce.MDSA scored first but then hadto rally with two goals for a 3-2win in the finale. In the U14girls red division finals at Con-cord Cup MDSA Fury fell toDavis Fury.

Two other MDSA teamsmade Concord Cup XIX cham-pionship matches before com-ing up short to Concord AYSOfoes. MDSA United lost in theU19 girls championship match1-0 to Concord Karma and inU10 boys red bracket MDSAStrikers FC was doubled up byConcord United 2.

MDSA United won the Paci-fica Fog Classic U19 girls whileMDSA Rampage was third inU16 girls.

Photos courtesy MDSA

MDSA CHIVAS U12 BOYS SOCCER TEAM WON THREE TOURNAMENTS

last month to close out a fine 2012 season. Titles in thePacifica Fog Classic, Concord Cup and Davis World Cup gavecoaches Joern Weigelt and Ricardo Barba and their players areward for several months of practice and preparation. Theteam includes, front row from left, Thomas Santala, LucaGiannini, Jack Sodergren, Michael Lizzarago, John Cook,David McNulty; back row, coach Joern Weigelt, Ricky Barba,Ryan Jones, Niklas Weigelt, Christian Villa, Ryan Course,Matthew Lavezzoli and coach Barba.

AFTER TAKING SECOND AT CONCORD CUP XIX, the MDSADynamite under 10 girls won the red division at Davis WorldCup by outscoring its six opponents 32-5. The Dynamite teamincluded, front row from left, Lauren Wickham, JessicaOledan, Lauren Utne, Kenzie Cummings; back row, coachMark Wickham, Megan Morimoto, Rylie Velez, Emma Wilcox,Michelle Brown, Serena Connel and coach Mas Morimoto.

MDSA closes out AYSO tournamentseason with a flourish in three cities

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

The Clayton Valley Garden Club tookadvantage of the garden lovers’ weekendby scheduling their annual plant sale thesame weekend as the Clayton HistoricalSociety Garden Tour.

Shoppers browsed through hundreds ofvarieties of plants from maple trees and

herb bowls to sunflowers, tomatoes andsucculents that were propagated and grownby club members for the fundraiser.

Crafty members also donated a varietyof handmade bird and butterfly houses forthe sale.

The fundraiser supports communityprojects including an Eagle Scout whobuilds and places barn owl nest boxes in theClayton Valley area, a donation to theDover Air Force Memorial Chapel Gardenwhere all overseas casualties return to theU.S and donations to hospice and Meals onWheels.

A donation from the plant sale proceedswill benefit the Clayton Historical Society’smuseum garden renovation currentlyunderway.

For more about the Clayton Valley GardenClub, go to www.ClaytonValleyGardenClub.org

Well-deserved kudos flewthick and fast as Art and WineChairperson John Garrettannounced preliminary revenuesfrom the May 5-6 Art & WineFestival. Gross receipts from thisyear’s event are projected to comewithin $2,000 of the record totalset by the 2010 festival. Theresults were announced at themonthly meeting of the ClaytonBusiness and Community Associ-ation on May 31 at OakhurstCountry Club.

Garrett thanked all the chair-persons and the hundreds of vol-unteers who, he said, helped cre-ate one of the most smoothly

running Clayton Art & Wine Fes-tivals in the event’s 23-year histo-ry. In turn, CBCA PresidentKeith Haydon led the tumultuousapplause for Garrett’s own dedi-cation and exhausting work onbehalf of the association’s mainannual fundraiser.

Mayor Howard Geller singledout the volunteers from DiabloValley Ranch for special praise.The men from DVR once againprovided hundreds of hourstoward set-up and tear-down forthe event’s infrastructure.

Eleven of the beneficiaries ofCBCA fundraisers are Claytongraduating seniors who appliedfor, and were granted, scholar-ships toward their post-highschool education. Four of thewinners and their parents were

honored at the dinner meeting.Three are 2012 graduates ofClayton Valley High School:Amanda Johnston, Joanna Fan,and Allison Abele. The fourthwinner was Matthew Capella, agraduate of De La Salle HighSchool.

At the meeting, the member-ship overwhelmingly approved arequest from the CVHS GradNight ’12 Committee for $2,500to be used for scholarships forstudents who cannot afford theticket price for the event.

Also overwhelminglyapproved was the request fromthe CVHS golf team for $2,500.The team is not funded by theschool and relies on team mem-ber families and others to sup-port the activity. The Clayton

Classic Golf Tournament isCBCA’s vehicle for helping fundthe team.

President Haydon reportedthat a lower bid had beenapproved for the joint DaffodilHill Landscaping project with theCity of Clayton and implementa-tion of the project was nowmoving ahead, with a mid-Julycompletion target date. The clubhas been working on this projectfor many years and applaudedthe news that the project is final-ly nearing completion.

The next CBCA mixer isscheduled for June 27 at Rodie’sFeed and Pet Supply on MarshCreek Road. The public is wel-come for free refreshments andto learn more about gettinginvolved in CBCA.

They traveled two differentpaths towards a career in the elec-trical business, but the two arewired in on the same goal.

Owners of Concord-basedCheyenne Electric Inc., MikeHenry and Bob Breland, have astaff of seven with plans to grow.

They currently have fully-stocked service vehicles, a shopand an office serving residentialand commercial customers in theBay Area, Sacramento andSolano County. Their five-yearplan is to have a larger office andshop, a warehouse and two moreelectricians.

“We have a really goodnucleus right now,” Henry says,“but we want to be more thor-oughly equipped in all aspects ofthe industry.”

Henry switched plans whenhe was unable to enlist in theMarine Corps and started work-ing at an electrical wholesalehouse. After a few years, heworked for a contractor andcompleted an apprentice pro-gram to get his license in 1991.Twenty years later, with projectmanagement, estimate and designexperience under his belt, he and

Breland started the New Year asowners of Cheyenne Electric.

After a career in the insuranceindustry, Breland decided to dosomething he always wanted todo – work with his hands. Heearned his electrician’s license andwas hired by Henry.

Both men say what sparkstheir interest in the field is to “flipthat switch” and have results toshow for their labor. No doubtthey get a charge out of the chal-lenge.

Breland says, “Electricity is anunforgiving mistress. She won’tlet you make a mistake.”

Henry, who enjoyed drawingsince he was a child and has astrong management background,manages the office and design.Breland, with his hands-onapproach, works in the field. It’sthe perfect partnership. Eventheir sense of humor is comple-mentary. While Breland jokesoutright, Henry reveals an oldlove of drawing cartoons, evenowning a business called Electri-toons in the past.

There is not always time forfun when powering up a newbusiness and sometimes it is afamily affair with their wives, Lisa

Henry and Laurel Breland, join-ing in to run the office. SonDavid Henry is also an electricianon staff.

Everyone’s focus is on cus-tomer satisfaction. “We treat thecustomer’s home like our ownhome,” Breland says.

Henry adds, “We leave the sitecleaner than we found it.” Theirstrongest attribute, however, istheir depth of knowledge. “Wehave multi-faceted electriciansthat are very astute in construc-tion techniques and framing.”

All Cheyenne electricians arelicensed or enrolled in an appren-tice program. They recognize dif-ferent construction methods andplan electrical work to “keepcosts down and residual damageto a minimum.”

Clayton resident and realestate agent Arlene Skuba atteststo their customer service andquality. Cheyenne does all of herelectrical work and she refers herclients to them. “They are honest,very professional and do a greatjob. They have done jobs as smallas changing a GFCI outlet to asbig as rewiring a house.”

For more information, call 925-566-8226 or go to their websitewww.cheyenneelectricinc.com.

on Clayton Road and DaffodilHill? Our contractors are work-ing hard to complete these proj-ects by mid-August with as littledisruption to traffic as possible.Once completed, like our newlyrenovated fountain landscaping,we will have a stunning entry toour downtown.

Last month my neighbor, whowalks our trails daily, mentionedto me that he is upset with dogowners that do not pick up aftertheir dogs when walking the trails.

He also mentioned an area wheresomeone does picks up his or herdog’s poop, bags it, but then toss-es it under a bush. Magically, hesaid, once there are seven bags inthe bush, they suddenly disap-pear! He wanted to know if citymaintenance workers pick upafter irresponsible pet owners.

Two weeks later, I received anemail from another Clayton resi-dent who rides his bike daily on allthe trails in Contra Costa County.He complained that Clayton’s

trails are full of dog feces andgarbage. He mentioned, forexample, that he rides our trailsonce a week and regularly picksup seven orange bags of dogpoop thrown under a bush, alongwith trash he finds. Mysterysolved!

Pet owners, bike riders andtrail walkers: city maintenancedoes not pick up dog poop ortrash along our trails. Be responsi-ble. Have pride in our trails andkeep them as pristine as possible.

Just a reminder: last year theClayton City Council instituted areward policy for informationthat would lead to the conviction

of vandals. Each summer, the cityspends thousands of your tax dol-lars replacing broken sprinklersand removing graffiti. Parents ofjuveniles caught vandalizing areheld financially responsible. Thismight be a good time to have aheart-to-heart talk with your chil-dren. Please also remind them allcity parks are off limits after dark.

Father’s Day is on June 17.Let’s not forget how special Dadis. Make this a day that honorshim for his tireless efforts all yearround.

Send comments and questions toCouncilmangeller@aol.com

Mayor, from page 1

June 15, 2012 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 15

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CBCA toasts success of Art & Wine Fest

Buzz Bertolero presented Linda Karp ofthe Clayton Valley Garden Club with the BertA. Bertolero 2012 Gardener of the YearAward. This annual award is sponsored byNavlet’s Garden Centers for gardening excel-lence and community service. Linda Karpserves as the Clayton Valley Garden Club2012 Program Chair, creator of the success-ful Blossoms for Barbara event, student inhorticulture at DVC and previously had hergarden featured in the Clayton Gardens Tour.

GARY CARR

Special to the Pioneer

Club News

CLAYTON VALLEY GARDEN CLUB

IN CLAYTONJJuunnee 1166,, 2233,, 3300,, JJuullyy 77FFaarrmmeerrss’’ MMaarrkkeett8 a.m. – noon, Saturdays, Diablo Street between Main and Centerstreets, downtown, pcfma.com/clayton.

JJuunnee 2233,, JJuullyy 77CCoonncceerrttss iinn tthhee GGrroovvee6 – 8:30 p.m. Grove Park, downtown Clayton. Free. For a complete con-cert series list, see Page 3.

JJuullyy 44PPaannccaakkee BBrreeaakkffaasstt aanndd PPaarraaddeeClayton Valley/Concord Sunrise Rotary pancakes at 7 a.m., EndeavorHall. Parade at 10 a.m. on Main Street, Clayton.

EVENTS AND ENTERTAINMENTTThhrruu JJuunnee 2233““XXaannaadduu””A young artist is trying to paint his enduring masterpiece (in chalk) on theboardwalk of Venice Beach and before you can say “roller disco!” hismuse appears in the form of Olivia Newton-John. Lesher Center for theArts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $40-$47. centerrep.org. 943-7469.

TThhrruu JJuunnee 2233““99 ttoo 55:: TThhee MMuussiiccaall””A hilarious story of friendship and revenge in the Rolodex era. WillowsTheatre, 1975 Diamond Blvd., Concord. $24-$31. willowstheatre.org.798-1300.

JJuunnee 1155CCoommiicc AAccttoorr KKuurrtt BBooddddeenn“Steve Seabrook: Better Than You,” a one-man show spoofing motiva-tional speakers. 7:30 p.m. St. John’s Episcopal Church, 5555 ClaytonRoad, Clayton. $15. Tickets at door; reservations suggested. brownpa-pertickets.com. 672-8717.

JJuunnee 1166CCoommeeddyy aatt CCaammppbbeellllComedy and music in one great evening with Robin Cee, DerrickLeonard and Brian Bergeron. 8 p.m. Campbell Theatre, 636 Ward St.,Martinez. $18. willowstheatre.org. 798-1300.

JJuunnee 1166 PPllaanntt SSaalleePenstemon varieties, flowering shrubs. 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. MarkhamNursery, 1202 La Vista Ave., Concord. 681-2968.

JJuunnee 2288 –– JJuullyy 2211““VVaauuddeevviillllee””A hilarious play with music by Laurence Carr. Campbell Theatre, 636Ward St., Martinez. $25-$30. willowstheatre.org. 798-1300.

JJuunnee 3300 CCoommmmuunniittyy PPaarrttnneerrss FFaaiirr && OOppeenn HHoouusseeVendor displays, electronic waste drop off, games. Learn about commu-nity volunteer opportunities, other services and emergency equipment. 10a.m. – 3 p.m. The Salvation Army, 3950 Clayton Road, Concord. diablo-valleycommunitypartners.com.

JJuunnee 3300 GGrroowwnn WWoommeenn DDaannccee CCoolllleeccttiivveeHonoring African American musical artists that have died since the year2000, but will inspire us for generations to come. 8 p.m. WillowsTheatre, 1975 Diamond Blvd., Concord. $20. willowstheatre.org. 798-1300.

JJuunnee 3300AA MMuussiiccaall OOddyysssseeyyVocal music from four periods of music history featuring Everlita Rivera-David, soprano. 7:30 p.m. Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr.,Walnut Creek. $25. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

JJuullyy 44WWaallnnuutt CCrreeeekk CCoonncceerrtt BBaannddBring a picnic and celebrate America’s birthday and 25th year of theWalnut Creek Concert Band. 6 p.m. Civic Park, 1375 Civic Drive, WalnutCreek. Free.

FUNDRAISERSJJuunnee 1166MMaakkiinngg SSttrriiddeessAmerican Cancer Society’s breast cancer 5k walk. Registration 8 a.m.Heather Farm Park, 301 N. San Carlos Drive, Walnut Creek. mak-ingstrides.acsevents.org/walnutcreek.

JJuunnee 2255CChhaarriittyy GGoollff TToouurrnnaammeennttThird annual Anthony Cottrell charity tournament benefiting GeorgeMark Children’s House. Oakhurst Country Club, 1001 Peacock CreekDrive, Clayton. Registration/payment available up to and including dayof event. accgt.com.

JJuunnee 2255,, 2266FFiivvee GGuuyyss BBuurrggeerrss aanndd FFrriieessOrganized by Clayton Valley Music Boosters. Download the flier atclaytonbands.org. Bring flier and Five Guys donates 10 percent. Dine inor take out. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Located at 5442 Ygnacio Valley Road,Concord.

AT THE LIBRARYThe Clayton Library is at 6125 Clayton Road. Programs are free unlessotherwise noted. claytonlibrary.org or 673-0659.

WWeeddnneessddaayyssBBooookk BBuuddddiieessA volunteer will read stories for children 3 and older. 1-2 p.m.

TTuueessddaayyss JJuunnee 1199 tthhrruu AAuugg.. 1144PPaattttyy CCaakkeessStory time for babies to 3-year-olds. Child attends with caregiver. 11 am.

TThhuurrssddaayyss JJuunnee 2211 tthhrruu AAuugg.. 1166PPiiccttuurree BBooookk TTiimmeeStory time for three- to five-year-olds. Child may attend without caregiv-er. 11 a.m.

JJuunnee 1188 aanndd 2255DDrreeaamm BBiigg FFuunn DDaayyssStories, games and creative activities for ages 5 to 8. 2 – 3 p.m.

JJuunnee 2233““GGrroowwggiirrll””Author talk with Heather Donahue and her memoirs “Growgirl: How MyLife After the Blair Witch Project Went to Pot.” As the afterglow of themovie faded and her acting career stalled, Donahue started a new lifefarming medical marijuana. The story of one woman’s attempt to growup and answer the question, “What am I doing with my life?” 2 p.m.

JJuunnee 2277MMaakkee aa PPiilllloowwSnazz up your snoozing with a cozy pillow. Grades 6 to 12. 4 – 5 p.m.Registration requested.

SCHOOLSKKiinnddeerrggaarrtteenneerrssRegister for incoming class before June 27. Office closed from June 28until Aug. 6. Mount Diablo Elementary School, 5880 Mt. Zion Drive,Clayton. 672-4840.

GOVERNMENT11sstt aanndd 33rrdd TTuueessddaayyssCCllaayyttoonn CCiittyy CCoouunncciill7 p.m. Hoyer Hall, Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road. 673-7304 orci.clayton.ca.us.

22nndd aanndd 44tthh TTuueessddaayyss CCllaayyttoonn PPllaannnniinngg CCoommmmiissssiioonn7 p.m., Hoyer Hall, Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road. 673-7304 orci.clayton.ca.us.

CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONSCCllaayyccoorrdd 44--HHThe group meets 6:45 p.m. second Tuesday of the month, Farm BureauHall, 5554 Clayton Road, Concord.

CCllaayyttoonn BBuussiinneessss aanndd CCoommmmuunniittyy AAssssoocciiaattiioonnMeets 6:30 p.m. last Thursday of the month except holidays, OakhurstCountry Club, 1001 Peacock Creek Dr., Clayton. Call Sue at 672-2272.

CCllaayyttoonn VVaalllleeyy GGaarrddeenn CClluubbMeets 7 p.m. second Wednesday of the month, February throughNovember. Diamond Terrace, 6401 Center St., Clayton. claytonvalley-gardenclub.org.

CCllaayyttoonn VVaalllleeyy WWoommaann’’ss CClluubbMeets 9:30 a.m. second Tuesday of the month except July and August,Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 1092 Alberta Way, Concord. 672-9448.

CClluuttcchh BBuusstteerrss SSqquuaarree DDaannccee CClluubbMeets 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Willow Pass Community Center Hall, 2748East Olivera Road, Concord. Contact Karen at 686-3774.

CCoonnccoorrdd MMtt.. DDiiaabblloo TTrraaiill RRiiddee AAssssoocciiaattiioonnMeets 6 p.m. first Saturday of the month for a potluck. Open to mem-bers and guests. CMDTRA, 1600 Trail Ride Road, Clayton. cmdtra.org orcmdtra@yahoo.com.

CCoonnttrraa CCoossttaa CChheessss CClluubbMeets 6:30-9:30 p.m. Thursdays, Starbuck’s, 1536 Kirker Pass Road,Clayton. Players of all ages and skill levels welcome. ccchess.com orcontact Mike at 639-1987.

CCoonnttrraa CCoossttaa GGeenneeaallooggiiccaall SSoocciieettyyMeets 7 p.m. second Thursday of the month, LDS Church, 3700Concord Blvd., Concord. cccgs.ca@gmail.com.

CCoonnttrraa CCoossttaa MMiinneerraall aanndd GGeemm SSoocciieettyyMeets 7:30 p.m. second Monday of the month, Centre Concord, 5298Clayton Road. ccmgs.org or 289-0454.

CCrreeeekkssiiddee AArrttiissttss GGuuiillddMeets 7-8:30 p.m. second Wednesday of the month, Library Story Room,6125 Clayton Road, Clayton. All artforms and both emerging and expe-rienced artists welcome. Contact Arlene at nielsenjanc@aol.com, creek-sideartists.org or call 673-9777.

DDiiaabblloo VVaalllleeyy DDeemmooccrraattiicc CClluubbMeets 7-9 p.m. third Wednesday of the month, Ygnacio Valley Library,2661 Oak Grove Road., Walnut Creek. dvdems.org, 946-0469.

EEaasstt BBaayy PPrroossppeeccttoorrssMeets 6:30 p.m. first Thursday of the month, Oasis Christian Fellowship,2551 Pleasant Hill Road, Pleasant Hill. Clayton resident Douglas “Pucky”Junghans is the founder. eastbaygpaa.webs.com or 672-1863.

KKnniigghhttss ooff CCoolluummbbuussMeets 7:30 p.m. first Tuesday of the month, St. Bonaventure Church,Ministry Center, 5562 Clayton Road, Concord. Art 672-1850,shanone@comcast.net or Chuck 849-5466, cecooper3@comcast.net.

MMOOMMSS CClluubb ooff CCoonnccoorrdd//CCllaayyttoonnMeeting dates vary. 331-0674, concordclaytonmomsclub@hotmail.comor concordclaytonmomsclub.webs.com.

OOaakkhhuurrsstt BBuussiinneessss NNeettwwoorrkkMeets 5 – 7 p.m. first Thursday of the month for social hour. Hosted horsd’oeuvres, cash bar. Oakhurst Country Club, 1001 Peacock Dr., Clayton.oakhurstcc.com.

RRoottaarryy CClluubb ooff CCllaayyttoonn VVaalllleeyy//CCoonnccoorrdd SSuunnrriisseeMeets 7 a.m. Thursdays, Oakhurst Country Club, 1001 Peacock CreekDr., Clayton. Includes breakfast and a speaker. claytonvalleyrotary.org or566-8166.

SSccrraabbbbllee CClluubbMeets 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. second and fourth Saturdays of the month,Carl’s Jr. Restaurant, 1530 Kirker Pass Road, Clayton. All ages and skilllevels welcome. $3. scrabble-assoc.com or call Mike at 639-1987.

SSoonnss IInn RReettiirreemmeenntt ((SSIIRRss))Branch 19 meets 11:15 a.m. first Thursday of the month, Crown PlazaHotel, 45 John Glenn Dr., Concord. 429-3777. Branch 146 meets 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. second Thursday of the month.Boundary Oaks, 3800 Valley Vista Road, Walnut Creek. Reservationsrequired. 939-8073. sir146.com.

SSoorrooppttiimmiisstt IInntteerrnnaattiioonnaall ooff DDiiaabblloo VViissttaaMeets 12:15 p.m. second, third and fourth Wednesdays of the month,September-June, Sizzler, 1353 Willow Pass Road, Concord. ContactNicole at 692-2224.

SSttrriikkee aa CChhoorrddWoman’s chorus. Rehearsals 7 – 9 p.m. Mondays. Openings for newmembers. Schedule audition. strikeachord@gmail.com or contactBenedikte at 935-4313.

VVeetteerraannss ooff FFoorreeiiggnn WWaarrssBreakfast 8-11 a.m. second and fourth Sundays of the month, 2290Willow Pass Road, Concord. Eggs, pancakes, sausage, beverage. $4, $2children under 12.

WWoorrdd WWeeaavveerrss 440000 TTooaassttmmaasstteerrssMeets 7-8:15 p.m. Mondays, first floor of Montecito – Oakmont SeniorLiving, 4756 Clayton Road, Concord. Visitors welcome.marion48@live.com or contact Marion at 686-1818.

YYggnnaacciioo VVaalllleeyy RReeppuubblliiccaann WWoommeennMeets third Wednesday of the month, except June, July, August. 10 a.m.Oakhurst Country Club, 1001 Peacock Creek Drive, Clayton.Reservations required for lunch. $25. 672-5061.

Clayton Community CalendarPLEASE SUBMIT YOUR CLAYTON COMMUNITY CALENDAR EVENTS BY 5 P.M. JUNE 20 FOR THE JUNE 29 ISSUE. ITEMS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY EMAIL TO calendar@claytonpioneer.com

Page 16 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com June 15, 2012

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[Editor’s Note: This is the secondin a series by columnist WoodyWhitlatch about his recent journey tosoutheast Asia.]

Thailand is a fascinating coun-try that melds a strong culturalhistory with many modern con-veniences. We assumed our jour-ney to Cambodia, Thailand’s east-ern neighbor, would present asimilar experience. With the pos-sible exception of the hot humidweather, that assumption wouldbe wrong. Our Cambodian expe-rience was a completely differentadventure.

TRAGIC HISTORY

To understand Cambodia inthe 21st century, it is importantknow what its people have experi-enced over the last 1200 years.From the ninth to 14th centurythe Angkor region of northernCambodia was the cultural andreligious capital of SoutheastAsia. Historians claim Angkorwas the largest pre-industrial agecity in the world.

For the next 500 yearsCambodia was subject to a nearlyendless series of military attacks,invasions and occupations. Thelast half of the 20th century waseven less kind to the Cambodianpeople. In the mid-1970s a revo-lution led by Pol Pot and theKhmer Rouge army resulted ingenocide when an estimated twomillion Cambodians were killed

by fellow countrymen. The nextdecade saw an invasion by theVietnamese army and a civil warthat resulted in continued deathand destruction. In the 1990s, arelatively peaceful era beganunder a UN brokered ceasefireagreement. Despite the politicalimprovements Cambodia remainsa very poor country.

We started our Cambodiaexperience in the capitol city ofPhnom Penh, a bustling city ofmore than two million people.Driving habits are unconvention-al, to put it mildly. Traffic lightsand lane markings provide looseguidance for drivers. It is com-mon to share the sidewalk withmotorcycles trying to avoid thetraffic jams on the streets.

Our guide in Phnom Penh, awonderful middle aged mannamed Sam-Ath, survived theKhmer Rouge genocide. Duringour visit to the GenocideMuseum we heard a first-handaccount of an experience that isboth horrific and unimaginable. Itis haunting to think that everyonewe saw in Cambodia old enoughto have lived during the 1970s hadsimilar stories.

The highlight of the PhnomPenh portion of our visit, a boatride on the Mekong River, took usto the small village of PrekBongkong. The family we visitedproduces and weaves silk at theirhome. Our hostess explained thatshe had travelled to Viet Nam tolearn about silk production, and

her goal is to train fellow villagersso that they could also generateincome from their homes.

HISTORIC GRANDEUR

The next day we drove northto visit Cambodia’s main touristattraction, the ancient temples ofAngkor Wat. The main highway ispaved and relatively smooth.Modern cars and busses share theroad with oxcarts, tractors, motor-bikes and bicycles. It is not unusu-al to see small motorbikes trans-porting entire families. Somemotorbikes are so laden withgoods on the way to market thatthe drivers are invisible.

Visiting the temples ofAngkor Wat is like winding theclock back a thousand years. Evenafter centuries of warfare andneglect, it is astonishing to see the

grandeur and complexity of thetemples. It is truly an engineeringfeat that rivals the Pyramids ofEgypt and Mayan temples ofMexico.

The Cambodian Land MineMuseum, founded and operatedby an ex-Khmer Rouge soldier, islocated a few miles from AngkorWat. We quickly transitioned froma scene of past glories to one ofpresent day realities. The workersat this facility are dedicated todefusing countless numbers ofland mines dot the countryside.They also support a school formaimed and orphaned children.

A visit to Cambodia is a com-pelling historical and emotionaljourney. One hopes theCambodian people have a peace-ful and productive future, theycertainly deserve it.

Everyone loves candles, right?It makes perfect sense – or scents:Why not sell the candles everyoneadores?

Lee Wilkinson and his wife,Kollette Vanerstrom, lighted onthe idea and are independent dis-tributors for the Ashman CandleCompany and their company,Candles Make Scents, for the sec-ond year.

“It’s just an enjoyable candlethat makes great gifts. Every partis made in the USA,” Wilkinsonsays.

Wilkinson and Vanerstromgrew up and still reside inConcord. They love to travel andmet while planning a houseboattrip with friends. They recently

went on another boat, a cruiseship to be exact, to celebrate theirninth wedding anniversary.

Wilkinson works for a nation-

al provider of carbon dioxide forbeverages, delivering product torestaurants throughout the BayArea. Wilkinson bought his first

Ashman candle from his employ-er’s wife. He kept buying the can-dles because of the variety. And,he says, “They burn easily all theway to the bottom because of thetwo wicks. They are scented allthe way through.”

Vanerstrom works full timedoing computer analysis supportin the banking industry.

Wilkinson and Vanerstromare analyzing what makes sensefor illuminating customers aboutCandles Make Scents. They offera free catalog and will show thecandles and accessories at the cus-tomer’s home or their own. Sixtytantalizing scents are available,including candy corn, melonpatch, sugar cookie, vineyard andcinnamon vanilla.

For more information, call 405-7199 or go to candlesmakescents.net.

June 15, 2012 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 17

WOODY WHITLATCH

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Homes can benefit from a little pillow talk

Pillows are truly my go-toaccessory for any home project, atany budget. They are one of theeasiest accessory to incorporateinto a design scheme as they’rereadily available from just aboutany retailer (boutique or big boxvenue) and don’t need to last alifetime, as maybe you wouldexpect from your furniture.

Pillows do not need to last alifetime. While your sofa may bean investment piece, your pillowsare not. Like jewelry or shoes thatcoordinate with your ensemble,pillows can be just about anythingyou want them to be and can beinterchanged as often as you like.

Here is a trick of the trade:Invest in your pillow inserts.

Purchase typical sized pillowinserts (16-inches, 18-inches or24-inches square) that have a con-tent of 25/75 or 50/50down/feather. These inserts cre-ate the best shape for your pillowcover, unlike polyester fill that isinflexible and may or may notcome in an actual insert, butinstead, come stuffed into the pil-low cover.

Once you have the insert,shop to your hearts content forthe covers.

When you have your insertsand several covers to play with,don’t forget to fluff these littlegems. One of the lessons Ilearned as a young designer wasthe “pillow fluff ” technique. Avery silly discussion, I agree, butonce you see your pillows perfect-ly plumped by using this tech-nique, you will forever be changedand never tolerate a pancakeshaped pillow again.

HOW TO FLUFF A PILLOW:This technique is best used on

pillows that have a down/featherinsert.

Pick up pillow and shake it outto evenly spread fill. Pillow shouldlook flat.

Stand pillow upright and placeon piece of furniture.

With both hands, at the same

time, quickly and firmly “chop”the middle sides. Your pillowshould look like an upside downbow tie.

Now, with one hand, quicklyand a little less firm, “chop” thecenter top.

Photo Woody Whitlatch

A MOTORBIKE IS SO LOADED WITH BASKETS on the way to marketnear Phnom Penh that the driver is invisible.

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The Willows Theatre hasbrought the 1980s back in fullforce with the opening of “9 to5” at its mainstage theater inConcord. Based on the film star-ring Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton,Lily Tomlin and DabneyColeman, the musical brings outthe sexism rampant in the work-place at that time, not to mentionthe less than attractive attire.Kudos to costumers CariBallinger and Jimmy Gale forcapturing the era in vivid detailas well as letting their imagina-tions run wide in the fantasysequence.

The story follows the tribula-tions of office workers atConsolidated Industries, wherethe lecherous Frank Hart isn’tshy about letting his femaleemployees know just what posi-tion they can attain in the officehierarchy. Fed up with his unfairtreatment and disgustingadvances, Violet, Doralee andJudy vow to get even. They man-age to kidnap Hart and turn theoffice into an efficient workplacewith motivated employees in hisabsence. Of course, he eventual-ly escapes and returns toConsolidated bent on revenge

just as his superiors drop by tocongratulate him for his team’sgood work. The women triumphin the end but not before lots ofentertaining entanglements,rapid scene changes, and ener-getic dance numbers.

The book by Patricia Resnick,with music and lyrics by DollyParton, gives Willows’ directorEric Inman and his performers alot of creative leeway, especiallyduring the fantasy sequence inwhich Violet, Doralee and Judyimagine how to do in the chau-vinistic Hart. In these numbers,choreographers LaTonya Wattsand Isaiah Tyrelle go from jazzygangsters to gun-toting cowboysto classic fairytale characterswith the large ensemble plunginginto every change with abandon.Several ensemble members alsohave a chance to shine in cameoroles, especially Kathryn Han asthe mousy wife of the boss.

But the power behind thisshow lies in the casting of thethree secretaries, and Inman didnot disappoint. Jessica Raaumdisplays her substantial vocalskills and comedic timing asJudy, the inexperienced officeworker trying to make a life with-out her philandering husband,while a delightful Sophia RoseMorris portrays the curvaceous

Texan Doralee with aplomb.Adding her considerable talentsto the mix, Elizabeth Palmerpacks quite a punch as the highlycapable office worker and singlemom Violet. Also demonstratingsubstantial vocal range in sup-porting roles are BrielPomerantz and JosephBrunicardi.

While the numerous songsand silly situations make “9 to 5”a frothy musical perfect for light,summer entertainment, the playalso highlights inequities still rel-evant today. The rampant sexismmay be gone but equal pay for

equal work has yet to beachieved. A scene in the musicalironically shows a femaleemployee fired for asking abouther male counterpart’s salary.Meanwhile, members of the U.S.Senate are currently advancingthe Paycheck Protection Act toguard women from retaliation ifthey sue for equal pay. Seemsthere are still a few Mr. Harts outthere.

“9 to 5” continues through June23. For tickets, call 925-798-1300 orgo to www.willowstheatre.org.

New York playwrightLaurence Carr will be in theaudience when his play,“Vaudeville,” opens at theWillows Campbell Theatre inMartinez on June 28.

“Vaudeville,” billed as “APlay with Music,” is Carr’s trib-ute to his maternal grandfather,once a performer in Britishmusic halls, the equivalent toAmerican Vaudeville.

It’s 1919, and nine seasonedshow folks are stuck inPhiladelphia. While their worldis the small-time circuit ofthird-rate theaters, they keeptheir hopes alive for fame andstardom — making it in “TheBig Time.” Cohen and Cobb,Max Maxwell and Maxie, Mlle.Yvette – they’re a cross-sectionof the last generation of

hoofers, comics and noveltyacts who kept America enter-tained when Vaudeville wasAmerica’s most popular enter-tainment medium – just beforeit would be replaced by themovies.

“Vaudeville” revels inauthentic period songs, fromthe familiar “Hello, Ma Baby,”and “Shine on Harvest Moon,”to the less well known (but pop-ular in 1919), “I’m a YiddisherCowboy,” and “O’Brian isTryin’ to Learn to TalkHawaiian.”

Some of the more famousperformers to get their start inVaudeville include Jack Benny,Bob Hope, Milton Berle, and aSan Francisco girl named GracieAllen. On June 28, the WillowsTheatre presents the regionalpremiere of “Vaudeville”(Carr’s play) to show whatVaudeville (the great Americaninstitution) was all about.

Laurence Carr’s visit to thearea is actually a tradition. Heand his wife, Kay Stuntz, havespent nearly every New Year’sEve in Clayton for the past 15years, visiting Carr’s brother,Gary, and his wife, Kathy, whohave lived in Clayton for twodecades.

“Dinner at La Veranda onNew Year’s Eve has become astandard for the four of us,”Laurence Carr says. “It’s sort ofthe Sardi’s of Clayton,” he adds.

Laurence – “Larry” to hisfriends – teaches dramatic writ-ing at the State University ofNew York in New Paltz andlives in nearby Highland. WifeKay is a theatrical costumebuilder who works from herstudio in their home, a renovat-ed farm house dating from the1830s.

Both have spent their adultlives in the theater. Larry is anactor, director and playwright.

His “Kennedy at Colonus,”about the life of Robert F.Kennedy, won plaudits as anoutstanding Off-Broadway play.Kay’s costume creations includesweaters for the sorority girls inthe Broadway production of“Legally Blonde.” She has alsomade pajamas for the Muppetsand a tuxedo for the PhillyPhanatic, the big green mascotof the Philadelphia Phillies.

“We’ve known The Willowsby reputation for a long time,and I’m confident that EricInman will find all the comedyand poignancy rooted in thescript,” Carr says.

“Vaudeville” runs June 28through July 21 at the CampbellTheatre, 636 Ward Street inDowntown Martinez. It is directed byEric Inman and features SallyHogarty, Andrea Snow, MorganMackay, Michael Barrett Austin,and Trevor Moppin.

Tony and Emmy Award win-ner Hal Linden will be among astellar cast as the AmericanConservatory Theater (ACT)closes its 2011-12 season withthe Bay Area premier of “TheScottsboro Boys,” the criticallyacclaimed musical based on atragic chapter in Americanhistory.

Based on the notorious 1931“Scottsboro Case,” “TheScottsboro Boys” tells the storyof nine African Americanteenagers — ranging from 13 to19 years old — convicted of rap-ing two white girls on a SouthernRailroad freight train while hitch-ing a ride to Memphis in searchof employment. Despite the factthat one of the original com-plainants later denied that anyrape had occurred, the nineteenagers were subjected to yearsof brutal imprisonment, death-sentence verdicts, deniedappeals, and long-delayed par-dons for a crime they did notcommit. Reclaiming the frame-work of a minstrel show, themusical — through high-energydance numbers and upbeatmusic — courageously addressesone of the most abhorrentepisodes in American history.

Nominated for twelve 2011Tony Awards, “The ScottsboroBoys” features music and lyricsby the legendary Broadway song-

writing team of John Kanderand Fred Ebb (“Cabaret,”“Chicago,” “Kiss of the SpiderWoman”).

Looking at famous trials ofthe twentieth century as inspira-tion for their next show, the theywere immediately drawn to thecompelling story of theScottsboro Boys trial. SaysKander: “As a young boy grow-ing up in Kansas City, I remem-ber when the Scottsboro Boyswere first in the headlines. Iremember the conversationswith my parents about what thetrials meant. I am sure there weresimilar conversations at kitchentables across the country. I alsoremember when the headlinesbegan to fade and the ScottsboroBoys gradually disappeared fromthe national spotlight. As webegan to write The ScottsboroBoys, it was immediately appar-ent why it was so important totell their story. Behind the head-lines, the spectacle, the ongoingtrials, and the histrionics ofpoliticians and lawyers was thestory of nine young AfricanAmerican boys, determined toprove that they mattered.”

“The Scottsboro Boys” performs alimited run June 21–July 15 at ACT(415 Geary Street, San Francisco).Tickets are on sale now and may bepurchased online at www.act-sf.org orby calling 415-749-2228.

Page 18 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com June 15, 2012

SALLY HOGARTY

Special to the Pioneer

SIDNEY FALCO

Special to the Pioneer

Performing Arts

ROSE MORRIS (CENTER) RECREATES DOLLY PARTON’S iconic film role asDoralee in “9 to 5, The Musical”. The light musical delivers a seriousmessage along with Parton’s great music and lyrics. The show playsthrough June 23 at The Willows in Concord.

Photo by Henry DiRocco

OLEN MONTGOMERY (DAVID BAZEMORE, LEFT), Eugene Williams (NileBullock, center), and Clarence Norris (Eric Jackson) in TheScottsboro Boys, plays June 21–July 15 at the AmericanConservatory Theater in San Francisco.

Hal Linden joins cast of ACT’s ‘Scottsboro Boys’

Willows ‘Vaudeville’ playwright has ties to Clayton

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The are many romanticizedstories of the great frontiers ofAmerica, but Eowyn Ivey’sdebut novel, “The Snow Child,”is not one of them. In fact, it isa lyrical piece that weaves aRussian fairy tale with a bit ofmagical realism, and dispels anyillusion of a heroic frontier lifeby revealing a hard-as-nailsstruggle for existence.

Set against the backdrop ofthe 1920s, “The Snow Child” isabout Jack and Mabel, who haverun away to Alaska to make anew start. They love each otherthe best they can, but the peacethey thought they would find byforging a life in the wildernessseems only to bring deeper sor-row and a more dangerous kind

of isolation.In their seclusion, Jack and

Mabel begin to succumb to thebitterness of hardship. As beau-tiful as the wilderness is, it isalso cruel and they haven’t the

skills to take what they wantfrom a land that has never beentamed. Still, one day it begins tosnow and in a fit of wonder andplayfulness, they run outdoorsand begin to form a snowman.But the snowman is small andfor some whimsy, Jack andMabel create not a man from iceand snow, but a girl. Jack carvesa face with his pen knife, andgives her hair of straw. Mabelstains the snow girl’s lips withwild berries, then rushes intothe cabin and returns with a capand pair of mittens she had knitand with which she decoratestheir creation.

In the morning, they spy outthe windows of their home toadmire their playful handiwork,

but the snow girl is gone, and sotoo are the hat and mittens.What could have happened tothem? Wild animals could havestolen the clothing in the nightand made a nest of them. It’snever fully explained.

Soon after, the couplebefriends a young girl who visitsthe homestead, and whoappears to live in the wild. She’sa feral little thing with whiteblonde hair and a blue woolcoat, who seem to manage quitewell on her own. And she doesseem to be made of the ele-ments, preferring the freezingoutdoors to the overheatedcabin. She is at home in the wild,and resists Jack’s or Mabel’sattempts to rope her in. Theymove from concern and worryto actually loving the girl, andconsider her their own. Thetrouble is, no one else has seenher, and the neighbors begin tosuspect that Jack and Mabelhave tripped over the edge ofreason, having been driven madby their seclusion.

Ivey’s novel runs on paralleltracks to the Russian tale of alittle girl made of snow by theloving hands of a childless cou-ple. The story is deftly told, andit leaves the reader wondering ifJack and Mabel have made thegirl up out of longing for com-pany and connection. Perhapsbest of all, the author leaves itup to the reader to determinefor herself, exactly who this girlis and what she is made of.

Pioneer Photo Album

The Pioneer is proud to spot-light our readers’ photos.Send in your cute pets, funnykids, great landscapes,favorite sites in town orwhatever makes your heartbeat a little faster. Email yourphoto in a high-resolutionformat to tamara@clay-tonpioneer.com with adescription of the photo,where and when it was takenand a little about why youlike it. Include your nameand phone number. Thenlook for it in the next Pioneer.

Carina Fryer took thisphoto of her dog, Tank,when they stopped for adrink at the park. Thethirsty dog was not aboutto let a drop go to waste.

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Book Review

June 15, 2012 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 19

CYNTHIA GREGORY

FOR THE BOOKS

Cynthia Gregory writes bookreviews, award-winning short storiesand a blog. Visit her at www.twogirlstakeonlove.com or write cgregory111@gmail.com

This frontier fairy tale may not end happily

There’s nothing better thanthe taste and smell of onions onthe grill. Or summer squashbrushed with olive oil. Or big ripetomatoes sprinkled withParmesan cheese. Not to mentionbig sweet peaches, halved and pit-ted, and touched with brownsugar.

The Clayton Farmers’ Marketis the place to come for fresh pro-duce to toss on the grill for yourMemorial Day gatherings.Apricots, peaches, and otherstonefruit from Resendiz Farms,yellow squash and zucchini fromG&A Farms, and big sweetonions from J&M Farms offerthe best for delicious grilling.

Grilling intensifies the flavorof fruits and vegetables and adds

wonderful color and aroma toyour meals. Here are some quicktips for grilling produce:

Fruits are best grilled whenthe coals have begun to die out orwhen placed on the outer edgesof the grate, using more of anindirect type of heat.

Brush vegetables with oil orbutter to prevent sticking to thegrill, or spray non-stick coating ona cold grill.

When grilling harder vegeta-bles, such as potatoes, with othervegetables, they may need to becooked before grilling to ensurethat all the vegetables are done atthe same time.

Soft fruits such as peaches andapricots should be cooked aboutfive minutes, hard fruits a littlelonger. Zucchini and other sum-mer squash, onions, and peppersshould be grilled about 10 to 12

minutes, corn about 15 to 20. Aselection of chunked vegetablescan also be seasoned and cookedin aluminum foil packets forabout 15 to 20 minutes.

Here is a one of my favoritegrilled vegetable recipes:

SPICY SUMMER SQUASH

Choose large zucchini, largeyellow squash, or large roundglobe squash. Wash, pat dry, trimends. Cut in half lengthwise.Brush cut sides liberally with oliveoil. Sprinkle lightly with salt andpepper. Sprinkle with groundchipotle powder (use sparingly—it’s very spicy). Grill, cut sidedown for about 10 minutes, oruntil tender.

By all accounts, the Clayton Historical Society’s GardensTour was a huge success this year. Eighteen local gardenswere featured in this 20th year of the tour which the lateClayton matriarch Eldora Hoyer began.

More than 380 people bought tickets for the annual tour,the most attendees since 2007.

The committee also sponsored a raffle that netted near-ly $700. Program advertisers donated nearly $1,000 to cre-ate an attractive brochure and to help keep the museumoperating. The committee wishes to thank the homeownerswho worked many hours on their gardens, which mostattendees described as “gorgeous.” It would also like tothank the business and individuals for the gifts used in thedrawing.

A special thanks goes out to R&M Pool, Patio, andGardens for giving a discount to the homeowners, advertis-ing and selling tickets. Navlet’s Garden Center also gave adiscount to homeowners and guests going on the tour.

The money from the tour is used for the many programsto benefit local school and community programs at theClayton Museum.

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Summer flower gardens andcontainer combinations can beas unique and original as thepeople that tend them. Thenursery industry has hybridizedsome outstanding plants andperennials that thrive during thesummer’s months in ourClayton Valley landscapes andgardens. You just need to knowwhat ones are worthy of yourenergy, water and time.

Black-eyed Susans are someof the most summer friendlyperennials around. The selec-tion called Indian Summer isthe most fabulous. You willfind this plant in garden centersunder the name Rudbeckiahirta, Indian Summer. Thisperennial will reach heights of36-48-inches tall and almosthalf as wide. Large butter yel-low daisy shaped blossomsmeasure 3-4-inches across, andthe center of the bloom has thefamiliar dark eye, where theplant gets its name. Black-eyedSusan will flower from Junethrough September. It is won-derful when used in a perennialbed, behind shorter evergreens,or incorporated into a contain-er. If you see holes on yourBlack-eyed Susan’s leaves,chances are it is from smallbirds, as they love the fuzzyleaves.

SMALL AREA, BIG BLOOMS

Parahebe linifolia is com-monly called Veronica Hebe,but it is no way related to either.This exceptional evergreen cre-ates a living border and is per-fect flowering plants for smallareas, it will mature to 12-inchestall and wide. Dark green, basil-shaped leaves are finely toothedand contrast nicely with theplant’s red stems. During thesummer months the Parahebelinifolia will be covered withgraceful white flowers alongstems that stand 4-6-inchesabove the plant. This evergreenis very hardy to our ClaytonValley landscapes, handles oursun, heat and frost. It may lookdelicate, but with the Parahebe,looks are very deceiving.

The clusters of burnt orangeflowers from the slipper plant isan attention grabber in a sum-mer garden. Calceolaria integri-folia, “Kentish Hero,” is apunchy medium sized perennialthat lends itself to many land-scape applications. The“Kentish Hero” has a texturedleaf with a slight pile. It is resist-ant to deer. The flowers areshaped like little irregular kidneybeans. The orange is fiery, withgold towards the inner section.The bloom of the Calceolaria isanything but common, and itwill get the conversation startedwhen showing your friends yourgarden.

Dahlias are the darlings ofthe summer gardens. With newintroductions every year, it ishard to know what ones aregood, and which are better.Consider series such as Mystic,with the dark eggplant coloredleaves, or Karma, a typical greenleafed selection with dramatic

coloring. Both of these seriesare very heavy bloomers. Sincetheir flowers are smaller in size,the plants have more energy tobloom heavier and longer.

WHY NOT DEEP ORANGE?The family of Echinacea

keeps growing. Every year thereare new introductions. Last yeara selection called Hot Papayawas introduced, and it per-formed beautifully. TheseEchinacea’s flowers are a deepred orange. Thick stems supportdramatic flowers that aren’t typ-ical of the rest of the cone-flower family. The petals pointdown, but rather than surround-ing a cone, the Hot Papayapetals surround a fiery orangepom-pom. If you haven’t hadluck with having your Echinaceareturn after it runs its dormancyin the winter, consider installingyour Echinacea an inch abovethe ground, this way it won’tdrown in our clay with the win-ter rains.

There is a new series of petu-nias available. They are called thePhantom Series, and they are acollection of almost black petu-nias. Some are solid; others havewhite margins and some yellowstreaks. They are fantastic in aClayton Valley garden.

If you are planting the rightplants, you don’t have to beafraid to plant during the sum-mer, it is a great time to getsome fabulous selections ofthing that you can’t get othertimes of the year.

Nicole is the Garden Girl atR&M Pool, Patio, Gifts and Gardenand the 2012 Clayton Valley GardenClub president. Contact her with ques-tions, comments or suggestions at gardengirl@claytonpioneer.com

NICOLE HACKETT

GARDEN GIRL

ROY AND MELANIE ALARCON’S MorganTerritory Road home was one of the18 gardens on the 20th annualClayton Historical Society GardensTour.

Garden Tour blooms with success

Dahlias, petunias andBlack-eyed Susans arewelcome guests

Grill power – throw some veggies on the barbie

DEBRA J. MORRIS

PCFMA