Event ticklers
Royce Gracie will be in Mammoth this Wednesday.
Gaines makes Mono stop
Ted Gaines, who’s running for the State Senate seat left vacant in the wake of the recent passing of late Senator Dave Cox, will make a stop in Mono County to meet voters, take questions and discuss issues this coming Saturday night, Sept. 25, at 6:30 p.m. in the Crowley Lake Community Center.
Gaines is on the ballot in the special election that’s been called for Jan. 2 to fill Sen. Cox’s open seat. Of the candidates that have announced, Gaines is at present the only one who has accepted an invitation to appear in person and speak with Mono County voters.
Post Office gardening
From Elizabeth Tenney … “Three cheers! I walked Post Office Park West recently and can vouch for it being 99% alfalfa and other noxious weeds-free, thanks to all of the efforts throughout the summer.
If you wondered for a minute whether your work was worth it, check out the tangled mess of alfalfa in the area of the sprinkler valve box at the end of the retaining wall. That’s what the whole garden could have been! One of those expensive sprinkler valves was leaking for several weeks and with that extra moisture, a previously dry-ish area with no weeds was absolutely overrun. Alfalfa must lie awake nights plotting and planning where to takeover next.”
Most of the community garden has finished blooming and is going to seed now. Determined poppies are blooming for a second round, however, and there’s a group of pretty pink and red flowers blooming just south of the path by the light pole at the parking lot crosswalk.
The last cleanup for the season is still on for Oct. 16 at 9 a.m. With dry, sunny weather predicted, it could be an ideal day to put the garden to bed.”
Bring garden gloves, trash bags and maybe a rake. Info: 760.924.8475 or e10ney@npgcable.com.
Politics is a real picnic
Meet Mono County candidates and State Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen at a “Good Old-Fashioned Political Picnic,” Saturday, Sept. 25, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at Bridgeport Memorial Hall.
Hot dogs, hamburgers, popcorn, soda, ice cream and pie will be available at “good old-fashioned prices,” and all the political chit-chat you can handle will be served up for free!
AND … save the date on Oct. 1 for a “Mono County Meet the Candidates Forum” at 6 p.m. in the Walker Community Center. Hear from and ask questions to candidates for Eastern Sierra Unified School District Board, Superior Court Judge and District 4 Supervisor.
Sponsored by the Mono County Republican Central Committee.
Info: Karla @ 530.208.6125 or Debra @ 530.208.6088.
Mono County Flu Clinics
Sept. 28: Walker Senior Center 1-3:30 p.m.
Sept. 29: June Lake Community Center 5-6:30 p.m.
Sept. 30: Lee Vining Community Center 5– 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 4: Mammoth Elementary Library 4–7 p.m.
Oct. 7: Crowley Lake Community Center 4-7 p.m.
Oct. 12: Benton Community Center 4:30–5:30 p.m. and Chalfant Community Center 6–7 p.m.
Oct. 13: Bridgeport Health Department 12:30–4 p.m., Paradise Fire Station 4:30-5:30 p.m. and Swall Meadows Fire Station 6-7 p.m.
Cost for each vaccine: $10/adults, $2/children (6 months – 18 years). Medicare Part “B” free with card. Children can receive flu vaccine at school clinics to be conducted this fall. Look for info in your child’s school newsletter. Flu vaccine is recommended for everyone over the age of six months. FluMist nasal spray is available for ages 2-49 who are healthy. Tdap (tetanus/whooping cough) vaccine available for those 10 years and older who haven’t had the vaccine in the last 5 years. Pneumococcal vaccine also available. Info: Nancy Mahannah, 760.924.4621 or nmahannah@mono.ca.gov.
Crowley Lake Community Garden
Community Garden organizers say they anticipate being able to accommodate 20-30 different plots. Plots come in two sizes, 10’ x 10’ or 10’ x 20’. Fees are for growing season only, $20 and $40 respectively. This is your opportunity to express interest in this new program.
Accessory components of the garden will include: 3’ wide pathways, hoses, and irrigation, tool shed, picnic table and benches, a bulletin board, a sign for every gardener, shared compost area, fruit trees, water fountain, perimeter landscaping, children’s area with sand box and play equipment, children’s plot, basic gardening tools and a bird bath or two.
$20 secures a 10’ x 10’ plot for the 2011 growing season. $40 secures a 10’ x 20’ plot for the 2011 growing season.
The garden is sponsored by “Mono County Service Area #1.”
Space is limited, don’t be left out. Call or e-mail John Connolly, 760.935.4089 or owensdrylake@hotmail.com to get on the distribution list or for more information.
Gettin’ the band back together
After a huge summer season, you’d think Chamber Music Unbound would relax during shoulder season. Instead the Felici Trio’s been rehearsing its 2010-11 winter season, which opens Sept. 24-25 with “Soul Men.” From Bach, the grand master of the Baroque, to the Classical hero, Beethoven, from Chopin, the Romantic piano virtuoso to the eloquent musical narrator that is Robert Schumann, this program features four musical brothers who weren’t afraid to show some true soul. The concert series kicks off on Friday, Sept. 24, at Bishop Union High School, and Saturday, Sept. 25, at Cerro Coso College in Mammoth, both starting at 7:30 p.m.
Bach – Sonata for Cello and Piano in G Major. Originally scored for the viola da gamba and harpsichord, the sonata follows the basic four movement outline of the Italian ‘Sonata da Chiesa’ model, with alternating slow and fast movements. The viola da gamba had a register somewhere between the viola and the cello, and belonged to the viol family rather than the (more contemporary) violin family, which gradually replaced the viols in the 17th century.
Schumann – Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Minor. Musical storyteller Robert Schumann was a soulful man with a deep-rooted love for children and their worlds, both real and imagined. He lived during a time when the fairy tale flourished as a popular form of literary entertainment for young and old alike. Fairy tales were said to possess “a quietly progressive tone, a certain innocence of representation, which hypnotizes the soul like quiet musical improvisations without noise and clamor,” according to poet and writer Ludwig Tieck.
Chopin – Selections for Solo Piano.Legendary pianist/composer Frederic Chopin was born in Poland to a French émigré father and a Polish mother. In 1829, at only 19, Chopin traveled to Vienna and attracted a great deal of attention by displaying his brilliant virtuosity and inspired improvisations on a Polish folk song, an exotic novelty for the public. Felici’s Seven Vanhauwaert will perfrom a selection of solo works.
Beethoven – Piano Trio in G Major, opus 1 no. 2. Written in Vienna in 1795, these first published works of Beethoven’s are compositions already on a much higher artistic level than one would expect from any composer’s first public offerings. The opening of the first movement follows a typical form of the day: a slow and stately Adagio introduction followed by a more lively Allegro section. The second movement removes us to a completely different world from the first, with a departure to the remote key of E Major, and is full of beautiful modulations and rich, sweeping melodies.
The Felici Trio, an Eastern Sierra fixture since 1998, is the musical home of pianist Steven Vanhauwaert, violinist Rebecca Hang and cellist Brian Schuldt. Felici members are past winners of the Los Angeles Liszt, Yellow Springs and Osaka music competitions. The vibrant threesome has performed more than 350 critically-acclaimed concerts in Europe, South America and the U.S. and has distinguished itself as a unique presence on the national music scene since coming to Mammoth Lakes as grantee of the NEA’s Rural Residencies Program.
Tickets ($15/adult, $10/senior and $5/student) are available online at www.ChamberMusicUnbound.org, at Access Art & Business Center, Inyo Council for the Arts in Bishop or at the door on concert nights after 6:45 p.m.
En fuego about new truck
The Wheeler Crest Fire Protection District is just burnin’ to show off its new Water Tender truck. So hot, in fact, they’re lightin’ up the barbecue and inviting Swall Meadows home and property owners over to an Open House on Saturday, Oct. 2, from 3-6 p.m. to show it off. Stop by the Fire House on WIllow Rd. for food, beverages, music, socializing, fun and an up-close look at the new Water Tender unit.
The barbecue is a “thank you” to everyone for continued support of the WCFPD. More info and RSVPs: Donalda Day 760.387.2234 (donalda@schat.net) or Darlene Joerger 760.387.2750 (darlene@kittredgesports.com).
UFC champ Gracie in Mammoth
Legendary Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter and 3-time Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title-holder Royce Gracie will make a personal appearance in Mammoth Lakes on Wednesday, Sept. 29 at 7:30 p.m., in the Bistro at Snowcreek Athletic Club.
Gracie’s name is synonymous with the mixed martial arts revolution, which began in 1993. He was the first athlete to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. He holds the most submission victories in UFC history with 11, which he earned between UFC 1 and UFC 4. Gracie became a larger than life figure in the sport and became famous for beating much larger opponents. Between 1993 and 1994, he was the tournament winner of UFC 1, UFC 2, UFC 4, and fought to a draw with Ken Shamrock in the championship match in the Superfight at UFC 5.
Royce was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil into a family of fighters. His father, Helio Gracie, was a legendary sports figure, who started “no holds barred” fighting in Brasil more than 65 years ago. Royce was chosen from 7 brothers to represent his family and repeatedly showed his dominance over heavier and stronger opponents by using leverage and technique. He won three UFC titles before taking his MMA fighting to Japan, where he’s credited with showing martial artists and fighters the importance of ground techniques, which his family’s Gracie Jiu-jitsu form emphasizes. His techniques allow a smaller, weaker man/woman to overcome a heavier stronger adversary.
Earning his black belt at 18, he went on to compile a 51-3 amateur tournament record. Gracie is now a 7th degree red and black belt, the belt that signifies the designation of “master of jiu-jitsu.”
Traveling and teaching Gracie Jiu-jistu to the world, his list of students includes police, military, CIA, FBI, DEA and Special Forces, among others. He has also taught many Hollywood celebrities, such as Ed O’Neill, Nicholas Cage, Jim Carrey. Royce is fulfilling his father’s dream of spreading Gracie Jiu-jitsu to the world.
Royce will return in the spring for a weeklong training camp scheduled for late May. More info: 760.934.8511 or visit www.roycegracie.tv.
