Valentine's Day and hearts are a passion of Dawntrix Kerry, owner of Auburn Alchemy and Pacha Mama's organic café. Photo courtesy of John McCreadie.
For the owner of Auburn Alchemy and Pacha Mama’s organic café, Valentine’s Day holds a special place in her heart.
"I got my spiritual name on Valentine’s Day during a workshop in Hawaii," said owner Dawntrix Kerry, who goes by Kerry. It’s also the day she opened both of her spiritually centric businesses.
Auburn Alchemy, which provides "toys for transformation," was launched six-years ago on Valentine’s Day based, in part, on an astrological reading declaring the day to be a good one for starting a business. The Aquarius sign, under which Feb. 14 falls, is "all about the new way," said Kerry.
Local hairstylist Ali Young recalls the marriage proposal she received just days before Valentine's Day. Photo by John McCreadie.
While there are some in the community who see Valentine’s Day as just a “Hallmark holiday,” many couples in the area embrace the saint’s day as a way to express their inner Cupid.
From marriage proposals to packed area restaurants, Feb. 14 is a day filled with last-minute gift shopping in addition to a focus on togetherness, sharing and love. While many choose to avoid the crowds at eateries – especially on the big day – many romantics make it a day local businesses love.
“Like Mother’s Day, it’s just the one day that everyone goes out to eat,” said Terry Galli, owner of Lugi’s Little Italy Restaurant in Downtown Auburn. “It’s a huge day for restaurants.”
Case in point: Dan and Patrice Moores, owners of the Auburn Running Company, treat themselves each Valentine’s Day to fine French cuisine at Le Bilig in North Auburn.
In fact, many restaurateurs report an increase in business leading up to and following Valentine’s Day. While many locals seek the romance of an intimate meal with their significant other, they also want to avoid heavy traffic.
“We learned long ago that you don’t go out on Valentine’s Day,” said Dennis Freidig, an Auburn-area resident and one-time restaurant owner. “We traditionally dine out the day before to beat the crowds.”
Benjamin Franklin used to joke about how great it is to be a “rational” human being. Franklin observed that we have, unlike the animals, a remarkable ability to construct rational arguments (that would make the philosopher Socrates proud) and flowery language (that would make the poet Milton proud) to, in the end, justify our greedy desires. In that way, any potential feelings of guilt for acting selfishly get marooned on a barren, windswept island – out of sight and out of mind. When it comes to earmarks, too many members of the U.S. Congress – even self-proclaimed “fiscal conservatives” – have made this kind of selfish rationalization an art form (that would make Picasso proud).
Feb. 4 Music Lover – Unknown suspects entered an unlocked truck parked 30 feet from the owner’s home on Johnson Valley Road in Foresthill, but didn’t take anything. The suspects then entered a second vehicle, which was parked 10 feet closer to the house, and stole six music CDs.
Feb. 4 Medical Marijuana? – Deputies stopped a 22-year-old Nevada City woman for a license plate violation while traveling on Highway 49 at Shale Ridge Road. A quick check revealed she had a warrant for her arrest. While taking her into custody, the suspect made a “spontaneous statement that there was marijuana in her purse.” Deputies found two plastic baggies full of the stuff and a pipe. The woman claimed she had a prescription but could produce no proof.
Placer County officials have finished assessing their response to the series of powerful storms that slammed the area in early January and they believe that overall, they handled the situation well.
According to the report, the brunt of the storm was felt on the western slope of the Sierra, rather than North Lake Tahoe where blizzard conditions had been expected.
If Placer County voters had their druthers, the major presidential nominees in the November general election would be Republican John McCain and Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Such were the preferences expressed in last week’s earliest-ever presidential primary election, which also served to allow Placerans to decide some intra-county issues.
The ink on the February 5 presidential primary election returns was hardly dry this week when campaigning for spots on the June primary ballot got underway in Placer County.
Candidates for the June 3 ballot started pulling nomination papers on Monday and have until March 7 to file them. An exception will be the 4th Congressional District race in which there is no incumbent — Rep. John Doolittle is not seeking re-election — and candidates will have an additional five days in which to file.
The first February Primary Election saw record turnout at the polls with some counties reportedly running out of ballots, but not Placer.
Jim McCauley, the county’s Clerk-Recorder, reports that the election ran smoothly with more than 70 percent of county’s registered voters expected to cast a ballot either by mail or at the polls.
The county is forking over $750,000 for the early primary, which McCauley expects will be reimbursed by the state in the future.
“We’re very fortunate in Placer County,” he said of the expected high voter turnout. “People here vote.”
Election results for the county, unfortunately, won’t be available as quickly as before. For example, precincts in Placer’s Tahoe area must truck their ballots to Auburn’s election headquarters, rather than submit their tallies electronically.
Luigi’s Little Italy is an unassuming Italian restaurant in Downtown Auburn that has become a fixture for many as a way to celebrate a special occasion, such as Valentine’s Day.
On a recent Wednesday night, after a fierce round of shuffleboard at Bob & Betty’s 160 Club, I made my way over Luigi’s with Sonja Vargas and Steve Conklin.
It’s February again, and along with the chilly mornings and the frequent rainstorms, come the barrage of Valentine’s Day reminders. At the grocery store, the drug store, the elementary schools, and perhaps even your own office, the Valentine’s Day decorations are everywhere. Each year I hear people planning their Valentine’s Day surprises and treats for their loved ones. I also hear people, my own husband included, lamenting the commercial holiday that gives us one more reason that we’re supposed to spend money. On that note, I thought I’d do a little research and trace the origins of this “Lover’s Holiday.”
Valentine’s Day was named after an early Christian martyr by the name of Valentine. As is the case with many holidays, its origins are grounded in the church. In the High Middle Ages (1000-1300 AD) Valentine’s Day became associated with the notion of courtly love. What started as handwritten notes and letters evolved into handmade cards, and in the 1800s mass produced cards began to come into favor. In the second half of the twentieth century the cards came to be accompanied by gifts such as chocolates and flowers. In the 1980s the diamond industry began promoting diamond jewelry as the perfect gift to show one’s love. Today, it seems that as with any other gift-giving occasion, anything goes.
