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NOTES FROM THE TRAIL – Trying to squeeze in a hike between work and the Auburn City Council meeting the Monday after Easter, the kids and I loaded the backpack with water, trail mix and granola bars and decided to hike from the American River Confluence (shown here in my snapshot as we got underway) to the dam. Parking, as always, was at a premium. My hiking guidebook lists the trail as easy to moderate, 1.9 miles each way. We’ve taken the trail about halfway many times to reach Clark’s Hole, a popular swimming spot during the summer. The kids were grumbling about the heat and the fact that we were going to be passing the swimming hole anyway, so they didn’t understand why we couldn’t stop for a quick dip. I rattled off the list of dangers such as swift moving water this time of year and frigid water temperature (not to mention a lack of swimsuits). Along the hike we passed cyclists, runners, a couple of young ladies walking a dog, and a few families. It’s a nice trail but lack of shade is an issue and while it was a breezy day, the air in the canyon was hot and still. As we reached the swim hole area, my oldest daughter, Madison, began complaining that she felt sick to her stomach. Maybe we shouldn’t have eaten leftover ham for lunch just before we left the house. At about a mile in, we cut the hike short (which caused my son to go into conniptions as he was prepared to view the dam with his new binoculars). It’s a nice hike for those who don’t mind the heat. We plan to return soon to make the entire hike.
WHAT’S IN A NAME? – The Auburn Planning Commission, that austere body that is tasked with maintaining standards of design, discussed the exterior remodel of the State Theater building at length during their last meeting. Commissioner Lisa Worthington, studying the new vertical sign that will proudly display the building’s name that it has borne since opening in the 1930s, pondered aloud if the name shouldn’t reflect the town in which the building is located. “Couldn’t the sign say ‘Auburn’ instead of ‘State?’” she innocently asked. Snickers from fellow commissioners quickly killed that idea. “I’m not emotionally tied to the name, since I didn’t grow up here,” she said. “And if the vertical sign read ‘Auburn,’ that would fit with the town’s Streetscape plans.” I have come to Lisa’s defense in the past, but on this one, she’s on her own. In the 1930s, numerous movie theaters opened nationwide as the popularity of films grew and audiences swelled. Moviegoers looked for a distraction from the Great Depression and the silver screen filled that void. The Auburn Placer Performing Arts Center is looking to recapture the theater’s heyday of 1937 and the new art-deco neon vertical sign and marquee fits that bill. The group didn’t need to look far – the designs came from the city’s own archives. (The Planning Commission and Historic Design Review Commission approved the plans.) Oh, and that mural located in what was once the lobby of the theater? Murals such as that one can be found in the lobbies of 1930s-era movie houses across the country. Most of them are part of the Federal Art Project, created under the umbrella of the Works Progress Administration in 1935. Prior to that, President Franklin D. Roosevelt put artists to work with the Public Works of Art Project (1933 to 1934) and the Treasury Department Section of Painting and Sculpture (1934). With the opening of new brass and glass “modern” multiplexes, many of these classic movie theaters fell into disrepair and were shuttered, those works of art lost forever. On a side note, these murals, mostly funded through the 1934 Treasury Department program, can also be found up and down the state in places such as post offices in Berkeley, Eureka, Livermore, Vacaville, Merced, Tracy and Fresno. For a complete list, including those that have been destroyed over the decades, visit www.wpamurals.com/californ.html. The mural at the State Theater is also listed in the new public art guide produced by the City of Auburn’s Art Commission. You can pick up a copy of the guide at City Hall.
AROUND TOWN – The Auburn Business Expo featured 99 businesses at the Gold Country Fairgrounds on Thursday of last week. From 1 to 7 p.m., approximately 5,000 persons strolled the grounds, learning about services and products offered in Auburn. Some familiar faces, such as former Wells Fargo banker Juanita Holmes, were a welcome sight. She’s joined the staff at First Northern Bank and will be heading up the Auburn branch when it opens. For now, she’s working in their Roseville office. I also spotted Larry Rolufs come through the doors. Larry teaches gun and hunter safety courses, as well as trap shooting, to plenty of youth and adults in the Auburn area. Placer SPCA’s Leilani Vierra made the rounds, stopping to sample smoothies at Brooke Higgins’ Smoothie King booth. Serving drinks at the Auburn Chamber of Commerce bar were the Sentinel’s own Deborah Mangione and Keri Roeder, of Yamasaki Nursery. The Sentinel booth was a popular one. We handed out refrigerator magnets, stress balls, candy and newspapers, including the special guide to the expo we published last week. Thanks to all the readers who stopped by to let us know what you think of our paper. We’re proud of the Sentinel and it’s nice to know our readers appreciate the extra effort. ... The Salvation Army of Auburn is moving forward with plans to construct a permanent homeless shelter. The first step, approved last week by the group’s advisory board (of which I’m a member), authorized Major Ed Loomis to begin the process to get a feasibility study done on the project. There are still many unknowns that would need to be hammered out such as location (it wouldn’t be located at the organization’s headquarters), cost and facility size. We’ll keep you informed.
Don Chaddock is the executive editor of the Sentinel. His column, “Biscuits & Gravy,” publishes weekly. He may be reached at
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or by calling 530-823-2463.
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