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Teens Doing Great Things in Placer County |
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Written by Don Chaddock
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GOOD DEEDS – I am amazed by the number of young people doing good works in the community. Last week I had the pleasure of meeting eight teens involved in the Placer County 4-H program. The students were competing for two $2,500 scholarships (one for the gals and one for the guys). Sharing judging duties with me were District 3 Placer County Supervisor Jim Holmes, KAHI’s Dave Rosenthal, Roper’s Jewelers’ Brenda Roper and the Auburn Chamber of Commerce’s Jo Gennuso. We were hard-pressed to find any student who wasn’t worthy of the scholarship. They were volunteering with CIMBL (Citizens Involved Means Better Living), gathering food for the Children’s Receiving Home, putting on plays to teach kids about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse and so many other projects, that I couldn’t possibly list them all in this one column. The next day, while coming out of a ribbon cutting for BottomLine Lawyers in the State Theater Building, I stumbled upon the Rotary-sponsored Placer High Interact Club. John Schmidt, club president, was there handing over a check for five grand to retired Police Chief Nick Willick to help cover costs for the May 31 Project Auburn work party. There were easily 20 teens crowded around Nick for a group photo (see page B2). A few weeks ago, a group of children, trash bags in hand, walked the sidewalks of the residential area of Downtown Auburn picking up trash. Their parents followed, picking up whatever the children missed. I’m certainly proud of the young people in Placer County and all that they do for their communitities.
ARTISTIC LICENSE – A few local young artists took top honors in the annual Fourth Congressional District Arts Competition. Jason DeCruz, a senior at Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills, took first place. Megan Robinson, who attends Del Oro High School, took second and Nicholas Topolinski of Auburn garnered third. Honorable Mention was given to Rachel Scott of Colfax. The winning artwork will be displayed in Washington, D.C. in the tunnel connecting the House of Representatives’ offices to the Capitol. Rep. John T. Doolittle will be on hand for a ribbon cutting of the show and will meet the winning artist. The competition was held at PlacerArts in Auburn under the direction of Angie Tahti and Program Specialist Shawn Silver. Judges were Paul Harrar, of Nevada County Office of Education; Marianne Uhl, of El Dorado Arts Council; Rebecca Martinez, of Blue Cat Studio of Colfax; and Penel Curtis of Nevada County Arts Council. Congrats to all the winners. The artwork is currently on display at the Arts Building Gallery, 808 Lincoln Way in Downtown Auburn.
FOR THE PLANNER – There are a lot of great family friendly events rapidly approaching as the weather warms. Break out your calendars and jot these events down. Starry Starry Night, a fundraiser for PlacerArts, will be held at the Flower Farm Inn on Auburn Folsom Road on Thursday, June 5. For more info, go to PlacerArts.org. The Confluence Festival, put on by Protect American River Canyons, is Sunday, June 8 at Overlook Park in Auburn. The annual Party in the Park, held at Regional Park in Auburn, is Friday, June 20. Auburn Family Night Out is Saturday night, June 28 (the same day as the Western States 100 Mile Run). Auburn’s Family Fourth bash is always on July 4, no matter the day on which it falls. Fireworks go off that night. The Colfax Independence Day Celebration will be Saturday, July 5. To learn more, go to ColfaxArea.com.
FUNNY MONEY – Give that $10 bill an extra close look. Law enforcement agencies are warning merchants that fake moolah is floating around the area again and the $10 bills look like the real deal, but a quick swipe with a currency test pen will prove they aren’t. The bills have been found in the Auburn area and may be making their way to other parts of the county. Not too long ago, fake $100 bills were circulated. They were printed on washed $5 bills, so the pen test didn’t work on them. My advice? Hold them up to the light to make sure the security marks match up and use the pen. Call your local police department if you come across any of them.
BIKING FOR A CAUSE – Michelle Marengo, owner of Bicycle Emporium on Grass Valley Highway in Auburn, reports that her shop, along with Veltec Sports and Calnago, hosted the first Granfondo Ride to benefit the Italian Cultural Society on Saturday, April 26. The riders left from her shop and pedaled 50 miles. She said more than 60 bicycle enthusiasts turned out for the ride and they hailed from all over Placer County. After the ride, the cyclists were treated to an Italian feast, catered by Café Zorro in Loomis, at the bike shop. They will be donating $575 to the Italian Cultural Society.
NOTES FROM THE TRAIL – Early mornings have found us on the Western States Trail, particularly the stretch known as Pioneer Express Trail, which hooks up with Overlook Park in Auburn. Warmer weather means these redheads are putting boot-to-trail as early as 5:30 a.m. Birds and all manner of small critter are scurrying around in the early morning, meaning the hikes are a bit more interesting. An added bonus has been the lack of other trail users. A drawback has been the lack of time for me to swig a cup o’ joe before setting out. The easy hike to the “Hambone” Memorial Bench (which overlooks the dam site) and a moderate hike back clocks in at about an hour with 1.92 miles roundtrip logged on the pedometer. It’s an easy hike for kids but there are some steep drop offs for those fearful of heights.
WISHING WELL – Mark your calendars. I hear Jack “Kung Fu Grip” Arns is turning the big 6-0 on June 22. To celebrate the big day, friends will gather at Carpe Vino in Old Town Auburn the day before on Saturday, June 21 from 5 to 7 p.m. ... I hear that Katie Richardson, daughter of Auburn’s city manager, turned sweet 16 on Saturday, May 18. Happy birthday, Katie.
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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