Greetings one and all. If you are sitting comfortably then I shall begin. The Candidates for the upcoming AV School Board were in the public spotlight last week at the High School cafeteria as they introduced themselves to the voters and fielded a series of questions, none of which were particularly difficult to deal with and all five came out of the evening quite well. Towards the end of the evening there were a couple of questions that could have been awkward for some, but candidates Ben Anderson and Ernie Pardini handled the two somewhat clumsily worded inquiries by Colin Wilson (wearing his Fire Chief’s uniform) in a dignified, succinct, and sincere manner. There were no specific questions for the other three candidates.
Public Service Announcements. Calendars and pens at the ready, there is a lot going on. #104. The Fall Pledge Drive for our KZYX radio will run from Oct 15 to 23. #105. The HazMat vehicle to take away your ‘nasty stuff’ will return to the Valley at the Fairgrounds’ parking lot on Fri/Sat Oct 21/22. #106. This weekend, on Friday, October 21, the Ashland, Oregon Shakespeare Festival actors will be performing some of the Bard’s works on the stage at The Grange. This event is put on by the Education Foundation and starts with a reception and silent auction at 6.30pm with the show starting at 7.30pm. There will be a no host bar, appetizers, sweets, etc and admission is $20 for adults, $10 18 and Under. #107. The annual ‘U-Pick Pumpkins and Wagon Rides’ is coming up once again at Gowan’s Oak Tree and Fruit Stand north of Philo. This will take place on Sat/Sun, Oct 22/23, from 11am to 4pm each day, and it’s free! #108. High School Student Art is still showing at Lauren’s Restaurant while Cyndee Hollinger’s mixed media art is at Laughing Dog Books.
Take a breath. Onward. #109. The next Guest Chef Dinner (and the final one of 2011) to benefit the Senior Center will take place on Friday, Oct 28, when AV Brewery General Manager and budding chef, Fal Allen, in fine Oktoberfest tradition, will be serving locally “grown” wild boar (pig) and herb sausages, served on a bed of beer-steeped sauerkraut with a side of traditional German-style warm potato salad (with bacon and onions) and an apple (locally grown) & walnut salad. Desert will be traditional German apple, cherry and plumb strudel. Anderson Valley Beers will be on draft (Poleeko Pale Ale & Boont Amber) and local wines also available. Dinner is served at 7pm and seating will be limited to sixty guests at $25 per head. Last month this event once again sold out so call the Senior Center (895-3609) for further details or get your tickets from Laughing Dog Books in Boonville. #110. The Barn Sale is back at the end of the month when it will be ‘Christmas in October’! This will take place at The Big Barn at The St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church Refectory on AV Way just north of Boonville, from 9am to 3pm, on both Saturday and Sunday, Oct 29 and 30. Many special items for the holiday period will be on sale so this is your chance to get some Xmas shopping done early, and in the relative calm of the Valley rather than the holiday madness of Ukiah and beyond in the weeks to follow.
And #111 gets a paragraph to itself. It’s an early-ish heads-up for the annual Veterans Day (Friday Nov 11th) event held at Evergreen Cemetery on AV Way. This year it will take place on Sunday, November 6th at 10.30am and it should be stressed that this special occasion is not a political or religious event. It offers a chance for us to show support and gratitude for both those who gave their lives or were wounded in wars of the past, and for those who have served or continue to serve so that we may have the freedoms and liberties that we continue to enjoy today. In terms of taking a deep breath and thinking about what really matters, in my humble opinion, this is one of the more important community gatherings of the year. It will last less than an hour so why not mark it on your calendar today!
Moving quickly on to a few of the topics that arose this week at The Three-Dot Lounge — “Moans, Groans, Good Thoughts, and Rampant Rumors” from my favorite meeting place in the Valley.
…As mentioned above, Candidate for School Board, Ben Anderson was specifically asked a question at the ‘Meet the Candidates’ gathering last week regarding the apparent concern held by some that he was simply running to ‘stir the pot’ on the Board, being a pawn following the instructions of his father — AVA Supremo, Bruce Anderson. ‘Would he be the son of his father?’ was the final wording. After clearing up any confusion about whether he is ‘the son of his father,’ Ben capably dealt with the crux of this somewhat insulting question, politely stating that he had his own ideas as to how the School Board could and should move forward. At the 3-Dot later that evening, Ben shared the fact that “If anyone wants to see how much me and my Dad agree on things they should come to our house at Christmas — it is not pretty!”
…Talk about ‘pretty,’ last week I conducted a poll of 20 high school boys in which I asked how they would vote on a school uniform referendum. Their response was an absolute and unanimous ‘No’ vote. However, when asked how they would vote if it only the girls would be in uniform, it was a unanimous ‘Yes.’ They even generously offered to share their thoughts on the design of such a uniform. I don’t think I need to go on.
…What happened to those 4 wonderful horses, two adults and their offspring, that could be seen grazing in the field alongside Hwy 128 next to Breggo all summer long? Many readers would appreciate any update.
…From our 3-Dot regular, The Old Buzzard, comes another in his insightful series, ‘Forget The Rapture and worry about The Approach of the Apocalypse.’ Buzzard reports, “I visited Hendy Woods this past weekend. Is there a more perfect location in which to reflect on one’s existence, the meaning of life, and be at one with nature? Not in my experience there isn’t, and the thought that this very special place may be closed to the public due to county cutbacks is surely one of the more distressing signs that the Apocalypse is indeed approaching.”
Time to take my leave. Keep the Faith; be careful out there; stay out of the ditches; think good thoughts; and may your god go with you One final request, “Let us prey.” Humbly yours, Turkey Vulture. PS. Contact me with words of support/abuse through the Letters Page or at turkeyvulture1@earthlink.net.
PPS. Hi, Silver Swan. behaving? Hopefully not!
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