g n i p p ho S y o a Holid Guide Page 1
IT’S YOUR PAPER www.claytonpioneer.com
December 4, 2009
925.672.0500
‘Toy Story’ characters line up in Jeffry Ranch yard to benefit Crisis Nursery DENISEN HARTLOVE Clayton Pioneer
Space aliens are coming to Clayton, warns Keith Faina. With his family, Keith is bringing the aliens along with Woody, Buzz and the villainous Zurg from the movie “Toy Story” to the front yard of their Jeffry Ranch Ct. home beginning Dec. 6 For what Keith’s wife Sue estimates is the 10th year in a row, they are going over the top in decorating the front yard of their home for the Christmas season. Sue saw homes lit up for the holidays when she was a child and dreamt of having a similar display. “I used to tell my parents that I wanted a house that I can decorate that way,” she said. What started for the Fainas as a single plywood toy soldier and some Christmas lights in the front yard has become a major annual event for the entire family. Keith estimates they will have 25 plywood cutout characters, spotlights and 25 strings of twinkling holiday lights strung around the front yard. The Fainas’ adult son, Chris,
JULIE PIERCE
MAYOR’S CORNER Mark the calendar for holiday events The holiday season is in full swing and families are busy planning activities. Thanks to our dedicated Clayton Business and Community Association (CBCA), the decorations are up in downtown and it looks great! Big thanks go to the CBCA, which has been providing the downtown decorations for our community for many years. This Saturday night, Dec. 5, is our annual Christmas Tree Lighting at 6 p.m. Bundle up and come on down to The Grove for an hour to hear the Mt. Diablo Children’s Choir sing and join the fun as Santa lights the tree on the knoll at Main and Oak streets. Next week, at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec 10, is the annual Pioneer Cookie Contest at Hoyer Hall in the Library. Deadline for entry is Monday. Thanks to Tamara Steiner and this paper for sponsoring this yummy event! Next Saturday, Dec. 12, is the CBCA’s annual Mrs. Claus Tea, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Endeavor Hall. Bring the kiddos and enjoy prizes, goodies and a visit with Santa. The event is free for children under 12, but donations are always appreciated. And don’t forget to join us for the 7th annual Clayton Counts Down Community New Year’s Eve party. This no-alcohol celebration at the Clayton Community Gym is sponsored by the city of Clayton and the YMCA. The festivities begin at 6 p.m. and end at 9 p.m., leaving plenty of time for grown-up celebrations later in the evening. While the city sponsors the event, no city funds are used to pay for it. The evening is entirely supported by donations from local businesses and personal donations from the community. I want to thank early major donors, CBCA, Travis Credit Union, Jim Webb and Republic (formerly Allied) Waste Services
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
KEITH AND SUE FAINA OF CLAYTON HAVE A LITTLE FUN with some of the cutouts that will decorate their home at 115 Jeffry Ranch Ct. during the holidays this year. The display begins December 6.
See Toy Drive, page 8
Boston Red Sox tab Clayton native as youngest scout JAY BEDECARRÉ Clayton Pioneer
When Clayton resident Sam Ray graduated from UCLA two years ago, he expected to use
See Mayor, page 16
his business-economics degree to get a job in investment banking or tax audit with a major national firm. Instead, Ray will move into a Cincinnati apartment in January – prepared to put 30,000-40,000 miles on his company car covering a territory including Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan and eastern Indiana for a New England business that has the oldest and smallest facility in its industry. The former Clayton Valley High School athlete has turned an exciting internship over the past two years with the Boston Red Sox into a full-time position as the Major League area scout for the Midwest for the legendary baseball franchise that calls Fenway Park home and has won two World Series championships this decade. SEARCHING FOR
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID CLAYTON, CA PERMIT 190
BASEBALL GOLD
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
LIFELONG CLAYTON RESIDENT SAM RAY will take up his post as a scout for the Boston Red Sox in January.
What’s Inside Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Church News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
The 24-year-old Clayton native is geared up to watch high school and college baseball games seven days a week in preparation for the annual Major League Amateur Draft in June. Like each MLB team, the
See Ray, page 14
Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Community Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Cookie Contest Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Dan Ashley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Directory of Advertisers . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Financial Sense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Food for Thought . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Local bakers look for sweet victory at Clayton Pioneer’s 6th annual Cookie Contest During the holiday season, it doesn’t get much more Norman Rockwell than the Clayton Pioneer Cookie Contest set for December 10, 6:30 p.m. at the Clayton Library. Weeks before the contest, local bakers begin combing their cookbooks and family recipe troves for that sure winner and the Pioneer starts lining lining up the distinguished judges. On contest night, while the judging panel is getting their final instructions from the Pioneer’s Food for Thought columnist Linda Wyner, the cookies begin arriving – one plate for the contest and one for the sharing table. As the judges set about their work, the party begins with live music and caroling by popular
From the Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Going Green . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Holiday Shopping Guide . . . . . . . . . .10 Movie Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Obituary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 On the Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Clayton trio Vintage and skits and songs by the DramaMama kids. The suspense builds as the judges make their final rounds. Finally, the votes are tallied. A hush falls over the crowd and the drum roll begins. Wyner steps to the microphone and announces, “This year’s winning Junior Baker is . . .” The proud bakers stand in front of a cheering crowd. There’s much backslapping and high-fiving as the kids, hyped by a visit with Santa and the promise of a sugar-filled finish, clamor to be first at the sharing table to taste the winning cookies. It’s easy to be part of the fun. See page 20 for contest details and entry form. Deadline to enter is Dec. 7.
Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 School News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Teen Speak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Theatre Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Upcoming Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Weather Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17