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IT’S YOUR PAPER www.claytonpioneer.com
May 7, 2004
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Sun shines on Art and Wine The sun shines not on us but in us. -John Muir
From the Editor Happy birthday to us! The new Clayton Pioneer is one year old! Our first issue came out on May 9, 2003 and our front page story was the Art and Wine Festival. We ran 10 pages with 565 inches of advertising. One year later, we are more than twice as big. Our little staff has worked hard. We’ve learned an amazing amount in a short time. We’ve made mistakes, some big, some small, and we’ve had a few truly brilliant moments. And we’ve watched our paper grow and grow and grow. We are proud. But, we measure our success in more ways than by simply adding pages. We began our venture with a strong and certain sense of our community. Local issues, local people, local politics . We had only one hard and fast editorial policy ... 94517! It’s time now, for you, our readers, to let us know how we measure up. Included as an insert in this issue, is our report card. Please take a few minutes to check off what you like and what you don’t. We are listening! You can mail the survey (it’s preaddressed) or drop it off at our office at 6200 F Center Street (between Lynne French and Clayton Saddlery). You can also go to our Web site, www.claytonpioneer.com, and complete it there. If you want to sign your name, please do. If not, that’s OK, too. We’re growing in more than page count. Beginning with the May 21 issue, we will be increasing our circulation by about 2500. Pioneer Territory will now include Crystyl Ranch and the five carrier routes bordering 94517, bringing our total circulation to just about 8,100. It’s been an exciting and fast moving year. We always knew Clayton was a great place to live. Now we know it as a great place to work, too! Tamara Steiner, Editor
It was a great two days in the sun for festivalgoers in Clayton. This year made up for the cloudy two-day event last year with hot and sunny weather and a festival to write home about. More than 150 vendors lined the streets in downtown Clayton for the ninth annual Art and Wine festival sponsored by the Clayton Business and Community Association (CBCA) selling everything from toe rings and flowered hats to hair braids and garden greenery. There was food to please everyone’s palate from Kettle corn and hot dogs for the kids to beer and vintage wine for the connoisseurs. Music was in the air. One could hear nature’s sounds, live band music, rhythm and blues or the tranquil strains of the harp. The PHD’s belted out “don’t you worry bout’ a thing” as people sang along, danced and clapped to the Latin tunes. Worrying didn’t seem to be on anyone’s mind as they ate, shopped, drank and played. Kiddieland was a hit, as always and several of the hands-on booths were popular. Andrea Nebeker, 12, of Clayton liked the sand art and her 10year-old brother Brett had fun at the waxed hand booth. Their grandma Joan McMillen of Moraga had heard so much about the festival that she had to come and see for herself what all the fuss was about. She loved the artwork. The entire Munden family who just moved to Clayton truly represented what this festival is all about. Mom Connie worked at the beer booth in the morning. Son Justin was a Jr. Explorer helping out with the security, while his dad Chuck escorted daughters Allison and Heather through the tent-lined streets. “I know it sounds like a cliché,
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
DOWNTOWN WAS PACKED END TO END with art and wine lovers at last weekend’s Art and Wine Festival. At right, CBCA founding member, Gary Hules and Schnauzer, Clayton visit from their home in Nevada but there is something for everyone,” said Connie. Volunteers came out in force for the festival including the Clayton Valley High School Football team, families, CBCA members, and the city council. Volunteer chair Nonnette Bonte rallies hundreds of workers each year for setup and clean-up, manning booths and selling tickets. The Art and Wine Festival is the major annual fundraiser for the CBCA. Chairperson Howard Geller said he anticipated 20 to 40 thousand people to attend. Proceeds from the event go to
CBCA’s local charities and for city improvements. CBCA funds have paid for the Gazebo for the proposed Central Park, downtown park benches, flags, trash receptacles and holiday decorations. CBCA also supports the Clayton Valley High School scholarship program. The CBCA was formed in 1984 as the Clayton Business and Professional Association and later changed its name in an effort to include everyone in the community who wanted to serve. The CBCA meets the last Thursday of the month. For membership call 672-2272.
Bocce ball courts get green light BY JILL BEDECARRE Clayton Pioneer
If the Clayton Bocce Federation has their way, residents of Clayton could be hearing the sound of colliding metal balls on cement courts just about this time next year. In a 5-0 decision, The Clayton Redevelopment Agency awarded the Bocce Federation $26,000 to begin
plans for the proposed bocce ball courts on the vacant property behind city hall adjacent to Mt. Diablo Creek. The planning stage will take approximately 18-weeks using an outside consultant for environmental document preparation. The pre-construction phase will also include public hearings to hear the questions and concerns of the nearby neighbors. “This partnership with the city
allows us to cross the threshold,” says Ed Hartley, co-founder of the Bocce Federation. According to Hartley, once the planning process is complete, the Federation has a number of investors who will then provide the financial clout for the construction phase. Hartley anticipates that construction costs will be about $200,000. We have the time, effort and
money,” he said. Local realtor Howard Geller, federation cofounder, has been in touch with investors and they are ready to go. “When the city takes final action, that’s the trigger,” says Geller. According to Assistant to the City Manager, Laura Hoffmeister, final action by the city will be
See Bocce courts, page 11
Nick Gianni home safe from Iraq BY JILL BEDECARRE Clayton Pioneer
Tamara Steiner / Clayton Pioneer
MAYOR JULIE PIERCE welcomes Nick Gianni home and proclaims April 21 Nick Gianni day as Vice Mayor Gregg Manning (far right) and Council Member Pete Laurence (far left) look on.
The Giannis of Clayton threw a huge party last week at their home and invited 80 friends and relatives to help them celebrate. Their son, Corporal Nicholas Gianni, 24, was home from Iraq, safe and sound. His parents, Michael and Gladys, proudly displayed their son’s commendations and military promotion on the dining room table and were noticeably happy and excited that Nick was home. “I walked every mile he walked in Iraq,” says Gladys. She admitted Nick’s stay in Iraq was difficult for her. She would constantly watch television news about the war, and she attended
several meetings of the Blue Star Moms to share her feelings and hear stories from the other moms of active duty military. While the Giannis celebrated with a party, Clayton Mayor Julie Pierce declared April 21 as Nicholas M. Gianni Day in a formal proclamation recognizing the marine for his “past and future service to the people of Clayton, our great nation and the free world.” A U.S. Marine with the Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 371, Nick served as an expeditionary airfield technician for seven and a half months in Iraq and he admitted “it was scary.” His unit was support behind the combat teams. He slept in the dirt
and ate meals ready to eat (MREs). The operation was very mobile, says Gianni. “You had to be ready to pick up and move in a heartbeat,” he said. When he joined the Marines in 2000, he wanted to become a firefighter, but somehow got involved with the technical support team and stayed with it. He was stationed in Yuma, Arizona for three years. In Iraq he built airfields, and set up Forward Arming and Refueling Points (FARP), providing combat aircraft with an opportunity to land and refuel deep in enemy territory. Gianni received a commendation certificate from his commanding officer for technical support involving 1.3 million square feet of airfield matting on a
strip between Iraq and Kuwait. A graduate of Clayton Valley High School, Gianni had always wanted to join the military. He had family members who were marines and decided he would join after spending two years at Los Medanos College. His family had mixed reactions about his decision, but they all supported him. They will also support him in his next venture which is to attend Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill and then transfer to a university to major in business. “It feels very good to be home,” says Gianni. “I just wish there was more support of what our President did. We all need to have faith in our government.”