IT’S YOUR PAPER
Oans, zwoa, drei, G’suffa!
www.claytonpioneer.com
October 13, 2017
925.672.0500
TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
JIM DIAZ
MAYOR’S CORNER
Police chief resigns for personal reasons
Chris Wenzel, Clayton’s police chief for the past two years, has voluntarily resigned his position for family and personal reasons. His last day with us is Thursday, Nov. 9. The city family has been extremely pleased with the leadership and experience Wenzel brought to Clayton and the Police Department. We reluctantly understand his difficult decision to leave Clayton and the law enforcement profession. Wenzel introduced many Tamara Steiner innovative ideas and police Clayton’s annual Oktoberfest officially begins when the keg and the band make their way down Main St. to the biergarten. From left, co-chair Marilyn Schmidt and husband Charlie, kegmeister Larry Bohlig and Pal, and
See Mayor, page 6 the Internationals. Bohlig and Pal are regulars at the Oktoberfest, traveling from Sebastopol for the event.
Art show focuses on nostalgic Clayton BEV BRITTON Clayton Pioneer
From the horses in front of the Clayton Saloon to the girls in pioneer aprons playing at the old schoolhouse, Carlene Honeychurch’s artwork captures the spirit of historic Clayton. The locally themed watercolors always drew a crowd to
Join the Holiday Home Tour 2017
Do you love holiday decorating? Come November, does every surface in your home beg for pine boughs or angels? Then the Clayton Historical Society has the perfect excuse for you to drag out those Christmas boxes even before the Halloween candy is gone. The Society is looking for homes for this year’s Holiday Home Tour, Sunday, Dec. 3. Call the Clayton Museum, 672-0240 if you are interested in showing your decorated home this Christmas season, or if you can recommend a home.
her booth at the Clayton Art and Wine Festival, where she exhibited from 1995 until she moved to Grants Pass, Ore., several years ago. Honeychurch also used to display at her Marsh Creek Gallery, a collective of more than 20 artists. On a recent visit here, Honeychurch donated several boxes of prints to the Clayton Historical Society. In honor of the gift, the Historic Society is hosting an art show and sale 4-8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, at Endeavor Hall, 6008 Center St. Wine and appetizers will be served. “Her pictures are folk art watercolors of all kinds of different places in Clayton. She has tons and tons of them,” says JoAnn Caspar, a member of the art show committee. “They’re just adorable. And they were very, very popular.” Over the years, Caspar purchased three to hang in her own home. One features the town clock, and another highlights Main Street with the mountain as a backdrop. “There’s one I
really like that shows Skipolini’s with some people out front and a couple old cars. It’s really cute,” she adds. While the Skipolini’s image includes cars from the 1920s, a print in front of Ed’s Mudville Grill showcases cars from the 1940s. “The reason why I went with the old-style cars, besides them being so beautiful, was that downtown had the car shows all the time,” Honeychurch says. “I took many, many pictures of those cars, so I didn’t make those cars up. They had been on the streets at different times.” In her Clayton works, Honeychurch eliminated other modern features such as telephone poles. In addition to her large collection focusing on the historic downtown, she also contracted to paint residential home portraits. “I think I painted every building that was in town while I lived there,” the 25-year resident says with a laugh. Since moving, Honeychurch has created scenery backdrops
Carlene Honeychurch painted “The School on the Hill,” memorializing the school built in 1863.
for the local theater troupe and painted murals for her granddaughter’s nursery. “I’ve sort of retired as an artist – that’s why I donated so much of my work to Clayton’s Historical Society,” she says. “I’ve always enjoyed and supported the Historical Society. For the Nov. 9 show, all
prints are matted and signed and a few are framed. Sizes are 5 by 7 and 8 by 10, with prices ranging from $20 to $50. Proceeds benefit the Historical Society. “We want it to be kind of a dressy event,” Caspar says. “You can wear your formalwear or your cowboy outfit.
MDUSD board member Hansen eyes county superintendent post Clayton resident will run in 2018
Postal Customer ECRWSS
CHERYL HANSEN
Clayton resident Cheryl Hansen says she will run for Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools next year. Hansen is finishing her second term on the Mt. Diablo Unified School District board and says she has accomplished what she set out to do. “It was important to me to change leadership and the district culture to a positive, forward-thinking organization,”
Hansen said. “I also wanted to ensure that the positive changes I worked for were rooted and sustainable. Clearly, that has transpired as Mt. Diablo is in great hands with Superintendent (Nellie) Meyer and will keep getting better and better with her leadership.” She said serving as a trustee for the Mt. Diablo district give her additional perspective and expertise that would allow her “to quickly and effectively step in as superintendent and lead the county Office of
Education forward.” In August, Superintendent Karen Sakata said she would not seek a second term. Hansen worked as a county Office of Education administrator for 10 years. She also served as the founding principal of Rodriguez High, Fairfield-Suisun’s third high school. Prior to that, she worked as an assistant principal at Alhambra High in Martinez and a vice principal at College Park High
See Hansen, page 3
For our German speaking readers, the headline needs no translation. For the rest of us, “One, Two, Three, Drink!” was the official call to action kicking off the 14th Annual Clayton Business and Community Association Oktoberfest Sept. 30 and Oct 1. By all accounts, this was the biggest year ever. “I’ve never seen so many people on Main St.,” said Councilwoman Julie Pierce, a veteran volunteer at all the town’s biggest events over more than two decades. “It was definitely the biggest Oktoberfest ever,” confirmed co-chair Maryann Lawrence. The event opened on Friday night with the carnival, the bright lights of the Ferris wheel dominating the downtown skyline. But the real fun began on Saturday when the main attractions – the beer keg and the band—made their way down Main St. past an eclectic array of vendors to the biergarten tent where revelers would eat, drink and polka all weekend to the music of the Internationals. Food vendors lined the food court with all the traditional German fare – wierschnitzel, sausages and pretzels the size of basketballs. CBCA mounts two major events each year, the Oktoberfest and the Art and Wine Festival in the spring and run the Clayton Bocce League with year-around play. The two festivals and the bocce league together raise upwards of $200,000 each year for community improvement grants, scholarships and charitable donations. Each festival requires more than 100 volunteers to run, says Oktoberfest co-chair Marilyn Schmidt. “It truly takes a village.” Next year will be the last for the two women who have run the event since the inception. They will train and pass the stein to new talent. The CBCA is a 501c3 organization. All donations are tax deductible. Membership is open to anyone who wants to work for “the betterment of the Clayton community.” For more information, go to www.claytoncbca.com or call (925) 285-8612.
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East Bay Regional Parks Activity Guide
What’s Inside
Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Community Calendar . . . . .19 Directory of Advertisers . . . .9 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID CLAYTON, CA 94517 PERMIT 190