Eye on SC
News Bites
—Compiled by Stacie N. Galang
Props, Recognitions and Morsels of Info
The recently formed Read For Awareness social-justice book club will hold its first discussion February 24 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the San Clemente Presbyterian Church. The group hopes to bring together people who share a love for literature and social justice. All of selections will bring to light the lives of people living in other parts of the world. The first book is Not For Sale, the Return of the Global Slave Trade and How We Can Fight It by David Batstone. The Village Book Exchange and Mathom House Books have copies on hand. To receive a discount, participants can mention they are part of the Read For Awareness book club. The discussion is open to the public. For more information or to host a future discussion group, e-mail: readforawareness@ gmail.com
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Shorecliffs Middle School seventh-grader Seth England won first place in the San Clemente Spelling Bee, Shorecliffs eighth-grader Kasia Kosmala-Dahlbeck took second place Bernie Ayers Middle School student Haley McCabe came in third. Courtesy photo
About 25 San Clemente middle school students participated in a Spelling Bee January 31 at Vista del Mar Middle School. The first-place winner was Shorecliffs Middle School seventh-grader Seth England who correctly spelled yokel, variegated and nebulosity. Shorecliffs eighth-grader Kasia Kosmala-Dahlbeck took second place when she misspelled virulently. In third place was Bernie Ayers Middle School student Haley McCabe. The students received U.S. Savings bonds of $75 for first, $50 for second and $25 for third. Local realtor Ed Mixon sponsored the event.
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Two local musicians and journalists will present “Music through the Decades” at Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens February 10 at 7 p.m. Former Sacramento and Phoenix television reporter Mike Chamberlin with special guest, reporter Fred Swegles of The San Clemente Sun-Post, will present a program of popular music from the late 1920s through the present day. The musical trends of the various decades will be interspersed with stories about what was happening in San Clemente during those years as researched by the two journalists. “This promises to be a very unique, entertaining and educational program for the whole family,” said Jenifer Finley, Casa Romantica executive director. Both Chamberlin and Swegles attended San Clemente High School and both learned to play guitar during the heyday of the surf-guitar era. Chamberlin went on to become a news reporter at television stations in Sacramento and Phoenix. He also continued his love for music, performing over 300 concerts in the southwestern states. Now retired from broadcasting, Chamberlin and his wife Barbara (Swegles’ sister) returned to San Clemente where he is continuing his music career. Swegles is a longtime San Clemente reporter. Reservations are encouraged. For tickets, call 949.498.2139 ext. 10.
u Stephanie Bartlett, coordinator of the Forster Education Foundation’s Crab Feast Saturday night, left, with teacher Lori Crandall and Forster Education Foundation President Kim Van Dixhorn. Courtesy photo
The Forster Education Foundation raised $26,000 during its Crab Feast fundraiser at the San Clemente Casino Saturday. Kim Van Dixhorn is the president of the foundation and Stephanie Bartlett was the event coordinator.
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u Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens received a landscape design commendation February 4 from the California Garden Clubs, the largest nonprofit volunteer gardening organization in California. The award was presented by Mary Lou Goodwin, California Garden Clubs chairwoman, to Ruth DeNault, vice president of Casa Romantica’s Board of Trustees, Jenifer Finley, Casa Romantica’s executive director and Launa Gould, Casa Romantica’s head gardener. The commendation was awarded for the coastal bluff landscape garden overseen by Gould, who was the clubs’ gardener of the year in 2010. “We are extremely honored to receive this commendation,” said Finley in a news release. Gould and her team of volunteers, “transformed the Casa gardens into an oasis of magnificence and tranquility,” the executive director said. Casa Romantica has droughttolerant and native plant gardens designed to prevent erosion, reduce run-off and conserve water. The Casa Gardens has multiple gardens, including a butterfly garden that is a designated monarch way station and the “Spanky Chang” Children’s Garden, planted with lamb’s ears and lion’s tail.
The winners of this year’s annual essay contest from the Veterans of Foreign Wars San Clemente Post 7142 were Shaughn Michael Ritchie in first place, Matthew John Fatino in second place and Marta Kajdas in third place. The San Shaughn Michael Ritche. Courtesy photo Clemente VFW award winners received $150, $100 and $50. They were among 30 students from Our Lady of Fatima School to participate in the local essay contest. Students were asked to write essays on the topic of “Does patriotism still matter?” Winners advanced to the national contest.
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Volunteers are needed to work on the local habitats and help restore trails damaged after the recent storms at the Richard and Donna O’Neill Conservancy. Students, scouts and church groups looking for volunteer opportunities are welcome to contact staff@theconservancy to sign up. The nonprofit conservancy will have trail clearing and weeding outings February 12 and March 12 from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. To sign-up for an event, contact staff@ theconservancy or call 949.489.9978. To become a member, go to www.theconservancy.org. The conservancy is managed by the Rancho Mission Viejo Land Trust. u
The American Association of University Women, San Clemente Capo Beach Branch is holding an informal reception February 15 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. for new and prospective members. If you are interested in attending or need more information, please call Alice Schreiner at 949.443.1718 or Barbara Karr at 949.388.3845 to RSVP and receive location details. u
San Clemente High School Habitat for Humanity club members, from left, Briana Lehman, Co-President Karina Gadea, Coley Page, Bret Miller, Scotty Savage, Co-President Frannie Coxe and Janae Cousineau. Courtesy photo
San Clemente High School’s Habitat for Humanity Club had an ice skating fundraiser at Aliso Ice Palace Jan. 25. More than 45 students came and helped raised $350 for the organization.
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The San Clemente Friends of the Library will host their silent auction through March 6. Unique and collectible books are offered for bidding at the Friends Bookstore. Seven rare books available for auction are being displayed in the San Clemente Library lobby. All proceeds from the silent auction will fund San Clemente Library programs and the purchase of new books and supplies. Bids are taken only at the Friends Bookstore at 242 Avenida Del Mar. Among the works being auctioned are Early Artists in Laguna Beach: The Impressionists by Janet Blake Dominik with a starting bid of $25 and The Spectator Bird by Wallace Stegner, a limited first edition by The Franklin Library with a starting bid of $50. The following five rare books offered for auction are Easton Press collector’s editions: Gateway by Frederick Pohl, signed by Frederick Pohl with a starting bid of $40; Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper with a starting bid of $50; Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky with a starting bid of $40; Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein with a starting bid of $50; and The Man in the High Castle by Phillip K. Dick with a starting bid of $25. The tomes are bound in leather and accented with 22-karat gold.
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Page 10 • San Clemente Times • February 10–16, 2011
Author Bill Thomas has released his latest book titled San Clemente: Hither, Thither & Yon. The book is filled with dozens of articles formerly published in the “San Clemente Journal” and includes articles on people, recreational activities, project developments, nonprofit organizations, selected businesses and more. Three different sections tell the story of San Clemente. “Hither” focuses on the people and places around San Clemente. “Thither” features the art scene and around the area, and “Yon” details away and abroad. Thomas is a college English professor, freelance writer and San Clemente park commissioner. He has authored or co-authored seven books and written several hundred articles for magazines and newspapers. “After nine years and some 100 Journal articles in print, I decided to publish a modest anthology containing many of my pieces providing a slice of history of our fair town, artists and interesting people; nearby activities, places and individuals of note; and shared experiences of travels by my wife, Diane and me,” Thomas wrote in his foreword. The book is available at Designs by Nature, Mathom House Books and Village Book Exchange and online at Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com.
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Donations are needed of gently worn prom dresses, party dresses, formal dresses and bridesmaid dresses for “Belle of the Ball” event for foster care and at-risk teen girls in Orange County, including San Clemente. Contemporary and plus-size dresses, along with accessories such as dress shoes, jewelry and jewelry sets, and evening purses are especially needed. The event is hosted by local nonprofits Girls Inc., Orangewood Children’s Foundation, Orange Coast College and Women Helping Women. Donations must be delivered by March 5. For more information and drop-off locations, visit www.orangewoodfoundation. org/belle.
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