Union Mine grad nets a SAFE scholarship

News release

SAFE Credit Union is awarding a $2,000 scholarship to Union Mine High School graduate and Placerville resident Rosalinda Sanchez-Gonzalez.

Sanchez-Gonzalez is one of 12 students from Amador, El Dorado, Placer and Sacramento counties students to each receive one of the credit union’s annual scholarship awards. This year SAFE shared its commitment to improving the lives of its members through education by awarding $24,000 in scholarships. Doubling its annual award from previous years, SAFE gave each recipient a $2,000 scholarship.

“Congratulations to this year’s remarkable group of scholarship award winners,” said SAFE Credit Union President and CEO Faye Nabhani. “We are proud to support you in your educational journey toward rewarding and fulfilling careers.”

SAFE offers 10 high school scholarships to its members and to two SAFE employee family members each year. Both scholarships were awarded based on grade point average, letters of recommendation, and a personal statement. Member scholarships were also awarded based on financial need.

Sanchez-Gonzalez is set to attend the University of California, Santa Barbara in the fall and plans to pursue a career as a pediatrician so she can “provide medical services as a pediatrician to children, newborns to young adults,” she writes in her personal statement.

“It is my rewarding passion to ensure that children receive the proper medical services that I can bring through my own practice one day,” Sanchez-Gonzalez added.

Since first offering the scholarships more than 20 years ago, SAFE has awarded more than $200,000 to students living in the 13 Northern California counties the credit union serves.

To be eligible, high school applicants must attend schools in Alameda, Amador, Butte, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties. Scholarships not awarded to employeerelated high schoolers must themselves, parents or guardians be members of SAFE. SAFE annually gives the awards as part of its commitment to the credit union principle to share its success with communities within its three pillars of philanthropy: education, health and veterans.

Farm families came to sell their goods and proudly display their best produce, stitchery, canned goods and animals.

Fairs were also a place to hear speakers and music and get up and dance. People took turns at the midway games to show off their strength.

Spas for Sale

Covered Wagons

Baking Competitions

Canned Goods

Corn Dogs

With a parent or other adult at home, look through the newspaper for the following:

Motion Simulators

Produce

Ice Cream Famous Singers

Pictured above are items found at fairs over the years. In the circle on the left, write the names of items that could only be found at fairs 100 years ago. In the circle on the right, list things you could only find at a fair today.

Where the two ovals overlap, write the names of items you could find at fairs today AND in the past. Can you think of things to add to each group?

Standards Link: History: Understand families and communities now and in the past.

Midway Games

Members of 4-H clubs show the animals they have raised and compete for recognition. Popular animal competitions include sheep, pigs, calves and chickens as well as llamas. People play modern midway games and line up to go on roller coasters, Ferris wheels and other rides.

Farm Animals

Five things that have been invented since your adult partner turned 20 Five things that are part of both your life today and your partner’s childhood life

Five things you think will look different or function differently in 20 years

With your partner, complete the VENN diagram below to compare your childhoods.

Photography Displays

Ask 10 or more people to pick their favorite part of the fair from among the following choices. Color in a box on the graph to show each person’s preference.

Use this graph to gather data about what’s in your newspaper. Comb the newspaper for pictures of or references to the items on the list. Color in a box for every picture or reference you find.

Complete the grid by using all the letters in the word MIDWAY in each vertical and horizontal row. Each letter should only be used once in each row. Some spaces have been filled in for you.

Katie and Nathan played the Balloon Pop game on the fair’s midway. Katie popped odd-numbered balloons and Nathan popped the ones with even numbers. Add up each. Who got the highest score?

Young people bring their finest livestock to fairs. Unscramble the word below each kid to find out which animal he or she brought.

Make up questions about your completed graph. Then show the graph to a family member and ask your questions.

Standards Link: Data: Organizes, displays, reads and interprets data.

Standards Link: Data: Organizes, displays, reads and interprets data.

This week’s word:

MIDWAY

The noun midway means a part of a fair filled with game booths.

Billy won a lot of prizes playing games on the midway at the fair.

Standards Link: Spelling: Spell grade-level approriate words correctly

Look through the newspaper to find five events that might be held at a fair. Write a short story that includes all five events. Bring your story to a climatic ending on a triumphant note.

Try to use the word midway in a sentence today when talking with your friends and family members.

Human Power

What can you do for entertainment that does not use electricity?

Oh, that red, heart-shaped fruit: the strawberry

Afavorite year-to-year seasonal fruit, the strawberry, summons thoughts of dipped chocolate, fresh fruit salads and lazy summer picnics. The season for strawberries depends on weather, as well as the cultivar. It’s tempting to stop at a fruit stand with the intent of purchasing just three small baskets, but as you step up to the makeshift shed the siren call lulls you into thinking an entire box of strawberries, with all those plump, red berries piled so high they are barely contained within the box, would be a better purchase. Don’t let buyer’s remorse take hold when you get home. Eat your fill that evening, then set about to preserve the rest as the sugars in berries convert to starch soon after they are picked.

Dehydrated strawberries make great after-school snacks or can be part of a bag of trail mix for hiking, camping or hunting. Select firm, ripe berries with good solid color. Wash berries under running water, pat dry, remove caps and cut into 1/4 inch slices. Lay in a single layer in the dehydrator tray. Dry at 130-140°F. Use your oven if you are able to set the temperature low enough. Drying time depends on the size of the berry pieces, exposure to air, temperature, air circulation and drying method, about seven to 15 hours for slices. Dried strawberries should be pliable and leathery with no bits of moisture when pressed between your fingers. If desired, dry the slices until almost crisp. Turning berry slices over halfway through drying helps prevent sticking. After drying, cool the fruit for 30 minutes.

Condition dried fruit by packing it loosely in an air-tight glass or plastic container for several days, shaking the container a couple times a day to distribute the remaining moisture evenly. If condensation forms in the jar, dry the berries longer. Store in an air-tight or vacuum-sealed container to avoid humidity. For longer storage, freeze.

By far, the most popular way to preserve those fresh-picked strawberries is to make a batch of jam.

If this is your first time canning, it is recommended that you read “Principles of Home Canning” via the National Center for Home Food Preservation (online). This Strawberry-Vanilla Jam recipe from Ball makes about nine or 10 8-ounce jars.

Ingredients

8 cups granulated sugar

5 1/2 cups crushed strawberries (about 3 quart boxes of strawberries)

6 tablespoons powdered pectin (or one 1.75 oz. package/box)

1 vanilla bean, split down the length of the bean (optional)

½ teaspoon butter (optional, to reduce buildup of foam) n See StrawberrieS, page B5

Procedure: Clean jars, lids, and bands. Heat jars in canner. (At lower than 1,000 feet, boil the jars for 10 minutes to sterilize.)

In a large, deep stainless-steel pot, add strawberries and pectin (and vanilla bean if using). Stir to dissolve pectin.

Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Add sugar all at once and, stirring constantly, return to a full rolling boil. Boil hard, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

Remove from heat; skim foam. Remove vanilla bean if using.

Fill hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe jar rim with a clean wet paper towel. Apply lids and rings.

Process in either a boiling water or steam canner for 5 minutes up to 1,000 feet, 10 minutes at altitudes of 1,001 feet to 6,000 feet and 15 minutes above 6,000 feet.

Visitors make a splash

Know Continued from B1 families of the Pine Top Montessori School students injured, 5:30-7 p.m. at 4310 Right Mile Road in Camino. For more information call (530) 644-6596.

Enjoy live music and good food for a great cause benefitting American River Conservancy’s Resilience Reserve. In partnership with Marco’s Cafe, ARC host an outdoor concerts featuring Matt Rainey & The Dippin Sauce Allstars at the quaint farmhouse of Wakamatsu Farm in Placerville. The gate opens at 5:30 p.m. Find more information and purchase tickets at bit.ly/Concerts4CauseARC.

El Dorado Musical Theatre presents Disney’s “The Descendants: The Musical,” July 8-16 at Harris Center for the Arts on the Folsom Lake College campus in Folsom. For tickets and more information call (916) 608-6888 or visit harriscenter.net.

Sutter Street Theatre in Folsom presents Monty Python’s “Spamalot,” July 8 through Aug. 13. For tickets and more information call (916) 3531001 or visit sutterstreettheatre.com.

Now

The Olde Coloma Theatre presents “Pirates

Too: The Captain’s Triangle” or “No Time for Lowtide” through Aug. 6 at the Coloma theater. For tickets and more information call (530) 6265282 or visit oldecolomatheatre.com.

Arts and Culture El Dorado’s newest show, FIRE/LAND: The Exhibition, runs through Aug. 6. For more information visit artsandcultureeldorado.org/fire-land-theexhibition.

El Dorado County Certified Farmers Markets have begun Saturdays at Placerville Cinema on Placerville Drive, 8 a.m. to noon; Wednesdays at Burke Junction on Coach Lane in Cameron Park, 8 a.m. to noon; and Sundays at El Dorado Hills Town Center, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Placerville Main Street Farmers Market takes place Wednesdays from 4 p.m. to dusk in the Mooney Lot on Main Street. This market specializes in local fruits and vegetables, sustainable agriculture and community.

Courtesy photo

Author Bill George and Olympians Jeff Float and Debbie Meyer, left to right, stopped by Face In a Book in El Dorado Hills Town Center last month to promote George’s book, “Victory in the Pool: How a Maverick Coach Upended Society and Led a Group of Young Swimmers to Olympic Glory.” Nearly three dozen people stopped by the El Dorado Hills shop to learn about the inspiring story of Sherm Chavoor and his dedicated athletes who rose from obscurity to win 20 Olympic gold medals during the 1960s and ’70s.

Strawberries

Continued from B4

Interested in getting more food ideas to use for treats and gifts? Sign up for Christmas in July, a fun class to hear about preserved foods you can make all year to use (or give) during the holidays. The class is on July 17, 9:30-11:30 a.m. Register at ucanr. edu/jul152023_mfpclass.

The UC Master Food Preservers of El Dorado County are a great resource

Fairs

Continued from B1 remain on the property while the minors are on the property.

The youth must provide a telephone number of the attending parent/adult to a California Exposition & State Fair Grounds representative upon request. Grab a Sharpie pen before you leave home, folks.

Any and all misbehaving minors will be held and released to their chaperone (parent/adult). Any minors younger than 18 not accompanied by an adult will not be admitted.

Organized and ticketed group outings, such as school, church, corporate, summer camp, sports and other pre-scheduled group visits are exempt from the policy as these groups have established chaperone policies and practices already in place.

Second: No one is allowed onto the fairgrounds with a purse or fanny pack that is made of anything other than clear vinyl. Bags must be see- for answers to your food safety and preserving questions. Leave a message at (530) 621-5506 or email edmfp@ ucanr.edu. For more information about the program, events and recipes visit ucanr.edu/edmfp. Sign up to receive the eNewsletter at ucanr.org/ mfpcsenews. The group is on Facebook, too (UCCE Master Food Preservers of El Dorado County). through and cannot be larger than 12 inches high by 12 inches wide by 2 inches thick. You are welcome to purchase a bag or purse inside the fair to carry your items if you wish.

I’m not a fan of all this, but that’s the world we live in.

Good to know: Check online at calexpostatefair.com/ info/hours for hours, as these vary depending on the day of the week.

Admission to the State Fair is $16 for adults, $12 for seniors (ages 62 and better), $10 for kids (ages 5 to 12) and seniors (65 and better). Kids younger than 4 are free. Unlimited ride wristbands for the midway range from $37 to $42. Parking is $15.

The State Fair is located at Cal Expo, 1600 Exposition Blvd. in Sacramento. Visit calexpostatefair.com for premiums, discounts and additional info.

For all the hassle I’ve gone through attending these fairs (money, sunscreen, wrangling the kids, etc.) for the last four decades, I’ve never regretting attending either one with my family. Those memories are priceless. And so worth it. Make it a joyful summer with the ones you love!

Send your event for consideration in Susan’s column to slaird@ handywriting.com.

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