editor@yourmonthlypaper.com
July 2015 The Bounty Garden: Meeting the Needs of Neighbors By Jody Morgan
The Bounty Garden (TBG), located in Hap Magee Ranch Park, is now in its third full harvest year. Every ounce of organic produce grown goes to local residents most in need through the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano. TBG provides hands-on training to volunteers of all ages who want to learn sustainable practices to use in their home gardens. TBG offers experienced gardeners the opportunity to share their knowledge and reap satisfaction from serving their community. Volunteers savor the serenity of the garden while working within. Passersby relish the view of orderly beds of greenery from without. Getting the project approved was harder than keeping it going has proven to be. During a tour of the Food Bank organized by her school, Amelia Abramson was
Serving Alamo and Diablo AIA Spearheads Pipeline Safety Initiative By Sharon Burke
Do you live near the Iron Horse Trail or frequently walk or bike its leafy stretch? Do your children attend Rancho Romero School? Do you shop or dine at the local shopping areas? All of these areas are located within close proximity This exposed jet fuel pipeline was installed in the 1960’s, next to to a high pressure jet fuel the bridge crossing a seasonal creekbed on the Iron Horse Trail between La Serena and Hemme Avenue in Alamo. This area pipeline which runs from is in close proximity to Rancho Romero School and Creative Martinez to the San Jose Learning Center preschool as well as numerous residences. Airport straight through the heart of westside Alamo. The pipeline was installed decades ago, when Alamo was a rural, lightly inhabited area, and when pipeline regulations were less stringent than today's safety conscious era. The Alamo Improvement Association (AIA) has undertaken a leadership
See Pipeline continued on page 24
A 50 Year Tradition - The Kiwanis Danville 4th of July Parade By Fran Miller
The TBG Hive. L to R: Kathy Torru; Co-Founders Amelia Abramson and Heidi Abramson; Marilyn Gray-Raine; Kellee Reed; Louise Fredriksson; Joann Oliver; Eric Schneider; Janet Howes. Absent: Cynthia Ruzzi. (Photo courtesy of TBG).
appalled by the emptiness of the area reserved for fresh produce. She returned to her Alamo home determined to find a way to improve the situation. Together with her mother Heidi, Amelia tackled the lengthy process of convincing Danville’s Town Council that TBG was a viable proposition that would enhance Hap Magee Park and continue to be productive year after year. On November 15, 2011, Danville Town Council unanimously approved a license agreement with The Bounty Garden Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Cynthia Ruzzi, co-founder of Sustainable Danville and a member of the TBG Hive (the garden’s management team), comments, “I was amazed by Amelia’s insight. How remarkable for a child in our community to have been so moved by a simple visit to the Food Bank. Amelia understood the difference between her diet – based on an abundance of fresh produce – and the diet of those less fortunate based mainly on canned goods.” Multiple Eagle Scout projects built raised beds and compost bins. Using her expertise as an architect, Heidi restored the small shed within the garden boundaries to house tools, harvest-weighing equipment, and information about the garden. The original plan for rainwater collection was abandoned when town estimates demonstrated how little water the garden would require. TBG’s water bill runs about $150 a year. Toro donated their latest spray nozzle system. More efficient than drip irrigation, it directs water to the roots.
See TBG continued on page 25
Local Postal Customer
PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit 263 Alamo CA
ECRWSS
Danville’s most festive annual gathering - the Kiwanis Danville 4th of July parade - celebrates fifty years this summer, and parade organizers are planning a gala event. The Kiwanis Club of San Ramon Valley, parade coordinators Photo by Cindy Gin. since 1975, expect between 35,000 and 40,000 attendees from throughout the Bay Area, making the parade the largest annual event in the San Ramon Valley. This year’s theme is “Kids on Bikes. Smart, Safe and Healthy.” The Grand Marshall of the parade is the Robert Pack Family. Through the years, the parade and its audience have exemplified small town appeal, often drawing comparisons to the iconic musical The Music Man. The sea of lawn chairs, multi-generational families, and red, white and blue clothing do make for a movie-like visual. “This parade helps to give a small town feel to this growing region,” says Ron Kosich, Kiwanis member and chairman of the parade. “It provides a link to the past and to our nostalgic idea of what a small town used to be.” Longtime Danville resident Vickie Sciacca has been attending the parade since she was a young girl, when she Volume XV - Number 7 3000F Danville Blvd. #117, lived within walking distance of the Alamo, CA 94507 parade route. She remembers the small, Telephone (925) 405-NEWS, 405-6397 homey feel with 4-H groups, school Fax (925) 406-0547 bands and horseback riders, and the exAlisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher citement prior to parade day. She recalls Editor@yourmonthlypaper.com one particular year where rumor had it Sharon Burke ~ Writer that the stars of “Bonanza” would be The opinions expressed herein belong to the writers, and do necessarily reflect that of Alamo Today. Alamo Today participating. The rumor turned out to not is not responsible for the content of any of the advertising
See Parade continued on page 8
herein, nor does publication imply endorsement.