editor@yourmonthlypaper.com
LafayetteToday Today~~February January 2014 Lafayette 2015 - Page 25 21
February 2015
Serving the Lafayette Community
San Ramon Valley Horsemen’s Association
“Day in the Life” Photos of Lafayette on Display
Bob Cooper can remember exactly when he fell in love with horses. “I was nine years old and was on vacation with my family at a Montana dude ranch,” he says. “That’s when I caught the bug.” Back home in Chicago, he had to settle for a few riding lessons in order to feed his interest. It wasn’t until a job relocation many years later that Cooper was able to fully immerse himself in his equine fascination. He arrived in California in 1969 and bought his first horse in 1970. A truck and trailer purchase followed a year later, and in 1973, Cooper joined the San Ramon Valley Horsemen’s Association (SRVHA), where he currently serves as historian. Cooper and his horses now reside in the Altamont area of Livermore on five acres. He and two other SRVHA members currently hold the title for longest running membership.
Submissions to the City of Lafayette’s “Day in the Life” Photo Contest are now on view at the Lafayette Library and Learning Center in the Community Hall Gallery. Sponsored by the City’s Public Art Committee, the display features photographs taken during the winter solstice, December 21st, the shortest day of the year. All photographs, taken at various Lafayette points of interest, are by those who live or work in Lafayette. Complimenting the Kim Overaa's “Love at the Community Garden,” a photo exhibit is a display winning submission to the City of Lafayette’s “Day in the Life” photo contest. of antique cameras and vintage photographs, courtesy of the Lafayette Historical Society. Kim Overaa's image of a heart shaped grape leaf, taken at The Lafayette Community Garden, earned one of five Juror’s Awards. “The garden was my first choice for where to take photos and I simply walked around to look with slow, quiet, eyes,” says Overaa. “When I saw the leaf, it touched me deeply. I paused for a minute or so to just soak in its beauty and simplicity, then remembered I was there to take
By Fran Miller
By Fran Miller
See Day continued on page 4
SRVHA's Wente Ride. Photo Credit: Bob Cooper
SRVHA was created in 1960 by a dozen residents of Danville who were interested in pleasure rides and horse shows. They rode in local parks and on private land, and they staged shows, the last of which occurred in 1975 when the group became primarily trail oriented. During the next few decades, SRVHA members participated in trail rides from Fort Brag to Santa Cruz, and Golden Gate Park to the Pacific Crest Trail. Members were also active in events such as the De Anza reenactment (a Mexico City to San Francisco ride emulating the 1776 De Anza route) and the California State Horsemen’s Association Seven Day Ride from Mt. Diablo to Briones, Tilden, Redwood, and Chabot Regional Parks and back. While these days there are fewer horsemen/women in the area, and trail rides are less frequent with fewer riders, the organization has not strayed far from its roots; A current total of 70 members from all over the Bay Area (and one from Hawaii) include riders and horse enthusiasts of all skill levels who take part in weekday and weekend trail rides, camping trips, monthly socials, and other special events.
See Horsemen continued on page 14
Local Postal Customer
PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit 21 Lafayette, CA
ECRWSS
Burton Valley Students Raise Money for Youth Homes, Inc. - The Book Bonanza fundraiser has been a long-standing tradition at Burton Valley. Every year, the Alternative Instructional Magnet (AIM) class collects, prices, and sells books and all proceeds go to a charitable cause. This year the students chose to support Youth Homes, an organization that helps neglected and abused foster children and adolescents. The students raised $1,411! Pictured above, student Haelee Chung and her classmates presented a check to Laurel Pendleton of Youth Homes.
Volume IX - Number 2 3000F Danville Blvd #117 Alamo, CA 94507 Telephone (925) 405-6397 Fax (925) 406-0547 editor@yourmonthlypaper.com Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher
The opinions expressed herein belong to the writers, and do not necessarily reflect that of Lafayette Today. Lafayette Today is not responsible for the content of any of the advertising herein, nor does publication imply endorsement.