High School Graduates of Colusa County located inside....
May 20, 2011
b Volume 4 • Issue 10 a
next edition • june 3, 2011
b FREE publication a
field of dreams host annual kids fishing day
Field of Dreams Kids Fishing Day Participants 2011. (Submitted Photo)
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ield of Dreams, Inc. is a group of local outdoor enthusiast that are dedicated to providing an outdoor experience to special needs children and wounded U.S. military veterans that otherwise might not get the opportunity. It started with an idea from two caring men and now seven years later has grown into a non-profit corporation that holds several events each year at no cost to those they host. The first event provided a fishing trip to a single youth and now the annual Kids Fishing Day host numerous special needs children and their families. The children participating have serious illnesses or physical disabilities or are the children of an American soldier killed in combat in Iraq or Afghanistan. This year the event kicked off on May 13th with dinner at the Granzella’s Banquet
Facility in Williams that allowed the participating families to meet their host as well as each other and a number of special guest donating their time for the very worthy cause. This years special guest included Stephanie Brown-Traxton the woman’s discus gold medal winner in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing China, Jamie Susslin, the host of the Verses Chanel’s “The Ultimate Sportsman” and Wes Simms, a UFC mixed martial arts fighter. Highlights of the evening included special recognition to The Colusa County Fish and Game Commission and the California Deer Association for their ongoing support to make the event possible. A special moment in the evening came when the Field of Dreams group recognized the efforts of thirteen year old Derik Jellison. The
young man who was one of the first to participate in the Field of Dreams event several years ago, sold oranges and candles at a roadside stand to raise money to donate to the group so that other children could attend in the future. His donation three years ago started an endowment in his name which today allowed the group to host an additional child and their family. The next day started with a breakfast at the Wilderness Unlimited Headquarters near Williams with the cooking being done by members of the California Outdoor Heritage Alliance, Colusa County Community Foundation, Maxwell American Legion and others. A drive to the western hills took them to the Stonyford Ranch where they were hosted by the Marks family for the third straight year. Continued on Page 3 The day included bass fishing, boating, ranch activities and
colusa musicians thriving
Sax Quartet solo sign - Left to right, Thomas Critchfield, tenor sax, Sidney Wills, alto sax, Efren Fuentes, bari sax, Lupita Ramos, alto sax. (Submitted Photo)
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leven young musicians from the Colusa Unified School District once again proved their worth at the California State Solo and Ensemble Music Festival on May 13th and 14th, at Sacramento State University. Colusa HS sophomore Alexia Vargas and senior Emanuel Ramirez
on Trumpet, sophomore Lupita Ramos on Alto Sax, Egling Middle school 8th grader Cai Dunham on Trombone, and CHS junior Josh Rector on Tuba combined forces as the Colusa Brass Quintet to earn a silver medal, as did the Colusa Saxophone Quartet with Ramos and
sophomore Sidney Wills on Alto Sax, eighth grader Thomas Critchfield on Tenor Sax, and sophomore Efren Fuentes on Baritone Saxophone. Ramos and Critchfield then traded in their instruments to team up as an oboe duet, winning the gold medal. In the solo competition, Wills earned a silver medal on alto sax as did sophomore flautist Nancy Lopez, Alexia Vargas on trumpet, and Egling 6th grader Raphael Delgado on snare drum. CHS junior Crystal Garcia, soprano, sang her way to the gold medal, along with Efren Fuentes on Bari Sax and Thomas Critchfield on Tenor Sax. Lupita Ramos earned top honors for the State with a Gold Medal and Command Performance on her oboe, which, coincidently, occurred on the same day as the Virginia Yerxa Community Read. The oboe Ramos earned her awards was purchased through donations made in memory
of Virginia a year ago. After a third consecutive day of performances, Ramos was home less than half an hour when she had to turn around and present her debut performance as the oboist of the Yuba Sutter Symphony. After an extremely busy spring, and after seven days of performances in the past two weeks, the musicians are getting the chance to slow down somewhat, with only a few presentations in the final three weeks of school. The rest will be short-lived, however, as most of the medal winners will be rehearsing with the Colusa Jazz band through the summer in preparation for their concert in the park on August 25th. Many students have already begun getting ready for their next round of competitions in the fall for honor groups and solo festivals, and a few may have ambitions of performing at Carnegie Hall in early 2012.