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Volume 19 • Issue 29 • July 17 – 23, 2008
Zoom — Zoom! One of the dozens of competitors in the U. S. National SlalomSkateboarding Championships zooms down Turri Road Friday in the Super Gdownhill slalom race. More photos on Page 10. Photo by Christopher Gardner
New Owners,NewPhilosophypage 15
Eight LocalGymnastMakeNationalspage 12
End of an Era in Morro Baypage 4
OfficialsDedicateHarborwalkpage 3
YOUR COMMUNITY IN YOUR HANDS
Estero AreaPlan is Finally
UpdatedBy Jack Beardwood
Some critics talk about the “glacial speed ofgovernment” and a perfect example of that
may finally be winding down locally.After more than 15 years, it appears that the
County and the California Coastal Commissionhave finally arrived at an agreement to update theEstero Area Plan.
But the document only includes Cayucos andunincorporated areas east of Morro Bay. Los Ososis still in limbo.
According to Mike Wulkan, senior planner forthe County, the Los Osos portion of the documentwas dropped due to outstanding issues surround-ing development of a sewer plant, a habitat con-servation plan to protect endangered species andserious water supply problems.
The area plan is part of the county’s overall gen-eral plan and is supposed to be updated every fiveyears. By that schedule the county is three updatesbehind.
In a meeting held at the County Board ofSupervisors Chambers July 10, CoastalCommissioners voted unanimously to approveseveral compromises that the staffs have beenbouncing back and forth for years.
Naturally, it’s not over yet. Wulkan said sever-al changes will have to be approved by Supervisorsand then Coastal Commission staff would send aletter of approval to finalize the update.
“We think the changes are generally acceptableand we will recommend to the board that theyaccept the changes,” said Wulcan, who has beensteering the plan through for most of this time.
The update includes design standards for devel-opment in both the commercial area and residen-tial neighborhoods of Cayucos. Wulkan said therewill be tighter limits on the amount of construc-tion allowed on residential lots.
It also includes an enhancement plan for down-
Oddball Sea Otter to
Get LifeAs the Bay Flushes
By Neil Farrell
An oddball, adult male sea otter could besentenced to life in captivity after he bit
and scratched a woman at Morro Rock last week,while apparently protecting a dead paramour.
According to state Fish and Game biologistMike Harris, the otter — named “Repo” — hadbeen seen in and around the bay for more than aweek.
On Tuesday, July 8 a 21-year-old woman sawthe otter on a small beach near the North Jettylying with a dead sea lion. Both animals wereabout the same size, and Harris said the womanthought Repo was harming the sea lion. She gottoo close and the otter turned on her.
“She thought she was doing good to get theotter off the sea lion,” said Harris. When sheapproached, Repo got mad. “He got real protec-tive and tried to defend the animal he’d been car-rying around a few days. She got bit andscratched.”
One report said she was bitten in the throat, legand arm and suffered several scratches, resultingin what was described as minor injuries.
Sea otters and other marine mammals are not aconcern for rabies, said Harris, who stressed thepoint that people should stay away from wild ani-mals.
“The public should not be approaching a wildanimal period,” said Harris. Instead call authori-ties who will contact someone who knows how tohandle the animals.
Repo’s had a tough life and has a long rap sheetwith authorities.
Harris explained that about five years ago, theotter was found as a pup abandoned by his moth-er in the Monterey Bay area. The Marine MammalCenter took him in and soon transferred him tothe Monterey Bay Aquarium, which has a specialprogram that teaches orphaned otter pups to for-age in hopes they can be released into the wild.
Harris said Repo was eventually tagged andreleased, but unfortunately, has become acclimat-ed to humans. He’s had an eventful existence tosay the least.
He was once bitten by a shark and survived.Shelbi Stoudt, the Marine Mammal Center’sstranding manager, said they nursed Repo back tohealth and he was released again.
Harris said a couple of years ago he stranded inpoor health in the Monterey-Moss Landing area.Again, he was rehabilitated and released. A trav-eler, Repo has been spotted from Moss Landing toPismo Beach.
Over the past year or so, Harris said Repobegan exhibiting some rather peculiar behavior.
He’s stranded several times on beaches from
Morro Bay has lost another commercial fishing boat, butnot to government regulations this time. This one is
gone due to bad luck and a pea soup fog.At about 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 8 the fishing troller
Josephine became lost in thick fog while exiting the harborentrance and ran headlong into the South Jetty where she sankand set off a 4-day effort to recover the wreckage and demolishthe boat safely.
According to Jill Lemon of the Coast Guard’s Marine SafetyDetachment in Santa Barbara, the Josephine had two men
onboard — Daniel Crowell and his father John Crowell ofArroyo Grande — when it hit the rocks.
“The operator was outbound and became disoriented in thefog and hit the South Jetty,” said Lemon. When the woodenhulled, 36-foot vessel built in 1940 hit, the bilge alarm sound-ed signaling the boat was taking on water. Lemon said Crowellsent out a “May Day” on the radio and the Coast Guard was ableto rescue the two men unharmed.
The boat however, sank to the bottom and stayed partially
See Odball Otter, page 5See Fishing Boat, page 5
Fishing Boat Hits Jetty, Sinks in Pea Soup Fog
By Neil Farrell
See Estero Plan Updated, page 4
INSIDE INFORMATION
2 BN • July 17 – 23, 2008 • Bay News
Parks Issues TopLOCAC Agenda
The future of local county park facilities and Montañade Oro State Park will top the discussion at the Los
Osos Community Advisory Council’s next meeting, set for 7p.m. Thursday, July 24 at the South Bay CommunityCenter.
LOCAC will look at the options for funding a new oper-ating agreement between San Luis Obispo County Parks andCalifornia State Parks for managing the Morro Bay GolfCourse, the Cayucos Beach and Pier, the Norma Rose parksite, and the top of Bishop’s Peak.
The agreement is slated to be renegotiated by 2010 andthe state wants to put an entrance kiosk up at Montaña deOro and charge a day use fee.
One option being considered is for the county to pay the
state some $40,000 a year — adjusted annually for inflation— to keep Montaña de Oro free to use, or the county couldjust let the state install its kiosk.
It’s also possible the county could just walk away from theagreement and return the golf course, Cayucos Beach andPier and the others to the state to manage. Supervisors willultimately make the decision on how to proceed.
One thing that’s not going to happen is the state will notmake any promises that if the kiosk goes up, Montaña de Orowould be guaranteed to stay open despite whatever futurebudget crises might arise.
Earlier this year, the governor proposed clos-ing dozens of state parks including seven onthe North Coast alone, because the state’sbudget is again swimming in red ink. He’s since backed offthat proposal but the future of the state parks is by no meansassured.
LOCAC is hoping the community can come up with somefresh ideas for the two agencies to ponder. The meeting willbe broadcast live on Charter Cable Channel 20 in Los Osos.See the LOCAC Web site at: www.locac.us for more informa-tion on the council.
City, county and state officials gathered last week toofficially dedicate the Harborwalk in Morro Bay,
calling it a major contribution to a statewide pedestrian andbicycle path. The Chamber of Commerce organized the rib-bon cutting with city officials and folks from the San LuisObispo Council of Governments and California Coast Walkon hand to praise the project. Mayor Janice Peters told thecrowd of nearly a hundred that the overall project cost $2.9million and was paid for through a $1.7 million grant from
SLOCOG and an $825,000 grant from the CaliforniaCoastal Conservancy, plus thousands from the city’s parkingin-lieu fund. This two-thirds of a mile stretch of path gotits start in 1995 when the city first started discussing theconcept, explained Mayor Peters. In 1998 the city askedSLOCOG for money and it took until 2006 to gain all theapprovals so construction could begin. The Harborwalk hasbeen an instant success with hundreds of people walkingand bicycling out to Morro Rock on a daily basis. SLOCOG
director Ron Di Carli said the Harborwalk wasa “really phenominal project” and “representswhat happens when people get a vision andwork together.” Fran Gibson and NancyGraves of California Coast Walk gave themayor a certificate in honor of the project.Their group wants to build a continuous bicy-cle and pedestrian path from the Oregon bor-der to Mexico. Di Carli said their next localprojects would be to put in a Class-1 bike paththrough Morro Bay State Park and a dedicatedpath along the beach from Morro Bay toCayucos. The Chamber also dedicated a memo-rial rock bench to the late Ed Biaggini III thatwill be installed along the Harborwalk. Photoby Neil Farrell
Contributing WritersRuth Ann AngusTeri Bayus King HarrisJennifer Best Olivia SellardsAnn Calhoun Anita ShowerDavid Congalton Randy SteigerMax Conn Lori FrenchMegan McGreen Valentina Petrova
Romany Watersart director
Tom Blockaccount [email protected]
Linda Garciaaccount [email protected]
Jayne Behmanarts
Candice Contiarts
Brenda Hockcooking
Ismael Morangraphic designer
Roxanne Chavezgraphic designer
Dan Gelloaccount executive
Jason Hilfordcopy chief
Michael Cervintaste
Kathrene Tiffincopy editor
The Bay News is a publication of Tolosa PressLLC, Copyright 2007-2008 all rights reserved.One free copy per person. Additional copies canbe obtained at our offices 2308 Broad St. San LuisObispo, CA, 93401. Tolosa Press makes everyreasonable effort to ensure the accuracy of its con-tents. Please notify us if information is incorrect.
Mary Gardnerpublisher
Bret Colhouersales manager
Theresa-Marie Wilson
managing editor Coast News
Graham Haworthreporter
Christopher Gardnerexecutive editor
Neil Farrellmanaging editor
Jack Beardwoodsports editor
John Estherfilm editor
phone 805.543.6397 fax 805.543.36982308 Broad Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
www.slocitynews.com
Call 543-NEWS
Bay News • July 17 – 23, 2008 • BN 3
bay newsnewsSend us your letters and submissions for the Opinion page to:[email protected] or2308 Broad St., San Luis Obispo, CA 93401Letters and articles may be edited for grammar and length.
Officials Dedicate Harborwalk
Agroup of Cuesta College students wants to startchanging the world by helping orphaned, sick and
injured wildlife on the Central Coast.“The Wild Volunteers” will launch a countywide volun-
teer recruiting drive this weekend in conjunction withPacific Wildlife Care at PWC’s triage center at the MorroBay Power Plant. The Wild Volunteers hope to recruit 25new volunteers for the center, and collect donations to helpfill the center’s “wish list” of items.
An informational meeting for prospective volunteers isset for noon, Sunday, July 20 at the PWC triage center.Enter the power plant property off Main Street to access thecenter. PWC’s Dani Nicholson, Kathy Duncan, andMelinda Alvarado will lead the meeting. E-mail to:[email protected] or call (323) 806-4500 toRSVP. Drinks and snacks will be provided.
The Wild Volunteers are five Cuesta students taking asmall-group discussion class. Their project began about twoweeks ago and the students are encouraging communitymembers throughout the county to get involved with thecenter.
PWC is a non-profit all-volunteer organization trainedand certified to rehabilitate sick, injured and orphanedwildlife. For years, volunteers rehabilitated animals in theirown homes until a few years ago when the triage center wasopened at the power plant. The PWC facility is next doorto a facility run by the Marine Mammal Center that caresfor sick, injured or orphaned seals, dolphins, sea otters andsea lions, among other marine mammals.
Contact Alvarado at (805) 543-WILD or see the Web siteat: www.pacificwildlifecare.org to see the group’s wish listand to learn more about PWC.
Wild Volunteers Seek Committed Volunteers
An era came to an end in Morro Bay last week, as spe-cial projects manager Bill Boucher bid adieu to a job
he’s held for nearly 33 years.Boucher began his work with the City of Morro Bay in
October 1975 after spending some six months fresh out ofcollege working for the County trimming trees and stripingroads.
His first city job was as a drafting aid under then publicworks director, Doug Stuart who hired him. That jobmeant, “You pretty much did everything,” said Boucher,relaxing in his office last Wednesday, wading through amountain of papers on his desk.
Back then the harbor and public works departments werehoused in the same cramped office by the North T-pier.“You had two harbor patrol officers, a chief harbor patrolofficer and two boats,” said Boucher. “In emergencies, ifthey needed a fourth person, they took whoever was handy.Back in those days there were a lot of emergencies and I gotto be the fourth person on some of those responses. What aneye-opener.”
In 1978 public works moved up the hill to new digs atthe corner of Piney Way and Harbor Street (a building thatcaught fire in the late 1990s).
“The first real project I was given authority on was build-ing Del Mar Park,” said Boucher. That was in 1979-80. “Itwas the first city project of any magnitude since I got here.”Prior to that the city had built the Centennial Parkway andGiant Chessboard on the Embarcadero but not much else.
He almost lost his job once. “I was actually laid off in1982 over budget cuts,”said Boucher. “RodgerAnderson, who was on thecity council at the time,spoke strongly on mybehalf and I was able tokeep my job. How thingswould be different if hehadn’t done that. He willalways hold a special placein my mind.”
Over the years, he’sbeen intimately involvedin the biggest projects inthe city — state water,the desal plant, streetpaving, and untold num-bers of storm drain, sewerand water line repairs —as he worked his way upthrough the ranks and even back down a notch.
“The water system has held up pretty good,” he said.“The streets are starting to deteriorate now but we got 20years out of them.”
He said the city’s sewer lines are a major concern and willbe a major expense, eating up much of a rate increase thecouncil passed last year. Some of the pipes are more than 80years old.
The drought of the late 1980s was one of several chal-lenges he’s endured. “The salinity in the drinking waterwells was going through the roof,” he recalled. “We hadwells dropping out of service and we reached a point wherewe had all the wells on and didn’t know from one day to thenext which would remain operating. We had to go checkthe tanks in the morning to make sure they’d filled upovernight. And there were times when it didn’t.”
Finally the city brought in a portable desalination plantto filter the Morro Creek wells and get through the crisis.He brought the desal plant online and the State WaterProject in, amid lots of controversy, something he’s had tooccasionally endure for the past 33 years.
“I’ve always had good relationships with the city counciland the public regardless of what politics people have,” hesaid. “I never tried to have a hidden agenda. I always triedto give the best, most accurate information. I’ve always beenable to tell people stuff they might not want to hear butonce you explain the underlying philosophy or policy theyunderstand.”
He had good things to say about one former co-worker inparticular. “Jerry Ramos,” he explained, “was the singlemost important person in my professional life here. He was
really the one that taught me the importance of public serv-ice, why we’re here doing what we’re doing. He taught meyou have to be flat out honest and up front. You shoulderthe burden and keep pushing ahead. A lot of that part of meis from Jerry. I keep pushing that rock up the hill.
“Jerry is a real humble guy. But he’s the most importantpublic servant for thiscommunity in its histo-ry.”
In the mid-1990s,Boucher ascended to thejob of public worksdirector, which he soondiscovered he was notwell suited for. “I tookover for a few years,”said Boucher. “Thetoughest part of thattime was when Jerryretired. He left noreplacement. It was toomuch for me. The bestdecision I ever made wasto step back from thatspot.”
The department wasreorganized and the job of special projects manager was cre-ated for him. “A lot of the stuff we’re doing now had originswhen I shifted from director to projects manager.”
He met his wife of nearly 25 years, Jaime, on the job, sortof. She also works for the city in the personnel depart-ment. Together they have two kids, Mike, 23 and Paula,21, both of whom were star athletes at Morro Bay High.That’s understandable, considering both their parents areformer jocks.
Boucher said he met Jaime, who was working for therecreation department at the time, during a softball tourna-ment in San Luis Obispo. He had a bum knee and she hada broken foot. He umpired and she kept score. “We metthat way and I pretty much knew right away she was theone for me. We’ll be married 25 years in September.”
With his trick knee, Boucher could no longer play sportsbut he spent a lot of time coaching his kids in soccer andbaseball and he still chases the white ball around the golflinks. “I don’t count golf as athletic activity,” he laughed.“With the kids at the point where they are self-sufficientadults, it’s given Jaime and I the ability to remember whywe fell in love in the first place. It’s been really good hang-ing out with my honey.”
It’s time to do some other things, he said, like learning toplay guitar, write short stories and maybe do some volun-teer work in between golf rounds.
“I’ve worked full time since I was 13,” he said. “I don’tknow what it’s like to go to bed at night and not have someplace I need to be in the morning.”
4 BN • July 17 – 23, 2008 • Bay News
bay newsnews
town Cayucos to improve its appearance and providemore parking.
The document has goals for developing parks,including a coastal bluff park between Cayucos andMorro Bay.
During recent years, representatives of theCayucos Citizens Advisory Council said it was diffi-cult to make recommendations on developmentapplications when there were essentially two sets ofbuilding standards. One set is in the current Plan,and others are in the unapproved update.
Ed Carnegie of CCAC said that some developerstook what they liked from both plans and chose toignore what they didn’t like when presenting theirproposals.
According to a Coastal Commission staff report,the document will:
• Maintain agricultural lands and minimize con-flicts between agricultural and non-ag uses.
• Enhance protection of ESHA (environmentallysensitive habitat).
• Improve standards that prevent polluted runofffrom point and non-point sources.
• Ensure that scenic public views are protected.• Strengthen standards related to bluff setbacks,
potential seawall development and development onbluff-top lots.
• Maximize public access opportunities to theshoreline.
End of an Era in Morro BayBill Boucher Retires
By Neil Farrell
Estero Plan Updated, continued
Bay News • July 17 – 23, 2008 • BN 5
bay news
Pismo to Moss Landing, including a fewtimes in the Morro Bay area. What’s unusu-al is he appeared to be healthy each time.
Repo once hauled out next to the PismoPier on a crowded weekend. People wereable to approach quite close, but he didn’tattack anyone.
And this isn’t the first time the 65-pound sea weasel has been spottedcarting around dead things.About a week before his MorroBay incident, Harris said Repowas in Moss Landing carryingaround a dead sea lion. Seaotters sometimes exhibit thisstrange attachment to the non-living. To paraphrase Alice Cooper,some otters “…love the dead.”
Females have been seen carrying arounddead pups; males carry around dead females;and Harris said he’s gotten reports of seaotters trying to mate with baby harborseals, killing them and then carting aroundthe carcasses. Sea otters have even been seenswimming around with dead birds, whichHarris said they sometimes prey upon.
About 1-1/2 weeks ago, Harris explained,Repo started hauling out inside the MorroBay Harbor where he was attracting crowds.Last Tuesday came the fateful call — Repowas laying with a dead sea lion at MorroRock and someone finally got too close.
Harris said when he came out to check onthe big guy, Repo was acting different thanthe past. “I could tell he wasn’t going to letme get close to him while he was next tothat sea lion,” said Harris, who had to get
out the nets to bring him in.Repo now awaits his fate
— jealousy his apparent finalundoing.
He was taken to a familiar place — theMonterey Bay Aquarium. Harris said theyare now waiting for a consultation with thefederal Fish and Wildlife Service on the
otter’s future. It’s likely hewon’t swim wild and free
again. “We’ll probably put
this animal in captiv-ity for the rest of itslife,” said Harris.“We just can’t take
that chance. We’llhave to find a home for
him and that’s not goingto be easy.”
Adult male otters don’t adjustwell to captivity, he explained, sometimesbecoming more aggressive. Harris said Fishand Game has a research facility in SantaCruz with five other sea otters that can’t bereleased because they too have becomeaccustomed to people.
So, Repo will likely be towed off to theFish and Game research facility where he’llhelp biologists develop methods of treatinghis wild brethren that get caught in oilspills.
Lest anyone think Repo is some kind ofperverted critter, Harris said they had noreports that he had actually tried to mateany of his no-pulse paramours. “Sometimesyou just get these demented animals,” hesaid.
Reponow awaits hisfate — jealousy
his apparent finalundoing.
Odball Otter, continued
news
submerged until Friday, as the Coast Guardand its contractors worked to raise the vessel.
The Josephine had an estimated 60 gal-lons of diesel fuel on board when she sankand Lemon said a small amount did leak outbut was unsure how much. State Fish andGame officials searched the jetty and localbeaches but didn’t find any oiled wildlife.
The coast Guard “opened up the Oil SpillLiability Trust Fund,” said Lemon, and hiredOcean Blue Environmental to come in andraise the vessel, as well as clean up any fuelspills.
At first the boat was anchored near whereshe sank about two-thirds of the way downthe South Jetty with a large containmentboom strung around it. But waves rollingthrough the entrance were making it diffi-cult to work on the boat. So she was towed athigh tide Wednesday to calmer water nearColeman Park where additional flotationbarrels were attached.
By Friday, she was high enough out of thewater to tow down the harbor channel to thelaunch ramp. A large excavator was used todrag the Josephine up into the parking lotand plans were to crunch it up and haul it offbeginning on Monday.
Lemon said the Coast Guard would con-duct investigations into the pollution spilland the loss of the vessel.
Sources indicated Crowell did not haveinsurance on the boat. Of note, at the time ofthe accident, the Army Corps of Engineersdredge ship, Yaquina, was working insidethe harbor channel. All of the red channelmarker buoys have been removed, leavingjust the green buoys and the fog light at theend of the North Jetty to visually navigateby. Warning flyers have been posted aroundthe harbor and the Coast Guard has issuedadvisories about the missing marker buoys.
Lemon said the Josephine had alreadypassed the Yaquina when she struck the jetty.
Fishing Boat, continued
6 BN • July 17 – 23, 2008 • Bay News
bay newsopinion
My July 3 viewpoint about the Morro Bay primaryelection was explanatory, but John Barta apparently
perceived it as an attack. He’s very angry about the headline,“Council Upheld Will of the Voters.” He quotes it fourtimes (“Change Is In the Air,” July 10) and repeated-ly chastises me for saying it.
Actually, I didn’t say it at all. The headlinewas written by the editor. That may takesome wind out of Barta’s sails, but Idoubt it will appease him, since this iscampaign season.
So let’s set the record straight on hisother gripes and imaginative accusa-tions.
Yes, I was appointed to fill a vacantcouncil seat without having to run foroffice. That appointment was in recognition ofmy six years working on the PlanningCommission and one year on the TV Franchise AdvisoryBoard. I’ve campaigned successfully several times since then.
No, Melody DeMeritt and I did not have any pre-arrangedplot to have her appointed to my vacated council seat whenI was elected mayor. Actually, before her election to council,Melody and I had only a passing acquaintance. The accusa-tion is totally false, but I think it reveals a lot about howBarta does things.
No, I did not leave Stan House “in the cold” regardingthat vacant seat when he was the next highest vote getter inthe election. In fact, I made a very impassioned speech infavor of appointing Stan (I still have it in my files) but wasunable to get majority support from the council.
And one of my first agenda items as mayor was a discus-sion on changing policy to seat the next highest vote gettershould that situation happen again, although the councildeclined to do so.
No, I certainly do not have “contempt for the voters”because I mentioned the $12,000 cost of the pri-
mary. Cost was one of the reasons given by anumber of voters who asked the council to
consider a repeal initiative. That we dis-cussed it indicates respect for those vot-ers. That we declined to put a repeal onthe ballot indicates respect for the vot-ers who approved the original initiative.
I absolutely respect our voters, andconsider winning over 30 percent of the
primary vote in a 4-person race a goodthing. I love Morro Bay and (most) of the
people in it, and am glad to serve them for aslong as they want me to.
No, change does not make me “nervous.” Change happensconstantly, and it keeps me interested and engaged.
Unlike Barta, I’ve never had a political axe to grind or per-sonal agenda or righteous cause as my motivation. My yearsof work for our city and its citizens have always been a laborof love, not a desire for power or position. This concept is soforeign to Barta that he simply cannot comprehend it, andthat apparently makes him angry…and nervous.
Janice Peters is a 2-term mayor running for re-election inNovember. And yes, the editor did write the headline mentionedabove, as he does all the headlines in The Bay News.
‘He Said She Said — Editor Said!’By Mayor Janice Peters
Myyears of work for
our city and its citi-zens have always been a
labor of love, not adesire for power or
position.
Two things I hear often from people who have neverdone yoga are: I can’t do yoga because I am not flexi-
ble enough; and yoga is not for me because I have such-and-such disability or health issue.
First of all, I wasn’t flexible either when I started yoga,neither are the majority of other people who join yoga class-es. You do yoga to become flexible.
Second, yoga is for absolutely every body. It is a systemthat can be tailored to absolutely every situation and everycondition can improve with the practice of yoga. I say thisbecause I’ve worked with people in wheelchairs, people withphysically debilitating injuries, serious mental issues likebrain trauma, seizures, and people with degenerative diseaseslike MS, Fibromyalgia and others.
I’ve worked with people with all sorts of ailments, med-ical conditions, and issues. One thing always happens —they feel better, get better, and love the practice, so long asthey stick to it. The question you need to ask yourself is,“Can you afford not to do yoga?”
Every year 1.2 million Americans have a heart attack.Most are attributed to a lack of physical activity, stress anddiet. Physical activity affects the function of the heart, bloodvessels, boosts HDL (good cholesterol), lowers blood pres-sure, and reduces the risk of blood clots, which reduces thethreat of stroke.
Something that seems to deteriorate quickest with inac-tivity is insulin sensitivity but it is also the thing thatresponds the quickest when you are active, according to BenHurley, a professor of kinesiology at the University ofMaryland.
In a study of more than 50,000 people, every 2 hours a dayof watching TV was linked to a 14 percent increase in therisk of diabetes. Every 2 hours of sitting at work brought a7 percent increase. Evidence is clear now that people of bothgenders who are physically active have a 30-40 percent lowerrisk of colon cancer and about a 20 percent lower risk of
breast cancer, with studies being done on other types ofcancer.
So, do you need to become an athlete in order to behealthy? Absolutely not! Walter Willett, chair of the nutri-tion department at the Harvard School of Public Health says30-60 minutes a day of moderate-intensity physical activity
You’re Never Too Young or Old to YogaYoga for Life
By Valentina Petrova
Thank you Trinity
The membership of the South Bay Seniors/PeopleHelping People wishes to gratefully and humbly
acknowledge the generosity of the congregation and leader-ship of Trinity Methodist Church of Los Osos.
Trinity’s kindness in assisting in our medical equipmentloan program is a literal “Godsend.” It is through communi-ty support such as theirs that People Helping People is ableto fulfill its mission of helping meet the needs of the residentsof the Los Osos/Baywood Park community. Thank youTrinity!
People Helping People is an all-volunteer, non-profitorganization whose activities include: lending medical equip-ment — wheelchairs, walkers, canes, transfer benches, andshower stools— distribution of donated food commodities;and scheduling appointments for seniors in need of legal, tax,and renter’s assistance.
PHP holds a monthly “social potluck” on the secondThursday of the month, featuring local community entertain-ment and Bingo, for members and prospective members.
PHP’s office is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the South BayCommunity Center. Information: 528-2626.
Carol Cribbs for PHP
See Yoga for Life, page 7
Bay News • July 17 – 23, 2008 • BN 7
bay newsopinion
Junkie Nation and theonly question now is,
Has our moment of clarityfinally arrived? From thepoliticians pandering and fromtoo many letters to the editor, I’d have to say, Nope. Instead ofa serious, sober evaluation of what steps we need to take torecover, we’re still in full-blown junkie mode: More gas!Cheaper gas! Drill in the ANWR! Drill off the CaliforniaCoast! Drill in My Backyard! Pump! Pump! More! More!More!
Yep, in full meltdown junkie withdrawal mode, crazy as bed-bug, convinced that the cure for oil addiction is . . . MORE oil.
Wrong. The cure for oil addiction is to understand thatcheap and plentiful oil is what got us into this pickle in the firstplace. Europeans were paying two, often three times as muchfor their gasoline years ago, and as a result they developed verythrifty, gas-sipping cars. They also maintained and expandedon their urban rail systems. In short, they understood the con-nection market price could have on real-world behavior andconsumer choices. The Japanese understood too.
Americans did not want to understand. They thought theywere outside history and outside time, and that their exception-alism would protect them from reality. That’s Junkie Thinking;I mean, only an American would actually buy and—serious-ly—drive a Hummer. Or be fooled by a slick marketing cam-paign into buying mass quantities of huge, rollover-prone, dan-gerous, gas-guzzling SUVs or ginormous, macho, engine-boot-ed pickup trucks that have nothing to pick up, except the kidsafter school. We became a nation of Work-a-Daddy corporatedrones stuck in freeway traffic dreaming of becomingMountain Men zooming up the side of the Grand Tetons in ourwhippy 4x4s, when, in reality, the only thing our 4x4s climbedwas a curb outside our suburban homes.
Like all junkie thinking, when the drug wears off and reali-ty sets in, our national addiction becomes painfully hilarious.And sad. Thirty five years ago, President Carter, an adult in hisboring cardigan sweaters, told this nation of children that thepudding they were consuming would kill them. Told themthey needed to eat their broccoli. But children, being children,wanted more pudding and elected a man who promised them
lots of pudding and Morningin America, and so ignoredthe coming darkness whilethe party raged on.
By contrast, here’s whatthe New York Times reports Japan was doing at the same time:
“Japan is by many measures the world’s most energy-frugaldeveloped nation. After the energy crises of the 1970s, thecountry forced itself to conserve with government-mandatedenergy-efficiency targets and steep taxes on petroleum. . . . It isalso the only industrial country that sustained governmentinvestment in energy research even when energy became cheapagain. . . . Japan taught itself decades ago how to compete withgasoline at $4 per gallon . . . it will fare better than other coun-tries in the new era of high energy costs.”
Only now are we beginning to understand just what those35 years of brain-addled neglect will cost us—an auto industrytanking because nobody wants to buy gas-guzzling Americantanks, and an economy in disarray, fueled by the high cost ofgasoline that caught Americans flat-footed. All the pain com-ing down now was totally avoidable, had we paid attention tothe message during the 1973 oil embargo: Junk will cost youyour life and your nation’s life. It’s time to get serious and sober.
Are we now ready for our moment of clarity? It’s especiallyimportant since an incredibly lethal component has been addedto our drug of choice. A Hummer and a Prius still burn gaso-line, which contributes CO2 to the atmosphere, therebyincreasing the effects of global warming. So while cheaperand/or more oil might keep our Junkie Nation going a fewmore years, the effects of global warming from the burn maywell end the game permanently.
That’s the real connection that’s now becoming clear. Thepudding that has us hooked is also the pudding that will poi-son the frugal and the profligate alike. But the response to thecoming crisis will require a nation of sober, very clever, innova-tive, committed adults—not feckless, addicted children. It’s2008. We’ve lost 35 years. The bell has tolled once again. Willwe listen this time?
Keep up with Ann at www.calhounscannon.blogspot.com or atwww.newsmissioin.blogspot.com
Fill ‘er Up? No Thanks, I’m Driving Denial isn’t just a river in Egyptis all you need to make a huge difference.
Women in their 40s and men in their 50s loosemuscle strength at the rate of about 12 percent a yearbecause they lose muscle mass at the rate of about 5-8 percent a year. However, with only two months ofresistance training, they can increase strength by 40percent, reversing the effects of two decades of typi-cal muscle loss and three decades of strength loss.Along with that comes more self-confidence, betterbalance and fewer injuries.
Yoga is resistance training. In recent studies, yogahas been found to lower blood pressure, reducestress, increase strength, endurance, flexibility andagility. It has been found to improve circulation,digestion, metabolism, sleep and even sexual per-formance. It helps brain performance — focus, con-centration and improved memory. It helps peoplelose weight and maintain it longer than dietingalone. Yoga is often prescribed for rehabilitationafter injuries, accidents and for managing chronicaches and pain.
Athletes cross train with yoga in order to improveperformance. It is called the fountain of youth. It isreally a treasure handed down to us from the sages ofIndia.
It is in the nature of the practice to be truly adapt-able and useful for every body issue.
Disabled people can have a yoga practice specifi-cally designed for them and their condition. No oneis too old or young, too fat or skinny, too strong orweak, too stiff or flexible to do yoga.
Yoga can be as gentle as a feather floating on asummer breeze, or as challenging as training for theOlympics. The key is to find your practice and thento stick to it. As you grow and change, so will yourpractice. The possibilities are endless.
Valentina Petrova teaches yoga at the HolisticMovement Center in Morro Bay. See the Web at:www.holisticmovementcenter.com for schedule of classes orcall (805) 909-1401 for a private session. Yoga for Lifeis a regular feature of The Bay News.
Yoga for Life, continued
8 BN • July 17 – 23, 2008 • Bay News
bay newscommunity
It was a Thursday morning, June 28, 1990, the day afterthe wind-driven Painted Cave Fire raced down a Santa
Barbara mountainside vaporizing hundreds of homes andscorching thousands of acres in whatseemed like a matter of minutes. Theproperty damage was inestimable. Butthe fire’s furious flames would also takea life, as I was about to find out.
I was producing a special 6 a.m. newsreport for KEYT-TV. I had been up allnight, reporting on the fire’s fury, andlater the destruction it left behind. At5:30, the phone rang. It was long dis-tance, from New York.
“Hello, can you help me?” It was awoman’s voice, and she sounded terriblydistraught.
“My daughter is missing,” she con-tinued. “I need to know if she’s allright.”
“Lady, a lot of people have been dis-placed,” I impatiently replied. Thenrealizing how upset she was, I tried to calm her. “She’s prob-ably at a Red Cross center.”
“No, no, you don’t understand!” She was very persistentand determined. “Something has happened to her. I know ithas. She calls me every single night, and last night she did-n’t call.” She sounded unusually sure of herself.
“My daughter’s name is Andrea Gurka. Her husband,Michael, just called me. He doesn’t even know where she is.”
She gave me her phone number and that of her son-in-law. I reassured her, promising I would do some checkingand would call her back with any news. But her ominoustone didn’t sit well with me.
After the broadcast, I called Michael Gurka, who, unableto go home, was staying at a friend’s house in Goleta. Hewasn’t there, I was told. He was out looking for his wife. Ialerted the Sheriff’s Department and Red Cross, confidentthat once the smoke finally cleared, she would eventuallyturn up.
By Thursday evening, rumors were rampant about awoman whose whereabouts were unknown. The next morn-ing, our worst fears were realized.Andrea Gurka’s body was found facedown in a creek not far from her housein the woods directly in the path of theWednesday night inferno.
I called her mother, who had just gotoff the phone with the coroner’s office.We spoke for an hour, about Andrea’sdreams, hopes and inspirations. “Youknow it’s ironic,” I remember her tellingme, calmly. “During the last conversa-tion that my daughter and I had, shementioned that when she died, she did-n’t want her body to be cremated.”
I was to learn, shortly after in talkingwith Michael that his wife had suffocat-ed. On the phone from his friends’house, Michael told me that when thefire first broke out, he was in Montecitofinishing errands and heading home. Heimmediately called his wife and told herto leave. But how could she? Theirneighbor was nowhere around. Shecouldn’t drive out—the new battery toher car, one of Michael’s errands, was inhis trunk. And she couldn’t walk outbecause she had a weak knee. The onlyoption, they both decided, was that shehead for the creek and lie low in thewater until he got there. But the firedenied him access. All he could do washope and pray that Wednesday night,that his wife had survived.
And that she might have done, fireinvestigators later told Michael, had she
moved 10 yards to either side of where her body was found.Michael knew, whether he liked it or not, that Andrea’s
death was now the top news story, and related to me thatmorning that he needed time tothink about whether or not toappear on our news that evening.He called a half hour before thenewscast and said he had some-thing to say.
I rushed out to his friend’shouse in Goleta to capture on tapewhat I could, and then back to thestudio to get it on the air. I’llnever forget first gazing upon theman who was suffering the loss ofhis dearest companion. Throughthe screen door between us, all Icould see were his eyes, steadfastlypenetrating the gauze. In front ofthe camera, Michael very calmlyand with assurance spoke for 40seconds, not so much about the
enormous tragedy of the now-deadly fire, but more aboutovercoming the losses shared in order to rebuild the commu-nity and rekindle its spirit. For a man I imagined was bur-dened with such grief and possible guilt, it was a very pow-erful and positive message.
We aired it moments later that night, and in the days thatfollowed, Michael received the overwhelming support of thecommunity. He appeared on our Painted Cave Fire telethona week later, not only as a volunteer answering the phonesfor donations for fire victims, but as a guest speakerthroughout the evening, where his presence exposed thepain of the past yet provided an inspiration for the future.
I didn’t see Michael for a year after that, when he calledme on the first anniversary of the Painted Cave Fire. Weagreed I’d produce a follow-up story on his life since then. Ifound him once again to be living in Santa Barbara’s volatilebackcountry. The weather was warm that afternoon, and abreeze was blowing. The wind chimes were clattering. Welooked at each other. He didn’t have to say a word.
Fire Now FatalGood to be King
By King Harris
Bay News • July 17 – 23, 2008 • BN 9
bay newscommunity
More than 700 years oftradition will again be
celebrated when the 84thAnnual PortugueseCelebration comes to theCayucos Vet’s Hall, Saturdayand Sunday July 26-27.
The festivities begin at 5p.m. Saturday with dinner fea-turing Sopas, a traditionalPortuguese dish. Recitation ofthe Rosary begins at 7:30.Dancing by Acoreano (a tradi-tional Portuguese folk dance )and American music from 8p.m. to midnight with the“Grand March” showcasing thequeens at 9 p.m. All of theseevents are free and open to thepublic.
On Sunday, the festivitiesstart at 10:30 a.m. with theannual parade of queens fromvarious Irmandade do DivinoEspirto Santo (I.D.E.S.) organi-zations.
Sunday the 27th will commence at 10:30 a.m. at theVet’s Hall with the Parade of Queens and their courts, rep-resenting the I.D.E.S. organizations from all overCalifornia. The parade will march up Ocean Avenue to St.Joseph’s Catholic Church for 11 a.m. mass where the coro-nation of the Conselho Biera Mar No. 106 Senior and JuniorQueen will also be held.
The 2008 queens will lead the parade back to the Vet’sHall where there will be a barbecue from 11:30 a.m. to 2p.m. Cost is $15 a plate (with top sirloin, beans, salad andbread). An auction will begin at 2 p.m. with a raffle follow-ing the auction.
Marissa Hay of Morro Bay has been selected as this year’ssenior queen. She is the daughter of Thomas and Mary Hay.
Marissa’s attendants are Ellyssa Boehm, daughter of Josephand Janda Boehm of SLO and Tessa Andreini, daughter ofGary and Denise Andreini of Arroyo Grande.
The Junior Queen is Holly Thomas, daughter of Eric andCari Thomas of Cayucos. Holly’s attendants are LaniKrossa, daughter of John and Gwenn Krossa of Cayucos andCynthia Potter, daughter or Todd and Georgianna Potter ofCayucos.
This celebration dates back some 700 years and honorsQueen Isabel of Portugal who sold her jewelry during atime of drought and depression to help feed the poor. Toshow her love and humility, the popular queen would placeher crown upon the head of a young village girl.
Queens and court of the 84th Annual Portuguese Festival in Cayucos are back row leftto right: Ellyssa Boehm, Marissa Hay (senior queen) and Tessa Andreini. Front roware: Madison Potter, Holly Thomas (junior queen) and Cynthia Potter. Submitted photo
84th Annual Portuguese Celebration July 26-27CASA Adds
to Board
Court Appointed Special Advocates of SanLuis Obispo County, recently elected tow
new board members for its efforts to help abusedand neglected children navigate the court system.
New board members are: Lindsay Waugh ofAmerican Principle Bank, and Brian Baker ofCarmel & Naccasha LLC, Attorneys at Law.
Continuing board members include: DenaBellman, State Department Parks andRecreation, president; Cindy Wittstrom, JuvenileJustice Commission Chair, vice president; LisaWinn, Avila Beach Marine Institute, treasurer;Rose Marie Picanco, Heritage Oaks Bank, secre-tary; Tony Brizzolara, Morgan Stanley; BarbieButz, business owner; Christine Cornejo, City ofSan Luis Obispo; Mike Manchak, EconomicVitality Corp.; Hillary Trout, Barbich, Longcrier,Hooper & King; and Irene Vega, SLO CountyPublic Health Department.
Call 545-6542, or see the Web site at:www.slocasa.org for more on CASA.
OBITUARY
Beverly DorisWade
Beverly Doris Wade of Newport Ore., andformerly of Morro Bay, died June 27, 2008
at a Newport hospital. She was 86.Beverly was born April 17,1922 in Illinois to
Adrian and Irene (Howk) Sorenson. She attendedschool in Corvallis, Ore., and graduated fromhigh school in Los Gatos, Calif. Beverly was self-employed as a pet groomer at Bev’s DogGrooming in Morro Bay. She was a lifetime mem-ber of the Morro Bay Eagles and retained dualmembership with the Newport Eagles after mov-ing to the Oregon Coast, where she was veryactively involved. Bev loved working in her yard.
She is survived by a daughter, Camille Jones ofNewport, and a son, Fred Inman of San Antonio,Texas; and by a sister, Margarite Swisher ofPennsylvania. She had two grandchildren and fivegreat-grandchildren. Beverly was preceded indeath by her husband Arthur Wade. A privatefamily memorial has already been held inOregon. Donations in her memory may be madeto the Alzheimer’s Association, 225 N. MichiganAve., Floor 17, Chicago, IL 60601-7633.
10 BN • July 17 – 23, 2008 • Bay News
bay news
Turri Road in Los Osos turned into amajor speedway for skateboarding as
dozens of professional and amateur boardersfrom the U.S. and several foreign countriesturned out for the U. S. National SlalomSkateboarding Championships.
The men and women competed in theSuper G downhill race on Turri RoadFriday, as the cones were spaced about 50feet apart and speeds topped 35 mph. Atthose speeds a wipeout could be highlypainful.
Friday afternoon, the skaters broke in theHarborwalk bicycle path in Morro Bay asthey held a One-and-Done tight slalom racethat had 50 cones set just 6-feet apart.Competitors got just one chance to runthrough the course, racing the clock and try-ing not to knock down more than five conesor be disqualified.
On Saturday, they took over Pacific Streetfor the hybrid and tight slalom prelims fol-lowed by a fun event — the KahunaLongboard Skate Paddle Race — on thewalkways at Cloisters Park. Competitorsused long sticks as paddles surfing theirskateboards through the course.
On Sunday the slalom races returned toPacific Street for the finals and to crown thenew U.S. champions. We’ll try to get thenames of the winners for next week’s sportspage.
Photos by Christopher Gardner and NeilFarrell
skateboarding
Bees If You PleaseWild ThingsBy Ruth Ann Angus
You’ve probably heard the buzz; it’s been in the news. Bees are in trouble.
I watch the busy bees in my garden and I find it hard to think what might be going onwith them. First of all, there is more than one kind of bee.
My big succulent is flowering and large black and yellow bumblebees are all over it. Therest of the garden, with a variety of colorful flowers, is visited by smaller, black and yellowbees that I identify as honey bees. There appear to be a lot of them, so what’s the problem?
Honey bees have been declining in 35 states, Europe and South America. As many as200,000 bee colonies may have already disappeared. The disaster is a mystery as no oneknows what is causing the decline. One day a hive may be full and active and the next daybarren, with the bees literally disappearing overnight.
“The bees just take off from the hive and never return,” one beekeeper said. “We don’teven find any carcasses.”
So far a third of honey bees in the U.S. have disappeared. This phenomenon first came tolight in 2006 and has grown worse every year.
Honey bees are critical to agriculture. You may have seen the white beehive boxes set outin local fields and orchards. Commercial beekeepers transport the hives to farmers at theirrequest to pollinate their crops.
One-third of all the food produced in the U.S. is pollinated by bees. Corn, wheat and riceare not affected but would provide us with monotonous and unsatisfactory nutrition if theywere the only crops available.
Because of the needs of agriculture, we rely on bees for more than what nature needs. Asagriculture calls for bigger and bigger harvests, it bears the question, are we overworkingour honey bees and other pollinators, possibly to death?
The life of some honey bees in a hive is limited. Worker bees live only 30 days. Some ofthem become foragers at 3-weeks old. At this time they communicate with other bees in thehive by performing a special dance using movement and sounds to relay specific sites wherenectar may be found. In some cases new foragers are setting out but never return to performthe dance.
If a bee falls ill it leaves the hive to die in order to prevent the rest of the population fromgetting sick.
There is a name for the mysterious decline, “colony collapse disorder” (CCD), and scien-tists are frantically trying to find its cause. Everything from malnutrition to AIDS has beensuggested.
Bees are adversely affected by pesticides and the Varoa Destructor mite also kills them.But in this case the dead bodies are found. With CCD they just disappear. It might be thatpesticides, parasites and poor nutrition could all be the cause.
Certain viruses are being explored and one called, “Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus” (IAPV),has been found in Israel, the U.S., China and Australia. But whether this is the culprit is
not known.The more hardy Africanized bees appear to be resistant to CCD and
beekeepers are now trying to interbreed the“killer bees” with honey bees. In the meantime,
many keepers are using Australian bees tobuild up their depleted hives.
A 4-year research project will start soonwith multiple universities taking part. Ifthe cause of colony collapse disorder is notfound soon, it is estimated there could beno honey bees in the U.S. by 2035.
Busy as a bee freelance writer and naturephotographer Ruth Ann Angus makes her hive
in Morro Bay. Wild Things is a reg-ular feature of The Bay News.Send comments to: [email protected].
Bay News • July 17 – 23, 2008 • BN 11
bay newswild things
Bees coming out of hive.
Bee boxes in almond tree grove.
ALos Osos girl is among several local gymnasts thathas tumbled her way to the National
Championships.Erica Rohach, 13, is one of eight members of the Central
Coast Gymnastics’ Acrobatic team heading to the NationalChampionships in Des Moines, Iowa July 25-Aug. 1.
All eight took first place in their events at the recentRegion 1 Championships in Riverside, which included ath-letes from California, Oregon, Washington and Colorado.
Rohach and Cameron Monroy of Arroyo Grande won theLevel 7 Women’s Pair Age 12-14 group. They were credit-ed with 24.867 points.
“I’m super excited,” Rohach said about her upcomingappearance at the nationals.
She was pleased with her performance at regionals. “I feltlike all my practice really paid off,” she said. “I could final-ly see all of my progress. It’s not just getting up and com-peting, but also working as a team. Everybody on the team
works their hardest. It has really shown this year.”The team’s coach, Christina Dillon, a Cal Poly student
and team member, said Rohach is the consummate per-former. “She loves to get in front of the judges and showoff,” said Dillon. “She always impresses them with her atti-tude and facial expressions. More than anyone, she makesher routine look fun.”
According to Dillon, Acrobatic Gymnastics — or Acro— is not just tumbling and dance like traditional gymnas-tics. It integrates the grace and beauty of dance, the balanceand strength exhibited in gymnastics, with the magnifi-cence of teamwork not shared with any other sport in theUSA Gymnastics family.
“Groups of two to four athletes reach new heights ingymnastics by performing tempo, flight, and balance skills,seemingly defying laws of physics and human movement,”she said.
Dillon and Bryn Andersen of Paso Robles took top hon-
ors sat regionals in the Level-8 Women’s Pair Age 17-over.Their score was 51.000.
In the Level 5 Women’s Pair Age 11-under, San LuisObispo resident Emily Flachman and Catherine Mulder ofAtascadero were winners. They tallied 23.633 points.
San Luis Obispo resident Shanna Sullivan and JanelleSetina of Grover Beach were victorious in the Level 7Women’s Pair Age 17-over with a score of 22.200.
“They’ve improved incredibly and they’ve been winningeverything all across the board,” said Dillon. “It’s amazing.They definitely put in a ton of work, a ton of time andeffort. They have to miss so many other outside activities,like dances and family gatherings, in order to come to prac-tice all the time and just work really hard. It’s a lot of com-mitment, but it shows. They work hard and it pays off.”
Dillon, who has been coaching them since October, saidthat her partner, Andersen, is committed to the sport andthe team. “She has to come all the way to San Luis Obisposeveral nights a week and her practice schedule is constant-ly changing around my work and school schedule. Thissummer she’s even had to stay at the gym late at night topractice but she still sticks with it and always does reallywell at competitions.”
She said that Setina and Sullivan were in a trio untilhalfway through the year when one of their teammates wasno longer able to compete. In order to qualify for the statechampionships, they had to relearn their routine and alltheir tricks as a pair in only one week. Since then, they gotsecond place at the State Championships, first at the region-al championships, and were voted by all the other teams inRegion 1 to be the 2007-08 Group of the Year.
“Shanna put a tremendous amount of time and effort intolearning how to base a pair,” said Dillon. “It is completelydifferent from basing Trio which she has done the last fewyears, so it’s amazing how quickly she relearned everythingshe knew and was able to compete and succeed in such ashort amount of time.
“Janelle never misses practice and is so funny. She’s defi-nitely the class clown. She’s a little blond-haired, blue-eyedacrobat who likes to beat box and break dance when no one’slooking.”
12 BN • July 17 – 23, 2008 • Bay News
bay newssports
Erica Rohach of Los Osos and Arroyo Grande residentCameron “Cami” Monroy perform at the regionals.
Eight Local Gymnasts Head to National Championships
Los Osos Girl Among Regional Champs
By Jack Beardwood
See Nationals, page 13
Having lost eight seniors to graduation, includ-ing County Player of the Year Dylan Royer,
the Morro Bay boy’s basketball team has to improve byleaps and bounds this summer if they expect to becompetitive next season.
The Pirates started off with a 3-7 record playing inthe Azusa Pacific and UC Irvine tournaments, but theteam has won nine of 13 since then.
“Because we have 11 new faces to this year’s varsitywe took some lumps the first couple of weeks of sum-mer basketball,” said Morro Bay head coach DaveYamate. “It is a big adjustment from the lower levels tothe speed and strength of the varsity level. Not only didwe have 11 players adjusting to varsity competition butwe also had to adjust to playing together.”
Yamate said their goal for the summer is to improveevery week, come together as a team, adjust to varsitycompetition and most importantly, get ready for thehighly competitive Los Padres League.
“We have shown tremendous growth the past twoweeks,” he said.
The Pirates went 4-1 at the Pioneer Valley HighSchool Summer Tournament. Their only loss was 68-62to San Luis Obispo. After that, they defeated PasoRobles 48-38, Pioneer Valley 37-14, Nipomo 48-38and Righetti 57-49.
“Righetti starts two players with good height at 6-8and 6-7,” said Yamate. “It was a big win for us and agood sign of our continued improvement. I’m veryexcited about this year’s team. They are a great group ofkids. They get along well and with a lot of hard workwe are looking forward to an exciting basketball seasonin 2008-09.”
With nine games remaining on the summer schedule,Morro Bay is now 12-11.
The only returning players from last year’s squad thatadvanced to the second round of CIF are Daniel Kersten,a 6-2 forward, and Jun June Ebreo, a 5-11 guard.
Bay News • July 17 – 23, 2008 • BN 13
The coach praised Mulder for her dedication.“She never misses practice and always has a hugesmile on her face. She has learned so many skillsthat are way above the level she’s competing inright now. It’s hard for me to remember that thisis only her first year.”
Dillon said Flachman makes everything lookeasy. “She has worked so hard to learn skills thatshe’s afraid of but when she gets out on the floorat competitions you’d never know.”
Central Coast Gymnastics is located in San LuisObispo. Acrobatic Gymnastics is one of five disci-plines under the auspices of USA Gymnastics, theofficial governing body for the sport.
USA Gymnastics is responsible for the trainingand development of the teams and athletes whorepresent the U.S. in the World Championshipsand World Cup competitions.
Daniel Kersten (No. 5) is one of only two returning play-ers from last year’s Morro Bay boys varsity team. Photo by Jack Beardwood
Nationals, continued
Young Pirates Working Hard this Summer
bay newssports
14 BN • July 17 – 23, 2008 • Bay News
bay newspublic safety
Morro Bay Police & Fire Logs
The Morro Bay Fire Department responded to 37 callsfrom June 29-July 5 including 15 advanced life sup-
port medical aids and nine basic medical emergencies. Therewere three public assists and one injury crash. They alsoresponded to four requests for mutual aid in Cayucos andLos Osos that all turned out to be false alarms. The depart-ment has 844 calls in 2008.
July 10• Show-off: Police stopped a woman driver at 10:25 p.m.
in the 300 block of Morro Bay Boulevard but could only gether on exhibition of speed.
• Vandalism: Some scoundrel slashed the tires of an inno-cent car in the 400 block of Napa Avenue.
July 9• Busted: Police picked up a 26-year-old hooliganette in
the 3000 block of Main Street for violating felony proba-tion.
July 8• Pot: Police stopped some 21-year-old hombre at 8:45
a.m. in the 1000 block of Quintana Road and arrested thepothead for allegedly having less than one ounce of MaryJane in a vehicle, a convenient way to get around thedecriminalization laws.
• Camper: Police actually arrested a homeless man in the100 block of Embarcadero for violation of the city’s camp-ing where we can’t collect a bed tax law. He’s now campingin County Jail at taxpayer’s expense.
• Arrest: Police arrested three men at a motel in the 500block of Embarcadero for alleged “street gang felony crimi-nal activity of a death threat” and creating a disturbance,which is no doubt what they’ll plea to.
July 4• Fraud: A citizen in the area of Morro and Olive Streets
reported getting his or her credit cards ripped off and somescumbag running up more than $900 in phony charges.
• DUI: Police stopped a 25-year-old man in the 2600block of Main Street and arrested the sozzled gent for suspi-cion of driving crapulous.
July 3• Oops: Harborwalk claimed its first stumblebum as a
man reportedly walked off the pathway in the 1100 block ofEmbarcadero at 9:36 p.m. and landed on the rocks. He wasdusted off and by some miracle, police let him go homewith a sober friend rather than to jail like they do witheveryone else.
• DUI: Police stopped a man driving at 9:15 p.m. in the700 block of Quintana Road and arrested the groghound forsuspicion of driving deep in the cups. But, he was bookedand released to a sober friend instead of being jailed.
July 2• Vandalism: Police are investigating a reported case of
vandalism at a kayak business in the 500 block ofEmbarcadero, in yet another unsolved mystery.
• 2-4-1: Police stopped a 25-year-old man driving at 1:26a.m. on Highway 1 at Yerba Buena Street and arrested thechug-a-lug for driving under the table. They also arrested
his passenger, a 23-year-old pie-eyed floozy, for suspicion ofbeing drunk in public.
• Busted: Police stopped a juvenile boy or girl in the 400block of Shasta Avenue and arrested the mope for possessingdope and for not ditching his hookah pipe before the fuzzshowed up.
July 1• 5150: Police received a report of a man with
Alzheimer’s running amok in the 2900 block of MainStreet. Logs indicated they took the confused fellow toCounty Mental Health for 72-hours observation that isn’tlikely long enough to fix what ails him.
• Bust: Police responded at midnight to a disturbance inthe 200 block of Beach Street where they found a 17-year-old juvenile delinquent in a motel room with a 27-year-oldman who had warrants for burglary and forgery. The hooli-gan was busted for suspicion of possessing meth, a crackpipe and tobacco — a hanging offense in these parts.
Sheriff’s & LosOsos Fire Logs
Cal Fire/County Fire Station 15 in Los Osos respondedto 23 calls from June 29-July 5 including 15 medical
aids of which three required advanced life support measures.There were five fire calls sending an engine company to theGap Fire in Santa Barbara and a reported vegetation fireJuly 4 at Highway 1 and 13th Street in Cayucos. There wasalso a serious accident July 2 in the 1300 block of El MoroAvenue involving four cars. One person in an apparenthurry to get out of the middle school rear-ended another car,which in turn smacked into two others. Five people weretaken to the hospital with various injuries, according to thefire department. The department responded to five reportsof fireworks on July 4 though Sheriff’s logs indicated therewere 10 reports that night in Los Osos alone. The stationhas responded to 667 calls in 2008.
July 10• Los Osos: Rock’n’Roll was noise pollution at 2:49 a.m.
in the 2300 block of Alexander Avenue. Deputies con-
quered the great problem.• Los Osos: Deputies encountered a pedestrian at 2:51
p.m. in the area of Second Street and Santa Maria Avenueand arrested the louse for some undisclosed misadventure.
• Cayucos: Deputies are investigating petty thefts in the2700 block of Santa Barbara Avenue and the 2500 block ofHighway 1 as the crime wave continues.
July 9• San Simeon: Deputies responded to a report of assault
with a deadly weapon in the 900 block of Castillo Drive andarrested some hothead for the crime.
July 8• Los Osos: There’s no need to fear Underdog is right
around the corner… deputies arrived within 31 seconds toa requested citizen assist in the 700 block of HighlandDrive.
July 7• Cambria: Deputies responded to a reported spousal
battery in the 600 block of Canterbury Lane and no doubthave quite a tale to tell the judge.
• Cayucos: Deputies are going and going and going… ona reported battery in the 300 block of North Ocean Avenue.
• San Simeon: Deputies are investigating an undisclosedcrime on Hearst Castle Road as Popsie’s apparently gettingrestless.
Bay News • July 17 – 23, 2008 • BN 15
bay newsbusiness
What does a fish know about the water in which itswims its whole life?” Albert Einstein asked. The
question reminds me that we often take for granted the envi-ronment essential to our success.
Business owners should ponder two questions: 1) Do youown your business, or does it own you? 2) Are you in yourbusiness or on your business?
Several years ago, a very successful freelance writer toldme he could never turn down an assignment because if aclient found another writer for the task, he might choosethat writer for the next assignment. So my friend worked allthe time. He never took vacations. Yes, he earned more thanmost writers did, but it seemed to me he had turned hisbusiness into a relentless grind, and he lacked the liberty Iassociate with entrepreneurship. It was a necessary phase ofbusiness development, but at that point his business ownedhim.
The distinction between “in” and “on” is the differencebetween managing tasks and managing the business. Youknow you are “in” your business when it feels as if you aredrowning in mundane details every day. My father used tosay that the mundane is like a cancer; it eats away at yourcreativity and prevents you from seeing the bigger picture.Being “in” the business means you spend downtime worry-ing rather than dreaming. Getting “on” your business pro-vides a completely different perspective. As the saying goes,it’s hard to think about how to drain the swamp when you’reup to your waist in alligators.
When you step above the frantic daily challenges, you canfocus on three big questions: 1) Are your coworkers motivat-ed? 2) Is your checkbook balanced? 3) Where are your cus-tomers going? To answer these questions, you need time tothink.
How can you anticipate tomorrow’s customer needs whenyou’re obsessed with yesterday’s orders? You need motivatedcoworkers to get the daily work done. Many entrepreneursface difficulty here because when you start as a one-personshop, it’s very difficult to trust others with the work. Buttrust allows motivated coworkers to blossom, so if you wantto grow, learn to let go.
I don’t think you have to do your own bookkeeping tomanage cash flow, but I think every business owner can ben-efit from an accounting class. When it’s your money on theline every day, you should be conversant in the language offinance.
I often say that accountants live in the past, managers livein the present and leaders live in the future. Get on yourbusiness, and you’ll become the kind of leader who createsthe future.
Kinko’s founder and philanthropist Paul Orfalea is the author ofThe Entrepreneurial Investor: The Art, Science and Business ofValue Investing and Copy This: How I Turned Dyslexia, ADHD,and 100 Square Feet into a Company called Kinko’s. DeanZatkowsky is a former marketing executive and coauthor of TheEntrepreneurial Investor.
The Ins and Ons of Ownership
By Paul Orfalea with Dean Zatkowsky
The year was 1967.The cost of gasoline was 33 cents agallon. Average cost for a new home was $14,250.
The Beatles had just released Sgt. Peppers Lonely HeartsClub Band and tens of thousands marched in WashingtonD.C. to protest the Vietnam War.
As the hippies emerged on San Francisco in a haze of potsmoke, Lowell Hoff was going into the nursery business inLos Osos. He bought 3.5 acres from Helen Fairchild, whowas operating The Garden Craft Shop at the corner of LosOsos Valley Road and Fairchild Way.
After 41 years in the business, Hoff has sold ShelteredAcre Nursery and retired. Hoff, 73, said it’s time to moveon. “I’m enjoying being free to pick and choose, to do newthings,” he told The Bay News. “It’s been wonderful being apart of this community. We’ve had some interesting distrac-tions, but it’s been fun.”
He did much more than just operate a nursery. For morethan 15 years he had aflorist shop in the build-ing where Celia’s GardenCafé is now located. Hehad a landscape contract-ing business for almost30 years and even had aweekly radio program —The Coastal Gardener —on KATY in San LuisObispo.
New owner is ToddDavidson, who hasrenamed the nursery,Sage Eco Gardens.
“We’re doing a wholenew layout with thenursery,” said PhyllisMartin, who joins Sageafter working with Hofffor 16 years. “We’ve
expanded it and we’re going to be putting in landscape dis-play areas which will include plants from around the world,kind of like a mini-botanical garden.”
She said that among the areas to be represented will beSouth Australia, Chile, the Mediterranean, South Africa andCalifornia. “It is very much geared towards low mainte-nance, drought tolerant plants.”
They have recently cleared an area of land on the propertywhere the new gardens will be planted, along with a newsales office.
The nursery will continue to embrace the influence ofHoff. Martin said they will maintain the roses, bamboo,hydrangeas, tuberous begonias and fuchsias that were a keypart of the business. “We wanted to maintain the things thathe loved, a tribute to Lowell. He was just a wonderfulemployer, a very nice person to work for,” said Martin.
Davidson said they will be taking a landscape approach tothe nursery with anemphasis on integratedpest management utiliz-ing biological controls,including the use of“soft” chemicals andmechanical controls.
The main theme willbe presenting plants thatdo not require muchwater to survive.Davidson said they willalso be planting a sus-tainable meadow, analternative to conven-tional turf grass thatneeds little mowing andhardly a drop of water.
He said they hope to
Nursery has New Owners, New Philosophy
By Jack Beardwood
The Sage Eco Gardens “team” (from left to right) is Hilda Davidson,Todd and 18 month old Benjamin Davidson, Jill Marie and PhyllisMartin. Photo by Jack Beardwood
See New Owners,page 17
16 BN • July 17 – 23, 2008 • Bay News
bay newspuzzles
Lo c a lbusinesses are coming
out strong in support ofdressing up the SantaYsabel Traffic CalmingProject in Los Osos. Avolunteer communityeffort, three donationsfrom Baywood Inn Bed &Breakfast, Rabobank andCoast National Bank total-ing $750 were recentlygiven. Individual commu-nity members have alsocontributed more than$2,500 to the project tocomplete the job thecounty began but didn’t
finish to the satisfaction of the community. Over the past year, volunteers drew up a landscape plan,devised an irrigation system, planted, and mulched and weeded the center-divider islands on Santa Ysabel.Adjacent neighbors are providing water and volunteers are committed to maintenance and upkeep.Pictured here are from left: Alex Benson, Baywood Inn InnKeeper; Tessa Fields, Coast National BankBranch Manager; Mimi Kalland, Santa Ysabel Islands Project Coordinator; and John Mascarenas,Rabobank Branch Manager. E-mail to: [email protected] for more information. Submitted photo
You could say Minerva Holdenis a needy baby’s best friend.
For the past six years, Minerva has leda group of women from the Morro BayWard of the Church of Jesus Christ ofLatter Day Saints making knittedhats, bedclothes, receiving blanketsand quilts to be handed out to new-borns and expecting mothers in SantaMaria and Santa Barbara, and now inSan Luis Obispo County too.
“Some of these babies have noth-ing,” Minerva said Thursday, as someof her volunteer sewers and knittersbusied themselves putting togetherthe little care packages.
The ladies meet the secondThursday of the month at the churchon Ironwood Avenue. They get alonglike sisters and share a special bondthat comes from giving unselfishly. Aninspector on the elections board,Minerva bought the fabrics and woolherself for several years. Then her fel-low inspectors began donating moneyand her sisters in the church donate as well.
“I guess we’ve made about 2,000 blankets and put togeth-er perhaps 1,000 packages to give away,” she recalled. Theydeliver about a dozen of the care packages a month.
The San Luis Obispo chapter of Alpha, Inc., and the SantaMaria Public Health Department’s County OBClinic/Visiting Home Health Nurses Program deliver theitems to teen mothers and poor mothers.
Maria Soria, a public health service aide at the Santa
Barbara OB Clinic, said 55 women received items for theirnewborns last month alone. “Some of these women are with-out the basic necessities, without furniture, without means,”said Soria. “They come and have their babies, and wouldnormally leave with nothing. Minerva makes it possible tohave something special — a hat and receiving blanket — foreach infant to travel home in. We are so grateful to her forher ongoing efforts.”
Bay News • July 17 – 23, 2008 • BN 17
Cayucos Woman is a Baby’s Best Friend
bay newscommunity
Pictured from left to right are: Kae Sanders, Annette Benson, Barbie Meyers,Minerva Holden, Shannon Marley, Sandra MacDonald, Kathee Montgomeryand Susan Richards, put together care packages for needy infants. Photo byNeil Farrell
make the nursery into a community garden where peoplecan feel free to roam. They will host garden tours, educa-tional outreach, and special events including weddings andconcerts. They also plan to connect with local garden clubsfor special events.
For the last four years, Davidson has been operating alandscape business and a landscape maintenance business.That part of the business is called Sage EcologicalLandscapes and has 12 employees. See the Web site at:www.sagelandscapes.net.
With regard to the nursery, he stressed that the operationwill be a team approach that includes his wife, Hilda, who
grew up on a family farm in Guatemala and avid gardenerand Los Osos resident, Jill Marie, who formerly worked atBay Laurel in Atascadero. “It’s all about being family withthe environment,” said Marie, who rides her bike to work.
Martin, who has 16 years experience in the field, willremain as manager.
A Cal Poly graduate, Todd has been in the landscape busi-ness for 18 years. His grandfather, Ray Houston, was a CalPoly horticulture professor from 1957-83.
They hope to have their new showcase gardens completedand hold an open house within the next four months.
Call 528-1800 for information. The nursery is located at1188 Los Osos Valley Rd.
New Owners, continued
18 BN • July 17 – 23, 2008 • Bay News
bay newskiosk
Experience Filipino culture at the Bay-Osos FilipinoCommunity Association’s 2008 Cultural Night set for5:30-11:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 at the South BayCommunity Center in Los Osos. There will be a Filipinocuisine dinner, dancing, scholarship awards, a parade ofFilipino costumes, folk dances by Cal Poly’s PilipinoKasayahan Na Dance Groupe and more. Donation is $15per person and reservations can be made by calling Albert orPina Calizo at 528-4998 or Myrna Oliveros at 528-6874.
Tickets are on sale now for the annual Tip-a-CopDinner, a benefit for the Special Olympics’ LawEnforcement Torch Run. Tickets are $20 for adults, $5for children or $150 for a table of eight. The dinner isset for 5:30-7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 at the Morro BayCommunity Center, 1001 Kennedy Way. Dinner ticketsinclude a barbecue meal plus a drink. Call 772-6284 forticket and event information. Special Olympics serves some650 SLO County children and adults with developmentaldisabilities
St. Benedict’s Episcopal Church’s second annual artexhibit and sale titled, “Re-visioning Los Osos,Reflections of Los Osos through an Artist’s Eye” is setfor 5-7:30 p.m. Friday Aug. 1. There will be entries frommany well-known artists from Los Osos and the surround-ing community. The public is invited to the Aug. 1 recep-tion for the artists, with music by pianist Janis Johnson. Theexhibit and sale will continue on Saturday Aug. 2 from 10a.m. to 5 p.m. St. Benedict’s is at Los Osos Valley and ClarkValley Roads. Call 534-0401 for information.
Small Wilderness Area Preservation will host archaeol-ogist Dr. John Parker for some time traveling into theancient past of Central Coast inhabitants, the Chumashand their ancestors at the next Elfin Forest nature
walk, set for 9:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, July 19.Walking along the boardwalk, Parker will tell the fascinat-ing story of the ancient peoples who preceded the Chumashand explain how archaeologists determine changes in oceanlevels by studying human habitations. This will be Parker’slast walk in the Elfin Forest, as he, his wife and assistantCheyanne will soon be moving to Northern California. Meetat the north end of 15th Street off Santa Ysabel Avenue.Park carefully to avoid blocking mailboxes. Dress for theweather and no dogs allowed.
Free moonlight hours are now in effect at the San LuisObispo Children’s Museum the third Thursday of themonth through the end of the year. Made possible by agrant from county supervisors, the moonlight hoursmean free admission to the newly revamped museumfrom 5-8 p.m. Moonlight hours are Thursdays, July 17,Aug. 21, Sept. 18, Oct. 16, Nov. 20 and Dec. 18. TheChildren’s Museum is at 1010 Nipomo St., corner ofNipomo and Monterey Streets, in downtown San LuisObispo. Operating hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdaythrough Saturday and 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays andselect Monday holidays.
The San Luis Obispo School of Law is hosting addition-al introductory nights on Thursdays, July 24 and Aug.21 at 6 p.m. This event is open to the public and providesan opportunity for those that are interested in the school orobtaining a law degree to come learn more and ask ques-tions. All attendees can meet Judge Charles Porter, thefounder and head instructor of the school. The event will beheld at the former Pacheco Elementary School, 165 GrandAve., near the Cal Poly campus. Call (805) 544-6767 or E-mail to: [email protected] for more information.
Learn how to hoop for fun and fitness with certified
BodyHoops instructor Wendy Ireland at a new classoffered by the Morro Bay recreation department.Develop coordination, flexibility, and strengthen your coreand major muscle groups as BodyHoops integrates skillsand drills that will develop strength and stamina. Classeswill meet on Tuesday mornings through Aug. 12 from 10-11 a.m. at the Morro Bay Community Center. The cost is a$5 drop-in fee and hoops will be available to use and forpurchase. See Tides Web Activity Guide at: www.morro-bay.ca.us/recreation.html for information on this and otherofferings.
On Saturday, July 19, the Officer’s Association and theGrover Beach Parks and Recreation Department willhost a free skate day. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., CentralCoast Surfboards will host demonstrations by localprofessional skateboarders. Admission into the park willbe paid for ages 15 and under and refreshments and muchmore will be available throughout the day. Full pads andhelmet and a signed waiver by the parent are required forparticipation. For more information, contact the GroverBeach Parks and Recreation Department at 473-4580.
The San Luis Obispo Bicycle Coalition will hold afundraiser to benefit bicycle advocacy efforts as part ofthe San Luis Obispo Downtown Criterium Classic bikerace on Saturday, July 19, from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The“Pedal to the People” fundraiser, which will feature BobMionske, JD, a two-time Olympian and national road racechampion, who raced against Lance Armstrong. Mionske isan attorney advocating the rights of cyclists, contributor toVeloNews magazine and author of Bicycling & the Law:Your Rights as a Cyclist. Tickets are $50 for the public, $40for coalition members and criterium racers. The event willbe held at the Ludwick Community Center, 864 Santa RosaSt. in San Luis Obispo. For tickets, visitwww.slobikelane.org/pedaltothepeopleTickets/Event.
WHO · WHAT · WHERE · WHEN
Bay News • July 17 – 23, 2008 • BN 19
bay newsentertainment
Folk music lovers are in for a divergent treat whenCeltic meets African music at the next San Luis
Obispo Folk Music Society concert in Templeton.Baka Beyond plays a blend of Celtic and African music
originally inspired by Martin Cradick and Sue Hart’s visitsto the Baka Forest People of Cameroon.
The rhythms and melodies of the virtuoso African players,meet with the Celtic traditions, ancient and modern, of theEuropean musicians in the group that has grown over theyears to include members from Brittany, Cameroon,Senegal, Sierra Leone andGhana, as well as Britain.
“It’s great to play with somany talented musicians,”said Seckou Keita,Senegalese kora maestro andpercussion player for BakaBeyond.
It is almost 12 years sincethe album, “Spirit of theForest” was released, defin-ing the term “World Music”and pushing Baka Beyondinto worldwide recognition.
“It was the amazing bird-like singing or ‘yelli’ thatfirst attracted me,” saidHart, Baka Beyond’s leadsinger. “The women gettogether before the dawn tosing, enchant the animals ofthe forest and ensure thatthe men’s hunting will be
successful. Song and dance are used by the Baka for healing,for rituals, for keeping the community together and also forpure fun.”
The show is set for 7 p.m. Saturday, July 19 at CastoroCellars Winery, corner of Highway 46 and Bethel Road inrural Templeton. Tickets are $22 and available at the win-ery, call 238-0725, or from SLOFOLKS’ Web site, see:www.SLOfolks.org. There will also be a catered dinner bythe 10th Street Grill of Los Osos starting at 6 p.m. for anadditional charge.
Tickets are on sale now for the 2008 Pops by the Seaconcert with the San Luis Obispo Symphony, set for
Sunday, Aug. 31 at the Avila Beach Golf Resort in Avila.The Labor Day weekend event is in its 17th year and this
year’s theme is “Pops by the Numbers.” Conductor MichaelNowak will lead the orchestra on classic tunes like Take 5,76 Trombones, When I’m 64, 42nd Street and of course theimmortal 1812 Overture. The musical program always runs
from the silly to the sublime so there’s something for every-one at Pops by the Sea.
Party Table seating starts at $25 a person and tickets areavailable by calling the Symphony office at (805) 543-3533.Bring a beach chair for lawn seating and the price is $15with a $3 discount for groups of 10 or more.
Patrons can also save gas and money by getting out theirbikes and “Pedaling to Pops!” Riding a bike earns a $3 dis-
count for lawn seating and a chance towin prizes from local bike shops. Andkids 14-under are free if they sit on thelawn.
Lawn seating tickets are availableonline beginning Aug. 1 atwww.slosymphony.com and will alsobe available at ticket outlets and cham-bers of commerce throughout theCentral Coast. Call the Symphony at543-3533 for more information.
Sponsors include Avila Beach GolfResort, Big Images, Central CoastMagazine, County of San Luis Obispo,Harvey’s Honey Huts, KSBY, KVEC,New Times, PG&E, Univision and theSanta Maria Sun.
Grammy Winning Guitarist at Coalesce
Grammy Award-winning guitarist Ed Gerhard will bring is “guitar voice” to the Coalesce Bookstore Chapel in MorroBay for one show, set for 7 p.m. Friday, July 18.
Gerhard’s “guitar voice” is recognized and praised worldwide. Known for his gorgeous tone and compositional depth,Gerhard can move you with a single note. Scott Alarik of the Boston Globe said, “Gerhard does not write instrumentals.He writes songs only a guitar can sing.”
Tickets are $20 a person and available at the Coalesce Bookstore, 845 Main St. Call 772-2880 to reserve tickets.
Celtic Meets Africa
Pops by the Sea by the Numbers Aug. 31
Volume 19 • Issue 29 • July 17 – 23, 2008
