# 155 - April 1st, 2009

Greetings one and all…Are you sitting comfortably - then I shall begin...Let’s get right into a report on the busy week of events here in the Valley that has seen me attend several most enjoyable gatherings, beginning with two that took place last Wednesday evening...
First up was the ‘Silver Celebration’ at the High School gym to acknowledge the designation recently awarded to the School by U.S. News and World Report as one of the top 3% of schools in the Nation. Many people in the Valley from all walks of life attended and the students were clearly very pleased at their award and did a fine job in explaining the various projects in which they were involved. Whatever some may think of this ‘Award’ it should be said that the students certainly seem to be bolstered by it and yer gotta like that... Following this scholastic experience, I flew into downtown Boonville for an ‘educational’ experience of a different kind. This was at The Boonville Lodge Bar & Grill where I was warmly welcomed as a ‘Special Guest’ to the ‘Staff Appreciation Party.’ Cindy Hollinger and D’Anne Wallace had done a wonderful job with the decorations and Owner Tom Towey had made his specialty dishes - beef bourguignon, chicken Marsala, and lasagna – to “thank everyone for their contributions to the bar’s success over the past year.” With an open bar providing a steady flow of drinks courtesy of guest barman Olie Erickson; pool, roulette and black jack tables (for entertainment purposes only of course) run by guest croupiers Kevin Lee and Mark Boudoures, who were both kept very busy by the enthusiastic ‘gamblers’; and karaoke for the less inhibited amongst the crowd; it was an excellent party, no doubt thoroughly enjoyed by all the staff and their guests. Good job, Tom and all those who helped make it possible...
As a brief intermission to this ramble through the social events of the past week, let’s squeeze in The Valley Quiz...Answers at the end...
1. The longest serving Fire Chief in the whole State is from around these parts – not the Valley but fairly close by. Who is he?
2. Boonville was given that name in the late 1860’s by W.W. Boone. What was it called immediately prior to that?
3. In the early 1900’s, there were many ‘tidricks” in the Valley – there still are. This is a Boontling word – i.e. from the local dialect here in the Valley and a little beyond. What was a “tidrick”? (Clue – it’s an appropriate question given the main topic of this week’s column).

Back to business...On Sunday morning I flew into town once again and arrived at The Barn Sale just north of Boonville to be greeted by Bill Holcomb, sitting down inside and not in his usual position at the grill serving up his ‘World Famous’ Holcomburgers. Recovering quickly from this calamitous situation, I was informed that he’d not been well – “good days and bad days”, so the ‘kitchen’ had to be closed for the weekend. Despite this blow, Eva Holcomb informed me that this first weekend following the three-month winter break had been very busy. Hummingbird decided to buy some music albums – the classic soundtracks of ‘Oklahoma’ and ‘My Fair Lady’, and, for reasons that escape me, one by Jim Nabors - Gomer Pyle from ‘The Andy Griffith’s Show’. (I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised - after all she does have an ‘Ethel Merman sings Disco’ album!)...Following a pick-me-up cup of coffee courtesy of Eva, and a quick check on the four Border Collies and a clearly frustrated Shepherd working the flock of sheep next to the Barn – “if this were a football game we’d be losing about 14-35” he told me - we were on our way...Next stop was The Gathering to celebrate the opening of the new firehouse just outside of Philo, across Hwy 128 from Jack’s Valley Store. It’s a wonderful new building and there was a good crowd in attendance. Adding to the event were the superb tri-tip sandwiches being expertly prepared up by Grill Master Olie Erickson, using his secret tri-tip rub recipe, as several other volunteers/fire service personnel served them up to the guests gathered inside the firehouse. Many familiar faces were there but by 4pm or so I was one of the last to leave, at which point there were still some sandwiches remaining. Volunteers Judy Long and Joanie Clark offered them to any takers who were ’lingering with intent’. What was a Turkey Vulture to do? I accepted their generosity, as it would have been rude not to...It had been a very gratifying afternoon I must say...
At such an event, no alcohol was served, not that there is anything wrong with that of course. Nevertheless, on this beautifully sunny, albeit it quite windy afternoon, I was gasping for a beer on our return to The Nest. Moments later, as I surveyed my domain from the deck, and guzzled down a bottle of Red Tale Ale from the Mendocino Brewery in Ukiah, whilst slowly gnawing on one of the delicious sandwiches, my mind wandered to what I’ve always thought to be a very wise observation from the mind of none other than Benjamin Franklin – “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy”...Wow!! Now if those words of wisdom aren’t deserving of being included under our weekly heading ‘The Value of a Drink’, then I don’t know what is – so put that in your pipe and smoke it!
I should go now – I’ve got to see a man about a sheep...Be careful out there; think good thoughts; and may your god go with you...Oh, and of course, one final request, “Let us prey”…Humbly yours, Turkey Vulture.
You can contact me with words of support/abuse either by e-mail at turkeyvulture1 @ earthlink.net
p.s. Hi, Silver Swan, I hope you are well...
Quiz answers...
1. The Fire Chief is R.D. ‘Bobby’ Beacon. He’s been forty-six years in that position over on the coast in the town of Elk.
2. Kendall City – so named by Alonzo Kendall who had settled in the Valley in 1854 and had owned a small hotel and store in what is now the downtown Boonville area. He left to live in Manchester on the coast in 1867.
3. “Tidrick” is Boont for a social gathering. These events were often organized by the church and featured tea and drinks. “Tidrick” is a combination of these two words.