# 163 - June 17th, 2009

Greetings one and all - if you are sitting comfortably then I shall begin...
I flew into the high school parking lot last Thursday evening just in time to see the graduating seniors, appropriately dressed (girls in white, boys in black), enter the gym and climb the steps on to the stage for their ‘big night.’ With many people taking the ‘Over three hours’ in the Over/Under ‘for entertainment purposes only’ side betting, I noted that proceedings had begun at 7.05pm... I sat down and proceeded to thoroughly enjoy the ensuing program. The event was ably hosted and perfectly paced by hosts Principal J.R. Collins and Vice Principal Jim Tomlin and featured several memorable contributions including Cassidy Hollinger’s valedictorian speech – her thoughtful words were clearly heartfelt, resulting in a few tears amongst the audience and from the speaker herself; the zealous Spanish from Kathy Cox; and the speech of school secretary Wanda Johnson who has been dealing with this class for six years and who had clearly connected with them... A real crowd-pleaser was the Class Video by senior Veronica Mendoza, particularly the section in which each class member was shown metamorphasizing from little child to young adult before the audience’s eyes – clearly someone had been paying attention in Mitch Mendoza’s film class!...
Towards the end of the event came the presentations of the financial awards given very generously by many local sponsors and donors such as The Lions Club, The A.V. Grange, The Chamber of Commerce, P-FLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), The Unity Club, The Kay and Shirley Hiatt Award, The Philo Methodist Church, American Legion, etc., etc., totaling approximately $20,000. The awards culminated in the ten awards donated to his alma mater by writer/filmmaker/philanthropist Robert Mailer Anderson, represented on this occasion (he was attending the New York premiere of his film ‘Pig Hunt’) by his cousin and current high school baseball coach, Ben Anderson. These ten sponsorships totaled a jaw-dropping $145,000 including a fantastic $72,000 (4 years at $18,000 a year) awarded to Miriam Barragan, who will be attending U.C. Northridge to study sign language...The event climaxed with the students receiving their diplomas as Principal Collins informed us of what each planned to do in the future. It was one of the best graduations I have attended (a far cry from the 3 1/2 hour marathon in 105 degrees of a few years ago) and, when it finished at 9.15pm (a big win for those predicting Under three hours), I’m sure the more than six hundred people in attendance felt it had been a most enjoyable and special evening. I spoke to J.R. afterwards and he felt the Class of 2009 had been a very good group, a collection of motivated students that genuinely cared for each other, and one that he felt would do very well in the pursuit of their individual goals... Many congratulations to the Seniors on their achievements so far – now comes the difficult part! Sincere best wishes to one and all...
Following this brief report on such a memorable occasion, for the Quote of the Week I have come up with some words from Virginia Gildersleeve (October 3, 1877 – July 7, 1965), an American academic, the sole female US delegate to the San Francisco United Nations Charter Conference in April 1945, and founder of the International Federation of University Women. She wisely said, “The ability to think straight, some knowledge of the past, some vision of the future, some urge to fit service into the well-being of the community – these are the most vital things that education must try to produce.” Based on the Class of 2009, I would venture to say that A.V.H.S. has performed its function of educating very well indeed...
Moving on to a far less dignified affair...As I sat on the deck up at The Nest on Saturday afternoon, I found myself nibbling on a delicious medley of triple cream Cambozola, a little smoked gouda, some very tasty unripened goat cheese with fine herbs, and a smidgeon of aged cow-chego cheese, along with some prosciutto, salami, fresh melon, and savory crackers. As I sipped from my glass, I thought to myself, ‘this sparkling wine and guava nectar mix is an absolutely perfect pairing with this collection of hors’d-oevres.’ (Regular readers may be pleased to know that yes, the word orgasmic did cross my mind too)...It was only noon and such decadence is something I rarely indulge in at such an hour - and that’s why I share this with you as The Wine/Food Pairing of the Week!...
And obviously it’s now straight on to The Whine of the Week... Actually, it’s not so much a whine as a big disappointment, shared by many others I’m sure, as a local tradition disappears. One of my favorite Valley events over the years has been the annual Woolgrowers Fair, Sheep Dog Trial, and Bar-B-Q with its array of wool exhibits, the excellent lamb bar-b-q, sheep dog trial, and various other presentations. Based on attendance I know I am not alone in thinking this to be a great day out in the Valley. A couple of years ago I heard that the long-time organizers were finding it increasingly more difficult to do each year and were thinking of stepping down. If other people did not step up then the event would be cancelled. Last year there were rumors it would not take place but it was still on right up until the lightning fires hit the Valley and the event had to be cancelled. This year it’s simply not happening – the Community Newsletter is incorrect with its July 26th announcement of the event. I have spoken to some of those close to the event and it appears that a new crop of organizers is needed to resurrect this wonderful tradition but so far nobody had stepped up. Perhaps people do not know about this situation and so I thought I’d mention it here. If ‘The Woolgrowers’ is to return for 2010 a new committee will probably have to be formed, ideally from those amongst the old-timers who can still lend a hand in some way plus an influx from the ‘new shepherds’ in the Valley. If anyone has some thoughts on this please get in touch (e-mail at the bottom), and perhaps something can be done to bring this unique event back for the enjoyment of many people in the Valley and beyond...
Public Service Announcements… The Sierra Nevada Music Festival arrives in town this weekend and no doubt there will be some late night reggae and strange perfumes permeating the Valley air for its duration – please tolerate and/or enjoy...The Boonville Farmers Market is at its usual time and place this Saturday (9.45am to Noon, Hotel Parking Lot, June 20th) but to spice it up a little there is to be a special solstice celebration and yer gotta like that...Live Music at The Navarro Store this Saturday evening at 7pm featuring the blues harmonica of John Nemith and his Band, and a whole lot more...And finally, another reminder that you can do a whole bunch of less interesting things than to visit The A.V Museum. It’s at The Little Red Schoolhouse next to the Elementary School on Hwy 128, and is open every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 1pm to 4pm...
Before I go, I’d like to pass on to you, under the heading Life ‘Lessons’, a little more advice you may find useful at some point – ‘the consumption of alcohol may cause you to think you can sing’.... Enough of this - I’m outta here!...Be careful out there; think good thoughts; and, with the hot weather now with us, please remember to keep your windows cracked if you have pets in your vehicle...May your god go with you...And of course, one final request, “Let us prey”…Humbly yours, Turkey Vulture.
p.s. You can contact me with words of support/abuse by e-mail at turkeyvulture1 @ earthlink.net
p.p.s. R.I.P. Ruth...What a great run - at fifteen years old surely one of the oldest sheep in the Valley, and certainly one of the loudest when hungry!