April 2010 Issue | Download the Full Issue

For the first time ever the Boys & Girls Clubs of North County Auction & Dinner Gala will have a guest of honor. And the honoree couldn’t be more appropriate: longtime philanthropist Arlyne Ingold.
This formal black tie event with a fun Mardi Gras theme—the clubs’ largest fund-raiser of the year—will be held at the Pechanga Resort and Casino, Saturday, April 24. Festivities begin at 5 p.m. and conclude with dancing until 11 p.m.
“We have typically never had an event honoree,” says Andrea Butcher, this year’s auction chairman. “We are honoring Arlyne Ingold, who is a wonderful lady.”
“She used to come out for all of these events. She was always the first one to step up to the plate when we needed help. We thought it would be fitting to have her as the honoree because she has been so instrumental in our success.”
The Fallbrook Boys and Girls Club unit is actually named the Arlyne Ingold unit.
Mrs. Ingold’s contributions to the community and its children are many. One of the many children she has helped is Boys & Girls Clubs member Carlos Osuna, whom she took under her wing when she heard of his interest in music. To show his appreciation, Carlos recently performed and sang a piano piece he wrote and dedicated to Mrs. Ingold during a club awards dinner.
Ingold Sports Park is another example of the Ingold family’s contributions to the community. The sports park has soccer fields as well as a lighted baseball diamond.
“People need to realize that because Fallbrook and Bonsall are such small communities, we don’t have the big company donor base of Carlsbad or Solana Beach—they have some large corporate sponsors, while we rely entirely on individuals, and they come through year after year. It is really a testament to the people in the community,” says Butcher.
Small communities, yes, but the club serves over 1,500 kids in Bonsall, Fallbrook and Pala.
“This year we are going to really try and bring up the level of fun that everyone has at the auction and dinner,” says Butcher. “We want it to be the premier event that everyone wants to go to whether they are a yearlong supporter or if this is the only event that they attend.”
The event begins with a silent auction featuring over 150 unique and specialty items. The evening continues with a live auction, gourmet dinner, strolling entertainment and dancing.
The live auction will feature items such as fantasy vacations, golf getaways, New York shopping excursions, and the always popular AKC certified puppy.
To make the event super exciting, Butcher, who is an event planner by trade, says she is calling in a lot of favors! “I’m hoping that the event will not only be something that benefits the community but is also a lot of fun!” she says.
Guests will be treated to the sounds of Grammy nominated keyboardist Larry White during the silent auction.
Those attending will be surprised by a variety of Mardi Gras inspired entertainment. One of San Diego’s most popular dance bands, “The Fabulous Ultratones” will perform during dinner and for dancing following the auction. Guests will also be treated to a Mardi Gras themed gourmet dinner prepared for the event.
Assisting Butcher on the auction committee are Jeanette Short, Mary Mack and Deb Zoller.
“Come out and make friends and honor Mrs. Ingold. There’s no better way to honor her than to honor something she has been such a longtime supporter of,” says Butcher.
Tickets for the Gala are $175 per person or $1750 for a table of 10. If you would like to be an event sponsor or donate an auction item, call the club at 760-728-5871 or visit the clubs’ Web site at www.bgcnorthcounty.com. Boys & Girls Clubs of North County is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit and all contributions are tax deductible.
The evening is sponsored by the Donegan-Burns Foundation. Sponsorships opportunities are available for the event and include tickets to the Gala as well as other benefits.

Avocado Festival Returns To Its Roots

The 24th annual Avocado Festival, Sunday, April 18, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. will return to its roots, and the real reason that people come to this perennial favorite event: avocados!
That’s appropriate given that the festival will celebrate its silver anniversary next year.
It is a festival that each year draws an estimated 100,000 people, some from other states and countries.
“We reduced the number of booths this year,” Kathy Richards of the Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce says. “It was getting too big. We want to raise the quality and make sure it’s a festival and not a street fair.
“The flip side of this is that we are going back to our roots at the same time that we are moving forward— and that is really what people come for,” she says.
But even so there will still be about 300 vendors. However, this time there won’t be any vendor booths on side streets. All will be easy to locate.
Besides Richards, who is coordinating many of the events for the Chamber, others responsible for putting on the festival this year are: Chairman Gary Shimer, Avocado Avenue coordinator Nancy McSheehy; north beer garden, Stan Neiman; south beer garden, Roy & Linda Constello.
The committee is really laying it on thick, as in guacamole thick!, to highlight the green alligator-skinned fruit that inspired it all.
Especially at the center of the seven block festival, at the corner of Alvarado & Main Street.
At that intersection avocados will be piled high. Agricultural people will be camped at that location, displaying many different versions of the fruit.
Alvarado on the west side will be renamed “Avocado Avenue” for that one day and it will be strictly avocado products from vendors.
Example: Hall’s Plant Nursery of Deluz will have 20 kinds of avocado trees and examples of all of the avocados and all kinds of educational materials.
Another local vendor will be Avocado Dreamin’, carrying all kinds of avocado lotions and avocado fudge! Another vendor will be the Fallbrook-based Kool Ranch, which sells avocado t-shirts and visors.
“The Chamber will have our own little avocado emporium, with items such as ripening bags, avocado license plates, and commemorative plates.
The California Avocado Commission will have a presence on “Avocado Avenue.”
By the time you read this article, the Chamber should have launched its revamped Web site www.fallbrookchamberofcommerce.org/. Here you will be able to go online and get the festival guide, read about the sponsors and watch YouTube videos about the festival.
“These are all things that will bring us into higher exposure, which helps our vendors,” says Richards.
“We are also hoping through the new Web site to encourage people to make it a weekend event by highlighting lodging in Fallbrook. We are planning to work hard on the avocado festival page to make it a weekend thing.
The idea is to come early on Saturday, enjoy Fallbrook and environs, stay at one of the area’s fine lodgings, arrive early at the festival like a local, and then leave at the end of the day.
This will, hopefully, bring in some extra income to the area’s merchants, who, like all business people this year, are feeling the effects of the recession.
The day of the Avocado Festival is frequently very hot, so this year both beer gardens will be tented for the first time—with big fans at both ends to keep the air moving in the 40 by 100 foot tents.
“We are really excited about that,” says Richards.
There will be two live bands, each playing at the beer gardens. Salt Creek will play at the north beer garden and Blue Zone will play at the southern beer garden.
Blue Zone is a popular band from North San Diego County that plays Classic Rock & Roll and Blues. This year will be their 15th consecutive year of playing at the Avocado Festival.
Ken Engle plays the guitar and harmonica and sings lead vocals. Hal Schmidt is the band’s keyboard player and backup singer. Chris Pritchard plays lead guitar and sings lead also. During the 1980s, he toured with the surf band, The Surfaris, the band that had the hit songs "Surfer Joe" and "Wipe Out."
Bass player, Don Skelton has been playing electric and upright bass for 45 years. He has played many different styles of music over the years from pop/rock, country, blues, jazz and classical. Blue Zone plays a wide variety of Classic Rock songs from the 60s & 70s up through the 90s. Lee Steitz is the drummer for Blue Zone and also plays acoustic guitar and sings. He has been playing since the 1970’s and has been in several bands in the LA area.
Julie Ryan, lead singer of Salt Creek, which hales from Lake Elsinore, describes her six-member group as a country rock band that does original music similar to Sugarland, but with a little bit of a rock edge. It also does music of other bands.
The band has been together for about five years. Members include Julie Ryan, lead singer; lead guitar John Wathen; rhythm guitar, Jim Heil; base player, Ray Agueros; Heidi Ortiz, back up vocalist and hand percussion and drummer, Tom Wiker. This will be its second appearance at the avocado festival.
This year there will be no culinary contest, but there will be the traditional guacamole contest, with amateur and commercial divisions.
This contest is like a cook-off except that the contestants are making guacamole.
Although there will not be a carnival this year, Patty Hornsveld will have the Kidzone, with rides for kids.
Other avo-related activities include the Avocado 500, a “model” car building event and race using avocados as vehicles.
• Community Stage will feature kids from the local schools, choruses and marital arts demonstrations.
• The Art of the Avocado, sponsored by George and Gayle Bamber of Holy Guacamoly, will return again this year. Artists submit avocado themed artworks and win prizes. They host a reception on the Friday night before.
For more information, visit www.fallbrookchamber.com.

Arts In The Park: A Great Day For The Whole Family

Each year 3,000 kids and their families gather in Fallbrook’s Live Oak Park for a day of fun that is just as enjoyable for moms and dads as it is for the youngin’s.
The 16th annual Arts in the Park will be held Sunday, April 25, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. at Live Oak Park in Fallbrook.
According to Beverly DeVilbiss of Rally for Children, the organization that, in association with the Fallbrook Elementary School District, puts on the annual event, “You’ll see fathers helping daughters make flower hats, or helping sons build a structure out of wood. You know the parents have more fun than the kids!”
Arts in the Park was created by Rally for Children to provide the opportunity for children and their families to participate in free activities that include drama, music, dance, arts and crafts.
Children and their families are invited to the free day of artistic adventures to spark their imagination and creativity.
Among the events (although not limited to) are Michael the Magician, a puppet show, sand painting, floppy hats, walking sticks, stage shows, etc. This year’s co-chairmen are Karen Morris and B.J. Maus.
Some new activities this year:
• Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography will bring tide pool animals from the local area. Kristin Evans, education director of Birch Aquarium, described how the group brings an array of live tide pool animals to community festivals.
“California has a vast array of tidepools. We will probably bring a local variety of sea stars called bat stars, a species with lots of bright colors, hermit crabs and maybe an urchin,” she said.
They select animals that are hardy enough to travel and deal with the elements. They sometimes have them available for touching by the children. Presenters talk about what you might find in local tidepools, how to investigate and explore them safely for yourself and for the creatures themselves. “We share how enjoyable nature can be to explore as a family,” said Evans.
• Sky Hunters, a non-profit group dedicated to informing the public about raptors, birds of prey, and promoting raptor conservation will bring a barn owl, screech owl and falcon to the event. A presenter will talk about rescuing birds of prey and discuss the behaviors of hawks, owls, falcons and eagles.
• Intra-tribal native American drummers, led by Hercules Estrada. A few children at a time will be allowed to play drums. Dancers dressed in Native American costumes will talk to the children about tribal ways and customs.
• Libbey Pierce of Lavender Hill School will present short theatrical skits of Shakespeare and other tales for kids to participate in. Kids will even be able to put on costumes from the period.
The stage will be busy with shows all day long, with participation by martial artists, the Potter Junior High School Band and Choir—among others.
Other participants who have confirmed attendance include Delta Kappa, Dulcimer Magic of Bonsall, Mini Doll Friends of Fallbrook, Jim Gamble Puppet Productions, and mural painting by Fallbrook School of the Arts.
The event is absolutely free, except for parking at Live Oak Park. And you can even beat that charge if you park at a nearby school and take a shuttle. Materials are donated and provided.
“It’s a community event. We have Rotarians doing hamburgers and selling drinks. They charge a minimum amount and give back any profit to our organization. We have Major Market and the American Association of University Women participating,” says Mrs. DeVilbiss.
They all work together to give local families the opportunity to explore the arts and enjoy the hands-on experience. Nothing is sold, except for food and drinks by the Rotarians.
Parking is free at Potter Junior High, Live Oak School and Mae Ellis School with continuous shuttles to the park.
* * *
Rally for Children is a non-profit benefit corporation that was incorporated in 1993.
Its mission is to raise funds to support charitable projects and programs that benefit children in the Fallbrook/Bonsall area.
Annually, Rally receives requests for funding from area non-profits serving children for funding their programs. Requests are reviewed by the Philanthropy Committee and distributed with general membership approval.
For information / membership / donations, mail to: Rally for Children, P.O. Box 2575, Fallbrook, CA 92088-2575.

Fallbrook Film Festival

The third annual Fallbrook Film Festival on April 9, 10 and 11 will have several firsts this year:
A new location. It has moved from the Mission Theater to the UltraStar River Village Cinemas in Bonsall’s River Village, 5256 Mission Road.
A new award: The Frank Capra Award will be given to the film that most reflects the values of Frank Capra’s films. Capra had a home in Fallbrook for more than 30 years after he retired from filmmaking.
This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award will go to film legend, the eternally tan and eternally smiling, George Hamilton, star of such films as Love at the First Bite and Zorro, the Gay Blade. Hamilton’s autobiographical film of his early childhood, My One and Only, starring Renee Zellweger, will be screened ahead of the April 11 awards ceremony, which begins at 5:30 p.m.
Adrienne Armstrong, co-director of the festival, explained that the change of venue was necessitated because the Mission is not really a movie theater anymore, while the UltraStar has a digital projector and does film festivals at the other theaters in the chain.
“They are being very helpful, and helping us to promote to a huge extent,” says Armstrong.
“We can screen more films and have more flexibility. People are used to going to movies at the UltraStar, whereas at the Mission they are used to going to plays.”
The festival will use one dedicated screen for the three full days and an alternate screen, giving it virtually two theaters.
About 120 films were entered, including documentaries and animated films. They ranged in length from 5 minutes to feature. As this article was prepared, the festival’s organizers were still winnowing the final entries, anticipated to be 50-60, with about 20 local area films. They will range from short films to feature length.
Judges include Robert Sommers, owner of the Blue Heron antique shop in Fallbrook, Karen & Larry Baker, prominent members of the arts community and Susan Duling of American Association of University Women, who serves on the movie board of the Fallbrook Film Factory, which sponsors the festival.
There will be an opening night screening of the feature Man in the Chair, by Los Angeles filmmaker Michael Schroeder, starring Christopher Plummer.
According to Armstrong, “Plummer plays a retired gaffer (the head of the electrical department of a film production) living in the motion picture industry retirement home. He is approached by a high school student who is entering a film competition and asks his help.
“It’s a story of a discarded filmmaker who helps a young man make a film. Plummer’s character is cranky and plays off of the young man’s idealism.
“It is a strong contender for the Frank Capra Award,” says Armstrong.
In its short existence, the film festival has acquired a reputation as homey and welcoming. The word spread, and this year it attracted entries from all over the world—and quite a few from local people.
According to Armstrong, “It takes time for a festival to grow and for us to learn the procedure.”
“The festival is also being supercharged by the sponsorship of Time Warner Cable, which is running a sweepstakes that offers a one thousand dollar prize. Last year a Fallbrook woman won the prize.” Pala Casino is providing a spa weekend package as a prize, as well.
“That’s one way that word gets around about the festival,” observes Armstrong.
Lifetime Achievement
George Hamilton personifies a Hollywood where stars were as exciting off screen as on. Hamilton is sometimes compared to Cary Grant, another star known for style, good looks, charm, elegance and passion for life.
His career stretches over four decades to 1960’s Home From the Hill, when he played the son of Robert Mitchum and Eleanor Parker. He starred on Broadway in the musical Chicago and has appeared in TV mini-series, series and movies-of-the-week.
Recently he competed in Dancing With the Stars and hosted the nationally syndicated talk show The George & Alana Show.
In addition to being honored for his years in show business, he will talk about the 2009 film he produced, My One and Only, the story of his mother and her kids striking across the country.
The ceremony will be held at the UltraStar. The party afterwards will be held at the new Z-Café (formerly Rio Rico).
Workshops
Besides the films that will be screened, several workshops are planned.
Director Michael Schroeder (Man in the Chair) will give a workshop on directing and producing an independent film on a shoestring budget.
Screenwriter Carol Roper will give a workshop on how to write a screenplay in nine days.
Some of the participating filmmakers will also take part in panels during the three days.
Frank Capra Award
“Obviously I feel very honored. It’s a privilege to present the Frank Capra life achievement award for the first time, on behalf of my grandfather,” says Frank Capra III, who will give the award to one of the films.
The director of such classics as You Can’t Take it With You and Arsenic and Old Lace, but most remembered for It’s a Wonderful Life, Capra has more films in the Library of Congress than any other director.
Capra owned a house in Fallbrook for 30 years, where he retired in his early 60s.
His grandson recalls spending much of his youth in Fallbrook on the ranch.
The Capra family has put together a documentary of the filmmaker’s life entitled The American Dream, that will be screened at the festival.
“We talked to a lot of people for that documentary and when you really narrow it down or listen to anyone’s critique of him, they all say pretty much the same: His pictures were idealistic films of the smaller common man, coming to terms with the larger challenges in life.”
Capra did a film called The Fallbrook Story and led a campaign to save the city’s water rights.
Linda Mandrayer, co-director in charge of programming for the festival, had the idea for the Frank Capra Award from the very beginning. It got lost in the shuffle until this year, when she and Armstrong decided to “go for it!”
“It’s unique to Fallbrook, and we have a tie to Frank Capra. Every single Christmas, people watch It’s a Wonderful Life. The minute we contacted Capra, he was very excited to do it,” recalls Mandrayer. “The idea of this award fits well with the Film Factory’s mission, which is to work with young people.”
The festival has tailored its posters and program covers towards the Capra award. The program shows a picture of Capra in a directors chair.
For more information please visit the Web site at www.fallbrookfilmfestival.com.

Justin Gray Is Welk Theater's Music Man

I can’t believe that the three of you are making so much noise!” an enthusiastic audience member at the Welk Resort Theater told Justin Gray recently at the end of a show.
He has heard that comment many times.
“We like to think of it as music,” Gray usually replies with a wry grin.
It IS amazing how the three or sometimes four musicians in the pit in front of the stage at Welk’s can produce a full-range of orchestra sounds to accompany Welk shows, such as I Do, I Do! (in production when this article was written) and the Pirates of Penzance, which will be in production soon. Four musicians is about all that will fit into the pit.
There are always two keyboards in the pit, as well as a drummer. One player can be a woodwind or a cello—or whatever is called for by the script.
Gray has been with the Welk theater for 18 years. He was hired in 1991, first as vocal director, and has been the musical director since 1994. Previously he was the Starlight Theatre’s musical coordinator for several years.
It’s always a challenge to create music for some of Broadway’s top musicals. “If I had my druthers I would have a full pit orchestra. But you work with what you have,” says Gray.
He estimates that he has worked on 128 shows, about six a year. His favorites have included the Will Rogers Follies and, just last season, the musical version of A Christmas Carol. Another favorite was West Side Story.
“I also like small scale shows like Forever Plaid, but I really like the blockbusters,” he says.
Gray is a local boy, born in Orange County, who moved to San Diego in 1967. He lives in Escondido with his wife of 27 years, Cathy and three children.
Gray’s part in the production of a new show starts with the auditions. There are two separate auditions, one in San Diego County and one in Hollywood. He works with director and producer in picking the cast.
Two weeks before the show’s opening, they begin rehearsing, every day, 9 to 5. On the ninth day of rehearsal, the actors usually get introduced to the music.
Gray has one day, or actually about six hours, to teach the music to the cast. In other words, so that each actor knows what to sing and when—and to coordinate that with the orchestra.
“I have to be very organized,” Gray says in what may be an extreme example of understatement.
After nearly 20 years at the job, it may be superfluous to ask Gray if he likes his work. Instead, I asked him what he loves about it.
“I love the fact that I get to do something different with every new musical,” he says.
“Of course, working in an orchestra pit is pretty close to working in a cubicle, but every two months everyone gets fired except me. And the show changes just as I’m getting tired of it!” he jokes.
With live theater you never know for sure what will happen next. At one performance of I Do, I Do! the lead male actor’s moustache fell off. There was no way that the audience couldn’t tell that this had happened.
“Of course, we in the orchestra pit had to control our laughter—but there WAS laughter.” The audience loved it too.
In a performance of West Side Story several years ago, the gun Maria was carrying went off accidentally. The actor playing Tony had to exit with a feigned limp.
Gray says he is trying to collect some of the best theatrical stories like that on a Web site called theaterstories.com that he hopes to devote some time to someday.
Gray confesses that during the parts of the play where there is no music—which can be ten or 15 minutes—that he works on crossword or sudoku puzzles.
In the pit, Gray plays a full grand piano with an optical strip under the keyboard that allows him to provide himself with a full range of bass, e.g. providing an accompanying bass guitar.
The recently staged A Christmas Carol provided challenges. “That music is so richly orchestrated that I felt three people couldn’t do it justice,” he recalls.
There is no non-singing dialogue. There is music throughout. Gray tried something new. At his home recording studio he played all of the instruments separately into his computer and gave that recorded CD to the sound man. At the performance they added live drums, piano and a violin.
“The upside was that we got the sound of a full orchestra. The downside was that the actors had no flexibility on stage.”
His wife, Cathy, and his daughter, Nicole, took turns playing the violin for that show. And his youngest son, 7, played Tiny Tim.
Outside of Welk’s, Gray has clients, usually high school drama departments, for whom he does orchestra recordings they can use with musical shows.
He uses sampled instruments, which produces a richer, more realistic sound than that produced by a synthesizer.
Could this technology someday make live musicians obsolete? He doubts it. “Nothing takes the place of real instruments making real sounds,” he says.
Currently he is doing this for a high school drama department that is putting on the musical Sweeney Todd.
Multitasking is all in a day’s work. At any one time he is working on three shows. For instance, while I Do, I Do! is running, he is rehearsing Pirates of Penzance and scheduling auditions for the upcoming show Footloose.
Gray is often amazed by the quality of the acting talent at Welk shows.
“We are fortunate that although we are out of the way, we get a lot of great talent,” he says.
“Many of them have done Broadway and film, and we are offering something that they want to do.”
Waxing philosophical, Gray muses that “My calling in life is to entertain people. I put myself in their shoes. They may have had a rough week. They may be tired. But they are here to be entertained. So I’m going to have fun tonight entertaining them!”

Fallbrook Garden Club Show

This year’s 79th annual Fallbrook Garden Club Flower Show and Plant Sale will be held Sunday, April 25 for the first time ever in the Elder House, a Fallbrook historical site.
The show will run from 10 a.m.–4 .m. Admission is free.
Also new is that the show is open to the public, whereas previously it was a club-only event.
“This year it’s our gift to the community. Anyone can enter,” according to Linda Nickerson of the garden club.
The show itself is on one day only, Sunday, and entries are accepted on Saturday, April 24, from 9 a.m.–noon. Judging of the entries will begin at 1 p.m. Blue, red and yellow ribbons will be awarded.
Because the show is open to everyone, it is not a “standard show,” where participants get points that they can collect from several different shows. Instead, it’s a purely fun flower show.
“We are not going to insist on the rules that make it hard for the average person to bring in a rose to show. We want people to enter, come and enjoy themselves and take some ribbons,” says Mrs. Nickerson.
But it will be judged by knowledgeable garden club members.
Club members are excited about the new location, the Elder House, an historical site that was offered to the club by its new owner, who wanted to promote its availability to the public—and was willing to make it available to a non-profit.
“It has a very nice garden area, the perfect location for our show,” observes Mrs. Nickerson.
Recently the club was the recipient of a large number of high quality orchids and potted plants that have been donated for the plant sale that will be going on concurrent to the show. This gives the public the opportunity to find interesting fruit and flower plants at reasonable prices.
“Most of the plants for sale are grown by garden club members. The ambience that is created by the roses that are available is just lovely. Most of the roses are named, and people who are interested will be able to find just the rose that they are looking for.”
Succulents will also be available at the sale because the club is trying to promote water wise plants. There will also be a succulent division to the show.
“We will be there to answer questions. It’s a community thing, and we will talk to anyone about plants and flowers,” says Mrs. Nickerson.
The Fallbrook Garden club is a nonprofit organization that contributes to several worthy causes around Fallbrook, including horticulture scholarships to local students, the delivery of cut flowers to military hospitals, developing and maintaining a large educational garden at a local school, caring for public gardens in our area and helping with gardens enjoyed by young and old alike.
Each year the club presents the flower show as its gift to the community.
Note: the club will also be having its annual Garden Tour on May 22. Check the next issue of the Boulevard for a full report.
For more information, visit the garden club’s Website at www.fallbrookgardenclub.org/ or email gardener@fallbrookgardenclub.org.

Martial Arts: Building Character & Making Champions

Wikipedia defines martial arts as a system of codified practices and traditions of training for combat with the objective to defend oneself or others from physical threat. However, there is more to martial arts than yelling and spin kicks.
The study and practice of martial arts teaches defense techniques that can save lives, as well as important life skills and moral values. In fact, numerous studies suggest a correlation between martial arts training and academic and career success.
Perhaps this is the reason many parents enter their children into martial art programs at a very young age. At Kramer’s ATA Blackbelt Academy in Bonsall, students begin training at three-years-old.
“Our Tiny Tigers program is for kids ages three to six,” says owner Andy Kramer. “At this level, we are teaching the simple basics of discipline—sitting still, following directions, using their voices. We focus on building their confidence and instilling the values of leadership and loyalty.”
One of the most important things martial arts training can teach kids is to yell.
“Using the voice is essential for kids,” Kramer points out. “It is by far the safest and best defense weapon they have. If they are ever caught in a situation where someone is trying to kidnap them or hurt them, they are going to be too small to fight and get away, but if they are confident enough to yell and use their voice, it can help save them.”
Kramer is just 24-years-old, but he brings more than 14 years of experience to his practice. He bought his studio in July 2005 and has been changing lives ever since.
“It’s been a learning process, but I have great staff members and awesome students,” he says. “I feel good about our growth and our successes.”
And has there ever been success! In 2009 alone, Kramer’s academy produced eight state Taekwondo champions. This busy little school also had nine members go on to compete at the World Championships with one bringing home a World Championship title.
“I guess the numbers kind of speak for themselves,” says Kramer. “When it comes to competition and training levels, we are very productive and successful.”
Training world champions is something any school owner and certified instructor should be proud of, yet Kramer doesn’t take full credit. He attributes each success to the will and dedication of his students, and to the art itself.
“Martial arts can be about exercising, competing, or protecting yourself, but it’s also about building character,” says Kramer. “We study loyalty, discipline, leadership, confidence and strength. These traits are the foundations for martial arts students to succeed both on the mat and in life.”
He adds that strong characteristics such as self confidence are extremely important for both children and adults.
“It’s important to bring people out of their shells,” Kramer explains. “The way we carry and present ourselves can influence whether or not we are susceptible to an attack. Predators are less likely to approach someone standing tall and looking confident than someone who is staring down at the ground appearing weak.”
In addition to self confidence and leadership skills, martial arts is a great way to keep in shape. You can’t save yourself or anyone else if you can’t keep up. Physical fitness is a must which is why Kramer says you will leave his classrooms sweating.
“If you don’t, I’ll tell my instructors to work you harder,” Kramer jokes.
While Kramer teaches all martial art techniques, the most popular is Taekwondo. While the history of Taekwondo can be traced back more than 1,500 years, it has only recently spread internationally and evolve into a combat sport. The actual name of Taekwondo wasn't official until 1955 (the word loosely means ‘the way of the hand and foot’), and the American Taekwondo Association (ATA) wasn’t established until 1969.
While Taekwondo is the main art studied, interest in self defense courses is becoming more prominent. Kramer’s academy offers extended self defense courses as well as single-day workshops and seminars to help train members of his community.
“You can’t ever be too safe,” Kramer claims. “Having the basic knowledge of what to do in certain situations can make all the difference.”
Kramer also points out that it’s never too late to learn how to protect and defend yourself. Martial arts is a melting pot of ages and various belt levels. You can build confidence, learn valuable leadership skills, get in shape and benefit from the many other advantages of practicing martial arts. Who knows?— there may even be a world champion hiding inside you.
If you would like to learn more about martial arts, or look into taking Taekwondo or Combat Self-Defense classes (based on Krav Maga and Commando Krav Maga), call Kramer's ATA at 760-630-7078 or email akramer@bonsallata.com. The school is located at 5521 Mission Road, Suite A in Bonsall.

Fallbrook Music Society: World Class Concerts ~ International Artists ~ Right Here in Fallbrook

Spring is a wonderful time of year to travel. But, you won’t need to travel far this spring to enjoy a true treasurer from overseas. On April 25, if you just travel to the Bob Burton Center in Fallbrook, you will be able to savor the beautiful sounds of the St. Petersburg String Quartet. At this concert, its long-time friend and collaborator, pianist Mack McCray, will join the Quartet.
Founded as the Leningrad Quartet by its current first violinist, Alla Aranovskay and cellist Leonid Shukaev, the St. Petersburg Quartet is one of Russia’s leading ensembles, and is unquestionably one of the world’s great chamber ensembles. The Quartet is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary year, and this concert will showcase its critically acclaimed ensemble skills with works by composers Borodin, Ravel and Dvorak.
“The sound from a string quartet is intimate because of its smaller size, with a sonorous advantage over the full symphony orchestra – each instrument has the chance to be fully heard in all of its resonance,” said Brenda Montiel, President of the Fallbrook Music Society. “The St. Petersburg String Quartet has a masterful, warm tone, their presentation is seamless, and their musical insight is flawless,” she added.
The St. Petersburg Quartet has blazed a trail through chamber music circles, and audiences from Toronto to Tokyo, from Lithuania to London and in music halls across the United States have given the St. Petersburg Quartet standing ovations. The group’s rise to fame has included a grammy nomination, “Best Record” honors in both Stereo Review and Gramophone, and opening night performance at Mostly Mozart at Lincoln Center, as well as a five-year residency at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
Pianist Mack McCray has appeared as soloist with numerous national and international orchestras including the San Francisco Symphony, and with such conductors as Michael Tilson Thomas, Edo de Waart, Leon Fleisher and Arthur Fiedler.
This concert provides a rare opportunity for residents along The Boulevard to hear the unparalleled sounds of this quartet and pianist on Sunday, April 25, at 3:00 p.m.
Also this spring, if you travel back to the Bob Burton Center on Sunday, May 16, at 3:00 p.m., you will be able to enjoy the beautiful melodies of George Gershwin which reflect the direct influence of the French music of Ravel and Debussy. This concert, entitled “Gershwin Salute,” will include some of Gershwin’s best-loved classical pieces.
The Redlands Symphony Orchestra, with conductor Jon Robertson and pianist Jose Menor, performance will include An American in Paris, Piano Concerto in F Major, and Catfish Row (from Porgy & Bess).
Both performances will be at the Bob Burton Center for the Performing Arts, located at 2400 So. Stage Coach Lane in Fallbrook.
Tickets are available by calling Fallbrook Music Society’s box office at 760-451-8644 or online at www.fallbrookmusicsociety.org.

Night of the Horse: A Much Anticipated Event in Del Mar

For more than 60 years, equestrian fans have anticipated the arrival of spring and with it, the Del Mar National Horse Show at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, which runs from April 22–May 9 this year.
The Del Mar National began in 1946 as part of the annual San Diego County Fair, which happens each June at the Fairgrounds.
By the late 1970s, the Del Mar National had grown so large, it outgrew the confines of the county fair and became a separate event. A Western and Hunter/Jumper competition comprised the then two-week show until the early 1990s, when a dressage competition was added as a third week in the show.
Each year, the show attracts more than 1,500 horses of every breed and training, eager to show off what they can do and earn ribbons, trophies, titles and prize money.
The finale of the week’s events is the always-entertaining Night Of The Horse, which will take place on May 9 at 7 p.m.
This year, the Night Of The Horse is presenting the Circus Equus, a celebration of the importance of the circus in American history.
The American circus has featured many acts over the centuries, but the Circus Equus act was a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, displaying feats of horsemanship and human agility.
One of the first American circuses was that of Victor Pepin and Jean Breschard. Their circus, established in 1807, had a cast of equestrians, clowns, rope dancers, and musicians, and became the first circus to go west of the Appalachian Mountains, a territory still considered unsettled at the time.
In 1814, they added a third partner, Cayetano Mariotini, and continued to push farther and farther west. The nighttime performance on May 9 will transport the audience to 1814 and to a performance of the Pepin, Breschard, and Cayetano circus.
The performance opens with Native Americans and American settlers in the Arena, listening to Pepin explain to the crowd how the circus came to the West.
His partners, Breschard and Cayetano, arrive in a Wells Fargo Wagon to welcome the audience. The Native people, who are both excited and nervous about this new thing called a “circus,” conduct a ceremony to bless and protect the land and its people. The townspeople conduct their own ceremony by saluting the American flag and singing a new song, The Star-Spangled Banner, which was written as a poem in 1814.
Michele MacFarlane and her bevy of antique circus wagons are a big part of the show, pulled by the American saddlebreds of Scripps-Miramar Ranch. Among the wagons will be a calliope, a circus wagon known as a Tableau and a miniature circus wagon pulled by miniature horses. Outriders on Spotted Saddlebred horses, as well as the other riders, drivers and horses, will be elaborately costumed as circus performers. These horse-drawn circus wagons were featured in the 2010 Rose Parade.
Big Horse Productions will perform an amazing act of equestrian acrobatics. Erik Martonovich is the only person in the world who can Roman-ride a hitch of eight Belgian draft horses. His troupe includes vaulters and an aerialist who performs on long streams of silk suspended from the Arena ceiling. His troupe was part of the Cirque du Soleil “Cavalia” show, which has performed all over the world, including a winter run at the Del Mar Fairgrounds four years ago. More information is at bighorseproductions.com.
Dianne Olds Rossi is a veteran circus equestrian performer. She will present three acts, one a Rag Time Dance with her beautiful Friesian, Fire Magic. The other two acts are a Charlie Chaplin performance with two free-moving horses, and a western dancing act with two horses and a magic carousel horse. More information on Dianne Olds Rossi is at worldofdancinghorses.com.
Fables of the West returns to Night of the Horse as a crowd favorite. This cowboy comedy team has performed at hundreds of fairs in all corners of the country, from Alaska to Florida to Texas and in their home state, California.
The show will run for three weeks starting April 22, and ending May 9.
Visit the Web site at www.delmarnational.com to purchase your tickets for this fun family event!

Seniors Find Benefits From Chair Exercises at Fallbrook Community Center

A regular exercise routine is good for people of any age, but can be especially beneficial for the senior population.
Exercise has been proven to help seniors avoid chronic diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia, as well as high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease.
It can also help improve quality of sleep, increase stamina and energy levels, increase metabolism for weight loss, regulate blood sugar levels, aid with social interactions, improve muscle and joint strength, build immunity to viruses and infections and help achieve a higher sense of well-being and independence.
Seniors in and around Fallbrook can reap these benefits and more from classes offered at the Fallbrook Community Center. The Center is currently offering a fun, new exercise program that focuses on using chairs. According to recreation program coordinator, Ashley Estrada, it’s been well received.
“The seniors love it,” Estrada said. “We’re happy to be able to offer classes like this to help our seniors improve their strength and flexibility.”
Fitness instructor Sandra Buckingham leads the chair exercise classes. With music from the 1940s and 50s playing in the background, Buckingham’s students enjoy singing and swaying to the beat as they warm up and exercise using the chairs for support and balance.
“We cover everything that any other exercise class covers,” Buckingham said. “These are comprehensive classes. We work on muscle strength, balance, cardio, coordination and aerobic conditioning… it’s all just slightly adjusted for the senior population.”
She previously instructed classes for wounded soldiers, but the classes for seniors came about somewhat unexpectedly after watching a group of elders at one of her work venues.
“I saw this group of seniors doing chair exercises,” Buckingham explained. “They were following exercises from an instructor on a homemade video and it struck me that this was something I could offer in an actual classroom.”
Buckingham gave it a try and loved it.
“I was welcomed with open arms,” Buckingham said. “This is just such an appreciative group and so fun and easy to work with.”
Buckingham has taken extensive training on how to teach senior exercising classes. In her training, she learned that exercise can be an extremely important outlet for seniors battling depression.
“One of the most important benefits exercise can do for seniors is to help them feel more independent,” Buckingham said. “When our bodies begin to let us down and every day things become difficult, we tend to get frustrated. This frustration can lead to depression and exercise can help get over that hurdle.”
Not only are the chair exercise classes uplifting for seniors, they also give them a chance to interact with others who are experiencing the same challenges they are. Seniors can build relationships while they build strength both physically and mentally.
Buckingham said she has seen marked improvements with some of the participants.
“There is an older gentleman in one of my classes who I thought right away just hated the class,” Buckingham explained. “When he first started coming he was very sunk in with his head down. I thought he was going to give up because he was so frustrated, but in just a short time, his posture has started to change, and he keeps his head up more. That is a very good sign for us that the class is doing something right.”
Senior chair exercise classes are available at the Fallbrook Community Center, 341 Heald Lane, every Tuesday and Thursday from 10:30–11:10 a.m. The cost for the class is $6 a session; however, you can purchase a discounted package of ten classes for $50, saving $1 per class. All seniors are welcome to participate, as well as any physically or mentally disabled people who may be interested in the benefits that the class has to offer. Wheelchair users are also encouraged to register.
For more information on local exercise classes for seniors, call the Fallbrook Community Center at 760-728-1671. Additional information can be found at www.sdparks.org.

Sourdough Pizza Is GOOD Pizza!

Just like Dean Martin sang: “When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie / That’s amore!”
Well, I love pizza, and it doesn’t have to hit me in the eye. Actually that’s not quite true, I love good pizza, and that’s exactly what you will find at Sourdough Pizza at 321 Alvarado Street in downtown Fallbrook. Sourdough has been owned, managed and run by John & Ruthie Harris for over ten years.
John and Ruthie make their own sourdough pizza dough. John makes his own pizza and marinara sauce daily, so that everything is fresh, and oh so tasty! On a recent trip to Sourdough, I had a sampling of John & Ruthie’s signature, awardwinning gourmet pizzas: the Chicken Ranch and the Shrimp Tequila Lime.
They were both delicious, but my favorite was the Shrimp Tequila Lime. You would never guess that all of the stuff that you find on this pizza would go together in such a perfect symphony of taste—but it does. A homemade garlic ranch sauce, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, jalapeños, parsley, onions, cilantro, lime, and, of course, the shrimp/ tequila topped off with what Fallbrook is famous for: a nice fresh slice of avocado. All of this sits on top of either a thick sourdough crust or thin sourdough crust that makes me hungry just writing about it.
If you’re a pizza aficionado like me, you understand that what makes a good pizza begins with the crust.
Without giving away any of John and Ruthie’s secrets, their crust is made fresh each day. Because the Shrimp Tequila Lime is such a mouth full of goodies, I would recommend the thicker crust. You know how when you hold the pizza, some crusts just fall limp and drips with grease? Not at sourdough! Their crust has just the right texture—and that sourdough flavor—to really enhance all that tasty stuff that sits on top of it.
The other award winner at Sourdough is their chicken ranch pizza (pictured left). Again their homemade garlic ranch sauce brings together the onions, tomatoes, and two kinds of cheeses and crisp bacon bits and, of course, the chicken. Also, very yummy.
You can get both of these pizzas along with their other four signature gourmet pizzas or you can create your own, in two sizes, a 12” eight slice, or a giant 16” 12 slice.
When eating pizza you always need a libation to go with it. Sourdough has nine beer choices, six on draught, including their own Sourdough Pale Ale and a nice selection of both red and white wines. Their large 16-inch cheese or pepperoni pizzas are just $5.99!.
If your appetite isn’t for pizza tonight, don’t fret. John & Ruthie have some wonderful salads to choose from, including a house special Italian and a chicken caesar. The menu also includes an assortment of both hot and cold subs, wings, and really good old-fashioned spaghetti and meatballs among a dozen or so pasta dishes.
There actually is something for the entire family at Sourdough, including a children’s menu, lunch specials starting at $3.50, and patio dining on warm Fallbrook days and evenings.
And, if you’re hungry for pizza or pasta, but don’t want to leave the living room, they deliver to almost everywhere in the Fallbrook area, or would be happy to cater your next event. Tuesday nights are all you can eat pizza nights and Wednesdays is all you can eat pasta night, all for $3.99 per person from 4:30–7 p.m. Sourdough Pizza is a really good meal at affordable prices in a nice family atmosphere; give them a try if you haven’t already, you won’t be disappointed.

A Chance to Sample Wines From 200 Winemakers!

It would be hard to find a better or more pleasurable way to get a wine education than the recent Family Winemakers of California “Tasting 2010” event, which was held March 14 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
Two friends, Jeannie and Shannon, joined me and a few thousand other “close friends” in sampling vintages from 200 small, and often boutique wineries, from all over the state, including a couple from our own wine-growing region. There were about 800 wines to choose from, and we wandered from table to table, randomly sampling and also zeroing in on tables that looked interesting.
I tried to pick tables where there weren’t crowds, so I could chat for a few minutes with the winemakers or owners.
Not just a tasting open to the public, this combined trade-only tastings with consumer tastings. So it was actually something of a networking event for the various small wineries that took part.
We stopped by the Falkner Winery table and chatted with Ray Falkner. He and his wife Loretta bought the Temecula winery in 2000.
“We’ve been in family winemaking for ten years,” Ray said, and wondered out loud why he was one of the few local wineries that took part in this event. “It’s great networking!”
He suggested that I try the winery’s signature wine, its 2005 Amante, a Super Tuscan-style red that blends the flavors of Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. They get a lot of comments about this vintage, and I could see why.
Their winemaker, Steve Hagata, was also there to answer questions.
That was one of the nice things about this event—the intimacy of it, and the fact that you could get questions answered—the wineries were small affairs and the people manning them were often as not the owners.
Many of them pour their vintages at very few events. There were several unique varietals, many of which are very hard to find.
I also chatted with the folks who operate the Fallbrook Winery, including winemaker Duncan Williams who poured me a sample of their 33° Bordeaux. This is an estate wine (i.e., all of the grapes were grown on the winery), and this Bordeaux was created by selecting the best of the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petite Verdot and Cabernet Franc varietals that are all grown in the Gracie Hall Vineyards.
Williams has been in the business for a quarter-century and has won dozens of awards at major competitions.
As much fun as sampling the varietals were the various personalities on display. Over the two years that I have been writing about wineries and interviewing winemakers, I have learned that these folks are among some of the most interesting, individualistic personalities you are likely to meet. Winemakers are often rebels, almost always they are entrepreneurs—but most of all, they are proud parents. Their vintages are their children, and like all doting parents, they want to tell you everything about them!
The Falkners kind of fit into that image. Ray spent his career in technology with companies such as IBM and Microsoft. Loretta spent her career in retail with companies such as Macy's, May Company, Montgomery Ward and Gadzooks. But now both are dedicated to producing prize-winning wines!
If you are an aspiring oenophile—I personally make no pretense to any knowledge in this field, but I have over the past couple of years found out that it’s a lot of fun to learn!—or just someone who wants a chance to get in some major league sampling in a single afternoon for a very reasonable price ($55 at the door), this event is for you and you should mark you calendar to make it to the Del Mar Fairgrounds next year.
It was a wonderful day for sampling wine. Del Mar was itself a marvelously intoxicating place on this particular Sunday afternoon. Sunny and oh so deliciously breezy! So combining that with rare vintages from places with names like Chalk Hill, Clautiere, Thorne Wine, Guilliams, Fortress Vineyards and many others you may never have heard of, made for a day to remember!

Pala Mesa Resort: Just What The Doctor Ordered!

Are all the pressures of the week getting to you? Don’t feel like doing yard work this weekend? Just had enough? Want to get away but just don’t have the time or energy to drive a long distance?
It’s too expensive this time of the year in the desert, and pretty soon it will be too hot.
Well, Pala Mesa Resort may be just what the doctor ordered for a relaxing weekend getaway with plenty of wonderful recreation activities or for just lounging around the pool enjoying a cool beverage on a warm, beautiful, North County day.
Peace and tranquility are what their Web site states you can get at Pala Mesa. But you can get that, and more, much more.
From the minute you check into one of their charming well-appointed guest rooms with views of the lush golf course, their beautiful pool or the surrounding mountains, you begin to unwind and know that you made the right decision.
Once you settle in, you can immediately unwind and think about all your choices at Pala Mesa while enjoying a cool beverage poolside.
The options are many, but you make the choices. No one at Pala Mesa has you on a schedule. Take your time. Relax.
However, if you’re like me, you’ll soon be ready for some action. And that is also the beauty of Pala Mesa.
You can tee it up on their championship golf course, play tennis day or night under one of their lighted courts, get fit in their fitness room, enjoy a nature walk on their three-mile, scenic walk around the property, and relax around or in Pala Mesa’s swimming pool and whirlpool spa.
If you need to adjust that swing, either on the golf course or tennis court, Pala Mesa has professionals who will improve your game. As a matter of record, Mark Littrel, their tennis pro, is fantastic, just ask Cynthia De Cindis, a partner at Rio Rico Bar & Grill.
Pala Mesa offers yoga classes, low impact aerobics and stretch sessions. If you’re taking the kids along, there is a junior golf program.
And, if you want to wander away from the resort for a few hours in the afternoon, Pala Mesa is just minutes away from the Temecula Wine Country and even closer to the local North County casinos, if you’re feeling lucky.
Don’t forget to return in the evening because Pala Mesa will delight you with the menu and service at their Aqua Terra Restaurant. Aqua Terra is one of North County’s most celebrated, fine but casual, dining experiences.
Enjoy fresh seafood and sushi, mouthwatering steaks, along with the freshest California produce in Pala Mesa’s beautiful dining room or out on the patio overlooking the 10th fairway. A perfect ending to a perfect day at Pala Mesa.
Pala Mesa Resort is just what you need, right now. Give them a call at 800-722-4700 or go to www.PalaMesa.com for all the information on the resort’s weekend getaway specials and packages.

 

The Boulevard Magazine
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