A P R I
L P H O T O
O F T H E
M O N T H
Wanda Celebrates Five Years in the Golden Hills of California
On April 8, 2005, Wanda and her companion Winky
arrived at ARK 2000 followed by an entourage of devoted keepers and
veterinarians from the Detroit Zoo, and a truckload of the
elephants' favorite toys -- an assortment of balls, street
cleaners, custom designed hay nets and plastic pipes for hiding
treats. The two prima donnas were welcomed by a bevy of reporters
from across the country as they walked out of the PAWS' trailer and
inspected their new home. Their exhausted keepers watched tearfully
as Wanda took a spin around the barn and made a bee line for the
huge Asian habitat leaving Winky, the more cautious of the two
elephants, alone in the barn. Wanda's declining health and the
frigid climate in Detroit had precipitated the controversial
decision by the zoo's progressive director to send the two
elephants to live out their remaining years in the warm California
sunshine. Despite her chronic foot problems and arthritic joints,
Wanda blossomed at ARK, befriending all the other Asian elephants
with her gregarious, fun-loving personality, moving coyly between
Minnie, the dominant female, and Minnie's best friend, Rebecca.
Today Wanda squeaks, chirps and rumbles with pleasure as her
keepers ply her with Frosted Flakes and Fruit Loops during her
twice-daily foot soaks, secure in the knowledge that she is
everyone's special friend. Wanda is enjoying the good life and we
hope it lasts for many more years. Happy 5th Anniversary, Wanda!
M A R C
H P H O T O
O F T H E
M O N T H
The Jackson
Revitalization Committee (JRC) held the $5,000 raffle at the
Jackson Rancheria. After two names were drawn to people not in
attendance, a third ticket, entered at Jose's Mexican Restaurant,
was drawn. And the winner was... Kellee Davenport! When asked were
she was going... the answer was not to Disneyland but to pay bills.
Congratulations Kellee Davenport! Many thanks to the Jackson
Rancheria and the participating merchants. The JRC will be holding
another raffle. The JRC is doing great things for our community and
economy. Photo courtesy to the Gold Country Times
J A N U
A R Y P H O
T O O F T H E M O N T H
Maria Muldaur at the Sutter Creek Theater
Happy, feel good tunes...enough to lift the cloud of doom on
these hard
times? Oh yes, indeed! give a listen to Maria Muldaur's The Garden
of Joy! Jug Band Music was a genre I was not familiar with so gave
this CD a listen, not knowing what to expect. Happily, the music
was lively, lyrics true and funny, and the whole compilation so
easy to listen to. The day I played this CD I was off work ill, not
feeling well, in fact, aching in every joint with a fuzzy head from
Tylenol. This music matched the blue skies outside and I found
myself tapping a foot, bobbing my head and thoroughly enjoying the
music. In concert, live and in person, this would be great music to
hear from the lady herself, Maria Muldaur.
Loved the tune, 'The Diplomat', the duet in 'Life's Too Short' is
good music, charming, flirtingly sexy and carries you along its
silver strand of hope in the future. Its message: have fun, life's
too short! Maria's voice is really sweet in this one. The pace
picks up as it transcends into When Elephants Roost in Bamboo
Trees, the last half of this tune. Banjo strumming, harmonious
tunes, beep bo bop go the monkeys! A real fun song! The lyrics to
all her songs are simple, carry a message, and are packaged in
bright tunes. She is a true natural and loves singing.
Maria's voice is distinct, powerful and brings energy to jug band
revival and lifts heavy spirits. Take a listen and let the music
drift you away from pain and hard times. Maria Muldaur and her Red
Hot Bluesiana Band! Hot smok'n New Orleans blues! will be playing
at the Sutter Creek Theater on January 23, 8pm, Main St., Sutter
Creek. $23 adv / $26 day of show. Maria does Blues great and her
last blues CD "Naughty, Bawdy, and Blue" won awards. In person she
is infectious, down-home crazy fun wrapped up in a dynamite lady of
Blues that blows music out the door and onto the streets.
I
can imagine a really good time at this hot concert right in the
middle of Sutter Creek! A lovely lady with a golden voice, she is
best known for her 1974 mega-hit "Midnight at the Oasis" and the
follow-up, the iconic anthem "I’m A Woman." In the years since
then, Maria has recorded 35 solo albums covering all genres of
music, from blues to jazz to big band to gospel — and several
acclaimed children’s albums. Since the early ‘90s she has
comfortably settled into her favorite idiom, the blues. 44 Main
St., Sutter Creek. (209) 267-1070. Courtesy Photo to the Gold Country Times
D E C E
M B E R P H O
T O O F T H E M O N T H
Granddaughter Ella, visiting from Imperial Beach,
CA is full of joy at her grandparents home in the newly fallen snow
that surprised residents on Monday, December 7 in Sutter Creek.
Photo by Tim Dunn
N O V E
M B E R P H O
T O O F T H E M O N T H
Pygmalion
The Big Idea Theatre is pleased to present a modern look at this
classic George Bernard Shaw masterpiece, as adapted by Melissa Rae
Frago. In this pop-culture informed production, Eliza has designs
on reaching diva-level stardom through the coaching she receives
from Henry Higgins and his friend "Cole" Pickering. This show is
not a musical, but features two pieces of original music that
highlight Eliza's on-stage debut.
Shannon
Mahoney directs, and BIT company members Scott Divine and Melissa
Rae Frago head up the cast as Henry and Eliza, joined by the
talents of Christian St. Croix (renowned as Claude Bukowski in
Artistic Differences' 2007 production of Hair), Stephen Dowdy,
Deborah Forester, Sierra Hersek, Susan Madden, James Roberts (our
writer!) and more. Performances of Pygmalion are at 8:00 p.m.
Fridays and Saturdays, continuing through December 5, 2009. Sunday
matinees are at 2:30 p.m. (November 15, 22, 29 only). General
admission tickets are $15. SARTA/League/Seniors $12. Located at
1616 Del Paso Blvd., Sacramento, CA. Phone 916-960-3036 for more
information. Theatre schedule online at
www.bigideatheatre.com
Editor's Note: The Big Idea Theatre is an intimate setting
with great plays that remind you of the way theater used to be; no
mikes, no electrical equipment, no lighting effects. Just the
actors and their voice projection (an art in itself) bring alive a
story, their voice inflections portraying emotion. A must-see for
live theater!
O C T O
B E R P H O T
O O F T H E M O N T H
The Horseless Carriage Club of America pulled in to Sutter Creek on
Thursday, September 24, 2009. The event was put on by the El Dorado
Club. All 18 carriages were pre-1920 -- Fords, Buicks, Overland,
and a Mercedes before it joined with Benz. The Club was on a 4-day
rally, making Plymouth their last night. They were from all over
California and Nevada and fit right into our old town. Mara French
Photo courtesy to the Gold Country Times
S E P T
E M B E R P H O T O
O F T H E M O N T H
New York Fitness member Mike Ginnelly competes in Folsom’s 2009 NGA
Natural Mr./Ms. California Extravaganza.
On June 20, 2009,
Mike Ginnelly competed in the "2009 NGA Natural Mr./Ms. California
Extravaganza" in Folsom. Mike is a local resident of Amador County
and not only a long-time member of New York Fitness, but a
recognizable employee of Jeff Holman Auto. Mike has been featured
in Jeff Holman Auto’s advertisements as the "strong man". Mike was
very successful in his first show. He placed 2nd in the "Masters
Division", placed 4th overall in the "Open Division", and took the
"Best Poser" Award. Natural body building, without the aid of
steroids or any other enhancing drugs, is extremely difficult and
requires an incredible amount of work, willpower, and discipline.
All contestants are tested for drugs to qualify for the competition
and need to trim down to 3-5% body fat to successfully compete. New
York Fitness commends Mike for his hard work and congratulates him
on a successful first competition! New York Fitness, 615 New York
Ranch Road, Suite 1, Jackson, CA 95642. Phone: 209.223.3236,
www.nyftyfitness.com.
Photo courtesy to the Gold Country Times
