Sept. 23

Spring Valley builder plans to host town hall meeting

   A town hall meeting to discuss the proposed Spring Valley project has been scheduled for Oct. 13.

   Ryan Voorhees’ concept for the project on the Grace Ponte Ranch was outlined at a July 13 Valley Springs Chamber of Commerce meeting.  Voorhees is the president and owner of CRV Enterprises

  The 455-acre parcel is located between Lime Creek Road, South Petersburg Road, Hogan Dam Road and the Valley Springs Public Utility District Treatment Plant.

   The initial plan designates 45 acres as Public Service and Roads, including sites for a fire station as well as an elementary school site adjacent to the Calaveras County Water District’s proposed multi-use project; 225 acres of high, medium and low density residential, including 3¹/2 acres of multi-family residential; 48 acres of commercial including a hotel/conference center site; and 136 acres of open space, including a 2-^1/2-acre neighborhood park. In all, 1,100 homes could be constructed.

   One aspects of the conceptual plan is to provide a parkway that could eventually connect Highways 12 and 26 and relieve congestion at the four-way stop downtown. The development will be accessed by a new road that connects Hogan Dam Road with Lime Creek Road near the intersection of South Petersburg Road.

   The public forum is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 13 at Sheng Chi Kung Fu, located at 139 Main St. In addition to receiving input from the public, project officials will be available to answer questions. Snacks and drinks will be available and a children’s playroom is onsite.

   For more information, call (209) 483-6883.  

Sept. 21

Descendants of Daniel and Martha Burson unveil a memorial stone recognizing the couple's importance to the community bearing their name.

First-ever celebration of Burson's founding a success

By Nick Baptista

   The west Calaveras community of Burson celebrated its roots Saturday with a solemn ceremony in the morning at the gravesite of the town’s founder and a gathering later in the day on a green lawn near Daniel Smith Burson’s original homestead.

   Organized by the Wallace/Burson Association, the first-ever Burson Founders Day began at 11 a.m. with a memorial dedication to Burson and his wife Martha at Harmony Grove Cemetery in nearby Lockeford.

   The first-ever Founders Day came nearly 121 years after Burson filed the official plat of the townsite of Burson with the county in 1884.

   Burson’s descendants had the honor of unveiling the memorial stone, which acknowledges Burson as the founder of the town bearing his name and recognizes that his wife Martha is buried in an unmarked grave beside him.

   The ceremony included Kris Krug on the bagpipes playing “Highland Cathedral” and “Amazing Grace” and an honor guard composed of members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War and the Amador Mountaineers. Burson was a Civil War veteran.

   Wallace/Burson Association President Sal Manna made a presentation on “The Life and Legacy of Daniel Smith Burson.” Supervisors Bill Claudino and Merita Callaway read proclamations from the area’s governmental leaders and Manna read an 1890 poem, “Memorial Hymn” by former Burson Postmaster Job F. Thomas.

   The festivities shifted to the grounds at Moore’s Karate in Burson where several hundred people came to enjoy entertainment provided by the Calaveras High School choir, martial arts demonstrations, and a sampling of crafts, plants, wares, giveaways and foods from about 30 booths circling the grassy grounds.

   In addition, a number of posters by area school children depicting the beginning of Burson were on display.

   Dakota Sims, a second-grade student at Jenny Lind Elementary, won the grand prize for the posted contest for the second- and third-graders, while Sadie McCamly, a Valley Springs Elementary School fifth-grader, was the grand-prize winner for the fourth- through sixth-graders. Third-grader Alec Brotherton and sixth-grader Katie Gore finished second, while third-grader Brittney Seria and sixth-grader MacKenzie Theiler finished third.

   Manna said he was pleased with the turnout and next year’s event promises to be bigger and better.  

3 RVs, storage unit go up in flames

Shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday, fire crews were dispatched to Junction 26 RV & Mini Storage for a blaze. 

Damage estimated at $30,000

   Three recreational vehicles and a storage unit were damaged by a fire reported at 4:37 p.m. Thursday at the Junction 26 RV and Mini Storage at 1390 Country View Drive.

   CDF sent one air attack plane, one helicopter, five engines and two air tankers to the scene. Firefighters and equipment from Foothill, Jenny Lind and San Andreas fire protection districts also responded to the fire, which was parallel to Highway 26.

   The blaze was out by 5:45 p.m. CDF officials say the cause was undetermined and damage is estimated at $30,000.

   Andy Henkle owns the business.

   The day before, firefighters were dispatched at 8:30 a.m. to a pair of small roadside fires at Highway 26 and Hogan Dam Road on land owned by Caltrans. The cause was undetermined.

   Thirty minutes later on Wednesday, three small roadside grass fires were reported on Highway 12 near the Zippy Mart in Valley Springs. One of the fires grew to two acres before they were extinguished. Cause of the fires was undetermined.

   At 12:05 a.m. Sunday, Jenny Lind Fire and the CDF responded to a car and vegetation fire at Huckleberry Lane and Delin Way. Arson is suspected. The fire caused $2,000 in damage to a vehicle and burned less than one acre of grass.

Sept. 9

Mary Oleson of Oakley participates in the grape harvest earlier this month at Bear Flag Vineyard.

Grape harvest under way in Calaveras vineyards

   It’s harvest time in Calaveras County for the nectar of the gods.

   Bear Flag Vineyard in Jenny Lind the first weekend of the month began harvesting Merlot grapes that will be crushed into wine. The harvest at Bear Flag Vineyards continued the past weekend with Barberra and Zinfandel grapes being picked and crushed.

   Jim Green of Valley Springs Dentistry expects to harvest four to five tons from his two acres in Jenny Lind.

   He said this year’s crop is about average.

   Five tons will produce about 10 barrels or 3,000 bottles of wine, he added.

   Green and Barbara Fox had more than a dozen friends and members of the Antioch Rotary Club on hand for the Sept. 3 harvest. After a morning of picking, Fox and Green treated their friends to a superb lunch.  

Sept. 7

Tyler, Kyle and Travis Caires of Jenny Lind 4-H were seeking donations the past weekend to help victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Valley Springs jumps to aid Hurricane Katrina victims

By Nick Baptista

   Some Valley Springs area youngsters spent the Labor Day weekend collecting donations to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina.

   The Jenny Lind 4-H Club established donation tables in front of Mar Val to collect money designated for “Disaster Relief” to the Salvation Army at P.O. Box 4857, Jackson, MS 39296-4857.

   “It’s looking good so far,” 4-H helper Lori Caires said on Friday. “We have some really generous people. People who don’t have a lot are putting in all of their change.”

   Lori’s three sons Kyle, Travis and Tyler were manning the tables and help later in the weekend was expected from other 4-H Club members.

   The Salvation Army is also accepting donations over the phone by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY.

   Donations can be made to the American Red Cross at 1-800-HELP-NOW.

   Two Jenny Lind Fire Protection District firefighters are donating more than money, they’re donating their time. Al Engle and Roy Estakhri have been accepted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist in the relief efforts.

   Jenny Lind Fire Chief Stacey Hebrard said Engle and Estakhri will be leaving for a training course in Atlanta, Ga., as soon as they get their gear together. The two men are signed up for 30 days, but the assignment can last from 14 to 120 days, Hebrard said.

   Two other Jenny Lind firefighters – Ross Estabrooks and Jason Robitaille – could also be bound for the Gulf States to offer assistance, Hebrard said. Estabrooks’ wife Debbie is going as a Red Cross volunteer.

    Those trying to find the health and welfare status of family members in the path of Hurricane Katrina have three sources of help.

   The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network website at www.satern.org has a form to be completed and will make attempts to contact as soon as resources become available. It is important to note that contact information be provided; otherwise it probably will not be processed. In addition, names and addresses must be complete and, if possible, a point of reference such as a crossroad provided.

   It will probably be several weeks before any reply can be expected.

   Another source is www.gulfcoastnews.com. They are compiling a database of family members and allowing people to post queries and status of family members in an attempt for separated families to make contact. Be alert to any attempts for scam artists to misuse and take advantage of any information posted on a public source.

   In addition, the American Red Cross has an on-line Family Links Registry, or call 1-877-568-3317.  

Sept. 2

Preparing a quilt for President George W. Bush were, from left, Patti Chandler, Gail Belmont, Virginia Belmont, Jan Boli and Bert Gonzales.

President Bush to receive Valley Springs-made quilt

By Nick Baptista

   A quilt produced in Valley Springs is expected to grace the Bush White House in the near future.

   Navy Special Warfare Group No. 3 based in San Diego made a special request for a quilt similar to the Quilts of Valor produced by Gail Belmont and members of the Loose Threads Quilt Guild of Valley Springs.

   Belmont said the Navy Seals last week asked her to produce a quilt for “a very special recipient.” She had a pattern in mind that she had been saving, a “Lone Star” pattern, and on Saturday she learned the special person was the former governor of the Lone Star state and U.S. President George W. Bush.

   The Seals wanted the quilt in time for the president’s trip this past Tuesday to the Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego where he commemorated the 60^th anniversary of the victory over Japan. The final touches were made on the quilt during a busy weekend and it was shipped Monday via overnight service to San Diego.

   However, the president had to cut his trip short due to Hurricane Katrina and the quilt presentation was postponed.

   New plans call for Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee to present the quilt to the president.

   In addition to the star pattern, the front of the quilt is inscribed with “God Bless America” and “Land of the Free.”

   Belmont said she believes the special request for the quilt was made to let the president know “we stand behind you no matter what happens.”

   Loose Threads and Belmont have shipped 65 similar quilts this past year to service men and woman wounded in action in Afghanistan and Iraq. Their goal is to produce 40 more before the end of the year.

   Nationwide, the Quilt for Soldiers program has produced 2,200 quilts for wounded veterans, but it is estimated that 13,000 to 20,000 have been injured in the recent actions in Afghanistan and Iraq.

   “I can’t think of a bigger honor” than making a quilt for the president, said Belmont, who served in the U.S. Army from 1969-76 during the Vietnam War era.

   In addition to Belmont, who was the machine quilter; Patti Chandler was the piecer; Bert Gonzales and Virginia Belmont bound the quilt and Jan Boli laid the label.

   The label contains a quote from President Bush’s Sept. 20, 2001, address to Congress and the public: “Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war, and we know that God is not neutral between them.”

   In addition, the label has the names and email addresses of those who worked on the quilt, two Bible verses and a note that the Seals present the quilt to the president with a note of thanks, “Thank you for actively promoting freedom and justice for all. Sir, Operation Enduring Freedom continues on our watch. God Bless America!”  

Valley Springs woman arrested on suspicion of murdering her husband

   A Valley Springs woman is in custody on suspicion of murdering her husband.

   Janet Peggy Casey, 66, of 6629 Evergreen Road, Valley Springs, was arrested Tuesday evening at her residence after a preliminary investigation into the shooting death of her husband, Frank Casey, 75, according to the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Department.

   Reports say deputies were dispatched at 10:18 p.m. to the Evergreen Road house for a shooting incident.

   Janet Casey was booked into Calaveras County Jail and is being held on $750,000 bail.

   Sheriff’s detectives are investigating the shooting.  

Mail: P.O. Box 1297, Valley Springs, CA 95252 
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