October 28th, 2014 – Welcome to The Pulse of Scotts Valley where we discuss and dissect the latest in Scotts Valley news. If it has happened, is happening or will happen in and around Scotts Valley, chances are you will read about it here!
FYI: Links on stories usually go to posts on the MSV Facebook page about that topic where you can read and also join the discussion.
Halloween Week is Here!
Yes, the sort of kick-off to the holiday season is this week, Halloween. Some say it is Thanksgiving, but Halloween is really where it all gets started.
Looking forward to a great Halloween in and around town! If you have a place of business that will be passing out candies or treats during Halloween, please do not forget to let the commUNITY know by clicking here and posting your info so we can gather it and have it available for people to download on a little map.
With the addition of new families in our town over the past week, many are inquiring as to where they can go to do some trick-or-treating and there have been some great suggestions by many of My Scotts Valley friends. One great suggestion was to get out and meet your neighbors around your home so that you can build more commUNITY in your neighborhood. But that is not always possible as many homes in Scotts Valley do not have other homes that are close by or are on lots that are bigger and it is not always feasible to trick-or-treat in certain neighborhoods.
So let’ make sure we welcome the new families who come knocking on our door and let’s show them what our town is all about.
And speaking of Halloween, I hope you got a chance to go to the SVHS Haunted House this past week and weekend. The kids and everyone who were involved did a great job in putting it all together. The make-up and the acting by students who were walking around scaring people (like me!) was awesome.
One of our favorite parts of the event was the “Thriller” routine that they were doing in the front every 15 minutes or so.
We did not get a chance to go inside the actual Haunted House with so much going on, although we did buy tickets, as the wait was about 1.5 hours and we had limited time to do what we wanted to do that evening, but I heard from everyone that it was also a great time inside the Haunted House.
I had mentioned in a post how the kids and the event over the weekend was somewhat loud and could be heard from several blocks, some people even said it was heard in the Granite Creek area. It went on late into close to midnight as you could hear cheers and yelling. But it was music to our ears as my wife and I talked about how cool it was to have kids together in a venue like that and the fact is that the sound and “noise” was good because we knew where the community kids were, we knew they were having a great time and we knew they were in a safe environment.
Believe me, this is a great thing. Venues and events like this are important to keep kids together and allow them to be kids. As someone in the post responded, it’s when you don’t hear our kids when you get worried.
I know that some of the news we have read about kids going and doing things like egging cars, etc. seems to be all we hear nowadays, and that is unfortunate. But the thing is, more kids do a lot of cool things that we do not always hear about and we need to give kids outlets and venues to go out and be kids. We ALL were kids at one time and many of us still think we are kids, including me! We have to allow them space to grow, and space to be who they are.
Scotts Valley Artisans
Had a great time this past Saturday at the Halloween Sidewalk Festival and Auction put on by the Scotts Valley Artisans. If you have not been to their “store”, you are missing out on some pretty amazing pieces of artwork by local artists. The silent auction was filled with some CRAZY deals. I am not kidding. Beautifully decorated doors were being sold for just over $100. It was a steal of a deal in many cases. I was bummed and I totally regret not bidding on items, especially the doors that were being sold at prices of about 10% of what their worth was. They were almost giving them away!
I’m thinking that people do not yet realize how much talent is out there and how much artwork is in this store that is unique and fabulous. This is not an exaggeration, go out and see for yourself.
The event was co-hosted by Jesse Gabriel Photography, Choi’s Tae Kwon Do and Bruno’s BBQ of course! What great event wouldn’t include Bruno’s? 🙂
Community Awards Dinner – RSVP for Your Seat and Be There!
The community awards dinner is right around the corner as the Scotts Valley Chamber honors and awards individuals in the community who have made a positive impact and difference in our town. The dinner is on Saturday, November 8th, from 6-10pm and it is being held at the Scotts Valley Community Center at 360 Kings Village Road.
Tickets are $75 if you reserve by Friday, 10/31/14 and include complimentary champagne upon entry, silent auction and hors d’oeurves, live music, no-host cocktail and wine bar, live auction, western BBQ buffet dinner and community awards presented by Master of Ceremonies the honorable Paul Marigonda. For tickets and more information please call the Chamber office at 831-438-1010.
My Scotts Valley would like to congratulate the following individuals and organizations:
Business of the Year ~ Bruno’s BBQ & Catering
Man of the Year ~ Robert Aldana
Woman of the Year ~ Linda Benko
Youth of the Year ~ Ayan Patel
Senior Citizen of the Year ~ Marlene Flannery
Educator of the Year ~ Beth Hollenbeck
Beautification Project ~ City of Scotts Valley Annette Marcum Community Garden
Organization of the Year ~ Team G Foundation
Don’t Mess With Me!
I attended a men’s group breakfast at Gateway Bible Church where we had the privilege of learning some self-defense techniques using what is called a kubaton, taught by Santa Cruz Deputy Police Chief Steve Clark. It was an awesome class and I was amazed as to how such a little device like the kubaton really CAN be used for self defense purposes.
A few comments were made on the post in which people were inquiring about a class like this for women and young girls and I happen to think it is a great idea. If I have enough interest, I will contact Gateway Bible Church and Steve Clark to ask them about putting together a class for that purpose.
Dawg’s Update
I met with Humberto and Gloria of the re-opened Dawg’s last week and I shared the comments and suggestions that you all had in regards to what they needed to do to get people in there, and more importantly – keep people coming back. I think we were all in agreement that a taqueria AND hotdog place was probably not going to fly there. When I read your comments stating that, they smiled and shook their heads in agreement.
We talked about many of your suggestions like Chicago dogs and a bar with condiments for the hotdogs, including some other cool hot dog choices, in addition to the need to add a couple more things like awesome burgers and garlic fries. Another thing we talked about was maybe an outside BBQ grill where they could BBQ chicken and make that part of the menu too along with french bread, similar to SV Market.
I truly believe that they took the suggestions not as criticism, but as constructive criticism and they could not be more graceful and appreciative of the advice.
Here’s to hoping that they do well. I am hoping that they offer the things that were suggested in the future and that when they do, we at least give them a chance by going there and trying the new things they will put on the menu.
To read the original post that generated over 8,000 views and over 100 opinions and suggestions, click here.
Go Dolphins! And Everyone Else!
This past week the Scotts Valley Middle School Girls Basketball Team won its second consecutive league championship. Congrats’ to them, well done!
Photo by Press Banner
We as a Nation are big football fans, but there is more to athletics then just football. There is basketball, baseball, soccer, golf, tennis, track and field and more. I would love to know more about your team and your sport, or your child’s sport and events so we can report on them also. Not everyone is into football, its a matter of getting updates and reports so we can in turn let others know what is going on in the sport that you or your children enjoy playing in.
Please tell me how things are going with your team and sport. I am certain that a lot of people in town would love to hear about it, not just me. I can only report on what is reported to me.
Amazing Sunrises and Sunsets
Are we not blessed with the most amazing sunrises and sunsets? I can’t tell you how many times early in the morning or later in the evening I am just in awe of the sunrise or sunset views.
As I stated in a post, I feel like we are living inside an art gallery. They are so beautiful! I posted the above picture I took in the morning last week and it was seen over 4,500 times and got close to 500 “likes”, which tells me you all appreciate it too.
The cool thing is if you miss a sunrise, you can just take a 10 minute ride and head into the beach and enjoy some of the most beautiful beach scenery. I could go on and on, I know. You already know where I am coming from if you live here. 🙂
SVPD Issues Fraud Alert
The SVPD issued another fraud alert about some calls that our residents were getting by someone pretending to be from the IRS or other Government Agency. I don’t know about you, but people who do this kind of thing need a minimum of a 10-15 year sentence to begin with. They steal identities, ruin people’s lives, they steal thousands of dollars, spend it, then get a 30 day suspended sentence. When people have the mindset of defrauding others, it just is unfathomable and should not be taken lightly.
We are way too easy and lenient on criminals and that’s why they continue to do what they do. We need tougher laws and tougher consequences.
Thanks to the SVPD for getting the alert out, based on the post and comments it appears that several Scotts Valley resident were targeted by the scam artists.
SPEAKING OF SCAM ARTISTS… Did you get a chance to read my review on the alarm system I ended up choosing for part of my security system at home? To date, it has worked flawlessly and I have been very pleased so far as it has given me tremendous peace of mind. If you get a chance, read my full review by clicking here.
Coming soon I will be reviewing my security camera system to give you some insights on how it has worked for me and why I picked it. Look for that in the next week or so.
Pika Found
One of the coolest things about the My Scotts Valley Facebook page is when we see that the community comes together to do something pretty cool. One of them was a post about a lost Macaw parrot named Pika here in town. Its owner was desperately looking for the bird and had posted on a website about the situation and because I regularly scan all Scotts Valley news on the Internet, I came across his search for his Pika and I decided to post it on MSV.
Well not too much later, within about an hour, My Scotts Valley friend Amanda Swanson Lock went to Siltanen Park for her child’s soccer game and because she had seen the post earlier in the morning on MSV, she put two and two together and realized it was the lost bird. She immediately called the owner and at last they were reunited!
I love stories with happy endings. Good stuff! 🙂
Until Next Time!
That’s it for this edition of the Pulse of Scott Valley. Wishing you all a happy and safe Halloween, make sure you slow down when going through neighborhoods as kids will be everywhere!
The Pulse of Scotts Valley is written to give everyone the latest on what is going on in and around our town. If you have a story or information to share, please contact us. We will check it out and report and share it as needed. And remember, sharing is caring.
Robert Aldana
Scotts Valley Resident since 1996
Publisher of MyScottsValley.com and Facebook.com/MyScottsValley