News from the Hall April 2014
News from the Boardby Collin Riley
April, come she will
When streams are ripe and swelled with rain.
—Simon and Garfunkel
Happy April, Bryson. We received a little welcome rain after all, a little cleansing, and a little drink for our thirsty ground. I heard no complaints about diverting water or clearing fallen trees from roads. These chores were as welcome as the water they accompanied. I, like many Brysonites, have proximate neighbors who kindly help me when I need help. Thank you, kind neighbors.
Our March potluck was a spectacular apple grafting event and St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Scions or rootstocks were provided by the Hall to graft and distribute young apple trees to all who participated. Central Coast chapter of the California Rare Fruit Growers Association was represented by Jim and Bridget Ritterbush, and everyone had a good time. The evening culminated in a St. Paddy’s Day potluck celebration full of Irish food and friendly fun. Thank you, Carri Villella and Kerry Davenport, for hosting this event, and thank you to all who brought food and attended.
Coming up on April 18th at 7:00 pm is our annual Cinco De Mayo themed potluck. The Pineda family hosts this fabulous celebration. Please bring your favorite dish, and those who specialize in Mexican cooking, don’t miss this one. Also on Sunday, April 27, at 11:00 am will be the Hesperia Hall annual Chicken Barbecue and White Elephant Auction, an especially fun and well attended event as well as an important one for funding the Hall’s scholarship work. We look forward to seeing you there.
Thank you for this privileged opportunity to serve our neighborhood and the aspiring students in our community.
April’s potluck, traditionally hosted by the Pineda family, is an early celebration of Cinco de Mayo. The April 18 potluck begins at 7:00 pm. Bring a Mexican or Mexican-like dish, or any dish, to share, and join family, friends, and neighbors at the Hall for a festive, lively evening with plenty of good food and conversation.
Successful March Potluck
The Hall’s March potluck is typically preceded by an apple tree grafting workshop conducted under the auspices of the California Rare Fruit Growers Association, represented again this year by Jim and Bridget Ritterbush. Despite a conflicting house concert at St. Luke’s Church in Jolon — reported to have been excellent, by the way, — the monthly potluck hosted full tables and the usual goodly spread. The belated St. Patrick’s Day celebration, hosted by past Hall president Carri Villella and former Bryson neighbor Kerry Davenport, grew into a prolonged evening of visiting and conversation.
Scholarship Reportby Ed Buntz
Hesperia Hall Scholarship selections are being made in April for local aspiring college and technical school students for academic year 2014-2015. King City HighSchool (KCHS) graduates will receive their awards at the KCHS Scholarship Banquet in King City on May27.Inaddition, the Hesperia Hall Board has designated the potluck on July 18 as Scholarship Night. We will present the remaining scholarships and provide opportunities for short presentations from current and past scholarship recipients. Mark your calendars, as it will be a wonderful summer evening to meet our inspiring youngsters in pursuit of their dreams.
The scholarship committee would like to thank Valley Improvement Company for their recent donation and an anonymous donor for a generous donation in memory of Dorothy Turley.
This year’s Hall raffle quilt is in the intense hand quilting phase. It will be revealed during April, and tickets will be going on sale, with all proceeds going to the scholarship fund.
If you would like to make a direct individual donation to the fund, simply make out a check to Hesperia Hall Scholarship, put Scholarship Fundon the memo line, and send to Hesperia Hall, 51602 Bryson-Hesperia Road, Bradley, CA 93426, or give your check to any Board member at a Hall event.
If you have any questions about the Hesperia Hall scholarship program or how to establish a 529 college savings account, please contact Ed Buntz at (805) 472-2070 or Lois Lindley at (805) 472-9556.
SMCERTA Reportby Carla Martinez
South Monterey County Emergency Response Team Association, or SMCERTA, is busy finishing up its twenty-hour CERT training course in King City. We will graduate eighteen students on Saturday April 12, 2014, during our drill simulation. We are so pleased with the progress of our students and their diligence in completing this course. SMCERTA is looking for a few community members who are willing to participate in the simulation as volunteer “victims.” No experience is necessary, just good play acting skills, and we’ll be sure to coach you. The drill will be held at the King City CalFire Station from 8:30 am to noon. Please give Carla Martinez a call at (805) 391-3185 if you are interested in participating. Community Service credit will be given to any high school students who join us. Carpools can also be arranged.
Please mark your calendars for the Third Annual Health and Safety Fair sponsored by Mee Memorial Hospital. This year’s fair will be held at the Salinas Fair Grounds in King City. Fair hours are from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. A 5K fun run is also planned for this event. For more information on the fair, please call Melissa Grindstaff at (831) 386-7326. SMCERTA will have an information booth at the fair, and we hope you will come visit us there.
This is a good time to remind everyone to change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Changing the batteries is critical in keeping your home safe for your family members. An ounce of prevention goes a long way. Also, with the February rains, we are beginning to see our hillsides green up. This means it’s also time to begin our weed abatement efforts. Ugh! So get out there early and get all that star thistle sprayed before it begins to blossom. Keeping our properties free of weeds and dry shrubs is the first step in being fire safe.
SMCERTA’s next monthly meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 15, at St. Luke’s in Jolon at 7:15 pm. Please come and join us.
Final Call for All White Elephantsby Carla Martinez
This is your last reminder for white elephants. The Hesperia Hall annual White Elephant Auction is scheduled for Sunday, April 27, 2014, after the Chicken Barbeque. All proceeds from the auction will be donated to the Hall Scholarship Fund. Again, we are accepting donated items after the April potluck. You may drop off your donations at the Hall on Sunday, April 20, during the Produce Exchange from 11:00 am until 1:00 pm, or on Thursday, April 24, from 9:00 am until noon.
If an alternate time is needed, please call Carla Martinez at (805) 391-3185 to make special arrangements. We accept all types of donations but cannot accept large furniture, large appliances, or any clothing items. The Hesperia Hall Board is very grateful to our generous community members who make this auction possible with their donated white elephants and their auction purchases. Let’s continue this remarkable tradition and give a healthy boost to the Scholarship Fund.
San Antonio Mission Daysby Joan Steele
Visit Mission San Antonio de Padua on Saturday, April 5, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm to see the Mission as it might have been during the height of the California Mission era. There will be costumed docents portraying vaqueros, artisans, soldiers, and padres. Demonstrations will include acorn grinding, adobe brick making, weaving, bead making, face painting, Indian games, and tortilla making. Join in the early California dances and listen to Mission era music performed by the New World Baroque Orchestra. Take a guided tour with archaeologist, Professor Robert Hoover, and local naturalist, Charles Ewing. Meet with Michael Muir, great grandson of naturalist, John Muir, and members of Access Adventure who will be offering rides in horse-drawn carriages. Michael's group will be bringing three teams of horses and carriages to this year's event. Round the day off with a plate of early California food for $10. Admission is $10 per vehicle payable on entry.
First, Let’s Do the Numbersby Tom Walters
The monthly Hall newsletter, News from the Hall is, at $4,000, the single largest expense in the Hesperia Hall budget. Although the writers and editors are all volunteers, printing and mailing costs amount to about $1.05 per copy, or $12.60 per household per year. Hall dues are a modest $20 annually, and there are somewhere near 130 family memberships in an average year. Each month, 350 copies of the newsletter are printed with about 340 going out into the community, some to specific remote members’ addresses and a large majority bulk distributed to members as well as others in this area.
It is clear that most copies are given free to local residents who are not members but whom our mail carriers feel are interested in community affairs. It is also clear, then, that dues payers subsidize this wider circulation. The question before us, then, is, “Is this model fair, and is it sustainable?”
One obvious solution is to send News from the Hall only to addresses of dues-paying members. For many of the writers, editors, and Board members, that is a depressing thought. Most of us want to see things grow, not shrink. Arguments on this side point out that the entire newsletter is now online at and free to anyone with an internet connection. Additionally, taking this action would immediately free up $2,700 for the Scholarship Fund.
Other Board members argue that by subsidizing the cost of the newsletter for non-members, we are contributing to a stronger sense of community and can slowly expand the membership. It is a community service.
How do you feel? Your comments and ideas are encouraged. The Hesperia Hall Board of Directors meets the first Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm at Hesperia Hall, and members are welcome to attend and have their voices heard. You may send written responses to Hesperia Hall Board of Directors at 51602 Hesperia Hall Road, you may speak to any Board member at any Hall event or any time, or send an email to . Or, finally, you may send an email , use “Newsletter Distribution” as the subject, and we will forward your message to all Board members.
Additionally, we plan on a full-court press soliciting memberships at this year’s Chicken Barbecue. Come see us and share your thoughts at the membership table. Indeed, the Chicken Barbecue is a good opportunity for you to speak with Board members, all of whom will be working part or all of the day.
Chicken BBQ and White Elephant Auctionby Collin Riley
It’s that time of year again. Our famous Hesperia Hall Chicken Barbecue and White Elephant Auction commences at the Hall on Sunday, April 27, beginning at 11:00 am. We appreciate your generous participation, as proceeds benefit our scholarship fund.
The annual Hesperia Hall White Elephant Auction is scheduled for after the Chicken Barbeque. All proceeds from the auction will be donated to the Hall Scholarship Fund. We will accept donated items after the April potluck. You may drop off your donations at the Hall on Sunday, April 20, during the Produce Exchange from 11:00 am until 1:00 pm, or on Thursday, April 24, from 9:00 am until noon. If an alternate time is needed, please call Carla Martinez at (805) 391-3185 to make drop off arrangements.
Along with the chicken meal comes a choice of homemade dessert. These desserts have been a memorable part of the Chicken Barbecue experience in years past, and we need your help. Calling all bakers, we hope you will donate your best cakes, pies, cookies, tarts, etc. Pies are especially prized. Please let us feature yours at this hallmark event.
Regarding the Chicken Barbecue itself, food is served from 11:00 am until 2:00 pm at our historic Hall and includes chicken, beans, salad, French bread, coffee or lemonade, and a homemade dessert of choice. Soft drinks and water are available for additional purchase. The price for adults is $10, kids aged 6-12 are $5, and food is free for children under 6.
Following the meal will be a White Elephant Auction of local treasures. Auctioneers provide a great show full of fun and humor. There are great package deals too. At this event, we unveil and sell tickets for our annual raffle quilt, which makes its debut showcasing countless hours of handcraft by our community’s expert quilters. Please join us for a great time.
Local Bakers Look to Their Larders
With Hesperia Hall’s annual Chicken Barbecue just weeks away, local bakers are laying in holiday quantities of flour, sugar, and all the additional ingredients they will transform into “much-sought-after” desserts that top off the traditional Chicken Barbecue meal of a barbecued half chicken, beans, salad, and garlic bread. For many who attend, especially those blessed (or cursed) with a refined taste for sweets, the dessert table provides the highlight of the day. Based on the experience of barbecues past, we all know that pies are quick to go, but our local cooks turn out so many wonderful, tasty, tempting desserts that the choice among sweet delights is always difficult.
So, dear Bakers, be sure you have your rolling pins, sifters, measuring implements, plates, baking sheets, and pans at the ready in time to turn out the quantity of desserts needed for yet another Chicken Barbecue event at the Hall. Deliver your contributions to the Country Kitchen before 11:00 am on Sunday, April 27. Thank you to all the generous bakers of Bryson-Hesperia. You efforts are happily anticipated, welcomed, and appreciated.
2015 Calendar Photo Judgingby Jo Geary
I am sure that by now you have all begun to sort through your photographs for suitable entries for the June judging. If you don't find any, there is plenty of time to take some. As you make your selections, please bear in mind the following requirements.
1. Photographs must be taken by a Hall member.
2. Each member may submit up to 4 entries.
3. Photographs are to have been taken within the 93426 zip code area and Lockwood Valley.
4. Photographs are to be color, 8" x 10" (as close as possible, please) landscape format, accompanied by a CD if possible, but not mandatory.
5. Photographers must include name and shot location with each entry.
6. Entries are to be turned in to a committee member by Wednesday, June 4, 2014.
You may re-enter any photographs that have not been selected as photo of the month on a previous calendar; therefore, all thumbnails are eligible for re-entry. Please help us make this year’s judging a real success with lots of entries and even more judges. Remember, you do not have to be a Hall member to participate in the judging; just come and join in the fun.
So mark this date on your calendars now: Saturday, June 7, 5:00 to 7:00 pm. Photo judging at the Hall.
Calendar committee members are Jo Geary, Beth Winters, Silas Denny, and Janice Smith-Ramseier.
Return of Little Black Train
The good news for Bryson-Hesperia traditional music fans is that on Mother’s Day, May 11, at 3:00 pm, the trio of Kenny Blackwell, Stuart Mason, and John Weed will return for a house concert on Smith Road. Join the group Little Black Train for music and light refreshments at 53075 Smith Road, the home of Tom and Barbara Walters, for an afternoon of old-timey music and lively musicianship on fiddle, mandolin, mandola, banjo, and guitar, with Stuart Mason on lead vocals.
Little Black Train and variations on the group are familiar to many area music lovers through their previous performances at Hesperia Hall, St. Luke’s in Jolon, and Smith Road. They will be coming to us for this Smith Road appearance on their return from participating in the Parkfield Bluegrass Festival in Parkfield, California, on May 8 and 9.
To make reservations, please call Barbara Walters at (805) 472-2884, or send an email to . A donation of fifteen dollars is suggested. All proceeds go directly to the performers.
Cooking from the Gardenby Kate Snell
One of my favorite vegetables to grow from fall into spring is broccoli. I put my starts out into well-amended soil in September and usually begin harvesting crowns in late winter. Side shoots of broccoli can continue to be harvested throughout the spring until they bolt in the hot weather. To have a long season, try to cut off those side shoots before they flower. The broccoli can take some frost and has few problems with pests due to the cold weather.
I like broccoli lightly steamed, sautéed and served over pasta, pureed in a creamed soup, or added to a stir fry. Last year Stephanie Wilson of Copperhead Road brought a delicious broccoli salad to Hesperia Hall for a potluck. Below is her recipe.
Broccoli
1 head of fresh broccoli, cut into small florets and lightly steamed