Who said that politics have gone to the dogs?  Well in the case, it actually has!  Cute little fuzzy poodle Emma and her owner J. Carol Graham have served Oakhurst as honorary co-mayors for almost a year now.  Their time in administration is now drawing to a close and a replacement needs to be found.

Would you like to be the next honorary mayor?  If so, the Oakhurst Area Chamber of Commerce is the place for you!  They are looking for a few good fundraising people who also want to have some fun.  Each candidate will need to pick a charity that they will be representing.  The reigning honorary Mayor’s represented the SPCA last year.  Each dollar that is raised is considered to be one vote for that person.  The winner is determined by how many dollars they raise for their charity.  The Chamber must approve the candidate’s charity before fundraising begins.

Candidates will hit the campaign trail after the kick-off bash in April.  The winner will be announced at another bash in July.  The winner will have fun making various personal appearances around the area.

If you are interested in putting your bid in for honorary mayor, contact (559) 683-7766 or email chamber@oakhurstchamber.com.  Applications can be picked up at the Chamber office at 49074 Civic Circle, right next to the library.  All applications need to be submitted by April 5th in order to be considered.  Please be sure to follow all of the guidelines set forth by the Chamber.

Time is running out!  Cast your vote by Wednesday, March 19th!  It’s for a good cause!  No, not THAT vote.  Come on down and help support Fresno Flats and the John Wayne Film Festival.

The MET Cinemas will be hosting a fundraising film festival featuring your favorite John Wayne films.  The public is asked to cast their votes from some of his most famous movies of all time.  Ten movies have been selected by Star sports writer Mike Hackworth and reporter Elizabeth Gabriel who are both huge fans of the movie legend.

Fans are asked to pick their top three favorite movies, out of the ten picked, in order of appearance.  The three movies that receive the top votes will be given the prime viewing times at the MET.  Ballots can be dropped off at the Sierra Telephone on Crane Valley Road, the Fresno Flats museum mail slot or at the MET.  They must be dropped off by the close of business on March 19th.

There will only be 200 tickets sold for the April 6th viewing of these movies.  For the $20 ticket price, you will see three movies, chances at prizes for answering trivia questions, raffles, entertainment, and a look-a-like contest.  The Fresno Flats volunteers will serve their famous chili and cornbread and there will be cobbler and ice cream served.

All cowboy film fans are invited to join in the fun.  So come on down for a rootin-tootin good time!  For more information on this fun and worthwhile event, call (559) 658-6001 or (559) 642-2347.

The Harry H. Baker Boys & Girls Club has been in operation for almost 10 years now.  They are well known for the services that they have provided to the community at large.

How can it be that they are now having to shut their doors?  Club officials have been left with little choice in the matter.  They have been without a corporate sponsor since 2003 and are in desperate need of help from the community.  Financial difficulties have hit everyone hard, and the Club is no different.
 
The community needs this organization and they are hoping to continue to raise funds so that they can open their doors once again.

For a mere $10 per year, per child, parents could send their youngsters to a fun and safe place in the community.  Children have enjoyed playing on their computers and using the skateboard park.  It has given students a safe place to do their homework or hang out with their friends, instead of wandering the streets of Oakhurst with nothing to do.  The club was open during the summer time and after school the rest of the year.

Mountain area residents have a couple of opportunities to help raise the much needed funds to reopen the Club.

A raffle for a laptop will be held at Oakhurst Computers.  The drawing is March 1st at noon.  Tickets are being sold for $5 each.

A benefit dinner will be held at the Erna’s Elderberry House on March 31st.  It is sponsored by the Sierra Rotary Club.  If you are interested in attending, contact James Overbaugh at (559) 683-6800.

Monetary donations are also being sought to help open the Club back up.

A spaghetti dinner will be held as a fundraiser for Mark Grogan.  Mark works at the Century 21 Ditton Sierra Realty office at the Bass Forks Minit Mart.  A non-smoker all of his life, he is currently battling lung cancer.  With his upbeat attitude, he is quoted as saying “I’m going to beat this!”
 
The dinner will be held this Saturday, January 12th from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Oakhurst Community Center.  The entire community is invited to attend.  The cost of the dinner is $10.  Tickets can be purchased at any Century 21 Ditton Sierra Realty, The Buckhorn Saloon, K & B Auto, Gas n’ Stuff, Hair Care Plus, Steve Cook Insurance, Bass Fork Minit Mart, North Fork Ace Hardware and the Yosemite Gateway Association of Realtors.

Every year there are over 17,000 Americans diagnosed with lung cancer.  Early detection and the overall health of the individual diagnosed are important factors in surviving this disease.

Proceeds from the dinner will help Mr. Grogan with travel and medical expenses.  There will be a live auction for a wonderful Carnival cruise (4 day, 5 nights).  The winner will only need to pay taxes, port fees and incidents.  There will also be raffle drawings and fun entertainment for everyone to enjoy.

For more information on the spaghetti dinner, call (559) 683-7653.

The Harry H. Baker Boys and Girls Club had their 6th Annual Christmas Tree Auction on December 2, 2007.  They are reporting that it was a huge success.  Information will follow soon on their website, as to how much money they raised for their various charities.

If you missed the live auction, you still have a chance to bid on some fantastic items online.  The final day of bidding will be this Friday, December 14th.  Like before, the proceeds will go the The Harry H. Baker Boys and Girls Club.

Bidders are welcome to wage war and try to win a one-of-a-kind original painting that was painted especially for this occasion by artist Joan Brumley.  There are  other items still available for online bidding. Many holiday decorations, a family portrait session, glassware, jewelry, various collectible items, and the book, “Rhett Butler’s People”.

Not only will you find some fun items to put under the Christmas tree, you will be helping this worthwhile organization whose mission is to enhance and promote and the development of boys and girls in the Madera County area.

If you would like to see what see what all the fun is about, visit http://www.supportbgclub.cmarket.com for more information.  Let the bidding continue!

Montecino & Associates is hosting the first annual “Celebrate The Season”. Come into the office with a can of food for Manna House, vote on the best decorated cubicle and be entered to win a $200 gift card to Target. You may vote daily and the drawing will take place on December 18th.

When we think of giving at Christmas time, we often think of material goods, rather than services. Professionals who give of their time and talents offer the type of gifts that cannot be wrapped, but are just as meaningful as presents tied up with bows.

For 14 years, Dr. Dennis Jones has provided free dental care for people in the area who lack dental insurance. His partners this tooth-saving venture, Dr. Peter Jones and Dr. Walter Randall, haven’t been at it quite as long, but they are more than willing to help. Since dentists can’t work alone, the rest of their office staff to make this happen.

This year’s free dental day will be Friday, December 7. It starts at 8 am and lasts until noon. People start to get in line an hour before the dental clinic starts and patients are seen on a first come, first served basis. Some years they have had as many as 80 patients.

If you feel as though your teeth are in good order, you can help by donating canned food. It will go to Manna House to help round out someone’s holiday meal.

The dentists’ office is at 48677 Victoria Lane at the Community Medical Center, behind Urgent Care. If you would like to know more about free dental day, contact the office at 559-683-4544.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16, 3:00PMFRESNO FALCONS VS
VICTORIA SALMON KINGSSpecial Appearance by SpongeBob!KidsHoliday Caroling Party on the ice!

Oakhurst Library – Food For Fines Program

The State of California passed a law in 1911, requiring each county to provide free public libraries to all citizens.  With revenues from the federal government, the Oakhurst Library was built in 1977.   When it first opened, the Oakhurst Library was called “Fresno Flats”.  Currently, there are many services available including tax forms, internet assessable computers, music CD’s, books on CD and tapes, along with newspapers, magazines and most importantly, books.

“The mission of the Oakhurst Branch Library is to provide a balanced, accurate, and up-to-date collection of books and other materials, as well as professional information services, for the educational, informational, cultural, and recreational needs of the community.”

The Oakhurst Library will be sponsoring the “Food For Fines” program.  Under this program, library patrons with outstanding fines, can reduce or eliminate their fines by donating canned food items.  Each canned food item donated is equal to $1 in fines assessed.  Patrons are asked to not bring in dented or damaged cans, as they cannot be accepted.  Donations cannot be applied to lost or damaged items from the library.  Canned food items are being collected from November 26th through December 15th.  If you are interested in donating canned food, but do not have any fines to pay, feel free to join the fun and make a donation.  The Manna House will be receiving all collected items.
 
The Friends of the Oakhurst Branch Library will also be offering the “3 Bucks for Books” sale on December 1st from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m..   Proceeds will benefit the needs of the library.   Visitors will be able to fit as many books as you can in a bag for only $3!  All books are in good condition and are fiction, self help, art, history and travel, to name a few.   There will be a great selection of children’s books on site.  For more information, contact 559-683-7552 or 559-642-4333 or 559-683-4838.

The Harry H. Baker Boys and Girls Club will be having their 6th Annual Christmas Tree Auction.  The online auction will be running from November 19th through November 30th.  The live event will take place on December 2, 2007.

A variety of donations are being sought for this event.  They are seeking rare collectibles for the auction.  They would also like to auction off business and personal services.

Some of the items that are available and are listed on the website include, 2 tickets for Great America, 4 tickets to the Falcons Hockey Game, various collectibles including a handmade Santa collectible valued at $200, Nativity sets, items for your home, holiday décor and holiday gift wrap, plus much more.

You may now view some of the amazing trees and wreaths that will be available for live bidding on December 2nd.  Bidding for silent auction items will be available online and will continue into the evening on December 2nd.  Proxy bidding is available to those who are not able to attend the event.  Some online items are available for bidding for up to one week after the event ends. 

The Auction will help the Harry H. Baker Boys and Girls Club and several other local charities.

If you are interested in making a personal donation or attending the live event on December 2, 2007 please call 559-642-0313 or visit their website for more information.