If you weren’t able to support earlier “Mat for Mayor” fundraising efforts, such as this past Wednesday’s midnight viewing of “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” you will still be able to lend Mat your support. Mat Sands is running a great campaign and you can be a part of it.

We hear about how politicians hold these fundraising dinners with the per plate cost being hundreds, thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. This is your chance to throw your money around and attend a “political” fundraising dinner. Come out on Sunday May 25, starting at 7pm, for “Spaghetti with Eddie”. When you attend this dinner, to be held at The Oak Room Bar in Oakhurst, you will be treated to homemade meatballs, garlic bread, Caesar salad, and of course spaghetti.

This charity dinner will benefit the “Mat for Mayor” campaign for the Harry H. Baker Boys and Girls club. The cost-$7 per plate-is a bargain because you’ll get to eat well with your neighbors and help support a worthy cause.

Call 559-760-4077 to get more information.

This has to be one of the most entertaining mayoral fundraisers yet.

Come out on Wednesday, May 21 at midnight (yes, that’s right midnight) for a premier of the new movie “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” at Met Cinemas in Oakhurst. If you really want to get your Indiana Jones fix, you can come a couple hours before the midnight showing to see “Raiders of the Lost Ark” as well. Doors open at 8pm and the first movie starts at 9pm and there will be an hour intermission between the two movies. The cost for both movies is $15, with $7 of that money going towards the “Mat for Mayor” campaign. While Mat is “running” for mayor, Indy will be running from the bad guys in Peru when the Cold War is at its height.

The fourth part of the Indiana Jones franchise stars (of course) Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett and Shia LeBeouf. Harrison began portraying adventurer Indiana Jones in the 1980s. The first Indy movie was “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark”. This was followed by “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”, which also starred Sean Connery.

Oakhurst has recently made a wise decision in partnering up with Destination Partners.  Destination Partners is an internet marketing company that has products and services that are geared towards serving businesses, leisure travel and hospitality industries online.
Their new alliance as brought Oakhurst further onto the information highway, via the internet.  Tourism is sure to get a boost with all the information that is now available to travelers online.  People will now be able to see more information on the general area with just a few key strokes.

Special coupons, discounts, incentives and promotions, are now available online.  There are instant savings on luxurious hotel accommodations, restaurants, tours, shops, and transportation in Oakhurst and the surrounding areas, as well as information about attractions to enjoy.

The new portal provides everyone with up-to-date information on everything you could imagine.  When you go to the website, you simply click on “Oakhurst” and hit “go”.  There you have it….information is at your finger tips.  You will be able to obtain addresses, phone numbers, directions and other important details to make your travel or special event planning much easier.

The site is extremely user friendly with drop down menus and simple click and go features.

Are you in need of an area hotel?  Look no further; this site has many choices available from Bed and Breakfast Inns, to budget hotels, to luxury hotels.

Please check back on Wednesday for the conclusion to this post.
 

If we don’t keep our area clean, who will? First and foremost it is important not to litter, but of course we know that everyone does not do this. It is not fair, but in order to keep our area looking good, sometimes we do have to clean up the messes that someone else has made.

With that in mind, the Community Roadside Litter Clean-up will take place this Saturday, May 17 from 8 am until Noon. You will be able to pick up trash bags at the following locations: the Oakhurst Branch Library, the Coarsegold Tepee, the North Fork Post Office and the Bass Fork Mini Mart. There are some areas in North Fork, Coarsegold and Ahwahnee that are in need to attention, so keep that is mind as you decide where you want to help. Call Mountain Area Information at 559-877-3424 for more information.

When you have filled your bag(s), you should place them so that they are not in the road. There will be trucks that will come to pick up the trash. Then pat yourself and your companions on the back for a job well done. Take yourselves out for ice cream or plan some other treat as a reward for your selflessly volunteering your time to make our community look a little better.

Relay For Life is kicking off their spring fundraisers around the country once again.  It is the world’s largest fundraising walk held.  In 2007, the Relay For Life raised over $405 million dollars worldwide.  The money raised is used to fund research, spread cancer awareness, cover treatments and cures and celebrate survivorship.

After the opening ceremony, everyone is sure to enjoy the “survivors lap” that is taken by those who have survived this horrible disease.  There are 23 teams that are registered so far this year for the 5th Annual American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life in Eastern Madera County.  Festivities will be held on Saturday May 15 at 9:00 a.m. until Sunday May 16th at 9:00 a.m.

Team members will run or walk for the entire 24 hour time period.  Each team will need to pay $150 registration fee and each team member is asked to raise $100 in donations.

Each year, luminaries are placed around the track and lit at dusk.  They will remain lit until dawn.   It is truly an awesome site to be seen.  Luminaries can be purchased to honor a cancer survivor or to honor someone who has lost their battle with cancer.   The cost of purchasing one is $10 this year.  If you are interested in purchasing one or need more information on this amazing event, contact Janice Ellis at 683-0968 or Lynette Schrank at 683-5066.

The place to be on May 17, 2008, is Wasuma Elementary School where you can celerbrate life and join the fight against cancer. Each year the American Cancer Society, with the help of many local  volunteers put on the event national known as Relay For Life^®. It’s a time and place where people come to celebrate those who have survived cancer, remember those we’ve lost, and fight back against a disease that touches all our lives.

Join this year and be a part of the celebration and fight for life.

Your involvement will help the American Cancer Society work towards a mission of eliminating cancer and will support much needed services in our community. If you want to be a part of the fight against cancer or your interested in learning more or receiving an invitation, please email Rebecca Morris at rebecca.morris@oakhurstmed.net

Have you been thinking about going back to school or just taking a few courses to update your skills? Or do you know someone who has been mentioning that they’d like to go back to school? Whether it is you or someone you know, tomorrow there is a great opportunity to get more information to finally make that decision to take the plunge.

May 7 is Spring Awareness Day at the Oakhurst College Center from 11 am to 2 pm. As the name suggests, the staff at Oakhurst College Center wants you to be aware of great educational options right in your own backyard. They will be there to talk to you about financial, scholarships and other programs that the Oakhurst College Center offers.

This will be a great time to ask lots of questions and meet people who work at the Oakhurst College Center. Sometimes it helps to get a litte familiar with the staff of a school, that way you feel more comfortable when you apply.

The Oakhurst College Center is located off of Crane VAlley Road (426). Please call 559-683-3940 or visit their website to get additional details.

The 2008 Coarsegold Rodeo was a great success. Montecino & Associates hosted a booth and enjoyed seeing many past clients as well as meeting many future clients.  Montecino & Associates handed out flags and candy as well as displayed information on the real estate market and many flyers of our properties.

If you did not make it to this years rodeo we encourage you to visit us next year in beautiful Coarsegold California.

The first California Wood Carvers Rendezvous has hit the Madera County area this week.  Instructors from all over the nation have come to the area to teach others their amazing wood carving skills.   Classes began last Sunday, but the good news is, that you can still sign up and learn new fantastic skills or refine the ones you currently have.   Many skill levels will be taught in various classes.  Classes will be available through May 4, 2008 from 9 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

Classes are being offered for a $100 registration fee.   You may attend as many classes as you like during the week or attend the same class as many times as you like, which ever your prefer.   There are classes available for all skill levels.   Classes will be taught in cypress knee carving, bird carving, dolphin carving, saddle carving, bark carving, chip carving, relief carving, golf ball caricature carving and beginning carving.   Tool sharpening, air brush painting and pyrography (wood burning) classes will also be available. 

For the spouses who are not interested in learning carving skills, there will be ladies teaching other fun crafting skills like pine needle basket making, tatting, embroidery and geo-caching.  It sound like fun can be had for everyone!

Participants need to bring their own knives, tools and equipment that they will use and purchase wood blanks to participate in the classes.

If you would like more information, contact the Chamber of Commerce at (559) 683-7766 or Larry Smith at (559) 658-2405

If you haven’t already made plans to attend the Eastern Madera County Town Hall meeting tonight at 6pm at the Senior Center in Oakhurst, you really should consider making plans to do so. Eastern Madera is our home and we need everyone’s input and participation so that it continues to be a great place to live.

Director of Emergency Services Supervisor Tom Wheeler and Sheriff John Anderson will be imparting valuable information about how to keep your home safe from wildfire. They will answer questions about what it means to live in oak woodlands and remind you that there are so many things you can do to safeguard your family and your property. Our area’s unique plant life makes for spectacular views and at the same time we have to be aware that wildfires are also a part of living in Eastern Madera.

No need to worry about starving or getting dinner together: food service will start at 5:30 pm and hot dogs are $1. You can e-mail jstanovich@madera-county.com or call 559-675-7770 for more information.