The good news is that this smoking ban could spur home sales over the next 14 months, as people try to reclaim their privacy and autonomy. But for others, especially those who cannot move, buy or sell a home easily, it could be a hardship and a financial nightmare. They may not be able to get the right price on their condo, or they may have to by a detached home, typically more expensive than a condo. They have to absorb moving costs and other relocation costs, which could be a financial hardship at this time.

It will be interesting to see if other communities around California and the country follow suit, enacting and enforcing stricter smoking bans. We’d like to know what you think about the smoking ban. Is it good or bad? Fair? Needed? Is government over-stepping? What will the economic impact be, on shops and restaurants? How will this impact your family and your lifestyle?

A number of cities around the country have instituted smoking ban in bars and restaurants. Most restaurants in Washington DC, for instance, have experience a 10% to 50% drop in customer volume and receipts. It varies by establishment, season, and day of the week and time of day. in nice weather, the smokers can still manage. Understandably, smoking customers may now drink and dine elsewhere. Or they may not linger as long over a meal or dessert as they used to. Either way, many establishments are feeling the pinch in their pocketbooks.

Please feel free to share your comments here on how you think the smoking ban could affect you if it were adopted in Madera County.

Madera County’s position on smoking in public spaces and places can be found here.

The county sponsors “Smoke Free Work Place” training and outreach, and efforts to keep youth from smoking.

On October 9, 2007, Belmont, CA adopted the strictest smoking ban in the country. The regulations ban smoking on streets, and in public and private spaces, including your home, if you reside in an apartment or condo complex. The new law takes affect in 30 days, governing public spaces and establishments. The housing ban will take effect in 14 months, which gives people the chance to relocate to a private home, or an apartment outside the city limits.

The only place you can smoke is the privacy of your own home or vehicle. Smoking is now banned from streets, restaurants, stores, malls, public buildings, public transportation, office buildings, apartment buildings, and the like. Smokers can choose to smoke elsewhere, usually in a designated outside area. The bill’s language also allows some smoking leniency in apartment buildings, as long as smoke or smell does not permeate other apartments, and the neighbors do not complain.

This ruling has sparked heated debate. This ‘smoking gun’ is indeed a love – hate debate surrounding government regulations encroaching on personal freedom, under the guise of public health and safety. Some think that the government has gone to far. Others welcome it, especially non-smokers, who need such sanctions in order to exercise their freedom to not be harmed by second hand smoke.

To view real comments from diverse people, visit this website. Please feel free to share your comments here. Stay tuned for a discussion of other implications of the new smoking ban.

Madera County’s position on smoking in public spaces and places can be found here.

The county sponsors “Smoke Free Work Place” training and outreach, and efforts to keep youth from smoking.

Those of us who live in California love the natural beauty that abounds. And we love the countryside, dotted with rows and rows of fruit trees that add to our wines. The patchwork of colors is truly breath-taking. And so we love our wines and our local wineries who add so much to our historical legacy. We will be showcasing a number of our local wineries in coming weeks.

California is a wine lover’s paradise, and it makes for great day trips and romantic getaways. Fall is the time for it. Surely you know our local wineries. Or think you know them. Many have been reborn under the leadership of the younger generation. If you want the inside scoop on wineries farther afield, you may appreciate knowing about The California Wine Club. Their website is http://www.cawineclub.com/.

Husband and wife Bruce and Pam Boring started CAW in 1990. Avid wine connisseurs, they loved visiting wineries all across the state. They have compiled all of this information on the winery, the family behind it, what makes each wine special.

You may wish to become a member and subscribe to their email list. It is free. You will learn more about monthly featured wines, and you may chose to order the monthly selection or others from their 12 page catalog. I suspect that many of our Madera wineries are included in their listings. If not, we’ll have to help spread the word on our fine establishments which grace the countryside that we call home.

As 1977 Reunion class comes ‘home’ and approaches the big 5.0… here is a valuable life lesson. “Change with the times, and keep current.”

The two restaurants where the homecoming festivities are being held have done just that.

Traveling down memory lane, you may remember Reunion weekend restaurants and winery. Both have longstanding, century-old family traditions in the business. Both continue to evolve and reinvent themselves. So it’s worth a visit to see how what’s old IS new, again.

Robert and Helen Mariscotti opened The Vineyard Restaurant (605 South I Street) in the present location at the junction of Highway 99 and Highway 145 on the southern edge of Madera after its predecessor, the Berenda Ranch Restaurant was torn down in the early 1970s. Some may even remember how it evolved from a grocery store to a bar to a 24-hour establishment and gas station. The casual menu harkens from century-old traditions of this restaurant’s Italian heritage. They now even bake their own breads and deserts and boast an extensive wine list. The Vineyard was picked by “The Wine Spectator” as one of the restaurants to eat in the San Joaquin Valley.

Siblings John Lasgoity and Michele Lasgoity own and operate the Chateau Lasgoity winery, which has been a family tradition for 4 generations. Chateau Lasgoity’s inaugural crush was in the Fall of 2000. Their 2000 Blanc du Val has received two top local medals and the 2001 Blanc du Val received a GOLD MEDAL in the 20th Annual West Coast Wine Competition held in Santa Rosa. This beautiful venue (11219 Road 26, Madera) offers daily tours and wine tastings.

If you’ve always wondered what a Scotsman wears under his kilt, there will be plenty of people to ask this weekend at the 30th Annual Fresno Highland Gathering & Games. Madera County Scotsmen will be wearing the plaid this Saturday, September 15, when the games kick off at 8 a.m. at Fresno Roeding Regional Park. The park is located at 890 W. Belmont (Highway 99 and Belmont, just east of SR99) in Fresno, California. General admission is $12, seniors and military $10, children 6-12 $6, under 6 free; parking is $3. For more information and a map, visit the Scottish Society of Central California website.

If you’ve never been to a highlands games, you’ll find them fascinating. This is your chance to witness unusual sports like the hammer throw and caber toss, which looks like a telephone pole being hurled. Scottish athletics are not for the faint of heart. The tradition of the highlands games dates back to the Roman invasions in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. Ancient chieftains and kings used the games to test the agility, cunning and physical strength of their clansmen. To the victors went the spoils: leadership in the clan and on the battlefield.

But highland games are not only about brawn. There are wonderful high-stepping dance competitions, a living history stage where Scottish stories are be told in the old oral tradition, great food, fabulous celtic music, plenty of celtic merchandise and special tents for clans and societies. And don’t forget the pipe and drum competitions. There is no sound in the world quite so spine-tingling as the sound of bagpipes played en masse.

This weekend, September 15-16, Madera County residents can explore their mountain heritage at the 11th annual Mountain Heritage Days celebration in Oakhurst, California. A parade, Country Fair, contests and Sluice Box Derby are among the events planned. The celebration kicks off at 10 a.m. this Saturday with a parade along School Road (Road 427) and Crane Valley Road (Road 426) in Oakhurst, California.

Before the parade, stoke up on flapjacks at the Sierra Oakhurst Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast. Eggs, ham, sausage, steaming, golden stacks of pancakes, juice and coffee are on the menu. Breakfast will be served from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Oakhurst Community Center Pavilion located at 39800 Road 425B. Adults meals are $5; children 12 and under, $2; and children under 5 are free.

After the parade, don’t miss the exciting Sluice Box Derby. It starts at 11 a.m. on Saturday and features three divisions for derby racers aged 4-14.

You can spend a delightful day at Mountain Heritage Days. Watch pioneer demonstrations in candle dipping and blacksmithing. Check out award-winning displays of wood carving and needlework. Shop the many arts and crafts booths at the Country Fair. Sample some good old down-home country cooking. Return to the 1850s when Fresno Flats was a booming mountain town.

The festival will be held on the grounds of the Fresno Flats Historic Park. The park is located near Oak Creek Intermediate School and Yosemite High School on School Road (Road 427). Click here for a map and driving directions. For more information, call 559-683-6570.

Madera County residents will Go Hog Wild this weekend. That’s the theme of the 70th annual Madera District Fair which opens today, September 6, and runs through Sunday, September 9, 2007. Admission is $7 at the gate, $4 for senior citizens (62 and older), $4 for children 6 to 12, children 5 and under are free. Parking at the fairgrounds is $3. Fair hours are 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

You’ll find lots to see and do at this year’s fair. Clowns, a hypnotist, fantastic Wild Science, the Alphabet Soup puppets, a very cool Energy Machine, and amazing trained lions are just some of the things to watch for. And, of course, you’ll find lots of wonderful farm animals.

First class entertainment is on tap at the annual fair. General seating at concerts is free with your fair admission. Premium seating is available for some concerts at an additional cost. Click here for more information.

• Thursday, September 6 at 7:30 p.m. Los Lonely Boys
• Friday, September 7 at 8 p.m. Terri Clark & Kellie Pickler
• Saturday, September 8 at 8 p.m. Smash Mouth
• Sunday, September 9 at 7:30 p.m. Los Rieleros Del Norte

If your kids love to ride all the rides, you can purchase a wristband for $20 that allows unlimited rides at the carnival, Midway of Fun and Kid’s Town. Wristbands will only be offered on Thursday and Friday. Discounted ticket packages will be available on all fair days. 

Special admission and rides discounts are being offered this year:

• Buddy Day is Thursday, September 6. Free fair admission for kids 12 and under and for seniors 62 and older. Buy one carnival wristband for $20 and receive a second one free.
• Early Bird special is on Sunday, September 9. From 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. all children 12 and under will be admitted free and carnival wristbands will be half price, just $10 per child to ride all the rides.

For more information, contact the Madera District Fair office at 559-674-8511 or visit the fair website. You’ll find a helpful map and directions on the website. See you at the fair!

Here in Madera County the last days of summer are drifting through our fingertips. They’ll be playing the last dance at Ducey’s in Bass Lake on Friday, August 31, when the delightful Jazz on the Lake concert series comes to a close.

Jazz fans will gather poolside at Ducey’s one last time to hear the mellow sounds of the Joe Lenigan Band from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Kick back, sample of few of Ducey’s delicious delights, sip a glass of wine or try one of many microbrew beers while you enjoy the sweet sounds of the band.

The enjoyable 15-week concert series has been drawing jazz aficionados all summer. A popular Madera County, California restaurant, Ducey’s offers upscale dining. Situated on the north shore of the lake, Ducey’s offers gorgeous views of Bass Lake and the surrounding Sierra Nevada foothills.

Ducey’s on the Lake is located at 39255 Marina View Drive in Bass Lake, California. For more information and to make reservations or purchase tickets, call 559-642-3121.

Despite the continuing heat, summer is slowly coming to a close. School is starting and today’s lazy days will soon be a wistful memory. There are still a few days left to indulge in your favorite summer activities. Here are some of the things we’ll miss until next summer.

• Berenda Reservoir. There are just a few days left to cool off. The Berenda Reservoir will close for the season on Thursday, August 16. Located 3 miles outside Chowchilla, the beautiful 6-acre Berenda Reservoir Park is a mecca for Madera County families seeking to relax and have fun in the water. The reservoir offers swimming, sandy beach areas, a boat launch and picnic facilities. Before the gates are locked, there’s still time to take one last swim, build one last sand castle, take the boat out one last time and delight in one final picnic.
• Madera Farmers’ Market. Succulent fruits, fabulous veggies, just picked sweet corn — summer eating is good when you shop at the Madera Farmers’ Market. The market is held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. every Thursday in Court House Park at the corner of Yosemite Ave. and Gateway Dr. in Madera. Better hurry, though, there are only three market days left. The Farmers’ Market ends August 30.

The curtain goes up tomorrow night on Vision Academy’s production of the song and dance musical Damn Yankees. Watch Madera County’s own local talent trip the light fantastic August 9-11. Showtime is 7 p.m. at Our Lady of the Sierra Catholic Church. Donations will be cheerfully accepted. If you want to make a night of it, take the family to the pre-show dinner on Friday, August 10. Dinner will be served at 5 p.m.; cost is $5. Our Lady of the Sierra is located at 40180 Indian Springs Road in Oakhurst, California.

Filled with well-known tunes like You’ve Got to Have Heart and Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets, Damn Yankees tells the story of a Washington Senators baseball fan who sells his soul to the devil to give his team a chance to beat the Yankees and win the pennant. Brad Foster stars as Senator ballplayer Joe Hardy in the Sierra Starlight Theater production. Starlight Theater is the academy’s class for youth age 7 to 19.

Leading a cast of 20 energetic youth, Valerie Costenino plays Meg Boyd, the hapless fan’s wife; Kenny Jeffris portrays team manager Benny Van Buren; and Haley Fielding vamps as Lola, the devil’s handmaiden. Rounding out the cast are The kids in the cast are Jeff Gilbank, Alex Sanford, Emma Madsen, Steve Garcia, Nick Adelizi, Brian Bailey, Sean Glick, Devon Nollet, Lauren Trost, CeCe Garcia, Cheroa Johnson, Maggie Brewer, Katelyn Suderman, Alyssa Suderman, Mia Adelizi, Rebecca Glick and Janet Nickels. The show is directed by Sheila Adams.

The G-rated 1950s musical is good family fun that will have you cheering by the end. If you’re an aficionado of old black and white movies, you may remember Damn Yankees as the one time James Cagney shrugged off his gangster persona to sing and dance across the silver screen!