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.

Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving and officially starts the Christmas holiday shopping season in the United States.  Black Friday can fall on any date from November 23rd through November 29th,since Thanksgiving is always the fourth Thursday in November.

Most retailers will start decorating their stores weeks before Black Friday in an effort to entice early shoppers into their stores.  Most retailers will advertise their super low prices for Black Friday on Thanksgiving Day.  Stores typically will open very early on the Friday following Thanksgiving.  It is not uncommon for lines to begin forming the night before.  Patrons will put up with the most commonly cold weather to be the first to receive the super bargains promised to them for their efforts.  Once inside the stores, customers will fight and grab for the treasured low priced items they are seeking. Electronics and popular toys are often the most sought after items and may be sharply discounted.  Unfortunately, many stores nationwide will advertise these items, but only carry a few for their customers to purchase.

The term Black Friday has only been traced back to the 1970’s.  In current day, the term “Black Friday” is considered to refer to the time in which retailers are turning a profit (“in the black”).  It was previously regarded “Black Friday” because of the heavy traffic on that particular day.  Target stores nationwide have decided to call the Friday after Thanksgiving, “Green Friday”, because of all of the “green” they will be making.

Most media outlets refer to Black Friday as the busiest shopping day of the year.  Some years, this is a true statement.  At times though, the Saturday before Christmas has proven to be the busiest shopping day of the year.

So if you feel brave; dress warm, grab your coffee or hot chocolate and hit the streets to find some great bargains!

Here are just a few ways you can help the people at the Madera County Food Bank help those in our community.  Consider creating or adding to:

Thanksgiving Food Boxes…Food boxes are provided to families with special needs during the Holiday season.  Thanksgiving food boxes are distributed to our programs for seniors, Compassion in Action, and at the Food Bank.  Families of 6 will enjoy a wonderful meal provided by the Food Bank.

Christmas Boxes…A family of 6 will enjoy a full holiday dinner.  These dinners are distributed to families and individuals who need assistance during the holiday season.  Boxes are distributed through the Food Bank and other local agencies.  To make certain that all families in need receive assistance, many agencies work together to combine community resources.

The Emergency Food Pantry serves a vital roll for families in need.  This program is geared toward families and individuals who are experiencing a short term crisis.   Clients are interviewed to determine if food will be issued to them.  Pantries keep records and make individual food boxes available.  They also decide when food will be issued.

The Food Bank raises money to purchase food, conducts food drives in the community, and solicits food from the food industry.  They also provide support to 95 emergency food pantries in Madera County.

Ways that you can help out…You could provide an individual monthly contribution to help our local families in need.  Donations are also accepted by groups such as places of worship, businesses, schools and civic organizations.  Organized food drives are also welcome.  Madera County Food Pantry will even provide materials to help you be successful.  Volunteers are always needed Monday thru Friday from 9a.m. until 2:00 p.m.  Another option would be to allocate your United Way donation to the Madera County Food Bank.

If you are interested in donating your time or resources, please contact:  The Madera County Food Bank is located at 904 South D Street, Madera, California 93638.  (559) 674-1482 or visit their website at:  http://www.maderafoodbank.org/

Women don’t need an excuse to love or eat chocolate. But you can celebrate chocolate to your heart’s content at the Chocolate Festival on October 13 and 14.
This chocolate festival is so special that it turns the Yosemite Falls into chocolate. To keep the tradition alive, the site of this year’s yummy annual festival is in Oakhurst, near Yosemite National Park. The festival is billed to be bigger and better than ever. You can indulge your chocolate fantasies and witness other Chocoscientists indulging theirs. You can literally swim in chocolate or enjoy a chocolate tug of war.

Just reading the festival poster is a real treat in itself. It sheds insights into why we love chocolate so much. You will surely recognize yourself in witticisms such as,

“Man cannot live by chocolate alone - but woman can!”
“Life is uncertain - eat dessert first!”

These are better than Forrest Gump’s “life is like a box of chocolates…”

If you hunger for information on how to indulge your chocolate fantasy at the festival of Madera…. Visit festival pdf for delicious chocolate facts and myths.

Here’s to those wild, wonderful wacky women. If you haven’t guessed it already, the event is put on by Wild Wonderful Women & Friends, who sponsors all kinds of events to benefit the community. Visit their website for more on their good works to help young women in the county. Please inquire about festival sponsorships and the Chocolate Festival Queen. Call Beverly Scott at 559-760-7600 for more information.

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 last weekend’s Van Halen concert didn’t give you that old time feeling, then this weekend’s homecoming events are sure to take you back a few years! 30 to be exact! Madera High School is celebrating the class of 1977 Reunion with cocktail parties on Friday September 28th at 7 p.m. at The Chateau Lasgoity and Saturday the 29th @ 7 p.m. at the Vineyard Restaurant. That’s the Coyote spirit!

Back then it was all about football and beer, and maybe a little romance. Now we’ve graduated to the finer things in life. More on these 2 fabulous establishments on Wednesday. Stay tuned.

Coyote fans, we’ll give you something to howl about. No, you are not seeing double! Both Chowchilla High School and Madera High School are both having homecoming parades at 2 p.m. Friday, with the game to follow at 7 p.m. Good, old fashioned home comings. That’s what it is all about!

You out-of-towners may want to check out the downtown and see how things have changed. We’re not older. We’re better. Browse our listing for great buys throughout the area and open houses this weekend. You never know who you might meet!

“Tuesday, September 11, will mark the sixth anniversary of the devastating and senseless terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon,” said Harry Baker, owner of Sierra Telephone. Baker will sponsor what has become an annual Patriot Day celebration tomorrow, September 11, 2007. Madera County residents are invited to join in an expression of remembrance and thanks as we remember those who have paid the ultimate price for the freedom we all enjoy.

Participants in the community event will gather at Sierra Telephone headquarters located at 49150 Crane Valley Road (Road 426) in Oakhurst, California. The Patriot Day celebration will begin at 10 a.m. with the raising of the flag by American Veterans Post No. 1997. Oakhurst Elementary School fifth graders will lead the Pledge of Allegiance followed by the Sweets & Low Trio singing the national anthem. The Yosemite High School Advanced Percussion Ensemble will perform. An invocation will be offered by Pastor David Sebastian.

Colonel Bruce Derry, USMCR retired will speak. Veterans and emergency services personnel will be honored. The program will end with a 21-gun salute by the Madera Veterans of Foreign Wars Color Guard, Post No. 1981 and the sounding of taps. Refreshments will be served at the Sorensen Pavilion in rear parking lot immediately following the ceremony.

“I believe that our family of companies, in all the areas we serve, can — and should — show our continuing support for our country and the freedoms we enjoy,” Baker said. To display their patriotism and support of US troops, Sierra Telephone vehicles will fly the American flag from September 11 until Veterans Day on November 11.

The Fairbanks Real Estate Group at Montecino & Associates will be hosting a showcase of custom homes Saturday September 1st and Sunday September 2nd from 1pm to 5pm.
The homes range in price range from $400,000 to $800,000.
Pick up maps at Montecino & Associates office in Coarsegold or 46818 Veater Ranch Road.

Also enter your name at each home to enter your chance of a $100 gift certificate to Ducey’s on the Lake.

Please call (559) 683-7268 with any questions.

The annual Madera Ranchos Labor Day Picnic will take place this Sunday, September 2 from noon to 5 p.m. at Historic Cobb Ranch in Madera, California. Plenty of old-fashioned fun is planned. The family event usually draws 1,000 to 1,500 for an afternoon of games, fun, food and music.

Children can pet the animals at the animal farm. Watch them run off steam and energy on the fantastic water slide and jumping bounce house. The whole family can enjoy plenty of old-fashioned games like egg toss, three-legged race, sack race, tug of war, balloon toss and apple bobbing. You might even win a prize!

Bring your blanket and lawn chairs so you can relax while you listen to the live country music. You can chow down on delicious BBQ for just $6 per person. Local businesses will be on hand to showcase their services at the Chamber of Commerce Business Extravaganza.

Bring the family and join the fun this Sunday. Cobb Ranch is located at 8805 North Highway 41, along the San Joaquin River, across from Children’s Hospital in Madera, California. For more information, call 559-439-0606.