SCV Reader March 2016

32 • THE Reader
March 2016
o u t & a b o u t i n t h e SCV
an early Spring has
Sprung in the SCV
The 2016 Sierra Pelona Wine
Festival will be held at Reyes
Winery in Aqua Dulce on Saturday,
April 23 and benefit the
SCV Senior Center.
Iam still waiting for El Niño. And waiting.
And waiting. While the temperate Southern
California climate can be lovely, 80 degrees
and higher, even into the 90s is not my
idea of February! Spring is my favorite season
and I am delighted to see some green in
the hills surrounding the Santa Clarita Valley.
It remains to be seen how long the green will
remain, but I’m enjoying it while it lasts. I was
expecting more wildflowers to be in bloom,
but perhaps we are still a few weeks away
from those delicate, white, yellow and purple
flowers dotting the hillsides. It is distressing
to think that the “monster” El Niño we were
promised might not materialize, but the silver
lining is that there is some beautiful
scenery to take in all around the SCV. Take a
hike, get out and enjoy the natural beauty before
summer rears its ugly head.
Kudos to Women in Service Nominees
Twenty-three outstanding community volunteers
have been nominated by local nonprofit
organizations to be honored at the
annual Women in Service Celebration sponsored
by Zonta Club of Santa Clarita Valley.
This year's event is scheduled for Saturday,
April 9, at Robinson Ranch Golf Clubhouse,
and tickets are now available for members of
the nominating organization or friends of the
nominees who would like to attend in support
of the honorees.
This year's nominees, and the organization
which nominated each of them, include: Jill
Bondy, Circle of Hope; Chris Bratzel, LARC
Ranch; Charlotte Briggs, Domestic Violence
Center of SCV; Jill Broline, Assistance League
of SCV; Mary Ann Colf, Samuel Dixon Family
Health Centers; Rebecca Corona-Nickerson,
American Association of University Women;
and Sharon Dawson, Help the Children.
Also, Rebecca DeLuca, JCI Santa Clarita;
Sue Endress, Rotary Club; Amanda Etcheverry,
Soroptomist International of SCV; Kim
Goldman, SCV Youth Project; Terry
Kanowsky, SCV Scholarship Foundation; Jessica
Lee, Sheriff's Youth Foundation; Mitzi
Like, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Foundation;
Delaney Marbach, Boys & Girls Club of
Santa Clarita Valley.
Also Patti Massman Neuwirth, Children
of the Night; Brenda Neilson, Michael Hoefflin
Foundation; Linda Pippin, SCV Senior
by Michele e. Buttelman
Features & entertainment editor
Christine Sexton,
daughter of the
late Carmen
Sarro, will present
the 2016 Carmen
Sarro Community
Service Award to
the Zonta Club of
SCV Women in
Service winner on
April 9.
Recent rains have given the SCV an “emerald” hue in
the surrounding open spaces.
Center; Michelle Roberts, Girl Scouts of
Greater L.A.; Deborah Rocha, Straightening
Reins; Diana Sevanian, American Cancer Society;
Phillis Stacy-Brooks, Mothers Fighting
for Others; and Doris Marie Zimmer,
College of the Canyons Foundation.
The April 9 event includes a plated lunch,
prize drawings, a marketplace featuring vendors
whose merchandise supports women's
causes, and presentation of all 23 nominees
and their nominating organizations. At the
end of the program, one of the honorees will
be named the 2016 Carmen Sarro Community
Service Award winner, representing outstanding
service to her organization, to the
community as a whole, and to Zonta's goal of
improving the lives of women and girls.
The award is named for the late Carmen
Sarro, a longtime Zonta member whose wide
range of community service epitomized the
well-rounded community volunteer. Sarro’s
daughter, Christine Sexton, will make the
presentation in honor of her late mother.
Tickets to the event are $45 per person if
postmarked and paid before March 25, and
$50 after. Payment can be made online at
www.scvzonta.org. Info: http://scvzonta.org/
calendar/public_events.php.
Wine Festival Benefits SCV Senior Center
I can’t help but think how much the SCV
Senior Center will miss the efforts of Duane
Harte. I know he would have supported the
Fourth Annual Sierra Pelona Wine Festival to
The beauty of a single yellow rose has been a favorite
Zonta symbol for decades. yellow rose corsages are
giving to the honorees at the annual Zonta Club of
SCV Women in Service nominees.
Ray and Janey
Tippet. Ray Tippet,
of Circle of hope,
inc., is among the
recent nonprofit
executive directors
who have announced
retirement
plans.
benefit the SCV Senior Center. I would have
expected Duane to be on hand directing traffic,
delivering ice to the vendors and helping
set up. He was always the SCV’s volunteer “go
to” guy. The Wine Festival, featuring more
than 80 wineries, food purveyors and more,
will be held Saturday, April 23 at Reyes Winery
in Aqua Dulce. It’s a first class event with
swag bags and as many tastings and food
samples as you want for one price. Get your
$100 VIP tickets before they’re gone (only
100 available). General admission tickets are
$75 before April 10. The event opens at 11
a.m. for VIP, noon for general admission. It
runs until 4 p.m. in the picturesque vineyard
of Reyes Winery. This year’s event will benefit
the SCV Senior Center. For more information
visit reyeswinery.com or call
661-268-1865.
Robert Reyes, of Reyes Winery, right, speaks about
the upcoming Sierra Pelona Valley Wine Festival to
be held on April 23.
Silver Spur Celebration Honors
Jill Mellady
The College of the Canyons Foundation's
Silver Spur Award for community service is
one of the Santa Clarita Valley's most prestigious
honors. This year’s honoree, Jill Mellady
has been a tireless advocate for College
of the Canyons. She will be honored March 19
at 6 p.m. at the Sheraton Universal Starview
Room, 333 Universal Hollywood Drive, Universal
City, 91608. For more information contact
661-362-3434 or cocfoundation.com
Executive Directors on the Move
I’ve been surprised at the number of nonprofit
executive directors on the move recently.
I knew last year that Tim Davis, of
Bridge to Home, was planning to retire in
2016. But I am surprised that February has
seen several other well-known nonprofits
lose executive directors as well including
Rachelle Dardeau from the SCV Senior Center,
Ray Tippet of Circle of Hope, Inc. and
DaAnne Smith of Single Mothers Outreach.
Nonprofits are among the heart and soul of
the SCV, (despite cranky grumblings from
some who think there are too many outstretched
hands). I make the case that the
SCV would not be the awesome place it is to
live without the numerous nonprofits in our
landscape. It is nice to live in a place where
people do care about others, and dig deep
into their pockets to help. It’s what makes the
SCV such a special place to live. With the
changing of the guard at so many SCV nonprofits
recently, the charity landscape will
soon have a very different look, hopefully as
vibrant as in years past.
The Titanic, 104 Years Later
The story of the Titanic still enthralls, even
104 years after it sank to the bottom of the
ocean and took so many lives with it. Meet Titanic
expert and local author Bill Blowers at
2 p.m. Thursday, March 10 at the SCV Senior
Center, 22900 Market St., Newhall, 91321.
Discover little known facts about many aspects
of the Titanic and her tragic demise.
Blowers will present fascinating expanded
information and explain the “story” behind
his novel, “Dangerous Betrayal – the Vendetta
That Sank Titanic.” On display will be a scale
model of the famed ship. Info: myscvcoa.org.
Welcome Home to the SCV
Congrats to all the new SCV moms and
dads (and grandparents, too!) After months
of following the pregnancy of Deanna Rivetti-Reid
on Facebook, it is hard to believe
that the big day finally arrived (Feb. 13) and
Giselle Josephine Reid (7 lbs., 13 oz. and
20.75 in. born at 4:22 a.m.) was welcomed
into the loving arms of her mom and dad,
Deanna Rivetti-Reid and Kevin Reid, as
well as grandparents Mardi and Dominick
Rivetti, of Canyon Country.
Also arriving, on Feb. 19, was Lucy, born to
Martha Aguilera (and let’s not forget Phil!)
of Kokolita Cakes & More. Have you checked
out Kokolita’s new location? It’s a little tricky
to find, 24623 Arch Street, Newhall, 91321,
but well worth the visit. (I was fortunate that
I was able to get my Kokolita’s empanada fix
at the Ventura Farmer’s Market on a recent
Sunday morning at College of the Canyons
parking lot 5).
At a Loss…
I’m at a loss for words. We’ve had so many
of our best taken from us in the past few
months including Duane Harte and Frank
Kleeman. Kathy Fortine, daughter of Bruce
and Gloria Fortine, and graduate of William
S. Hart High School, recently died at age 56.
Too much loss and all too soon. R
Michele E. Buttelman is the features and
entertainment editor of The Westside Reader.
She can be reached by email at Michele@
WestsideReader.com.