2015 February PASO Magazine

WHAT A YEAR! Quasquicentennial Wrap-Up 

February 2015 

pasoroblesmagazine.com

2 Paso Robles Magazine, February 2015

February 2015, Paso Robles Magazine 3



CONTENTS 

February 2015 volume 14 number 10 

A Monthly Look at Life in our Remarkable Communities 

Feature Stories 

10 Roblans of the Year John 

and Marjorie Hamon 

By Meagan Friberg 

12 Beautification of the Year: 

Derby Wine Estates 

14 WHAT A YEAR! 

Quasquicentennial Wrap-Ups 

By Chuck Desmond 

20 Where Are We Going 

in 2015? 

• TO THE FUTURE...AND BEYOND! 

By City Manager Jim App 

• Where to Steer San Luis Obispo 

County - Interview with Supervisor 

Frank Mecham, by Bruce Curtis 

• New Directions in the Paso Robles 

School District - Interview with 

Superintendent Chris Williams, 

Part 2 of 3, by Bob Chute 

30 Valentine’s Day Celebrations 

By Heather Young 

44 Hoofbeat 

Hoofbeat Calendar and Trail Tales 

By Dorothy Rogers 

Departments 

32 Paso People 

• ‘Spice Crafter’ Lori Foster Celebrates 

2 Years with her ‘Spice for Life’ 

• At The Library 

• Warbirds Honor Their Own 

• Taking a Step Back in Time for Our Kid’s Future 

• Hearts and Hearts = LOVE 

A Crafts Column by Amyna Weeks 

ON THE COVER 

43 City of Paso Robles 

Library and Recreation 

Cool stuff to do for the month ahead! 

47 Business 

• Wine Country Theatre Presents 

On Golden Pond...Opening Feb. 27 

• Paso Robles Furniture is Moving 

• What’s Happening on Main Street 

- A Column by Millie Drum 

• This ’N’ That - A Collection of ‘Stuff’ 

• Business Spotlight - A Column 


• Home, Garden & Gourmet Expo 

Returns to Paso 

52 Time & Place 

Where to find just about anything and 

everything to do in February 

Roblans of the Year, John and Marjorie Hamon, 

by Meagan Friberg and Beautification of the 

Year, Derby Wine Estates, by Bob Chute 

EDITORIAL DEADLINE: 

7 th of each month preceding publication 

ADVERTISING DEADLINE: 

10 th of each month preceding publication 

HOW TO REACH US 

Phone: (805) 239-1533 Founding Co-Publisher: 

Karen Chute 1949-2004 

E-mail: 

bob@pasoroblesmagazine.com Publisher/Editor: Bob Chute 

Mailing address: P.O. Box 3996, 

Editorial Consultant: 

Paso Robles, CA 93447 Chris Weygandt Alba 

In town drop off: Dutch Maytag, 

Advertising: Millie Drum, Pam 

1501 Riverside, Paso Robles 

Osborn, Jamie Self, Victoria Jenks, 

Web: pasoroblesmagazine.com and Bob Chute 

WE VALUE YOUR INPUT! 

Paso Robles Magazine (PRM) © 2015, is owned and published by Bob Chute. No part of this periodical 

may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior written consent from Paso Robles Magazine. 

PRM is published monthly and distributed FREE to every residence and business, including rural addresses, 

in Paso Robles, Templeton, Shandon, Bradley and San Miguel (zip codes 93426, 93446, 93451, 

93461 and 93465). Postage paid at Paso Robles, CA 93446. PRM is also available for our visitors through 

local restaurants, Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce, North County Transportation Center, and other high 

traffic tourist-oriented locations. 

38 Round Town 

• San Miguel Reflections - 15th Annual 

Annual subscriptions to PRM, mailed to areas beyond the described distribution areas, are available for 

$18 per year (for orders outside U.S., add $10 postage). Mailing address: P.O. Box 3996, Paso Robles, 

Buzz Marathon, a Column by Lynne Schmitz CA 93447. Phone: (805) 239-1533, e-mail: bob@pasoroblesmagazine.com. Find us on the web at 

• County Perspective 

www.pasoroblesmagazine.com 

- A Column by Bruce Curtis 

For advertising inquiries and rates, story ideas and submissions, contact Bob Chute at 

any of the above numbers. In town drop point for photos, letters, press releases, etc. at Dutch Maytag Home 

• Events Planned in Templeton 

Appliance Center, 1501 Riverside. 

• The Big Laugh - Four Comedians 

Graphics Advertising and Editorial – Denise McLean, Mode Communications. Editorial composition by 

Travis Ruppe and Art Production by David Butz. 

- One Sweet Night 



Just a 

Thought 

By Bob Chute 

Happy Valentine’s Day 

Paso Robles! 

Hey guys, this is your chance 

to make some points on this very 

special day for the ladies...I’m still 

pondering what to get for Rho. I 

could wax poetic about this special 

time for couples but suffice to say: 

Gentlemen, this is where our true 

colors can shine...and we need to get 

creative. Do I hear an ‘amen’? 

Love this City! 

Looking back over the recently 

completed Quasquicentennial 

Celebration, this month our own 

Chuck Desmond reviews his 20+ 

month quest writing articles for us, 

and for our City’s history books, 

detailing the efforts of the Quasqui 

Committee members honoring 

our 125th Anniversary. Chuck 

was there every step of the way... 

from day one at the initial planning 

stages (see page 14) to the final 

glow-in-the-dark games and laser 

light show in the park downtown 

welcoming the New Year, 2015! 

My heartfelt thanks to Chuck, 

and to Chris Weygandt Alba as 

well, for her fascinating segments 

chronicling our heritage each 

month. Fascinating stuff and a job 

well done by the entire community, 

but especially the hardworking 

members of the Quasqui committee. 

Congratulations...you did it! 

And thank you again to the City 

for designating the Paso Robles 

Magazine as The City of Paso 

Robles Official 125th Anniversary 

Publication! We’re in the Time 

Capsule - see Chuck’s story for details! 

Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Celebration 

Rho and I had the pleasure of 

attending “The Color of 

Unity,” honoring the legacy 

of Dr. King, presented by 

the City of Paso Robles and 

the Paso Robles Ministerial 

Association on January 

17 at the Flamson Middle 

School auditorium. It was a 

great event with heartfelt interpretive 

dancing segments by the Paso 

Robles Youth Arts Foundation, 

God Squad Dance Crew and the 

Cuesta College Performing Arts, 

special music by the MLK Community 

Choir, and more, including 

a keynote address by Elder Charlie 

Reed of Second Baptist Church. 

“Unity has no color,” said Reed 

building on the famous words of 

Dr. King, “Anybody can be great 

because anybody can serve,” said 

King. “You don’t have to have a col- 

lege degree to serve. You don’t have 

to make your subject and verbs 

agree to serve. You only need a 

heart full of grace, a soul generated 

by love.” 

“Change begins with self,” said 

Reed. “Unity enlists support, if no 

one else goes, send me. For those 

that have a hand to lend or a chance 

to help, at their own risk, let us 

develop that kind of selflessness. 

The color of unity, in community, 

is colorless and faceless. 

“To keep the hope alive change 

must start with you and I,” continued 

Reed. “We are here today 

for a better understanding of 

unity. But what about tomorrow? 

Will we go home and 

close our door and return 

to life as usual…and forget 

about unity? I hope not. 

We must look in the mirror 

and ask ourselves, ‘What color is 

unity if it starts with me?’” 

Powerful. After the MLK event 

we went to Park Cinemas to see 

Selma. Wow, an incredibly powerful 

film about an incredible man 

and the movement he led…a powerful 

commitment to a cause. In 

light of racial conflicts in America 

over the last several months would 

I have feelings of encouragement 

honoring Dr. King’s efforts in 

Selma or feelings of hopelessness 

if I was in the skin of an African 

American today? I can’t answer 

that. We all know we still have 

a long way to go, and I reflect 

again on Reed’s statement, “We 

must look in the mirror and ask 

ourselves what color is unity if it 

starts with me?” 

In this issue… 

I do believe we have an interesting 

collection of articles for your 

review. 

First of all a tip of the ol’ PRM 

cap to John and Marjorie Hamon 

for being honored as Roblans of 

the Year, and to Derby Wine Estates 

recognized with the Beautification 

of the Year Award at the 

Paso Robles Chamber’s Annual 

Dinner & Awards Gala (see stories, 

pages 10 and 12). 

We also have stories offering 

different perspectives on what we 

can expect in 2015…from City 

Manager Jim App and Supervisor 

Frank Mecham, as well as part 2 

of my interview with our new 

Superintentdent of Schools Chris 

Williams. 

Check out these and much more 

in the magazine this month, and 

please support our advertisers. 

Personal 

Our grandchild #7, 

Emily Ruth Lear, celebrates 

her first birthday 

on February 13! 

Locally owned 

since 1974 



2014 Roblans of the Year 

Marjorie and John Hamon 


Whether volunteering at a charity 

event, serving their local church, or 

running their family-owned business, 

Marjorie and John Hamon 

have held many titles. Now, this vivacious 

and hard-working couple 

has earned the title of 2014 Roblans 

of the Year. 

“It is very humbling to be honored 

in this way,” says Marjorie. “There are 

many deserving individuals in our 

community; to be chosen as Roblans 

of the Year certainly came as a surprise 

and we are more than grateful.” 

The Roblan of the Year award, according 

to Paso Robles Chamber of 

Commerce President & CEO Sunni 

Mullinax, is presented to members 

of the Chamber who have made 

a significant contribution through 

community service, action and donations 

over the years. Marjorie and 

John were officially honored at the 

Chamber’s 94th Annual Dinner and 

Awards Gala on January 24. 

“The Roblan of the Year tradition is 

the highest honor in our community,” 

said Sunni. “This year, I had the honor 

of calling both John and Marjorie to 

let them know of their award. To this 

day, I can’t recall a more memorable 

phone conversation as they were simply 

humbled and so gracious.” 

Longtime friend Wade Taylor 

referred to John and Marjorie as 

“pillars of the community” who are 

involved in “numerous activities that 

promote the City of Paso Robles locally 

as well as internationally. They 

are givers, not takers...who have unselfishly 

donated their time, efforts, 

and financial contributions towards 

the betterment of their community.” 

Marjorie moved to Paso Robles 

with her parents, Tom and Betty 

Triol, and sisters Ginny, Judy, and 

Barbara when she was ten. At Paso 

Robles High School, she was involved 

with the Starlighters Choir, 

California Scholarship Federation, 

and the Bearcats Drill Team. 

John and his younger siblings – 

Mark, Greg and Linda – were raised 

in Lompoc by parents Eva and John 

Hamon I. John earned his Eagle 

Scout Award and participated in 

swimming and water polo as a Lompoc 

High Braves athlete. 

Marjorie and John met in 1974 

while attending Cal Poly SLO and 

married one year later. John graduated 

with a BA in Industrial Arts 

and a minor in education, Marjorie 

with a BS in Industrial Engineering 

and they settled in Paso Robles. 

“People often ask me where we’ll 

live when we retire,” says Marjorie. 

“I wouldn’t live anywhere except 

Paso Robles – it’s our home. We 

love living here and being part of 

the community.” 

Marjorie, pictured with daughter 

Jessica and granddaughter Maddie 

J and Shiloh Hamon are pictured with 

their children, Jack and Selah, outside 

the Chamber office. 

John with grandkids Jack, Soren, 

and Selah 

They were active in various organizations 

including Paso Robles 

AYSO and Boy Scouts of America 

Pack 65 and Troop 60 while raising 

daughter Jessica and son John III ( J). 

John and Marjorie are devoted to 

their grandchildren, Jessica’s daughter, 

Madalyn (17) and the children of 

J and his wife, Shiloh – John Reuben 

Hamon IV ( Jack, 7), Selah (3) and 

Soren (now resting in heaven). 

“Being parents and grandparents 

is a wonderful adventure that we 

share together,” says John. 

Marjorie’s father started a garage 

door company – known then as Overhead 

Door of Paso Robles – back in 

1966. John starting working there after 

graduating from Cal Poly, the second 

of two employees at the time. He 

also learned the construction trade, 

became a general contractor, and built 

homes the couple has lived in over the 

course of their 40-year marriage. 

John and Marjorie purchased 

her father’s business in 

1978, let go of the franchise 

distributorship in 1992, and renamed 

it to Hamon Overhead 

Door Co., Inc. The business now includes 

16 employees and serves SLO 

and Santa Barbara counties out of its 

corporate office in Paso Robles and 

their Santa Maria office. 

Marjorie worked part time while 

raising their children, and now enjoys 

working full time alongside 

John. In 1980, John’s brother Mark 

joined the company in the commercial 

division; in 1998, son J started 

working there full time, and in 2006, 

John’s brother Greg, a retired union 

pipefitter, started managing the 

Santa Maria office. 

John served 19 years with the 

Volunteer Fire Department and 

attained the rank of 

Captain; was a Paso 

Robles Planning Commissioner; 

served on 

the Paso Robles Airport 

Advisory Committee; is 

a Chamber Board member, 

and has twice been 

named Roblan of the 

Month. He has served 

on the Industrial Technology 

Advisory Board 

at Cal Poly SLO, is a member of Boy 

Scouts of America and continues to 

volunteer with Troop 60. He is one 

of the original board members of the 

Paso Robles Children’s Museum and 

Past President of Rotary Club of Paso 

Robles. Originally elected to the Paso 

Robles City Council in 2006, John 

was recently reelected to his third 

term and has served on numerous city 

committees and county agencies. 

“When I first met John, he was very 

shy,” says Marjorie. “It has been amazing 

to see him grow into so many leadership 

roles. He is level-headed, which 

is a great characteristic, and he never 

gets flustered. As a grandfather, 

John and his grandson, Jack, are 

pictured with Jennifer Smith, Paso 

Robles Children’s Museum CEO, 

on the museum’s fire engine. 

well, he is simply adored!” 

Marjorie has been a member of 

the Chamber for 36 years and has 

been named Roblan of the Month. 

A 20-year member of the Paso Robles 

Speakeasy Toastmaster Club (she will 

soon earn her Distinguished Toastmaster 

award), she has served as past 

president and governor of the district. 

She volunteers at the Pioneer 

Day dinner and dance, decorates 

the Pioneer Day Bean Feed Line 

annually, and serves on the Board 

of the Paderewski Festival as the 

Treasurer and 

Youth Travel 

Coordinator. 

Marjorie is pictured with some of her fellow 

Paderewski Festival volunteers – Krysta Close, Cri Cri 

Solak-Eastin, Barbara Partridge, and Norma Moye. 

Marjorie and John have served 

as Eucharistic Ministers and Music 

Ministers at St. Rose 

of Lima Catholic 

Church for 28 years. 

A singer and guitar 

player, Marjorie is 

passionate about bringing music to 

others and unselfishly shares her talents 

at weddings, with the sick bedside, 

at funerals, and other gatherings. 

“Music is a passion of mine, and 

sharing a special song with someone 

brings me tremendous joy,” she says. 

“In giving, you receive – and bringing 

music to others is a blessing.” 

Marjorie and John often entertain 

friends, family, and acquaintances 

in their home and offer their 

Paso Robles home as well as their 

McCall, Idaho vacation home for 

community fundraising events. 

In their spare time, they enjoy snow 

and water skiing, traveling, camping, 

and flying; John is a private pilot and 

Marjorie says she is “more like the 

Chief Pray-er, rather than the co-pilot.” 

John rides motorcycles and builds 

and flies radio-controlled airplanes – 

he’s also considered a “cool” grandpa! 

Please see HAMON page 12 



The Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce Announces 2014 

Beautification Award of the Year Recipient 

Derby Wine Estates 

The Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce is proud 

to announce the selection for the 2014 Beautification 

Award of the Year, Derby Wine Estates. The Beautification 

award is being presented this year for the 

preservation of Paso Robles’ history with the renovation 

of the historic almond processing building by the Ray 

and Pam Derby. 

The Derbys, of Derby Wine Estates, moved to the 

Central Coast in the early 1990’s with the intention 

of retiring. In 1998 they purchased their first vineyard 

property, now known as Derbyshire Vineyard. In the 

years following, Ray acquired the historic Laura’s Vineyard 

in east Paso Robles and the Westside property, 

Derby Vineyard. In 2008 Ray and Pam launched 

Derby Wine Estates and soon were looking for a 

building to serve as their grape processing location. 

Resurrection 

Writer Chris Weygandt Alba describes the revival of a 

monument in the December 2013 issue of Paso Robles 

Magazine: 

A phenomenon happened on Riverside Avenue this 

year. A resurrection. Right here in Paso Robles. You 

can see it with your own eyes. 

The corpse was a public spectacle for a generation 

of Roblans, abandoned at 525 Riverside Ave. for the 

elements to slowly decompose. Now, it stands boldly, 

blinking in the sunlight as if savoring this moment on 

the brink of charging into its new job. 

Whatever this building knows about life and death, 

the old Farmers Alliance warehouse has experienced a 

resurrection. 

It has been saved from extinction and given a new 

purpose. Its existence was spared from demolition by 

the city council of Paso Robles. It has been studied 

and saluted for its significance in the life and history 

of the town that created it. Its integrity has been 

honored, and it is cared for by people who respect 

the craft that built it. 

Revival of a Relic 

In the autumn sun, the building seems taller on a 

recent visit, standing new and vigorous head to toe. 

Its owners believe it’s a building that inspires pride. 

“It’s a living monument,” says Ray Derby. “An architectural 

and engineering masterpiece. It stood like 

a rock through the earthquake in 2003. The engineering 

techniques were well ahead of the their time. It 

was built in a majestic manner, the work well done by 

men who take pride in their work.” 

Three years ago Ray and Pam Derby bought the 

decaying relic because they envisioned a future for 

it. The vision came at a price, says Ray: “Three years 

of hard work.” 

When escrow closed in October 2010, Pam says, 

“We came over here to look at our new property. 

Pigeon droppings everywhere, fish skeletons on 

the walls…We looked at each other and said, 

‘What did we do?’” 

To resurrect the building as the home of Derby 

Wine Estates, they caused history to repeat itself. 

They formed an alliance to create a majestic living 

monument to the town’s agricultural 

heritage. 

That’s how the building began 

a century ago. 

United by a vision, six small 

almond growers formed the Paso 

Robles Almond Growers Association 

in 1910. They were savvy 

men with a good understanding 

of the forces that were changing 

their world. 

With foresight and success, they 

hired a master architect to design 

a cutting-edge warehouse at 525 Riverside Ave. 

In 1922, they accomplished a feat in five months, 

erecting a processing plant of over 11,000 square 

feet of reinforced concrete, so efficiently engineered 

that a handful of men could process 500 tons of 

nuts. Lots of those, under the “Blue Diamond” 

logo, wound up in Hershey chocolates. 

In the autumn of 1922, a handsome $60,000 processing 

plant, majestic in a warm-red stucco, stood at 

the gateway of Paso Robles between the State Highway 

and the railroad. Considered “lasting evidence of 

our success,” the building pulsed with life, with farmers, 

trucks, machinery, and gears as 500 tons of almonds 

poured into the tower’s bins. Trains chugged down 

the tracks on the western side, transporting the city’s 

premier crop, in the era when Paso Robles was the 

“Almond Capital of the World.” 

The widespread Derby Wine Estates’ vineyards (in 

San Simeon, on Hwy. 46 West, and on Hwy. 46 East) 

sells over 90 percent of their grapes to customers like 

Gallo. With the reserved portion, winemaker Tiffinee 

Vierra creates diverse varietals and successful blends. 

Preserving history and making it useful again, say 

the Derbys, is a compelling idea. 

“Not everything you do should be in dollars and 

cents,” says Ray. “Some things you do because it’s the 

right thing to do. 

Photo by Kevin Archambeault 

“My theory is that it’s good for the community 

and good for business. It’s win-win.” 

- Chris Weygandt Alba 

* ** 

The productivity of almonds began to decrease in 

the 1930s and the building went on the market in July 

1936. In 1936 K.B. Nelson, a representative of the 

Farmers Alliance Business Association, a grain brokerage, 

purchased the building. For 84 years the FABA 

owned and operated the grain brokerage out of the 

building, closing their doors in 1975. 

The historic building remained empty for ten years, 

until 1985. In 1985 it became “Riverside Centre” and 

was home to various businesses such as an appliance 

repair shop and a drywall storage business. 

It took the Derbys three years to complete the 

restoration. 

* * * 

Chris Weygandt Alba, Paso Robles Magazine, January 

2014: 

Ray Derby is impressed by the people who built this 

landmark. He has pondered it for three years, off and 

on, as he and Pam restore it to process grapes. 

Ray controlled manufacturing plants on a global 

scale before retirement made him a farmer. He knows 

industrial construction, and he admires the Almond 

Growers building. 

They knew how to think back in those days, he says. 

They could problem solve, with ingenuity and common 

sense. 

“I love the idea that it was built to process the 

world’s largest almonda crop,” Ray says as the building 

approaches its grand opening in March 2014. 

“We’re preserving a part of history, the natural 

progression from grains to almonds to grapes. Grains 

and almonds have moved on. It was built to process 

the top viable crop. Through adaptive reuse, it will 

again process the area’s top viable crop.” 

* * * 

Derby Wine Estates is located at 525 Riverside 

Avenue, Paso Robles, open for tours and tasting daily 

from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

HAMON from page 10 

Marjorie enjoys hiking and became involved with 

triathlons to honor her dear friend, Mary Barth. 

Her Team Ovacome raises awareness and funds 

for ovarian cancer; with her fellow triathletes, 

Marjorie has participated in the Wildflower Triathlon 

and the SLO Marathon. 

Getting involved and volunteering locally is 

something Marjorie and John plan to continue doing 

for a very long time – they enjoy helping others and 

working with their fellow volunteers, many who have 

become lifelong friends. 

Says John, “I would encourage everyone 

in Paso to become involved in something! 

All of us have opportunities to help out 

with things that make our hometown special 

to us and to those that visit.” 

That’s just the giving spirit that made the 

selection of the Hamons as the 2014 Roblans 

of the Year an easy decision – thanks for 

your dedication and service to the people of 

Paso Robles, John and Marjorie! 

Marjorie fishing 

for trout in Idaho 

John and Marjorie enjoy time on their 

motorcycle while overlooking Yosemite 



The Quasquicentennial Wrap-up Issue 


Before you even begin to read this article, 

get your scissors, a pen and an envelope 

ready. Write on the outside the envelope, 

“For the Grandchildren; to be opened on 

March 10, 2114.” I’ll explain why at the 

very end of this article. Okay here we go. 

Sometime early 2012, City Manager, 

Jim App, was sitting at his desk looking out 

into the future of El Paso de Robles. That’s 

when he discovered that 2014 was going 

to be the 125th anniversary 

of Paso as an 

incorporated city. As 

with many important 

things to be done, he 

called Julie Dahlen, 

the Director of Library 

and Recreation Services. 

“Julie, we have to 

do something and who 

better to make that 

‘something’ happen, 

than you!” 

The conversation 

was probably something 

like that and 

not really a mandate 

but pretty close. After 

all, if potentially there 

would be a historic 

celebration, who better 

to assign the project to than the overseer 

of City Library for records and the 

Recreation Division to plan the fun? 

First task was to find out if there was a 

real word that defined a 125th celebration! 

Turns out it is QUASQUICENTEN- 

NIAL – the word that has twisted our 

tongues for 27 months! 

Julie’s next task was to “encourage” some 

cohorts (who had also never planned 

a 12-month long party) to come along 

for the thrill of it! Lynda Holt, Freda 

Berman, Shonna Howenstine and 

Suzanne Robitaille met at Centennial 

with a really strong pot of 

coffee and a stack of sandwiches. 

After a very long meeting, they knew 

this was a going to be a hum-dinger 

of an assignment. “Our normal 

every-day work assignments 

and now we are going to reach 

out to 30,000 residents, involve 

every agency in the city plus the 

schools, no strategically developed 

agenda or mission statement, 

no logo, no city flag to 

rally around, 1 year to get ready, 

1 year for the actual event and a 

city-sponsored budget of zero! 

Okay Mr. App, we’ll get right 

on it! Oh yes boss, this will be 

a slam dunk! Stand back and 

watch us go!” 

And, GO they did! A few 

more meetings (with undoubtedly 

stronger coffee) and it was 

pretty clear that “The Fab Five” 

needed to swell to about 50 to 

have any chance of pulling this 

off. Their call went out and the 

first month’s meeting moved to City Hall. 

Julie, usually rock-solid, was shaking just a 

little as she stood at the front of Council 

Chambers and addressed business and civic 

leaders, Kathy McNamara (then Superintendent 

of Schools), local press, Mayor 

Duane Picanco and the City Council, the 

heads of the Museums, Lt. Tim Murphy 

from the PD and Fire 

Chief Ken Johnson 

and a gaggle of others 

whose thoughts, 

comments and ideas were 

anxiously received. “Can we 

really do this?” Julie kept up 

the mantra – We are Roblans. 

Of course we can!” 

A few more months of 

meetings and things were 

falling into place. The goals 

were crystallized and three 

City-sponsored events were 

determined – A New Year’s 

Eve bash at both ends of 

2014 and a birthday party in 

City Park on the actual day 

of incorporation – March 

11th. Pioneer Day Committee, 

The Historical 

Society and Pioneer 

Museum each pledged 

$500 to sponsor the contest 

for a new Paso logo. 

Bob Chute, owner of 

YOUR Paso Robles Magazine, 

committed monthly 

coverage. Chris Alba would 

write an historical article 

each month throughout 

the year. Nancy Tweedie 

(Historical Society) and Melody Mullis 

(Pioneer Museum) vowed to create a 2014 

home wall-calendar filled with historic 

photos. Robbie Weber with Pam Alch and 

Jack Marino took the challenge to create a 

recipe book that totaled 400 recipes with 

Please see QUASQUI page 16 


Sherry Kostner 

Independent Future Executive Sr Sales Director 

www.marykay.com/sherrykostner 

805.423.2211 

EVERYTHING MUST GO! UP TO 50% OFF! 


QUASQUI from page 14 

many dating back 100 years. Al Garcia 

began a crusade to the Service Clubs 

for donations. Shonna Howenstine and 

Caryn Jackson pledged to do the yearlong 

event marketing complete with a new 

website filled with the latest information 

as it became available. 

Suzanne Robitaille became the Queen 

of Souvenirs guiding the creation and sales 

of pins, hats, tote bags, tee shirts and Frisbees. 

Norma Moye, our Main Street Matriarch, 

guided the downtown businesses into 

lending their support which many did with 

contributions and advertising. City Council 

members and Mayor Duane attended 

meeting after meeting and eagerly gave 

their support at every turn. 

In order to have a focal point, 

we needed a logo and after two 

months of leaving it open to all area 

citizens to submit their concepts, in 

the April 2013 issue we announced 

Jan Wolfinger is our winner. Jan 

wins the cash prize of $1500 for 

the design that voters and judges 

felt best captured the history and 

spirit of Paso to represent and present 

our last 125 years. 

Julie was almost breathing normal-like 

again. Then came a few 

big WOWs! 

Dee Lacey, a local Paso legend, joined the 

movement to raise the necessary funding. 

She asked Supervisor (and just plain ol’ allaround 

Paso-Good-Guy) Frank Mecham, 

to help her and the Dynamic Duo made it 

happen. In a still-recovering economy, the 

heart of Robalans showed itself again to 

meet the budget of $100,000. Folks, that’s 

a WOW for sure. 

Recall that through the entire year, the 

Quasqui goals were: Remember our past; 

Celebrate our present; Teach our children 

the importance of history and leave a lasting 

legacy with them. When Kathy McNamara 

jumped in and rallied the schools to weave 

all-things-Paso into the curriculum, the 

Quasqui became a real doable goal-oriented 

commitment. Personally, Kathy paid 

for a 125th flag for each campus. Each 

principal stressed the importance of 

Paso to the students and the results were 

super. Plays, essays and local history were 

woven into the fabric of the academic year. 

The next big WOW was Freda Berman. 

Who knew she’d be the Master of 

Logistics? Organizing both New 

Year’s bashes and the fabulous 

March Birthday party in the packed 

park was simply wonderful. Glow- 

In-The-Park games, fireworks - 

twice - the laser light show and 

street-pole banners. In March, the 

parade featured Harris Stage 

Lines delivering mail from San 

Miguel (like it used to be delivered) 

right to the steps of the Carnegie. 

The HS chorus and band 

performed, 1000 cupcakes, made 

by the Culinary Academy were given out 

and past Paso dignitaries we re-enacted and 

stood alongside the current city officials. 

Hope Family Wines created special red 

and white blends using the 125th logo 

as their label. Pithy Little Soda Works 

crafted a specialty Ginger Ale and 

Firestone Walker took advantage of their 

“805” offering. These were served at both 

New Years parties. 

With virtually no city funding, it was up 

to Paso’s residents to put together other 

events they desired to have. Many came 

to the forefront. Pioneer Museum transformed 

its annual Women’s Day celebration 

held in March and spearheaded 

by Melody Mullis, to focus on local 

historical women. It was a full house 

that day. April is the traditional Arbor 

Day celebration. Donations from Greg 

Ellis-Valencia of One Cool Earth 

in co-operation with Liberty School 

students provided 125 Oak trees that 

were given away in City Park. A more 

mature oak was donated and planted in 

the Park by Martinelli Landscaping to 

honor the 125th. 

July 4th was huge! The Children’s Parade, 

Estrella Warbirds’ flyover, Veterans 

Flag Salute and the largest-ever-attended 

Concert in the Park and then a dazzling 

fireworks display! Also in July was the unveiling 

of “The Grand Mural” created by 

the HS’s ceramics class under the leadership 

of Joshua Gwiazda. Located outside 

the entrance to City Hall, the mural is 

“all 125th” and was solely a student project. 

Throughout the year, Heather Stephenson, 

Children’s Librarian extraordinaire, 

found so many ways to keep children reading 

by folding in contests and craft projects 

that brought Quasqui history alive. 

Both Police and Fire/ Safety wore custom 

uniform-badges to remind themselves 

and the citizens whom they protect and 

serve. For all officers who served during 

the year, those badges will be retired when 

the officers retire. The Bearcats’ homecoming 

game featured 125th re-enactments 

during half-time. Splendid display. Youth 

Please see QUASQUI page 18 



QUASQUI from page 16 

Baseball jerseys had a Quasqui badge sewn 

on. Heritage Oaks Bank’s Fun Run and the 

Niblick Baptist Church showed visible 

support in their events as well. The Christmas 

parade featured floats commemorating 

125 years. 

There isn’t room to put in everyone’s 

comments but I’m sure you’ll get the gist 

from all the above names in bold print. 

Daunting task; Embrace the community; 

So glad I am a Roblan; Staggering 

number of volunteers and staff hours; 

Nothing was “off the table – every idea 

was explored;” Pride at what was done; 

Smiles and hugs made it all worthwhile; 

I’ll never be able to pronounce that word; I 

sure am tired but I had a hell-of-a time! 

And now, here’s why you have that 

marked envelope with the underlined 

date of March 10th 2114. Cut out 

this article and put it in there and file 

it with your Will. 100 years from Paso’s 

birthday last March 11th, there will 

be a grand opening of a time capsule that 

has been buried right by the flagpole in 

front of City Hall! Opening the envelope 

on the 10th gives a one-day notice. Since 

not a single one of us will be around, it’ll be 

for future generations to see what Paso was 

all about way back in 2014. What a hoot! 

I’m sure Mr. App is gonna 

sponsor a great Thank-You party 

for his staff. As for me – I sure 

hope you enjoyed the Quasquicentennial 

as much as I did. 

Thank you for letting me be your 

2-year chronicler! It was indeed 

my pleasure! 

Paso Robles Quasquicentennial. 

The End. 

The Time Capsule 


99 & 11/12th years from now on March 11, 

2114, El Paso de Robles’ time capsule will be 

opened. 

If you’re reading this now, the odds are 100% 

that you won’t be around on that day. So, are you 

like me and wanna know what our great grandchildren 

will find when the solid concrete, reinforced 

tomb is unearthed and the hermetically 

sealed box is opened? 

Yep, I kinda thought you might want to know 

so you can staple this to the story before you 

seal the envelope. Freda Berman and her cohorts 

did a really good job of selecting relevant itemsof-the-times. 

Here’s an abbreviated list of the 33 items for 

your perusal. It is about a 50/50 split between 

things donated by community residents and 

the 125th committee. Photos from the events, 

business cards of City management, a Paso 

Robles Magazine issue and a Paso Press newspaper, 

postmarked letter delivered by Harris 

Stage Lines at the birthday celebration, a Recipe 

Book and one each of most of the souvenirs, City 

activity guide, City flag, guidebook to Paso’s historical 

homes and a Paso Waste toy dump truck. 

Ahhh, don’t you feel better now, knowing this? 



Where are 

we going in 

– 2015? – 

By Paso Robles 

City Manager 

Jim App 

In the Spring of 

2013, as the economy 

began to stabilize, the 

City Council established three recovery 

goals: enhance public safety; 

begin restoring maintenance services; 

and, further economic development. 

Given the depth of cutbacks 

necessitated by the recession, 

coupled with rising costs and a very 

modest, slow moving “recovery,” 

much remains to be done. 

The recession claimed 35% of the 

City workforce – and with them the 

capacity to provide the normal array 

of public services. The bleeding 

has stopped. In the Police Department, 

a couple of vacant positions 

have been filled so patrol operations 

now provide broad basic service on 

all shifts, and a special enforcement 

team is again combating drugs and 

the gangs. Similarly, basic public 

facility maintenance is coagulating 

with the filling of a number of vacant 

staff positions, along with new 

supplemental tax revenue for road 

maintenance. 

But, today it would cost more 

than $6 million per year to replace 

all the lost staff and the services 

they provided, with an additional 

$4 million needed to complete 

public facility repairs (other than 

roads) that were deferred due to the 

recession. Only $1 million per year 

is forecast (in excess of expenses). 

So, the million dollar question 

is, what is most important? Do 

I asked several community leaders to 

give me their thoughts, from their unique 

perspectives, on where we are going as a 

City and as a County in the new year. 

Last month we heard from newly 

elected Mayor Steven W. Martin, the 

new President of the Paso Robles 

Association of Realtors Cody Wilcoxson, 

and Part 1 of my interview with newly 

hired Superintendent of Schools Chris 

Williams. 

This month, we’ll get new year perspectives 

from Supervisor Frank Mecham, 

Paso Robles City Manager Jim App, and 

more from Williams. 

...Bob Chute 

What to expect in the new year 

TO THE FUTURE, AND BEYOND! 

we spend even more on roads, 

or repair parks, or add back 

more police, or paramedics, or 

do we reopen Centennial pool? 

Or, do we protect investments 

in public facilities by attending 

to deferred maintenance? 

These are the questions the City 

Council will debate this Spring 

(when they convene their next 

biennial goal setting). 

On the economic front, significant 

new investment in hotels and 

attractions are being made, Paso 

Robles was named the 2014 international 

wine region of the year, and 

core industrial companies are growing. 

The High School is completing 

new academic facilities, and Cuesta 

College gained voter approval to 

repair and replace obsolete North 

County campus buildings. These 

facilities are central to increasing 

education and training for the community’s 

labor force. 

An educated and well trained 

labor force is the foundation for 

growing industry and commerce. 

But what else is important to increase 

private business investment 

and spur job growth? Certainly, 

support for established businesses 

is vital; fortunately it can be provided 

by organizations like the 

Chamber of Commerce, Main 

Street, Economic Vitality Corporation, 

and the Paso Robles Wine 

Country Alliance. Attraction of 

new businesses is also important. 

Our history suggests that private 

investors and business owners 

were attracted to the Paso Robles 

lifestyle, and once hooked on the 

appeal of the Paso Robles area, 

they invested…building businesses 

and creating jobs. This 

continues to be the most promising 

path to business attraction. 

Preservation, enhancement and 

promotion of the Paso Robles 

lifestyle are, therefore, key to 

growing new business and jobs. 

How? By show-casing our setting, 

natural assets, and agriculture. 

Wine, olive oil, artisan food 

production, and dining - all attract 

interest and visitors. And, by taking 

care that built places are of good 

design and quality, and are well 

maintained – from streets to public 

parks, to buildings and neighborhoods, 

visitors, once in the area, will 

get hooked. And over time, they 

will invest (as have many others). 

It will be economic growth built on 

an appreciation for the unique place 

that is Paso Robles. 

Above and beyond the continuing 

work to recover services and intensify 

economic activity, considerable 

energy must be spent to address 

concerns about the sustainability of 

the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin. 

This issue will involve complex 

technical, legal and financial questions, 

as well as close cooperation 

with many, many stake holders, each 

with differing perspectives. 

The basic question is “will there 

be enough water, year in and year 

out, for all to grow and thrive as 

in the past?” Recent studies suggest 

the groundwater basin is being 

pumped more than it can replenish 

each year. And while its deeper 

aqueous layers “hold” considerable 

water, and big rain years can recharge 

it, recurring and protracted 

droughts coupled with increasing 

demands can impact access to the 

more accessible (shallower) water 

(in some areas). This has the attention 

of farmers and rural residents 

that rely on groundwater. The City 

too is alert as we use groundwater 

basin water to supply residences 

and businesses. 

In summary, when faced with 

complex choices, people can prioritize 

their needs, cooperate to moderate 

use and/or look for more (of 

whatever is in short supply). Such is 

the challenge ahead - finding ways 

to balance demands and increase 

resources. The ways are varied; the 

tricky part is that opinions about 

each vary even more. 

2015 will be a year for such 

choices. The community’s capacity 

to invigorate investment, economic 

activity, and recovery depends on it. 


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Supervisor Frank Mecham: Focus for 2015 

Where to steer San Luis Obispo County 

By Bruce Curtis 

What will be at the 

top for county supervisors, 

in 2015? As 

revenue issues become, shall we 

say, less stressed, the focus for 

county board members is clearly 

going to be water. 

With good reason. District 1 

Supervisor Frank Mecham recently 

came from a fact-finding 

session in Tulare, addressing the 

increasing need, and resultant 

angst over water supplies across 

an increasingly arid West: Paso 

Robles groundwater is in critically 

short supply, following 

six years of drought and heightened 

demand. 

“I think we need to take a very 

close look at a lot of questions 

relative to the basin regarding 

how one area affects another,” 

says Mecham explaining the nature 

of water basins; inflow, outflow, 

“There is so much to the 

hydrology I need to know more 

about, so I attended the American 

Groundwater Trust Seminar 

recently in Tulare.” 

The seminar was well attended 

with over 500 people, including 

stakeholders like farmers, water 

district managers, supervisors 

from other areas, even attorneys 

specializing in water issues, giving 

advice and prognostications. 

“This water issue has been 

coming for some time in terms 

of steady decline; it has been a 

perfect storm of increased 

population, drought, agriculture…facing 

all three 

isn’t helping at all, in terms 

of our water supply.” 

Mecham voted for the 

recently passed emergency 

ordinance that will likely 

lead to a Paso Robles 

groundwater management district 

with the power to restrict use 

and control demand growth. 

“The interim ordinance gives us 

an opportunity to look at what is 

going on here.” Mecham says the 

county simply cannot keep going 

the direction it has been going, 

consuming more groundwater as 

levels decline, hoping somehow 

for a different result. 

“That’s the definition of insanity,” 

Mecham quips. 

Another reason the water situation 

has become elevated to the 

point where action is needed, are 

hints the state is going to act, if 

local government doesn’t. 

“Sacramento is coming. They’re 

telling us: ‘Unless you take care of 

your problem, the state is going to 

take care of it for you’, and that is 

the last thing I want.” 

Mecham suspects that any help 

from the state will be of the onesize-fits-all 

variety; something 

that won’t work well on the local 

level. Water policy attorneys with 

which he spoke urged dialogue 

with state officials, warning it 

would not be wise to ignore Sacramento 

in hopes they would just 

go away, He leaves the fact that 

state bureaucrats won’t 

go away, unspoken. 

The obvious answer, 

a water district, will 

likely require legislative 

involvement, even 

though both sides: ag 

and residents, appear 

to be closing in on a 

working agreement. 

“It is still premature to see 

where the water district might 

go, where the boundaries would 

be, what it might be able to accomplish. 

I worked for both ag 

and property owner equity; they 

were so far apart, but are now 

close together.” Mecham suggests 

continued incremental steps from 

a governance standpoint, will get 

everyone to a working relationship. 

On the subject of money, 

Mecham is cautiously optimistic. 

“As we finalize this year’s budget, 

it looks pretty good in terms 

of actually being close to balanced 

at the end of this fiscal year.” He 

credits the economic turnaround 

still gaining steam. Mecham also 

gives kudos to the city of Paso 

Robles, now enjoying a AAA 

bond rating. 

2015 will also be a year of capital 

improvements: the Women’s 

jail, an expansion to the county 

juvenile services center, the Los 

Osos sewer, all multimillion dollar 

construction projects, are breaking 

ground, Mecham hinting his 

board will play a role of active 

oversight. 

Infrastructure, which usually 

means highways, gets attention 

with the board planning to work 

closely with cities and agencies in 

SLOCOG, the county council of 

governments, to get funding for 

road improvements. 

“There has been a lot of discussion 

about highways; funding 

isn’t where it used to be, still, there 

is a lot of focus on Highway 46.” 

Little funding and many requests 

dog road projects, but Mecham 

still hopes to work with SLO- 

COG to eventually bring four 

lanes all the way east to the Hwy 

41/Hwy 46 split east of Cholame. 

Finally, one big unknown, both 

in terms of budget and demand, 

will be the impact of Obamacare, 

the Affordable Care Act, (ACA) 

expected to add 1.4 million Californians 

to the state’s Medi-Cal 

program. Will it affect county 

health workload or costs? 

“Probably both,” Mecham admits, 

“I don’t know what all of 

this will mean at this point, there 

are so many questions regarding 

ACA and how it will affect people, 

we are briefing as we get updates.” 

Mecham says to check back 

later to get a better idea what the 

ACA will do in San Luis Obispo 

County. 

Community area plan updates, 

state water for Shandon, 

a new clinic in Heritage Ranch, 

all ahead for the board in 

2015, too. 


ODYSSEY World Café 


By Bob Chute, Part 2 of 3 

I had the pleasure of interviewing 

our new Superintendent of 

Schools Chris Williams in early 

December and Part 1 of that interview 

appeared in the January 

Paso Robles Magazine. 

Williams started his new post 

at the beginning of the school year 

in September after working as an 

Assistant Superintendent, Human 

Resources for the Central Unified 

School District in Fresno for the 

last 8+ years. 

I waited to meet with him until 

early December to give him a 

chance to settle in a bit to his new 

post…to review what lies before 

him, described by some as inheriting 

a troubled district, striving 

to pull out of quite a mess, hemorrhaging 

actually. 

I taped the exchange and transcribed 

it…enough to fill over six 

pages of this magazine. I pondered 

significant editing but decided to 

leave it intact and let you, the residents 

and parents of this school district 

- those that have survived the 

problems we’ve had in this district 

over the last several years - get an 

up close understanding of our new 

Superintendent, Chris Williams. 

PRM: It’s coming through 

loud and clear to me what 

people have been telling me 

about you - that they like your 

relationship driven, no mediocrity 

management style. It 

sounds like you’re relishing 

coming here with basically a 

clean slate to fix it, but, at the 

same time, hard to overcome 

your predecessor, Kathy Mc- 

Namara, with the 97% vote 

of no confidence in February 

of last year. Not to bad mouth 

her but it gives you a unique 

opportunity. 

WILLIAMS: Sure, but I 

think the word goes hand in 

hand with me, challenges equals 

opportunity. I think there’s been 

some great foundational things 

that have been built in this district 

over many years that have 

been sustained because of great 

people in the classrooms and 

great employees. But I also 

An interview with Superintendent Chris Williams 

New Directions in the Paso Robles School District 

realize there are things that we 

are at a level that we definitely 

have a greater opportunity to 

impact student 

learning 

and impact 

the culture of 

this organization. 

Plans 

don’t change 

districts, people 

change 

districts. People 

impact 

culture, culture 

is based 

on our belief 

and trust of doing what you say 

and not leaving it out there. 

I had promised our cross 

country team when I presented 

them at the board that if they 

made the state cross country 

meet that I’d be there. Going to 

see our girls cross country team 

and our boys cross country for 

the first time - both qualified 

for the state meet - but driving 

from Paso at 5 a.m. to get there 

to watch these kids - it’s a value 

added to these kids that have 

worked so hard to get where 

they’re at. 

I think that those areas of understanding 

that these parents 

commit to these kids and these 

kids commit to a process that is 

going to build their character… 

the hard work, the discipline, 

the commitment, that we have 

to have to value that and understand 

that. Our coaches did 

such a fabulous job. Those are 

pieces to me that are so important 

- they are the intangibles 

that add value to these kids and 

the organization and are so important 

for change yet also to 

honor the great things that have 

been in the past. 

The past five years being 

challenging, I get, it’s created 

a great opportunity for us. But 

the conviction that is so strong, 

that burns in my heart every 

day, is that I think of the 

decisions that have been made 

based on whatever the scenarios 

have been. What has that 

taken away from our kids the 

last four year period of time? In 

cabinet on Monday we sat here 

for a long period 

of time 

which I don’t 

usually do, 

but we went 

around and 

said, “What 

is our conviction 

in 

this organization 

and what 

is our belief 

in this organization?” 

Because every decision 

we make, if we choose to 

make the easy decision, 

rather than the right decision, 

and it costs us $25,000 

or $100,000, how does that 

impact student learning and 

student success? 

I know when we begin to create 

our VAPA (Visual and Performing 

Arts) program for K-5 

next year, that one of those decisions 

would have allowed us to 

have a complete VAPA program 

for K-5 elementary kids. I know 

that, to be able to sustain that, 

we’ve got to make our decisions 

based on our purpose and belief 

in this organization. 

Again, from the past to the 

future, it’s a great opportunity, 

a lot of areas to build on, and 

reality - the passion and commitment 

about student learning 

is what we have to be about. 

PRM: I think you’ve pretty 

much answered this question, 

but how did your eight year 

position as Assistant Superintendent, 

Human Resources 

with the Central Unified 

School District in Fresno prepare 

you for Paso Robles…did 

they have some of the same financial 

constraints, or is this all 

new for you? 

WILLIAMS: We had some 

similar situations when I started 

in Central as a vice principal 

and assistant principle. We had 

about 8000 kids, kind of rural, 

little city area but we began to 

grow and expand. By the time 

I made it to the district office 

we looked at the structures and 

systems on how we can align 

with what our community needs 

were, and although we had 

challenges when we went 

through two severe years of 

layoffs in ’07-’08 and ’08-’09, 

I learned a lot about the components 

of making the tough 

decision and the right decision 

aligned to the organizational 

values and beliefs. It helped me, 

really, to develop an internal fortitude 

to make tough decisions, 

if you will, in alignment to what 

we’re here for…we’re an educational 

institution. We have to 

promote the education to get 

these kids better prepared, we 

have to look at every classroom 

and every student. 

So the experience I had going 

through those challenges, by 

the time we were done with 

layoffs, we were still able to sustain 

and grow our music program, 

we were able to implement 

a full elementary VAPA 

program, an elementary dance 

program, expand our library 

services during the summer, 

create an elementary athletic 

program that is still up and 

running successfully. When you 

look at the basis of what your 

community is about and what 

their needs are, is how you really 

align your purpose. My belief 

will never change about students, 

but the culture will guide 

you in what we need to focus on 

as we go through. 

PRM: Do you envision any 

curriculum changes for this 

school year...for the next school 

year implementing Common 

Core Standards? 

WILLIAMS: We began our 

implementation of Common 

Core already and we’re really 

focused on instructional delivery 

and instructional practices. 

I think the change or refocus is 

keeping the three key elements 

of instruction in place. 

Please see WILLIAMS page 26 


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WILLIAMS from page 24 

If you look at good instruction 

in classroom, it really gets 

back to the key components 

about a caring adult, first, 

and most importantly, you have 

to have a caring adult in the 

classroom, which I believe we 

have many great and caring 

adults. 

The second is creating a positive 

culture and environment 

where students feel that they 

can trust and they can be innovative 

and value those. 

And the third, is the best and 

most effective, is the effective 

teacher being able to differentiate 

instruction based on student 

needs on a daily basis which is 

going to vary and change based 

on your classrooms. 

I was talking to new teachers 

two days ago, and I said, I don’t 

know about you guys but I’ve 

delivered what I felt was a great 

lesson to a first period class and 

it went very well and I prepared 

and designed it. Then, in my 

fourth period class, I delivered 

the same lesson and it was a flop. 

I’m thinking, gosh, I thought I 

had this down! What I realized 

is that I learn differently than 

you and you learn differently 

than me and how do we really 

focus on the student data and 

the student need and then deliver 

the instruction for that. 

You’re going to have your Common 

Core line instruction as 

you go through, but how we vary 

that so we get these kids actively 

engaged and making it rigorous, 

yet relevant to these students, 

is what it has to be. And rigor 

will continue to be built in every 

organization because we can 

always get better as we go. 

But making it relevant and 

looking at student engagement 

portions of it, that’s why it’s 

so important for us on goal 

2 to be able to recruit and retain 

our highly qualified staff but 

put our commitment back 

in development and getting 

feedback instead of putting 

our top down and saying this 

is what we’re going to be 

trained on. 

We did a survey Monday to 

get feedback from teachers on 

areas of focus we can provide 

professional development in. So 

we went in and took that then 

we did a menu of professional 

development for the first time 

at the high school with the entire 

district. So we had key areas 

that they would be able to select 

to go to that they felt would enhance 

their teaching or knowledge. 

It was a great model and I 

like that. 

I’ve been in a top down leadership 

organization where it’s 

really hard to get buy-in from 

top down leadership. But when 

you get feedback and you begin 

to collaborate on that…you 

have higher levels of trust and 

enthusiasm and you designate 

what people need. 

If I feel like I’ve mastered how 

to implement and illuminate for 

student data, do I need to sit 

there for two hours? Because 

I’m not going to get a lot out of 

it. But if I can go into another 

menu item that you have for 

training that may give me some 

better ideas to collaborate with 

other grade level teachers and 

enhance my ability to do so… 

let’s do that. 

PRM: Are student enrollment 

numbers still declining? 

Implementing any attendance 

incentive programs you imagine 

to overcome transfers to 

Templeton, Charter schools and 

such? 

WILLIAMS: Yes, one thing 

we looked at, and this was part 

of the budget pieces, was the 

student attendance incentive 

program. When I began to look 

at it, a baseline expectation for 

effective school districts would 

be a minimum of 95% attendance 

on a daily basis in your 

schools. I looked through all 

the data on daily attendance, 

and employee attendance and 

I looked at different arenas of 

what we did for incentives for 

students and whatnot. 

One of our challenges was 

kids would go through a whole 

year and then we would provide 

them incentives but some of 

those kids would have already 

left that school and gone to a 

new school. So, we reshifted 

Please see WILLIAMS page 28 

Happy New Year! 

Plan now for 2015. 



WILLIAMS from page 26 

and put less of a focus on the 

amount that they were receiving 

but we put it in place that those 

kids that earned it and deserved 

it were able to benefit from improved 

attendance. 

Then, in the second round, 

we looked at inter-district 

transfers - kids that were leaving 

our district - and we did a 

five year trend…why they left, 

what grade level they left, what 

schools they went to. Then we 

put in a new process that any inter-district 

transfer, before they 

were signed, authorized or approved 

that we want those families 

to go and see our schools 

with those kids to experience it. 

We have leadership groups 

of kids that I actually can connect 

with…last year I believe we 

had 209 students that left our 

district on inter-districts to go 

elsewhere. This year we were 

able to reduce it 129 or 130, 

so that’s a great shift and our 

enrollments being able to be 

sustained and I think once we 

begin to roll out and gain trust 

within the community again, 

and look at the people we have 

and honor the people we have 

in this community which adds 

value to the students that are 

coming in. 

And then looking at our next 

phase of implementation next 

year with the VAPA program, 

K-5, and elementary GATE 

program that will be all grade 

levels, in lieu of just 4th or 5th 

grade, so we can really have 

structures and systems in place 

to enhance what we’re doing 

with our GATE programs and 

really a strong focus on extra 

curricular activities as well as 

athletics. 

I’m a strong believer in the 

VAPA music program, for 

both of my kids. My daughter 

is a dancer at Fresno State, 

my son is a musician and it’s 

been a huge impact in his life 

and his development process 

and he’s 23 now. And I think 

when we look at that, that 

athletics also is a key component 

in fitness in the organization, 

team work, hard work and opportunities. 

The whole child, being able 

to develop with elementary PE 

so that you have fitness. I just 

met with the Food Bank about 

nutrition and opportunities so 

that every kid is well fed when 

they come into our schools. We 

looked at data of how many kids 

go to the nurses office, at what 

time of the day, and why? We 

look at data and when a kid has 

a stomach ache at 10:30, what’s 

the reason? Probably because 

they haven’t had breakfast and 

it’s hard to learn when you’re not 

whole and complete. 

The last piece that we did 

was not only the student recognition 

piece but an employee 

recognition program as well. 

We’ve already had components 

in place for employee of the year 

for certificated and classified, 

we’ve done retiree recognition 

but now we have three other 

areas that we focus on…I kind 

of have fun with this. 

We have a Rookie of the Year, 

your new people coming in… 

teachers, classified, management…and 

being able to say to 

them congratulations, come to 

the board, Rookie of the Year, 

right? They have a lot of fun 

with this, we dedicate a plaque 

to them. 

The other one we haven’t focused 

on, we talk about student 

attendance so much, but we 

have some teachers who have 

never missed a day of work in 

20 years. So we have employee 

recognition for attendance, a 

perfect attendance certificate. 

It just values them, we recognize 

you and we see in December 

and in June every year. 

Then we’ll have longevity where 

each of our employees that 

have 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25 years 

- they’ll get a nice plaque with 

our district guiding principle 

message and then they’ll be 

honored for being here. A lot 

of it is you talk about successful 

organizations, teams and 

corporations there’s a succinct 

belief in values, but there’s also 

consistency in staffing to build 

upon that. We want to be able 

to recognize and honor that as 

we go through. 

Watch for Part 3 in the 

March Paso Robles Magazine 


ob@bobsprain.com 



Valentine’s Day is a day to show 

love to those whom you love. If 

you need a little help finding 

something to do with your sweetheart 

– whomever that may be – 

there are plenty to choose from in 

the North County alone. Happy 

Valentine’s Day! 

Father-Daughter Sweetheart 

Dance: Friday, Feb. 6 from 6:30 

to 9:30 p.m. for daughters 12 and 

younger and Saturday, Feb. 7 from 

7 to 10 p.m. for daughters 12 and 

older in the Pavilion on the Lake, 

9315 Pismo Ave. in Atascadero. 

Fathers and daughters at last year’s Father/Daughter 

Dance in Atascadero. Photo by Jimmy de Photography 

Fathers, uncles and grandfathers 

may bring their daughters, nieces 

and granddaughters for a semiformal 

evening of fun and entertainment 

by disc jockey Guy Ryder. 

Enjoy dancing, snacks, door 

prizes and more. The cost is $30 

per couple for Atascadero residents 

and $35 per couple for non-residents. 

Additional daughters are $5 

each. Advance ticket purchase is 

required. Tickets may be purchased 

at Colony Park Community 

Center, 5599 Traffic Way. To 

download and print the registration 

form, go to visit www.atascadero 

.org or call 470-3178 

for more information. 

Sweetheart Stroll 

throughout downtown 

Atascadero offers wine 

tasting on Feb. 7 from 

1 to 4 p.m. The cost of 

wine tasting is $15 per 

person and includes a 

wine glass. Glasses and 

wristbands may be purchased 

at the corner of 

El Camino Real and 

Entrada Avenue. 

Vic’s Cafe, 841 13th St. in downtown 

Paso Robles will have a special 

Valentine’s Day dinner on Saturday, 

Feb. 14 from 5 to 8 p.m. For more 

information, call 238-3988 or go to 

vicscafepasorobles.com. 

Berry Hill Bistro, 1114 Pine 

St. in downtown Paso Robles 

will offer a special surprise Valentine’s 

Day menu in addition to its 

regular menu. For reservations, call 

238-3929. 

Indulge Restaurant in the Oaks 

Hotel, 3000 Riverside Avenue, is 

presenting a Valentine’s Special 

prefixe menu, call for reservations 

237-8700. 

Panolivo, 1344 Park St. in 

downtown Paso Robles, will celebrate 

Valentine’s Day with a threecourse 

prix fix menu from 4:30 to 

8: 30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14. For 

reservations, call 239-3366 or go 

to panolivo.com/valentines. 

America’s Funniest Valentine 

Big Laugh comedy show, 

hosted by comedienne Lizette 

Mizelle featuring comedians 

Eric Schwartz, Andrew Kennedy 

and Dave Burleigh, will 

take place on Saturday, Feb. 14 at 

7 p.m. at Atascadero Lake Pavilion 

on the Lake, 9315 Pismo Ave. in 

Atascadero. Tickets are $35 each 

at the door. Tickets may be ordered 

online at www.thebiglaugh 

.net or call 712-0400. 

Downtown Paso Robles Main 

Street Association will present a 

Valentine’s Movie Night at Park 

Cinemas, 1100 Pine St. in Paso 

Robles, on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. 

“Moonstruck,” featuring Nicholas 

Cage, Cher, Olympia Dukakis and 

Danny Aiello, is the featured film. 

The $12 ticket includes popcorn and 

a drink or champagne and chocolate. 

For more information or to purchase 

tickets, call the Main Street office 

at 238-4103, go to www.pasoroblesdowntown.org 

or stop by the office 

at 835 12th St., which is accessible 

in the alley off Pine Street. 


Arlyne’s 

Flowers Gifts 


Pas0 People 

‘Spice Crafter’ Lori Foster Celebrates 

Two Years with her ‘Spice for Life’ 

By Millie Drum 

Lori Foster created Spice of Life 

not only to share her love of spices, 

herbs and her own special blends. 

She hopes to inspire, motivate and 

show her clients how to have fun 

in the kitchen. Coming from a 

large Italian family, the life revolved 

around the kitchen as the heart of 

the home and preparing delicious 

meals. 

With the encouragement from 

her husband to start a business that 

spoke to her passion, Lori unexpectedly 

started her “adventure,” as she 

calls it, 10 years ago while visiting the 

Florida Keys. She stumbled upon 

a small spice store that enticed her 

curiosity with the intriguing aromas 

and flavors. She adds, “We brought 

some home and they transformed 

my cooking. I was so surprised at the 

aromas and the flavors.” The seeds 

for Spice of Life were planted; growing 

with tender loving care and great 

gratification for Lori. Her store is 

Above: Lori’s Custom Spice 

Blends - Enjoy the Aromas! 

Below: Special teas found 

only at Spice of Life! 

warm, inviting; filled with the scents 

of fresh herbs, rich spices and aromatic 

teas and a huge assortment of 

products and accessories. 

Exhaustive research, a cohesive 

branding/marketing strategy 

and the highest quality product 

launched the Spice of Life retail location 

in downtown Paso Robles 

two years ago. Previously, Lori sold 

at the Templeton Farmer’s Market. 

Her line is also available in many 

local stores as well as in Palm 

Desert, Pasadena and Santa Barbara. 

Lori works exclusively with two 

ANNIVERSARY OPEN HOUSE 

Join your hostess Lori on Saturday, 

February 7 for a day of tasting and 

discovery to celebrate the two year 

anniversary with food, spice blend 

and olive oil tasting, book signings 

and a unique opportunity to discover 

the fascinating world of spices! 

Spices from all over the world. 

importers to guarantee the finest quality of herbs 

and spices that are grown all over the world; 

particularly China, France, Japan, Greece and 

India. She adds, “Quality is paramount. My 

spices have no chemicals or fillers and are nonirradiated.” 

Stored correctly, whole herbs and 

spices will last up to 3 years; ground for 1 year. 

Herbs and spices in their purest form have 

been used for medicinal and culinary purposes 

for centuries. Lori loves to describe their origin 

and characteristics; taking the mystery out 

of many varieties most of which we have never 

heard of. Lori’s most exotic spice is Urfa Biber 

from Turkey; rich chili flakes from chilies that 

are vine ripened and sun dried. 

Click pasospices.com for delicious recipes 

using Lori’s special blends and fill your “shopping 

cart” with online convenience! Lori loves to 

assist her customers with customized herb, spice 

and tea gifts, gift baskets or favors for any special 

Please see SPICE page 34 



PAso People 

Help with taxes 

On Wednesday, April 15, 2015, 

your federal and state taxes for 2014 

will be due. Will you be ready? 

If you are looking for a 

particular tax form, chances 

are the Paso Robles City Library 

can help. The Library is 

one of the few places to offer 

both federal and state tax forms. They 

also carry instruction booklets for the 

most common forms, and Reference 

Desk staff can assist with accessing 

and printing forms from websites. 

They may have a small supply of the 

most common forms already printed 

out for you to purchase. Copies of tax 

forms (as with all copies) are only 20 

cents per page, so bring in your list of 

forms needed to get your copies today. 

As in prior years, the Library 

and the Senior Center will partner 

with AARP Tax Aide to provide 

free tax assistance. Call the Library, 

237-3870, to sign up for Saturday 

tax preparation appointments at the 

Library beginning February 7. Call 

the Senior Center, 237-3880, to sign 

up for Tuesday appointments at the 

Veterans’ Building (next to the Senior 

Center) beginning February 3, and 

Thursday appointments beginning 

February 5. 

You do not need to be a senior 

to use the service provided at the 

Library or the Senior Center. The 

AT THE LIBRARY 

AARP Tax Aide program is for most 

taxpayers (certain exceptions 

do apply) who 

would like assistance in 

preparing their tax returns. 

IRS-certified volunteers 

provide free basic 

income tax return preparation to 

taxpayers, assisting with various tax 

credits such as the Earned Income 

Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and 

Education Credits. 

The Paso Robles City Library is 

located at 1000 Spring Street and 

is open Monday – Friday 10 a.m. 

to 8 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m. to 

5 p.m. For more information on 

library programs and events, call 

237-3870 or visit www.prcity.com/ 

library. 

SPICE from page 32 

occasion; especially nice for someone 

with a particular ethnic favorite. She 

adds, “My business has been such an 

exciting journey. I had no idea where 

it would lead!” 

Visit Spice of Life at 1306 – C 

Pine Street, facing 13th Street in 

the plaza next to TCSN, phone 

227-6000 or click lifeofspice 

@charter.net. 

February’s Book 

Group Read 

The Paso Robles 

City Library invites 

the public to discuss 

Girl in Translation by 

Jean Kwok on Thursday, 

February 19 at 

7 p.m. in the Library 

Conference Room. 

Loosely based on the author’s 

own life, Girl in Translation tells the 

story of Kimberly Chang and her 

mother who emigrate from Hong 

Kong to Brooklyn. Kimberly settles 

into leading a double life: exceptional 

schoolgirl by day, and sweatshop 

worker by night, Kimberly is forced 

to constantly translate not just her 

language, but herself, straddling the 

well-to-do world of her school days 

with the grinding poverty of her 

home life. 

Margrete Koreska’s Journey 

“Art has become an important 

part of my life,” says artist Margrete 

Koreska, displaying during February 

at the Library. “I want my work to 

be captivating and uplifting through 

strong color and design. I enjoy the 

challenge of a wide variety of subjects 

inspired by my travels and many other 

interests.” For Koreska, art is a lifelong 

journey with great challenges and inspirations. 

Also during the month of 

February, enjoy the imagination and 

creativity 

of Jeanne 

Aird’s grade 

8 Flamson 

students’ 

unique ceramic 

boxes. 

MARCH SPICE EXCHANGE 

Ask yourself this question. How long have my spices been in my cupboard? 

Add to their age by the time spent in a warehouse and on a store shelf. 

Now is your chance to start fresh! Join the Spice Exchange for the month of 

March and receive a discount on fresh, top quality selections when you bring in 

your old and most likely out of date herbs and spices. 

Purge your cupboards of the plastic and replace with airtight glass containers 

for the longest shelf life for premium products. And have fun organizing your 

pantry too! 

21 Day Purification 

& Weight Loss Program 

Feb 12, 6 - 7:30 pm 

Learn about a 3 week program specifically designed to 

slowly, effectively, and safely detoxify your gastrointestinal 

system, liver, kidneys, and gallbladder. This program 

utilizes whole food supplements, while still enjoying 

healthy organic meals. As it takes 21 days to establish a 

new, healthy habit, participants enjoy renewed energy 

and continued weight loss even after they complete it! 

Average weight loss 10-15 lbs! 

Lecture presented by Bobbi Conner, 

Certified Nutrition Consultant. 

Call 237-8290 to reserve your spot 

“Receive a free Purification Program 

cookbook when you sign up!” 


Putting the Feelings Back into Real Estate Dealings! 

Almond Country Quilters received $3,630 

thanks to Dave & Tammy Hansen 

Mark McConnell 

805-674-0297 

Corp. Bre Lic #01932429 

Liz Lee Marziello 

805-464-1007 

Heart to Heart 

Real Estate 

Buy or sell your next home with 

Heart to Heart Real Estate and 

GIVE BACK 50% of their 

commissions to the community. 

hearttoheartrealestate.com 

hearttoheartrealestate@gmail.com 

205 17th Street, Paso Robles 

Mark & Liz 


PAso People 

Warbirds honor their own 

During their monthly dinner meeting 

in January the Estrella Warbirds 

Museum and Woodland Auto Display 

recognized very special volunteers 

through several categories who went 

above and beyond during 2014 to further 

the cause of the museum. 

Member of the Year: Ron 

Brook A museum member who participates 

in promoting the Museum 

by volunteering to take on tasks to 

complete, other than assigned such as 

Taking a step back in time for our kid’s future 


The Paso Robles Education Alliance 

(PREA) hosted a New Year’s Eve 

“Great Gatsby” throw back in time at 

the Paso Robles Inn Ballroom; raising 

over $20,000. PREA plans to use all of 

the funds to support its ongoing teacher 

grant program, scholarship program and 

other enrichment programs. PREA is a 

nonprofit community based organization 

that supports and enriches the educational 

environment of the Paso Robles 

Public Schools. 

The guests arrived dressed in attire 

from the era; posed for photographs with 

a beautiful 1930 Cadillac, entered the 

Grand Ballroom, and were swept away 

Docent, Gift Shop, etc. 

Grunt of the Year: 

Keith Decker A volunteer 

who always is “there” 

to take on restoration 

projects, clean-up, helping 

on Hall rental, basically 

“scut work.” 

Volunteers of the 

Year: Jackie Brooks, 

Jeanne Thibeau, Linda Hermansen 

and Penny Takier 

for a fun night of 

dancing and casino 

gaming. 

One of Paso’s 

very own teachers, 

Dawn Steuwer and 

her husband, put 

on an exhibition of 

Gatsby Era dancing 

that jump started 

the fun. There were great raffle prizes, a 

photo booth, chocolate fountain and a 

champagne toast at midnight. 

PREA’s Gold and Silver event 

sponsors were Connect Home Loans, 

IQMS, Woodland Auto Display, Paso 

Robles Magazine, MGE Underground, 

Exceptional volunteers 

who work face-to-face 

with the public. This includes 

Library, Gift Shop, 

Simulator Ops, Freedom, 

Woodland, and Pfauter 

Docents. 

Extra Mile (a.k.a. 

Above and Beyond): 

Richard Humble and Jerry 

Crabill Volunteer who takes 

on tasks without being asked 

Field Gibson and Vicki Lee Jeff and Tanya Railsback 

Welcome 2015! 

the Goldstein Family, Re/Max Parkside, 

Berkshire Hathaway Home Services 

Hallmark Realty and KD Capital Mortgage. 

Hope Family Wines and Pear Valley 

Winery donated wine for the night 

and Opolo Winery champagne for the 

event. 

and exhibits Dedication, Capability, 

Strength, Courage, Spirit, Hard work, 

and a positive attitude. 

Top Gun: George Marrett Volunteer 

who is at the top (as in ability) to 

accomplish tasks that benefit the Museum’s 

success and growth. 

Directors Choice: Peter Visel 

Directors choice for extra recognition 

of a member, volunteer, or employee 

who doesn’t fit into Member of the 

Year, Grunt of the Year, Extra Mile, 

Top Gun, or Founders Choice; usually 

a list of names submitted to the Board 

for this one. 

Topping off 2014 for PREA was 

a $15,000 donation from JUSTIN 

Vineyards and Winery to support 

the organization’s ongoing efforts 

to provide new educational resources 

and opportunities for the 

children of Paso Robles. Throughout 

its history, JUSTIN Vineyards 

& Winery, a pioneer of ultra-premium 

Bordeaux variety winemaking 

in Paso Robles, has had an unwavering 

commitment to the communities where 

its employees live and work. The winery’s 

philanthropic efforts throughout 2015 

will continue to support programs that 

invest in the development and well-being 

of children in its community. 


PAso People 

Hearts and Hearts = LOVE 

by Amyna 

Weeks 

For this month of February 

with Valentines right around the 

corner, there is time left to make 

this door hanger or a heart necklace. 

Whichever you choose you 

can never go wrong by loving 

someone and showing your love 

by example. 

What you will need for the 

door hanger: 

I used 4 different hearts; 12 

inch, 10 inch, 6 inch and a 3.5 

inch. Each one is different in 

there millimeter width which 

gives them a distinct look from 

each other as well as their size. 

For the 12 inch I simply painted 

the entire heart white, then while 

it was still semi wet I coated on 

a candy pink color. Some of the 

white paint will show through the 

pink color and to me that gives a 

nice dimension to an otherwise 

plain heart. The bottom bow is 

actually a wood decorative piece 

that you can find at home improvement 

stores. 

The 10” heart 

I painted white 

and let dry completely 

before 

adding a smaller 

pink heart to the 

bottom and then 

the two birds are 

actually felt stickers. 

The small sparkle 

hearts on the lower 

side of each bird are 

buttons I have acquired. 

Using a hot 

glue gun is what allowed 

me to adhere 

the scalloped heart 

and the two sparkle 

hearts. 

Next for the 6” 

heart I used a red 

enamel paint so I could cover some 

markings that had been previously 

left there. (I’m learning to be 

frugal so don’t think twice about 

using anything you already have 

so you don’t have to spend too 

much money.) Once the enamel 

red coat was dried I went through 

my button box and hot glued a 

variety of color and 

sizes of hearts to 

circle the center heart 

which I had previously 

glued there from 

another time. 

Last but not least is 

the 3.5 inch scalloped 

heart which was first 

painted in white then 

I added the pink and 

finished off with the 

cotton candy pink. 

On each heart I added 

color so that it had a 

marbled effect going 

on. Almost like mixing 

different clays together 

and after a bit 

they look marbled. 

For the door 

hanger: I had leftover Christmas 

ribbon in velvet. I laid the velvet 

side up and eyed the distance I 

wanted between the hearts. Next 

I hot glued a line in the middle of 

the back of each heart and carefully 

adhered it the velvet ribbon. 

Making sure I had enough at the 

top for a loop and enough ribbon 

at the bottom to give a finish look. 

To make the hanger stronger, I 

added another strip of ribbon the 

same size and glued it for reinforcement. 

So that is how this door hanger 

came into being! It was fun to 

make and I used things around 

the craft room so I made my 

imagination stretch. 

For the necklaces: Paint your 

hearts in all different sizes and 

styles. Once dried I used jewelry 

bails and quick drying glue. I 

had some variegated ribbon that 

I used as the necklace and made 

a knot at the back to secure it. 

You can buy pre-made necklaces 

in leather, plated silver and gold 

chains or any number of materials 

you can find at a craft store. Just 

slip the necklace through the bail 

and wha-la you have a pretty Valentine 

necklace!! 

Thank you for joining me on this 

month’s craft! 

Amyna 

John 3:16 


ROUND TOWN 

On February 15th, the 15th annual 

BUZZ Marathon will be run on the 

familiar scenic Camp Roberts course, 

continuing the partnership between 

San Miguel School District and the 

US Army National Guard. 

Although this is not a relay race, 

the baton of leadership passed this 

year from founder, retired teacher and 

Hornet Queen Eileen Rogers, to Col. 

Loren Weeks at Camp Roberts. It has 

become a well-known and respected 

event which qualifies entrants for other 

marathons, including the prestigious 

Boston Marathon. 

The USA Track and Field-certified 

course is run on paved roads with dirt 

and packed gravel shoulders. It weaves 

over gently rising terrain studded with 

trees and glimpses of wildlife and comfort 

stations are situated approximately 

every 2 – 2 ½ miles. All finishers in the 

marathon, half-marathon, 10K, 5K 

and the run for children under 12 will 

receive tee shirts and beautiful newly-designed 

medals which reflect the 

school, the military and the town. They 

can be seen on the web site at www. 

15 th Annual BUZZ Marathon set for Feb. 15 

buzzmarathon.org. (and on this page) 

along with all information about the 

event. 

Also this year, proceeds will be 

shared between school athletics programs 

and the Wounded Warriors. As 

Camp Roberts is being improved and 

upgraded, the personnel are dedicated 

to ensuring the future of the 

marathon and the good it does for 

the children and the military. 

Winners of the 2014 event and 

their times are: Marathon: Jason 

Bui from Ayer, MA, 2:54:32 

(Male); Carmella Cuva from 

Monterey, 3:55:47 (Female). 

Half-Marathon: Ben Walker from 

Templeton, 1:22:32 (Male); Micaela 

Pepple from Atascadero, 1:32:48 

(Female) who set a new course record. 

5K: Bernis Nichols from Paso Robles, 

22:06 (Male); Yusrina Bennett from 

Bakersfield, 25:03. Mile for children 

under 12: Emma Delfin, age 10 from 

San Miguel, 9:28 (Female); Nicolas 

Reed age 9 from Oceano, 9:38 (Male). 

The oldest finisher in the marathon 

was Charles Sayles, age 77 from Glendale 

with a time of 6:52:14. Two competitors 

were from Canada. 

Meanwhile back at the school, 

changes are benefitting both students 

and teachers. In grades 6-8, class sizes 

have been reduced to 14-18 students 

to allow teachers more time to interact 

with individual students and personalize 

their instruction. Daily intervention 

classes give extra instruction to 

those who need it. Each Wednesday 

learning and accomplishment are celebrated. 

In grades K-5 class sizes are 

18 to 28 students. A full-time reading 

specialist is a great asset to all. Students 

above grade average are encouraged 

with enrichment studies. 

Every student in 4th through 6th 

Grade is given an iPad to use at school 

and taught its many useful functions 

that enhance learning. When 8th 

Grade is completed, they may take the 

iPad with them to high school. 

Currently, enrollment is open for 

students for the 2015-16 school year. 

This half-day program prepares students 

with fall birthdays for Kindergarten. 

Students turning 5 years old 

between September 2 and December 

2, 2015 are eligible for this high-quality 

proven program. Each Tuesday, a 

parents group meets to prepare teaching 

materials for teachers which allows 

more actual classroom time. Teachers 

greatly appreciate their help, parents 

know more about the curriculum 

and coffee and donuts keep them 

going at these sessions. 

The “8 a.m. to 5 p.m. teaching job 

with weekends and summers to 

relax” is just a myth. A dedicated 

teacher starts the day early in the 

morning, finishes late at night every 

day and has ‘homework’ on 

weekends. In summer they go 

back to school for further classes and 

workshops. Staying up on education 

and ahead of the students is a full-time 

endeavor. 

The San Miguel School District just 

received a five-year Teacher Quality 

Partnership Grant from Cal Poly and 

CSU Monterey Bay. Lillian Larsen will 

be hosting professional development 

events for teachers from both counties 

and will be a host site for teachers newly 

entering the profession. Lillian Larsen 

School continues to provide a healthy 

and enriching all-around learning environment 

that encourages students to 

excel. Go, Hornets! 

County Perspective 

By Bruce Curtis 

Norwegian Wharf Rats… 

Or not: Great. 

I thought we’d finally banished 

these ubiquitous beggars years ago, 

but there on the kitchen counter was 

the unmistakable spoor of a fresh 

visitation. I snapped into action and 

bought two snap traps, low-tech, 

but effective. “Brook no quarter,” I 

cry, I am Captain Ahab, these furry 

invaders are Moby Dick, I the Ancient 

Mariner, they the Albatross. 

Them or me, I blustered, now out of 

literary metaphors. 

My wife asks what I was muttering 

about, as she often does. She 

munched from a bowl filled with 

exactly what I’d seen on the counter. 

Wide-eyed, I stared at the cereal 

bowl, then at her. She looked warily 

at me, then the door. She broke into 

a smile of recognition, producing a 

box of dollar store cocoa-rice cereal. 

No wonder the product flopped at 

the supermarket; any breakfast food 

that is indistinguishable from rodent 

feculence is bound to bomb with 

consumers. 

Barely two weeks ago on a dreary, 

valley-fogged day, Governor Jerry 

Brown stood amongst officials to 

break ground on another bomb, 

California’s $ 68 billion high-speed 

train from Los Angeles to San 

Francisco. Of course $68 billion in 

federal stimulus only goes so far, so 

the train will run between Fresno 

and Bakersfield. But being from the 

Central Coast, I think sour grapes 

is just as valid a reason to hate on a 

project that some of us think should 

have been routed through San Luis 

Obispo County. I mean, why can’t 

we get the benefits of riding quickly 

and quietly between here and L.A. 

or Bay Area, whizzing past grid 

locked traffic? 

Realistically, there will be few-riders 

on the train to nowhere, as some 

have called it. One thing is certain, 

California’s high speed rail line will 

be three times more expensive per 

mile than Europe and Asia’s high 

speed trains, making it the biggest 

political boondoggle in state history. 

But if we’re honest, San Luis 

“Why is an expensive, 5-year old pipeline 

suddenly springing leaks? That sounds like 

a good question to ask of Teichert Construction, 

the original contractor. We understand 

San Luis Obispo County has already forwarded 

Teichert a repair bill.” 

Obispo County has its own 

boondoggles, starting with the 

Nacimiento pipeline. The 45-mile 

project was supposed to take Lake 

Nacimiento water to San Luis 

Obispo, and at $176 million, the 

project was not only the biggest 

public works project in decades, 

it over-promised the lake’s output 

because Monterey and San Luis 

Obispo counties appear to have 

signed up for more water than Lake 

Nacimiento can actually produce – 

and that was before the drought. 

The other shoe fell when the 45- 

mile pipeline began to leak where it 

passes through Camp Roberts. The 

cheap – if cheap is the right word – 

fix is a slip lining inside the original 

pipe. The lining is far from an ideal 

solution because it will reduce water 

flow. More bad news last August 

came when additional leaks were 

found, shutting down the pipeline. 

In a twist of irony, the shutdown 

shut off San Luis Obispo’s demand, 

but the drought-depleted Lake 

Nacimiento is only 23% of capacity 

and the savings weren’t much comfort 

to the water-rationed, brown 

lawn folks south of Cuesta Grade. 

On January 6th, the county board 

of supervisors voted to set aside 

$1 million to repair the pipeline, 

$84,000 of which will go into a contingency 

fund to deal with future 

fixes. 

Why is an expensive, 5-year old 

pipeline suddenly springing leaks? 

That sounds like a good question 

to ask of Teichert Construction, the 

original contractor. We understand 

San Luis Obispo County has already 

forwarded Teichert a repair bill. 

Drought Drop: A year-end 

water study says the Paso Robles 

aquifer may drop another 70 feet 

by 2040 if nothing changes. County 

supervisors agree better basin management 

is needed. 

Please see PERSPECTIVE page 40 


2/28/15 

February 2015, Paso Robles Magazine 39 

LV-8125

ROUND TOWN 


As Templeton flips the calendar 

from 2014 to 2015, the small community 

starts to get back into the 

hustle and bustle with Chamber 

networking and a SLOFolks concert. 

Enjoy the calm before things really 

heat up this spring and summer. 

FEBRUARY 

• Templeton Chamber of Commerce’s 

Women in Business will 

meet on Friday, Feb. 10 at 11:30 a.m. 

The cost is $20 for chamber members 

and $25 for non-members. To RSVP, 

email templetonwib@gmail.com by 

the Friday before the luncheon. 

Events planned in Templeton 

• The Templeton 

Chamber of Commerce 

will host its 

monthly After Five 

Mixer on Thursday, 

Feb. 26 at Glenn’s 

Repair & Rental, 

5025 El Camino Real in Atascadero. 

The mixers are an opportunities for 

people to showcase their businesses in 

an informal, open house atmosphere. 

For more information, go to www. 

templetonchamber.com. 

• SLOFolks will 

present Goitse, 

which is an informal 

Gaelic Irish 

greeting meaning 

“come here,” at 

Castoro Cellars, 

1315 N Bethel Road in Templeton, 

on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m., 

doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are 

$20 each. The show is both groupand 

family-friendly. For more information, 

call 1-888-DAM-FINE 

or go to www.castorocellars.com 

MARCH 

• Templeton Chamber of Commerce’s 

Women in Business will 

meet on Friday, March 10 at 11:30 

a.m. The cost is $20 for chamber 

members and $25 for non-members. 

To RSVP, email templetonwib@gmail.com 

by the Friday 

before the luncheon. 

• The Templeton Chamber of 

Commerce will host its monthly 

After Five Mixer on Thursday, 

March 26 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 

Solarponics, 4700 El Camino Real 

in Atascadero. 

PERSPECTIVE from page 38 

Fast Assets: County cops are 

getting faster communications and 

web access, thanks to federal seizure 

money. 

The board of supervisors approved 

$40,000 to construct a fiber 

optic cable from the Sheriff-Coroner’s 

office to the San Luis Obispo 

airport, courtesy of the Federal Asset 

Forfeiture Trust Fund, (FAFTF). If 

$40,000 sounds like a lot of money 

to run a mile or so of data cable, at 

least the county won’t have to pay it, 

thanks to FAFTF. 

Asset forfeiture is a polite term 

for revenue from the Ferraris, jet 

boats, helicopters and the cash law 

enforcement seizes from alleged 

criminals and drug traffickers. 

That’s the intent, but seizure 

laws are an increasingly lucrative 

revenue stream for police and that’s 

raising hackles among constitutional 

rights groups. They say federal 

laws make it easy to seize assets 

from citizens who have not been 

convicted of a crime. 

Such “policing for profit” is a 

breach of constitutional property 

rights, according to the American 

Civil Liberties Union. In cases cited, 

highway patrol and small town police 

have used civil forfeiture laws to 

coerce or simply confiscate money 

and assets that rightfully belong to 

citizens, because federal seizure laws 

don’t require proof of wrongdoing. 

There is no doubt federal forfeiture 

laws are lucrative: last year 

FAFTF trust fund had over $2 billion 

in assets; how much was taken 

from innocent citizens, isn’t clear. 

The Institute for Justice, a civil rights 

law firm says the number is 80%. 

That’s abuse, says Tim Walberg, 

the Congressman sponsoring the 

Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act, 

intended to put a stop to crimeless 

asset seizure. 

The ACLU recently won a landmark 

class action suit in Texas where 

police allegedly routinely seized assets 

from African American and 

Hispanic motorists. The motorists 

were told to turn over their money 

or face federal money laundering 

charges. Critics say law enforcement 

has used forfeiture laws to 

pay salaries and buy paramilitary 

assault weapons. Law enforcement 

officials argue that seizure laws take 

the profit out of crime and stop 

money laundering. 

We need to point out that few, if 

any instances of seizure law abuse 

have surfaced in San Luis Obispo 

County and that’s good. But I do 

think our elected officials and law 

enforcement have a responsibility 

to refuse tainted money. If the revenue 

being offered was illicitly seized 

from citizens, San Luis Obispo 

County officials should stand up 

and say, thanks, but no thanks. 

Fall in Love 

with your 

Home Again 


SHOP 

TEMPLETON 

SHOP 

TEMPLETON 

SHOP 

TEMPLETON 

Expires 2/28/15 


ROUND TOWN 

Four Comedians – One SWEET Night! 


Hearts, chocolate, flowers, love 

and affection…and taking a sweet, 

funny look at life brings The Big 

Laugh back to the Central Coast 

on Valentines’ Day, Saturday, February 

14. 

The Big Laugh is truly a labor 

of love for local comic and producer 

Lizette Mizelle; celebrating 

an exceptionally special Valentine’s 

Day this year… 

the 8th anniversary 

of her show 

and the 1st one 

as Mrs. Dave 

Mizelle Belmonte. 

Lizette 

and Dave were 

married last year 

Lizette Mizelle 

in an amazingly, beautiful production 

of their own. Lizette’s got a 

talent, among so many, for finding 

the funny side of life whether it’s 

working out at the gym, cooking or 

partaking of the world’s best, and 

inviting the best comedians in the 

business or taking the stage herself! 

At 17, Lizette dodged the ID 

check at an LA comedy club by 

declaring she was a working come- 

dian. Her foot was, literally, in the 

door. Her courageous “stand up” to 

the unexpected challenge of filling 

a gap in the show started her career 

as a comedienne and well-established 

respected producer of The 

Big Laugh. She’s opened for Jon 

Lovitz, D.L. Hughley, Dana Carvey 

and the hilarious Mrs. Hughes. 

The Big Laugh comic line-up 

Comedian Eric Schwartz, aka 

Smooth-E, is an internet sensation 

with millions of hits! Behind his 

geeky façade lies a multi-talented 

showman who delivers mind blowing 

stand-up and musical comedy 

with his physical antics, multi-cultural 

satire, hilarious characters 

and riotous laughter. Audiences 

worldwide are following Smooth- 

E’s manta to…SURRENDER TO 

THE BLENDER. 

Dave Burleigh is a Cal Poly graduate, 

interned in the Sports Dept. at 

KSBY and KCPR where Weird Al 

Yankovic worked. While performing 

multiple characters, voices and 

impressions on the 2012 season of 

America’s Got Talent, Dave became 

a favorite of both judges and fans 

Eric 

Schwartz 

Dave 

Burleigh 

Andrew 

Kennedy 

alike. Judge Howie Mandel complimented 

Dave by saying, “Your impressions 

were spot on!” Burleigh’s 

seemingly laid back and easy going 

style on stage is a humorous contrast 

to his rather odd facial and 

body expressions that are sure to 

leave the audiences amazed and 

impressed. 

Bilingual entertainer Andrew 

Kennedy is one of the most hysterical 

comedians today. 

Raised in South America, 

the Caribbean and 

Asia by a Colombian 

mother and British 

father, Andrew promotes 

cultural diversity 

through his comedy. 

Based on his life and 

comedy, Andrew developed, 

produced and 

starred in his very own television pilot 

“Related by Marriage” for CBS. 

His “Comedy Central Presents” 

special was voted one of the network’s 

Top 20. He’s performed 

all over the world and at Lincoln 

Center. With a Colombian mother, 

English father and black great 

grandmother, Andrew’s take on 

the truth that is really stranger than 

fiction is undeniably hilarious! 

Centrally Grown will provide 

organic chocolate dipped strawberries, 

desserts and appetizers. 

Beer, wine and champagne available 

for purchase...and tickets for this 

show are only $40. And get your best 

star-studded pose ready for red carpet 

photos by Chris Hangos. Visit 

thebiglaugh.net and lizettemizelle. 

com to view the video clips 

sure to entertain and boost 

those ticket sales. This show 

is sure to be a sell-out! The 

venue is ideal – the Atascadero 

Lake Pavilion, 9315 

Pismo Ave. in Atascadero. 

For information, call 712- 

0400and click info@thebig 

laugh.com. And remember... 

“Live well...laugh HARD!” 



HOofbeat 

By Dorothy 

Rogers 

Those of us who love living on 

the Central Coast experience the 

blessings of renewal especially as we 

begin the recovery process from one 

of our many droughts. It takes far 

longer than we would like as well as 

planning and some judicious use of 

our water resources as we continue to 

pray and give praise for rain. 

There is an extra holiday this 

month for potential riding so check 

out some of the Hoofbeat Trail 

Tales to ride. Send your own update 

on the trails and conditions, but 

please think ahead and stay off of wet 

trails to avoid erosion. This year the 

first foals will be bounding about in 

green pastures by the time PRM is in 

your hands. 

Cut But Don’t Run 

Plan on at least one day to head 

to the Paso Events Center for 

the first cutting competition and 

show of 2015. You might want to 

mark your new calendars or enter 

February 6-8 on your electronics. 

You’ve got to love her; Greg Wyatt 

and his mare “Imathenalena” (bred by 

Cathie Twisselman of Madonna Ranch) 

were passionate about cutting. The 

first 2015 Saddle Series Cutting is set 

for Feb. 21 at Madonna Ranch in SLO. 

Spectators are admitted free. 

Photo by Midge Ames 

Cheer on your favorites or visit 

with other horse folks during the 

locally based event. We have some 

terrific cutters in residence here, 

so don’t let the term “local” deter 

you from attending. 

Top competitors and their 

horses will be at the gate. 

There will also be novices who can 

share their journeys and adventures 

with you should you be interested 

in getting started with cutting. 

There are 16 classes from ranch 

to professional that will test you 

and your horse’s skills and talent 

vying against fresh cattle. Instructors 

will be on hand to 

meet. They can guide you to start 

learning and perhaps one day to 

reach your potential. 

High School Rodeo 

District 7 from Ventura through 

SLO Counties sees talented and 

giving adults leading the team. 

The western way of independence 

as well as supporting a 

community is found in the teams. 

Each of the members must supply 

his/her own equipment, horse, 

transportation, expenses, etc. in 

order to compete at a variety of 

rodeos. If parents are not able to 

do this on their own, some members 

work while maintaining 

scholarship level, attend practices 

to improve and travel to various 

events. A few assist in passing on 

the tradition to younger students 

when time permits. 

King City’s team at District 4 

will host our District 7 and District 

6 February 13-15. Cow horse 

competitors will be in the arena 

Friday Feb. 13 at 10 a.m. Friday 

afternoon the ACBRA sanctioned 

barrel race is on. There will be a 

jackpot at 7 p.m., a silent auction 

and a dance on Saturday evening. 

Ask your local high school 

teacher for specific information on 

where to donate time, money or 

items to help support these young 

people in their efforts. Best of all, 

when you learn of an event locally, 

show up for a hour or so and cheer 

them on. You could change a life. 

USEA Champion 

Cindy Ramirez-Smith, resident 

trainer and manager at Vulcan 

Mesa Ranch of Atascadero 

has been named USEA Area VI 

Adult Rider Novice Division 

Champion riding “Carina HGF.” 

The dynamic pair also earned their 

El Premio de Merito award for 

garnering 200 performance points 

in recognized USEF recognized 

competitions. 

Get Started in a New 

Relationship 

Ray Berta is part of an old 

Please see HOOFBEAT page 45 


HOofbeat 

HOOFBEAT from page 44 

California ranch family from the 

Carmel Valley area. You will find 

him a patient and quiet teacher 

who spent a great deal of time 

with Bill and Tom Dorrance 

working on understanding horses, 

developing horsemanship and 

participating in ranch activities 

such as roping. Over time, the 

Berta ranch was divided and sold, 

but a little of the graciousness 

with people trying to learn and 

the clear, quiet ways with animals 

have been retained by Ray. 

He is unassuming and works 

with both people and horses 

wherever they are that particular 

day. Having a whirlwind today? 

Get to the next open clinic Feb. 

21 at the Carmel Valley Trail and 

Saddle Club from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

The day will prove interactive 

even if you are just observing. Ray 

makes education fun for riders 

and keeps the enthusiasm of the 

horse brought forth. Check www. 

rayberta.com. He is also available 

for private or semi private lessons. 

Ride From Within 

A new clinician will visit Paso 

April 4 and 5. James Shaw will 

conduct his “Ride From Within” 

Clinic at Kathy Gomer’s 805 

Horse Tales at 1885 Live Oak 

Road in Paso. It is important to 

support private arenas and their 

programs to offer a variety of educational 

opportunities to the public. 

Kathy is putting her seeking 

new ideas and clinicians to open 

eyes and minds to help the horse/ 

human relationship. 

James uses martial arts principles 

as applied to horse and rider 

to improve communication and 

performance for both no matter 

what equine discipline. Beginning 

on the ground, areas to change are 

identified and then often worked 

on while riding. 

The $225/day fee for riders includes 

lunch. There is a discount 

($425) for a two day course. Auditors 

with groundwork are $100/ 

day with lunch. Auditors $45/day. 

Stabling is available, but be certain 

to make reservations. Contact 

Kathy (423-4694) or Kathy@prwaste.com 

to reserve your spot. 

Varian Way 

Riding spaces are totally filled 

for April’s Varian Way, but there is 

hope, yet. There are some auditor 

spaces available. Call or email now 

to reserve your spot for this special 

opportunity with world class 

horsemen at the beautiful Varian 

Arabian Ranch in Arroyo Grande. 

Sheila and her able staff will quietly 

show you how to work with 

your horse eliciting his participation 

no matter what breed. 

Post Your Events 

Check the Master Calendar for 

upcoming opportunities. Want 

HOOFBEAT CALENDAR 

Check weather reports before 

heading out. Please stay off of 

trails after solid rain. 

Feb. 6-8 CCCHA show, Paso 

Events Center, 16 classes, spectators 

admitted free, Kathy Grimes 

show sec., 680-1294, kmzgrimes”@gmail.com 

Feb. 7 Sundance Cow Horse 

Show, Bakersfield, Mark Van- 

Blankenstein. 559-936-5090 

Feb. 13-15 High School Rodeo 

District 4 welcomes district 

7 guests 6 plus Jr. High on Sat., 

King City, reined cow horse #2, 

cutting Fri. 2/13 10 a.m., Sat. 

7 a.m. rodeo 8 a.m., Fri. barrels 

your events included in the Hoofbeat 

Master Calendar? Simply 

email pertinent data to info@ 

calclassics.net by the beginning of 

the month PRIOR to the event. 

Better yet, send tentative schedules 

for the year NOW. You can 

update and confirm as the year 

progresses. If there is a special 

rider, horse or event that is worthy 

of mentioning, please let us know. 

ACBRA sanctioned 4:30-6:45 

p.m., jackpot 7 p.m., silent acution, 

dance Sat. night 

Feb. 21 Ray Berta Clinic, 

Carmel Valley Trail & Saddle 

Club, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with 

gourmet lunch included, educational, 

interactive & fun day 

with your horse, www.rayberta 

.com 

Feb. 22 Ranch Sorting, 8 a.m.- 

5 p.m., Loftus Ranch Arena, 3965 

Buena Vista Dr., Paso partners 

can be located, 975-7078 Karin 

Feb. 26 Schooling Rounds, intro 

Please see HOOFBEAT page 46 

Looking for 

RESULTS 

from your advertising?... 

Call Us! 

239-1533 

True 100% Market Coverage! 


HOofbeat 

HOOFBEAT from page 45 

to adv., Twin Rivers, 8715 N. 

“River Rd., Paso, free spectator 

admission 

Feb. 26-Mar. 1 Show Me the 

Money, AQHA Circuit, Del Mar, 

Feb. 27-Mar. 1 USEA Horse 

“Trials, Twin Rivers, 8715 N. 

River Rd., Paso, spectators are 

admitted free 

MARCH 

March 1 High School Rodeo 

Reined Cowhorse #3, 8:30 a.m., 

TBA 

March 6-8 Barb’s Wild Weekend, 

women only, book discussion, 

activities, range raised beef, trail 

rides, etc., space is limited, 441- 

3507 

March 7 & 8 Santa Ynez Equestrian 

Center, cow horse HS Rodeo 

Cutting #7 

March 13-15 Challenge of 

Champions, Clovis, high school 

rodeo 

March 14 CGA Gymkhana, 

Railhead Riders’ Arena, Santa 

Margarita, sign up 8 a.m., ride 

9 a.m., Margo Abatti 467-3535, 

Vicky Womble 610-7778 

March 15 All Breed Schooling 

Series Show, 3880 Union Rd., 

Knudson Training, Paso, casual/ 

enjoy the day, $10 per class or 

$50 all day, take advantage of this 

low cost opportunity to show & 

practice, 441-7559 

March 15 Hunter/Jumper 

Schooling Show, Vulcan Mesa, 

Atascadero, 8 a.m. 

March 19-22 Dude Ranch Weekend, 

V6, Parkfield, 441-3507 

March 20-22 Rodeo #8 w. Jr. 

High #8 & 9 

March 21 Ray Berta Clinic, Carmel 

Valley Trail & Saddle Club, 9 

a.m. to 4 p.m. w. gourmet lunch 

included, educational, interactive 

& fun day with your horse, www. 

rayberta.com 

Mar. 21 Sundance Cow Horse 

Show, Bakersfield, Mark Van- 

Blankenstein. 559-936-5090 

March 26-29 Western Paint 

Horse Show, PR Events Center, 

free spectator admission & parking 

March 26-29 Dude Ranch Weekend, 

all inclusive, V6, Parkfield, 

441-3507 

March 27-20 Cattlemen’s Western 

Art Show and Sale, Events 

Center, original artwork with 

opportunity to visit with the artists, 

free Sat. & Sun. Fri. evening 

no host requires tickets, Cattlemen’s 

BBQ lunch available, scholarship 

fund benefit 

Have you or anyone you know 

ridden the Los Flores Trails near 

Santa Maria? How about the new 

Pismo Preserve? Would you like 

to share your reports with other 

trail riders? Please send data to 

Info@calclassics.net. Thank you. 

View: Vistas of the Pozo Valley & 

Lopez Canyon 

Trail Tales: High Mountain Trail 

Access: From N. Co., park in paved 

parking lot of Forest Service Ranger 

Sta. at Pozo, or on roadway adjacent. 

DON’T park in front of the ranger sta. 

as it is privately owned. 

Fees: None • Pass: None 

Rated: Easy 

Time factor: 3 - 4 hours. In/out & 

back ride, so riders can turn back at 

any time 

Trail: Forest service roadway 

(unpaved) 

Feet: Shoes definitely recommended 

in summer, may not be necessary in 

winter depending on the horse 

Camp: None • Overnight: None 

Dogs: Allowed • First aid: Call 911 

Cell reception: Spotty 

Caution: Periodic vehicles, wildlife 

Maps: N/A • Participation: N/A 

Brought to you by 

Whitehorse Tack 

2805 Black Oak Dr., 

Paso Robles 

whitehorsetack.com 


Business 

Wine Country Theatre presents 

On Golden Pond...opening Feb. 27 

Wine Country Theatre is thrilled to present the 

first production of its second season of shows, ON 

GOLDEN POND, written by Ernest Thompson 

and directed by Cynthia Anthony. The new 

production opens on Friday, February 27 and will 

run through Sunday, March 15 at The Park Ballroom, 

1232 Park Street in downtown Paso Robles. 

The play, which was presented on Broadway 

years before the famous movie, is considered an 

American classic. Set in a cabin by a lake (Golden 

Pond) in the state of Maine, the story of an aging 

couple confronted by deep family strife and their 

undying love even in the face of their mortality, is 

a humorous and warm look at life, forgiveness, 

hope and acceptance. 

The cast features well-known local actor, 

John Lambie, and Paso Robles newcomer Patricia 

By Bob Chute 

After serving Paso Robles from two downtown 

locations on Park Street for the past 20 years, owners 

Peter and Amparo Carbajal are relocating their 

store to 843 Spring Street, next to Rabobank. 

“This 6500 square foot building became available 

in a great location with lots of parking so we decided 

to make the move,” said Peter. “We’re excited about 

the better visibility and easier access.” He expects 

the new location to be open by February 1. 

Peter has been in the furniture business for over 

30 years, working for his father in Southern California 

and Santa Maria before they opened the 

first Paso Robles location at the corner of 13th and 

Park in 1995. After a few years Peter bought the 

business from his father then moved it to the former 

Sears building at 1336 Park in 2010. In 2003 he had 

also added the 9500 square foot Home Elegance 

store in the Von’s Center at 1171 Creston Road. 

“Customer service has always been our main 

focus. We take care of our customers, no pressure. 

We guard our small town reputation and go the 

extra distance to meet their needs, even after warranties 

have expired we’ll back up the piece sold,” 

said Peter. “I’m in Paso Robles for life and I want 

to keep their business in the years ahead. We have 

Alexander. Claire Fundaro, Kevin Ager and Beth 

Marshall play Chelsea, Bill and the Operator 

(respectively). Dylan Ginng, a young 12 year old 

actor from Paso Robles plays the role of Billy Ray. 

The cast, director and technical crew have many 

professional credits and represent the kind of local 

talent that Wine Country Theatre seeks to find. 

“We want to build a community of artists and 

audiences. Community theatre has the special 

power to bring us together, to help our towns 

become communities. Many creative people have 

joined together who share a vision of putting on 

quality shows that not only entertain the audience 

but also broaden the understanding of the world 

in which we live,” states Laurie Zenobio, Communications 

Director for the company. 

ON GOLDEN POND will open on Friday, 

Paso Robles Furniture is moving 

knowledgable personnel…store manager Roger 

Espinoza and sales people Josie Williams and 

Sandra McDermott with that same customer service 

philosophy. 

Owners Peter and Amparo Carbajal 

“Our store has been evolving the last few years 

into more custom ordering. Basically anything in 

the store - a couch, sectional, bedroom set…anything 

you want - can be customized to fit your 

needs. Or if someone has an existing piece of furniture 

that just needs to be updated, we can reupholster 

and provide a new look and feel, to their 

specifications. 

February 27 at 7:30 p.m. and run through Sunday, 

March 15 on Fridays and Saturdays at 

7:30 p.m.; and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are 

General Admission $25, student tickets are $15. 

Wine and snacks will be available for purchase 

and may be enjoyed during the performance. 

For tickets, call 1-800-838-3006 or order online 

at www.WineCountryTheatre.com 

For more information contact Director Cynthia 

Anthony at (805) 610-0786. 

“Usually you go into a furniture store and 

what you see is what you get, but we go way 

beyond that. And…if you bought on line, 

you paid too much…period. I encourage people 

to visit our stores and experience the 

difference for themselves. Why compromise 

when you can customize?” said Peter. “I’m 

always keeping up-to-date on the latest 

trends and styles attending furniture shows and 

the markets.” 

Both stores offer free local delivery with layaways 

and financing available, open Monday 

through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and 10 a.m. 

to 4 p.m. on Sundays. Paso Robles Furniture new 

location is 843 Spring Street, phone 227-0145 

and Home Elegance, in the Von’s Center, 1171 

Creston Road, phone 237-0754. 


Business 

What’s happening 

on Main Street? 


Remembering Gigi Cohoon 

It’s been a year to the month 

that Chris Weygandt Alba wrote a 

heartfelt tribute to Gigi. She battled 

cancer; sadly passing away last year. 

She touched many in her 25 years 

in downtown always with her optimism 

and determination to do well 

with her business. Recently, family 

and friends gathered in the City 

Park to honor a little lady that will 

always be remembered for her big 

smile and courageous spirit. 

SHOP SMALL Every Day! 

In 2010, American Express 

founded Small Business Saturday®…the 

Saturday after Thanksgiving; 

after the media frenzy of 

Black Friday. The national campaign 

works. SHOP SMALL encourages 

people to shop at small businesses 

that “write the story of America.” It 

is an effective marketing campaign 

that ties a purchase with an American 

Express card on that day with a 

bounce back discount. It worked. But 

why not SHOP SMALL every day? 

Executive Director Norma Moye 

tells me, “I did all of my Christmas 

shopping downtown.” 

The owners of small businesses 

make their living by bringing goods 

and services to us. They are not 

only our friends, neighbors and fellow 

citizens; they are the heart and 

“center” of Paso Robles within the 

Downtown Main Street Association. 

From family businesses to 

start-ups and independents, these 

businesses give our town character 

while adding to the feeling of 

prosperity. 

But really, do all of our small 

business owners feel prosperous? I 

believe that most people think our 

small businesses are charming and 

unique…and prosperous since many 

have endured hard times and are still 

in business. But honestly, many will 

also reluctantly admit to not helping 

small business thrive by spending 

their money elsewhere...online and 

at the one-stop mega retailers; for 

convenience. 

Thankfully, we have waves of 

seasonal and event related tourism 

that brings people into the businesses. 

When is the last time you 

played tourist in your own hometown? 

New Biz Downtown 

I check with Norma every month 

for the latest news about changes 

downtown. She always says, “Things 

are moving so fast, we can hardly 

keep up!” Expansions, re-locations, 

and new businesses are just part of 

the dynamics of a successful downtown. 

The latest expansion is tucked 

away on Railroad Street, next door 

to Bless Your Heart Baking. Owner 

Rose Hawthorne has expanded next 

door with Follow Your Heart Café 

now offering breakfast, lunch and 

catering! The menu offers gluten 

free and low glycemic choices, some 

of which are vegan and vegetarian. 

Visit 1335 Railroad Ave., Monday 

through Saturday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

Call 227-4969. 

Making the Holidays Bright 

These businesses received a special 

thank you for bringing the holiday 

spirit to the community: All Around 

Sweepstakes - Hotel Cheval; Special 

Award - Derby Wine; Best Holiday 

theme - The Cottage; Best Decorated 

Business (interior/exterior) 

- Pan Jewelers; Best Holiday window 

- Berkshire Hathaway Home 

Services; Best Holiday Lighting (inside) 

- Park Cinemas; Best Holiday 

Lighting (outside) - Paso Robles 

The Wedding & Special Event 

EXPO is Sunday, March 1 from 

11 am to 3 pm at the Paso Robles 

Inn Ballroom. Plan your next special 

occasion with local resources for 

venues, catering, music, 

photography, transportation and 

accommodations! Call Main Street 

at 238-4103 for more information. 

Inn; Mrs. Claus Award - Firefly; 

Judge’s Award - Vic’s Café; Creative 

Award - Ambiance; Santa’s Award 

- San Luis Sports Therapy; Traditional 

Award - Birch Fabrics; Outstanding 

Award - We Olive; Spirit 

Award - Bodegas Paso Robles; Elf 

Award - Little Wash; Artistic Award 

- Sole Tree; Angel Award - AndBe 

Boutique; Reindeer Award - Village 

Thrift; and Candy Cane Award - 

Powell’s Sweet Shoppe. 

Stay in touch with me at mildrum@sbcglobal.net. 

I’d love to hear 

your stories about Downtown Paso 

Robles! 

‘ ’ 

THIS THAT 

NA collection of stuff 

Crab Feed 

SLO Co. Foundation for 

Agriculture Awareness and The 

Heritage Foundation present the 

15th annual Crab Feed on Saturday, 

Feb. 7, 4 p.m. at PR Event / 

Center, Estrella Hall, 2198 Riverside 

Ave. All you can eat dungeness 

crab, clam pasta, bread and salad, 

hot fudge sundaes…beer and wine 

included…$55 per person. Tickets: 

Hugh Pitts 591-5226 or hugh 

@hughpitts.com 

Mardi Gras Carnival 

Cinco de Mayo Scholarship 

Committee and Hispanice Business 

Association present the Mardi Gras 

Carnival on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 6 - 9 

p.m. Paso Robles Inn Ballroom, food, 

cocktails, entertainment, costume 

contest and silent auction. Meet at 

5:30 p.m. in Downtown Park for 

parade to the Inn. Honoring Henry 

Elisarraraz, Linda Quesenberry and 

Dr. Warren Frankel. Tickets $40, 

call Richard Benitez 238-2735 or 

Marcia Garcia 835-7900. 

Fish Fries 

The San Miguel Lions Club 

presents their Fish Fries every Friday 

night, beginning February 20 

through April 3, 4 to 7 p.m. at the 

San Miguel Community Center, 

253 13th Street, in San Miguel. 

You can dine in and catch up 

with old friends or take it home to 

enjoy. Dinners are $12 which includes 

fish, french fries, cole slaw, 

a drink and an ice cream cup. 

For more information, call Lion 

Pug at 459-4722 or Lion Terry at 

459-4722 

Ladies Conference 

The Annual Ladies’ Conference 

will be held March 6 and 7 

at the Colony Park Community 

Center in Atascadero, with speaker 

Liz Hammer and music by 

Lisa Reiff Band. Registration 

is $60 and includes dessert on 

Friday, coffee break and lunch 

on Saturday. Register at, www. 

LadiesConference.com, or call 

466-0992. 



Business 

Business 

Spotlight 

By Meagan 

Friberg 

Clear Choice Property 

Management, Inc. 

Great businesses are often 

born out of necessity, and that’s 

just what spurred Kevin Lynch, 

owner of Clear Choice Property 

Management, Inc. to share his 

knowledge of real estate 

with Central Coast 

property owners. Taking 

a lifetime of real 

estate sales, schooling 

and property management 

experiences, Kevin 

and his team of highly 

Kevin Lynch 

trained professionals 

currently manage more than 100 

rental homes and apartments – 

with many locals discovering that 

Clear Choice is, well, clearly the 

best choice for renters and property 

owners alike. 

“Real estate has always been 

my passion,” says Kevin, “and I’ve 

always believed that real estate is 

a solid investment.” 

After a career as an auto technician, 

Kevin obtained his real 

estate license, gained experience 

working for the largest real estate 

company in Paso Robles, 

obtained his Broker license, and 

opened Lynch & Associates Real 

Estate in 2004. 

“Over time, I started privately 

managing homes for owners; the 

word got out and the management 

portion continued to grow,” 

he adds. 

Before long, it became obvious 

locals needed more choices for 

property management and 

Clear Choice Property Management 

became a successful 

and separate entity. 

“I believe that buying and 

selling is only half of owning 

real estate; renting is 

the other half,” says Kevin. 

“Clear Choice Property 

Management, Inc. does business 

with that point of view.” 

Clear Choice helps property 

owners and many realtors trust 

Kevin and his staff to take care 

of their clients’ homes. Boasting 

state of the art software to 

ease the burden of management, 

they also offer special services 

for tenants and auto payments for 

owners. 

Looking to rent a home or have 

a property that you need professionally 

managed? Call 237-1220, 

stop by the Clear Choice office 

in Paso Robles at 935 Riverside 

Ave., Suite 16 (upstairs) or check 

out clearchoiceslo.com. 

3 Oaks Studio, Inc. Consign 

& Design 

After two years as a vendor at 

the former Consignage Home & 

Garden, Vicki and Steve Shoemaker 

purchased the business in 

October 2014, renamed it 3 Oaks 

Studio, and have been sharing 

their creative knowledge 

with locals ever since. 

Now, as 2015 gets underway, 

they have witnessed 

their open and inviting 

store become a Paso Robles 

favorite. From offering 

smaller items that cost a few 

dollars to more upscale home decor 

and furnishings, there’s something 

for everybody and every 

style choice at 3 Oaks Studio. 

“We also have a vendor marketplace 

where a select few vendors 

sell their creative finds including 

upcycled wares, painted 

pieces, and unique home decor,” 

says Vicki. “In addition, we accept 

consignments, from smaller items 

to large furniture pieces – all 

displayed in an eye catching, 

inviting atmosphere.” 

Vicki has been in the decorative 

painting business for 30+ 

years and takes pleasure in helping 

others transform their living 

spaces and “finds.” After introducing 

CHALK PAINT® to 

Paso Robles – she exhibited at 

the 3 Speckled Hens show before 

stocking Consignage – Vicki and 

Steve fell in love with the area. 

Now, they split time between 

Paso Robles and their 

Clovis home (where they 

run their original 3 Oaks 

Studio in Old Town). 

“I am passionate about 

what we do, and love 

to help people discover 

their creative side,” says 

Vicki. “Our goal is to be 

a destination shop – a place to 

come back to time after time for 

inspiration, for ideas, to purchase 

paint and supplies, or find that 

one-of-a-kind unique item you 

can’t live without!” 

Vicki Shoemaker 

Please see SPOTLIGHT page 51 

Roger Askew came recommended to me by a friend and 

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thanked that friend 

for the referral. Since our first meeting to fix a broken 

screen, Roger replaced several windows, a mirror and 

a screen door. Roger delivers on his promises and takes pride in his 

personal customer service. I can’t recommend him any higher. 


Business 

Home, Garden & Gourmet Expo returns to Paso 

Spring is just around the corner 

and its time to start planning those 

upcoming home improvement projects. 

You don’t need to drive all over 

the Central Coast to get the help, 

advice, and ideas you need to make 

your dream project a reality. 

Simply stop by the Inspired 

Home, Garden and Gourmet Expo 

on Saturday and Sunday, February 

21 and 22 at the Paso Robles Event 

Center. There you will find over 100 

local experts all in one location ready 

to help you. This event is free (admission 

and parking) to all attendees 

so don’t procrastinate - get inspired, 

get connected and start formulating 

your plan for what your home will 

look like in the future. 

There will also be cooking demon- 

strations, a wine and gourmet food 

garden with award winning local 

wineries and restaurants participating. 

Food and wine tasting is just 

$5 with the proceeds to benefit a 

local non-profit. Open Saturday, 10 

a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m. 

to 4 p.m. 

For more information, call 772- 

4600 or www.inspiredexpos.com 

for up-to-date event details and 

giveaways. 

SPOTLIGHT from page 50 

Open 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday 

through Saturday, 3 Oaks 

Studio, Inc. Consign & Design is 

located at 1041 Paso Robles St.; 

call 239-2343 or visit 3oaksstudio.com 

and be sure to “like” them 

on Facebook for info on classes and 

special events. 

Nick’s Barber & Hair Design 

Nick Ruberto is celebrating 61 

years as a barber and 25 years of 

owning and operating perhaps the 

best-known barber shop in Paso 

Robles – Nick’s Barber & Hair Design. 

His accomplishments as a barber, 

family man, and business owner, 

Looking for 

RESULTS 

from your 

advertising? 

Call 239-1533 

says Nick, have far exceeded 

his early childhood dreams. 

“My dream was to be the 

very best barber, husband, 

and father that I could be,” 

says Nick. 

Growing up in Italy, 

Nick explains, his family 

was very poor and had no 

money to send him to school. At 

14, he worked on a farm from sun 

up to sun down until his health 

started to fail. Briefly working in 

retail, he longed to learn barbering 

after his father taught him to use a 

straight razor. 

He barbered in his hometown, 

attended beauty school, moved to 

Nick Ruberto 

South America to barber from 

1955 to 1961, moved to the 

United States, and settled in 

Massachusetts where he met 

and married his wife, Lee, 

in 1964. They are parents to 

Frank, Angela, and Nicole and 

grandparents to three. Nick 

ran a barber and beauty shop 

in Los Angeles for 20 years before 

settling in Paso Robles in 1983. 

He’s earned numerous awards 

over the years, including the Chicago 

Magazine Barber of the 

Year. Nick was employed for eight 

years at the Paso Robles Youth 

Correctional Facility as a barber 

and says he’s reached every goal he 

set out to accomplish. 

At the age of 80, Nick currently 

works three days a week – Thursday, 

Friday, Saturday – and says, 

“I’m not ready to give it up; I 

have no thoughts of that.” Nick and 

Lee enjoy traveling, spending time 

with family, and making zinfandel 

wine from grapes grown on their 

ranch. Nick contributes to numerous 

local organizations including 

youth sports teams and his home 

church, St. Rose. 

Nick’s Barber & Hair Design is 

open daily and offers discounts for 

children, military, and seniors; call 

238-6246 or stop by 631 Creston 

Road. 

True 100% Market 

Coverage! 


Time & Place 

A monthly look at local events, meetings, 

entertainment and special occasions. To 

submit a listing, email bob@pasoroblesmagazine.com, 

bring info to drop box 

at Dutch Maytag, 1501 Riverside Ave., or 

mail to PO Box 3996, Paso Robles, 93447 

by the 7th of each month. Questions? 

Call 239-1533. 

FEBRUARY 

2, 9, 16, 23 • Writing Support Group 

led by award-winning author Patricia 

Alexander. Encouragement, Kindness and 

Truth for Publication or Personal Growth. 

Every Monday 6:30 pm at 1063 Sleepy 

Hollow Road, Paso Robes. Limited space, 

weekly reservation required. $20 per 

meeting or $15 each with 4 meetings paid 

in advance. 479-7778 or Patricia@PatriciaAlexander.com, 

patriciaalexendar.com. 

3 & 17 • MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) 

meets the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays 

of the month. 9:30 to 11:30 am, Life 

Community Church, 3770 Ruth Way in 

Templeton. MOPS is an international 

nonprofit that helps moms be the best 

they can be through encouragement and 

loving support. Guest speakers, creative 

activities, play dates, mom’s night out and 

more! Childcare is offered. Info: Coordinator 

Sandra Fry, 714-414-7732. 

4 • Fibromyalgia Support Group the 

first Wednesday of the month, 6:30 pm 

at The Wellness Kitchen, 1255 Las Tablas 

Road, Templeton. Facilitated by Kiley 

Embry, no charge, donations to The 

Wellness Kitchen welcome. Support for 

those with mental and physical challenges 

from Fibromyalgia, Rheumatoid 

Arthritis and chronic fatigue and pain. 

4 • Special Showing of “Best in Show” 

to benefit Sherwood Dog Park at Paso 

Robles Park Cinemas, 1100 Pine Street. 

Robles. If you’re looking to expand your 

garden without using more water, this 

program is for you. Dave Fross, owner 

of Native Sons Nursery in Nipomo, is 

Red carpet photos, wine, beer appetizers 

and desserts available. Tickets: $40, www. 

biglaughlive.net. 

16 • Santa Lucia Rockhounds, 7 pm, 

“Yappy Hour” wine social at 6 pm, film a grower and wholesaler specializing Templeton Community Center, 601 S. 

shows at 7 pm, $15 at the door. Purchase 

tickets at parks4pups.org or 239-4437. 

4 • Monthly dinner at Estrella Warbirds 

Museum. Open to the public on the first 

Wednesday of every month at 6 pm. 

Reservations required. Museum featuring 

American aircraft, vehicles and 

artifacts open 10 am to 4 pm. Thursday 

through Sundays and Monday holidays. 

Group tours by appointment. Admission 

$10, $5 ages 6 – 12, free under 5. 

in growing native and drought tolerant 

plants. 805-712-7820. 

14 • Dr. Martha’s Valentine’s Day Family 

Health Fair, 10 am to 1 pm with local 

health practitioners Dr. Martha, DC, 

Paula Vetter, FNP-C, Stephanie Austin, 

HHP, Dr. Tiffany Taylor, DO, Dr. Lilly 

Tinkle, Dermatology, Dr. Theron Stout, 

DDS, and Isabel Shirley, Massage Therapist. 

Information on chiropractic alignment 

for children’s health issues, allergy 

Main St. Guest speaker, junior Rockhound 

education, raffles, silent auction, 

refreshments. Members are encouraged 

to bring their latest finds and treasures 

of rocks, fossils and minerals. Visitors 

welcome. Info: slorockhounds.org. 

16 • Paso Robles Republican Women 

Federated meets the third Monday of 

the month at the Paso Robles Golf Club, 

1600 Country Club Drive. Check-in and 

social at 11:30 a.m. Lunch at 12 noon. 

4251 Dry Creek Road, Paso Robles. detection and elimination/nutritional Various speakers, guests welcome. Reservations 

Call to schedule a group tour. ewarbirds.org. 

227-0440, 238-3897. 

6 • Almond Country Quilter’s Guild 

featuring quilting author Christine Barnes 

with a lecture and trunk show in 

advance of her Color Camp Workshop. 

assessments, dermatology, family medicine, 

pediatric dentistry, female health and 

natural hormone compounding and gluten/dairy 

sensitivities. Bless Your Heart 

Baking, Central Coast Pharmacy and The 

Wellness Kitchen. Prizes, goodie bags, 

by Feb. 2 to 226-5620 or Julie 

@adelaideadvisors.com, $20 payable at 

the door, check/cash. www.prrwf.org. 

19 • Paso Robles 2015 Relay for Life 

Kick-off Rally, 5:30 to 7 pm at Idler’s 

Home, 2361 Theatre Drive. Get involved 

Visitors welcome! No charge for the healthy snacks. Natural Health Solutions, 

program/meeting. Social time at 6:30 1051 Las Tablas Road, Templeton. 434- 

in the fight against cancer. Food, prizes 

and information about the American 

pm, meeting follows at Trinity Lutheran 

Church, 940 Creston Road, Paso Robles. 

www.almondcountryquilters.org. 

7 • Art After Dark Paso – First Saturday 

of the month features self guided walks 

through art galleries, wine tasting rooms 

and businesses featuring local artists. 6 

to 9:00 p.m. Downtown Paso Robles. 

www.travelpaso.com. Download a map of 

venues at www.artsobispo.com. Info: 

Lori Lerian, 544-9251, ext.14. 

11 • North County Multiflora Garden 

Club, 1 pm at the Paso Robles Community 

Church, 2706 Spring Street, Paso 

0288, www.drmarthacare.com. 

14 • Paso Port Wine Company presents 

a Port and Truffle Tasting at 95 Booker 

Road, Templeton. Proceeds benefit The 

Wellness Kitchen and Resource Center. 

Info: pasoportwine.com. 

14 • The Big Laugh – 4 Comedians 

– One Sweet Night! Doors open at 7, 

show starts at 8 pm, Atascadero Lake 

Pavilion. Top comedians from Comedy 

Central, America’s Got Talent and Nick! 

– Andrew Kennedy, Eric Schwartz, Dave 

Burleigh and Lizette Mizelle Belmonte, 

the host and producer of The Big Laugh! 

Cancer Society. Save the date for the 2015 

Relay for Life – June 27 & 28 at the Paso 

Robles Event Center. 

19 • Daughters of the American 

Revolution. Regular meeting the 3rd 

Thursday of each month from 10 am to 

12 pm at the Templeton Presbyterian 

Church, 610 S. Main, Templeton. Info: 

Donna Cohen, 227-7105, 395-0630, 

dmcpatriotdaughter@gmail.com. 

21 & 22 • Inspired Home, Garden 

and Gourmet Expo, Paso Robles Event 

Please see CALENDAR page 54 



Time & Place 

CALENDAR from page 52 

Center, 2198 Riverside Ave. Paso Robles. 

22 • Castoro Cellars benefit concert 

hosted by the Knights of Columbus. Proceeds 

benefit The Wellness Kitchen & 

Resource Center. Music by Snap Jackson 

& the Knock on Wood Players. 6:30 pm, 

$25, for tickets, call Mike 661-317-6048. 

22 • North SLO County Concert Association 

presents the quintet WindSync, 

3 pm, Trinity Lutheran Church, 940 

Creston Road, Paso Robles. $20 at the 

door, info: 239-2770, 237-8122, 

www. nslocca.org. 

24 • North County Newcomers 

Luncheon and General Meeting. 

Deadline for reservations for March 4 

lunch at the Paso Robles Golf Course, 

social hour 11 am, lunch 12 noon. Price 

TBD, info: Northcountynewcomers.org. 

March 1 • Wedding/Special Event 

Expo at the Paso Robles Inn Ballroom, 

11 am to 3 pm, free admission. Vendor 

Cancer Support Community 

Cancer Support Community provides support, education and hope to 

those with cancer and their loved ones. Visit twcccc.org for complete information 

local programs that include support groups, classes and lectures 

at the Cancer Support Community, 614 13th Street, Paso Robles unless 

otherwise noted. 805-238-4411. 

Regular schedule: Mondays: Yoga 11:30 am to 12:45 pm, 1329 Spring St., 

Paso. Look Good, Feel Better, 2/23, 10 am to 12 noon, Reiki Circle, 2/16, 6 to 

7:30 pm. Tuesdays: Tai Chi Chih, 9 to 10 am, Coffee Café, 10:05 am, Frankly 

Speaking Podcast, 1pm, Tai Chi Chih, 1 to 2 pm at Cayucos Senior Center, 

Caregiver Support, 2/3 and 2/17, 4 to 5 pm. Open Support Group 2/24, 4 to 

5 pm, Young & Young at Heart, 2/10, 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Cancer Survivorship, 

2/24, 6 to 7:30pm. Wednesdays: Community Member Support, 10 am to 12 

noon, Tai Chi Chih ,11 am to 12 noon at Hearst Cancer Resource Center, 

1941 Johnson Ave, #201, SLO, Support group for Leukemia, Lymphoma and 

Multiple Myeloma, 1 to 3 pm, Meditation/Enlightenments, 2/4 & 2/18, 12:30 

am to 2 pm. Creative Expressions 2/25, 12:30 to 2 pm. Thursdays: Tai Chi 

Chih, 9 to 10 am, Coffee Café, 10:05, Newcomer Orientation, 11am to 12 noon, 

1st and 3rd Friday, Grupo Fuerza y Esperanza, 6 to 8 pm. Saturday 2/21, 

Caring Callers Training, 9 am to 12 noon. Patient Navigation by appointment 

with Shannon D’Acquisto offers assistance with managing care, insurance 

billing and interpreting treatment and/or medications. 

booth info, call 238-4103. Sponsored by 

Paso Robles Main Street Association. 

Paso Robles Inn Steakhouse 

& Cattlemen’s Lounge 

1103 Spring St., 226-4925. Join us for 

Prime Rib Wednesdays! Cattlemen’s 

Lounge: Happy Hour, 4 to 7 pm, includes 

cocktail and menu specials; Monday 

Industry Night, 6 to 9 pm, 20% off 

for all professionals; Taco Tuesday 4 to 

7 pm; Wednesday Locals Appreciation 

Night Happy Hour 4 to CLOSE; Acoustic 

Thursdays, 6 to 8pm: 2/5 Adam Rowland, 

2/12 Daniel Palmer, 2/19 Breanna 

Orr, 2/26 Kenny Taylor; Saturday Night 

$5 Drink Specials, 8 to12 pm; Friday 

& Saturday Live Entertainment, 9:30 

to 11:30 pm: 2/6-2/7 Stellar, 2/13-2/14 

Nataly Lola, 2/20-2/21 The Belmores, 

2/27-2/28 Steve Sturgis and Roadhouse. 

The Wellness Kitchen 

and Resource Center 

1255 Las Tablas Rd., Templeton • 434-1800 • TheWKRC.org 

The weekly Wellness Foods program offers pre-ordered meals 

made with nutritious, fresh ingredients. Phone orders (434-1800), 

fax (434-1885) by Sunday for pick-up the following Wednesday. 

4 • Fibromyalgia Support Group the first Wednesday of the month, 

6:30 pm at facilitated by Kiley Embry, no charge, donations to The Wellness 

Kitchen welcome. Support for those with mental and physical challenges 

from Fibromyalgia, Rheumatoid Arthritis and chronic fatigue and pain. 

19 • Healthy Cooking Class for people going through illness: Heart 

Healthy Foods, 5:30 to 7:30 pm in Templeton. Free through the Pay It 

Forward program for those who are ill, friends and caregivers welcome for 

a $20 love donation, however no one will be turned away for lack of funds. 

RSVP required to 434-1800 or Nancy@ Thewkrc.org. 

20 • Healthy Cooking Class: Heart Healthy Foods, same class description 

as above held at Idler’s in San Luis Obispo, 122 Cross St. from 11 am to 1 pm. 

25 • Intro to Wellness 5:30 to 6:30 pm, 10 simple ways to begin a clean 

eating journey. FREE. Please RSVP at 434-1800. 

26 • 3 Way Cooking Series – BEETS! Chef Kim Aurbuthnot will demonstrate 

3 ways to prepare beets and tastings, 5:30 to 7:00 pm, $20, RSVP 

required, call 434-1800. 

3 Oaks Studio 40 

A Beautiful Face 22 

Advanced Concrete 29 

Advanced Construction 35 

Alliance Board Co. 18 

American Oak 3 

Arlyne’s Flowers 31 

Artworks 17 

Austin, Mary Ann 47 

Baker, Richard 54 

Bankston, Kim 11 

Berkshire-Hathaway 25 

Berry Hill Bistro 8 

BlakesTrueValue 35 

Blakeslee&Blakeslee 49 

Blenders 8 

Body Basics 27 

Bridge Sportsmen 44 

Cal Paso Solar 11 

Cal Sun Electric Solar 4 

CASA 34 

Casey Print 52 

Casper, EJ, DDS 42 

Cattleman’s Art Show 45 

Chains Required 39 

Chalekson, Dr. Char 41 

Cider Creek 14 

City-Recreation 42 

Class Act 25 

Clear Choice Property 18 

Cone & Associates 26 

Connect Home Loans 11 

Country Florist 30 

Country Oaks Glass 50 

Dawg on It 16 

Dental Hygienist 

-Mindy Voigt, RDHAP 17 

Derby Wine Estates 2 

Dutch Maytag 17 

Dyck, Brad 31 

Eddington Funeral Svs 48 

Edwards Barber Shop 40 

El Paso Historical 15 

El Paso Storage 50 

Estrella Warbirds 21 

Fidelity Title 49 

Follow Your Heart Cafe 25 

Forsythe, Dr. 51 

DIRECTORY TO OUR ADVERTISERS 

Frontier Floors 22 

Gallagher Video 28 

Gilliss, Keith/PRIME 34 

Golden Collar 26 

Gotta B Fit 36 

GRL Computing 49 

Hamon Overhead Door 39 

Hansen Bros. Cleaning 29 

Healthy Inspirations 21 

Heart to Heart RE 35 

HFG Insurance 26 

Idler’s 55 

Joseph Antone 30 

Lansford Dental 29 

Las Tablas Animal Hosp 17 

LeVel 39 

Lube N Go 39 

Main St Animal Hosp 41 

Mary Kay Cosmetics 15 

Michael’s Optical 33 

Mikulics, Dr. 36 

Mistura 28 

Mobile Oil Changers 30 

Moffatt, Jim - Edw. Jones 17 

Nail Envy 37 

Napa Auto Parts 18 

Natural Alternative 34 

Natural Health Solutions 31 

Nick’s Barber 35 

No Co Home Expo 27 

Nose to Tail 51 

Oaks Hotel/Indulge Rest 21 

Odyssey Cafe 23 

Optometric Care Assoc 26 

PAN Jewelers 7, 56 

Panolivo 33 

Papich Construction 47 

Paso Massage Therapy 49 

Paso PetCare 23 

PR Casino 33 

PR Chamber of Comm 52 

PR Chamber Ag Tour 44 

PR District Cemetery 35 

PR Door & Trim 14 

PR Furniture 15 

PR Golf Club 19 

PR Handyman 29 

PR Insurance 31 

PR Main Street 48 

PR Pet Boarding 44 

PR Waste 23 

Peck, Bibiche - Piano 40 

Perfect Air 33 

Photo Stop 23 

Professional Design 25 

Pro Handyman 51 

Pure Elements 42 

PW Construction 16 

Relay for Life 54 

Rim Rock Rustics 45 

Robert’s Weddings & Events 31 

Sauret’s Errand Service 39 

Scoles,Law Ofc of Patricia 36 

Siegel’s 20 

Simple Lending 37 

SolaraloS 39 

Solarponics 46 

Sotheby’s-Desmond 5 

Sotheby’s-York 9 

Sousa, David 19 

Spice of Life 19 

Sprain Draperies 29 

Stephen Mulder, MD 37 

Stifel Nicolaus 49 

Stoltzfus, Abby 40 

Straight For/Word 28 

Takkens 25 

Ted Hamm Ins 46 

The Big Laugh 31 

The Loft 50 

Touch of Paso 19 

Tree of Life 27 

Trinity Lutheran School 27 

Union Bank 13 

Vic’s Cafe 42 

Vizions Day Spa 21 

Western Janitorial 45 

Whitehorse 46 

Wine Country Theatre 32 

Worship Directory 53 

Woodrum, Chad Const. 15 


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2015 February PASO Magazine

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