Socialize Palm Springs event planners make splash at opening

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Socialize Palm Springs held a grand opening on May 9 at the former Frank Sinatra Estate known as Twin Palms in Palm Springs.

Co-founder Larry Abel said the company will focus exclusively on social and charity events in the desert.

The firm is a part of Abel McCallister Designs, an event production company with offices in New York Los Angeles that produces red carpet events for clients such as L’Oreal, Chase, Netflix, Entertainment Weekly and Disney, as well as brand product launches and high-end pop-up shops.

Abel and McCallister recently launched Raymond | Lawrence, a retail incubator located in the Uptown Design District of Palm Springs.

Call Tamara at (760) 322-3787 or visit socializepalmsprings.com.

Kids rule the lake

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“We started him out fishing when he was 5 and he’s been doing it ever since,” his father David, Sr. said.

Michael Malpass, 7, of Point Pleasant Beach swiped the lone golden trout for the day to claim that category. The trout weighed 2.11 pounds.

There were however, some bigger trout in the lake that managed to elude the meal and trout worms, power baits, metal lures, and of course, gummy worms and marshmallows the kids were tossing at them.

“No one caught any of the 10 pounders in the lake,” said Bill Gepp of the Shark River Surf Anglers.

Gepp manned one of the bridges over the lake with a 20-foot expandable aluminum net and was busy for the day running up and down making sure the kids landed their trout. And on occasion, if need be, net a fallen a fishing rod.

“I never miss one. You have to go head first with the net or you’ll never get them in,” Gepp said adding that he was 12 for 12 netting trout the bridge for the day.

Four of the trout Gepp netted was for 5-year old Sean McCaffery from Millstone.

“He couldn’t go to sleep last night he was so excited,” his mom, Dawn McCaffery, said.

And that’s really what the trout contest is all about, turning the lake over to the kids for the day.

“This is a family day. Part of what we’re trying to do is get the kids involved in the pastime. We want to teach them how to fish and teach the parents how to be patient,” Hueth said.

The contest is free to enter and the Shark River Surf Anglers provide free bait and tackle to the kids. Staffing the bait and tackle stand were club members Ben Stanek, Walter Gant, Mo DeLuca and Adrian Fedak.

The quartet had a nice dirt farm and served up meal and trout worms out of little plastic cups along with power baits. Even with the juicy trout baits available, some kids preferred to go their own way.

John Yahara, 6, from Belford, for example, boasted loudly that he used “marshmallows” as he brought his catch to the club’s weigh masters, Tom Cook and Sal Loffredo.

“We picked up a bag of marshmallows on the way down this morning at 7-11,” said his father, John Yahara, Sr.

Yes, marshmallows, the tried and true secret of catching trout. Put that in your pipe and smoke it Norman Maclean.

To make the event even more kid friendly, the Jersey Shore Pirates were on hand drafting young buccaneers. They offered face painting and eye patches to the kids. If you don’t know about them, the Jersey Shore Pirates have a pirate ship at Riverfront Marina in Brick that takes kids ages 3 to 10 out for treasure chest hunts on the river April through October.

For information about the pirate tours, visit www .jerseyshorepirates.com.

At 1:30 p.m. the contest wrapped up with the sound of the sirens from the fire truck provided by the borough of Spring Lake.

“This is the best thing. We’ve been doing it for years and we see the generations on the lake. We watch the kids grow up as they come back each year,” said Carol Ann Tobias of the club.

Tulare’s annual Easter egg hunt attracts about 400 children – Visalia Times

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Three-year-old Jaylen Gray approached a table lined with Easter baskets, candy and flanked by a row of four brand-new bicycles.

This was Gray’s first time in an Easter egg hunt as large as Tulare’s annual Claude B. Meitzenheimer “Egg-Stravaganza,” but he was able to claim one of the event’s larger prizes.

“He was very excited,” said his mother, Brianna. “This is the first time he’s ever done anything this big before.”

The Cesar E. Chavez park behind Lincoln Elementary School was peppered with about 2,500 florescent-colored eggs for children to collect.

More than 400 children who ranged in ages from younger than 3 years old to 12, took part in the event that just months ago may not have happened without donations from the community.

Financial constraints threatened the event, but the community rallied behind the event’s coordinators, Claude and Rochelle Meitzenheimer, to put on the egg hunt, now in its 60th year.

The Easter-day event is the brainchild of Tulare community Claude B. Meitzenheimer.

The elder Meitzenheimer, who died in 2005, asked his son to carry on the tradition.

“It was something that was so dear to my dad’s heart before he passed away,” said Claude Meitzenheimer. “It’s his legacy, his memorial. This was his baby.”

But, the support of the community was not lost on Claude or Rochelle.

“We’ve been lucky enough to have community members and businesses donate items to us,” Rochelle said. ” And because of the community support, we’re able to put on these kinds of things.”

Still, the egg hunt was about the children who all left the egg hunt with a treat. “Every kid walks away with something,” Claude said. “Whether it’s a bag of candy or prizes, no one leaves here empty-handed.”

Easter egg hunt frenzy at Visalia’s Riverway Sports Park – Visalia Times

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A city Easter egg hunt at the Riverway Sports Park on Saturday in Visalia ended with a tension-fueled scene between parents and coordinators of the event.

Multiple parents who wanted to see their children walk away from the hunt with a colored, plastic egg — some filled with candy, others filled with redeemable vouchers for larger prizes — made their way through a gate at a baseball diamond that served as the boundary for the kids-only egg hunt.

About 75 3- to 4-year-old children equipped with Easter baskets or other items used to collect eggs participated in the Visalia Parks and Recreation Department’s seventh annual “Eggstravaganza.”

In total, about 1,500 people attended the event at the Riverway Sports Park baseball complex.

Live entertainment, informational booths and a visit from a costumed Easter bunny preceded the egg hunt, which was sponsored by a Visalia-based wholesale company, Rick’s Vending and Distribution.

The egg hunt, which was divided into four age groups, lasted just minutes, but the aftermath where some parents were forced to hunt for missing kids or lodge complaints lasted much longer.

Parents were warned at the start of the event not to enter the field where the eggs were. Children were lined up against the fence prior to the start of the hunt and were told by an official, who delivered the message using a bullhorn, that children would be lined up against the fence at the end for orderly retrieval by parents.

Event coordinators worked to keep parents isolated from children, said Ramsey Ochoa, one of the event’s volunteer coordinators.

Still, parents made it onto the field to collect eggs.

“We’re outside of the gates and suddenly all these parents rush inside to pick up the eggs with all of these little kids,” said a visibly irate parent who did not want to give her name.

“My daughter is 3 years old and she was in there by herself with these adults.

“It’s not about the eggs; it’s about the fact that these parent’s could not find their kids. Anyone could have come inside and grabbed a child and taken them,” she said, adding that she planned to file a complaint with the city about how the egg hunt is operated.

This was the first time that the event included a 3- to 4-year-old division.

Several parents aired grievances with event coordinators. Some parents offered suggestions, some panicked that they could not find their children amid the hoards of people who had made their way inside the fence.

Anna Ybarra, who was there with her two children, said she witnessed frightened parents searching for their children after the event ended.

“That’s why I’m glad I stayed close to the gate and was able to get inside to my kids,” she said. “This is my first time coming and I don’t think I’ll come back.”

Walk for Autism planned

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April is Autism Awareness month and many groups are gearing up for the upcoming annual Walk for Autism on April 28. Pre-registration deadline is April 14.

It will be held at Ida Belle Young Park, 5400 Vaughn Road.

This is a 2 mile awareness walk and participants are welcome to bring strollers and wagons for the kids. People have traditionally used signs and/or t-shirts to distinguish themselves. It is a noncompetitive environment meant only to raise awareness.

Pre-registration is $25 per person and includes a t-shirt. If you register the day of the event then the cost is $30 and they cannot guarantee a desired size shirt at the event, but they will mail one to you. You can register online at www.walkforautismal.com. There is also more information about the walk, starting a team, fundraising, and other ways to support the cause.

Check-in will be at 8:30 a.m., and the walk will begin at 9:30 a.m. They suggest you bring any remaining donations, registration fees, etc. with you the day of the event. Plan to arrive a few minutes before registration times to allow for parking and to avoid long registration lines.

The event will take place rain or shine and will not be rescheduled due to rain. In the event that severe weather occurs, event coordinators will decide 24 hours prior to the event if cancellation or time changes are necessary. Participants will be notified of these changes via the Autism Society of Alabama website, the Walk for Autism event site, and a recording will be placed on the general Walk Hotline Number 877-4AUTISM ext. 805.

If you have any additional questions regarding the day of the event, please contact Walk Coordinator, Nina Taylor at montgomerywalkforautism@autism-alabama.org.

According to Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest autism advocacy group, the rates of autism are 1 in 110 for children and 1 in 70 for boys. It is the fastest growing developmental disability in the United States and affects over 45,000 in Alabama. Chances are that if you are not already directly affected by autism, you will know someone who is.

foodies! sponsors Kids in the Kitchen

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foodies! Culinary Academy, a newly established avocational cooking school in Fort Collins, CO will be one of the featured sponsors of this year’s Kids in the Kitchen event hosted by the Junior League on March 31, 2012 at the North Azatlan Community Center.

Providing culinary consultation and recipes for this year’s events, Chef Kathy Guler has met with event coordinators to plan menus and provide proprietary recipes, many of which have been prepared by foodies! students in recent classes.

“Recipes are healthy, delicious and nutritious. They are real winners with aspiring young chefs and their parents and grandparents,” said Chef Kathy. “Anytime you can get your child to eat spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, lean turkey and whole grains, you’re doing something great!” That would be the Heart-healthy Calzones made by our foodies! afterschool club students just a few weeks ago, in hommage to February and heart-health month.

Chef Kathy Guler, owner and Executive Chef Instructor at foodies! Culinary Academy is a member of the IACP, or International Association of Culinary Professionals and serves on the Kids in the Kitchen subcommittee, a dedicated team of culinary professionals advocating for early education and training in cooking, nutrition, skill development and creation and adoption of industry initiatives to provide healthful options in restaurants and with food suppliers. foodies! is also a sponsor of Share Our Strength, a non-profit organization dedicated to educationg families on the importance of good nutrition, with such initiatives as Cooking Matters and No Kid Hungry, promoted by national spokesperson Jeff Bridges, among others.

foodies! will be organizing a Great American Bake Sale as part of Share Our Strength’s 2012 Campaign later this year, using recipes and creations by foodies! students; all proceeds from the sale go toward ending childhood hunger in this country.

For more information on this year’s Kids in the Kitchen event sponsored by the Fort Collins Junior League, see http://events.denver.cbslocal.com/fortcollins/events/fort-collins-kids-kitchen-2012-/E0-001-046158377-8

Homeless count set for Wednesday – Springfield News

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The “Every One Counts” sheltered and unsheltered homeless count will be conducted on Wednesday.

Volunteers with the “Every One Counts” Unsheltered Homeless Count Campaign will be in the community working to document the number of homeless persons in Christian, Greene, and Webster counties, according to a news release.

In conjunction with this campaign, a centralized event for the unsheltered homeless will be held at The Salvation Army,1707 W. Chestnut Expressway.

Local churches will provide breakfast and lunch and event coordinators will distribute needed survival items. Also, area agencies will be on hand to provide direct services for housing, Veterans services, basic need items and more.

The campaign is part of the statewide count of the homeless population that will occur Wednesday. The information collected will assist in the work of the Missouri Interagency Council to End Homelessness. Providers and policymakers can also use the information to address the problem of homelessness on the local level.

The “Every One Counts” campaign is a collaborative effort of Community Partnership’s Continuum of Care Committee, Council of Churches, Housing Authority of Springfield, Burrell Homeless Services, The Veterans Administration, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, and many other local organizations.

Frenchtown 5K draws attention to new changes

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More change is on the way for Frenchtown.

And to help welcome the new Renaissance Community Center now under construction, volunteers kicked things off Saturday with a 5K walk/run and cleanup.

The community center on Virginia Street, behind The Shelter, will help address homelessness in the community and also act as a catalyst for continuing improvement in the entire area.

“I think this is going to help us reach (the homeless) a little bit better, rather than them having to go to agency to agency to agency,” said Angel Steadman, regional director of Catholic Charities. “It’ll be a one-stop shop. Not to mention it will give (the homeless) a place to be in the middle of the day. So we are really hoping to make things better for this area as well.”

The center, slated to open the last week of March, is already under way, said Chuck White, volunteer project manager. Construction on the more than $750,000 project began in September.

White said this project came through the collaboration of private donors and businesses in the community.

“I think it’s amazing because the Renaissance Center is being built by private sector,” Steadman said. “Individuals, not agencies, not social service people — They looked around at the suffering and the homeless population in Tallahassee and decided to do something about.”

Plus there are about 22 community agencies that have signed on to help once the center is open. Catholic Charities of Northwest Florida, based in Tallahassee and ECHO Outreach Ministries will be co-managing the center, that will be a one-stop shop of sorts for the homeless.

“There will be people that can assist with individuals with disabilities, signing up for food stamps, knowing about the housing opportunities there are in Tallahassee, knowing where they can get a hot meal on the weekends,” said Marta Arrington, executive director of EHCO. “Those are all the great things we do here in Tallahassee. We are just getting them there faster and efficiently.”

But the center will also have lockers for short term storage, shower facilities, laundry services, GED classes and counseling for individuals and groups, Arrington added.

Air show pilot said industry needs to elevate safety standards ‘a little bit … – Reno Gazette

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“The buy-in is a little to easy right now,” Tucker said. “If I had a few hundred thousand bucks, a private pilots license, had a book, I could find an ace to give me my card fly in front of mom and pop.

“Then we are just crossing our fingers,” he said. “My industry needs to elevate standards a little bit higher.”

Former Red Bull director said the organization has the ability to suspend a racer for the next race or for the season. It has not been used often, but the fear or threat of it is enough to keep the pilots in line with the rules.

Tucker said his crew and other pilots are aggressive about stopping or changing a pilot’s actions if it appears they are flying in a dangerous manner.

“We’re pretty honest with each other because we want to survive,” he said.

NTSB member Christopher Hart asked Tucker whether he has ever walked away from an event after recognizing he was not “on” that day.

“I’ve had to step down twice because I was ill or not prepared,” Tucker said.

Today, pilots are very careful about honoring that “sacred hour” before an event when they walk through their sequence to make sure they’re clear about what they’re about to do, he said. Pilots now use that time to make sure they are “on” before their performance, he said.

“We’ve been given a privilege to fly,” he said, and we should not abuse that privilege.
“You hold yourself to that high standard,” he said. “The pilots I know feel very privileged.”

He said the pilots are safe and the community “is getting better and better and better.”

AIR BOSSES

Sumwalt asked about air bosses – the people who oversee the movement of aircraft during an air show. He pointed out that they may be trained, but asked why there’s not certification required.

“They have a tremendous responsibility,” Sumwalt said.

Wayne Boggs, with ICAS, said they have ‘air boss’ training, but no certification process in place.

George Cline, president of Air Boss Inc., said the air boss is the person who is responsible for all activities on the runways and surrounding areas, and they often return year after year.

Taking it to the limit – The News

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The 3- to 12-mile courses are designed to test grit, stamina and mental fortitude. There are cargo nets to climb, fences to leap and thick bogs of mud – miles of it – through which to wade. Live, dangling electrical wires pack as many as 10,000 shocking volts, while flaming bales of hay make for interesting hurdles.

That’s the basics of obstacle-course adventure races such as the Tough Mudder, Muddy Buddy and Warrior Dash, and it seems people just can’t get enough of this kind of torture.

“You’re walking in knee-deep mud and then the next step it’s up to your shoulders and you’re grabbing someone’s hand to help get through it,” said Mike Quackenbush, who works as a logistics analyst in Fort Myers. “It’s nothing like your average 5K or 10K flat road race. You get this team dynamic, this camaraderie that really makes it unique.”

Quackenbush is one of the more than 1.2 million people nationwide who have made events like the 12-mile Tough Mudder, which took place in Tampa last month, so popular. Threats of electrocution and seriously cold water do little to deter fitness enthusiasts from paying Tough Mudder’s up-to-$150 entry fee. In return they get live music, a free beer, and souvenir T-shirts, hats and medals, along with mild cases of hypothermia and possibly a sprained ankle or two.

The 35-year-old had such a great time at the Tough Mudder he’s signed up for the 3.02-mile Warrior Dash in Lake Wales Jan. 21.

With more than 700,000 participants at 33 events throughout the U.S., Australia and Europe in 2011, the Warrior Dash has seen a surge in popularity since its first 2,000-person race in 2009. That growth, experts say, is a reflection of a new breed of athlete; one who wants more of a challenge than a treadmill or aerobics class can offer.

“My clients, they want us to get in their faces and push them. Not that we’re mean, but they want a trainer to take them to that next level,” said Kari Fundingsland, 48, owner of Kari Kardio in Fort Myers. “That’s why people like these races. It’s not just running, it’s doing all these crazy things, not knowing what’s next, and being pushed to your limits.”