High Country Journal LOCAL NEWS • LOCAL SOURCE
“IT BEGAN IN A CHICKEN COOP” EDITION!
May 17, 2013
ALWAYS FREE!
Presorted Standard US Postage Paid Anza CA Permit No. 4
NEWS & NOTES
Let’s hear it for the Barnyard Boyz! New CD and a film soundtrack forthcoming By Steve Manseau Interesting things can happen when you decide to change things up a bit. Just ask John Knori, the leader of the Barnyard Boyz, a country rock band that has been entertaining listeners throughout the Anza Valley and in neighboring cities for over 21 years now. Knori had a wild hair. He was remembering a batch of songs he had written several years ago, way before the fifty year old moved to the Anza Valley. “These were all songs I penned when I was real young and living in Baldwin Park, between 17 and 21 years old,” Knori told us during an interview at his Terwilliger home. “I’ve always been too chicken to record them until recently.” But this last year he did record them, enlisting the help of two friends, former Barnyard Boy Craig Downey and Jimmy Hilzman at MCS Studios. “Both those guys made significant contributions to the sound of the tunes,” Knori points out. “The result is a very diverse batch of songs, everything from heavy metal blues to bluegrass.”
With a new CD and film project in the works, Barnyard Boyz leader John Knori has a reason to feel good! The CD that emerged from this collaboration between Knori, Downey, Hilzman and the Barnyard Boyz, will be released soon under the title “About Time.” But it gets even more interesting. “I loaned a disc of these tunes to a horse dentist I know from working at Santa Anita,” said Knori, who earns a living as a third generation horse shoer at race tracks in Southern California. “He gave them to a jockey’s agent and aspiring film producer/director who listened to them and gave me a call.” The upshot is that the songs on the CD will be finding their way onto the soundtrack of an independent film currently in post-production entitled “The Bar Where the People Are the Mixer.” The film will put Knori’s eclectic mix of styles at the forefront. “He’s going to use the metal blues tunes for a scene where some bikers come rumbling into the bar,” Knori explained. “One of the things he liked is the variation that my album provided, so he can pick songs that fit a variety of scenes.” Knori is unsure of how the film will be distributed. “I suppose they’re working on that now,” he said. “Heck, it might just end up going straight to DVD– I’m just thankful for the opportunity to get my first soundtrack and for the Boyz to be able to release a CD of my original music.” (cont. on page 16)
Dave Farkas named new HHS principal Cottonwood K-8 Principal Dave Farkas will be moving up a few grades in the fall of 2013. He has been named as the new principal at Hamilton High School, replacing the retiring Jim Allured. During his tenure at Cottonwood the school in Aguanga earned some prestigious honors, including being named a Title I School and a California Distinguished School. In 2012 his school met all the criteria for National Blue Ribbon status. That same year Farkas was named HUSD’s Principal of the Year. A graduate of Youngstown State University with a Masters of Education from National University, Farkas has been a principal or assistant principal in the Hemet Unified School District for the last eight years. Prior to coming to California, Farkas was a middle school teacher in Orlando, Florida. “I’m looking forward to getting to know the people and wonderful programs first,” Farkas said of his move to Hamilton High School. “I’m also excited about hearing the team’s ideas for future success. You know you are excited when you do not need an alarm clock to wake up.” “Not only have I witnessed it with my own eyes, but I have also heard wonderful things about Hamilton High School, Anza and the K 8 school,” he added. “The most exciting piece of this news is that it comes from so many different people with various positions and perspectives. It is a wonderful place for young people and has unlimited potential for growth in so many ways! I can’t wait to learn and lead.” At the same time, Farkas knows he’s leaving something special behind at Cottonwood K-8. “Leaving Cottonwood is bittersweet because the team is like family and we have had so many (cont. on page 4)
Inside...
Raul Ruiz at Loyalty Day event see page 8
Silly send off! see page 18
Sowing seeds of learning... see page 19