Spring 2018 by ReliancePublicRelations

Spring 2018

Publishers' Message We are wildly enthusiastic to have the opportunity to create and publish each and every issue of Imperial Valley Alive! and Valley Agribusiness as a way to showcase the region. Yet at some point in developing almost each and every edition one or more of us will hit the wall creatively so to speak. We stare at blank computer screens. Our creative juices just stop flowing. Ideas dry up. And, we, who write all the time, find our words fail us. Minutes tick by. Keyboards go silent. Uncertainty permeates the air. The stench of doubt envelops us. We enter the dark night of the creative soul. It is hard to enter this realm without a sense of trepidation. It is hard to escape a niggling sense of foreboding. Our thoughts slither to dark places. Are we up to the task of reflecting the best of the region? Did we jinx our efforts by choosing arts and entertainment as the theme for this edition? The wise among us won’t let us quit: they know only by forging ahead will we find the spark needed to rekindle our creative energy. During the production of this edition, many creative muses came out of the fog of uncertainty when we needed inspiration most. And they showed up in the most unexpected — and often most critical — times. Our guides through those times of uncertainty came in all kinds of shapes, forms and sizes. For instance, the Imperial Irrigation District came up with an idea for an advertisement to showcase the District’s Burrowing Owl Conservation Program through the eyes of school children. The idea led to the “Kid Wise” ad, which features the winning drawings submitted by some 30 students in a TL Waggoner fifth-

William A. Gay

grade class. The submissions are so colorful and charming we were grateful someone else selected the art used on the page. We like them all so much we want you to have a chance to admire them, too. You can see them all on the magazine website, www. imperialvalleyalive. com by clicking on Kid Wise on the home drop-down menu. The decision to focus on arts and entertainment in this edition was inspired in part by the many artistic events and opportunities now happening in the Valley. For instance, in April the Carmen Durazo Cultural Arts Center in Calexico bestowed upon Simón Silva its Distinguished Artist award for his success as an artist as well as his commitment to the Valley. The Holtville native is renowned and many of his works are on display in the Valley. You can read a fascinating interview with Silva about his own trials to become the recognized artist he is in this edition. Now some entertainment is not always artistic in the traditional sense of the word. Sometimes it is just fun. Clearly fun is the lure for the large community that loves their Jeeps and oﬀ-road activities in several popular spots around the Valley. Our cover story interviews a number of oﬀ-road

Sue Gay

Drawings by Jacob Milan (top) and Kasyan Hernandez (left) were among several submitted to the Imperial Irrigation District. Jacob's and Kasyan's pictures can be seen on our website, www.imperialvalleyalive.com See more drawings on page 25.

enthusiasts to give you a glimpse of a world of entertainment that takes you oﬀ the beaten path. And, as so often happens in the process of developing editions of Imperial Valley Alive!, our readers oﬀered the greatest inspiration. We invited readers to send in Facebook submissions of photos of yard art. And, boy, did many of you deliver! Images of yard art and many other points of local beauty and wonder are carried in this edition and even more are on the magazine website. We are extremely grateful for all your submissions, ideas and words of encouragement as this edition came together. With your help we were reminded on the path to producing this edition, that art and entertainment are not just in the eyes of the beholder, but in the activities of the participants. Enjoy! 

Susan Giller

Peggy Dale Spring 2018

INDEX |

Volume 2, Number 3 EDITORS & PUBLISHERS Bill Gay Sue Gay Susan Giller Peggy Dale

CONTRIBUTORS

Antoine Abou-Diwan Sarah Malan Dylan Nichols Darren Simon Mickey Dale

COVER PHOTO Dylan Nichols

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Alejandra Noriega

Gina Wright talks about Georgia O'Keeffe to students at Pine School near Holtville. - Photo by Joselito N. Villero

WEB DESIGNERS

Jeep owners test their limits,

Jesus Uriarte Sergio Uriarte

SALES

Bill Amidon Sue Gay Mark Gran John Lovecchio Bertha A. White

SOCIAL MEDIA Marissa Bowers

ADVERTISING

bill.amidon@reliancepr.com 760-693-5330

Page 10

CREATE | Simón Silva: Honored for lifetime achievement, Page 6 Pine School: Thinking outside the box, Page 8

Author Darren Simon inspires younger readers, Page 26

18-19

P.O. Box 1944 • El Centro, CA 92244

Spring 2018

READ |

Transform with yard art, Pages

Reliance Public Relations, Inc.

Food Bank brings everyone to the table, Page 24

Monuments open newcomers’ eyes, Page 20

SUBSCRIPTIONS

IMPERIAL VALLEY ALIVE! is published quarterly by Reliance Public Relations, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical for any purpose without the written permission of Reliance Public Relations, Inc.

FEED |

David Garcia: Imagined worlds shape storylines, Page 12

Send name, address and email address along with $20.00 (plus tax) for annual subscription to:

www.imperialvalleyalive.com

CHALLENGE |

A Jeep climbs a mountain of tires during a recent gathering of Jeep enthusiasts. - Photo by Dylan Nichols

| INDEX

BREATHE | Day tripping, from The Living Desert to the mountaintop,

Page 28 Take a breath or two: Perspective through being mindful, Page 36

Sara Griffen talks about the new site for the Imperial Valley Food Bank. Photo by Peggy Dale

ALSO INSIDE | Publishers’ Message,

Page 3 Calendar of Events,

Page 30-34 Copies of "Shadow of the West: Legend of the Night Ranger¨ by Dave Garcia. - Photo by Joselito N. Villero

Readers’ photos,

Pages 44-45

Spring 2018

CREATE |

Simon Silva By Antoine Abou-Diwan

Simón Silva, the painter of the iconic mural at Our Lady of Guadalupe in El Centro, was used to hard work. The son of Imperial Valley farm workers had spent most of his childhood harvesting fruits and vegetables with his brothers and sisters. He put in countless hours honing his artistic skills in college. So when he graduated in 1986 with a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Illustration from the prestigious Art Center College of Design, he was ready to make his mark on the world as an artist. However, something essential was missing, and it showed in his art. No matter how much effort he put into his paintings, people weren’t buying them. “Even though I learned to paint really well, the whole finding of oneself was completely missing,” said the Holtville native. “There wasn’t much instruction (in school) in terms of figuring out your Spring 2018

Lifetime achievement recognized

style, figuring out who you are,” Silva said. “I think the whole thing of style or individuality comes from finding who you are.” Perhaps the question of finding oneself is a luxury reserved for those who are flush with cash. Silva, a fresh graduate, didn’t have much money. Asking his parents for assistance wasn’t an option. Money had always been tight. His dad pulled his children out of school every year to help with the harvest. And Silva was the first in his family to graduate from high school and college. “I sort of felt I was starting all over again,” he said. “I couldn’t go back to my parents and my family and ask them for advice, because they had no idea what I had done, including myself.” Flat broke and with few options on the table, Silva accepted the first job offer that came his way. He went to work for an aerospace company and joined Southern California’s middle class.

Simón Silva (above) designed the stunning mural (top) at Our Lady of Guadalupe in El Centro. - Photos provided by Simón Silva He was laid off after some years with the company. Jumping on the corporate hamster wheel—and getting thrown off it a few years later—could have sealed the coffin for Silva’s artistic aspirations. He still didn’t know who he was. By then he had a family to feed. Working for other people was a safer bet. Yet, Silva had other ideas.

“I decided that I needed to be much more responsible for myself and my wife and my kid at the time,” he said. Silva set about finding himself. And in the process, he created art that has been shown internationally and made him an in-demand motivational speaker and lecturer. It was the early to mid-1990s. Times were tense in California. UCLA students and other members of the community went on a hunger strike after negotiations broke down with university administration over their campaign to reinstate the Chicano Studies program. Proposition 187, which sought to prohibit undocumented immigrants from accessing non-emergency healthcare and other social services, was on the ballot. It was during that time that Silva was introduced to Chicano literature. “Bless Me Ultima,” by Rudolfo Anaya, and “The Earth Did Not Devour Them,” by Tomas Ribeiro, had a big impact on him. “After I started reading some books about Chicano history and American history, and some of the injustices—a lot of the injustices that had taken place

Simón Silva (above) unveils his framed photo and biography April 25 at Carmen Durazo Cultural Arts Center in Calexico. Silva (left) autographs a book for Pat Brown at the event. - Photos by Joselito N. Villero here in America toward minorities—I started figuring out who I was because I was moving away from my own personal identity,” Silva said. “I started going to a lot of book

readings, a lot of lectures. People like Luis Valdez, Edward James Olmos … professors.” Silva also looked at the work of CONTINUED | PAGE 35

Spring 2018

CREATE |

(L-R) Fourth graders Aylin Moreno-Garcia, 9, and Alize Quintana, 10, use iPads to study and create an art project based on the paintings of Georgia O'Keeffe at Pine School in Holtville. Photos by Joselito N. Villero

Art Classroom in the By Peggy Dale

On the surface, Gina Wright’s classroom at Holtville’s Pine School looks like any other. Chairs are tucked under the desks. Subject-matter posters line the walls. Supplies fill shelves around the room. But when students file into Room 13 and take their seats, instead of pulling books and notepaper from backpacks, they reach for their iPads and whatever tools are needed for that week’s art class. One week it might be scissors and glue sticks and another week it will be pencils for line drawings, or paintbrushes, pastel chalks, and even glitter. In this classroom, there are no worksheets. “Ever,” Wright said. Instead, imagination is the key that unlocks the door of learning in this Spring 2018

Pine School program teaches thinking outside the box

classroom, home to the Pine School Creative Arts Program. “This is my favorite class every Wednesday,” said sixth-grader Ixchel Gomez. “I can do whatever is in my imagination with art. Sometimes it’s with paper. Sometimes oils or pastels or paint.” Of all the master artists students study throughout the year, such as Van Gogh, Picasso or Monet, Ixchel said she doesn’t have a favorite because, “Every single one has their own style of art.” That’s the kind of impact Wright hopes her class has on the 174 kindergartners through eighth-graders who step through the classroom door each week. In addition to her art class, Wright also teaches Pine’s ELD (English Language Development) students, and teams up each week with her longtime friend and

collaborator, Holtville GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) teacher Shannon Lehman. Art is the language Wright and Lehman remember most about their own early education. “As a child I felt inferior to my sisters because they were straight-A students,” said Wright, the second youngest of five siblings. Then, while still in elementary school, she discovered the world of art and the doors it could open thanks to impacts teachers had on her. “Where I felt good about myself was through art,” she said. Lehman said it was her fifth-grade teacher at Imperial’s Ben Hulse Elementary School, Michael Minnix, who introduced her to art. “(He) was my favorite teacher; he taught everything through some form of art,” Lehman said. “We did visual

ABOVE RIGHT: Gina Wright works with fourth-grader Hector Garcia, 10, during art class at Pine School in Holtville. BELOW RIGHT: A student works on her project. Photos by Joselito N. Villero

art. We did music. We did dance. We did theater. Mr. Minnix started my love for the arts in elementary school and it kept growing through the years.” This is the third year Wright and Lehman have been collaborating on creative arts at Pine. Parents love the program, they say, and students have made strides personally and academically. “It’s the whole creative process and how they can apply that to other areas, to think outside the box,” added Wright. “The quality of their work is just outstanding,” Lehman said. “We start with basic things but by the time they’re in eighth grade, they have learned so much. We always tie (art) into math, science, history.” “What’s fun about art is it’s so memorable,” she said. “They won’t remember that worksheet. But they will remember that art project, that theater production they were in.” Lehman and Wright have traveled extensively to research the artists and their artwork. Wright sees a lot of growth in the English-learners she teaches, she said, “Because they’re writing every week and oftentimes refer to their art projects in their writing.” Wright has seen improvement in students’ writing. CONTINUED | PAGE 39

Spring 2018

CHALLENGE |

Jeepers

Bond Outdoors

Shared interest leads to camaraderie

By Dylan Nichols

You’ve seen them before. Whether it’s driving down the street or simply sitting in a driveway, you’ve seen the classic off-roading machine known as the Jeep. The first Jeeps were created in 1941 and were originally intended to be used as military vehicles with four-wheel-drive capabilities. In 1945, the first civilian Jeep was produced, the first of a string of 12 models made over the years for the general public. While some people own a Jeep as an everyday vehicle, purists use them for what the original Jeep was intended for: off-roading. It’s easy to spot the difference between the daily driver and those reserved for off-roading. Those who use their Jeep for off-roading exclusively can put thousands of dollars into modifications to ensure that the vehicle can handle anything that nature throws at it. With Imperial Valley’s close proximity to such popular desert areas as the Superstition Mountains OHV area northwest of Imperial and the Glamis Sand Dunes east of Brawley, the draw to go off-roading is compelling. “I try to get out as much as I can,” said Amy Volmer, an Jeepers are drawn to off-roading challenges, fun. Spring 2018

The San Diego Jeep Club and Jeepers like to keep up with the times when it comes to communications. Volmer and other members use Facebook regularly to stay in touch and plan future trips. Imperial real estate agent and proud The San Diego Jeep Club is one of owner of a red 2007 Jeep Wrangler. many clubs in Southern California that Volmer bought her Jeep just to “have help people bond over their shared a convertible” as she puts it. However, interest in Jeeps. one of her clients helped found the San However for some, the companionship takes a backseat to the thrill of going offDiego Jeep Club and she’s been offroading. roading ever since. “It’s kind of like a competition for me,” The San Diego Jeep Club was founded said David Byrum, a shop supervisor in 2013. The club’s website http://www. sdjc.rocks/index.html explains the group at Wymore, Inc. in El Centro.” Some of these hills are so big and so steep that formed because “we wanted to bring they act kind of as a challenge. Other something special to the Southern people have made it, so why shouldn’t I California area for Jeep owners and we be able to make it up them?” wanted that experience to be fun and Byrum has been Jeeping since he engaging for everyone.” was a kid and considers himself to be The club that just wanted to bring Jeep something of a veteran in the field. He fans together has now grown into one now does voluntary off-road rescue work of the largest Jeep groups in Southern with his pickup. California. And it offers a prime example “I’ve been doing this for so long in so of what makes Jeeping so appealing to a many different places that there isn’t lot people: the camaraderie. much I haven’t seen,” Byrum said. “Now, “I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t for the I just like to get out there and offer help people,” Volmer said. “I never go out on to anybody who needs it.” a trip by myself. We all get together in a CONTINUED | PAGE 40 group and it’s a blast.”

Jeeps climb mountains of tires during the 56th running of Tierra Del Sol Desert Safari. - Photos by Dylan Nichols

Spring 2018

CREATE |

Comics Reading Gateway

Couple teams up to tell stories

By DARREN SIMON In the creative recesses of David Garcia’s mind, he explores tales of a mystical Old West filled with masked cowboys, zombies, werewolves and alternative universes where genetically engineered animals with Samurai abilities fight to save humanity. Those imagined worlds shape the gritty storylines for his artform—comic books—which he believes can be a gateway for young readers to build a love for reading as they were for him as he grew up in Holtville. “I learned to read with my sister’s Archie comic books. From there, I would go to every grocery store in Holtville to find the different comics,” Garcia said during an interview in which he and his wife, Monica Sharp, both Holtville natives, recounted experiences in the comic book industry that would amaze anyone who grew up saving every cent to buy the latest editions of their favorite storyline. Garcia and Sharp live on a ranch near Holtville and are parents of an adult son, P.K. Sharp Garcia. The couple is the team behind Panda Khan, a five-issue comic book series from the 1980s and ’90s that built up quite a cult following and crossed over into two other famous comic series, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Usagi Yujimbo. Today, Garcia and Sharp are collaborating again, this time on a new comic book series, the soon-to-be-released “Shadow of the West, Legend of the Night Ranger.” The stories begin in Garcia’s mind, then Sharp, a retired teacher, helps him with the writing and editing to solidify his vision. His artistry brings the story to life. Sharp manages the business side of writing and illustrating a comic book series. A gift from Garcia was the genesis of their first “Panda Khan” comic. However, the journey to create “Panda Khan” really began when Garcia was a boy. His dad, when dropping off trash at the city dump, would find stacks of MAD Magazine and bring them home. Garcia loved the magazines, and

Comics drawn and written by Dave Garcia and Monica Sharp of Holtville are shown. - Photos provided by Garcia and Sharp

Spring 2018

then he found even more. “I just started walking down alleys and sure enough you would come across stacks of comics people would put out,” he said. “They became part of my collection. I guess they knew someone would want to read them, and that was me.” Sharp would venture into Holtville with her sisters and grandfather, who would always buy the sisters something special. “My sisters would buy toys,” she said. “I would buy comics. I read DC, Marvel… it didn’t matter as long as it was a comic. I would clear out every store — whatever was on the rack.” Garcia’s passion for comics became a career path. He graduated Holtville High School in 1970 and studied art at Imperial Valley College. He met Sharp, who was visiting her grandparents in Holtville, the summer before he started college. Their relationship grew from that moment. Garcia’s studies were interrupted by the draft. He served three years in Washington, D.C., with the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as “The Old Guard,” the Army’s official ceremonial unit and presidential escort. In his last year of service, he was transferred to a special drafting unit to put his drawing skills to use. One moment stands out about his military experience. His unit was at the White House on the historic day President Richard Nixon left the grounds by helicopter following his resignation. Garcia helped roll up the red carpet after the event. Garcia learned something important about himself in the military: he is color blind. His illustrations are penned and published in black and white.

ABOVE: Cartoonist Dave Garcia and his wife, Monica Sharp, a retired English teacher, hold a copy of "Shadow of the West: Legend of the Night Ranger¨. - Photo by Joselito N. Villero After the military, he entered the Coronado School of Fine Arts in 1975. Part of the reason he chose the school was that Sharp lived in San Diego. However, it didn’t take Garcia long to realize it wasn’t the right school. “The problem was right there in the name of the school,” he said. “I’m not a fine artist.” He transferred to the California State University, Long Beach arts program while Sharp completed her degree at Cal State San Bernardino. While in college Garcia did a naturalist painting of a panda for a school art show. Sharp loved it, and he promised he would do a similar painting for her. Three years later, after they married and moved back to Holtville to care for her grandmother, Garcia did a large oil painting of a panda for her.

That painting became the basis for the Panda Khan comic book. It is the story of a genetically engineered panda in a feudal world that wears Samurai clothing and fights with ninja skills. The idea was Garcia’s. Sharp, then a school teacher, helped put words to his illustrations. He is quick to point out it would not have happened without his wife. “I’m a cartoonist, not a writer,” he said. “I can tell a story and I have the vision, but Monica—she is just really good with words.” Before the comic book was even published, his Panda Khan illustrations gained notice at the Comic Con Convention in San Diego, and his work appeared in souvenir books. Once CONTINUED | PAGE 41

Spring 2018

Mystery of Electricity

In many ways, electricity is an enigmatic, but vital, resource. Just where it comes from, how it gets into our homes, even how it works are mysteries we rarely question – as long as the lights go on when we flip the switch. On a high level, electricity may seem as simple as transmission lines running through the region. Locally, Imperial Irrigation District (IID), the sixth-largest public power provider in California, provides electric power to more than 150,000 customers in the Imperial Valley and parts of Riverside and San Diego counties. It controls more than 1,100 megawatts of energy from diverse resources, some of which it owns and operates, some it gets through power purchase agreements. In a region rich with renewable energy resources, IID gets more than 30 percent of its energy from renewable resources including geothermal, biomass, solar, wind and hydroelectric. IID actually owns and operates a number of hydroelectric generators, the largest producing power as water rushes through the All-American Canal. Things get more complex when the domestic power needs of proposed housing or even the commercial needs of a business development must interface and connect with the mega amounts of power carried by IID. And that is not as simple as plugging an extension cord into a wall socket. The project may need a substation or underground utility connections or any of a variety of other processes to bring power to the construction site in a way that is suitable for the project. And that is where contractors like Tom Watson Inc. and others are important to unraveling the power interface puzzle. “We’re not engineers,” Watson said, “What we do is piece all the information together to make the process go more smoothly.” A developer proposing to build a house, subdivision or commercial development must submit plans and a variety of documentation through IID’s Customer Service Proposal (CSP) process to get the interconnection approved and constructed. Depending on the size, location and complexity of the project, the CSP process can be very complicated and time-consuming. Watson’s team includes Carlton King, who worked for IID for 36 years before retiring as assistant Energy Department manager “Often people just don’t know what to do,” King said. “There is a lot of paperwork involved and it needs to be done in a specific way. We can facilitate it to make sure it’s done right.” Watson said because consultants like his team handle permit applications with many agencies including IID, they often notice areas where processes and prices could be standardized. That, he said, is where the Coalition for Labor Agriculture and Business (COLAB) becomes an important resource. “COLAB is an important part of making the process work by standardizing things to make them more accessible and understandable for developers and IID,” he said. COLAB is pleased to include the contracting industry as members. Knowledgeable individuals like Tom Watson, Carlton King, Ernie Mendivil and Ken Stills help us understand the inner working of IID.  Spring 2018

| HEAL

Dr. Siman Dr. Siman

Designing the Future of Smiles

Cosmetic dentist Dr. Eddie Siman has offices in El Centro and Brawley as well as in Sherman Oaks and Beverly Hills. He has authored two books and has been featured in various media, most recently on “The Doctors” show. Here, he discusses his unique approach to dentistry by responding to a series of questions posed by I.V. Alive.

Did you always aspire to be a dentist? Dr. Siman: Actually, no. When I was a kid I was more interested in becoming an architect. I always liked to envision and design things. Do you find that your early aspirations somehow connected to what you do now? Dr. Siman: Absolutely! There are many elements of construction, design and architecture in what I do. Creating a natural smile and a long-lasting, stable set of teeth that is going to feel good, requires a solid foundation. What drives you to gain more knowledge and expertise year after year? Dr. Siman: At the beginning of my career I was taught to restore just a section of the mouth. This limited approach didn’t even begin to address the extensive and complicated needs of my patients. In response, I dedicated my career to advancing my knowledge and keeping up with the latest technology and treatment protocols, all while adding three decades of invaluable experience. Now I can restore someone with no teeth to a full set of 28 teeth in one day while the patient sleeps. The first step is conceiving and building a foundation to support a smile that will look good within a unique frame, which is your lips and most importantly your facial structure. You have studied the "psychology¨ of smiles. How does changing the shape of a patient's teeth affect the "psychology¨ of their smile? Dr. Siman: Your smile is your introduction to the world. Often, we look at someone and perceive them to be assertive if their front teeth have square edges and their canine teeth are pointed. Picture some of Hollywood’s leading men, Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington or Harrison Ford; it’s not by accident or coincidence that they each have dominant and assertive smiles. By simply rounding or sharpening the edges of a smile, I am able to soften or harden its appearance in a matter of minutes. What is TMJ and why is it the source of pain and discomfort for so many people?

Dr. Siman: Along with full-mouth reconstruction, diagnosing and treating TMJ disorders is the primary focus of our practice. TMJ is an acronym for temporomandibular joint. It is located near your ears where your jaw connects with your skull. This joint is necessary for nearly all of the activities that involve your mouth. If these muscles come under pressure due to misalignment, the result can be spasms that travel to the temples, causing headaches or pain around the face or jaw joint (and) limiting one’s ability to open the mouth. Let's list some of the symptoms of TMJ. Dr. Siman: They include migraines, headaches, facial pain, shoulder pain, neck pain, teeth grinding, ringing in the ears and ear congestion. The problem is that most practitioners, including dentists, doctors and chiropractors, address the symptoms because they don’t have the training and technology to diagnose and address TMJ, the root cause of all these issues. Who is responsible for correctly diagnosing TMJ? Dr. Siman: That’s another problem. TMJ problems should be treated as multi-disciplinary, meaning they are dental as well as medical issues. Unfortunately, as many TMJ sufferers learn only after seeing multiple specialists, TMJ falls into a gap between the two professions. As dentists, we are mechanical people. We are taught basic anatomy, but the core of our training is fixing dental issues. Dentists who truly want to be well-versed in other modalities need to study for years, which is what I chose to do. I have dedicated 30 years of my career in expanding my knowledge in the field of diagnosing and curing TMJ. 

Do you suffer from any of the following? Head Pain, Headache • Forehead • Temples • “ Migraine” type • Sinus type • Shooting pain up back of head • Hair and/or scalp painful to touch

Ear Problems •H issing, buzzing or ringing • Decreased hearing • E ar pain, earache, no infection • C logged, “itchy” ears • Vertigo, dizziness

Eyes • P ain behind eyes • B loodshot eyes •M ay bulge • S ensitive to sunlight Mouth • Discomfort • L imited opening of mouth • I nability to open smoothly • L ocks shut or open • C an’t find bite • J aw deviates to one side when opening Teeth • Clenching, grinding at night • L ooseness or soreness of back teeth Throat • S wallowing difficulties • Laryngitis • S ore throat with no infection • F requent coughing or constant clearing of throat • F eeling of foreign object in throat constantly

Jaw • Clicking, popping jaw joints • Grating sound • Pain in cheek muscles • Uncontrollable jaw and/ or tongue movements

Neck • Lack of mobility, stiffness • Neck pain • Tired, sore muscles • Shoulder aches, backache • Arm, finder numbness or pain Spring 2018

Children work on art projects at DS Arts Studio & Gallery in Brawley. - Photo courtesy of Debi Smerdon

Studios Up Visibility By Susan Giller

When an art gallery and a photo studio moved into side-by-side spaces in a recently renovated former garage building on the North Plaza in Brawley, the city took a big step toward transforming the downtown into an arts district. Spring 2018

Art gallery, photo studio prove interest in arts is thriving in Brawley The expansion of two creative businesses provides evidence that interest in the arts is thriving in Brawley. And that gives Debi Smerdon, the owner of DS Arts Studio & Gallery, and Letty Guerra, owner of what is now called Monarch Iconography, the chance to grow businesses, and communities, around their

artistic passions. Of her new studio at 180 C North Plaza, Smerdon said, “It is an extraordinary space … and it helps us reach more people.” Of her studio’s move to the North Plaza site, Guerra said, “It was time to expand. I want the studio to be a community place and now it is.” Both members of the Brawley Chamber of Commerce, Guerra and Smerdon are excited to be in spaces facing the Plaza Park in an area that pays homage to the arts and the historic nature of the region. The North Plaza Park’s Kiwanis Kiosk often provides a charming stage for musical performances. Nearby the old Brawley Theater is in the process of being restored with the idea of providing a place for performances, art shows and other activities. A few steps away the Inferno boasts an outdoor stage that periodically plays host to a variety of entertainers. The city has gone so far as to paint nearby crosswalks like a piano keyboard. And nearby bicycle racks are fashioned after a treble clef. Even the building housing the two studios is unique. A former Firestone tire garage, the building was recently restored. With large, high windows, exposed pipes and beams, the two studios enjoy a bright, edgy, industrial, loft-like feel. According to Smerdon, the setting is perfect for an art studio and gallery. “My goal is to keep it as a museum studio setting. … I want people entering to be transported to another place.” Smerdon said she has always loved art. After college, she worked in advertising but felt something was missing. She ultimately realized she wanted to work with children, to teach children. “Art is a way of connecting with our unique, individual creativity,” she said. Now DS Art teaches group and private art lessons to children and adults using a variety of mediums in a studio that Smerdon said was essentially built by the community. All the easels, chairs and other material were donated by those eager to see it flourish she said. And the studio frequently plays host to events held to raise funds for charitable causes. On Friday, May 18, the public will have an opportunity to see and appreciate the creativity of Smerdon’s students when the studio holds its 11th annual Gallery Night

An array of food is shown at the grand opening event for Monarch Iconography in Brawley. - Photo courtesy of Monarch Iconography

- From Monarch Iconography Facebook page and Silent Auction. The event will run from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Smerdon said she started holding the event, ﬁrst at her home and later at a smaller studio on Sixth Street in Brawley, to give her students an idea of how good their art really is. This year, in coordination with the

JOIN Y! A D O T

Brawley Chamber, the family-friendly event will be on the Plaza Park and in the studio. It also will include a taco cart, beer garden and a silent auction of works of art. As a young mother, Guerra never dreamed of having her own photography studio. “I was always the mom with the camera

at birthdays and events,” she said. However, in 2009, her husband gave her a digital single lens reﬂex camera for her birthday. “And, it changed my world,” she said. “ A camera changes the way you see the world.” CONTINUED | PAGE 43

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CREATE | from your home and integrate style, texture, color and size drawn from the structure into Xeriscaping your yard to complete the look. You can also can transform consider stone statues and monuments to add to your overall design. You can also, your yard refurbish and recycle material to save money. For example, turn unused items from your what options you have, talk to experts and home such as pallets, cans, drawers, crates determine how far you want to go with your and barrels into outdoor furniture or even landscape. Create a diagram of your concept flower pots to add some color to your new including ideas for decorative pieces and xeriscaped yard. plants you like to get you inspired by your Shade is important in the Imperial Valley, so surroundings. include shade structures to complement your For your foliage, you want to look for landscape -- gazebos, umbrellas or awnings plants that can withstand the climate. From can add a nice touch and provide relief from bougainvilleas, succulents and palm trees, the sun while being aesthetically pleasing. to tropical birds of paradise, there is an array As residents of Imperial County it can be of choices depending on your color and style hard for us tp recognize the expansive beauty preferences. While these are drought-tolerant around us at times. Often we see succulents plants they will still need some irrigation. Drip and stones and consider them harsh and systems are the most efficient way to water unappealing. After all, haven’t we been told xeriscaped areas. A variety of brands offer lawns and landscapes should be green and complete systems for home use and they can lush? This is not the case, and xeriscapers be adjusted as your xeriscaped plants mature. can afford to think more artistically because the hard nonorganic elements make such a Once you have your plants and irrigation selected, you will want to look at other design strong statement and they aren’t tied to the limitations of lawn, tree and plant growth. elements. Incorporate river rock, sand, Enjoy the process and make it your own. pebbles and stone into your landscaping. Go ahead and put your artistic stamp on your These materials require little maintenance landscape!  and are basically indestructible. Take cues

Landscaping Art Landscaping in the desert is an art form and with the right plants, decor and layout, your home’s landscape can be a true work of art. While the Imperial Valley climate can make landscaping difficult, the desert offers the opportunity to be artistically unique. With recent water restrictions the trend has gone to xeriscaping. Xeriscaping reduces the use of water, while still allowing homeowners to express themselves. This form of landscaping uses drought tolerant plants, stones and decorative pieces instead of expansive lawns and thirsty plants, flowers and trees. This form of landscaping works well in the Imperial Valley and aesthetically matches the beauty of the desert region. To start your xeriscaping, do some research and find a look you like. The options are endless and Pinterest can be a great resource. If doing the work yourself, consider starting out slowly. Planning is key. Local businesses offer many of the products you will need and it's best to start by reviewing

MAKE YOUR YARD A

Work Of Art

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Spring 2018

| CREATE

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2. A yard on Commercial Avenue in El Centro features a tiki. - Photo by J.C. Taylor

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READ |

Monuments, Memorials and Markers

Clues to history

footage, “Skywarrior,” on the San Diego Air and Space A couple of years ago, my wife and I Museum Archive’s YouTube started a new hobby. As transplants to the channel. The text of the plaque Imperial Valley, we wanted to learn more states: about its history and the story that the “In memoriam of October 27, landscape tells. We started looking for the 1964 monuments, memorials and markers that You are standing on the flight dot the countryside, buildings, and parks path of an A-3D Skywarrior in the community. There are hundreds of (BUNO 130353) these historical clues that crashed during that make up the alley transplants a Navy League diverse identity of the Valley. While there sponsored Navy research is not room enough Day air show on monuments to learn here to describe all October 27, 1964. of them, there are a about their new home. After El Centro’s couple worth pointing 25,000th parachutist out. jumped from the aircraft, the There are many fine memorials, plane made a high-speed, lowsome honoring the sacrifices of service level pass across the airfield, members, some honoring local heroes, clipping a utility pole a few founding fathers and trailblazers. One that stands out in its simplicity is a bicycle in an hundred yards to the east of where you are unusual location. It’s in a tree. Located just standing. The plane began to disintegrate, east of Forrester on Ross Road, about 20 setting part of the administration building feet off the ground, chained to a palm tree, ablaze, punching a hole through the roof is a white bicycle with a simple plaque that of the chapel, and smashing into the area states: “Larry M. Valenzuela – February in front of you, which was once the site of 17, 1963-June 30, 2000 – Husband, the ‘exchange complex.’ The explosion Father, Nurse – Died Riding his bicycle – and fireball that followed destroyed the Age 37 – El Centro, California.” The urban legend is that fellow bicyclists designed the commissary, theater, exchange, barber monument in tribute to Valenzuela. shop, snack bar, bank and the covering The second memorial is one that is of the large swimming pool. This incident personal: I helped design it. Onboard resulted in the tragic death of twelve men Naval Air Facility El Centro (NAFEC), next and women." to the Community Center and behind the chapel is a large stone, surrounded by This memorial is dedicated, a small wall, with a bronze-like plaque October 27, 2014, in memory of: dedicated to the remembrance of 12  SN Howard Cox, USN sailors and civilians who died as a result  LCDR Paul Duris, USN (Co-pilot) of an airplane crash. The aircraft, an A-3 Skywarrior, was attempting a low pass  SM2 Robert Farina, USN over a crowd of Navy Leaguers during an  AA Joseph Greene, USN open house Navy Day event.  SA Salvador Jimenez, USN The “Whale” as it was known in the  ADJ2 Glenn Pender, USN (Aircrew) Navy, hit a power pole and smashed into  CDR Arthur Perkett, USN (Pilot) what was then the social hub of the base,  Mrs. Susan Smith the Navy Exchange/Commissary/Post  Mrs. Bernice Snyder Office/Snack Bar complex.  Mrs. Shirley Thompson Multiple buildings were set ablaze and  QM2 James Wall, USN the landscape of the base was forever SN Robert Walkowiak, USN altered. You can watch some of the fire

By Kristopher K. Haugh

Spring 2018

Why build the memorial? The catastrophe was important not only to the base, but to the families of those stationed here. When something of this magnitude happens on the installation, the effects ripple out into the community as well. Many lives were dramatically changed that day. Not only was this the worst accident on the base, it was also the worst accident in the history of the Defense Commissary Command, the people who run the Commissaries on military installations around the world. We wanted future generations of NAF El Centro personnel to know more about the people who once served here and experiences they had. How life is precious and how a fun moment could turn tragic in the blink of an eye. There are hundreds more bits of history scattered around the Valley, sometimes commemorated on plaques on or around buildings indicating their construction date. The El Centro Chamber of Commerce, T.L. Waggoner Elementary School in Imperial and Grace Lutheran Church in El Centro have little plaques noting their founding. Technically speaking, each named school or building in the Valley is a monument, too. Someone did something

important enough to our community to be remembered with their name on a building. Recently, a classroom at the Imperial Valley College was named after Pete Mellinger. He founded the ag department at the college and taught there for 28 years. In retirement he served on the IVC Board of Trustees. It was a little green book I picked up at the Imperial Valley Pioneers Museum that piqued my interest in local monuments, memorials and local markers. My wife and I moved here from Guam; I was a Chief Petty Officer in the Navy. One of the first things I always do when moving to a new community is look into the local museum. It gives you a glimpse into the people in your neighborhood. In the gift store I saw a copy of a pamphlet titled “Imperial Valley Historical Markers” by Ida Little. Finding all the markers became our Sunday drive destinations. There are also online databases of monuments and markers maintained by state and federal agencies. And many locals may point out other historical sites worth visiting. One final thought to take following history’s trail through local markers and monuments: Monuments, memorials and

A memorial pays tribute to the 12 victims of a 1964 plane crash at Naval Air Facility El

CONTINUED | PAGE 46 Centro. - Photo by Kristopher Haugh

Spring 2018

Auto Art

Vintage vehicles are canvas of another sort

By Mickey Dale A beautiful, breezy, sun-drenched day greeted participants and spectators at the 34th Annual Sunrunners Carne Asada Run in March held at Eager Park in Imperial. The weekend event kicked off with an old school cruise night on March 16 with the fan friendly show and shine March 17. Hot Rods, vintage cars, trucks and motorcycles from throughout the southwestern United States were on display with various awards given out in numerous catagories. The immaculate 1949 Chevrolet pickup of Teri and Richard Mendez of San Diego was voted as the Best of Show. The stunning 3100 series pickup was set on a 1995 Chevrolet S-10 frame and featured a 4-inch chopped top, shaved door handles, blinding chrome wheels and so much more. Complete with an eye-pleasing combination of Sunset Orange Pearl and Beige Metallic finish, this pickup was needed to be seen to be believed.

This 1948 Chevrolet Sedan Delivery is owned by Ralph and Alicia Vargas of El Centro.

Spring 2018

Art takes many forms, as shown in these vehicles entered into a recent Sunrunners Car Club show. Teri and Richard Mendez stand with their 1949 Chevrolet 3100 pickup, also shown below, which won Best of Show. - Photos by Mickey Dale The weekend event was another winner for the Sunrunners, a local club with members throughout California and Arizona. The 35th annual event is already in the planning stages and is one of the highlights for custom car and truck enthusiasts each year. 

CLOCKWISE, FROM LEFT: A 1964 Ford Galaxie convertible owned by Chuck Judkins of Yuma; a classic 1950 sedan owned by David Braden of Yuma; a 1932 Ford Model A owned by Roger Havens of El Centro; and a GMC 100 pickup owned by Miguel Verduzco of Holtville.

Spring 2018

FEED |

GIVE

Sara Griffen explains plans for the new Food Bank to Stefanie Campos at the new site on Aten Road in Imperial. - Photo by Peggy Dale

Breaking Bread

& Breaking Ground

By Sarah Malan

It’s a simple mission: to make sure all Imperial Valley residents have access to nutritionally valuable food. But the need is anything but simple: the Imperial Valley Food Bank feeds 20,000 residents a month and distributes more than 4 million pounds of food a year. As the regional distribution center for donated food in Imperial County, the Food Bank is the area’s main hub in fighting food insecurity. National and local donations, locally grown produce and state funds are directed to the food bank, which then sends food to more than 60 distribution sites including schools, shelters and food pantries. Almost every grocery store in the Valley partners with the food bank -- it is often a corporate mandate -because it has the safety training and the refrigeration to properly accept the product. Most of the produce it receives comes from packing sheds that provide fresh but not marketable produce. Spring 2018

Imperial Valley Food Bank brings everyone to the table

The Food Bank’s warehouse is the last stop before the food makes its way to the tables of local residents, many who are more than 150 percent below the federal poverty line. Overseeing this whole process is Food Bank Executive Director Sara Griffen. With a background in nonprofit fundraising and event management, she read about the food bank in the local newspaper. “It just hit me one day, ‘That’s what I need to do. I need to see if that’s for me,’” said Griffen, the executive director since 2010. She and her team of 13 full-time staff members each wear many hats to ensure help gets to those who need it. “We are trying very hard to be where people live, work and learn so that they do not have to go out of their way to get food,” Griffen said. Now, the Food Bank is working to build a new, larger facility at the corner of Aten and La Brucherie roads

Barrels hold supplies at the current Food

CONTINUED | PAGE 42 Bank site in El Centro.- Photo by Sarah Malan

Spring 2018

READ |

VIA IMPERIAL VALLEY

Author & Books About the author:

Darren Simon has been an Imperial Valley resident since 1994, first working as a reporter for the Imperial Valley Press and then an English Simon teacher at Imperial Valley College. Today, along with his teaching duties, he works in government affairs for the San Diego County Water Authority on California water issues. His love for writing began with a love for reading when his grandmother gave him a wonderful gift—a brown "Guardian's Return," the second in a series paper bag filled with comic books written by local author Darren Simon, is now from the 1960s and ’70s. From available in online bookstores. there, he moved on to Choose Your Own Adventure books. Eventually he discovered the works of J.R.R.

Spring 2018

Darren Simon adds to Local Reads Tolkien, which solidified his interest in writing epic fantasy and science fiction tales. So far, he has focused his writing on middle grade and young adult fiction to inspire young readers just as he was inspired to read and write at a young age. He self-published his first novel though iUniverse and immediately went on to write the second book in the series. Upon completing the second book, he decided to seek more traditional publishing. After countless rejection letters, a small independent publisher—Divertir Publishing—decided to pick up the series, a fantasy about a teen-aged girl who learns her family is actually from an alternate dimension, and only she has the power to protect Earth from a sorceress from her world—who

just happens to be her great-aunt. Divertir republished the first book, titled, Guardian’s Nightmare, in 2015. The second book in the series, Guardian’s Return, was released in April. Simon has also written another series—a young adult historical pirate fantasy set in the golden age of piracy, mixing historical pirates and pirate hunters with his fictional characters in a time-traveling, swashbuckling tale. The first book in that series, The Dangerous Legacy, was published in 2016 by Tell-Tale Publishing. The second book in the series, The Deadly Waters, is due out later this year. All his books are available at Amazon.com and Barnes&noble.com. Simon, who lives with his wife, Sandra and two sons, Daniel and Jacob, and two crazy dogs, in the Valley, is continuing to write and develop new stories, including a young adult novel now in the hands of a literary agency. To learn more about Simon’s writing, see his website at www. darren-simon.com

About the novel:

The following is from the back cover of his upcoming novel—Guardian’s Return. A month has passed since 14-year-old Charlee Smelton discovered her magical abilities and faced her great-aunt, Theodora, in a life or death struggle to protect Earth. A month has passed since she tricked Theodora back across the dimensional gateway that brought her to Earth. Since then, Charlee—now fully aware of her family’s secret— that she is part of a noble bloodline from another world… another dimension… has grown stronger in her magic aided by her protector, a shapeshifter sent to Earth to protect her. But the terrible dreams won’t stop. Theodora lives and if Charlee’s dreams of death and fields of spilled blood are true, her great-aunt has avenged herself on that world across the dimensional divide. Charlee knows what she must do. The fight is not over. She must travel across the gateway to the home of her ancestors and face Theodora one more time. But doing so may cost Charlee more than she can bear. The same medallion her great-aunt desires so much—a medallion Charlee possesses—could make her just as evil as her great-aunt. The more time she wields the creation of dark magic, the tougher it gets to fight its influence. Can Charlee stave off the twisted tendrils of the medallion long enough to defeat Theodora—for good? Or will evil consume her? Can she even survive so far from home? Her only hope may rest in the Lord of the Dragons, but that beast turned his back on her grandfather long ago. 

Spring 2018

BREATHE |

Palm Springs

Adventure awaits

By Peggy Dale

If you’re looking for an easy getaway, one that takes you from the desert floor to the mountains, head north toward Palm Desert and Palm Springs. One morning you can be admiring cheetahs and giraffes at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, and the next you can hitch a ride aboard the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway for a bird’s eye view of the desert. And in between you can find any number of things to do, like strolling down Palm Desert’s version of Rodeo Drive – the renowned El Paseo Shopping District -- or wandering through downtown Palm Springs along Palm Canyon and Indian Canyon drives, home to world-class restaurants, art galleries and boutiques. The Living Desert is a not-so-hidden gem in Palm Desert, a nature preserve spanning more than 1,000 acres that are home to desert creatures like bighorn sheep, bobcats, desert tortoise and Mexican grey wolves and many of the plants indigenous to the Sonoran desert. The preserve is also home to wildlife found worldwide, like cheetahs, giraffes, camels and hyenas, and birds like the kookaburra, lorikeets and various owls. There’s also a butterfly exhibit and an expansive model train display. Hours Oct. 1 through May 31 are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed Wildlife abounds at The Living Desert in Palm Desert. - Photos Christmas Day. Summer hours are 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. June 1 through Sept. 30. General admission is $19.95; seniors ages courtesy of The Living Desert Spring 2018

62 and above are $17.95, children ages 3-12 are $9.95, and children under 3 are free. Visit http://www.livingdesert.org for more information. To the northwest is the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, which transports up to 80 passengers at a time from its Valley Station (elevation 2,643 feet) to the Mountain Station (elevation 8,516 feet). Rotating tram cars let passengers watch the desert floor give way to craggy, tree-lined ridges and back again in the 10-minute, two and one-half mile ride up the mountain. At the top are restaurants and a gift shop, but the best part lies outside the doors, which open onto 14,000 acres of the Mt. San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness Area. There are easy hikes among the pines, like the 1.5-mile Desert View Trail, which takes one to scenic overlooks and loops back. Then there are the hikes for more experienced hikers equipped with permits and the proper equipment. Water is a must for anyone venturing outside the Mountain Station, no matter the weather. Snow often covers the ground in winter and early spring, and in summertime the

ABOVE: A tortoise watches visitors at The Living Desert in Palm Desert. RIGHT: The mountain station is seen as the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway descends. Photos by Peggy Dale mountain temperatures -- easily 20 to 30 degrees cooler than in the desert -- are a welcome respite. Tickets are $25.95 per adult, $16.95 per child ages 3-10, and $23.95 for seniors ages 65 and over. Summer passes and annual passes also are available. Visit https://www.pstramway. com for more information. 

Spring 2018

ABOVE: A 1940 Ford Tudor sedan owned by Norm Davis of Prescott, Ariz. Photo by Mickey Dale RIGHT: A child uses chalks to create art at DS Arts Studio & Gallery in Brawley. - Photo courtesy of Debi Smerdon

Calendar of Events LOCAL CALENDAR May 3 National Day of Prayer Breakfast 6:30 a.m. to 7:45 a.m., Salvation Army Community Center, 397 Ross Ave., El Centro. Admission is a $10 donation. For information, call 760-352-4528.

gates open at 6 p.m. General admission is at 7 p.m. First bell at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 for the VIP meet and greet. Badges include ringside seat. Ringside seats are $30 (first two rows), and general admission is $15. Ages 6 years and under are free with paid adult. Visit Squareup.com/store/VWE for more information and ticket sales.

May 5

May 3 National Day of Prayer 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Christ Community Church, 590 Orange Ave., El Centro. For information, call Jeff Lyon, 760-562-3819.

May 3 Celebration of Education 2018 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Jimmie Cannon Theater at Southwest High School in El Centro. Presented by the Imperial County Office of Education. Come celebrate Imperial County Schools.

May 3

The information included in the print version of Imperial Valley Alive! is what was available by publication deadline. Visit our calendar online at www.imperialvalleyalive.com and submit your event information.

Venuemania 7 p.m., Ricochet Rec Center, 450 W. Aten Road, Imperial. Chavo Guerrero Jr will be making his VWE debut vs. Lucha Underground's Super Star Mariachi Loco. VIP Spring 2018

19th annual Tee Off for Autism 7 a.m. to noon, Imperial Palms Resort, 2050 Country Club Drive, Holtville.

May 5 PAM Fun 5k 8 a.m. May 5, Imperial Valley College’s DePaoli Sports Complex. Registration is at 7 a.m. The event is in honor of Patricia Ann Medina, who dedicated herself to helping others. All proceeds will support the Cancer Resource Center of the Desert and the IVC Foundation. Dress in red or pink. For information, email Romualdo Medina at rjmedina@hotmail.com.

May 5 Strength & Dignity Women's Conference 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Christ Community Church, 590 W. Orange St., El Centro. Admission is free.

Apryl Ortiz is the conference speaker and Tami Yee is worship leader. For more information, visit strengthdignitylife.com

May 7 Mega Monday Mixer 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Hidalgo Hall, 410 S. Cesar Chavez St., Brawley. Discover new clients, services, organizations and products by connecting with business and community leaders. Register at www.brawleychamber.com

May 8 A Night of Comedy with John Crist 7 p.m. at Youth for Christ of Imperial Valley, 395 E. Main St., El Centro. General admission is $20 in advance, $30 at the door. Doors open at 6 p.m.

May 10 Annual Wine Tasting & Auction 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., El Centro Community Center, 375 S. 1st St., El Centro. Benefit for the Imperial Valley Desert Museum’s Endowment Fund. Tickets are $35 per person and are available through the El Centro Chamber of Commerce or by calling 760-358-7016.

May 11

Dancing With the Stars Gala 6 p.m., St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 795 S. La Brucherie Road, El Centro. Presented by the Imperial Valley Regional Occupational Program Foundation.

May 11

"Gringo de Mayo¨ with Eric Schwarz 9 p.m., Hidalgo Hall, 410 S. Cesar Chavez Drive, Brawley. Presented by Wasupwu Pre-Sale ticket $15 available now! After April 20th tickets will go on sale for $20 and at the Door $25.

May 12

IV Model Railroaders 1:30 p.m., and every second Saturday monthly, Imperial Valley Research Center Building 10, Brawley. The Imperial Valley Model Railroaders is open to anyone of any age who is interested in model trains. For more information call Joel Shank at 760-8018300.

May 12

Hidalgo Folklorico Mother's Day Presentation 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Palmer Auditorium in Brawley. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. Tickets in advance are $5 each; $7 at the door. Tickets may be purchased at Las Chabelas in Brawley and Jalisco’s in El Centro. For more information, call Max Reyes at 760-2228520.

May 12

May 19

May 18

May 19

Mother's Day Paint, Pour & Brunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. , Pushing Paint Studio, Imperial Valley Mall. Presented by the Imperial County Film Commission. Tickets are $45 per person and include one glass of wine, beer or mimosa, art lesson and supplies, live music and light brunch. Must by age 18 or older. Tickets are available online at FilmImperialCounty. com Open Mic Night 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. May 18, Music & Arts, 1470 W. State St., El Centro. Bring your band, or play solo. All ages and skill levels welcome.

May 18

Gallery Night and Silent Auction 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. May 18, Plaza Park and DS Arts Studio & Gallery, 180 C North Plaza, Brawley. There also will be a taco cart, beer garden and a silent auction of works of art.

May 19

Mariachi Festival Sin Fronteras 5 p.m. May 16 through midnight, Crummett Park in Calexico. For ticket information, visit: mariachifestivalcalexico. com.

Brawley Cancer Walk and 5K 6:30 a.m., Cattle Call Drive, Brawley. 5K: 14 years and under, $10; 15 years and up, $25 pre-registered and $30 on day of event. Participants must fill out a registration form. Those under age 18 must have parent or legal guardian sign the registration form. Contact Adrian Ramirez at adriz1989@yahoo.com or Joseph R. Ramirez at Landof7@roadrunner.com or 760-550-0452 for more information. Crown Craft Beer Invitational 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Imperial Valley Expo. For more information, call 760-355-7880.

May 19 - May 20

Imperial Valley Catfish Tournament 6 a.m. May 19 to 8 a.m. May 20, Wiest Lake, Brawley. Visit https://www.facebook.com/wccmcatfishing/ for more information.

May 20

WWII USO Canteen Dinner Show 6 p.m., Pioneers Museum, 373 E. Aten Road, Imperial. Join the Imperial Valley Master Chorale and special guests as they revisit the final year of World War II with a musical that highlights the songs, dance and comedy of that era. The evening will include a salute to the armed forces, a silent auction, and dinner. Tickets are available from Chorale members or by calling Sue Gay at 760-352-2566. (If no answer, leave a call-back number.)

Spring 2018

May 25 Friday Night Lecture at Pioneers Museum 6 p.m., Pioneers Museum, 373 E. Aten Road, Imperial. Presented by the Imperial County Historical Society. Festivities start at 6:00pm, lecture at 6:40pm. Be sure to RSVP to the museum at 760-352-1165 by May 24.

June 1 Evening in White Imperial Chamber of Commerce annual dinner, 6 p.m., Old Eucalyptus Schoolhouse, 796 W. Evan Hewes.

June 1 - 3 Decoration Expo Canaca Mexicali, 1199 Calzada Independencia and Boulevard Anahuac, Mexicali. For information, send email to expodecoracionmexicali@gmail.com

June 2 10th annual WCT Townsel Memorial Family Fishin' Fun Day 6 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sunbeam Lake County Park, 1750

Spring 2018

Drew Road, Seeley. The first 100 children each get a free fishing pole. To fish, one must be age 16 or over and have a valid fishing license. There will be a raffle and prizes. For more information, call 858-864-6391 or 760-3551320.

June 9

leadership of President Mr. Jeff Sturdevant, and welcome incoming President Terri Rogers. Evening includes Dinner, Silent Auction, Special Awards & Recognition and the presentation of the William G. Duflock " Business Leader of the Year" Award, Citizen of the Year Award and Ambassador of the Year Award.

June 22

June 21

July 4

Celebrating the Superheroes in Business 6 p.m., silent auction and cocktails; dinner at 7 p.m., Old Eucalyptus Schoolhouse, 796 W. Evan Hewes, El Centro. Presented by the El Centro Chamber of Commerce as its 112th annual dinner and meeting. This event is the official ceremony of the "Presidential Passing of the Gavel." Join us as we celebrate the success of the 2017-18 year under the

Open Mic Night 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Music & Arts, 1470 W. State St., El Centro. Bring your band, or play solo. All ages and skill levels welcome.

Freedom Fest Starting at 6 p.m., Imperial Valley College. Join the Imperial Chamber of Commerce, KXO Radio, and a number of other supporting agencies for this year's Freedom Fest. Event and concession begin at 6 p.m., fireworks show begins at 9 p.m.. The community is invited to attend the largest single day event in the Imperial Valley.

July 14 IV Model Railroaders 1:30 p.m., and every second Saturday monthly, Imperial Valley Research Center Building 10, Brawley. The Imperial Valley Model Railroaders is open to anyone of any age who is interested in model trains. For more information call Joel Shank at 760-8018300.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY May 12 Annual Taste of Julian 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Check in at Julian Town Hall, 2129 Main St., Julian. Tickets are $25 per person in advance and $35 at the door. Taste of Julian is a self-guided culinary tour of participating one-of-a-kind restaurants, wineries, and breweries in and around Julian. Participants this year are: Apple Alley Bakery, Buffalo Bill’s Café, California Mountain Bakery, Candied Apple Café, Jeremy’s on the Hill, Julian Cider Mill, Julian Hard Cider, Julian Grille, Julian Candy Basket, Julian Pie Company, Julian Wine and Chocolate, Miner’s Diner, Mom’s Pie House, Nickel Beer Company, Volcan Mountain Winery.

For more information, visit www.ATasteofJulian.com

May 12 Jacumba Hot Springs Blues Festival Noon to 7 p.m., Jacumba Hot Springs Spa and Resort, 44500 Old Highway 80, Jacumba. Featuring bands, raffle and barbecue. Hosted by the Jacumba Arts Council.

May 12 10th Annual Coyote Music Festival Noon to 4 p.m., Cuyamaca College, 900 Rancho San Diego Parkway, El Cajon. This entirely student-run festival provides the community with free music and culminates a semester for students studying music, technology, recording and business. For further information, call (619) 660-4627 or visit www.cuyamaca.edu/ performingarts.

May 12 & 13 Balboa Park Pow Wow 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Park Boulevard and Presidents Way Balboa Park, San Diego. The San Diego American Indian Health Center’s Annual Balboa Park Pow Wow is a cultural event that celebrates the heritage and traditions of American Indians. Participants will be present

from many American Indian tribes, bands and communities. Vendors will be selling handmade jewelry, pottery, basketry and other crafts and wares. Food vendors will be selling a variety of food items, including fry bread and Indian tacos. The Pow Wow will also feature a “Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) Zone” that will include physical activities for youth, nutrition education, games and various booths focused on promoting healthy lifestyles. The event is free.

May 19 America on Main Street 2 p.m. to 9 p.m., East Main Street in El Cajon, between Magnolia Avenue and Ballantyne Street/ Avocado Avenue. Join the City of El Cajon for its free, family-friendly community festival, “America on Main Street!” The theme this year - “A Salute to Heroes.” Special highlights include: 1:30 p.m. Naturalization Ceremony (75 to 100 becoming U.S. citizens); Armed Forces Day Tribute – Military Coast Guard Flyover at 2 p.m; more than 150 booths; military displays, the Statue of Liberty and other patriotic displays; more than 30 bands and community groups performing, carnival rides, street performers, arts and crafts, a petting zoo, and laser light show to close the night.

Spring 2018

May 26 Santee Street Fair 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Riverside and Town Center parkways, Santee. Featuring live music and entertainment, more than 300 food and craft vendor booths, carnival rides, and breweries from all around San Diego County. Additionally, military families will be honored with the annual "Heroes Stage."

Yuma May 5

Memorial Weekend Vintage Flea Market 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., The Barn Vintage Marketplace, 4559 Highway 79, Santa Ysabel. Located between Julian and Santa Ysabel, our vintage barn will host a fun day of shopping with local as well as traveling vendors. The one-day event will have live music, food trucks and more than 50 vendors.

Orchestral Classics 6:30 p.m., Kofa High School, 3100 S. Avenue A, Yuma. Join the AWC Civic Orchestra, the String Ambassadors, the Young String Ambassadors and the Twinklers for Orchestral Classics, which is presented as the last performance of the Yuma Orchestra Association's annual concert season. Tickets available online @ yumashowtickets.com, the Art Center at 254 S. Main St., Yuma, by phone at 928-373-5202. Call for more information 928-2466715 or 928-366-7913.

June 9

May 5

May 26

Julian Backcountry Dance & BBQ Noon to 9 p.m, Menghini Winery, 1150 Julian Orchards Road, Julian. 12th Annual Julian Dance and Backcountry BBQ “Julian Dance and Backcountry BBQ” features the best in country music and dancing on the huge floor and stage built by the Sons of the American Legion. The barbecue has been a keystone of the event with all the food cooked on-site in the Santa

Maria style on an open oak flame. Tickets are available at http://juliandance.org/ product/adult-ticket/

Spring 2018

Heritage Festivals Cinco de Mayo Block Party 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., Historic Downtown Yuma.

May 12 & 13 and May 26 & 28 Yuma Territory Live Steamers 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Riverside Park, Prison Hill Road and Giss Parkway, just below the Yuma Territorial Prison.

Ride on a 1/8 scale railroad, while appreciating the history and importance that railroads have contributed to the development of our country. Rides to the public offered every second and fourth from October through May. Rides are offered to the public of all ages. A donation of $2 per rider is suggested. For more information contact 928-782-1988 or visit www.facebook.com/YTLSAZ.

June 2 Fore Paws Golf Classic 8 a.m. to noon, 1245 W. Desert Hills Drive, Yuma. Register your team today to participate in an 18-hole golf tournament benefiting the Humane Society of Yuma. For information or sponsorship opportunities, call Hilary Mulherin at 928-446-0243 or email events@ hsoyuma.com

June 16 Juneteenth 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., historic downtown Yuma. The Yuma Chapter of the NAACP and the City of Yuma Heritage Festivals will sponsor the Juneteenth Celebration in historic downtown Yuma. This free, family event will include speakers, music, food, crafts, games and contests. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/ YumaNAACP or call 928-783-4305. 

SILVA CONTINUED FROM | PAGE 7

Mexican muralists and painters and realized art that is linked with political and social movements is powerful. “I began to understand and figure out that I had this wonderful opportunity, because of my abilities as a painter, to create these images that would stir up pride and selfidentification,” he said. Silva dipped a brush into his paint and went to work. His paintings celebrate motherhood and fatherhood. They honor hard work. They recognize individuals who do difficult, backbreaking work in the shadows of society. And by shining a light on the marginalized, Silva himself started to get recognized. A principal at a school in downtown Los Angeles asked Silva to visit and speak to the students, many of whom were gang members, delinquent or pregnant, Silva said. “Even though I was coming to an understanding who Simón Silva was and is, I was still extremely, extremely fragile inside,” he said. “So for me to get in front of this group of kids was terrifying. It was not a good experience.” But Silva saw an opportunity to further his growth and to help others along. “One presentation that was free turned into six presentations that were free. And six presentations turned into 36 and so forth and eventually I got my first paying gig for $500 in Brownsville, Texas,” he said. “ And I never looked back. I turned into this public speaker.” Since then he has authored several books. He’s working on three screenplays. His speaking engagements net him more Simon Silva speaks on cultivating a creative mind in this photo he than 10 times the amount of the Brownsville gig. provided. And in April the Carmen Durazo Cultural Arts Center in Calexico bestowed upon Silva its Distinguished Artist award for his success as an artist as well as his commitment to the Valley. The award and ceremony, now in its third year, honors artists from the Imperial Valley that have done excellent work and given back to their home community. Silva’s name will be in fine company. Past recipients include Calexico native Lee Romero, a photographer and part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team for the New York Times. Of Silva, Carmen Durazo, the longtime advocate for the arts for whom Calexico named its Cultural Arts Center, said, “He has done so much, extensively, for the Imperial Valley—so many of us have copies of his artwork—and he continues to do things in the Imperial Valley.” “It’s a way of honoring the artist,” Durazo continued. “A lot of time they move on and never get the recognition they deserve.” 

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Spring 2018

BREATHE |

Mindfulness Art of paying attention

When life seems to be getting away from us, we’re urged to stop and smell the roses, to slow down and enjoy life. In other words, we’re told to pay attention to the world around us. The art of paying attention, known as mindfulness, is increasingly becoming popular in the ﬁeld of psychology. In Imperial County, mindfulness is used by Imperial County Behavioral Health Services on many levels, but particularly with those served by the Youth and Young Adult Services programs, or YAYA. “Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally. It’s about knowing what’s on your mind,” Jon Kabat-Zinn said in describing his world-renowned Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program. Kabat-Zinn is founding executive director of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He is also the founding director of its renowned Stress Reduction Clinic and Professor of Medicine emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. At YAYA, many of its young clients have experienced high levels of personal stress and trauma. In addition to being diagnosed Spring 2018

Use all of your senses to be aware of what is going on around you

with a mental illness and dealing with the symptoms of such, many youth and young adults have also endured psychosocial stressors and trauma. These may include family discord and/or violence, removal from their home, aging out of the child welfare system, aging out of the juvenile justice system, and/or have a co-occurring substance abuse disorder. How does one practice mindfulness? It’s as simple as just looking around, paying full attention to your own breath or what’s going on around you, using all of your senses. What do you hear? See? Feel? Smell? Reading is another way people practice mindfulness. Anything that brings a person into the present and calms racing thoughts can be eﬀective in reducing anxiety or depression. The focus on practicing mindfulness has gained ground in recent years at Behavioral Health Services. Practitioners understand a person has no control over the past or the future, but they do over the present. If a person is always thinking about the past and future, they're never present in the moment. Mindfulness helps bring one back into the present. Technological advances oﬀer many advantages in the workplace and home

alike, but the pervasive nature of the devices we own or operate can also bring added stress if not used in a balanced and mindful way. When the brain senses danger, it triggers the body’s “fight or flight mode”. The body responds by releasing various hormones in preparation to protect oneself by either “fighting” or “flighting” (running away). This “fight or flight” response is actually a protective factor which has helped our species survive. However, with the fastpaced lives led by many today, toxic stress seems to be the norm. Constant stress can alert the brain to sense danger even when real physical danger does not exist. The body’s response to this is to pump more blood and oxygen to the muscles to make us stronger and faster (to protect ourselves from the danger) and in doing so, shuts down other “less important” functions for the moment, like the digestive and immune systems. Muscle tension, headaches, stomach problems, and other physical ailments can develop. Mindfulness can help alleviate those symptoms and even retrain the brain to live in the moment by being aware of what your body is doing and practicing methods to release stress, proponents say, and regular practice can make this the new norm. 

Spring 2018

Dr. Soler By Susan Giller

When Dr. Xavier Soler joined the El Centro Medical Center as the new cardiopulmonary medical director in January, he arrived with the expertise, passion, energy and ideas that are hard to contain in a traditional job title. That may explain why he is also the physician champion for the hospital’s Asthma Wellness Program and its TobaccoFree campus initiative. And, he is planning to start an airway clinical research project and is exploring other ways to improve patient and community care with such services as pulmonary rehabilitation and public educational seminars. For Dr. Soler the workload isn’t a burden. “These are my areas of interest,” he said. His eclectic medical interests and experiences range widely and include asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), sleep disorders, tobacco cessation and medical and community education. He also is an associate professor of medicine at the University of San Diego (UCSD). He specializes in the diagnosis, treatment and management of chronic lung diseases, including COPD and asthma. He also is deputy director of UCSD’s Clinical Trials and Airway Research Center. He has won a number of honors for his research and teaching. In a way, the Imperial Valley chose Dr. Soler before he considered joining the ECRMC staff. “I saw many patients at UCSD and knew (the Valley) was an Spring 2018

underserved area,” he said. “After I came here, I saw a need in the area.” Through the El Centro hospital’s affiliation with the UCSD Health Care Network, Dr. Soler had plenty of opportunities to interact with the Valley prior to becoming ECRMC’s cardiopulmonary medical director. Now he provides pulmonary services at ECRMC’s outpatient clinics as well as inpatient pulmonary consults, quality laboratory oversight, and pulmonary procedures such as bronchoscopies or chest tube placements. He is proud to have helped champion the initiative that led to ECRMC becoming a smoke-free and tobacco-free campus as of August 2017. “It was a difficult thing in the beginning, and that’s normal,” he said. “It took almost a year to accomplish, but they worked at it. They impressed me quite a lot.” Though there are medical treatments, such as patches and pills, that can help reduce the physical craving for nicotine, behavior therapy also is often needed to help an individual quit smoking, Dr. Soler said. Smoking matters because it can damage the lungs, leading to COPD and worsening asthma. At ECRMC, Dr. Soler also works with the Asthma Wellness Program. The program received a $250,000, three-year grant from the Imperial County Asthma Linkages Project last year. Approved as part of the county Local Health Plan and funded by California Health and Wellness, the grant focuses on one of the region’s most challenging health issues — childhood asthma. While the Imperial Valley has an asthma rate that is slightly higher than the state average rate, its rate of hospital visits for asthma is double the state average. Though rural areas have challenges because of dust, pollens and pollution, Dr. Soler said there are many things that can be done to help asthma patients by having doctors and families work closely together. An asthma wellness team has been developed based on a family-centered, patient-tailored, evidenced-based model that incorporates social determinants of health and an environmental focus The program is helping doctors develop asthma action plans for patients. And now there is better follow-up after a hospital visit for asthma. “We have assembled a team to go to patients’ homes to work with the families,” Dr. Soler said. “It is a matter of patient and doctor education and workflow… we are having an impact.” He also is looking into possible grant funding from the state Tobacco Tax funds to help asthmatics who smoke. With other ideas for services and projects percolating, Dr. Soler said he is working to make sure the programs are sustainable at least in part by involving some of the medical students he teaches at UCSD. Dr. Soler was co-director of the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program and co-director of the Sleep Medicine Unit at Hospital QuirónTeknon in Barcelona prior to coming to UCSD Health in 2006. He earned both his medical degree and doctorate degree from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona in Spain and is a member of the American Thoracic Society and the American College of Chest Physicians. He speaks fluent English, Spanish and Catalan -- the language of the Catalonia region of northeast Spain and the country of Andorra -- and conversational French. 

ART CONTINUED FROM | PAGE 9

Lehman believes much of that has to do with vocabulary used in the creative arts program. “Art has such high-level vocabulary,” Lehman said. “Perspective, angles, genre, mediums -- the kids know what these words mean.” Wright and Lehman marvel at how the program came into being in the first place. Wright, who just a few years ago was teaching third grade at Finley Elementary School in Holtville, developed vision problems that forced some hard decisions, including stepping away from teaching as she knew it. “I spoke to my superintendent with suggestions about some things I could do, because I worked too hard for my teaching credential and master’s degree to leave teaching,” Wright said. Wright’s idea was to develop a program in which she could teach her true love – the creative arts. Mitch Drye, then Pine’s principal, saw an opportunity to bring Wright on board in conjunction with Lehman, who teaches the district’s GATE students. “Mitch totally appreciates the arts,” Wright said. He let Wright and Lehman design the program, which goes beyond the classroom walls. “We’ve incorporated a winter program,” she said. “We had a lavish production at Christmastime on the basketball court” with costumes designed by Wright’s sister, a costume designer in Orange County. For the second year in a row, all of Pine’s students were involved, from the designing artwork and sets for the play to speaking parts to musical performances. Through it all, students seem to

Teachers and their fourth-graders show their art projects at Pine School in Holtville. - Photo by Joselito Villero thrive, and their work has been enjoyed at the Carrot Festival in Holtville, the California Mid-Winter Fair & Fiesta in Imperial and in art shows for Finley and Pine parents. Recently students’ artwork helped promote the school at an event in Holtville that also featured Pine programs such as robotics. Three years ago, as the Pine Creative Arts Program was being developed, Drye wrote an Apple grant, which was awarded to the school, providing iPads for each student and teacher, and laptops for the teachers. “From that, we planned the GATE and creative arts programs with the same artists in mind so we both know what’s going on,” Wright said. “It’s very cohesive out here.” The iPads have been a godsend,

the teachers said. In the creative arts program, they’re used to develop digital portfolios of the children’s work – photos of their creations and written reflections on each piece. “With the iPads, when they’re making their portfolios, they can express and be themselves,” Wright said. That suits her students just fine. “She lets us be free and do what we want, but like, she challenges us to try new things,” said sixth-grader Lily Strahm. “I like a lot of different art, different styles.” This winter, Lehman and Wright will once again walk the cobblestone streets in Paris, in search of their next master works of art. 

Spring 2018

JEEPERS CONTINUED FROM | PAGE 11

For many others, the largest appeal is the sights they get to see. Off-roaders get to immerse themselves in the natural beauty of the desert that surrounds the Valley. Whether it’s the long washes formed over the eons, or the hills that can vary dramatically in size, the desert has a unique, rugged beauty. Jeepers and other off-road enthusiasts get an up close and personal view of the terrain. Every social/cultural phenomenon boasts an even bigger event. Pop music has Coachella. Soccer has the World Cup. And for Southern California Jeepers, that event is the Tierra Del Sol Desert Safari. Tierra Del Sol is a Jeep club that was originally founded in 1962. Since then, it has hosted its annual three-day Desert Safari the first weekend of March. This year was the 56th running of the Tierra Del Sol Desert Safari. What started as just a few guys going out on some trails west of Salton City has evolved into a full-fledged festival with vendors, entertainment and a raffle with up to $150,000 in prizes. And just like all big events, this one couldn’t happen without people. And there were a lot of people at the Desert Safari. There were thousands of Jeeps and other off-road vehicles of different shapes and sizes to go along with thousands of people with different backgrounds and ethnicities. The Tierra Del Sol Desert Safari Spring 2018

A Jeep (top) climbs an obstacle course, while a truck (above) leaves a roostertail of sand in its wake. - Photos by Dylan Nichols featured many different activities for Jeepers. There were main runs that split into different trails that feature different levels of difficulty. Also located around the main campsites was an obstacle course that provided a wide variety of different offroading challenges. There was a small rock climbing wash, piles of tires to drive through and a large nearly vertical ramp for the most expert drivers. While the main trail run offered routes of varying levels of difficulty, there weren’t any that skimped on the degree of fun drivers could have. Tierra Del Sol always does a tremendous job of ensuring that all drivers of all levels of experience can enjoy themselves in a relatively safe environment. The Desert Safari combines all of

the reasons why people enjoy Jeeping and off-roading, and produces a truly spectacular event for both novice and experienced drivers to enjoy. For anyone who enjoys off-roading and spending time with other people who love offroading, this is the event for you. Jeeping is an activity, adventure really, that isn’t likely to go away anytime soon. Off-road activities have been around since the 1940s and will probably be around in the 2040s. It is already a passion that is catching on with a new generation. To put it simply, as long as those great big mountains sit out there, there will be Jeepers and off-roaders looking to conquer them. 

COMICS CONTINUED FROM | PAGE 13

the comic book series was released, Garcia’s work drew even more attention. The creators of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles took notice and that led to the creation of a Panda Khan action figure distributed under the TMNT toy line in 1991. “David was just excited about having the toy,” Sharp said. “I had to make sure we got a fair share of the profits.” He also became an illustrator for one of the TMNT comic book storylines produced by Archie Comics. His work also got him noticed by the creators of The Tick, and he would go on to have a long career as an illustrator for The Tick comic books and paperback books from 1989 to 2010. Even as he worked on The Tick, another idea began to brew. “As a kid, I loved the old westerns and old monster movies,” Garcia said. “And I always wondered why the Lone Ranger wasted silver bullets on regular bad guys. We all know what silver bullets are supposed to be used for.” Thinking about that led to the creation of his latest comic — Shadow of the West — where his masked hero, imbued with supernatural abilities, faces off against zombies, werewolves and other

Monica Sharp shows the rings on her fingers. Sharp collaborates on comic books with her husband, Dave Garcia. - Photo by Joselito Villero creatures of the night. That series, six that he has drafted so far, took seven years to create, and it is being published by independent comics publishing company, Nerdanatix. For Garcia and Sharp, it is the next step in their journey, and it is easy to see the excitement in their eyes as they hold a copy of the comic book.

“Fifty percent of the payoff is having it in your hands,” Garcia said. Now they look forward to sharing the project with comic book fans, and inspiring youth to read. “It’s like I said, I learned to read from comics, and I know others can do the same thing,” Garcia said. 

Spring 2018

BREAD CONTINUED FROM | PAGE 24

Boxes of food supplies fill the Imperial Valley Food Bank warehouse. - Photo by Sarah Malan

in Imperial. At 12,000 square feet, its current warehouse is filled to the brim, but the new, 28,000-square-foot building will provide significant breathing room. “Where we are (on county land) there’s no room for growth,” Griffen explained. “It was cheaper to build from scratch for our unique need.” That need also includes compliance with new food safety standards, which go into effect at the end of this year. “These (current) buildings were built only for canned food, or what we call ‘shelf-stable food,’ and we are dealing with a million pounds of produce a year in kind of really small refrigerators,” she said. “We’re not going to be able to move produce and frozen goods in a facility like this for much longer.” The $6 million capital campaign for the new facility got off to a healthy start with $3 million coming from major donors, including: the James Irvine Foundation contribution to purchase the property; Rabobank funding for naming rights to the building; Imperial Irrigation District’s Local Entity program; and a grant from CalRecycle for expanded refrigeration and freezer space. Just as impressive, the remainder of the funds to date have come from the community. “I want to thank the local community for backing us and understanding the importance of this facility for the next few generations,” Griffen said. With approximately $5.1 million raised to date, the Food Bank is scurrying to raise the remainder before the May 18 groundbreaking date for the new facility. At the same time, the Food Bank continues the programs it offers. One well-known and much needed service is the Backpack Program, which provides students with backpacks at the beginning of the school year and a bag of groceries each weekend. Seven hundred students benefit from the program and the Food Bank recently received a request to Spring 2018

include 40 more backpacks. Meanwhile, the Imperial County Office of Education has identified more than 2,400 students who are homeless. “I think the community needs to be more aware of the severity of the hunger problem, especially among school-age children,” Griffen said. Another unique program is the Box of Basics, for which the Food Bank buys food in bulk once a month, and then sells it for $25 to people who need to stretch their budgets just a little further. The Box of Basics program is expanding, with its younger sibling Menu B designed for residents with diabetes. Menu B is a smaller box of food developed by a dietician and is available for $15. Neither the Box of Basics nor Menu B has income limit requirements, provided orders are placed by the monthly deadline. Food alone won’t solve food insecurities; it also takes education. “We don’t want to just give people food, we want to help them,” Griffen said. “The two biggest diseases that affect people in the Valley are obesity and diabetes, and they’re both food-related. So we want to help people move to be healthier, not just not-hungry.” To do this, the food bank has plans to include a garden and a teaching kitchen in the new facility. In her tenure as executive director, Griffen has watched the Imperial Valley Food Bank gain significant name recognition. “People actually know who we are...and I think more people understand what we do,” she said. “We have been able to help move the needle a little bit on the severity of hunger here,” Griffen said. But she also offered a solution to the larger issue: “(We need to) become a little louder about encouraging our economic development folks to actually create some jobs that are going to move people out of poverty. … We’re at a point where there’s no reason not to.” 

STUDIOS CONTINUED FROM | PAGE 17

At first, she worked from home. But in 2012, she decided to get serious about photography and opened a small studio, Letty Guerra Photography Design, on Sixth Street in Brawley. The move to 180 B North Plaza, gives Guerra much more space for her thriving photography studio. The studio’s new name, Monarch Iconography Studio, It also has space to connect with people. “I want the studio to be a community place,” Guerra said. She noted the studio frequently does work with charitable causes. And, on a recent Friday morning, Guerra hosted a “Coffee and Cameras” session with other local photographers who get together regularly to share experiences and learn more. “Photography creates a connection with people,” Guerra said. “I like to do portraiture because you see something special in the person.” 

Children show their artwork (above) while another child works on hers (right). - Photos courtesy of DS Arts Studio & Gallery

Spring 2018

Your Photos

Beauty in eyes of beholders

1. Sunlight plays on the mountains south and west of Mount Signal. - Photo by Dane Knight 2. Sunflower field near Brawley. - Photo by Vilma Ruiz Pacrem 3. Bee in moringa flower. - Photo by Armando Contreras 4. The sun sets behind a Jeep. - Photo by Charlie Nichols 5. The sun rises in Imperial Valley. - Photo by Gerardo Godinez 6. A former stagecoach stop near Winterhaven sits in ruins. - Photo by Gerardo Godinez 7. Seeley sports a new sign honoring its history. - Photo by Jose Jessie Rodriguez

8. A rainbow touches down near Mount Signal. - Photo by Dane Knight Spring 2018

Spring 2018

MONUMENTS CONTINUED FROM | PAGE 21

A bicycle on Ross Road west of El Centro was erected in memory of a bicyclist killed in an accident in 2000. - Photo by Kristopher Haugh markers were sometimes erected or placed decades ago and the motivations of the people then might not match the way people think today.

When looking for the various markers throughout the Valley it is worth stopping and pondering the “why” of the artifact. Why is it is here and what makes it

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important? Digging into the why opens up some very interesting stories. More importantly, what does it say to you today? Good luck and good hunting! 

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Spring 2018