Pocket News 4-21-23

Husband, father and PAPA to six of the greatest grandkids ever!

Broker Associate

Proven Track Record Of Success - 40 Years in The Same Greenhaven/Pocket Of ce

Expert Knowledge Of Local Market And Its Rich And Colorful History

Certi ed Residential Specialist

Senior Real Estate Specialist

Trust and Probate Specialist

Bachelors, Masters And Doctorate -

University Of The Paci c

Former Assistant Dean -

UOP McGeorge School Of Law

League manager - Champions District 7 All-Stars, TOC and regular season

UOP Athletic Hall Of Fame - Baseball

Land Park florist shop owner Marie Balshor celebrates 95th birthday

By Lance Armstrong vcneditor@gmail.com

One of the Land Park area’s longest term business owners, Marie Balshor, of Balshor Florist, recently celebrated a very special day at her business, as she was honored for her 95th birthday.

She was born near Dixon on March 26, 1928, and she would eventually open Balshor Florist with her husband, Al, in 1950. Al, who was a Sacramento native, died eight years ago.

Balshor Florist, which remains a family-run business, was originally located at 730 O St. It has been operated at 2661 Riverside Blvd. since 1972.

To celebrate Marie’s milestone birthday, the Balshor Florist staff placed a birthday greeting sign to right of this business’s entrance, had a birthday cake delivered, and invited anyone who happened to stop by the shop on that day to greet her and wish her a happy birthday.

City of Stockton Athletic Hall Of Fame - Baseball

Greenhaven Soccer coach and referee

Little League manager - Champions District

7 All-Stars, TOC and regular season

• Sponsor- Spirit Of The Pocket 4th of July Parade. nick@nicklaplaca.com

Sponsor - Spirit Of The Pocket 4th of July Parade 916-764-7500 nick.laplaca@BHHDrysdale.com

The gathering, which was held on Saturday, March 25, was an informal affair, because Marie did not desire a large, festive party in her honor.

It was the same manner in which she approached the interview for this article, as she told the Land Park News that it is not her style to want to draw a lot of attention to herself.

“I’m just a plain folk, and that was Al’s and my motto was we’re just plain folk, and I guess I’ll die

being a plain folk,” she said.

But with some mild arm twisting – in a figurative sense, of course – Marie agreed to share details about her 95 years of life for this article.

Marie, who is a longtime resident of South Land Park, said that she is proud of both her Portuguese culture and family.

She noted that, in 1911, her uncle, John Sequeira, became the first of her family members to im-

migrate to the United States from Portugal.

“I think I’m most proud of my uncle John,” she said. “There were four brothers, and my uncle, John, was in the militia in Portugal. And I do not know where he traveled during his time (in the) service, but he got out of the service and decided there was something better than Portugal.

“Unbeknownst, he gets himself a passport – he didn’t know how to read or write – and he gets himself to New York.”

Marie mentioned that John’s first job in America was working in a toilet factory.

“There weren’t too many toilets at that time,” she said. “So, you see, that was something new.”

Marie added that after her uncle had his beard freeze during his first winter in New York, he decided there must be a better place for him to reside in the United States.

Balshor Florist owner Marie Balshor celebrates her 95th birthday with a birthday cake on March 25 at her longtime Land Park business on Riverside Boulevard.

Birthday

Continued

“He hops on a train, gets himself to Chicago,” she said. “And, you know, Chicago is a hub. You’ve got to know where you’re going or you can go the wrong way. So, somehow he got on the right train – yet he changed trains. And so, he got to Sacramento on the train.”

After arriving in Sacramento, John headed north and obtained a job milking cows in Gridley.

By 1916, John saved enough money to pay for his brother, Joe, to travel from Portugal to meet him.

With John and Joe both working in California, they earned sufficient funds to pay for their other two brothers – Leonard and Marie’s father, Salvador – Marie’s mother, Maria, and Marie’s brother, also named Leonard, to come to America.

The four brothers would establish their own dairy cattle business, which they named Sequeira Bros. They eventually settled with their business in an area between Dixon and Winters, where Marie was born.

Marie noted that the circumstances of her birth were unusual.

“It’s time for me to be born (and it was raining) cats and dogs,” she said. “How they got ahold of the doctor from Dixon, I do not know. He could get down the road, but he couldn’t come down the lane. So, my father hitched up the horse and got him out to the house.

“And there (were) all these people in that shack (where the entire family lived), and that was in the afternoon. And at 9:05 in the morning on the 26th (of March), I was born.”

Tragedy struck the Sequeira family when Marie was 3 years old. Her father died from double pneumonia, and her uncle and godfather, Joe, died three weeks later.

Unaware that at Salvador’s deathbed, Marie’s uncle, Leonard, promised him that he would take care of his family, Maria began packing her possessions to move back to Portugal with her children.

Upon encountering Maria pre-

paring her belongings to leave the country, Leonard informed her of the promise he made to his brother. Maria and her children subsequently remained in America.

In 1946, Marie moved to the capital city to attend Sacramento Secretarial School at 1301 15th St. She later graduated from that institution, and at that time, she could type 105 words per minute in a one-minute test.

Marie mentioned that she met her future husband, Al, when he was 9 years old and she was 6 years old, as a result of the friendship of their mothers, who were both widows and of Portuguese descent.

“I hated (Al),” she said prior to telling why she felt that way.

She recalled how Al visited her

family for a week, and that she began to resent how he was treated so special as a guest.

During his visit, Al mocked Marie for having the duty of cleaning manure out of the cow barn.

As a result, Marie turned a running water hose on him, and then Al turned it back on Marie.

“(Al) was supposed to stay two weeks, (but) he only stayed one week,” Marie said. “I don’t know how he got home. I could (not) care less.”

It was not until Marie was a young adult that her attitude changed about Al on one night.

While Marie was at a nightclub on North 16th Street, Al came up to her and asked her if she would like to dance, she recalled.

“Well, he was such a smooth dancer and at the end of the dance, he kissed me right here (on one of her cheeks),” she said. “And I melted right there. That was it.”

Al and Marie were married on New Year’s Day in 1948, and they began their venture together as business owners of Balshor Florist two years later. During their time as business owners, they raised two sons, Al Jr. and Jerry, and their daughter, Judie.

Thinking back on her seven decades in business, Marie cherishes the many friends she has

made and Balshor Florist’s milestone anniversaries, including its 70th anniversary in 2020.

Marie told this paper that she never imagined that she would live to be 95 years old.

“I never in my wildest dream ever thought I’d get this far and be as well as I am,” she said. “I think it’s (that) God has got me here for a reason or purpose, and when he’s ready to take me home, he’ll take me home.

“I tell people now that I know I’ll never see again, if I never see you again on Earth, I will see you in heaven.”

Photo by Lance Armstrong

Marie Balshor is pictured with her husband, Al, in front of their business, Balshor Florist, in 2010.

Photo courtesy of Melissa Andrews

This birthday cake was served at an open house celebrating Marie Balshor’s 95th birthday at Balshor Florist on March 25, a day prior to her actual birthday.

Elks 6 lodge honors Cima family for farmers’ market

By Stephen B. Clazie Elks 6 past exalted ruler

Most vendors at farmers’ markets get up before the sun on market day to harvest, which is why the produce seems extra fresh. It is also true that the vendors are a family operation involving the whole family.

For Sacramento Elks Lodge No. 6, the organization of the whole market is a family operation.

The first weekend in May will mark the one-year anniversary of Elks 6 ’s farmers’ market.

The night before that first Saturday, Vic Cima and his two grandsons slept in the Elks lodge, because they did not want to be late for their 5 a.m. start.

For the following 30 Saturdays, his grandsons, Max Cima and Aidan Fraser, were working on all aspects of Elks 6’s farmers’ market with Cima. They no longer had to sleep at the Elks lodge.

All of the vendors really appreciated the extra and very friendly help they received

from these two young men.

The dedication of Cima’s grandsons was recognized by the lodge at their annual appreciation awards dinner. Both Max and Aidan were honored as outstanding volunteers.

They were not old enough to be members of the lodge, but they were an outstanding help to their grandfather and his lodge.

Besides being honored themselves, they saw their grandfather named Elk of the Year for creating the lodge’s very successful market.

Cima said it was a team effort, and it would not be possible without the help of volunteers like Nicole Holton Alvarado, Barbara Cherry, James Shearer, John Doke and George Pfiefer.

He also noted that the Elks appreciated the help they received from the very beginning from City Councilman Rick Jennings and his chief of staff, Dennis Rogers. They were successful in providing funding to cover the cost of the start of the market.

Jennings and Cima both wanted the Greenhaven-Pocket neighborhood to have a better lifestyle.

Cima had researched his newfound interest and knew that the average consumer finds lower prices and higher quality of produce at a farmers’ m arket.

He stressed that farmers’ markets tend to be extremely competitive, and “This is a

good thing for everyone’s family.”

Cima also pointed out, “The food you get from a farmers’ market is also fresher.”

One additional thing, besides the fresh produce, that Cima will enjoy this year is the very special reserved parking space for the Elk of the Year.

Besides being honored by Sacramento Elks Lodge No. 6, Cima received the Cali -

fornia-Hawaii Elks Association’s prestigious “President’s Builder Champion Award” for Elks 6’s outstanding farmers’ market.

He received the latter award at a special dinner hosted in Cima’s honor by the North Central District at the Carmichael lodge.

For Cima, however, the greatest award was seeing his two grandsons honored.

Gather your mothers, daughters, sisters and friends and register today for the Kaiser Permanente Women’s Fitness Festival.

The event will be held on June 4 on 9th Street, between L Street and Capitol Mall. This is a one-of-a-kind, all-women’s event that includes medals and a beautiful race T-shirt for 5K and 10K finishers.

Participants of the Prin-

cess ½-Mile Fun Run receive a medal.

After the event, there will be a breakfast and celebration with friends in the mimosa garden. Complimentary health screenings will be available at the Kaiser Permanente Thrive Pavilion.

To register, visit www. RaceRoster.com, and search for the “Kaiser Permanente Women’s Fitness Festival.”

Photo courtesy of Sacramento Elks Lodge No. 6 Vic Cima and his grandsons, Max Cima and Aidan Fraser, go over plans for the lodge’s farmers’ market.

As need for mental health resources grows, schools search for cost-effective support

By Samantha Rickards St. Francis High School student

Editor’s note: This article was made available through the Sacramento Student Reporter Program.

As the mental health challenges faced by teens seem to be growing worse, schools around the country – including St. Francis all-girls Catholic High School – have pursued new strategies to help students cope.

A Feb. 13 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report found 57% of U.S. teen girls felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2021. That was double the rate among boys, a nearly 60% increase from 2011, and the highest level in the past decade.

The rise in mental health challenges is not attributable to one culprit alone. Experts say it has many origins, including the pandemic, social media toxicity, racial and gender inequality and school shootings.

“Young people are experiencing a level of distress that calls on us to act with urgency and compassion,” CDC Division of Adolescent and School Health Director Kathleen Ethier wrote for a press release accompanying the report. “With the right

programs and services in place, schools have the unique ability to help our youth flourish.”

At the same time, the need for mental health services has increased, schools confront the problem of how to sustain wellness programs after September 2024, when COVID-19 relief funds earmarked for mental health services disappear.

Funding is sorely needed in California, where there remains a severe need for access to counselors.

A national ranking released by the American School Counselor Association put California near the bottom in student-tocounselor ratio for the 2021-22 school year. California schools had 509 students for every counselor, higher than the national average of 408 to 1, and more than double the association’s recommended ratio of 250 to 1. Only six states had higher ratios than California.

As one of the many schools focusing on student mental health, St. Francis High School has explored various options to provide support, even turning to the practice of peer counseling – better known on campus as the Guardian Angels Peer Team. The girls in this group are

selected to receive special training to help them offer support to their fellow students.

“The Peer Team uses their empathy and compassion to connect with students who need support navigating through the difficulties that happen to them and around them,” St. Francis Dean of Students Cynthia Cost said.

The Peer Team was established in 2017 with the intent of facilitating a positive sisterhood in which mental health resources are more accessible.

“Our young women were already helping their peers, so we wanted to create a formalized program where they could gain extra training and assistance,” Cost said.

The program is overseen by Kym Weinandy, head of the wellness department at St. Francis. Weinandy meets regularly with the Peer Team to check in and offer her assistance and guidance.

Photo by Samantha Rickards St. Francis High School student Elise Blomquist serves as the junior leader of this school’s Guardian Angels Peer Team.

A tour of Sacramento County’s last newspaper company-owned, operated printing press

Pocket News is among dozens of newspapers printed on the device

By Mitch Barber

In the 1994 movie, “The Paper,” there is an iconic scene in which metro editor Henry Hackett, played by Michael Keaton, yells, “Stop the presses!” Moments later, he pushes a button to shut down a hulking Goss printing press, which was in the middle of a press run for the fictional New York Sun newspaper. The paper had gotten a critical story wrong, and he wanted the truth to be told in print.

Locally in the world of print, The Sacramento Bee’s press at 21st and Q streets made its final run on Jan. 30, 2021, and its printing operations were relocated to Fremont. During the same year, The Bee moved its headquarters to 1601 Alhambra Boulevard, clearing out the offices and plant that had been

in use by this publication since April 1952.

A local Goss press that has continued to publish newspapers is used by Valley Oak Press, Inc., which publishes Valley Community Newspapers: the Arden-Carmichael News, the East Sacramento News, the Land Park News, and the Pocket News. It is located at 604 North Lincoln Way in Galt, and has the notoriety of being the last newspaper company-owned and operated printing press in Sacramento County.

Tony Peterson, Valley Oak’s print sales manager, said in a recent interview that the press also prints The Galt Herald, the Elk Grove Citizen, and the River Valley Times. The press additionally prints 40 to 50 outside commercial jobs, mostly in foreign languages, such as Punjabi and Russian.

Peterson started working in the Galt Herald building, where Valley Oak Press, Inc. is located, in 1984.

“Then I became kind of a utility person,” he said. “Wherever

somebody needed help, I would go in there and help them. Plus, I took care of the warehouse, where we store the rolls and plates, helped the press crew when needed, helped circulation when needed. So, yeah, pretty much just helped whoever needed help.”

Having been a pressman, he knows the printing press well.

“We can go 27,000 copies an hour, about 350 a minute,” he said. “We’ve got one press operator, then we(‘ve) got a second pressman. Right now, we(‘ve) got two press assistants. So, we have a four-man crew. The lead pressman and the second (pressman) actually run the press and set the inks and everything involved with that.”

The inks come in four colors: black, cyan, magenta and yellow, and the newsprint runs through the rollers four times to produce any shade needed.

“The joggers, as we call them, they catch the papers as they come off (the press) and spread

Photos by Mitch Barber

A jogger organizes papers in the pressroom at Valley Oak Press, Inc.

Pressmen are shown with the Goss printing press in operation at Valley Oak Press, Inc.

used on the Valley Oak Press printing press.

Printing Press

Continued from page 6

them out and bundle them, and put them on the pallets, and they get shipped out,” Peterson said.

Valley Oak pays close to $25,000 a month in shipping costs to the U.S. Postal Service and UPS, Inc.

Peterson was asked what he felt the press’s importance was in today’s digital society.

“That’s a good question,” he said. “Personally, I still like holding a newspaper and reading it. I know the younger generation, like my kids, they probably haven’t touched a paper since they had to do a report in high school. The older generation, I know my mom still reads hers every day.”

The Galt Herald building has what is called a morgue, carrying back issues of the Elk Grove Citizen back to 1909 and The Galt Herald back to 1935.

Peterson mentioned that the company’s press has been located at its current site since the late 1970s.

“They used to have a shop

over by the Galt Supermarket,” he said. “I actually remember –I don’t remember what grade, (but) probably first, second, third – going on one of the field trips that they used to take and going through the pressroom. And I remember it was very small and very tight. It was actually one of our press managers (who) said the back room to the pressroom was the back door to the Pizza Palace at the time.”

It does not s ound like the press is going to stop anytime soon, but keeping the press going requires care, Peterson noted.

“We do maintenance weekly,” he said. “The water system, we do the oil and lube, and set rollers and just general maintenance like you would on a car.”

Peterson was asked how much life the press had left in it.

“A lot,” he responded. “I’d say, they’re (the press units) from the 1970s, so they’re already 50 years old. So, if you maintain them and take care of them, they should go another 50 (years), hopefully.”

Pictured are magenta and yellow rollers on the Goss printing press at Valley Oak Press, Inc.

The Galt Herald building is the home of Valley Oak Press, Inc. The printing press is located in the back portion of this building.

Shown above is the vacant Sacramento Bee building at 21st and Q streets.

Mental Health

Continued from page 5

“My role in the Guardian Angels Peer Team is to train and mentor a selected group of students to become social and emotional supporters for their peers,” Weinandy said.

Along with choosing and training each year’s team of Angels, Weinandy is entr usted to assign Peer Team members to students.

“Peer Team members are assigned to students based on their availability, as well as what unique skill set they will offer to the student,” Weinandy said.

What sets this team apart from other forms of counseling is its easy accessibility and emphasis on students supporting each other.

“Peer counseling is such a safe outlet for so many students,” Cost said. “A lot of the time, especially with young people, there is a lack of knowledge of where to get help and, more still, young people would rather listen to young people.”

Peer Team members never lecture or advise their peers. They simply listen, offer suggestions, establish a connection and provide support.

“We want to make anyone reaching out to us feel safe and secure when being vulnerable,” Peer Team member

and junior Elise Blomquist said. “Anything a peer says to us stays confidential, unless it falls under one of the three exceptions: if someone is physically hurting them, if they are planning to physically hurt someone else, or if they are seriously injuring or planning to kill themself.”

While the Peer Team is known for providing support through individual counseling, they also run programs that promote team building and mental health awareness.

“We lead a variety of different activities on campus, such as support groups, assemblies, a podcast, and many group bonding activities,” the Peer Team’s senior leader, Isabella Martin, said.

The role of a Guardian Angel is not a job taken lightly by the team. They see it as a responsibility and a way to better their community.

“Being a Guardian Angel is truly a fulfilling job. I love supporting my peers and it allows me to make a positive impact on my community,” Martin said.

Blomquist added, “Being a part of the Peer Team is a privilege for me. Asking for help is incredibly difficult for many people, so I feel honored to be entrusted with their vulnerability and be able to provide comfort and support.”

The Peer Team members say the program has benefited the St. Francis community at large by defusing the stigma around mental health and creating a better environment for wellness.

“The Peer Team has provided students with an added layer of support,” Martin said. “Being in high school can come with a lot of challenges, so

having a Peer Team has really allowed mental health to be a priority on our campus.”

Team members were unanimous in saying the program should be recommended to other schools.

“Definitely,” Weinandy said. “In fact, other Catholic schools in the area are already looking into modeling programs after the Peer Team.”

As mental health challenges continue to grow even more prevalent, the Guardian Angels Peer Team hopes to become a more prominent resource and advocate for their community.

“They don’t know how many lives they have actually changed and helped, and I don’t think they’ll ever know,” Cost said.

Sacramento’s Read the Region book tour to celebrate National Independent Bookstore Day

For the third year in a row, nine Sacramento area bookstores are going big with the Read the Region book tour. This weekendlong event will be held April 28 to 30.

It celebrates National Independent Bookstore Day. Read the Region is quickly becoming a tradition where readers visit participating stores for special events, to shop for books and exclusive merchandise, and to collect prizes.

It’s a great way for locals in the Sacramento, Davis, Elk Grove and Folsom areas to discover and support independent bookstores.

At their first location, shoppers will download the Read the Region book tour app or pick up a paper passport to track their progress throughout the weekend.

With a minimum $10 purchase at each store, shoppers will receive unique giveaways like bookmarks, stickers, pins, and other prizes.

For every store they visit, shoppers will be given an entry ticket for a chance to win one of three huge prize baskets filled with all kinds of great bookstore swag. The more stores customers visit, the better their chances will be of winning.

All of the participating stores in this year’s tour will have full schedules of author signings, poetry readings, live music, sidewalk sales, kids’ programming, pop-up vendors, and more. Readers of all kinds can discover new and hard-to-find titles in their areas of interest, meet like-minded readers, nosh on snacks, and stock up on summer reads.

Bookstores that will be participating in this year’s Read the Region tour will be Amatoria Fine Art Books (1831 F St., Suite A, midtown Sacramento), A Seat at the Table Books (9257 Laguna Springs Drive #130, Elk Grove), The Avid Reader (617 2nd St., Davis), Capital Books (1011 K St., downtown Sacramento), East Village Bookshop (3604 McKinley Blvd., East Sacramento) Crawford’s Books (5301 Freeport Blvd., Hollywood Park, Sacramento), Ruby’s Books (724 Sutter St., Folsom), Underground Books (2814 35th St., Oak Park, Sacramento), and Wild Sisters Book Company (3960 60th St., Tahoe Park, Sacramento).

For information regarding each store’s offerings, event schedule, and hours, visit the website, www.ReadTheRegion.com.

Gro-Cado is creating family fun at Elks

6’s farmers’ market

Ruby, who is 4 years old, welcomes everyone with an Easter egg from her basket at the Sacramento Elks Lodge No. 6 farmers’ market.

Her mother, Venae, is a vendor at the market with Gro-Cado. It is an Auburn-based nursery dedicated to providing garden education and connecting the community through nature-inspired events and workshops.

Venae, who received her nursery license in 2021, said, “I started

Carnitas the dog seeks new home

“Hello, my name is Carnitas. I am a male, brown-and-white pit bull who was brought to the Front Street Animal Shelter as a stray on Feb. 28. I am about 3 and a half years old and I weigh about 62 pounds.

Previously, I lived in a foster home for a little while, and my foster parents said that I was the smartest boy and appeared to be potty trained and crate trained.

Although I love people, I don’t always get along with other dogs. However, with patience, I may be able to live with other dogs.

Perhaps I might whine a little at first, but I will sleep through the night and I will stay in a crate without issue when left alone.

I know the “sit” command, and my foster family is sure that I could learn a bunch of other tricks, because I love food.

A community member has paid for my adoption fee, so it would be free to adopt me.

To meet me, make sure I’m still available at www.FrontStreetShelter.org, then ask for me at the shelter from noon to 5 p.m. seven days a week. My animal identification number is A658196.”

Gro-Cado as a passion project to share my love for gardening with my community.”

The following year, she was able to reach more of the community by hosting events at local farmers’ markets. She is very happy to be at this year’s Elks 6 farmers’ market at 6446 Riverside Blvd.

“It is true joy to meet new people, share garden tips, and see families together while creating something fun inspired by nature,” she said.

Elks 6 member hams it up with Easter Bunny, wife at lodge’s farmers’ market

Stephen B. “Steve” Clazie, past exalted ruler of Sacramento Elks Lodge No. 6 member and a contributor to the Pocket News, entertains his wife, Joan, at the lodge’s farmers’ market by pretending to taste the Easter Bunny’s carrot.

The farmers’ market is held at 6446 Riverside Blvd. on Saturdays, from 8 a.m. to noon.

Photo courtesy of Front Street Animal Shelter Carnitas is a brown-and-white pit bull. His animal identification number is A653277.

Carnitas celebrates Easter with one of her friends at the Front Street Animal Shelter.

‘Please adopt me’

Afternoon Spring Camp coming to Effie Yeaw Nature Center

Amusements of the Past, an afternoon spring camp with instructor Chuck Kritzon, of Willow Deer Education, will be held at Effie Yeaw Nature Center, at 2850 San Lorenzo Way, Carmichael, inside Ancil Hoffman Park.

The camp will be offered on April 24 to 28, from 2:30 to 5:30 each of those days.

This in-depth camp will have your children make a wide variety of toys, games and whistles utilizing only stone and bone tools and materials found in our local

natural environment. This deep dive into our shared history gives kids a unique view into the lives of ancient peoples and how they created everything they needed to live by using only what was available to them from the natural environment.

When registering, you will be registering your camper for all five days of this camp.

To register, visit www. SacNatureCenter.net/Education/Nature-Camps/Spring.

For additional information, call (916) 876-4918.

Elks 6 offers vocational grants

Sacramento Elks Lodge No. 6, on the behalf of the California-Hawaii Elks Association, is offering vocational grants ranging from $500 to $2,000 for the first year.

There is an option to renew for a second year to anyone residing in the Sacramento area who is a citizen of the United States and planning to pursue an eligible vocational/technical course resulting in a certificate or two-year degree and leading to employment opportunities.

To fill out the application, visit www.chea-elks.org.

The program is open to male and female applicants, who will be judged on an equal basis. While graduating high school seniors may apply, it is not limited to high school students – in fact, it is open to all prospective students who require training or retraining to compete in the workplace.

The vocational grant is for

one academic year, with an option to renew for one additional academic year. This grant may be used only for usual and required costs of a student’s course of study; that is, for tuition and fees, room and board (if living on campus) and books and supplies. Payment will be made to the school. Awards will be between $500 and $2,000 for an academic year, depending on the length of the course.

The definition of an eligible program shall be comparable to that contained in the federal vocational legislation. That is defined as a two-year or less vocational/technical program culminating in a terminal associate’s degree, diploma or certificate, but less than a bachelor’s degree. Students planning to transfer to a four-year school to pursue a bachelor’s degree are not eligible to apply.

Examples of courses ap -

proved recently are six-month police academy, 13-month cosmetology, three-month electrical line worker, 13-month veterinary technology, and two-year fire science.

A student must plan to attend school on a full-time basis for a minimum of 60 days. An academic year is determined to be a minimum of nine months (about 39 weeks) of continuous full-time study.

Payments may not be used to cover retroactive charges and may only be applied to expenses in the academic year.

Applications for Sacramento residents must be filed with the scholarship chairman, exalted ruler, or secretary of Sacramento Elks Lodge No. 6 at 6446 Riverside Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95831. An application may only be filed with one lodge.

For additional information, call (916) 422-6666.

Amusements of the Past, an afternoon spring camp, will be led by instructor Chuck Kritzon, of Willow Deer Education.

Scenes from Land Park Volunteer Corps‘ Park Work Day, April 1

The Land Park Volunteer Corps (LPVC), on April 1, spent its first Park Work Day of the year weeding and trimming planter beds and cleaning up from previous storms along 11th Avenue, from Riverside Boulevard to Freeport Boulevard.

More than 100 people, in-

cluding students from C.K. McClatchy and John F. Kennedy high schools, participated in the event.

The Land Park Volunteer Corps was founded by neighbors in that area in 2010 to assist with the maintenance and care of William Land Park.

LPVC volunteers typically

meet on the first Saturday of March through November to help maintain the park. Last month’s Park Work Day was canceled due to rainy weather.

For more information about this organization, visit www. Facebook.com/LandParkVolunteerCorps.

Photo courtesy of Land Park Volunteer Corps

Italian language classes offered this spring

The Italian Cultural Society of Sacramento is committed to presenting high-quality, online or in-person Italian language instruction taught by experienced, professional, classroom instructors and native speakers.

Teachers and staff have cre-

ated fun, interactive and effective language programs to assist people to begin learning or improving their Italian.

Learn Italian from the comfort and convenience of your own home or office.

Those who already speak some

Doggy Dash to celebrate 30th anniversary

Italian and are uncertain which class is best for them can contact the program’s director, Patrizia Cinquini Cerruti, at (916) 4825900 for assistance.

Registration is now available through the website. www.ItalianCenter.net.

On Saturday, April 22, join thousands of walkers at William Land Park as we lace up our shoes and leash up our pups for Doggy Dash, the Sacramento Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ (SPCA) largest fundraiser of the year and an opportunity to celebrate the amazing commitment of our community to healthy, happy and unconditional relationships between dogs and their people.

Your registration and participation in the Doggy Dash 2K/5K walk and pet festival helps the Sacramento SPCA provide direct care to more than 40,000 animals each year in our community.

The cost to register for this event is $30. For general event information, contact Jessica Miller at (916) 504-2868 or jmiller@sspca.org.

33. You have 3 per day

Goes into

College athletic organization

College in Rome

Wet, muddy ground

Talk

Let the games begin!

Celebrate National Superhero Day at Fairytale Town

Calling all superheroes. Come dressed in your capes and masks for a day of fun at Fairytale Town from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 29: National Superhero Day.

Have your child wear their superhero costume when you visit Fairytale Town and receive half off one child admission with one paid adult admission.

Meet your favorite superheroes and complete a superhero craft activity.

Weekend admission is $8 for adults and children, ages 2 years old and older. Member s and children, ages 1 and younger, will be admitted for free.

Adults must be accompanied by children, and children must be accompanied by adults in order to gain admittance to the park at 3901 Land Park Drive.

For additional information, visit the website, www.FairytaleTown.org.

Puzzle Solutions

Photos by Kate Pohl