CALENDAR OF EVENTS

To submit an upcoming community event, email it to valleyeditor@reedermedia.com, put “attention events” in the subject line.

CHILDREN’S EVENTS

June 26 – 6-7:30 p.m. Smash Book DIY at the Ronald H. Roberts Temecula Public Library, 30600 Pauba Road. Smash books are a creative, low stress and fun way to collect together different thoughts, dreams, feelings and interests. Participants will be provided with examples, blank journals and art supplies to begin their own smash book. Program is for grades 7-12 and limited to 25 participants. Register by calling 951-693-8940.

June 30 – 7 p.m.Murrieta Public Library hosts Pinto Bella and her hula hoops at Murrieta Town Square Park and Amphitheater, 1 Town Square in Murrieta. Get ready to learn about different kinds of hula hoops and movements, watch a performance with multiple hoops and practice your “air hoops.” Pinto Bella is a movement artist, musician, fire performer, visual artist and educator who is touring the U.S. this summer.

July 3 – 6 to 7:30 p.m. Come compete in Magical Trivia & Pizza at the Ronald H. Roberts Temecula Public Library, 30600 Pauba Road. The teen program is for grades 7-12. Enjoy a magical evening of themed trivia, games, prizes and pizza. Costumes are welcome. Sponsored by the Temecula Teen Library Council. Registration required, which can be made at the library reference desk or by calling 951-693-8940. Limited to 40 participants. For more information, visit https://TemeculaCA.gov/ Library.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Now to July 27 – 7 p.m. Temecula’s Summer Concert Series begins with a great lineup of local bands at the Temecula Amphitheater, 30875 Rancho Vista Road. Gates open Thursdays at 5 p.m. with the final outdoor concert at Temecula’s Civic Center, 41000 Main Street, starting at 6:30 p.m. Bring blankets, lawn chairs and snacks. First concert June 22 features Jumping Jack Flash.

June 24 – 2-9 p.m. Attend the 32nd Murrieta Birthday Bash at California Oaks Sports Park, 40600 California Oaks Road, with vendors, food and music. K-Tel All Stars is headlining the musical performances with 70s hits. For more information, contact the Murrieta Community Services Dept. at 951-304-7275.

June 24 – 4-9:30 p.m. City of Menifee invites the community to celebrate our nation’s independence at the annual Independence Celebration presented by Temecula Valley Toyota and TemeculaValley

Lexus at Wheatfield Park, 30627 Menifee Road. Many activities for all ages including a community parade, kids’ zone ($15 wristband required), food and craft vendors, beer garden, and live music. The evening will conclude with a spectacular fireworks display starting at 9 p.m.

June 30 – 7 p.m. Attend a hula hooping class at Murrieta Town Square Park and Amphitheater in Murrieta. Get ready to twist, twirl and learn tricks with hula hoops. Discover this playful activity for all ages. Bring chairs, blankets and hula hoops.

July 4 – 10 a.m. Temecula’s annual Fourth of July Extravaganza begins with a parade, beginning in the south end of Old Town Temecula and traveling from arch to arch. Fireworks at 9 p.m Ronald Reagan sports Park, 30875 Rancho Vista Road, Temecula.

July 12 to Aug. 23 – 5-9 p.m. Sunset Market every second and fourth Wednesday of the month. The market will feature live entertainment, a gourmet food court and some of the finest artisans and craftspeople in Southern California. The family friendly event is located in Town Square Park in Old Town Temecula.

ONGOING – Riverside Transportation Commission is offering Park and Ride lots to connect with carpools, vanpools and transit systems in Beaumont at 600 E. Sixth Street in San Jacinto; at 501 S. San Jacinto Avenue and in Temecula at Grace Presbyterian Church, 31143 Nicolas Road, open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. but not on weekends.

ONGOING – Line dancing classes are held Wednesdays at Lake Elsinore/Wildomar Elks

Lodge, 33700 Mission Trail, in Wildomar across from the Animal

Friends of the Valleys. Classes have a DJ with learning levels beginning to intermediate. Have fun and exercise at the same time at $5 per lesson. Contact Joyce Hohenadl at 951-674-2159.

ONGOING – Sun City Civic Association Monthly Square Dance sessions are held Sundays from 1:30-5 p.m. at 26850 Sun City Boulevard.

ONGOING – If you know a homebound older adult, resources in Menifee are available, including grab-and-go, cooked and frozen food for pickup. Courtesy pantry items and meals delivered with no contact. Three days of emergency food can be delivered immediately or restaurant meal delivery for those who don’t qualify for food assistance programs. Call the California Department on Aging at 800-510-2020 for help.

ONGOING – The Riverside County COVID-19 Business Assistance Grant Program is accepting online applications for business grants up to $10,000 at www.rivercobizhelp.org that can be used for employee retention, working capital, personal protective equipment purchases, rent or mortgage payments and paying vendor notices. Eligible businesses, including nonprofits, must be in Riverside County, with a minimum of one but less than 50 employees and operating for at least one year since March 1. For more information, call Riverside County Business and Community Services at 951-955-0493.

ONGOING – 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Temecula Winchester Swap Meet continues, 33280 Newport Road in Winchester. Saturdays and Sundays only. The small local swap meet is only 50 cents for entry, and anyone under age 10 is free admission. No dogs allowed.

ONGOING – 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Every Sunday, Murrieta Village Walk Farmers Market is at Village Walk Place in Murrieta. The Sunday morning farmers market at Village Walk Plaza is a place to buy fruits and veggies, gourmet food and crafts. Come to the center in the northwest corner of Kalmia/ Cal Oaks at the Interstate 215 exit in Murrieta.

ONGOING – Temecula’s Farmers Markets are offered in Old Town Temecula Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to noon, 4100 Main Street in Temecula; at Promenade Temecula, 40640 Winchester Road, outside JCPenney every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and at Vail Headquarters, 32115 Temecula Parkway, every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. In compliance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Riverside County Public Health orders, the farmers markets will be restricted to agriculture products only. Fol-

Local symphony stirs writer’s soul

Tim O’Leary Special to the Valley News May I please introduce you to the magic of music and those who make it? In this case, the chimes are classical, and the makers populate the Temecula Valley Symphony. Those professional music makers stir my soul with angelic sounds, all steeped in melody, unity, history, beauty, tradition and poise. It is perfection, pure and simple with 60 or so instruments often punctuated by stirring solos and blended voices.

But once again, dear friends, I am getting ahead of myself. I know that I need to start at the beginning. And in this case, the window to this world was opened by a high school pal, Ed Castelano. My experiences with music were limited when he and I became co-workers as teenagers.

My move to the suburbs came on the heels of my father owning a bar and restaurant which, of course, came with a Wurlitzer jukebox. I fell in love with Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison there, but I was baffled by the Beatles. The Rolling Stones were raucous. Nat King Cole was my mother’s favorite crooner. Elvis was the king and Patsy Cline was the queen.

But, alas, I was musically inept. My drum lessons were a bust. I struck a bad chord with guitar lessons. For me, speaking Russian would have been easier than reading music.

Castelano played the rock guitar when we met, but he soon drifted into symphonic music. From him I learned of Arturo Toscanini, whom many consider history’s greatest conductor. From Castelano, I also learned of the beauty of the music that traces nature’s whims and has kept humanity’s pulse through wars, pain and pleasure.

He was admitted to the prestigious Eastman School of Music and later went on to play in the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra. He was my best man at my first wedding, but we lost touch when I moved to Texas. Fast forward to California, a divorce and a new relationship. Margaret lived in Hillcrest and I lived in Menifee when we met on the internet. She had season tickets low the Old Town Temecula Farmers Market on Facebook to stay updated. No pets allowed.

WORKSHOPS, MEETINGS, NOTICES

June 24 – 5-8 p.m. Attend the opening night of the Nature Education Foundation at the Santa Rosa Plateau’s summer Art Show and Summer Kick-Off with local artists, receptions and no-host wine and craft beers. A youth ballet by Junior Company Showcase highlights the event. Tickets required. See www.the-nef.org for details and prices.

June 26 – 6 p.m. Temecula Valley Historical Society Free Presentation by Aditi Wocester. Worcester will present information regarding conducting research at the San Diego County Archives, a collection that holds an estimated 65,000 recorded maps, 250 cubic feet of historic birth, death and marriage records, 600 cubic feet of official records, and an estimated 40,000 rolls of microfilm. Presentation will take place at the Little Temecula History Center, the red barn at the corner of Redhawk Parkway and Wolf Store Road. Questions or info on the presentation may be addressed to Rebecca Farnbach at info@temeculahistory.org.

ONGOING – Want to help deployed American troops remotely? Help shop for the most needed items without leaving home as an easy way to help support deployed men and women by purchasing items remotely and having them delivered to MilVet at designated drop-off locations for packing. All items on the list are special requests from deployed military men and women. MilVet is a nonprofit organization that holds monthly packaging events at different community locations in the area. For drop-off locations and packaging locations, visit www.milvet.org/ military-care-packages.

ONGOING – Multiple Sclerosis Support Group Meeting meets the third Monday of each month at the Mary Phillips Senior Center, 41845 Sixth Street, in Temecula from 10 a.m. to noon. For more information, email gaugustin206@ gmail.com or join the meeting.

ONGOING– Sons of Norway/ Scandinavia meets at noon the first Saturday of every month, September to June, at the Heritage Mobile Park Clubhouse, 31130 S. General Kearny Road, in Temecula. ONGOING – Menifee Commu- to the San Diego Symphony. We spent many dreamy evenings in Symphony Hall and the orchestra’s outdoor venues by the bay. Eventually we married and split the distance, settling in Fallbrook. But making round trips on trafficchoked Friday nights more and more became a chore. Thus, and with great joy, we discovered the Temecula Valley Symphony.

I have always loved it more than San Diego’s symphony. Temecula’s symphony has always had a bootstrap feel, a blue collar slant that is closer to my roots than the snooty set in San Diego.

My recent freedom from caregiving, as Margaret is now settled in a Boston-area dementia facility near her son and his extended family, has allowed me to return to this beloved art form.

I have attended several concerts as well as the Saturday, April 8, talk by conductor John Mario and cellist Ruslan Biryukov. The two teased each other over tales of composers Mozart, Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich. Their talk attracted about 45 avid listeners to the Ronald H. Roberts Temecula Public Library.

I also have reconnected with Susan Miyamoto, who oversees the orchestra. Many locals know her as a stalwart foe of the Liberty Quarry proposal. She is also a professional piano teacher who shares a Temecula studio with other local music teachers.

Having struggled to survive the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns, the symphony capped its 20222023 Season of Hope on a high note, with four standing ovations at the Temecula Valley High School auditorium Saturday, April 22. The nonprofit has charted its future with a strategic plan that aims to spur “a new beginning.” It does not nity Services offers online driver’s education courses for a $21.95 fee. The course includes animated driving scenarios, instructional videos, sample tests, licensed instructor available to answer questions, DMV-approved certificate of completion with all lectures and exams completed from home. Designed for students and does not include behind-the-wheel instruction or a California driver’s permit. Contact 951-723-3880 or visit the city of Menifee to register at www. city of menifee.us.

ONGOING – 10-11:30 a.m.

Michelle’s Place Cancer Resource Center and The Elizabeth Hospice host a virtual support meeting for caregivers every second and fourth week of the month via Zoom. Get helpful tips and learn from others who are also dealing with similar challenges. For more information and to register, contact The Elizabeth Hospice Grief Support Services at 833-349-2054.

ONGOING – Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous, a free 12step recovery program for anyone suffering from food obsession, overeating, undereating or bulimia, has meetings throughout the U.S. and the world. Contact 781932-6300, or for local meetings, call 925-321-0170 or visit www. foodaddicts.org.

ONGOING – The Murrieta Garden Club meets each month at the Murrieta Community Center, 41810 Juniper St. Anyone who likes to garden or is interested in plants is welcome. Membership is $10 per year. Find more information about the monthly event or project on Facebook.

ONGOING – Temecula Valley Rose Society meets each month. For more information and new meeting dates and places, visit www.temeculavalleyrosesociety. org gloss over the challenges, which have become more obvious as the public’s music tastes have drifted away from the classics.

ONGOING – Menifee Toastmasters meets every Thursday at noon for one hour at a designated place to have fun, enhance speaking capabilities, gain self-confidence and improve social skills. For new dates, call 760-807-1323 or visit www.MenifeeToastmasters.org for more information.

ONGOING – Homeless veterans can receive free help by dialing 877-424-3838 for 24/7 access to the VA’s services for homeless, at-risk veterans. Chat is confidential for veterans and friends. Visit www.va.gov/homeless.

Time magazine might have first written about the trend in June 2001 with a piece headlined: “Is

The Symphony Orchestra Dying?”

According to the article, “the nation’s 1,600 symphonies today face the greatest challenge ever to their existence.” It ticked off a few big cities – Oakland, New Orleans, Denver and Birmingham, Alabama, among them – that had folded in previous years.

It reeled off the financial difficulties that the surviving symphonies face, noting: “The numbers are grim.” It warned that “orchestras are in danger of becoming cultural dinosaurs.”

The New York Times did a similar analysis in June 2005. The New Republic followed suit in August 2013, and “ABC News” echoed the lament in April 2017.

Yet Temecula survives on a shoestring. The orchestra had a $171,574 budget during the last fiscal year. Of that, nearly $48,000 was paid to the musicians and soloists. Concert tickets covered $50,850 of the total operating expenses. The rest of the funds came from grants, donations and tuition payments from the symphony’s youth program.

According to the group’s strategic plan – released in October 2022 – the organization has the vision, strengths, talents and abilities to become a regional symphony that can partner with businesses, schools and local governments.

“TVS has served the Temecula Valley for 25 years and now stands poised to grow into the symphony orchestra the Temecula Valley community deserves,” according to the plan.