Las Noticias Jun 2012 - Sister City Committee
Transcription
Las Noticias Jun 2012 - Sister City Committee
Editor: David G. Gorbet (805) 687-0057 [email protected] Website:sbpvsistercity.org and now I’m just trying to replicate her footsteps. Thank you Jan. One very immediate opportunity for camaraderie among our members is the excursion to the Solvang PCPA musical, “Little Women” on June 20th. President’s Message Interesting transition… One day I’m just a carefree member of the Board of Directors…participating in committees, yes, but not having the responsibility for the results…The next day, I’m cast into the Presidency, bearing the responsibility for the leadership of the SB/PV Sister City Committee. You’ll never know how it feels until you have to make sure that this event happens or that that committee’s action takes place as planned, “and keep all of those balls up in the air”. I’m not complaining, but just expressing myself about the many tangents of activities that our committee tackles. All of a sudden I’m vividly aware of what it takes to make our “peopleto-people” program work. Luckily, I had the good fortune of watching Jan Olivas, who served as an excellent presidential model at work, This live musical is a wonderful production and the cost ($35:00) includes transportation from La Cumbre Shopping Center’s Parking Lot. You won’t want to miss this and be able to attend with your friends from SB/PV. Call Barbara Ellis (805-898-0245) or Barbara Najera (805-687-6034. If you love live theatre, you’ll want to save money and buy the 4-Event Package for $125.00. Last time I checked with Barbara Ellis there were still a few seats left. You’ll want to dress warmly because this is an “open-air” theatre and the evenings get chilly. Please see the accompanying ad in this newsletter. Another SB/PV sponsored event is our annual Strawberry Festival on June 24th at the lovely home of Art & Barbara Najera. This too, is a great opportunity for us to get together in a social setting. Please refer to the accompanying article for details. Our immediate challenge is to prepare for the Puerto Vallarta Visitation…a delegation of 28 persons plus a few police officers who come for training and a few city officials who come to represent their city government. That figure might change slightly as the time draws near, but come July 19th, they’ll be here. 1 Our immediate task is to get our “Housing Committee” to find available guest rooms in our members’ homes to house them. If you have a spare guest room and care to have a close relationship with a member or a couple from Puerto Vallarta, please call Jan Olivas (805-687-4412) or Jacqueline Duran (805-284-2037). Those of us who have shared our spare guest room in the past still have warm relationships with our guests and this gets to the heart of the “people to people” program ideal. ! Our next immediate task is to get our “Activities Committee” to plan for a week’s worth of activities to entertain our guests. The “Gran Fandango” Committee has been at work for over a month planning the Tardeada Event for Sunday, July 22nd. (I’ll give you a hint… The Martinez Brothers Band will play at the event)! That event will be the highlight of the visitation and you will want to make your reservations early because El Paseo will hold us to a specified seating capacity. The committee is hard at work to verify a host of other activities that we will sponsor. Don’t overlook this opportunity for you to get to know our Puerto Vallarta guests better! Sign up to attend the events! If you happen to have a good idea for an event or place to take our guests, please call the committee chairs: Marti Correa de Garcia (805-965-8561), Raul Navarro (805-680-4272) or Blas Garza (805-963-9847). If you ever needed a vacation with plenty of local friends and everything planned for you…This Is It!! Our Visitation to Puerto Vallarta is scheduled for November 6th to the 15th, but we must begin planning for that right now. Puerto Vallarta is a safe city and not having any of the problems that other cities of Mexico are having! This is a 10-day trip which is sure to be packed with dinners, dances and excursions. Once again, we will be staying at Hotel Playa Los Arcos, right on the beach and in the middle of downtown, but your reservation must be in to Alice Vazquez by June 15th with a deposit of $545.00 per person. The balance, per person, depending on room occupancy, will be due on September 1st. Total trip cost per person is: Single Occupancy: $1582.00; Double Occupancy: $1206.00; Triple Occupancy: $1080.00. You definitely will not want to miss the June General Meeting, which will be held at “El Torito” on Cabrillo Boulevard. The guest speaker will be Bud Bottoms, who plans to detail for us his work for the Dolphin Fountains (Santa Barbara and Puerto Vallarta). These fountains have now become the symbol for our sister city relationship. Finally, when you fly out of the Santa Barbara Airport, you can look forward to seeing a large painting acknowledging the Sister Cities of Santa Barbara as you depart from the escalator. The Six Sister City Committees of Santa Barbara are cooperating with the airport to bring attention to our “people-to-people” activities and the Board has approved a $210.00 contribution to go toward the project. This is an excellent opportunity for the “flying public” to know of our sister cities. Well, that’s enough for my first newsletter article. See you at our events. Blas Maria Garza Jr. El Presidente DINNER MEETING Date: Wednesday, June 6, 2012 Social hour: 6:00 p.m. Dinner: 6:30 p.m. Price: $20.00 Place: El Torito – 29 E. Cabrillo Blvd (by the Beach) Menu: A sumptuous combination plate of an enchilada, taco and chili relleno with rice and beans and a beverage! Sounds good to me….I’m hungry already!! Program: Bud Bottoms and how he cast and produced the duplicate Dolphin Fountains in both Santa Barbara and Puerto Vallarta….quite an interesting story! You need to hear it from the man himself… E-mail your meal reservations to LaV Peery at [email protected] or call 963-5449 by Sunday, June 3. prefer you make your meal reservations by e-mail to [email protected] at all possible. PLEASE REMEMBER TO MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS NO LATER THAN SUNDAY, JUNE 3…..OR AS SOON AS YOU RECEIVE THE NEWSLETTER!! RESERVATIONS ARE CALLED IN ON MONDAY AFTERNOON. PLEASE MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS EARLY! AND REMEMBER……A RESERVATION MADE…..IS A RESERVATION PAID! NEXT BOARD MEETING Board Meeting June 12, at 6:30 p.m. at Merrill Lynch, 1424 State Street (courtesy of Jacqueline Duran).. All members are welcome to attend. BADGES New members - Let me know when you are coming to the dinner meeting so I can be sure to have your badge. Please either call me at 684-4724 to make arrangements to pick up your badges or come to our dinner meeting and see what a great time we have! This is what Sister City’s all about. People to people. Alice Vazquez 2 UPCOMING CALENDAR June 6 June 12 June 24 July 7 Dinner Meeting Board Meeting Strawberry Social!! Art/Barbara Najera’s Home Dinner Meeting Joe & Alice Vazquez Home July 10 July 19-26 July 22 Aug 19 Sept 9 Oct 25 Nov 6-15 Board Meeting PV Here – Stay tuned for events El Fandango – Special Anniversary Edition! US/MSCA BBQ – Redondo Beach 9/11 Concert – Unity Church UN Dinner To PV ------------------- Renewals The following members have renewed and are continuing to have fun being part of this organization! Socorro Zavala John Kelly Jose/Irene Ornelas David/Rickie Minier Wanda Wheelan Tom Tomasi Pat Fallin Maria Ellen Recod Kathy Koury Jan/Richard Olivas …and then we ALL have these new members: Lupe Cabrera Zahida Carrera Rosanne/Harold Crawford (Old – but new again!) Rose Ballestero - Wellness Get well cards were sent to: Kevin O'Dea Barbara Najera Sympathy cards were sent to: Cheli Hidalgo Suki Ornelas If you know of anyone who is ill, PLEASE let either JANE GORBET or a board member know! No cards can be sent unless you let us know how our members are doing. The phone numbers for your board members are included in every newsletter. Jane may be reached at 687-0057. Thanks for your help. Santa Barbara/Puerto Vallarta 40th Anniversary In the various celebrations being planned, if you find one that really “calls” to you, Marti Correa is the chairperson of the committee. Give her a call….I’m sure she’d be glad to have your assistance. And don’t forget our trip to Vallarta….it’s going to be a year long party! You know what a great time we have on a regular trip. Just imagine what it will be like on an anniversary trip!! We will be taking deposits until June 15 so hurry and make up your mind to come party with us! Host Families for the 2012 Summer Visitation We have had a most gratifying response to our request for Host Families for our Puerto Vallarta Brothers & Sisters. President Laurel Carrillo informed us that they would be sending 27 guests plus additional governmental representatives to Santa Barbara for our celebration of 40 Years of Friendship Visitation. I would like to extend heartfelt thanks to the following declared hosts: Bob & Becky Betancourt Raul Navarro & LaV Peery Craig & Marcia Nielsen Helen Caldwell & Barbara Ellis John & Barbara Ahlman Blas & Mary Garza Gil & Marti Garcia Richard & Jan Olivas Barbara & Art Najera Angie Shaw Joe & Alice Vazquez Dave & Jane Gorbet Evie Treen We still need to place one couple and two single women plus the city council representatives and possibly the Mayor of Puerto Vallarta. We have work to do but because of the generosity & loyalty of the above members, we can take a deep breath and step forward to finish this task with the confidence that we will locate more excellent host families for our guests. Why don’t you call us, join this illustrious group of Santa Barbara Sister City Members and host a visitor, thereby ensuring a most excellent summer. Jan Olivas: 687- 4412 Jacqueline Duran: 284-2037 Host Family Committee 3 Opening Ceremonies You missed a great time at our May Dinner Meeting….WOW!! Our very own “Spirit of Fiesta,” then there was Omar Arreola (sigh) followed by Lois Mahalia (gulp)….world class entertainment for a world class audience…The hall looked like a cabaret (thanks to Romie & Angie). We had excellent food…. excellent company – we had past presidents from “way back when…” to now. But YOU weren’t there – and we missed you. And YOU are what make Sister Cities. Maybe next time when we call and ask you to come out……you will say YES!! Sure hope so! _______ ______ 2012 Strawberry Social June 24th 2:00 – 4:00 Home of Art & Barbara Najera 1397 Santa Teresita Drive Santa Barbara, CA Cost:$10 plus A-L delectable desserts M-Z salads RSVP:LaV Peery (805) 963-5449 Strawberry Social with a Theme Many of you attended our 40th Anniversary Kick-Off Dinner at the Elks last month. Some of you brought your photo albums to share. There was so much going on at this meeting that most of us didn’t get to see the albums. We thought that the relaxed environment of the Strawberry Social would be a great venue for leisurely perusing these albums. Please bring them to this event so we have another chance to look at these precious photos. Cheli Hidalgo made an album especially for our anniversary and this album will be available for your review. Past Presidents might want to share their experiences by creating a story board. You can purchase a three way board at Staples for $6 and display the photos of your year(s) at the helm. We want to encourage a year of sharing & appreciating what we have created together. Jan Olivas 4 TAXCO, GUERRERO, MEXICO FRIENDSHIP VISITATION August 5-9, 2012 On August 5, 15 Taxco visitors are coming on a friendship exchange to Santa Barbara and they return home August 10. We look forward to sharing Santa Barbara, Solvang, and Bakersfield hospitality and they will share a video on their silver jewelry artistry. Artisans from Taxco are world famous for their handcrafted jewelry. They transform pure silver into lovely jewelry with either classic or trendy designs. Last May 2011 a group of Sister City members went to the Mexico/US Sister Cities Conference in the state of Morelos, Mexico. We toured several “pueblos”, prior to the conference and one was Taxco, Guerrero. Taxco de Alarcon, Mexico's silver capital, is a charming colonial town nestled in the mountains of Guerrero between Mexico City and Acapulco . The town's winding cobblestone streets and whitewashed houses with red tile roofs, and its impressive Santa Prisca cathedral all combine to make Taxco a lovely and picturesque town. This is our first announcement asking for host families. A schedule of events has been prepared. On August 7th, we take them to Bakersfield where they will be hosted overnight by our famous Bakersfield annex Sister City members. If you would like to be a host family, please contact Marti Correa de Garcia (805) 680-2163 or e-mail her at [email protected]. Keep in mind; we plan a trip to Taxco again in 2013 and you will not want to miss the warm hospitality they offer with home hosting when we visit. Taxco, Guerrero 5 Theater in Solvang UPDATE ON PCPA OUTINGS: There are a few tickets left for the remainder of the season: The Rivals - a comedy Legally Blond - a musical Daddy Long Legs - a musical - Seats are going fast! Don't miss out! Wednesday, July 11th Wednesday, August 9th Wednesday, August 29th Join in the fun! Call or write Barbara for your reservations: [email protected] 898-0245 Jaime Sodusta, president of the San Juan/SB sister city committee and his wife Anita are members of the Filipino Community center on State Street where they teach line dancing every Friday at 7pm and all are invited. 6 PV Trip - Last Call Reservations have been made at “our” hotel in Puerto Vallarta for this year….and they know it’s our anniversary! So you know they’ll be doing something “special” for us. We have diligently worked with our travel agent to come up with a fare that will entice you to join us! We will once again be flying Alaska and as was the case last year, airline fares will have to be paid by July 1and the balance of the trip will be due September 1. So we will be calling the “air fare”the “deposit.” Deposits will be $545.00 per person. Last day to make reservations/deposits will be June 15, 2012. Final payment will be due September 1. There will be no refunds if you cancel once you have made your deposit. Our reason for no refunds is that when tickets are issued and then our members cancel, the tickets may still be used within a year (subject to fees). The Terms and Conditions form is included with this newsletter. Please fill it out completely and return it to Joe and Alice Vazquez at 4726 Malibu Drive, Carpinteria, CA 93013. If you want travel insurance, please check with the travel agent you generally use. We do not provide these forms. You will note a new line on the Terms and Conditions form. Alaska Airlines now requires your Passport Number as well as your birthdate. So don’t be afraid of putting down your birthdate….no one will know except for Joe and myself….and we’re not telling anyone (except Alaska)!! Mark your calendars! Bring your deposit checks to the May dinner meeting! We’re going to Puerto Vallarta! Prices for this year’s trip are as follows and are per person: Nov 6-15 Single Occupancy: Double Occupancy: Triple Occupancy: $1582.00 $1206.00 $1080.00 Deposit: $545.00 per person. And don’t forget....dues must be current 2012 - 2012 Board of Directors Blas Garza, President…..............963-9847 Pat Fallin, 1st Vice Pres….....…..688-2760 Raul Navarro, 2nd V P…….....…..963-5449 Romie Alvarado, Director……….963-7549 Miguel Avila, Director……..……..896-0581 Bea Molina, Director…………….966-7490 Marti Correa, Treasurer...............680-2169 Jacqueline Duran, Corres Secy..284-2037 Alice Vazquez, Recording Secy..684-4724 Jan Olivas, Ex-Officio………..….687-4412 7 8 SANTA BARBARA/PUERTO VALLARTA SISTER CITY COMMITTEE 2012 ANNUAL PUERTO VALLARTA VISITATION TERMS & CONDITIONS This trip is planned only for paid-up members of the Santa Barbara/Puerto Vallarta Sister City Committee. No one who is not a member is allowed to attend or participate in its functions. The Committee acts only in the capacity of an agent for contractors in Mexico and the United States. Such contractors shall be responsible for providing the services outlined on the express condition that the Committee shall not become liable for any injury, loss, accident or negligence of any contractors, such as hotels or transportation companies, or if any person rendering the services of accommodations as outlined herein cannot be provided due to delays or other causes beyond the control of the Committee such as weather, strikes, or quarantine. Each participant shall become liable for any additional expenses resulting from such unforeseen delays and/or other causes. The Committee is promoting this visitation as a package and the price being paid is for the entire package. Each participant will be responsible for his own medical devices/equipment required on this visitation. If any special requirements are expected from the hotel, each participant will notify the Committee at the time of the initial deposit for this trip. November 6, 2012 – November 15, 2012 Round trip airfare from Los Angeles Ground transportation round trip - Santa Barbara/Los Angeles Hotel accommodations at Playa Los Arcos - Puerto Vallarta I have read and understand the terms and conditions above. Signed:_____________________________________ Date:_____________ Print name:__________________________________Birthdate:__________ Passport No:_________________________________ Signed:_____________________________________ Date:_____________ Print name:__________________________________Birthdate:__________ Passport No:_________________________________ In emergency notify:_____________________________________ PH:__________________________________ PLEASE SIGN AS YOUR NAME APPEARS ON PASSPORT OR BIRTH CERTIFICATE 9 Photos from the May SB/PV Sister City Friendship Dinner (top left) Blas Garza receives Presidential gavel, badge & Presidency from Ex-Offico Jan Olivas (top center) Ed Foley, SBPV President 1975, addresses the group (top right) Daniela Zermeno enchants the group with her flamenco renditions (middle left) Past Presidents honored at 40th Anniversary Kick-Off Dinner (middle center) Ruben Cintron receives Law Enforcement Exchange Plaque of Honor from Evie Treen (bottom left) Sheriff Geoff Banks of the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department addresses the group (bottom right) The 2012-13 Board of Directors is installed by Evie Treen (photos courtesy of John Ahlman) 10