Serving the communities of Valley Springs, Burson and Wallace

April 30

An 8.9-gram gold nugget necklace donated by Firefall Jewelers is one of the auction items available at the Tri-County Children’s Golf Tournament Banquet.

New golf tournament attracts media attention

By Nick Baptista

   Valley Springs and La Contenta Golf Course will be in the media spotlight during the inaugural Tri-County Children’s Golf Tournament on Friday, May 21.

   Reporter Alan Sanchez from Good Day Sacramento Channel 31 will be on hand with a live remote broadcast for most of the festivities, according to event organizer Ed Iturralde.

   “Valley Springs definitely will be on the map,” Iturralde said.

   The first-time Tri-County Children’s Golf Tournament is a benefit for autism and foster care in Calaveras, Amador and Tuolumne counties.

   In addition to a tournament for 144 golfers, the event will include an awards banquet, dancing and live and silent auctions at the La Contenta Events Center.

   “The community has been outstanding in its support,” Iturralde said. “I’m impressed. I’ve had experience with four previous tournaments and I’ve never seen support like this. It’s totally remarkable.”

   The community has been very generous in donations to the event, he added.

   Some of those donations include an 8.9-gram gold nugget necklace from Firefall Jewelers and H & R Block’s sponsorship of a $10,000 hole-in-one. The gold nugget is valued at $2,000. Other donors include The Dollar Store, Passion Flower Boutique.

   The player entry fee is $360 for four players or $110 per player. The format is a four-person scramble with check-in at 11 a.m. and a shotgun start at 1 p.m.

   In addition to the $10,000 hole-in-one, there are three other hole-in-one prizes.

   There will be prizes for first and last place, along with closest to the hole.

   The awards banquet will feature a chicken or tri-tip buffet along with pasta, garlic potatoes, caesar salad and wine at each table.

   Dancing will be to the musical sounds of the “After Dark” band. For those who do not golf, but want to attending the dinner-dance, tickets are $40 per person.

   Sponsorships ranging from $1,500 to $500 are also available and include from eight to four player entries.

   For more information, or to get a sign-up form, contact Geoff Cooper at (209) 256-6967, or visit the organization’s website at www.tricountyautismgroup.com.

   Iturralde, who adopted three children who formerly were in foster homes, said the event will be used to fund resources for autism and foster care in the three-county area. Funds will help finance classes, workshops and meetings for the parents and help them to understand the needs of their children.  

April 16

Brett Riley

Valley Springs man wins $3,000 on Wheel of Fortune

   The Wheel of Fortune had some highs and lows Tuesday for Valley Springs resident Brett Riley.

   Riley was one of three contestants on the popular game show that aired on Channel 10 out of Sacramento.

   An Amador County area law enforcement officer, Riley reached $30,600 thanks to the opportune use of a wild card, but just as quickly lost it all on one spin of the wheel by hitting bankruptcy.

   He rebounded by winning a $3,000 toss-up question and finished with that total at the end of the show.

   Riley is also in the Army Reserves and recently returned from a tour of duty in Iraq.

Pastor Art Phinney inside the new sanctuary at Calvary Chapel of Valley Springs.

Calvary Chapel has a new home

By Nick Baptista

    Calvary Chapel of Valley Springs, which had its beginnings nearly a dozen years ago as a Bible study group, moved into a new church facility at the end of February.

   “We’re really blessed,” said Pastor Art Phinney. “A lot of people did a lot of hard work.”

   The congregation, which has almost 200 members, celebrated its first service in the 8,000 square-foot building on Feb. 28 and a community wide Good Friday service was hosted April 2 in the new facility.

   For the past 10 years, Calvary Chapel held Sunday services in Jenny Lind Elementary School’s multipurpose room.

   The new church is located on a 2 ½-acre site the congregation received as a donation. The property at the corner of California Street and State Route 12 had one building on it, which the church used for Bible study and an office.

   Construction costs for the new facility came in a little more than $400,000 and half of it has already been paid for, said Pastor Phinney.

   Volunteer labor on weekdays, weekends and nights helped defray expenses and local subcontractors, including non-church members, were very generous, he said.

   “This has been the result of the body of Christ working together,” he said. “We called it Project Blessing and we have seen that to be the case to anyone who put their hands to this.”

   In addition to morning and evening Sunday services, children’s activities, Wednesday night services and Bible study are conducted in the new facility.

   Future funding will be used to complete a 2,000-square-foot portion upstairs for use by the church youth group.

   The sanctuary features dual video screens on two sides and a state-of-the-art audio system.

   With the additional space, Calvary Chapel has re-opened it local Christian Resource Room featuring Christian books, commentaries and a lending library.  

April 9

Foothill volunteer firefighters used a live-fire training exercise April 2 in Burson to receive valuable training. Foothill Fire Protection District photo.

"Practice makes perfect"

Foothill Fire engaged in intense training program

   A training burn April 2 in Burson was part of a firefighter-training program Foothill Fire Protection District has implemented.

   Foothill has 15 of its volunteer firefighters enrolled in its Firefighter I Program that began last October. The program meets two weekday nights and one Saturday each month.

   “The community will benefit from the knowledge they have gained,” said Foothill Fire Chief Michael Siligo.

   The class follows the State Fire Marshal's teaching curriculum with exams and quizzes throughout the program. The course combines classroom learning and manipulative skills associated with a vast array of firefighting subject matter.

   Upon graduation in June each successful student - all current Foothill Fire volunteers - will become state certified as Firefighter I.

   Last Saturday’s training session took place in a building behind the Valley Springs Glass & Mirror Shop off State Route 12 in Burson.

   Foothill had been preparing the building for the live-fire training event for the past month.

   The building had been used some years ago for temporary living quarters and restroom facilities when John Moore, the property owner, ran a karate studio on site, Chief Siligo said. Out-of-area participants would use the facility while competing in karate tournaments at the studio.

   “I’m very proud of these folks,” Siligo said about his firefighters. “It took a huge commitment from each of them.”