SCV Lifestyle Section
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The accidental vintners When Jeff and Toni Kraut were house-hunting two years ago, it took them a while to find the perfect place. After searching high and low for a home that was larger and quieter than their former Canyon Country abode, they finally found a gem of a property on a hillside in Saugus. They loved the high ceilings, the open floor plan, the long driveway, the yard their kids could play in, and the sweeping views of the Santa Clarita Valley. They weren't so sure about the grape vines, however. Completely invisible from the house, the 107 plants sat on the ... |
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Picasso lithograph joins Relay 'team' The local Relay For Life fundraiser to benefit the American Cancer Society will be held at Central Park on May 31. As part of the efforts to raise money there will be a silent auction. One valuable item recently donated to that auction was a lithograph of the famous Pablo Picasso painting "Buste de homme au chapeau," painted in 1914. The lithograph was donated by Robyn Zakar of Valencia Water Company in memory of her father. "Last year my father Gerry Stein passed away from pancreatic cancer," Zakar wrote. "Because my father loved Picasso art, it seemed only fitting that ... |
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Lifestyle calendar Dates to Watch Ongoing |
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Miss SCV Scholarship winners crowned It was "Eye of the Tiger" meets "Million Dollar Babes" at the 2008 Miss Santa Clarita Valley Scholarship Program held Sunday at the Hyatt Valencia. The dual boxing-themed pageants featured a total of nearly 60 competitors seeking to TKO the competition and seize one of the 20 major titles up for grabs. A bevy of new SCV royalty was crowned during the two pageants - an afternoon soiree for the Little Miss SCV and Miss Teen SCV contestants and an evening event for the Miss SCV, Ms. SCV, Mrs. SCV and Mr. SCV competitors. Community queens, representing Canyon Country, Castaic, ... |
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The wheels of good fortune They finally got their cars. West Ranch High School seniors Ashley Cha, 17, and Jill Tuso, 18, picked up their brand new 2008 Pontiac G6 Coupes on April 2. They won the cars, and a bunch of cash, on "Wheel of Fortune," during a show taped Jan. 11. And the hardest part wasn't the waiting - or even the winning. It was keeping the results a secret from their friends from Jan. 11 until the show aired on Jan. 28, as they were required to do by the show's producers. "People would come up and ask how we did and ... |
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Your Community Spring Fiesta Rancho Camulo's Spring Fiesta, Vaquero Days, celebrates the role of the vaquero in the history of Rancho Camulos. The event will take place on Saturday, May 3 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., at Rancho Camulos, 5164 East Telegraph Rd., Piru, CA 93040. The fiesta will have activities for all ages: living history, music, cultural music and dance, historic displays, antique farm equipment, artist's displays and sales, tours, and food. Admission is $10, children under 12 are free. For information call (805) 521-1501 or visit www.ranchocamulos.org. Howard Family Fundraisers Last Thanksgiving Northpark resident Tim Howard suffered a massive ... |
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Community calendar Today - Friday • Hart High School Drama Department will present "Our Town," 7 p.m. in the Hart auditorium. Tickets: $8-$10. Today - Saturday • Valencia High School Drama Department will present "The Pajama Game," 7 p.m. in the campus theater. Tickets: $6-$10. Call (661) 294-1188, Ext. 522. Thursday • West Ranch High School will hold an Open House. Friday • A Car Show will be held at West Ranch High School. April 24 • The Lauren Blaire Memorial Softball Game will take place at Saugus High School. • Wildcat Idol will benefit the "Yes I Can" program, 6 p.m. ... |
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Your community Editor's note: As a service to our readers, Lifestyle publishes "Your Community" for events. Include a street address with your listing. Changes, updates or new listings must be submitted in writing, e-mailed or faxed no later than two weeks prior to the event to: The Signal, P.O. Box 801870, Santa Clarita, Calif., 91380-1870, e-mail lifestyle@the-signal.com, fax 255-9689. Registered Signal online users may also post event listings on our online Community Events calendar. Click here to sign up. Volleyball Poker Tournament The Valencia girls volleyball team will host a Texas hold 'em poker tournament on Saturday, April 26 at the Tesoro del Valle ... |
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The heart of cancer support Though it's quietly tucked away in a tiny space in an unassuming Centre Pointe business park, the weSPARK Cancer Support Center's impact on those whose lives have been touched by the disease far outweighs its modest appearance. WeSPARK, which stands for "we Support Prevention, Acceptance, Recovery and Knowledge," was originally founded in Sherman Oaks in 2001 by the late actress Wendie Jo Sperber. Sperber, who appeared in "Bosom Buddies" and "Back to the Future," started the group after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997 and could not find any emotional support groups near her San Fernando Valley home. ... |
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Your community Relay For Life Seeks Participants/Teams The annual Relay For Life walk-a-thon, which raises funds for the American Cancer Society, is seeking individual participants and teams for the event, as well as sponsors and donations. This year's event will be held at Central Park May 31 - June 1. The next Team Captain Meeting will be April 16 at the Valencia Hills Clubhouse, 24060 Oak Vale Dr., Valencia. For information visit www.scvrelay.org or e-mail info@scvrelay.org. Erwin Torres Fundraisers Erwin Torres, 23, of Saugus died in a car accident in the city of Downey on Tuesday March 4. He was born on ... |
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Autistic - with honors Kevin Chu is 18 and an A-student. He's aced honors math and he got a 1980 on his SATs. He'll graduate West Ranch High School on May 30 and has already been accepted by two University of California Schools - Irvine and Santa Barbara - as well as California State University Northridge. He has friends, direction and, most of all, possibilities. And absolutely none of this could have been imagined only a few short years ago. You see, Kevin Chu is autistic. And though you can get a sense of that now when you meet him, it almost seems peripheral ... |
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Assistance League sets Footsteps Walk During the Assistance League of Santa Clarita's Spring Fling Tea last Sunday, member Jeannie Carpenter, left, and President Cheryl Carlson, holding an issue of Santa Clarita Valley Living Magazine, talk about the philanthropic organization's April 20 Footsteps 5K Run/Walk. The event will benefit Operation School Bell, an effort to provide Santa Clarita Valley children in need with school clothes, shoes and school supplies. The event takes place at Newhall park and begins at 8 a.m. |
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Man and Woman of the Year nominees named The setting was the elegant Westridge home of Don and Cheri Fleming on Wednesday evening as the 2008 Man and Woman of the Year Nominees were announced. And if the magic dust from doing good works could rub off, then anyone brushing through that august crowd could then walk directly through the Pearly Gates without setting off the alarm - such was the caliber of those present. First there were the 23 nominees themselves, being recognized for volunteerism above and beyond the call. Then there were the members of the Man and Woman of the Year Committee, all past award winners. And even those guests not falling into either of those fine categories were volunteer champs in the making. With good food, drink and friends enlivening things, the nominees were brought to an impromptu "stage" at the back patio and the highlights of their volunteerism announced. This was a long process, because there was often more than one organization nominating a candidate. To liven this up, a few of the speakers sang. That included Mark Salyer of the Theatre Project/SCV, who sang lines about Carl Goldman, playing off a tune from "Oklahoma." "Carl's just a guy who cain't say no..." This is Goldman's fourth nomination and earlier he joked about how he felt like Martin Scorsese - always nominated and never winning. But to be nominated puts one in a very elite category, and the compliments to and among all the nominees were as plentiful as they were heart-felt. |
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Your community Submissions? Send your information by fax (255-9689), or e-mail lifestyle@the-signal.com Erwin Torres Fundraisers Erwin Torres, 23, of Saugus died in a car accident in the city of Downey on Tuesday March 4. He was born on March 26, 1984 in Guatemala, and was a graduate of Saugus High School in 2003. Most recently he was a student and an apprentice electrician. The family has been able to raise some money for the extensive burial costs, but they are still quite a way from meeting the expenses. Torres friends have set up a fundraiser at Freshworks California Grill on Saturday April ... |
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Dates to watch Ongoing |
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The 26-year movie (and counting) "In 1981 I thought, 'I'm going to write a play,'" said Mark McQuown. "I wrote 'P.J.' in 18 straight hours." This past January - a mere 26 years later - the movie that resulted from that play won the Bronze Medal in the Feature Films Category for Artistic Excellence at the Park City Film and Music Festival. Among others, the cast included John Heard in the lead, plus Howard Nash, Vincent Pastore, Patricia Rae, Hallie Kate Eisenberg, Glynnis O'Connor, Eddie Malavarca and Robert Picardo. Sounds like it's finally the "Big Time," right? Time will tell. The film was produced under ... |
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An 'Oscar' comes home to the SCV Bill Westenhofer's talent can be seen in many popular family favorites including, "The Golden Compass," "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and both of the "Stuart Little" movies. But you would have never recognized his work until you read the movie credits. That's because for each of the three movies (and many more) Westenhofer has been the visual effects supervisor, giving him control of the overall creativity and realness of the film and its characters. Westenhofer's skills in "The Golden Compass," a 2007 children's fantasy film, recently earned him an Academy Award for Achievement in ... |
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Dates to watch 'Wit' - The Repertory East Playhouse, located at 24266 San Fernando Road, Newhall, will continue its 2008 Main stage season with the 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, "Wit" through April 5. Show times are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $17, $15 for students or seniors. Group rates are available. Advance reservations are highly recommended. For ticket purchases visit www.repeastplayhouse.org or call (661) 288-0000. CTG Plays - "Over the River and Through the Woods" plays through April 19 at the Canyon Theatre Guild. Performances are every Friday and Saturday evening at 8 p.m., and ... |
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Dates to watch Ongoing 'Wit' - |
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Big-time in little things Nanoscience: Nanoscience is primarily the extension of existing sciences into the realms of the extremely small.... At 17 years old, Surya Singh is a precocious student and published scientist. To achieve her future goals, she has already published two research articles (last summer) in the American Scientific Publishers' Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (www.aspbs.com/jnn) and is currently working on her third. After finishing her junior year at West Ranch High School, Singh decided she would like to expand her scientific knowledge by interning for the American Scientific Publishers - her father, Dr. Hari Singh Nalwa, owns the ... |
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Dates to watch As a service to our readers, Lifestyle publishes "Your Community" for events. Include a street address with your listing. Changes, updates or new listings must be submitted in writing, e-mailed or faxed no later than two weeks prior to the event to: The Signal, P.O. Box 801870, Santa Clarita, Calif., 91380-1870, e-mail lifestyle@the-signal.com, fax 255-9689. Ongoing 'Wit' - The Repertory East Playhouse, located at 24266 San Fernando Road, Newhall, will continue its 2008 Main stage season with the 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, "Wit," written by Margaret Edson and sponsored by the Serve Pro, through April 5. Show times are ... |
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Lifestyle-Your Community calendar Ongoing |
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Cruising with the Soroptimists You all know him as Captain Merrill Stubing from the "Love Boat" television show, which aired from 1977 to 1986. And though you'd say "Oh yeah" and "That's right" when someone lists all the other TV shows and movies he's famous for (remember Murray on the Mary Tyler Moore Show?), the "Love Boat" will forever be Gavin MacLeod's biggest claim to fame. And these days he doesn't mind a bit. In fact, that role launched a side career for him as the "ambassador" for Princess Cruises. As you might imagine, MacLeod is often asked to be part of cruise-themed social ... |
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Mending hearts through Mending Kids Cris Embleton is passionate about making sure children receive adequate medical care, regardless of where they live or their financial situation. Although it's a common cause many people fight for, Embleton sees it as something personal. Years ago, Embleton's adopted daughter died just three weeks shy of her first birthday. "She died when $5 worth of medicine would have saved her," Embleton said. But then Embleton began thinking about the choices parents around the world have to make when they are forced to put a child up for adoption because of their need for expensive medical care. "Parents shouldn't be ... |
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Your community: Dates to watch As a service to our readers, Lifestyle publishes "Your Community" for events. Include a street address with your listing. Changes, updates or new listings must be submitted in writing, e-mailed or faxed no later than two weeks prior to the event to: The Signal, P.O. Box 801870, Santa Clarita, Calif., 91380-1870, e-mail lifestyle@the- signal.com, fax 255-9689. Ongoing 'Wit' - The Repertory East Playhouse, located at 24266 San Fernando Rd., Newhall, will continue its 2008 Main stage season with the 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama "Wit," written by Margaret Edson and sponsored by the Serve Pro, through April 5. Show times ... |
