Are you ready? Have you made your plans? It is ON!! We got the official word from the USFS yesterday. I had to wrap up the Chalk Fire reporting, and now that I have (unless something comes up with these winds), the South Coast switches gears to the 17th Annual Jade Festival.
The 17th Annual Jade Festival is the ONLY fundraiser for the South Coast Community Land Trust. With the funds we raise each year, we sponsor climbing equipment and other equipment for the South Coast branch of our local fire brigade. We sponsor summer enrichment programs for the students of Pacific Valley School, and we sponsor field trips for classes. We also helped purchase a combination Community Center/classroom at the school. I will be suggesting to the Board, that the SCCLT act as a donation conduit for those who have been impacted by the Chalk Fire and need assistance rebuilding water systems, recovering lost wages, etc. If you want to donate, I will provide details AFTER the Jade Festival is concluded. CPOA is also soliciting donations on the surfire2008 website. While we are greatly appreciative of all the efforts of the CPOA board, and the generous offer of a $300 cash grant to those impacted, as was done in the Basin Fire, we are investigating whether the SCCLT is willing and able to provide donation and distribution services more easily to our specific community than our generous brothers and sisters to the north. Thank you for everything, CPOA!
The Jade Festival provides three days of music, food, vendor booths, in the beautiful setting of Pacific Valley School. I look forward to seeing people from Mississippi who come every year, and others from all over the country who plan their vacations around the Jade Festival. Come join us while we celebrate our South Coast Jade, and this year, the end of the Chalk Fire. We honor all firefighters at this festival, and particularly our own BSVFB, who will be present.
Friday the Festival begins at noon and ends at 6 pm. Saturday we are open from 10-6, and Sunday, from 10-5 pm. Stop by the Main Information Booth near the flag pole and make sure we have your current address for our post card announcement mailing, pick up vendor maps, music line-ups, and to purchase your souvenir t-shirt – we even had a few left from last year, if you did not get yours. Don’t forget to purchase your raffle tickets at the booth next door, too!! You do not have to be present to win!
If you are coming from the north, remember, there are still fire equipment and men and women in the area, finishing containment lines, mop-up, and rehab, so drive slowly and carefully. If you are coming from the east, you will need to cut through to the coast at 68 in Salinas, or 46 in Paso Robles, as Nacimiento-Fergusson Rd. is closed. The fire is still quite active there today, per my sources. Also, if you are camping out, please remember, NO CAMPFIRES, NO BBQ, NO HIBACHIS. NOTHING BUT PROPANE STOVES, EVEN IN DEVELOPED CAMPSITES!!
I hope to meet many of you in person that I have met these past two weeks online. There were so very many of you!!
bigsurkate
Thank goodness! I’ll give the kids a call to see if they still plan to come down & we all go. Looking forward to getting together with you all. If the kids don’t come, Rob and i hope to go anyways. Rob says we may drive the long way round (HWY101) and cut over by Atascadero so we can meet up with my best friend.
Regaurdless we are excited tha Jade festival will go forward as planned!