Here are a few community highlights from 2014 – Part 2

BY Greg Golding

Here are just a few of the activities and people mentioned in The Friday Flyer in the last six months of 2014. Highlights from January through June 2014 appeared in the January 2 issue.

July 2014

A bicycling accident claimed the life of 15-year-old Sam Siroky. The annual 4th of July Waller Family Bike Ride was held in Sam’s honor and raised money for the Siroky family amidst an outpouring of support from the community.

The annual Fireworks Show was proclaimed to be “the best ever,” and the Association reported that the long 4th of July weekend was relatively calm, with no (reported) complaints about traffic at the gates, and very few incidents to mar celebrations on land and water.

The Canyon Lake LIttle League Major and Junior All-Star teams were the District 28 and Section 9 champions.

Canyon Lake triathletes Stephen Bustos, Phil Dampier, Tim Janes and Jen Orr competed in Ironman Austria. Melissa Marquardt won the highly-coveted title of National Champion in women’s professional wakeboarding.

The annual Jr. Golf Camp was a “brilliant success.”

Canyon Lake Community Theatre presented the all-kids production, “Nifty Fifties.”

Pardee Homes began rough grading for its eighth and final phase in the Canyon Hills development. The area is zoned for multi-family housing.

Residents listed in July “In Memoriams” were Douglas Acton, Paul Davis and James Shea.

August 2014

The Jr. Women’s Club brought Summer Splash to Holiday Harbor.

The Bassmasters hosted the Kids Fishing Derby.

The Fitness and Triathlon Club hosted the Paddle & Pedal Regatta.

Street Carts introduced the Golf Cart Drive-in Family Movie Night (which got rained out).

The Chamber of Commerce held its 2nd annual “So You Think You’ve Got Talent” show, with Carey Pickford winning 1st place, Kylie Coppola 2nd, and Leon Palaganas 3rd..

Ski Club members Kendra Nathan, 10, and Carol Brooks, 55, brought home medals in every event they participated in at both the regional and national waterski championships.

A specially equipped “harvester” boat began removing great quantities of spiny-leaf naiad, an invasive aquatic weed, from the lake.

The City Council voted to put Measure DD Utility User Tax on the November ballot. Four candidates qualified to run for City Council: Randy Bonner, Dawn Haggerty, Vicki Warren and John Zaitz.

ShowCal Skiers put on their best show of the summer at Taco Tuesday.

The Tennis Club held a bingo fundraiser for Jimmie Aguilar, who is suffering from tongue cancer. Pat Van Dyke, wife of Pastor Pete Van Dyke, shared her experience and treatment regimen for a sarcoma tumor in her leg.

Residents listed in August “In Memoriams” were Alfred Hamilton, Dorothy Heinbuch, Lisa Werner and Mavis Kerr.

September 2014

“Maui Monday” marked the end of community summer parties for Canyon Lakers. For the second year this event drew hundreds of people to Sunset Beach to enjoy music and contests by Good Time Entertainment, traditional Taco Tuesday fare and Hawaiian menu items by the Lighthouse, and a show put on by Polynesian Entertainment Group.

The Bible Club and Elevation Church sponsored an Indian Beach concert for Canyon Lake youth featuring the San Diego based group, “Go Project.”

The Lions Club held their annual Pancake Breakfast at Holiday Harbor.

Canyon Lake Community Theatre presented the musical comedy, “9 to 5.”

An article by columnist Erin Heft described the recent accomplishments of junior golfer Baylee Barckley, a 17-year-old TCHS senior from Canyon Lake who won two major tournaments in Las Vegas over the summer.

Golfers and residents who live on the Golf Course began seeing red flags positioned along the perimeters of playable areas to mark areas where 17.8 acres of turf was scheduled to be replaced by drought-tolerant landscape, thanks to the Metropolitan Water District’s SoCalWater Smart Rebate Program.

The lake underwent a third alum treatment, designed to reduce phosphorous in the water. After two previous treatments, tests showed phosphorous levels approaching zero in several parts of the lake.

Candidates for City Council answered questions about the proposed Utility User Tax.

A new Royal and Talent Court was crowned to serve as ambassadors at community events throughout the coming 2014-15 year: Miss Canyon Lake Sierra Macias, Ms. Canyon Lake Jennifer Ward, Mrs. Canyon Lake Donna Ritchie, Miss Teen Karina Bowen, Miss Pre-Teen Stacia Slezak, Junior Miss Sawyer Lanouette, Young Miss Siara Staggs and Little Miss Clarice Walsh. The Overall Talent winner was Karina Bowen. Other talent winners were Sammy Chondros, Jillian Coolbaugh, Stacia Slezak and Crystal Hauser.

Katarina Mathews, 12, won the San Diego Barnes U.S.T.A. (United States Tennis Association) Tennis Center tournament championship.

The Friday Flyer’s Reel People Ron and Leigh Martel were recognized for their 10-year anniversary of writing movie reviews for The Friday Flyer.

Mrs. Canyon Lake Donna Ritchie organized a “30-minute Beach Cleanup” at Indian Beach.

Residents whose names appeared in “In Memoriams” in September were Harold Johnson, Kathy Brown, Luverne and Ken Alrick, Frank Kovar, Nivea Messerschmidt and Mavis Kerr.

October 2014

The Car Club and CLPOA hosted the 9th annual Car Show at the Lodge. Other community events held in October were the Western Hoedown, sponsored by Lions and Lioness; Rocktoberfest by the Jr. Women’s Club; Oktoberfest by The Sports Stop, Parade of Frights by the Chamber of Commerce and a Halloween Party and Movie Night by the Family Matters Club. There was a Pet Costume Contest at the Farmers Market.

Canyon Lakers got a chance to have “Coffee with a Cop” at Jimmy’s Cafe in the Towne Center. Jay Cregeen took over as Securitas account manager in charge of all security, and Nichole Durbin became the lieutenant in charge of day-to-day operations. The Golf Course was closed for over-seeding of the fairways.

Residents continued to hear from City Council candidates in The Friday Flyer and at candidate forums. The Measure DD Utility User Tax was the dominant subject leading up to the November 4 election.

Four candidates were running for the Division 1 seat on the EVMWD Board of Directors formerly filled by retiring Director Ben Wicke. They were Kenny Duckwald, Nancy Horton, Mike Norkin and Peter Weber.

Blasting began in Pardee Homes’ land development site next to Railroad Canyon Rd. in Canyon Hills. Pardee is doing rough grading for its eighth and final phase in the Canyon Hills development.

Residents listed in October “In Memoriams” were Margaret Anderson, James Otte, Jay Carroll and Cathy Lilly.

November 2014

Dawn Haggerty and Vicki Warren claimed two seats on City Council after winning at the November 4 polls. Nancy Horton won the Division 1 seat on the EVMWD Board of Directors, and Measure DD (Utility User Tax) passed by a slim margin.

The CLPOA Board of Directors voted to change the Association’s Official Communication Delivery Policy by switching its official news delivery from printed pages in The Friday Flyer to digital sources of information via television and internet. The change would take effect in January 2015.

The 6th annual Veterans Day Ceremony was held at Memorial Park in the Towne Center, emceed by Bert Barbay. War Birds West did the flyover.

The City of Canyon Lake began a Military Banner Program and held a Frozen Turkey and Food Drive for HOPE.

Rebekah Samarin made it through the battle rounds of “The Voice” USA Season 7.

Mary Craton was honored for “Outstanding Public Service” by the League of California Cities.

The Senior Committee hosted its annual Holiday Boutique at the Senior Center; the Jr. Women’s Club held its annual Holiday Boutique at the Lodge. The Fine Arts Guild presented Jay White’s Neil Diamond Tribute Show. The Art Association held its annual Open Studios Tour.

The Chair Volleyball Club won a medal in all three divisions they entered at the Inland Empire Senior Games.

The Family Matters Club hosted a Beaches and Parks Cleanup Day.

Animal Friends of the Valleys held a low-cost microchipping clinic at East Port Park.

The new playground opened at Indian Beach. The basketball courts at East Port Park were dedicated to the memory of Sam Siroky.

It was announced Kayla Parker would star as Eponine in the musical, “Les Miserables,” at the Pechanga Resort Casino Theater and two other theaters in January and February.

The one resident whose name appeared in “In Memoriams” in November was Virginia Adrian.

December 2014

The City Council elected Jordan Ehrenkranz to serve as Mayor in 2015. The City Council and Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District recognized Canyon Laker Ben Wicke for 20 years of service as an EVMWD Director.

Railroad Canyon Rd. was closed twice in one week due to accidents.

Community events included the Towne Center Tree-Lighting, the Woman’s Club’s Holiday Home Tour, Family Winter Festival Tree-Lighting at the Lodge, Golf Cart Parade/Toy Drive, the Ski Club’s Breakfast with Santa, the Choraleers Christmas Concert, the annual Parade of Lights Boat Parade, a Menorah-Lighting Ceremony and a Gingerbread Crafts Breakfast.

The Home Owners Club held its annual Holiday Home Decorating Contest.

Fundraisers were held for the young children of Justin Gulley, who died from injuries suffered in a sky diving accident at Skydive Perris.

The sound of gunshots in nearby hills resulted in a lockdown at Canyon Lake Middle School and Cottonwood Canyon Elementary School.

Canyon Laker Judy Huth was in the news for her lawsuit against actor/comedian Bill Cosby. Debra Sacks, an administrator at the Riverside County Office of Education, was named 2014 Continuation/Educational Options Administrator of the Year by the Association of California School Administrators.

More than 100 trees were removed from the Golf Course, 85 percent of them tall palms. They were scheduled to be replaced with 243 native trees.

Canyon Lakers were delighted to wake up on December 31 to the sight of surrounding hills covered in snow. Although several residents reported seeing snow fall overnight in Canyon Lake, it didn’t stay on the ground like it did in some neighboring communities. The year ended with freezing temperatures.

Residents listed in December “In Memoriams” were Stanley Hanover, Justin Gulley and Serita Moore.