Hello 2018!

On January 1, Canyon Lakers welcomed a new year and with it hopeful anticipation of the things ahead for the city, POA and residents. As we look forward to 2018, The Friday Flyer will look back on the highlights of 2017 in a four-part series. We begin this week with a look back at January through March 2017.

January

Former Mayor Tim Brown’s State of the City Address was featured in the first 2017 issue of The Friday Flyer. In his “State of the City Address,” the former mayor announced that the city was in the black with a balanced budget. “We exceeded our financial goals and we put a million dollars in the bank,” he said. He added that new agreements had been made with county supervisors and that the city was positioned to begin the process of reopening Fire Station 60.

Twenty-five residents braved the rain and chilly water temperatures to participate in the annual Polar Bear Day at Sunset Beach on Jan. 7. “I’m so glad I participated in this event even though I froze every party of my body,” said resident and first time participant Billy Spencer.

The Canyon Lake Association of Past Presidents, a group made of past presidents of the Men’s Golf Club, inducted Sam Theodora into the association.

The Canyon Lake Chamber of Commerce held its annual Gala Awards to recognize those who made a difference in the community in 2016. The honorees, Donna Ritchie (Citizen of the Year), Shawna Bowen (Volunteer of the Year), Jordyn Strange (Youth of the Year), Bassmasters Club (Organization of the Year) and Pepe’s Mexican Restaurant and Cantina (Business of the Year), were honored at dinner at the lodge an presented with an award from the chamber and proclamations from U.S. Congressman Ken Calvert, Senator Jeff Stone, State Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez and Riverside County 1st District Supervisor Kevin Jefferies.

The Family Matters Club announced its 2017 board members: President Wendy Duran, Vice President Tracy Casey, PR Director Adena Evans, Concessions Director Chuck Casey and Treasurer Larry Mar.

The Bassmasters Club held its 2016 Awards Banquet and presented Terry Voss with the Angler of the Year award and Jude Donahue with the Sportsman of the Year award. Travis Smith won the Bassmasters Club’s January Tournament with 18.46 pounds of fish.

The Yacht Club announced its 2017 board members: Commodore Dave Dain, Vice Commodore Jim Lange, Yeoman Shawna Bowen and Purser Jim Lafferty.

In mid-January, posts on social media inflamed some members of the community over what was rumored to be the shooting of a neighbor’s dog. Due to the severity of its injuries, the dog had to be put to sleep. Several residents protested in front of the accused neighbor’s home where tempers flared and police were called. The accused was later vindicated when a necropsy was performed on the dog and it was determined that the injuries were likely inflicted by a bird of prey.

Miss Ginny and a roomful of preschoolers celebrated Robot Day at the Canyon Lake Library with stories, songs and robot crafts.

The Tennis Club announced its 2017 board members: President Jim Barringham, Vice-President Val Gambian, Secretary Sue Muscarella, Treasurer Monica Hempel, Social Media Director Jeananne Woodman, Tournament Directors Kristy Toups, Tammy Hobson and John Hodge, and held its New Year/New Member Tournament.

The Canyon Lake Woman’s Club kicked-off the first of five Fashion Show pre-party fundraisers. The pre-party theme was A Gathering of Fairies. Many partygoers dressed in costume.

January rains were a mixed blessing. The rains increased the lake water level, causing the damn to overflow for the first time in many years, and ended the drought throughout California. But the storms also brought high winds, knocking down trees and causing flooding, road closures and landslides in Canyon Lake.

Volunteers from the Community Care Program spent two hours picking up trash along the border of Menifee and Canyon Lake.

On Jan. 31, the long-awaited city entryway monuments welcoming visitors to Canyon Lake were installed on Railroad Canyon Rd. at the western and eastern boundaries of the city.

February

The lake was treated with alum the week of Feb. 6. The treatment was scheduled to begin in January but was delayed to due high water levels and flooding. Alum, a naturally occurring mineral, is used to help reduce algae blooms in the lake.

Canyon Lake Little League kicked off its 2017 season with Opening Day Ceremonies on Feb. 11.

The Temescal Canyon Titans basketball team took the Sunbelt League championship title with a 72-45 win over the Tigers. It was the first title win for the Titans in 16 years.

Legendary country music artist John Anderson performed at the lodge. Chase Miller, a country music artist from Seal Beach, opened the show.

Cub Scout Pack 346 held its annual Pinewood Derby. Overall winners for speed were: Zane Zander; 1st place; Luke Remley, 2nd place; and Zachary Zander, 3rd place. Design winners were Zach Zander for Best Cub Scout Theme, Daniel Diaz for Most Patriotic, Maxwell Simon for Most Realistic Looking Car, Jacob Hanks for Best Paint Job, Eddie Christianson for Funniest Design, Logan Caglia for Most Creative Design and Bladen Hartley for Cubmaster’s Choice.

A “Bill of Rights and You” pop-up exhibition was on display at the Canyon Lake Library during the month of February. The display commemorated the 225th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights

The POA announced that plans for a new pickleball court at East Port Park and new main gate monuments were being reviewed.

Tom Nathan, Phil Hawgood, Paul Chenette and Michael Harris submitted Intent to Run papers to the POA and announced their candidacy for the POA Board of Directors.

The Temescal Canyon High School cycling team took a second place podium finish in their classification during their first event of the season, the Lake Perris Beaches to Boulders Race.

On February 20, access control refinement construction began at the main gate. Refinements included relocating stop markings and two gate operators, converting the wall mounted control boxes to a flexible cord control, adding remote control functionality to the guest and decal lanes and replacing the RFID antenna with a smaller unit.

On February 27, former lodge manager Mark Scheck and his family lost their home in Riverside when a small airplane crashed into it. Three of the four passengers in the plane perished. The Schecks’ family animals were also killed. In typical Canyon Lake fashion, many residents donated money and items to assist the family.

The Canyon Lake Woman’s Club held a cooking class with Chef Alise Fleur Lawrence of South Coast Winery. The club also held its second Fashion Show pre-party. The theme was Alice in Wonderland.

The Jr. Women’s Club hosted a Casino  Bus Trip  Fundraiser. Participants traveled to Harrah’s Resort Southern California for a day of FUNdraising.

The Canyon Art Association held a  Paint ‘n Wine Soirée Painting Fundraiser to raise funds for a student art contest for Canyon Lake high school students.

The 9er’s Golf Club held its annual Valentine’s Day Tournament, the Women’s Golf Club hosted its Hugs and Kisses Tournament and the Men’s Golf club hosted its Sweetheart  Tournament.

The team of Brian Hohn and Joe Merrill took first place in the Bassmasters Club February Tournament.

March

New benches were purchased for the golf course and installed by members of the Tuesday Work Group. The new benches were purchased with funds raised by the annual Beautification Tournaments at a cost of nearly $10,000.

The team of Jon Evans and Brian Hoffman took first place in the Bassmasters Club’s March Tournament. They caught a total of 20.84 pounds of fish. Jon also had the big fish of the day at 6.70 pounds.

The POA announced that an agreement had been reached between the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District and the POA regarding the lake lease.

The Fiesta Day Committee announced that longtime residents Nancy Carroll and Al Van Beenen were chosen to serve as the 2017 Fiesta Grand Marshals.

On Mar. 27, butterflies came alive at the library. Presenter Jerry Schneider hosted a butterfly presentation and presented photos of monarch butterflies clustering by the thousands in Michoacan. The program concluded with a butterfly T-shirt craft.

The Garden Club’s March activity and adventure included a day trip to Myrtle Creek Gardens where the group enjoyed an informative tour of gardens and plants and a history lesson on Fallbrook.

Thirty-two members of the CLAPPS traveled to the Indian Palms Country Club in Indio to play in a two-day tournament.

Winter rains brought vibrant colors to the hills surrounding Canyon Lake in March. With wildflowers in full bloom, many residents took the opportunity to photograph the beautiful displays.

The Canyon Lake Quilters, a group of quilters who create Quilts of Valor and present them to Canyon Lake residents, presented quilts to Navy veterans Bill Allen and Al Barr.

The Canyon Lake Lions Club joined with other Lions Clubs throughout California to host a “Lions Eyes Across California” campaign in an effort to collect used eyeglasses to help those in need. The club collected 500 pairs of eyeglasses and 125 pairs of sunglasses.