News Briefs

PZA to hold ribbon cutting ceremony today

PZA restaurant in the Canyon Lake Town Center and The Canyon Lake Chamber of Commerce will be holding a ribbon cutting ceremony today (Friday) at 4:00 p.m. The two-year anniversary celebration will take place at the restaurant at 31574 Railroad Canyon Rd.

All are invited to the half-hour event. The Chamber of Commerce offers these ceremonies to its members and includes city and chamber dignitaries.

Youths sought for 2nd lifeguard training session

The Canyon Lake Enrichment Activities and Recreation (CLEAR) Foundation, in partnership with the California State Parks, is holding its second session of lifeguard training from Monday to July 22 at Lake Perris State Recreation Area. Youths ages 8-15 who are good swimmers are invited to participate.

Bus transportation to and from the program is available. The City of Canyon Lake has partnered with CLEAR to provide the busing to and from Lake Perris for the training.

For more information, email CLEARFoundationCL@gmail.com.

The goal of The CLEAR Foundation is to bring a similar program to Canyon Lake next summer. This is a great opportunity for youths to learn water safety and bring their knowledge back to Canyon Lake.

Volunteers sought for lake clean up next week

All Canyon Lake residents are invited to come over to Diamond Point Park July 16 at 8:00 a.m. to help with the Canyon Lake Yacht Club’s annual lake clean up.

The clean-up is open to all community members and those without boats are invited to hop on one at the event to help grab trash out of the water and along the shorelines. Cleaning items will be provided.

The boats will criss-cross the lake looking for garbage to extract from the lake.

“This is a great opportunity to meet fellow neighbors and join in the spirit of keeping the lake clean,” Renee Griffiths said. “I love the comradery that naturally happens when people volunteer and serve the community together.”

Eclectic couples golf tournament open to all clubs

The Canyon Lake Women’s Golf Club is inviting members of all Canyon Lake golf clubs to participate in the Couples Eclectic Tournament that will take place July 19 and July 22.

The tournament, named Take Your Best Shot Couples Eclectic Tournament, will consist of mixed male and female teams where the partner’s best ball is played.

“Ladies sign up with a gentleman partner for this fun tournament,” Babette Stubbs of the Women’s Golf Club said. “The couple’s score is the Partner’s Best Ball for each hole over two days.”

The cost is $40 per person, which includes prizes and an awards luncheon, but excludes cart and green fees. Signing up and paying the fee takes place at the Canyon Lake Golf Pro Shop.

For questions contact committee member Ura Furry at ufurry@verizon.net. Valerie Montgomery and Elaine Kenniston are also on the committee.

Tickets for ‘Shrek the Musical’ on sale for August performances

Tickets are now on sale for The Canyon Lake Community Theatre’s production of Shrek the Musical on Aug. 5 through Aug. 7 at Elsinore High School in Wildomar.

Tickets are available for purchase at www.clctheatre.com.

The pandemic has interrupted full-scale productions of the Canyon Lake Community Theatre. The last production the group put on was “Beauty and the Beast” back in October of 2019.

“The Canyon lake Community Theatre is excited to be up and running again after its long closure due to the pandemic,” the club said. “We are excited to have a very large and talented cast full of local talent featuring actors from ages 5-60.”

The play will be directed by Canyon Lake‘s Leslie Vecchione, music will be directed by Michelle Swann and choreography will be by Stephanie Vecchione. The production is being held at Elsinore High School to give the actors and the audience the full theater experience.

Cast members include Chris Vecchione, Krista McLean, Stephanie Vecchione, Lindsay Sethman, Rachel Finewood, Abigail Vecchione, Autumn McGiveron, Timothy Whiteman, Elizabeth Whiteman, Josh Bogan, Aliya Bogan, Legend Platt, Emmeliene Whitman, Emily Eishorst, Champion Harris, Beth Park, Bobby Swann, Rosemary Hill, Taven Vestal, Mila Pittman, Olivia Klaisle, Tanner Gray, Bella Rusin, Adeline Swedberg, Jenna Wallace, Donna Ziegler, Scarlet Hudspeth, Beth Park, and Brooke Plant.

Show times are Aug. 5 at 7:00 p.m., Aug. 6 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. and Aug. 7 at 2:00 p.m.

App-based delivery drivers need to be called in to gate

App-based transportation and delivery services such as Uber, Lyft, Instacart, Grubhub, DoorDash, Postmates, etc., must now be called in by a Canyon Lake POA member in order to gain access to the community, the Canyon Lake POA announced recently.

As of last week, these delivery drivers will no longer be allowed entry by showing a valid order. The transportation/delivery service company must be called in by a member and drivers will need to provide the name of the member and delivery address.

Additionally, drivers will need to provide their state-issued driver’s licenses and their company name.

These drivers should be called in using the same process as calling in other guests.

Junior Golf Camp is back; set for July 26-29

Canyon Lake kids ages 5 to 17 are invited to the Annual Canyon Lake Junior Golf Camp set to take place at the Canyon Lake Country Club and Golf Course from July 26 to July 29.

The camp had been canceled the last two years because of COVID-19 restrictions.

Participants need not have golf skills or clubs to participate. The four-day camp has daily class periods of 75 minutes at a total cost of $50 per child. The Junior Golf Camp is a fun way for kids to develop a lifelong skill in the game of golf.

The camp concludes with a skills event and a free barbecue for participants and their families on July 29 at 3 p.m. Prizes and medals will be awarded to each participant.

Those who participate can expect fun kid-friendly competitions, to learn fundamental golfing skills, to develop a higher level of sportsmanship, receive instruction from PGA professionals and to create lasting friendships with other junior golfers.

To register, visit the Canyon Lake Golf Shop. This event is available to the public and Canyon Lake POA members. For more information, contact the Golf Shop at 951-246-1782.

Fitness Club inviting community to Aug. 13 regatta

The Canyon Lake Triathlon & Fitness Club’s popular Paddle and Pedal Regatta is on the calendar and Canyon Lakers are invited to come and join them for a day of fun on the water on Aug. 13 at Indian Beach.

Everyone is invited to bring their paddleboards, pedal boats, kayaks, canoes, row boats or any other non-motorized watercraft for a group paddle that will begin at Indian Beach, proceed to East Port launch ramp, before winding back to Indian Beach.

The 10th annual event will begin at 10:00 a.m. with a group photo, followed by the paddle.

“No boat, no problem,” event organizer Karin Cassidy said. “Several of the club’s triathletes in training are planning to swim the approximately one-mile distance and anyone is welcome to join them.”

Following the group paddle, there will also be an adult and kid paddleboard/kayak race, with medals for the winners.

The club will be selling raffle tickets for some great prizes that are donated by local businesses. Tickets are $1.00 each or 10 for $5.00. Proceeds will benefit a local charity.

Businesses or individuals who are interested in donating raffle prizes can contact Karin at 951-764-9503.

The Canyon Lake Triathlon and Fitness Club puts on a variety of fitness events throughout the year, including the Tour de Canyon Lake, the Paddle and Pedal Regatta, and the Turkey Trot 5K.

In addition, club members can participate in monthly running, biking and swimming events and triathlon training activities.

The club is inviting new members to join. Annual dues are $35.00 for individuals or $45.00 for a family membership.

For more information, contact the club at canyonlaketriclub@gmail.com.

City businesses may apply for COVID-19 grants

Grants for as much as $15,000 each are being made available to Canyon Lake businesses which are recovering from economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The City of Canyon Lake funds are being made available from money it received from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

The Canyon Lake City Council approved the programs at its March meeting and has partnered with the Canyon Lake Chamber of Commerce to administer these programs and to help businesses apply for the two grants.

Additionally, the city has already announced and has begun the process of using ARPA funds for a Canyon Cash Gift Card program where city bonus cash is added to the face value of each of the gift cards. For example, a gift card that costs the consumer $100 will be good toward $150 in purchases at Canyon Lake businesses.

The chamber is also assisting with the Canyon Cash promotion and is busy signing up Canyon Lake businesses to participate and accept the gift cards. The gift cards will be available for online purchase soon.

The two grant programs have $120,000 allocated to the businesses located within the City of Canyon Lake.

The Small Business Emergency Relief Grants Program has $75,000 allocated towards those small businesses that can demonstrate economic hardship due to the pandemic. Each business can receive grants up to $15,000 that can be used for paying rent, utilities, and other operating expenditures.

The Small Business Assistance Grants Program has $45,000 allocated towards those small businesses that can demonstrate economic hardship due to the pandemic. Each business can receive grants of $10,000 that can be used for assistance in applying for other COVID-19 relief funds or business marketing assistance, with an emphasis on website upgrades.

The grants are made available to businesses who qualify for the funding as determined by grant applications that are available on the city website. Guidelines for applying are also available via a document downloadable on the website.

The applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, and funds will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis. The city cannot guarantee that each applicant will be awarded grant funding, the city said, so it is encouraged that businesses turn in applications as soon as they can.

Once the applications are filled out, they are to be emailed to the Canyon Lake Chamber of Commerce at canyonlakechamber@outlook.com for initial screening. All applications must be sent by Sept. 1 at 5:00 p.m., although, as mentioned, funds may be all allocated by then.

9-11 shirts, signs available for purchase

The Canyon Lake Veterans and First Responders Group is putting together a September 11th Tribute and Patriot Day Event and has shirts and signs available for purchase. The group is also soliciting sponsors for the event.

Shirts can be purchased for $20.00 and signs are $10.00 by emailing organizer Tim Cook at tim.cook7149@gmail.com.

Patriot Sponsorships are $1,000, Liberty Sponsorships are $500, Freedom Sponsorships are $250 and Stars and Stripes Sponsorships are $100. Each level of sponsorship offers various promotional opportunities.

Community Theater group needs community donations

The Canyon Lake Community Theater needs donations to stay afloat according to Nicole Garvito, publicity and PR on the board of directors for the organization.

Due to the recent pandemic, many of Canyon Lake’s clubs were affected financially, however, those that seemed to feel the biggest hit were the clubs and organizations that depended on in-person attendance.

The Canyon Lake Community Theater, which receives its funding from ticket sales to live shows, has set up a GoFundMe campaign in order to help save the club from shutting down.

“Our once-thriving company has sadly fallen on hard times,” Nicole Garvito, VP of Admin on the organization‘s board of directors, said. “We are on the brink of shutting down, and in order to continue our mission, we are asking for everyone’s help to save our organization.”

The Canyon Lake Community Theater is a non-profit theater company that has been bringing live theater arts and education to the community for over 30 years.

“This organization has been beloved by so many for years as we have been a constant in giving many talented young stars their start,” Nicole said. “Our mission is to educate and nurture budding actors with decades worth of knowledge from our directors and choreographers.”

The group also gives seasoned actors an opportunity to continue on with acting as their hobby well into their adult lives.

The Canyon Lake Community Theater’s GoFundMe goal is to raise $10,000.00. Those wishing to make donations, large or small, can visit the website and search for Canyon Lake Community Theater.

The funds received, Nicole said, will keep the organization alive so it can continue to bring quality live theater to the community and valley.