Several days later, she opened the inside of the card to read the message she had
sent to everyone. She was shocked to discover her Christmas card greeting was not a
typical greeting but a Christmas announcement which read: “This is simply a note to
say – A Christmas gift is on the way!” Oops! Major dilemma on aisle 3.
You have to admit that things can get a tad bit confusing this time of year. Gifts to
buy – parties to attend – relatives to see and baking to be done – Christmas gets busy!
But that’s Christmas!!!

In 1967, a new holiday was created to be celebrated at Christmas time – Kwanzaa. It
was created by a man named Ron Everett who later changed his name to Dr. Karenga
and began practicing African traditions for black Americans here in the U.S. At about
the same time period, communities got pretty crazy with people wanting to do away
with Christmas altogether – one group took a cue from an old Seinfeld show and
started celebrating “Festivus” – which was another made-up holiday.

Government schools began to scrap traditional Christmas songs in favor of
snowmen & reindeer only! No longer was it, “We wish you a Merry Christmas.” It was
changed to – “We wish you a happy holiday.” Okay – exactly which holiday are we
celebrating? There were even top name stores that told their employees not to wish
customers “Merry Christmas!” (I personally boycotted one of those stores that holiday
season.) I don’t mind people celebrating whatever they want to celebrate…it’s the
elimination of Christmas that irks me.

So — what would our lives be like without Christmas? For starters, no winter family
gathering – no Xmas gifts – no holiday traditions – no cards or special decorations – no
Xmas trees – no Grinch who stole Christmas – and our children would have to go to
school the entire month of December. Without Christmas, December 25th would be a
terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day!

But, of course, for the bigger picture, without the birth of Christ, our entire world
would be very different today!! Our major universities – think Oxford, Cambridge,
Harvard & Yale – were founded by Christians. Many hospitals and major humanitarian
outreaches such as the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, World Relief, World Vision &
Food for the Hungry, have the thumbprint of Christians all over them. Again – without
the birth of Christ – our world would be very different!

But without Christmas, something far worse wouldn’t have happened: Jesus Christ
would not have come. Salvation for all would not have been made available yet. It was
purely the love of God that brought Jesus into our world over 2,000 years ago.
This standout quote by Ann Voskamp wraps it all up: “So God throws open the door
of this world – and enters as a baby. What religion ever had such a God that wanted
such intimacy with us that He came with such vulnerability to us? What God ever
came so tender we could touch Him? So vulnerable that His bare, beating heart could
get hurt? Only the One who loves you to death.”

It’s so ironic for me to watch children open their presents on Christmas morning.
The anticipation and joy they experience for what may be in their brightly wrapped
gifts is amazing to watch! The highlight of Christmas presents is to watch as they
unwrap that special gift that we picked out just for them. What child would leave a gift
unopened if they knew it was theirs? Yet – to this day there are so many people who
have left the “indescribable gift” – as the Bible calls it – unopened. Why?

Someone once wisely noted: “We consider Christmas as the encounter, the great
encounter, the historical encounter, the decisive encounter – between God and
mankind. He who has faith knows this truly; let him rejoice!” Maybe this Christmas…
open THE gift.

Bob and Susan Beckett pastor The Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street
in Hemet, CA. For more information, you may contact them at DPCitychurch.org.

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The second annual Ramona Courtyard Christmas will be held Dec. 9 and 10 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Ramona Bowl in Hemet. Along with some favorite activities and performances from last year, there will be several exciting new ones. Visitors can look forward to vendors selling all sorts of items, including lots of Christmas gift ideas. There will be live entertainment and music, as well as Christmas carolers, Santa Claus, the Grinch, crafts for kids, a Christmas tree lighting, holiday treats, beer/wine and holiday sangria and more.

Debradawn Shockey is chairing the Centennial Celebration Committee working to promote the upcoming 100th season of “Ramona,” California’s official outdoor play and is excited to be part of the holiday celebration. “This year we have included mingling live Dickens characters, Christmas trees available to decorate and donate to needy families with a further opportunity to support the community by offering one free admission ticket for that evening’s event to anyone donating an unwrapped gift for My City Youth,” she said. “We have licensed concessions professionals serving up yummy goodies.

They are led by Ramona’s own very skilled Kelli Carter, whose years of devotion to the Ramona Bowl have been unwavering.” The idea for the event was proposed last holiday season by board members Kami Martin and Norm Kyriss, who offered to head up a Christmas event to utilize the recently renovated courtyard at the Ramona Bowl. Shockey had recently joined the Ramona advisory board and was excited to assist her best friend Kami Martin. The pair had formed the Harvard Street Theatre Company at the Diamond Valley Arts Center in 2019. “Part of the mission of the Ramona Bowl Amphitheatre is to ‘contribute to tourism and continuing educational programs through quality outdoor theater entertainment,’” Shockey explained. “Kami and I are two of the few volunteers on the boards at Ramona with a background in the theater, and as we have our own company of performers, the idea of giving them the chance to shine at Ramona during the holidays was thrilling.”

Preparations for the Christmas festivities began as soon as the Boo at the Bowl Halloween event ended. All involved in the decorating, organizing and directing, as well as cleaning up are volunteers, which number about 50. The board of directors are also involved. They are president Norm Kyriss, vice president Elena Kern, treasurer Vince Record, secretary Kami Martin and members Linda Krupa, Joe Grindstaff and Larry Salas. “Their dedication to all things Ramona is remarkable and inspiring,” Shockey said. “Many volunteers have started the task of laying out the hundreds of strands of Christmas lights and placing every piece of decor, including, crazy enough, three and a half foot, white peacocks!” Longtime “Ramona” supporter and board member Lori VanArsdale said all of the incredible Christmas decorations were donated by Rick Crimeni’s daughters after he passed away when he was on the Bowl’s board.

Rick owned the Arrangement Gallery for years and VanArsdale said he used to decorate Hoag Hospital in Orange County for Christmas and also did a lot at Pechanga. “Rick had always wanted to do something for Christmas at the Bowl and I know he would be very pleased with what is going on with the Ramona Courtyard Christmas event,” she said. “When his daughters, Marissa and Brianna, asked me if the Bowl would like to have the decorations I was blown away when they opened the door to a 15-ft. x 30-ft. storage facility filled to the brim with all of the amazing decorations you will see in the Courtyard.” Any event at the Ramona Bowl wouldn’t be complete without an appearance from some of the play’s key characters.

Visitors to the Christmas celebration can expect to see Señora (Kathi Anderson) as well as Ramona (Kayla Contreras) and Alessandro (Eli Santana). Aunt Ry, who is being played by Shockey in the upcoming centennial season, will also be there. Shockey began auditioning for Ramona in 2006, the year she played Margarita, Ramona’s flirtatious rival. The following year, she was the understudy for the title role. In 2008, she played Ramona and in 2010, she was cast as Margarita once again. “That was back before the play got a facelift and rewrite by Stephen Savage in 2015 in an effort to reword some of the archaic language,” she said. “That was also the year they hired my husband, Steve Shockey, and his Civil War reenactment unit, the Washington Artillery, to bring their giant cannon as part of a brief war scene to kick off the show with a serious boom!” Shockey’s favorite part of last year’s event, that she looks forward to being recreated this season, was when artistic director Dennis Anderson spoke of the magnificence of both Ramona, the longest-running outdoor play in America, and the tradition of steadfast devotion to its preservation by generations of people.

“Then, as the giant Christmas tree in the center of the courtyard overlooking the spectacular view of the valley was lit, Madeline Marlene began to play her flute, filling the Bowl with a seemingly sacred song of the people represented in our timeless play,” she said. “It’s truly a magical moment.” Tickets are $4 each or free with an unwrapped gift donation for My City Youth. Children 5 and younger are free. Parking is $5. For more information, 951-658-3111 or www.RamonaBowl.com.

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The MSJC Foundation received donations of gifts and funding from MSJC faculty and staff, the Soboba Foundation, Mexico Cafe of Temecula, It’s Peachy, and many generous donors.

Without the donations, many students wouldn’t have been able to give their children the presents they wanted most this holiday season.

Anyone looking to help support the MSJC Foundation can donate to the MSJC Foundation’s Pledge for Success basic needs initiative, which also helps students with emergency funding, books and supplies, and professional clothing. Donors can also call (951) 487-3171. For just $35, you can provide a student with five meals.

MSJC | Briefs

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“Merry Little Christmas” was the biggest selling holiday album in the country in 2000, recorded by Linda Ronstadt under the Elektra/Asylum Records label.

This concert will feature a compilation of holiday songs from that album, plus the greatest hits of Ronstadt’s career.

Linda Ronstadt was considered to be the most successful female singer of the 1970’s. She recorded 24 albums across a diverse range of genres, including rock, country, light opera and latin. She earned eleven Grammy Awards, three American Music Awards, two Academy of Country Music Awards, and an Emmy.

Some of Ronstadt’s top hits include “Silver Threads and Golden Needles,” “You’re No Good,” “I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love with You),” “When Will I Be Loved,” “The Tracks of My Tears,” “That’ll Be the Day,” “Blue Bayou,” “Poor Poor Pitiful Me,” “Hurt So Bad,” and “When Something Is Wrong With My Baby.”

Tickets still remain for the Holiday Tribute to Linda Ronstadt on December 18th. Showtime for this special show is 7 pm. General Admission tickets are $25. And don’t forget to grab your tickets for the 100-year Anniversary Gala on Saturday January 15th, starring the one and only Rich Little. Gala tickets are $100 general admission and $200 for VIP table seating at the foot of the stage.

The next season of Tribute Mania begins in January, with tributes to The Bee Gees, Prince, Marvin Gaye, AC/DC, Mańa, The Doors, Johnny Cash and Van Halen. Tickets for Tribute Mania events are $25, general admission. Showtime is 7:00 pm, with doors open at 6:15 pm.

Information on all theatre events is available at www.HistoricHemetTheatre.com or by calling the ticket office, (951) 658-5950. You can subscribe to the HHT email blast by enrolling on the website.

Susan Carrier | Contributed

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Steve Lopez, Sports Coordinator for Parks and Recreation, said nearly 400 gifts were purchased to make sure no one missed out. “We shopped at the end of each week as the reservations came in so we knew who to buy for,” he said. “We had baby gifts for 0-3 and then boy or girl gifts for ages 4-10 and 11-13. We purchased Amazon gift cards for older kids.” Shannah Medina said her sisters helped to set up “The Nightmare Before Christmas” themed trunk that delighted the children who rode by in their vehicles, some of them in the open beds of pickup trucks that gave them a more up-close and personal experience. Jodie Arres and Steph Arres Almanza and her girls decorated with “A Charlie Brown Christmas” motif that brought recognition from all ages of kids that drove past.

At last year’s Christmas Party, the Arres’ sisters (Amelia, Vicky and Marilyn) had a hot cocoa booth. With this year’s set-up change, they pre-packaged a bag of hot cocoa mix and some fruit treats to hand out with miniature candy canes and lots of good wishes for a happy holiday. Soboba Youth Council filled the back of a pickup with a fully decorated Christmas tree that had wrapped gifts underneath and “snow” all around.

The look was later lit up with colorful strands of Christmas lights to enter Soboba’s third annual Light Parade that started shortly after the gift-giving event ended and earned a first-place win. “We wanted to participate as a youth group as a way to contribute to our tribe and show what we do,” Tatiana Briones, 15, said. “We want to be good leaders and a good example to our youth.” Plastic candy canes filled with M&Ms were handed out to each child that attended the party, as youth council members wished them all a happy holiday. Soboba Tribal Council members set up a booth to hand out treats and also raffle prizes including generators, espresso machines, Roombas, big-screen television sets and more. “We are so thankful for everyone who participated this time,” Tribal Council Secretary Monica Herrera said. “Every child got a stocking and the raffle winners were super excited. It was a nice surprise for everyone because no one knew the adults would have a chance to get a gift, too.”

Dione Kitchen, Executive Assistant to the Tribal Council, said names were randomly chosen from those that RSVPed for the event and 75 raffle prizes were given away. “We didn’t tell them ahead of time and they were so thrilled, especially ones that got the big TVs,” she said. “Because this year had to be done a little differently, Tribal Council decided to add the raffles to make it extra special.” Before heading out of the main parking lot, party-goers were given to-go meals of a turkey dinner with all the trimmings for each family member prepared by Skip Thomas Catering. Many families drove back to their homes to get set up along Castile Canyon Road to watch the light parade that started about 6 p.m.

Others entered the parade of about a dozen vehicles that made their way along the route with joyful holiday favorites blaring from speakers. Individually wrapped candies were thrown by handfuls to excited children waiting along the street’s edges. John “Duke” Briones decorated his cart with lights, wreathes and a “Soboba Rez” sign. His son and grandson had a cart they called “Red and White Surprise” with ornaments hanging from the roof and 8-year-old Frank in a tinsel studded vest. “I enjoy seeing everyone’s car all lit up and I just like the joy of giving my time to make others happy,” Duke Briones said.

Bianca Machado spent a couple of weeks getting her truck ready for the event. She hand painted oversized cutouts of Charlie Brown, Lucy, Snoopy and Woodstock for her “Peanuts” Christmas design. She was joined by her best friend and nephew who helped her put the finishing touches on everything and won a second-place prize for their efforts. “I did more planning this year to make it better,” Machado said. “I like that it makes people smile when they see it.

I mean, who doesn’t like Snoopy and the gang?” Daniel and Genevieve Valdez were joined by their 15-month-old son in a brightly-lit off-road vehicle. It is Bruce’s second Christmas but his first time in the light parade. “I like to keep the tradition going and the spirit of Christmas alive,” Daniel Valdez said. Renee Rhodes covered her vehicle in lots of lights and was joined by her mom, sister and four children who were set to toss out goodies to parade watchers. “We just went colorful – we enjoyed doing this last year,” Rhodes said. “We attended the party earlier and it was nice. The kids are happy, and the food was good.” Soboba’s third annual Light Parade winners were selected by viewers along the parade route that texted their choices.

All winners received Amazon gift cards. Along with first-place winners Soboba Youth Council and second-place winner Bianca Machado, Wayne Nelson won third place for his decorated truck that most certainly contained more lights than any other vehicle in the parade.

Mike Hiles • Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians

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Gosch Auto Group, Empire Mobility of San Jacinto, “Apawsibility for veterans” organization and The Cloverlane Foundation all team up to get veteran Johnny Sandoval a new, motorized scooter

“I’m thrilled,” said veteran Johnny Sandoval. “I never expected this,” said Sandoval before choking up. A group of caring organizations, lead by the Gosch Auto Group teamed up and made sure that veteran Sandoval had the mobility he needed to live a full life. 

Kory Foster, Service Director for Gosch Auto Group said, “Today’s event went very well. I was really pleased at all the people that were here, and at all the organizations that came together. And we are proud that we could be the host of this great event. We’re going to put a case with a wheelchair out on the floor, to make sure that the veterans know that there are services out there to help them. And they don’t necessarily have to come out and say, “Hey I need help: others can recognize that…and that’s what it’s all about: recognizing a need and meeting that need.”

Mike Wofford, owner of Empire Mobility couldn’t have been happier that another veteran was cared for. “It was a wonderful event today at Gosch Ford. We certainly appreciate our new project partners here at Gosch. I know we’re going to have a great relationship with the whole Gosch Auto group: they’ve been very giving and helpful. Of course Sandy Dee did a wonderful job.” 

And organizations weren’t the only ones pleased with the day’s events: those who served in the military, veterans such as William Hendrickson, Sandoval’s friend, and also a member of the Veteran Warriors Wheelchair Power Soccer Team (along with Sandoval) said, “Johnny and I have known each other for fourteen years. This was a great event. It’s a great partnership with Gosch Ford, and we appreciate everything they have done and are doing. The more we can get out in the community and let the community know what we’re doing, the better we can make things.”

It’s always a powerful, positive and emotionally uplifting time whenever we can help our veterans. “What an incredible thing happened today: Gosch Ford is actually going to put a showcase here for Veterans to see that they shouldn’t be ashamed to ask for a scooter if it’s needed, just like we have at the Hospital. Not only did Gosch help us with this scooter, but they’re going to allow the Hemet Hospital to build a showcase and place it here. Amazing,” said Sandy Dee, a veteran and columnist for the HSJ Chronicle, adding, “Veterans don’t like to ask for things, so when they see this military shrine, they’ll also see the case with a scooter and they won’t be ashamed to ask about a scooter, if needed.”

Myrna Rohr, Solera Diamond Valley Veterans and Friends said, “This is great. Sandy (Dee, HSJ Chronicle columnist-“A voice for vets”, and founder of apawsibility4veterans.org), and I are in other organizations together, among them, The Soroptimists. We wanted to do something for veterans. Our quilters create 13 to 14 quilts for veterans every year. From this, we teamed up with Sandy and Mike (Wofford, of Empire Mobility, empiremobility.com), and Gerry Chase (Cloverlane Foundation, cloverlanefoundatin.org), and we realized we all had the same intention: that we should all come together to do the very best for these veterans: they’re homeless, and some are living in substandard conditions…and that’s unacceptable.”

See columnist Sandy Dee’s next, “A voice for vets” article, next week, for more on this wonderful, heartwarming Christmas story.

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REMEMBERING RICK TRUSKOWSKI AT THE DOWNTOWN CHRISTMAS TREE

On Saturday December 15^th, the City of Hemet honored the memory Rick Truskowski, by dedicating a plaque in his name beneath a Christmas Tree he helped donate to the community. Mayor pro-tem Linda Krupa and friends of Rick’s were laudatory in their comments regarding the kind of man Rick was, and how dedicated he always was he was to family and children and love his adopted city.  Yours truly spoke as well.

The plaque was donated by attorney Dave Angeloff and Marcus Menjivar to honor Bob Consultation, a rase horse they owned together with Rick who was an avid fan of horse racing.

In December 2014, Patricia Yepremian (a lady who is forever involved in half dozen community projects) decided it would be nice to celebrate Christmas with a Christmas tree in front of the Harvard Street parking lot. She began to scrounge around, with the City Council’s permission, to find a tree.

That took her to True Valley Hardware and Rick Truskowski.  Rick was also known as a civic minded citizen. He listened and promised to get back to her. A few days later she received a call from Rick.

He said, “I’ve got a tree and lights for your project, and they are already paid for.” At the first tree lighting it was real community event with bands, vendors and dedication in which the Hemet City Council participated.

Adding to Rick’s generosity to this community, a truck loaded down with boxes and boxes of Teddy Bears arrived for the big event. True Value Hardware provided those Teddy Bears to be distributed to the children of needy families..

That wasn’t all: soon loads of Christmas Trees arrived and were stored in empty stores on Harvard Street to be given out to families.

The tree has been celebrated every year since. However, a couple of years later when Rick was invited down to see the tree lighting, he was horrified to find that the city had “pruned” tree. According to Rick’s widow, Carolyn, Rick was horrified when he saw the results of such case of mismanaged barbering of the tree, suggesting that it looked more like a lollipop than a Christmas Tree. Needless to say there has been no more “pruning” of Rick’s tree.

For those who knew him, Rick Truskowski was always at the ready when it came to community needs. I remember one time when I happened to be in his store. He had driven down Florida Avenue and discovered that the American Flag flying high above the Hemet Museum in the Destination Coffee House and Bistro was becoming somewhat frayed from the elements.

He said, “That flag needs to be replaced. It doesn’t look good. I’m going to give them another one.”

That was Rick, a true friend and he is sorely missed. Such a tribute is well deserved.

Just sayin’.

rustystrait@gmail.com

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Imagine Schools-Hemet celebrates its grand opening

On Tuesday, December 10, approximately 100 people gathered in Hemet at 42655 E. Florida Ave. to welcome and celebrate the opening of Imagine Schools-Hemet, a bilingual charter school.

“We envisioned a new educational choice for families and students,” says Executive Vice President of Imagine, Monte Lange. “Today we’re going to celebrate more than the grand opening of Imagine in Hemet, today we are celebrating the hopes and dreams of our children and the leaders of tomorrow.”

With the spirit of Christmas and new beginnings in the air, kindergarten students clad in Santa hats sang “Feliz Navidad,” alternating verses in English and Spanish, highlighting the charter school’s bilingual approach to education.

Visiting members of the community, many of them parents, were glad to hear of a new school on the block and were interested to learn how the school’s philosophy on teaching will empower them with choice, their children with an education, and a future with knowledge.

School principle, Tomas Chavez took the podium flanked by balloon pillars of blue and gold–the school’s colors, and said, “Six months ago, if you were to come to this lot here, it was abandoned; there were weeds all over the place . . . and now it has come to fruition . . . This community came together and worked to deliver a school option that empowers and puts choice in the hands of students and parents.”

The opening of Imagine Charter School means that parents have an alternative to the traditional public or private schools which tend to have rigid curriculums, selective enrollment, or may be too expensive in the case of private schooling. Charter schools are funded by state and local taxes which means free enrollment while also meeting the standards and requirements of customary public schools.

The speakers echoed sentiments of an education that means more than just good grades. Imagine takes a more personal approach and gets to know the family members, making home visits and understanding the needs of each individual, thus creating a flexible and engaging lesson plan. Kindergarten teacher, Frances Acin said, “Imagine is here to promote learning, motivate students, and to work with our community . . . But above all, we have a mission going forth which is to empower our scholars with a life-long bilingual education.”

Following the celebratory ribbon-cutting, attendees were invited to tour the halls of the brand-new school and talk with a warm and welcoming staff.

For more information about Imagine Schools Hemet, please visit https://imaginehemet.org/

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Ramp It Up People – It’s Christmas!!

Years ago, my husband was asked to conduct an afternoon wedding to be held at a huge outside amphitheater. It was built on the side of a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean and seated hundreds of people. Needless to say it was a gorgeous site for any event.

As time for the wedding approached, everyone involved in the ceremony began to take their places. The last of the guests had been seated, the candles were lit, the wedding party and pastor were positioned—then an amazing thing happened. A little girl, dressed like Cinderella herself, appeared at the back of the amphitheater. As she slowly began to work her way towards the front, she rang a bell and loudly declared: “The bride is coming! The bride is coming!”

The crowd stood to their feet as we all felt the excitement of the occasion begin to build. It was a wonderful way for a bride to make an entrance. And make an entrance she did: much to the delight of the guests and her husband to be!

The Christmas season is a lot like that wedding. The announcement of its coming starts early-it’s like everyone is shouting, “Christmas is coming! Christmas is coming!” By September the stores and online sites are already pushing the holiday, the “made for TV” movies are running Christmas specials and people are already out shopping for gifts and decorations.

Some think this is a bad thing-but is it? Considering whose birthday we are celebrating, I think the long introduction to the holiday is totally appropriate and warranted. It may frustrate many to see this holiday so commercialized, but I personally believe Jesus Himself would absolutely love it.

Think about this: Christmas lights shining through the dark nights-fun, joyful songs filling the stores along with all the amazing decorations; beautiful cards coming in the mail and carolers showing up to sing in malls.  Plus, we have colorful decorations inside our homes along with fun Christmas parties. During this time people seem happier and more giving than at any other time of the year. What’s not to love about all that?!

The few who believe we start celebrating too early may be forgetting all the hundreds of Bible prophecies and foreshadowings that predicted the coming of Jesus.  The Old Testament was completed in 450 B.C., hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus. So hundreds of years before He was born, it was predicted that Jesus would be born of a virgin, He would be born in Bethlehem, He would be called a Nazarene and be a descendant of David, He would be fully God and fully man, a Lamb without blemish, He would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver by a friend, He would die for mankind…even His resurrection was predicted. The list of fulfilled prophecies totals more than 300.

Think about it—that every single one of these more than 300 prophecies would be fulfilled by one man is not only improbable but impossible-except for the historical fact that one man did fulfill them all. And that’s why Jesus is called the greatest gift of all, and that’s why Christmas is the most amazing holiday of the year!

It’s been said that “Jesus is the light of Christmas, the joy of our hearts, and the hope of our world.” People can criticize and “dis” Christmas all they want, but the one thing they can’t do is ignore it.

So go ahead and sing your heart out, listen to Christmas carols, see Santa, eat too many sweets and put some silly reindeer antlers on your dog. Bake cookies with tons of icing, give incredibly fun gifts, decorate your Christmas tree, put up lights and be sure to attend a church service, because we’ve got good reason to celebrate!

Pastors Bob and Susan Beckett pastor The Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet. For more information visit them at: www.dpcitychurch.com

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RAMONA BOWL KICKS OFF RAMONA BOWL PAGEANT FUNDRAISING BREAKFAST

Within the confines of the beautiful Golden Era Golf Course Clubhouse, with Nat King Cole‘s version of the “Christmas Song” soothing diners in the background and Santa and Mrs. Clause (Mr. and Mrs. Chuck Robinson) sitting there with a beautiful tree ringed with Christmas presents, the Ramona Bowl kicked off its fundraising and unofficial “Ramona bowl season” with its annual fundraising pancake breakfast.

“This is our way of getting started, not only with Christmas season, but with “Ramona” season, because this gets us all back together.  We all start thinking “Ramona.”  This kicks off our getting together, then in January we have sign-ups, and that’s quickly followed by the “President’s dinner“ where we announce our cast for the Ramona pageant, so this just gets us going,” said Past Ramona Bowl President Lori Van Arsdale.

The setting could not have been more picturesque nor the weather more compliant. There was just enough of a chill in the air to remind you that Christmas was not far away. Chestnuts roasted on an open fire, thanks to Nat King Cole as Downtown Deli owner Steve Covington flipped pancakes and fried up sausage.  Century 21 realtor Norm Kyriss served up plate after plate of delicious breakfasts to crowds which came and went many times over. “This is our favorite time of year,” said Kyriss.

The Ramona Bowl pancake breakfast is now in its 11th year and its originator and former San Jacinto City Council member Steve DiMemmo recalled how it all started. “I was sitting on the San Jacinto Council and also sitting on the Ramona Bowl Board and we were having some…financial issues, and so I just suggested that we try a pancake breakfast to see if we could possibly raise some money for the Bowl. It was an outstanding success and it’s been going since, I believe, 2008.”

DiMemmo notes that the success of the breakfast is its ability to raise not just dollars, but awareness.

“I agree with Lori. Now is the time that we start to focus on the bowl itself: we have the Hemet Christmas Parade the day before, then comes our pancake breakfast, usually the next day. It’s at this time that members of the committee start contributing to the bowl…members realize that it’s that time of year.  In years past, we’ve had members who donated bicycles for the kids, Christmas presents etcetera. The Soboba has always been very very good to us, as has been Agri-Empire and other businesses. It’s a good thing. We just want people to come in, meet-and-greet and get to know our activities. The people who are new to the community come in… and they learn about the Bowl from this event,” said DiMemmo.

The breakfast, and the Ramona Bowl and pageant reach far beyond our valley as DiMemmo, other board members and others associated with the bowl, fully realize. “For this valley, this is very historic. It’s very important and it needs to continue. It’s been here since 1923! Ultimately this is a boon for the entire valley and even beyond. This was the “go to “place for everybody. Even the Redlands Bowl used ours as the kick off. This was the mother of all Bowls. It’s historic and the acoustics at the Bowl are fabulous.” And Board Members love the Golden Era facility said DiMemmo. “Golden Era is a huge contributor to this valley. This is a beautiful venue. They help many many people: they have a golf program and many other programs they offer.

They donate their facilities all the time to all non-profits. And they are a very good partner for this community,” said DiMemmo.

It’s historic and the acoustics at the Bowl are fabulous.” And Board Members love the Golden Era facility said DiMemmo. “Golden Era is a huge contributor to this valley. This is a beautiful venue. They help many many people: they have a golf program and many other programs they offer. They donate their facilities all the time to all non-profits. And they are a very good partner for this community,” said DiMemmo.

For those who would like to donate or who are interested in the Ramona bowl or it’s historic pageant, please list the bowl online at https://ramonabowl.com/amphitheatre/

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