Connected Community

Pastors Brian & Nicole Hawkins are hosting an event for every member of the community to show up and network. The event is called Community Connection and is all about coming together to discuss what is going on in our community and what can we do to better it. This event is going to be held at Divine Appointment Worship Center (165 W. 7th St. San Jacinto, CA) there is still room for vendors. Pastor Brian is encouraging all of the local churches to come out and set up a booth. At this event, there will be speakers from the community, not just religious, but people who represent the political side of the city and even high ranking police officers. 

While this event going there is also going to be a Trunk or Treat nearby hosted by the Sheriff Station, Pastor Brian wants to encourage everyone to take their kids to the Trunk or Treat (6th & Pico) and live music at the Connected Community Event. There are Raffle Tickets available for the Connected Community event. Raffle Tickets are $5 apiece and amongst the prizes are; a 65′ Smart TV, Brand New iPhone, Custom built Go-Kart, A Mountain Bike Worth $1,000, and many other things. 

A huge portion of the proceeds are going to help Pastor Brian start-up his After School Teen Center that’s going to be a place for teens to go after school. He hopes to have a couple of newer game consoles, computers with printers, nice couches, bar-style tables with chairs, TV’s, and a fridge filled with snacks for the kids. This Teen Center would be open to kids to spend their time after school and will close when the last one leaves. 

What Pastor Brian hopes to accomplish the most with this event is to make a plan with other influential people in the valley to build this community up. Everyone is welcome to attend the event, “Let’s take our differences and bring them together to make a difference,” said Pastor Brian. He really wants everyone to feel free to show up and talk about how we can change what goes on in the community. Pastor Brian is adamant that it isn’t just one man’s job but rather our responsibility as a community to build it up. 

Pastor Brian’s message to the community for this event is, “No one can fix the whole community, but you can fix the part of the community you walk on. If we all do that, we will start to see changes.” If you are looking for something to do on Oct. 23rd join Pastor Brian Hawkins and many others at the Connected Community Event. 

For vendor information call 951-390-3587

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PLANET GROOVE AND FRIENDS  GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY

You never know where and when help will come to assist someone with needs.  The San Jacinto music community is abundant with musicians willing to step forward and give or raise money for good causes, and so it comes again that our locals are stepping forward to lending a helping hand.

 Andrew Morales might be mistaken for a jolly green giant or holiday Santa Clause, but he happens not to be neither of those things.  He is a first-class musician, a drummer to be exact, and not just an ordinary drummer from a garage band. Far from it. He has played with some of the best-known rock bands in the country;

 Shy to the core, he does not talk about himself in a bragging fashion, but he has the credentials, having played with some of the top popular bands in the country, but is more interested in discussing his upcoming event at Derby’s Bar and Grill.

 “It is a fundraiser for the San Jacinto School District’s Music Department.  A few months ago we did a career day for one of the junior high schools, three pieces, playing in a gymnasium area and several students came up and asked technical questions about the mechanics of drumming.  My guys and I enjoyed it so much we began talking about a way we could do something for them. So, having been a high school drum captain in my marching band, I remembered how I was always in need of sticks and heads and many times found myself with inferior equipment due to lack of funds. Consequently, I turned to duck tape for patching my equipment.

 “I always had an interest in helping and encouraging you musicians.  Even a few sticks and drum heads for the drummers, some reeds for the saxophones or other small needs were always appreciated. All of us wished there would be someone there to give us a hand with our instruments.  That would have enabled us to go out and verse the other high schools that sported more elaborate equipment.

 “I know that kids in public education often get the short end of the stick when competing with charter schools and schools in high salaried neighborhoods.  I decided the best way to contribute would be getting together with other musicians that were back-up guys who sat in as sidemen with well-known bands and put on a show to raise money for the school district.  Musicians have toured with various artists. Folks don’t always know, but musicians have the biggest hearts around when it comes to helping young kids who want to be like them.

 “I’ll be putting together nine pieces for this event with drums, percussion, bass, sax a singer, keyboardist, guitar and possibly a singer- something for everybody’s taste.  We even will bring in a couple of local musicians who want to give back to their home ton. We call the band Planet Groove. We will be playing all genres because our theme is so non-specific because we indulge in rhythm and blues, blues, rock, and so forth. Really good music and it doesn’t matter the genre.  We’ll have lots of guest stars.”

 Andrew is heavily influenced by jazz and acoustic guitar.  “I attended a show where the headliner was acoustical. He’s a teacher in the Hemet Unified School District.  He blew me away. You may have heard of him. His name is Geoff Clark, plays a hellova acoustic guitar. He’ll have his spot on the show.  Nobody can touch him. He’s that good. I will probably have him do a couple of numbers with our band.” Actually, the more musicians he talks to, the more that want to be part of the show.

 Andrew is originally from the Los Angeles area.  When he was about 8 or 9, and after that he says, “My mother was religious and used to drag me to the Pentecostal Church on Wednesday nights.  I figured if I had to be there, then I ought to listen and I did. One day the church drummer invited me up to join the band on the drums.”

 He still remembers that his mother gave him such a pinch with all four fingers and a thumb and said, “You better get up there.”

 “That was my moment, and I never looked back.  That first Sunday there were probably 225 people in attendance.  The spirit was bouncing in me that day.” He went through a number of scholarships, music school and different groups “I found it exciting playing a number of different groups and not just one for 3 or 4 months.”

 He might have been a trumpet man, but after two years with the horn, he got braces, and that ended his career with reed instruments even after he has been a drum man. He is proud that in 1987 he played with the U.S.C. All-Stars in a packed Dodger Stadium before with 1700 other musicians. 

 “I was heavily influenced by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Quincy Jones, and especially Chick Corea, Boston, Kansas, and Ted Nugent for their beat and style.  Being Puerto Rican I able to fly with Salsa and Meringue.”

Just when you thought you’d heard it all, you ain’t heard nothin’ yet. 

rustystrait@gmail.com

September 21, 2019, At The Derby Bar & Grill, 2860 W. Florida Ave., Hemet CA.

Doors open at 7, Showtime 8 PM. Price: $15 pre=sale, $20 at the door.

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