Village Chat for December 15, 2009

Katy Lee, right, with Sonoma Academy teammate Kiana Herold at the Cross Country State Championship in Fresno.

Here is the promised Katy Lee update. Katy, a freshman at Sonoma Academy, qualified and ran in the State Cross Country Championships in Fresno after Thanksgiving. She ran in Division 5 (the smaller schools division), and came in 33rd out of 169 girls in the 3-mile race. This was the best finish ever for a Sonoma Academy runner, and Katy’s 20:14 is also a new school record. She was the seventh fastest freshman, and that’s running with the remnants of the flu! We can expect more great times from Katy, I’m sure, but my favorite part is her happy grin.

The Kasmier name will live on! Kaz Kasmier reports that his grandson, Myles Henry Kasmier, was born on Dec. 1. He weighed in at 8 lbs., 6 oz. Myles was welcomed into the world by his mom and dad, Ryan and Emily Kasmier, and sister Madeline, age two. The Kasmiers lived in Kenwood until last month when they moved to Hidden Valley Lakes in Lake County. Mom and baby are doing fine, and we wish them all well.

If you haven’t bought a ticket for the Valley of the Moon Rotary’s raffle, time is running out. The drawing will take place on Dec. 18. This is for a chance at a “Great Rivers of Europe Cruise” or $10,000 in cash. There are also other prizes to be won. Only 1,000 tickets were printed, and there are less than 150 left. If you’re interested, go to www.valleyofthemoonrotary.org and scroll down to the ship. Your $50 ticket will help fund the club’s projects, and who knows, you might end up in Vienna before you know it!

A couple of fun events are coming up. On Saturday, Dec. 19, Neil Sheppard and his Clydesdales will be giving rides around Glen Ellen for Christmas carolers of all ages. Wait in front of the Jack London Lodge between noon and 2 p.m. for your chance to take part in this fun, annual event.

If you like to see talented young performers on the cusp of being discovered, you can go the Kenwood Depot on Dec. 26 for Baul Point Pen. That’s Ben McLain, born and raised in Kenwood, and Paul Peglar, and they are hugely entertaining. Only 125 seats are available, so call Ben’s mom, Sarah Phillips, to get your name on the reserved list, 537-6685, or just show up at the Depot and hope to get in. You’ll be able to say you saw them when…

Here at the Kenwood Press, we’ve reached the end of our publishing year. We do NOT publish a January 1st issue, so this will be the last issue you get until Jan. 15. I wish you Happy Holidays and hope you have a lot of fun.

While we will not be putting out a paper, we will be around the office because on Dec. 29 we are moving into the space around the corner. That’s right, the Kenwood Press and Vita Bella are trading spaces. We will move into the location right next to the Post Office (that used to be the video store before it was Vita Bella.) We think it will be a great location to catch everyone in town coming and going to the Post Office or the market. Be sure to stop in and say hello. And if you have anything for Village Chat, go ahead and email it to ann@kenwoodpress.com, or call 833-5155 and chat me up! – A.Q.