|
|
 Job Shop |
 Roadside Attraction The Weather at CR |
Driving to Labor Day destinations amid traffic and road construction can really try one's patience. So just imagine the lucky drivers who unknowingly happened upon the Four Corners Bake Sale in Whale Gulch last weekend. Instead of rounding the bend and finding more dizziness-inducing roads, they found a welcoming committee of Whale Gulch locals offering homemade cherry cheesecake and still-warm apple pie.
The bake sale, an annual fundraiser supporting the Whale Gulch Volunteer Fire Company, sets up shop at the intersection of Briceland and Usal Roads, a position marked by streamers of blue, yellow and red flags. This cat's cradle of colorful triangles also showcased the Jamaican flag, the California State flag, the "Don't Tread on Me" flag and even the Jolly Roger. If the bright flair and the shockingly realistic dummy dressed as a fireperson weren't enough to stop the average tourist, the assertive locals jumping in front of the vehicle would. (I experienced this as I was leaving, and was only allowed safe passage because I had already donated money, eaten one bite-size cupcake and a scrumptious piece of pie.)
Amazingly, this two-day event usually raises between $5,000 and $6,000, which, says Blue Graham, the fire company's chief, pays for the insurance, fuel and supplies for the entire year. The location of the bake sale is key, as they can catch members of the community going about their daily business as well as tourists heading toward the Sinkyone Wilderness. For the tired dune-buggy drivers and motorcycle clubs riding rough down Usal road, the bake sale is a welcome site where they can indulge in food, drink and community chatter. They can even buy T-shirts and hoodies with the fire company logo.
"Everyone in the community seems to be a member," Graham jokes, although the team is actually made up of about 15 to 20 volunteers.
Graham took over as chief about five months ago and says the volunteer fire company plays an important role in the community. Surrounded by wilderness and BLM land, it is the first responder in any emergency.
"We've searched out everything from lost mushroom hunters to plane crashes," retired member Curtis Sherman remarked, "although a lot of those crashes were wild goose chases."
The bottom line, it seems, is that the nearby BLM and Shelter Cove fire departments usually rely on the Whale Gulch squad to get to local fires first. There's just too much terrain to cover. In fact, the Shelter Cove and Whale Gulch fire departments have a mutual relationship where each helps the other out in fiery times of crisis.
"We just want to get them out quick, before any damage is done," says Graham. And in this region of the North Coast, where the climate is a little hotter and the foliage a little thicker, there is the potential for a lot of damage.
Clearly, the bake sale funds a worthy cause. Make no mistake, however. This is no ordinary bake sale. On Saturday, the "party" goes all night, and community members bring their stand-up basses, drums and guitars for a local jam session. Many of the people I talked to on Sunday had spent the night at the bake sale -- which, keep in mind, is basically at an intersection in the middle of nowhere. Either Whale Gulch has some dedicated members, or that was one rockin' party. I'd guess it was a little bit of both. One thing I know for sure: I got my five bucks worth. The apple pie nearly brought me to tears.
-- Reagan Nail
The Weather at CR
Fog hangs like drapery around the outer edges of the campus. The commons is filled with anxious, confident and confused people milling about. It is the first day of classes at College of the Redwoods, and somehow things seem a bit more organized.
Registration lines in the Administration Building are being managed (better than emergency rooms at our local hospitals) by an employee who questions each student in the queue about why they are in line, and directs them elsewhere if necessary. Balloons float above folding tables scattered about campus manned by individuals offering smiles and assistance to new students on campus. Staff, students and employees are usually pleasant and cheerful -- no change there.
In the Learning Resource Center there is the low drone of conversation, cell phone ring tones and clacking of keys at the many computers. Lines in the bookstore grow and shrink, but during the rushes there are five cashiers to accommodate the start-of-term buying frenzy. The cafeteria is noisy with student chatter and silverware clatter. Smokers occupy the designated outdoor smoking areas, with a few yet to be informed stragglers wandering about campus. The parking lots are about three-quarters full, and the just newly paved road out front looks terrific and is very smooth to drive over.
Students on campus are much more conservative than their counterparts at HSU. Classes are interesting mixes of high-school students, full-time students, working students and community members. As is true on most college campuses, some athletes amble about carrying few books, some older students transport their school items in rolling bags and the rest strain muscles lugging their bulging backpacks.
The campus is nestled into the hillside, thoughtfully landscaped and surrounded by redwoods. Birds of all sorts, including ravens, swifts and hummingbirds, do flybys and consider this area their home. However, if the college really wishes to enhance this lovely park-like setting, the unnamed lakes are due for some reclamation and trees in the picnic table area need to be pruned.
One of the greatest assets on campus remains the faculty, which is optimistic at the start of this term, though the accreditation process weighs on many shoulders. (During the summer, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges placed CR on probation; unless the school meets specific benchmarks in the coming months, it could lose its standing.) Instruction is first-rate, and the instructors are caring individuals who make every effort to help students learn their respective subjects. The new interim president, Tom Harris, appears to be quietly orchestrating positive changes.
As the day wears on, a cornflower blue sky edges out the fog. Students look more relaxed, and are settling in for the fall term. From a casual perspective, at least for today, concerns about accreditation and the fault line running through campus appear lower on the horizon.
-- Karen Sack
COVER STORY | IN THE NEWS | STAGE MATTERS | DIRT | ARTBEAT
POEM | IN
REVIEW | GARLICK'S
NOTEBOOK | MOVIES
TALK OF THE
TABLE | THE HUM | CALENDAR
Comments? Write a letter!
© Copyright 2007, North Coast Journal, Inc.