Sunday, February 12, 2012
A family in Davis won $100,000 for its local school district by getting thousands of people to vote online. Here are some follow-up photos.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
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Sunday, February 12
So, what was the result of Patch's nationwide Deck the House contest, the one that earned $100,000 for a local school district based on votes for a decorated holiday house in a Patch neighborhood? A family in Davis won, and here is a shot of the winning house. Here is what the district plans to do with the cash. Check out photos from the check presentation during a halftime of a Davis High basketball game. Next year, Novato will have to rally behind one local decked-out house and get hundreds of people to vote online every day. Kudos to the effort made by Sylvia Barry to get people to vote for the famed Rombeiro Christmas House this past season.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
The Scott Weaver house on Cielo Circle, among the national finalists for a $100,000 prize, is a pretty interesting place. Maybe because Scott Weaver is a pretty interesting guy.
Editor's note: Vote here for Weaver's house — one of 24 national finalists. The grand prize is $100,000 for Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified. Finding Cielo Circle in Rohnert Park is made easier during December by the nighttime glow from what the locals call Weaver’s Winter Wonderland. For the 16th year, Scott Weaver has gone all out to create a magical landscape of Christmastime imagery, populated with fairy tale characters and seasonal childhood fantasy. The house is a finalist in the Patch Deck the House contest, and voting continues all week to earn first prize, $100,000 for local schools. “We would love to get the $100,000 grant,” said Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District supervisor Robert Haley. “If we were to win we’d come up with …
38.33658
-122.68851
1190 Cielo Cir, Rohnert Park, CA
/articles/weaver-s-winter-wonderland-is-a-seasonal-masterpiece
/locations/6118746
Monday, January 2, 2012
Two Novato men take off from Gnoss Field and show the city from 1,000 feet in short video.
Novato residents Steve Counselman and Rich Murillo took to the sky on Christmas Eve in search of Santa Claus. The San Marin friends made a short video of their experience after taking off from Gnoss Field. Counselman piloted his 1952 Cessna 170 while Murillo shot the video. Filming from 1,000 feet, it was impossible to do justice to the luminarias on display throughout many neighborhoods — most purchased from local Boy Scout troops as a fundraisers. But viewers can clearly see some of the houses decked out with decorative lights.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Share the highlights of your Christmas day.
The unwrapping frenzy is finished by now. Mom and grandma have probably fussed over all the crumpled wrapping paper that can be saved for next year. The boys most likely have crash landed on the couch and turned on a basketball or football game. And you’re spending time with us on Patch. How nice of you. Let’s hope you haven’t forgotten the true meaning of Christmas. To review, you might want to visit Reverend Christian’s story posted this morning on Novato Patch. But now things are settling down and you’re just enjoying the day. So … what was the coolest gift you received? What was the coolest gift you gave? Part of this season is about sharing, so share your thoughts below with a comment. Happy Holidays To You.
Impress your friends and family with these factoids during your holiday gathering.
Christmas is a time of tradition and history, taken from religion, popular culture and our families. But here are 12 tidbits about the holiday that might be news to you. There's a lot more to learn about the history of the holiday and the stories behind the traditions we celebrate this time of the year. If you think of any, share them in the comments below!
Presbyterian minister from Novato — who has a wife with cancer — shares perspective on this holy day.
- OPINION
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Sunday, December 25, 2011
By Rev. Daniel Christian I like Christmas. It is one of my most favorite times of the year. I like all the sentimentality and familiarity that is associated with the season. But all too often we are taken over by singing chipmunks, dancing snowmen and frenzied shopping, and this leaves us asking or crying for a more meaningful and lasting Christmas experience. Like Charlie Brown, we all desire Christmas to have greater transformational meaning in our life. We long for more than expanded waistlines and January credit card bills. Christmas as a spiritual experience is about opening our lives to the unimaginable becoming real. Ponder this for a moment: A baby being born to a 14-year-old virgin doesn’t add up, knowing everything we understand …
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Girl Scout Troop #30125 not only decorates the tree at Novato's senior center but made most of the ornaments.
- VOLUNTEERS IN THE NEWS
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Sunday, December 11, 2011
Novato Girl Scout Troop #30125 decorated the Christmas tree at the Margaret Todd Senior Center for the third straight year a few days ago. According to Troop Leader Susan Wreden, the sixth-grade Cadettes make ornaments then decorate the tree with the ornaments they made plus some that the center already has This year the girls used some of their cookie money to pay for the ornament supplies. Although the troop does community service events throughout the year, Wreden says the Margaret Todd tree project has always been one of the girls' favorites. After they decorate the tree, the Scouts stand on stage and sing Christmas carols to each other. The girls also love going to the Breakfast with Santa event and showing off their handiwork to …
38.096459
-122.575985
Margaret Todd Senior Center
1560 Hill Rd, Novato, CA
/articles/scouts-make-margaret-todd-senior-center-tree-dazzle
132886
/locations/6482730
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Mothers and others supporters of overseas troops gather for a holiday party.
The Novato-based Blue Star Moms of Marin, a group dedicated to supporting our overseas military troops, met for a holiday party on Dec. 7. "It was a wonderful evening enjoyed by all," said group co-founder Barbara Travis. "We had many moms, their families and our supporters attend." The chapter members collected donations for the two veteran families that it adopted and will be donating some items and gift cards to help them enjoy their holidays. The group, Chapter CA24 of the Blue Star Mothers of America, seeks donations of goods to send to members of the armed forces based overseas. For more information, check out www.bluestarmomsofmarin.org.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Eager for a tour of Novato holiday decorated homes? Gary Sello of Indian Valley Carriage Rides shows off his beauties, the pride of Indian Valley.
OK, so it’s only five times a year, including three times this month, but Bo and Honey are happy to have the work whenever they get it. (Sound familiar?) “These are big, strong horses, and what I ask them to do (pulling a wagon for four hours) is something they enjoy," Novato's Gary Sello says. "They could do it for 20 hours! OK, well maybe not 20 ..." he pauses for a laugh ... "but this is nothing like pulling a plow from sun-up to sundown in 100 degree heat.” Sello, the proprieter of Indian Valley Carriage Company, chats with me one recent morning while getting his pair ready for their gig with the Noe Valley Merchants Association. Bo and Honey stand 16.2 hands high (5-foot-6 at the withers), meaning their owner's head comes to about the…
Monday, December 5, 2011
You've heard of the gift of giving. Novato resident Kathryn Whittley finds there is such a thing as a gift of taking, too, after two gingerbread characters are stolen from her yard.
It’s pretty rare when the victim of vandalization gets so much sympathy from neighbors that the moral support almost outweighs the sting of being a crime victim. That’s the way Kathryn Whittley is feeling right now. “It’s a silver lining,” she said Monday. On Saturday night, somebody stole two holiday gingerbread characters from her family’s yard at the corner of Center and McClay roads. The 3 1/2-foot-tall wooden gingerbread boy and girl had been purchased three years ago for about $300, she said. Kathryn and husband, Tony, have two young kids, ages 3 and 4, who have been “totally crushed” by the incident, she said. On Sunday, the Whittleys put up a sign in front of their house that read, "To whomever stole our decorations ... we can only…
38.10661
-122.58929
Center Rd & McClay Rd, Novato, CA
Holiday decoration theft
/articles/neighbors-support-family-after-holiday-decorations-swiped
/locations/5950764
Carole Bennett
9:52 am on Tuesday, January 3, 2012
In spite of what the voice said, I DID see Santa Claus! Check the lower left of the screen at 1:10 minutes! more ›