OKTOBERFEST SURPRISES
• What a lot of surprises!
No other Oktoberfest could offer the entertainment we had at the Twelfth Annual Johnson Valley Oktoberfest!
Despite the weather forecast and the price of gasoline, many more guests arrived than our pessimists expected, to enjoy the craft beers, pretzel bites, and buffet dinner and desserts – but there was enough for all.
The model trains ran all afternoon in the Paul Van Hook Desert Dreams Garden. No boxcars or cabooses, just low-profile flat cars and gondolas that the gusty wind could not blow off the tracks.
The trainwatchers and the guests in the Beer Garden under the shade pergola at the front entry were treated all afternoon to the view north of Johnson Valley, cloud formations and cloud shadows over the mountains followed by lightning shows later.
Then at sunset, hundreds of migrating turkey vultures spiraled down across the Garden to settle for the night on trees and rocky hilltops nearby.
And the rains came. Instead of everyone sprinting for home, they stayed to enjoy. After all, we have seen very little rain since January.
The special raffle drawings, where contestants voted with their tickets for the prizes they wanted to win, supplied the evening’s entertainment. A wide array of items from tools to handmade crafts plus gift cards of all kinds had been donated by merchants from Lucerne Valley and Yucca Valley and JVIA members. Made for lots of winners!
JVIA volunteers did all the party tasks to make the food, drink, and raffles so great.
Johnson Valley itself supplied the nature and wildlife shows to make it like no other Oktoberfest. Anywhere.
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OKTOBERFEST PHOTOS
• Thanks for the great photos some guests have sent for possible inclusion in the Journal, and to our friend Dixie Coutant for covering the crowd in the Beer Garden and the Buffet Dinner. And flying overhead.
If you have some photos we might use, please e-mail them to me at ranchotaj@gmail.com
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HAZARDOUS WASTE
• This Saturday, October 22, Lucerne Valley is hosting a household hazardous waste collection behind the fire stations on Hwy 247 just as you enter town. You can get rid of a lot of yucky stuff less than a half-hour drive from JV!
From 9:00 a.m. till noon, they can take:
Antifreeze
Batteries
Oil and filters
Latex (only) paint
Medical needles
Fluorescents
All electronic waste (E-Waste)
However, NO trash and nothing else!
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INCREASING TRAFFIC SAFETY?
• We hope improved traffic safety is coming to Highway 247. We know you keep your eyes peeled for speeders and unsafe passers, but we may have extra help soon.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Twenty-Nine Palms Station, has been awarded a $26,380.00 grant to deter these unsafe behaviors.
They will increase patrols throughout the district as well as provide other traffic safety programs to help reduce the number of serious injuries and deaths on our roads.
Deputy Dustin Whitson said:
“This grant funding allows us to support our ongoing traffic safety efforts in the community,” “Our intent is to stop the most unlawful and dangerous behaviors that put people at risk, and create an environment where everyone feels safe traveling.
Lowering injuries and fatalities across our County is our goal.”
The grant will provide additional programs and resources, including:
-DUI patrols focused on stopping suspected impaired drivers.
-High visibility distracted driving enforcement operations targeting drivers in violation of California’s hands-free cell phone law.
-Enforcement operations focused on the most dangerous driver behaviors that put the safety of people biking or walking at risk.
-Enforcement operations focused on top violations that cause crashes: speeding, failure to yield, stop sign and/or red-light running, and improper turning or lane changes.
-Community presentations on traffic safety issues such as distracted driving, impaired driving, speeding, bicycle and pedestrian safety.
-Collaborative enforcement efforts with neighboring agencies.
-Officer training and/or recertification: Standard Field Sobriety Test (SFST), Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE).
The grant program will run through September 2023, with funding provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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2023 JVIA MEMBERSHIP
• We’ve already begun collecting new signups for the 2023 Johnson Valley Improvement Association Early Membership Campaign!
If you were on the Journal mailing list, your Membership Application was mailed to you.
Or, you can pick up your membership application in the Community Center at Saturday Breakfast between 7:30 and 10:30 a.m.
Or, pay your dues by secure credit card on www.johnsonvalley.com and download your membership form to fill out and mail to us.
We always say everyone is welcome to every event at the Center, JVIA membership is not required.
But this is your opportunity to order a subscription to the Johnson Valley Journal to be mailed to you, as well as the JV NEWS e-mail.
Dues are still only 15.00 per person; you are eligible to vote on Association projects and hold office if you get your dues in by January 31, 2023, and live or own property within Johnson Valley borders. Our membership committee volunteers thank you for the early sign-up, so the paperwork won’t all be coming in during the holidays.
By the way, the latest issue (Sep-Oct) of the Johnson Valley Journal is on sale in the lobby for 1.00 each. This issue was the first not to go out in a mass mailing. Pick up your copy when you come to Saturday Breakfast, 7:30-10:30 a.m.
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HALLOWEEN BUMMER
• We know most folks check what the kids bring home from trick-or-treating, but this year be especially vigilant. We are advised that candy-colored fentanyl is out there. Some is even packaged like candy. No joke.
You don’t have to scare the kids and spoil the fun; just say the rule is you need to see their treat bag before they eat any treats.
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FREQUENTLY ANSWERED QUESTIONS
This JV NEWS e-mails every week or two and brings the news in a more timely manner than the Johnson Valley Journal published every two months.
The news items expand and add to items published in the neighborhood column in the Hi-Desert Star. Other notices of particular interest to Johnson Valley residents and property owners also circulate to this list.
If you do not wish to receive this information, just reply and tell me to remove your name.
• JVIA ADDRESS & DIRECTIONS
The mailing address is:
JVIA
50567A Quailbush Rd.
Johnson Valley CA 92285
Directions to the Community Center:
From Hwy 247, between mile markers 21 and 22, turn onto Larrea Road and go 1-3/4 miles to Quailbush Rd.
The Community Center is on your left at the corner.
The Paul Van Hook Desert Dreams Garden is next to the parking lot, open to all.
No charge; just keep the dog on the leash and kids out of the train layouts – THANKS!
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MORE LAWS THAT MURPHY FORGOT TO TELL YOU:
11. Law of the Theater & Hockey Arena – At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle, always arrive last. They are the ones who will leave their seats several times to go for food, beer, or the toilet and who leave early before the end of the performance or the game is over. The folks in the aisle seats come early, never move once, have long gangly legs or big bellies, and stay to the bitter end of the performance. The aisle people also are very surly folk.
12. The Coffee Law – As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.
13. Murphy’s Law of Lockers – If there are only 2 people in a locker room, they will have adjacent lockers.
14. Law of Physical Surfaces – The chances of an open-faced jam sandwich landing face down on a floor, are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet or rug.
15. Law of Logical Argument – Anything is possible if you don’t know what you are talking about.
16. Brown’s Law of Physical Appearance – If the clothes fit, they’re ugly.
17. Oliver’s Law of Public Speaking – A closed mouth gathers no feet.
18. Wilson’s Law of Commercial Marketing Strategy – As soon as you find a product that you really like, they will stop making it.
19. Doctors’ Law – If you don’t feel well, make an appointment to go to the doctor. By the time you get there, you’ll feel better.
But don’t make an appointment, and you’ll stay sick. This has been proven over and over with taking children to the pediatrician.
Keep smilin’
Murphy
Betty Munson
Betty Munson
c/o Ship-It-Shop
51720 Hacienda Rd.
Johnson Valley CA 92285