nevada county fair

Family of the Year to be Honored at Nevada County Fair

The Casillas Family is this year’s Nevada County Fair Family of the Year. From left to right – Beth, Dan, Emmalee and Manuel. Photo taken by Shaffers Originals of Grass Valley
The Casillas Family is this year’s Nevada County Fair Family of the Year. From left to right – Beth, Dan, Emmalee and Manuel. Photo taken by Shaffers Originals of Grass Valley

The Casillas Family of Penn Valley has been named Family of the Year by the Nevada County Fair’s Board of Directors. The Board chose the Casillas Family because of their ongoing participation in the Nevada County Fair and their ongoing commitment and support of Nevada County agricultural youth programs.

Dan and Beth Casillas have been active in the Fair and youth agriculture programs since they moved to Nevada County in 1995. They have served as leaders for Cool Hollow 4H, where Dan served as the beef leader, and Beth volunteered at the Fair’s 4H food booth, as well as the Cattlewomen’s Red Barn. They are also supporters of the annual Junior Livestock Auction, and enjoy watching the Fair’s showing competitions

When not volunteering or working on youth projects, Dan is busy running his own cattle service business, Casillas Cattle Service. Beth serves as a legal secretary for the Placer County District Attorney.

Their children, Emmalee and Manuel, have also been actively involved in the Fair for many years. Both began exhibiting animals at the age of 9 and, prior to that, they entered still exhibits. Emmalee showed steers and breeding cattle in both 4H and FFA, in addition to showing commercial breeding hogs for four years as a side project.  Manuel began exhibiting chickens as a pee wee 4H member, then graduated to steers and breeding cattle. The 2010 Fair will be his last year exhibiting a steer.  Emmalee and Manuel also participated in the Fair’s Ag Mechanics competition and auction as Bear River FFA members.

Both of the Casillas children have gone on to pursue agricultural education. Emmalee, now 22, recently graduated from Fresno State University with a degree in Agriculture Education. She is currently attending graduate school at Fresno State to obtain her teaching credential. Manuel, 18, recently completed the welding program at Butte College. He is now continuing his education at Sierra College, and will eventually transfer to Fresno State.

The Casillas family received nominations from both Kim Rounds and Tasha Volheim, who both have had personal experience with the family.

“Year after year, the Casillas family dedicates their time to the Fair,” said Rounds. “Their sincere kindness, love for the Fair, and honest respect for what it does for the families and children of our community is evident through their actions and attitudes.”

Volheim seconds those comments. “Whether it is helping kids, Fair officials, or helping out at the livestock auction, the Casillas family is always willing and able to do whatever it takes to make the Fair a great experience for everyone. They are a great example of what the Fair family should be – a family that enjoys the Fair and puts out the extra effort to help others enjoy the experience, too.”

About being named the Fair’s Family of the Year, Dan says, “We are very excited to be this year’s Fair family! It seems a great way to end our children’s 15-year Nevada County showing career. We always look forward to the Fair each year and we’ll continue to support it and Nevada County agricultural youth in the future.”

The Casillas Family will be honored at opening ceremonies of the Nevada County Fair, which runs August 11 – 15.  They will receive free admission to the Fair, along with parking passes, free carnival rides, and admission to all five nights of arena events. In addition, Shaffers Originals of Grass Valley will create a family portrait to commemorate the family’s selection as the Fair’s Family of the Year.

For more information about the Nevada County Fair, visit NevadaCountyFair.com or call (530) 273-6217.

Source: Wendy Oaks
Publicist Nevada County Fair

nevada county fair

Nevada County Fair Tickets on Sale Now

Buy early and save!

Tickets for the Nevada County Fair are on sale now. Purchase your admission, carnival ride tickets, and arena event tickets before the Fair begins and save money!  This year, you can also save time by purchasing your tickets online.

Buy your admission tickets before August 10 at 5 pm and get admission for only $5.  Better yet, purchase a ticket to attend the Fair on Thursday, Kids’ Day, and get a “Be A Kid Again” adult admission ticket for only $3.  You can also take advantage of other pre-sale offers before August 10, including a five-day Fair pass with unlimited entry for $25; a season parking pass for $25; a carnival ride bracelet, good for unlimited rides for any one day, for $23; or a carnival ride booklet of 30 coupons for $20. If you purchase any ticket to an arena event, the cost for Fair admission is only $5.

There are several ways to get your tickets early. New this year, the Fairgrounds is offering online ticket sales. Visit NevadaCountyFair.com and follow the easy steps to purchase admission tickets, parking passes, season passes, arena event tickets and carnival ride coupons. You can also purchase tickets by calling the Fair Office at (530) 273-6217; or visiting the Fair Office on McCourtney Road before August 10 at 5 pm.

After August 10, admission for the Fair is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, $3 for children 6-12, and children 5 and under are free.

This year’s Nevada County Fair is August 11 – 15.  The Fair’s Office is located on McCourtney Road in Grass Valley. The phone number is (530) 273-6217, the FAX number is (530) 273-1146, and the website is NevadaCountyFair.com.

Source: Wendy Oaks
Publicist
Nevada County Fairgrounds
(530) 273-6217
wsoaks@gmail.com

animals, Local Writers & Contributors

Are You a Dog or Cat Person?

By Lisa J. Lehr

Perhaps you’ve just bought your first home, and for the first time ever you have an opportunity to adopt a pet. Or perhaps you’ve had a dog or a cat and are wondering if the other kind of pet would work for you. So which is better: dog or cat?

Consider the following questions.

How much space do you have?

Big dogs need space. Except for very senior dogs, they need a yard to run around in, or to be walked regularly. An under-exercised dog is likely to have behavioral problems, and you’re likely to be looking for a new home for him soon. Cats do just fine indoors (in fact they are much safer there), although several cats in a small apartment may feel crowded.

How close are your neighbors?

This question has to do with how much your pets are going to bother your neighbors. Barking dogs quickly make their owners unpopular. True, so do cats who dig and hunt in other people’s yards, but you can (and should) keep your cats indoors except under supervision. A barking dog can be heard over a significant distance.

How much maintenance do you want to do?

Dogs need to be walked, groomed, and usually fed on a schedule. Cats normally don’t. You may enjoy these jobs or be happy to pay someone else to do them. Just make sure you have a plan.

Which kind of “bathroom duty” do you prefer?

If your dog “goes” in your yard, you need to shovel it up before someone steps in it. If he “goes” while you’re out for a walk, you’ll need to bag it and bring it home to your garbage can. If your cat uses a litterbox, you’ll have to change it. (Some cats can be taught to use the toilet, but letting your cats roam freely outdoors just to avoid litter box detail is not responsible pet ownership.) So which one of these jobs is the least distasteful to you?

Do you want to be tied to a feeding schedule?

Cats are much more amenable to having a food bowl left out twenty-four-seven. Dogs are likely to either eat it all at once, or, if you leave for the day (or more), hoard it (not eat it at all), not knowing when you’re going to return to put out more food. Some dogs, however, are good at self-feeding, so if you’e adopting an adult dog, you may be able to select one who is.

Are you prepared to teach your dog to respect your property?

Yes, cats do claw the furniture and bite things. But the amount of damage a cat is likely to do is not in the same league with what dogs often do. We hear stories of dogs who shred the couch, dig a hole in the carpet, break a window to get out, chew up an entire wardrobe of shoes, etc. Cats are rarely guilty of these things.

Finally, lots of pets are in need of homes with puppy and kitten season. In addition, due to the poor economy, many people are abandoning their pets which often end up in shelters.

Lisa J. Lehr is a writer and copywriter as well as animal lover living in Grass Valley. She can help you promote your business with a full range of online and offline marketing pieces. A member of Empire Toastmasters, she’s available to speak to your business or professional group. Visit her website www.justrightcopy.com for more information, opt in for a message series, and receive a free Marketing Guide.

Real Estate

Sales Slow But Remain Above Last Year

With the scheduled closing deadline for the home buyer tax credits, existing-home sales slowed in June but remained at relatively elevated levels, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.

Existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, fell 5.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.37 million units in June from 5.66 million in May, but are 9.8 percent higher than the 4.89 million-unit pace in June 2009.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said the market shows uncharacteristic yet understandable swings as buyers responded to the tax credits. “June home sales still reflect a tax credit impact with some sales not closed due to delays, which will show up in the next two months,” he said. “Broadly speaking, sales closed after the home buyer tax credit will be significantly lower compared to the credit-induced spring surge. Only when jobs are created at a sufficient pace will home sales return to sustainable healthy levels.”

According to Freddie Mac, the national average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage fell to a record low 4.74 percent in June from 4.89 percent in May; the rate was 5.42 percent in June 2009.

The national median existing-home price for all housing types was $183,700 in June, which is 1.0 percent higher than a year ago. Distressed homes were at 32 percent of sales last month, compared with 31 percent in May; it was also 31 percent in June 2009.

NAR President Vicki Cox Golder said softer home sales expected this summer don’t tell the whole story. “Despite these market swings, total annual home sales are rising above 2009 and we’re looking for overall gains again this year as well as in 2011,” she said. “Conditions have become more balanced in much of the country, which is good for both buyers and sellers. However, consumers find it even more challenging to navigate the transaction process, especially for distressed properties, which only underscores the value REALTORS® bring to buyers and sellers in this market.”

A parallel NAR practitioner survey shows first-time buyers purchased 43 percent of homes in June, down from 46 percent in May. Investors accounted for 13 percent of sales in June, little changed from 14 percent in May; the remaining purchases were by repeat buyers. All-cash sales were at 24 percent in June compared with 25 percent in May.

Total housing inventory at the end of June rose 2.5 percent to 3.99 million existing homes available for sale, which represents an 8.9-month supply at the current sales pace, up from an 8.3-month supply in May.

“The supply of homes on the market is higher than we’d like to see. But home prices are still holding their ground because prices had already overcorrected in many local markets,” Yun said. Raw unsold inventory remains 12.7 percent below the record of 4.58 million in July 2008.

Single-family home sales fell 5.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.70 million in June from a level of 4.98 million in May, but are 8.5 percent above the 4.33 million pace in June 2009. The median existing single-family home price was $184,200 in June, up 1.3 percent from a year ago.

Single-family median existing-home prices were higher in 10 out of 19 metropolitan statistical areas reported in June in comparison with June 2009. In addition, existing single-family home sales rose in 12 of the 19 areas from a year ago while two were unchanged.

Existing condominium and co-op sales slipped 1.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 670,000 in June from 680,000 in May, but are 20.5 percent higher than the 556,000-unit pace in June 2009. The median existing condo price was $180,100 in June, which is 1.4 percent below a year ago.

Regionally, existing-home sales in the Northeast rose 7.9 percent to an annual level of 960,000 in June and are 17.1 percent above June 2009. The median price in the Northeast was $244,300, down 1.2 percent from a year ago.

Existing-home sales in the Midwest dropped 7.5 percent in June to a pace of 1.23 million but are 11.8 percent higher than a year ago. The median price in the Midwest was $155,900, down 0.1 percent from June 2009.

In the South, existing-home sales fell 6.5 percent to an annual level of 2.01 million in June but are 11.0 percent above June 2009. The median price in the South was $163,600, unchanged from a year ago.

Existing-home sales in the West dropped 9.3 percent to an annual pace of 1.17 million in June but are 0.9 percent higher than a year ago. The median price in the West was $221,800, up 1.5 percent from June 2009.

Source: NAR

John J. O’Dell
Real Estate Broker
Call 530-263-1091

Bits & Pieces

The Wooden Bowl

Once in a while I get an e-mail from a friend that seems to be worth passing on to friends. So I’m posting the e-mail. I just received and maybe it will touch your heart too.

“Here it is in it’s entirety I guarantee you will remember the tale of the Wooden Bowl tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now.

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered.  The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess.

‘We must do something about father,’ said the son. ‘I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.’

So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.

When the family glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, ‘What are you making?’ Just as sweetly, the boy responded, ‘Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up.

‘ The four-year-old smiled and went back to work..

The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks.. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.

That evening the husband took Grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

On a positive note, I’ve learned that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things: a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I’ve learned that making a ‘living’ is not the same thing as making a ‘life…’

I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands.You need to be able to throw something back sometimes.”

Well I hope you enjoyed it, let me know what you think.

nevada county fair

Mutton Busting and Calf Scramble at Nevada County Fair

Mutton Bustin’ and Calf Scramble Planned for Wednesday and Thursday Night at the Fair

Two new arena events – Mutton Bustin’ and Calf Scramble – are planned for young children and teens in the Arena on Wednesday and Thursday night of the Nevada County Fair, August 11 – 15.

Featured in the Arena during the Professional Bull riding on Wednesday and the Rodeo on Thursday will be Mutton Bustin’, where eight young cowboys and cowgirls between the ages of 5 and 7 years old will get the chance each evening to mount a trusty sheep and head for the thrill of their young lives. Participants must be between the ages of 5 – 7, and must not weigh more than 65 pounds.

Also featured at the Arena on the same two nights will be the Calf Scramble, where ten teams, each consisting of a boy and girl, will compete with one another to catch, halter and coax a calf across the finish line. Participants must be between the ages of 12 – 18, and must weigh at least 100 pounds.

Western attire is required for both events, and there is no entry fee. Sheep and calves provided to the contestants during each event. Great prizes will be awarded for both events. For the Mutton Bustin’, prizes are $50 for first prize, $25 for second prize, and $10 for third prize. For the Calf Scramble, prizes are $100 for first prize, $50 for second prize, and $25 for third prize. There are a limited number of spots available, so call the Fair Office at (530) 273-6217 to reserve a spot in either event, as well as obtain an application and a list of rules. Applications and rules are also posted under Special Contests at NevadaCountyFair.com.

This year’s Fair is August 11 – 15.  Each evening of the Fair features a thrilling arena event. Wednesday is Professional Bull Riding; Thursday is the Rodeo; Friday is Tuff Truck Racing and Monster Trucks; Saturday is Free Style Moto X Riders and Monster Trucks; and Sunday is the Demolition Derby.  Purchase your arena event tickets before August 10 and get admission to the Fair for only $5. Visit NevadaCountyFair.com for more information.

Source: Wendy Oaks
Nevada County Fair Publicist

John J. O’Dell
Real Estate Broker
General Contractor
Call 530-263-1091

Real Estate

Five Real Estate Mortage Scams to Watch Out For

Don’t be duped by mortgage fraud. Here are a few common scams and the red flags you should look for in a transaction.

Mortgage fraud is pervasive: An estimated $4 billion to $6 billion in annual losses result from mortgage fraud, according to FBI reports. “An entire community can be damaged by mortgage fraud,” says Rachel Dollar, a lawyer from Santa Rosa, Calif., and editor of the Mortgage Fraud Blog. Mortgage fraud can lead to a spike in foreclosures, home values plummeting, and lenders raising their rates and fees to recover losses.

The crimes are often complex, involving several parties and occurring over multiple transactions. To protect youself, educate yourself about mortgage fraud and be on guard for any warning signs in a transaction. You can start by reviewing these five scams, and then test your knowledge by taking our Mortgage Fraud Quiz.

1. The Foreclosure Rescue Scheme

The Scam: “Rescuers” promise cash-strapped home owners that they can save their home from foreclosure. The rescue, which involves paying upfront fees, can take multiple forms, such as the perpetrator obtaining a new loan on behalf of the owner or by having the owner sign over the home’s deed and then rent the home until they can repurchase it. Eventually, the home owner loses the home, either to foreclosure or the fictitious rescue company.

Red Flags: With foreclosure rescue programs, borrowers are often advised to sign over the title of their house to a third party, become renters of their home, not contact their lender, or send mortgage payments to a third party, according to Fannie Mae, which provides fact sheets on mortgage fraud.

2. Loan Documentation Fraud

Continue reading Five Real Estate Mortage Scams to Watch Out For →

Travel

Visit to the Nazi Dachu Concentration Camp

Judy and I visited the  Dachau Concentration Camp located in Munich, Germany, on June 11, 2010. The following says it well:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ims0ZZqaHps

“During the Holocaust, Germans extinguished the lives of six million Jews and, had Germany not been defeated, would have annihilated millions more. The Holocaust was also the defining feature of German politics and political culture during the Nazi period, the most shocking event of the twentieth century, and the most difficult to understand in all of German history. The Germans’ persecution of the Jews culminating in the Holocaust is thus the central feature of Germany during the Nazi period. It is so not because we are retrospectively shocked by the most shocking event of the century, but because of what it meant to Germans at the time and why so many of them contributed to it.” Daniel Jonah Goldhagen, Hitler’s Willing Executioners, Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust

What more can be said about this disgrace to humanity? The torture, the brutal beatings, the inhuman medical experiments on living persons, the extermination of human beings for no more reason than they did not fit some devils idea of a “superior race”. Indeed “superior race”, the very concept is an insult to all who have any trace what so ever of decency.

I remember the first time I saw the films of what the Nazis had done in the concentration camps, I quite frankly cried and for a year, I did not want to be a part of the human race. Visiting this concentration camp, reading and seeing pictures again about what the Nazis did to the people, again brought tears to my eyes. One has to visit the site, or just read what they did to understand the horrors of this infamous period in German history.

John J. O’Dell


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Real Estate

Want to Sell Your Home, Lower the Price

Home sellers learned a painful lesson in June: if you want to sell right now, lower the price.

June marked the second month with no more $8,000 tax credit for home buyers, and some 24% of all listings that were on the market as of July 1 had experienced at least one price reduction, up from 9% of all listings one month earlier, according to real-estate website Trulia.com.

The average price drop—at 10%—was unchanged from one month earlier.  But more markets saw bigger price reductions, led by Minneapolis, where 40% of listings had been reduced in price since listing. One third of all homes in Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz., have had their prices cut.

So when does it make sense to lower the price? Trulia’s Tara Nelson offers the following five tips:

  • Multiple listing agents have recommended listing the home at a lower price.
  • Feedback from the buyers’ agents suggests the home is overpriced.
  • The home isn’t getting any showings, even though it’s marketed well.
  • The home has sat on the market far longer than other homes in the area.
  • There’s been multiple offers, but they’ve all been significantly under the list price.

I notice it appears that sales of residential homes is starting to fall in Nevada County. The impact of the expiration of the $8,000 tax credit seems to be hurting our local market.

John J. O’Dell
Real Estate Broker
Call 530-263-1091