Community Briefs

Barton Road delays continue this weekRoad closures due to subdivision construction continue this month. Barton Road is closed near Rocklin Road through Feb. 16 and Feb. 19-22. Work hours are 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, call Loomis Town Hall at 652-1840.Burrito Bingo night held at Blue GooseGolden Eagle Pony Baseball will hold its annual Burrito Bingo fundraiser beginning at 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, at the Blue Goose Fruit Shed. Advance sale tickets are $20 and can be purchased at Blue Goose Produce. Tickets at the door will be $25. For more information, call Debbie O'Neil at 580-5994.Del Oro Drama play opens tonight at 7:30Opening at 7:30 p.m. tonight is the Del Oro Drama Department's production of "Noises Off," a comic farce by Michael Frayn. The show will continue Feb. 17, 22, 23 and 24. The "play within a play" is about a dysfunctional cast of actors trying to put on a comedy titled "Nothing On."Tickets are $8 general admission or $6 for students. For additional information, contact the drama department at 652-7243, ext. 1559.Church group makes quilts for needyQuilted Blessings will meet at noon Sunday, Feb. 18, at the Loomis Basin Congregational United Church of Christ, located at 6440 King Road. Quilts will be made for abused and neglected children of Placer County and those in need around the world.Recently the group sent eight quilts to an AIDS orphanage in Kenya and several to New Orleans hurricane victims. For more information, call the Quilted Blessings coordinator, Sharon Havranek, at 967-6241.High-tech devices for historical scavengingThe Loomis Basin Historical Society will meet at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, at the Loomis Library. Guest speaker will be Tahoe National Forest interpreter Phil Sexton, who will discuss historic interpretation using global positioning systems and geocaching (a type of high-tech scavenger hunt using hand-held devices). Sexton will describe geocaching protocols, provide a list of geocache sites in the Loomis area, and talk about ways to mitigate potential harm to historic resources that can result from poor geocache creation and setup.Hansen orchard to host citrus eventThe Slow Food Placer group will celebrate local citrus with two events this month. At 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, Pine Hill Orchard in Loomis will host a grapefruit tasting workshop. Visitors to the 100-year-old family farm will get an up-close tour of the citrus grove, taste samples of rare citrus varieties and learn about the history of grapefruit from owner Eric Hansen. Tickets are $20 per person. The workshop will take place rain or shine. Participants should dress for rugged farm and weather conditions. Advance reservations are required.At 6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 18, at the Ridge Golf Club in Auburn, the third annual Fruit Fantasy will feature a flavorful four-course meal highlighting fresh, seasonal ingredients from local farms and ranches. The cost is $50 per person for tickets purchased in advance; tickets at the door will be $60. For reservations, go to www.brownpapertickets.com/event/10016. For information, call (530) 210-6660.Dinner to benefitGreg Bailey IIA spaghetti dinner fundraiser to benefit the Greg Bailey II medical fund will be held Saturday, March 3, from 5 to 9 p.m. at Excelsior School, located at 2701 Eureka Road in Roseville. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for children ages 6 to 12, and free for those age 6 and under.Bailey is a lifelong Loomis resident and 2002 Del Oro High School graduate who was diagnosed with lung cancer last year. Bailey's parents are taking care of him in their home while awaiting further expensive medical treatments. For more information, call Banetta Bacchi at 652-7700 or Susan Walstad at 759-5819.Schmidt joinscattle associationTrevor Schmidt of Loomis is a new junior member of the American Angus Association, headquartered in Saint Joseph, Mo. Junior members of the Association are eligible to register cattle in the American Angus Association, participate in programs conducted by the National Junior Angus Association and take part in association-sponsored shows and other national and regional events.Democrats headed toSan Diego conventionDemocrats in Placer County had a large turnout for the recent election of delegates who will attend the Democratic State Convention to be held April 27-29 in San Diego. Rebecca Golling of Loomis was elected as a convention delegate representing California Assembly District 4, and Larry DuBois of Loomis was elected chair of the Placer County Democratic Central Committee.Income taxesprepared at libraryThe AARP/IRS TaxAide Program is again offering free federal and state tax preparation Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, by appointment only, at the Loomis Library. Although special attention is given to those 60 and older, the service is available to all taxpayers with no age or membership restrictions. For an appointment, call the Loomis Library at 652-7061. Those who have farm or property income or home offices are not eligible for this service. Taxpayers will need identification, their 2005 tax return, and Social Security numbers for any children.Oriental Food Bazaarat Del Oro March 3The First United Methodist Church of Loomis celebrates the 53rd year of its annual Oriental Food Bazaar from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 3, in the Del Oro High School cafeteria. Authentic Japanese food and homemade desserts are served and guests can eat in with friends and family or take out to enjoy at home. Tickets are available now from church members or can be purchased at the door. The public can also participate in a workshop beginning at 9 a.m. Friday, Feb. 24, in the church's Fellowship Hall, located at 6414 Brace Road, with the goal of making 150 pies. For more information, Carol Iwasaki at 663-4669.Local golfers headedfor zone championshipErick Thatcher, Joe Nargussi, Bob Turner and Leroy Rogers will represent Indian Creek Men's Golf Club in the Northern California Golf Association East Sacramento Zone Championship to be held March 19 and 20 at Spyglass Hill and Poppy Hills golf courses in Pebble Beach. The Loomis golfers will compete in the championship against 25 other teams. Indian Creek's men's golf club has 75 members; membership is open to the public. For more information, call 652-5546.Webber serving withMarines in HonoluluMarine Corps Captain Paul Webber has graduated from the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies Junior Executive Course in Honolulu. Webber is a 1996 graduate of Del Oro High School. Webber, currently assigned to U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific, Camp Smith in Honolulu, joined 24 other military and civilian participants from five countries throughout the Asia-Pacific region who attended the three-week course.Andersen finishesArmy basic trainingArmy Pfc. Randi L. Andersen has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. Andersen, a 2003 Del Oro High School graduate, is the daughter of James and Shirlene Andersen of Loomis.Crab Feed benefitsNewcastle school tripA crab feed to benefit the Newcastle Elementary eighth-grade Washington DC trip will take place at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16, at Portuguese Hall in Newcastle. Tickets are $40 in advance. Call the school at 663-3307.Little League plansbaseball tryoutsTryouts for Newcastle Little League will be held Saturday, Feb. 17, at Newcastle Elementary School, when late registration will also be accepted. Opening day is March 31, during which a pancake breakfast and a Hit-A-Thon will also take place. Call 492-6254 for more information.American Revolution groupto hear about constitutionThe Gold Country Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution will meet at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, at Lou La Bonte's Restaurant, located at 13460 Lincoln Way, in Auburn. Guest speaker Josh Wilson will give a presentation on the history of the constitution.AAUW plansmember coffeeA coffee for prospective member of the Roseville-South Placer Branch of the American Association of University Women will be held at 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22, in Roseville. Membership is open to graduates with an RN, associate, bachelor's or higher college degree. Those interested in attending the coffee should call Jerri Yeager at 624-0944.Auburn lecture isabout vanishing frogs Herpetologist Sean Barry will address the patterns and mysteries found among declining populations of foothill amphibians during his lecture titled "Vanishing Act," at 7:30 p.m Friday, Feb. 23, at Unity of Auburn, located at 1212 High Street in Auburn. Tickets are $12. The lecture is presented by the Placer Nature Center; call (530) 878-6053 for more information.Networking womento hold benefitThe eWomenNetwork of Rocklin/Granite Bay will hold a fundraiser at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 28, at the Williams + Paddon building, located at 2237 Douglas Blvd. in Roseville. Proceeds from the evening of food, music, silent auction and networking will benefit services for women and children. Tickets are $20 for members, $25 for guests, and $40 after Feb. 26. Call 624-2540. State Fair scholarshipsapplications availableThe Friends of the California State Fair Scholarship Program area accepting applications for the 2007-2008 academic year. California college students and graduating high school students are eligible and must apply by March 23. As many as 32 scholarships will be awarded in the arts, general studies, agriculture, international studies, teaching credential programs, viticulture and enology and culinary. For an application, contact the Friends of the California State Fair Scholarship Committee at 263-3636.