March 10, 2005

NEWS BRIEFS

VEP Community Association to host home improvement faire March 22

VEP will be holding its eighth annual Home Improvement Faire on Tuesday, March 22 7:30 to 9 p.m., at Gunderson High School, 622 Gaundabert Lane, San Jose. Admission is free to the public.

VEP expects more than 50 home improvement vendors, featuring electrical, plumbing, flooring, painting, roofing, and home remodeling/repairing, and more. There will also be local photographers, realtors, mechanics, as well as representatives from Tupperware and Pampered Chef. Cash door prizes will be awarded during the event—but you must be present to win.

VEP represents over 2000 homes in the Blossom Valley area roughly bounded by Chynoweth, Hwy 87, Capitol Expressway and Snell Ave. For more information, and for breaking news and events, see www.vepca.org, or call Jeri Arstingstall at 408-281-1959.

Next Almaden Valley Community Association meeting to address
proposed South Valley School District

The next meeting of the Almaden Valley Community Association will be held Monday, March 14 at 7 p.m. and the McDonald’s Restaurant at 5925 Almaden Expressway. The subject will be the proposed South Valley School District and the speaker will be Chris Brubaker. For more information email AVCA president Lee Dimmit at ldimmitt@aol.com or visit www.avca-sj.org.

Calling all 6th-12th grade students!

Almaden Valley Art & Wine Festival announces annual logo design contest

The Almaden Valley Women’s Club is soliciting students in grades six through12 residing in the 95120 zip code to participate in the 29th annual Almaden Valley Art & Wine Festival Logo Design Contest. 

The winning logo design will appear on festival merchandise and promotions, street banners and signage throughout Almaden and surrounding areas.  This year’s festival will be held Sunday, Sept. 25 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. This is the second year the festival will be held at Almaden Lake Park, near the intersection of Almaden Expressway and Coleman Avenue in San Jose’s Almaden community.

To qualify as logo contest entrants, students must be enrolled in a public or private school or a home school program and reside within the 95120 zip code. A maximum of two entries will be accepted from each entrant. All entries must be postmarked no later than Wednesday, March 23, 2005. One finalist will be selected from each school, and a winning logo will be selected from these finalists. 

Original black and white artwork must be submitted on 8 ½-inch by 11-inch paper (no mounted artwork or computerized artwork will be accepted). Since the winning logo will be resized to fit a variety of items, we would like all entries to be submitted in a size that can easily be visible and reviewed by our panel of judges. White Out and similar products may not be used on entries. The student and teacher must sign and date the back of each entry, and legibly print their names and phone numbers.

The logo winner, finalists, and teachers will be contacted by Monday, April 25, 2005 and will be invited to attend the Almaden Valley Women’s Club awards presentation meeting on Tuesday, May 3, 2005 at the Joint Venture Church on Camden Avenue.

Entries should be mailed to: Almaden Valley Women’s Club, Attn: Betty Newkirk, Logo/Hospitality Chair, P.O. Box 20084, San Jose, Calif. 95160. For complete logo contest rules visit www.almadenartwinefestival.com.

Santa Clara County Association of REALTORS® opens doors to Affordable Housing Fair 2005

The Santa Clara County Association of REALTORS® (SCCAOR) is holding a free Affordable Housing Fair on Saturday April 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Parkside Hall in downtown San Jose.

More than 60 exhibit tables will dispense information on first-time home buying programs, housing assistance programs, finding a loan, and the steps to purchasing a home. More than 30 seminars on home-buying topics will be held in five areas of Parkside Hall, including seminars in Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese.

The seminars will teach attendees how to go from being a renter to becoming a home owner, the basics of getting a loan, the process to purchasing a home, and how to find and utilize a variety of down payment and closing cost assistance grants and loans.

“We are thrilled to be able to provide renters and first time homebuyers crucial housing information by holding this event”, said SCCAOR 2005 President Jim Myrick. “In my experience, I have found that many people who have been renting for years could have purchased a home sooner if they had realized the programs that are available.”

SCCAOR encourages attendees to take light rail and get off at the Convention Center stop, then look for direction signage to Parkside Hall, located at 180 Park Ave., behind the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

For more information about the Fair visit www.sccaor.com/housingfair or call 408-445-5062.

Free greenbelt outing on Sunday highlights threatened lands outside Morgan Hill

The Greenbelt Alliance is offering a guided hike to the beautiful waterfalls of Uvas Canyon County Park, near Morgan Hill this Sunday, March 13 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The City of Morgan Hill is drafting a new Urban Limit Line (ULL) beyond which land would be targeted for permanent protection. Some landowners and speculators want to expand the ULL to make currently protected land available for development. According to the Greenbelt Alliance, there is no need to expand the line: Morgan Hill already has a growth boundary that includes plenty of vacant land for development.

As hikers travel through lush trails to stunning waterfalls, they can learn about the farmland and natural areas that are threatened by an Urban Limit Line expansion, and about efforts underway to protect these lands.

The moderate 3.25-mile hike features spectacular views of little-known waterfalls, including the three-tiered Triple Falls. The hike will be led by Greenbelt Outings leader Gael Erickson, and accompanied by Michele Beasley, Greenbelt Alliance South Bay Field Representative.

For directions, see www.greenbelt.org/getinvolved/outings/green_directions_uvas.html, or call the Outings Hotline at (415) 255-3233.