Coastsider Aaron Reed and his father Steve have just published a new book, "The Myth of the Summer Moon"

The book is a story of three families of middle and high school youth plagued with poverty, personal loss, and handicaps. It describes how they work together to overcome life’s obstacles both within themselves and their rural community in an Appalachian border state in the 1930s.

Aaron is a resident of El Granada, and created an alternative homeschool collaborative program on the Coastside. He says, "With a small number of students, I can offer intimate educational instruction to students with alternative learning styles. I love the opportunity to work with students in small private programs away from the chaos that today’s large mainstream classrooms suffer from.  The small setting allows me to work individually with students; to really get to know them."

You can purchase signed copies of the book from Aaron’s website. It will be in stock at Moon News in Half Moon Bay at the end of the week.

Sherri Ballew is head coach of the Raiders Cheer Coastside Jr Midgets

Coastside Raiders Cheerleaders took home the first place trophy in the Jr Midget Small Novice division Friday at the Pacific Northwest Regional. The girls looked great and put on a clean routine. December 5 they will leave to represent Coastside and the Pacific Northwest region at Pop Warner Nationals Competition.

The girls are still working hard to raise the $5,000 they need to pay for the trip. The girls will be at Cunha’s Country Store for both nights of the night of lights and Safeway on Saturday. They are selling raffle tickets grand prize is a travel voucher for $500.00, 2nd place is a night at the beach house Inn, 3rd place is a hand made quilt by LaVerne Pacheco (lifetime resident of HMB) and 4th place is a hand made afghan again made by LaVerne Pacheco.

Thank You for all your support if there are any other questions I can be reached by email [email protected] or phone 728-7879.

Sherri Ballew

A book signing to celebrate the publication of Half Moon Bay author Robin Newmann’s new novel, Kidnapped Hope, will be held on Wednesday, November 29, 6-9 pm, at the Coastside Lutheran Church in Half Moon Bay (900 N. Cabrillo Hwy).

Kidnapped Hope is a gripping international thriller about a parent’s worst nightmare, losing children in an amusement park. It plays out a frightening scenario that unfolds when a Swiss couple’s two young children disappear on vacation at a California amusement park, and tells of the father’s unrelenting and danger-filled search for them.

Kidnapped Hope is available at Bay Book Company and Moon News in Half Moon Bay, in the Barnes & Noble bookstore at the Hillsdale shopping center, and online at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

Robin Newmann will be happy to sign previously purchased copies of Kidnapped Hope as well as those available for purchase at the book-signing event.

Kidnapped Hope was awarded "Publisher’s Choice" by iUniverse, Inc., and initial reader reviews have been enthusiastic.

"I just finished the book – WOW. It only took me three days to read and I literally couldn’t put it down," said a reader.

Robin Newmann draws on his experience as an international journalist and traveler in Kidnapped Hope, his first novel about a Swiss father who, when police efforts fail, travels across continents to hunt for his two young children. In his quest, Peter Zucker faces dangers that include corrupt police, murderous South American thugs, and a child-prostitution ring. He gets help from Allison Cox, a U.S. diplomat and former Marine, whose fate becomes inextricably linked with that of the missing children.

Kidnapped Hope is a fast-paced story that will captivate all readers from high-schoolers up.

Cheri Parr

Click on the photo to see our album from the event.

Thanksgiving celebrates the end of the harvest, but often, those who put the food on our tables, can't celebrate due to lack of time and money. These are the workers cared for by Reverend Wendy Taylor and the staff and volunteers of Puente de la Coasta Sur. This year, it is through their efforts that the migrant workers in Pescadero got a taste of Thanksgiving.

The work started early afternoon on Thanksgiving day as Reverand Taylor, George Aranda, and crew of volunteers headed out to the farms and ranches to pick up workers for a ride to Native Sons Hall. By 5pm more than 25 migrant farm workers were greeted warmly by the staff of Puente, NorthStreet, Belmont's United Church of Christ, and Coastside Hope. The tables were heavy with traditional Thanksgiving turkeys, and a taste of home -- fresh tamales with rice and beans. The men played board games, listened to music, and participated in a raffle for coats, backpacks and boots. Tables at the entrance contained food, paper supplies, warm blankets and shirts for all.

More than eight years ago, Rev. Wendy Taylor started the Puente Ministry, an organization devoted to helping Latino men in the agriculture industry.

The organization's full title is "Puente de la Costa Sur", or bridge of the South Coast, and many coastsiders see Reverend Taylor as that bridge. Started at Pescadero Community Church, Puente has grown to be an independent, faith-based non-profit serving agricultural workers; mostly men alone with families back in Mexico. "Bikes, Beans and Blankets" and a healthy dose of support, are distributed to ease the adjustment to life in this country.

When we eat our Thanksgiving meals, we eat the fruits and vegetables that have been harvested right here in our county. However, how many people give thanks to the people who toil in the sun working hard to feed our nation? How many people give thanks to the migrant farm worker? Thanks to Puente, a handful of these workers were fed, and more importantly, thanked.

On behalf of the staff, board and clients of Coastside Hope (formerly the Coastside Opportunity Center) we’d like to thank the entire community for the outpouring of generosity during the Thanksgiving holiday.  Because of you, over 150 families were able to sit down to a hot turkey dinner with all the trimmings.   Julia Scott of the San Mateo Times ran an excellent article detailing the day, as well as our upcoming Adopt-A-Family program. We’ve uploaded a gallery of photos of this year’s food distribution to Coastsider.

Our success was made possible with the support of a number of local groups including the 2nd Harvest Food Bank, Rotary, Lyons Club,  Rosa Amanda Holm of Prudential Realty, and the League for Coastside Protection.  We’d also like to thank the many Coastsider readers who took the time to personally drop off turkeys at the center.  Lastly, thanks to the kids at Hatch Elementary School, we were able to distribute over four racks of warm coats to both children and adults, just in the nick of time from the looks outside my window this evening.  
I was particularly impressed with one donor, who came to the center on our last day of distribution to see how the drive was going.  When he heard we were running low, he reached into his wallet and paid for enough turkeys to last the day.   One of the reasons I love working and living on the coast is the true coming together of the community around important issues.  Thank you all for exhibiting the true spirit of giving this holiday season.

Cheri Parr
Montara

Patty Mayall is a resident of La Honda

YMCA will hold public meeting on logging on Sunday, Dec 3

The comment period for the San Francisco YMCA’s logging plan has been extended to Dec 15.  The YMCA is holding a public meeting on Sunday, Dec 3 1:30 pm at YMCA Camp Jones Gulch, 11000 Pescadero Rd. La Honda. [YMCA SF website]

The California Department of Forestry (CDF) grants or denies these NTMPs (nonindustrial timber management plan) and held the one and only public hearing on this plan in August. The meeting on Dec. 3 is not part of the CDF process; the YMCA is hosting it due to hundreds of people responding to this proposed logging. They defend their plans with their "forest/land stewardship" report and rhetoric, but the NTMP is the LEGAL document for the logging operation.  This will be the only opportunity to voice your questions and concerns.  Please attend, forward this email to your friends, and help us persuade the YMCA to do what’s best for ALL: withdraw the NTMP.

For more detailed information, please visit the Committee for Green Foothills website.

KQED 88.5 FM Radio program "The California Report" will be airing a story on this on DEC. 1, Fri. (CLICK for times or to listen online).

Click for information on how to write a letter of comment, and more.

The La Honda Fire Brigade’s annual Holiday Boutique is coming on Saturday , December 2 from 10am to 4pm at the La Honda fire station. The boutique features locally grown hand made arts and crafts, sweets, including Captain Cathy’s sticky cinnamon buns, and locally grown poinsettias for sale. There will be a raffle featuring items from the vendors and Sanrio Hello Kitty products.

Come shop, get your sugar fix and buy your holiday poinsettias at the La Honda fire station on Hwy 84 at this one day only event supporting the La Honda Fire Brigade.

The annual Stage Road Winter Fair runs from Friday to Sunday, Dec 1 to 3.

The Pescadero Christmas tree lighting kicks things off at 7pm  Friday.   Watch the lights come on, have a cup hot chocolate and cookies, and cheer as the big Red Fire Trucks deliever a speical guest! This event is sponsored by the Pescadero Arts and Fun Festival Committee.

On Saturday and Sunday,  The Christmas Bazaar is from 10am to 4pm.   There will be hand-made gifts, Holiday Floral arrangements, orniments and ‘wearable art’, jewelry, photography and much more.  Pescadero Elementary students will also be on hand.  The eighth grade will be selling baked goods.  The fifth grade will hold a "Farmers Market" booth, to raise funds for their adventure to Outdoor Ed this spring.  Pick up your mistletoe, without having to hike up a tree.

Come down and do some holiday shopping, visit with friends, grab some lunch and start your holiday season! This event is hosted by the Ladies of the IDES.  It is held in the Grand Hall of the IDES Grounds at the south end of Stage Road. Vendors please contact Peggy Nunes at 879-0469.

Coastside Family Medical Center, in collaboration with The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay will host its first annual Ritzy Trees event—a holiday benefit to raise money in support of healthcare service on the coast.  The funds raised at this event will benefit Coastside Family Medical Center and the Boys & Girls Club of the Coastside.

On December 8, 2006 from 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. a cocktail reception will be held in the Grand Ballroom of the Ritz-Carlton.  Tickets to Ritzy Trees are $50 and include a beautiful assortment of appetizers, wine, and entertainment from the Magnolia Jazz Band.  A live auction will be held for eight magnificently decorated trees, including gifts ranging from vacation getaways to group golf packages.  A raffle of themed holiday wreaths will benefit the Boys & Girls Club.  We invite you to help support our cause by either purchasing at ticket to this one-of-a-kind gala event, or if you are unable to attend, donations are welcome.  Tickets will be available at Coastside Family Medical Center, the Half Moon Bay Coastside Chamber of Commerce, and the GraphicWorks.

Coastsiders can subscribe to tsunami alerts by email at http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/watcher/tsunamiwatcher.html .  Thanks to Dan Blick for posting this suggestion in the comments on the grand jury’s tsunami preparedness report.