I’ve been waiting for over a month for my son to come home from his dad’s (summer visit) and the wait is finally over! Here I sit at the airport anxiously awaiting his return so OUR two weeks of summer can finally begin! Anyone else have to go through the same thing??? It sure makes you appreciate your family and all you’ve been given!

Like to read?  Visit the Friends of the Library bi-monthly “Patio” book sale on the 1st saturday of the month.  Save lots of $$ with paperbacks selling for only .25 cents and hardcovers .50 cents!  Next sale on Saturday, August 1st from 1am – 1pm at the Redding Library Patio.  For more information call 530.245.7265.

 Redding Electric Utility (REU) offers many free online energy calculators at their website www.reupower.com for those who are looking to learn about energy consumption and conservation.  You can learn about how your home consumes energy, how much appliances cost you to operate or just get general recommendations on how you can improve your home’s energy performance.  REU also offers FREE energy audits and if you don’t have the internet you can call them at 530.339.7300 for direct assistance with your questions!

Two great Redding Recreation preschool programs are having registration beginning on August 10th.  The two programs, Tiny Tots and ABC/123 offer exciting activities for your kids with the ABC/123 program helping to prepare its children for Kindergarten.  For more information on these programs stop by Redding Recreation at 1250 Parkview Avenue or call them at 225-4095.

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Are you a low-income Redding Electric Utility (REU) customer?  You may be eligible for 50% higher energy-efficiency rebates!  You can also apply for several other REU rebate programs and receive the same rebate for insulation, appliances, A/C servicing and more!  For more information visit www.reupower.com or call REU at 530.339.7300 for more information.

McCloud Heritage Days – August 14, 15, 16 (Fri. Sat. Sun.)

Take a stroll back in time and relive the area’s unique heritage. An excursion train ride, St. Joseph’s steak dinner, and old fashioned melodrama “Who’s a Hoo Hoo? “(“The Snark Stops Here”) begin the festivities on Friday. The melodrama is an annual fundraiser for the Heritage Junction Museum and is locally written and produced with local talent and is based loosely on an actual event in area history. On Saturday there will be Wild West Reenactors; an Arts, Crafts, Antiques, and Collectibles Street Faire; Edelweiss Singers and Dancers; more melodrama performances; an excursion train ride, an antique tractor show; a quilt show; wood carving demonstrations; art show; Bocce ball; and a variety of contests, games, displays, food and entertainment. Also, all day Saturday will be the Alumni golf tournament.

On Saturday evening, there will be a nostalgic street dance and Rusta.

Sunday will be Family Fun Day. In the morning there is a Firemen’s Pancake Breakfast and a community worship service in the park. The Street Faire and Bocce ball continue along with various entertainers. Family activities include old fashioned games like a watermelon eating contest, sack and three legged races, hula hoop contests, a cook-off. There will be a pie and jam and jelly judging contest. This promises to be a fun packed three days! Come and join in the festivities! Detailed event schedules will be available soon.

For more information, call (530) 964-2558, 964-3113 or go on the Chamber web page: www.mccloudchamber.com

Street Faire vendors (handmade arts, crafts, and antiques and collectibles as well as food) and historic or heritage demonstrations, displays, and entertainers are welcome and encouraged; contact the Heritage Days Committee for more information.

Well…ever since the economy took a turn, the term ”staycation” has become very popular around the nation.  A “staycation” is a vacation that you take near your home…a very easy thing to do around Redding, with all of the wonderful recreational activities that we can do! 

So how do you plan a “staycation” around our area?  First, list out all of the sights that you’ve wanted to visit…here are a few that might help you get started:

• Burney Falls
• Whiskeytown Falls
• Local Vineyards
• Lassen Park
• Shasta Dam
• Lake Shasta Caverns
• Castle Crags
• Mt. Shasta
• Coleman Fish Hatchery

Then, list out some things that you may have never done before but might want to try..

• Bike ride the Sacramento River Trail
• Go disc golfing
• Hike a mountain
• Go wine tasting
• Drive to the coast for the day
• Go rafting or kayaking
• Rent a boat at the lake
• Go camping

Whatever you decide, a “staycation” can often be easier and provide just as much fun and memories as leaving the area but when you finish each day you’ll come home to your own bed!  And if you don’t want to, try staying at a hotel for the night (one with a pool or other amenity you’d enjoy), go to your favorite restaurant and have fun!  The other big benefit to “staycations” is that they cost only a fraction of the cost of a real vacation (no hotel fees, rental cars, flights) so you can do those things that you never wanted to spend money doing and feel fine about it…or just save a lot of money!

If you are planning a “staycation” let us know your plans!

Don’t miss Redding’s HUGE 4th of July Celebration, Freedom Festival at the Redding Convention Center, 700 Auditorium Drive. If you are planning to attend make sure to bring the following: plenty of water and sunscreen…and make sure you get there early to find a parking spot as they fill up early in the morning!

Scheduled entertainment will include:

6:15-6:25 pm–Welcome, Introductions & National Anthem
6:30-6:55 pm–Kids Unlimited
7:00-8:10 pm–WeR1
8:25-8:45 pm–Country Gold Dancers
9:00-9:45 pm–Shasta College Community Band
10:00 pm–Fireworks Display

The fireworks display will be simulcast by North State Public Radio KCHO/KFPR Radio 88.9 FM. Carl and Linda Bott will emcee the event. Funding for the fireworks display is made possible by the McConnell Foundation.

The public is encouraged to arrive early and find a seat as parking lots fill up early and when they are filled the Convention Center access area will be blocked and traffic will be diverted to other locations.

Please, NO alcoholic beverages or pets.

Information provided courtesy of www.reddingrecreation.org

So…who wasn’t a kid once that played with Lego’s and dreamed of making great things? Nathan Sawaya was like any other kid but he has been lucky (and talented) enough to make a living doing something that he really enjoys and that we’ve all dreamed of! An unusual medium, Lego building blocks, formed into many different items…a skateboard, full-bodied people and even a larger-than-life dinosaur…you name it!

This great exhibit is at our own Turtle Bay Museum in Redding, CA for a short time. For a quick glimpse of what you’ll see and be amazed by at this exhibit click here! To learn more about Turtle Bay including directions, cost of entrance, etc. click here!

Don’t forget, tomorrow is family day at the Shasta District fair in Anderson…kids under 12 get in FREE so…go support your local 4-H (good luck to the kids with the hogs from the Swede Creek and Palo Cedro 4-H groups), ride some rides and have a lot of good family fun!