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Kezia Molinsky brings competitive cheer to Menlo College and eyes national competition
Menlo College’s Head Competitive Cheer Coach Kezia Molinsky wants to be clear about what her team does. It isn’t about pumping up the crowd from the sidelines — although this year, the team does a bit of that, too. “Pom-pom/song girls are performers at sporting events that engage the crowd,” she explains. “Side line cheering also [...]
Singers raise their voices for literacy at fundraiser for Project Read Menlo Park at Cafe Zoe
by Linda Hubbard Gulker on March 11, 2012
A series of performers sung out for literacy today at a Project Read Menlo Park fundraiser held at Cafe Zoe this afternoon. Fifty percent of the proceeds from food and beverage sales at the Cafe were being donated to Project Read.
Among the singers was Menlo Park resident Hannah Steuer (pictured above), a sixth grader at Gideon Hausner School, who was performing solo for the first time, singing Jar of Hearts. Hannah started choir when she was in third grade and she’s also taking voice lessons. “I really like to sing,” she says. “The songs I like to sing relate to me in some way. I can sing how I feel easier than I can talk about it”
Tim Grow (right), who is head of the Board of Directors of Literacy Partners, which was formed about two years ago with the sole purpose of supporting Project Read Menlo Park, said another hoped outcome of today’s event was to raise awareness not only about the work of the local organization but to also build bridges with other Bay Area groups involved with literacy efforts. “We want to get a better understanding of where our program is making an impact as well as learn what other groups are doing to avoid duplication.” Tim, who is a product manager at Google, got involved with Literacy Partners through Volunteer Match.
Literacy Partners Board member Kristi Breisch was pleased with the turnout for the event. “Not being able to read is difficult anywhere, but it is particularly challenging for people here in the Bay Area,” she said.
In addition to the 50% proceeds from Cafe sales, a silent auction was also held. One challenge being faced by Project Read Menlo Park is that funding from the state has been eliminated.
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Camarillo Pacific Railroad fires up rebuilt steam locomotive to visitors’ delight
by Linda Hubbard Gulker on March 10, 2012
Colin Camarillo, who operates Camarillo Pacific Railroad in the front yard of his Menlo Park home, kept his many diesel engines in the train barn this afternoon in favor of his recently rebuilt steam locomotive (two far right bottom images).
“The locomotive was one of the first I bought when I built the railroad in the early 2000s,” he says. “Kevin Anderson, one of the original builders, and I ran it every day.
“It got a lot of use, and then for four years, it just sat in a state of disrepair. But my Dad always like the steam locomotive, and we found a guy who could not only restore it but do some customization. We’re all thrilled. It looks great and has a lot more oomph.”
The engine not only drew a crowd of young admirers from the neighborhood but was joined by two other steam locomotives for a super display of railroading.
Here’s a video of the trains in action:
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Little League opening day and Scout pancake breakfast herald signs of spring in Menlo Park
There was a seasonal shift this morning in Menlo Park with two annual events — opening day of the Menlo Atherton Little League and the pancake breakfast hosted by Boy Scout Troop 206. The breakfast is one of the Troop’s major fundraisers of the year, held at Trinity Church, which sponsors the Troop. At the Little [...]
Review: Rating the best (and worst) local sandwiches
Editor’s note: Menlo-Atherton High School journalism student Hannah Ellefritz sampled the sandwiches offered at local eateries and offers her opinion. Café Borrone Rating: ★★★★★ This Menlo Park classic has been around for around 20 years and is representative of downtown Menlo Park as a whole. Café Borrone combines a European-style café with a bustling California [...]
Kezia Molinsky brings competitive cheer to Menlo College and eyes national competition
Menlo College’s Head Competitive Cheer Coach Kezia Molinsky wants to be clear about what her team does. It isn’t about pumping up the crowd from the sidelines — although this year, the team does a bit of that, too. “Pom-pom/song girls are performers at sporting events that engage the crowd,” she explains. “Side line cheering also [...]
Menlo Park celebrates Arbor Day with tree planting
The heavy lifting had already been done — Menlo’s newest tree was already in the ground — but it was the smiles and earnestness of preschoolers from the Menlo Park Children’s Center that provided the sparkle at today’s Arbor Day celebration. The participants diligently shoveled dirt around the tree’s perimeter, joined at one point by Menlo Park [...]
Aida Morano: An artist who creates pretty faces
Aida Morano, who’s lived her whole life in Menlo Park — “I never left,” she says — views her career as going from one kind of artistry to another. She was a classical ballet dancer until she was 22 when she made the switch to cosmetics, first working at department stores and then for color consultant Carla [...]
Food entrepreneur Michael Winnike expands his line of Happy Goat caramels and sauces
Michael Winnike always has liked a good debate. When we met him in the kitchen of the Menlo Park home where he grew up, the discussion at hand was which of the six whiskies he was mixing with the caramel base he uses to make Happy Goat caramels and sauces was the “best.” Michael’s debate [...]
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