The Oquirrh Times Online Newspaper

State of Utah House of Representatives, the race for House District 22 remains firmly centered in Magna

Dan Powers — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 00:43:13 +0000

This year three separate candidates remain in the running for the single office that Magna can elect to represent Magna outside of Magna, Utah State House of Representatives Seat 22. A longtime Magna resident Susan “Sue” Duckworth, a Democrat, currently occupies seat 22 since 1 January 2009, according to her website. Neither Duckworth nor her campaign responded to requests for an interview.

The Oquirrh Times was able to conduct interviews with both write in candidate Sarge Froehl of the “reform” party, and Marilee Roose of the Constitution Party of Utah.

Sarge (Froehle), write in candidate “Sarge”

Sarge House District 22 candidate.

Sarge is a retired Army Master Sergeant who has been most recently involved with the Magna Concerned Citizens (Tea Party). He was born in Thief River Falls, Minnesota (about 50 miles east of Grand Forks, North Dakota and 60 miles south of the Canadian Border). His last Active Duty assignment brought him to Fort Douglas in 1984, with sixth Army Headquarters. He moved to Magna and decided to remain after his retirement. He owns one of the few remaining horse properties in Magna and continues to work on his own land following retirement in 1986 from active military service.

His platform includes accountability and representation of the people in government. He feels that the state legislature should be making better use of their time.

An example of needless legislation according to him was House Bill 219 (Feb. 2011), that establishes the ‘John M. Browning designed M1911 automatic pistol as the state firearm of Utah. Legislation as this Sarge referred to as “fluff” and a “waste of the legislature’s time.” He feels there are more pressing issues that should be the priority for the elected representatives. He points out that his belief is the state legislature should be capped at a certain number of pieces of legislation during each annual session, effectively forcing the legislators to focus on the most important issues during any given session.

Another major point for his campaign is having an open, ethical, and accountable government. In March of 2011, House Bill 477 was passed and signed into law – excluding Utah State government records from GRAMA (Government Records Access and Management Act). This closes off public access to standard government records, which by itself certainly raises questions. The passing of this bill has raised question among citizens and voters alike about why State Government needs to shield voters from seeing what is going on in the government.

He also cites the fact that within the State of Utah, there is no provision in the state constitution or in State Law to allow the citizens to recall elected officials who no longer have the confidence of their constituents to execute their respective elected office. He believes that having a recall provision of some sort is necessary to protect the citizens from out of control government, and is a basic protection of citizen’s individual rights.

He wants to bring in legal controls to prevent elected officials from receiving “free” pensions and retirement benefits at the expense of the taxpayer.

He also believes that there should be term limits on all elected offices to prevent career politicians from becoming entrenched, preventing families from maintaining decades of control over political office. Throughout Utah history, this has been a problem as well as a concern of voters.

Sarge brings an uncommon perspective, originally from somewhere else and choosing Magna as his permanent home. His children and grandchildren graduated from Cyprus since he has relocated and become part of Magna in the 1980’s – proving that a person is not required to have grown up entirely in Magna to care about Magna.

Sarge’s campaign website is located at: www.sargeforthepeople.com

Also see his work with Represent Me Utah www.representmeutah.org

Marilee Roose is running as the Constitution candidate also for District 22. She is an eleven year resident of Magna. Though she is comparatively new to Magna, she already considers it her home. She has previously been a small business owner and worked as a Dean of Students at a former private school (Kimber Academy, a K-12 school in Sandy).

Marilee Roose Utah House District 22 Candidate

The main parts of her platform consist of a smaller more efficient government by reducing spending and making a concerted effort to work with constituents to provide the representation they elected her for. Her primary motivations for running are twofold. First, to provide voters with a choice, as the Republican candidate pulled out of the race. Second, to demonstrate to citizens that there are more than two parties able to put forward good candidates who will work to represent voters. In large part, she wants to show people that “here [in Magna] we are normal people.” She feels strongly that an important part of the democratic process is for ordinary citizens to participate in government.

Roose would like to see government simplified. She recalled a conversation with outgoing Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, in which Shurtleff conveyed ‘it is possible to find anyone to be breaking the law because the legal code is so complicated and contradictory.’ She feels that the average citizen should not require attorneys to review every single decision before it is made.

She is concerned about recent issues on the horizon, which have the potential to have negative impacts on the community.

Marilee sees the current rate of spending by the state government as a major problem. “If I am elected I will be willing to examine every program for efficiency and budget restraints. There can be no ‘sacred cows’, there is too much wasteful spending by government.” She emphasized that “dealing with all fiscal matters, we need to balance the needs of people with what makes sense for government to spend.” She explained she understands that the government’s entire budget, tax revenue, comes to the government through the hard work of individual citizens. That money should be used in ways to provide necessary services, improving the quality of life, as well as being there to help in the cases of need.

Increasing taxes on businesses only causes businesses to in-turn to pass those increases on to consumers. She also believes that neither businesses nor people should receive special tax breaks. In short, her perspective is that tax revenue should be spent with great care.

She, like most parents in Utah, sees education as one of the highest priorities. She has been an educator but disagrees with the notion better education is only available if more money is spent. She feels that much of the money spent on education is wasted in layers of bureaucracy, with less funding than is needed in the classroom. She feels that the public education system is over-focused on testing metrics instead of ‘skill’ and ‘results’ oriented training. “The current state education requirements prevent teachers from being able to be creative in teaching. They are forced to teach to tests instead of concepts.” She would like to see discretion given to local schools, putting the power back in the hands of the teachers and parents adequately providing job skills and well rounded knowledge to students.

Roose believes that she can provide better access to her constituents by being flexible with her schedule. When asked about what separates her from the other candidates, she cited “statesmanship.” Expounding she feels that specifically her experience working at a private school, helping students and parents work with the administrators and teachers built the skills needed, to bring ordinary citizens and legislators together to accomplish their goals and maintain good government.

The Marilee Roose Campaign website is at:

www.marileeroose.com/candidate2012/

Additional information on her campaign and positions at Vote Utah:

http://vote-ut.org/Intro.aspx?State=UT&Id=UTRooseMarilee

As a result of the 2010 Census, Utah went through the process of redistricting. This process added an additional U.S. Congressional seat (Utah increased from 3 to 4). A number of changes happened on the State and Local level as well. The west side of Salt Lake County has seen a significant increase in population. This has resulted in changes in districts throughout the state. For more information on the results of this process, please visit the official Redistrict Utah website at www.redistrictutah.com for more information including an interactive map that allows you to see the precise boundaries.

The current representative, Susan Duckworth, states on her campaign website that she essentially took over from her husband Carl Duckworth (D) after he was diagnosed with cancer. Carl had previously held the office since 1999. She was elected to the office during the 2008 election, and was re-elected to a second term following that first term. Utah House District Seat 22 has remained inside the Duckworth household since 1999, a fact that concerned both candidates interviewed for this article. As noted before, neither Susan Duckworth nor her campaign responded to the request for an interview.

Come Out and Vote Early

admin — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 18:40:03 +0000

Voters need no excuse to utilize this convenient voting method. In order to be eligible to participate in Early Voting, voters must be registered to vote at least 30 days prior to the election.

Voters need no excuse to utilize this convenient voting method. In order to be eligible to participate in Early Voting, voters must be registered to vote at least 30 days prior to the election and provide valid voter identification.
Sylvia Sharp, a columnist for this paper, is out of town on voting day and has decided to take advantage of this early voting method. According to Sylvia, this early voting method has a lot of advantages to it. “Early voting lets you avoid the crowds and lets you be more selective about where you vote,” Sharp said. “I hate the rush on voting day and it makes me feel good that I get my vote in. I have been a voting judge before and it is a great privilege to be able to vote.”
Taylor Zupo, the lead worker in the early voting poll for west valley, is just one of the many poll workers in Utah. Zupo’s responsibilities include solving any problems or answering any questions that a voter runs into, making sure that any media who come to the early voting sites follow the rules, and checking the machines and the votes at night.
According to Zupo, Utah’s poll workers are better trained and motivated to do their job. “Utah is one of the few states that actually pay their poll workers and this makes for better qualified workers,” Zupo said. “Along with this pay comes eight hours or more of training.”
Any precinct can vote on early voting days, but on voting days voters are required to go to their own precinct. The only thing that voters need to vote on early voting days is a valid driver’s license. Poll hours are from 11 am-7 pm, but some areas close as soon as 5 pm.
“We are trying to make it easier to vote,” Zupo said. “No voter is turned down for any reason as long as they have a driver’s license.”
Votes are counted within five days of the voting day, and if a voter wants to make sure that their vote was counted, they can call a special number on the form. If any of the voters have any questions, they are required to get them answered before pressing the button for casting their ballot.
For more information about the early voting process, including areas and times to do early voting, call 385-Got-Vote or visit www.clerk.slco.org/elections/voteEarly.html for more information.

4A State Playoffs clouded in controversy, UHSAA rules Cyprus out of playoffs

admin — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 18:16:09 +0000

Dan Powers – Staff Writer: (dark41@gmail.com)

A controversial series of decisions issued first by Region Six, and the UHSAA Executive Committee are overturned by the Board of Trustees of the Utah High School Activities Association have left East High Leopards in the playoffs and left out the much improved Cyprus Pirates (5-5), who finished the season with two strong performances. Even with East’s dominating win over the Mountain View Bruins Tuesday night has failed to quell statewide discontent among principles, coaches, parents, and players across the state of Utah.

Timeline of events:

Wednesday Oct. 10: Region 6 learns of possible ‘ineligible’ players playing on East High Football Team. Region 6 Principals open an investigation.

Tuesday Oct. 16: Region 6 Principals meet at Woods Cross High School for two hours and hold a press conference. Region 6 imposed sanctions against East for playing “ineligible” players:
• Original Sanctions imposed by Region 6 Principals (in 5-1 vote): Head Coach suspended for 2 games; ineligible players not allowed to participate until declared eligible UHSAA; East on probation for one year; future eligibility infractions result in forfeiture of all games; $1500 fine.

Wednesday Oct. 17: East High Athletic Director Kathy Butler resigns after 23 years as the East AD, taking full responsibility for “misunderstanding” new player eligibility rules.

Thursday, October 18: UHSAA Executive Committee rules in 3-2 vote that East must forfeit 7 wins, placing them number 5 out of 6 in Region Six rankings. This would also make them ineligible in the 2012 4A State Football Playoffs. This included a win against Cyprus being vacated, improving the Pirates’ record to 6-4 overall (2-3 in Region 6 play).
• East forfeits 5 region six wins, now (1-8 overall); Region 6 Football Championship forfeited; head coach suspended from participating/attending next 3 games but allowed to participate in practices; East disqualified from playoffs; ineligible players not allowed to participate until declared eligible UHSAA; East on probation for one year; future eligibility infractions result in forfeiture of all games; $1500 fine.

Thursday Evening (Oct. 18): Local television news stories are aired on the 9 and 10pm newscasts with a focus on one player who had a medical condition that his father (already an East High coach), says he was just trying to monitor his son. Nearly every coach and player interviewed cried on camera and lamented how unfair this was to the students playing on the football team. First so many news outlets being invited to East High for the meeting where the news about the UHSAA ruling was passed on to the team in highly unusual. Second, even more unusual is that the media outlets attended with a cadre of reporters and cameras. Third, without digging into the entire context, these stories were run on the air presenting only one part of the situation and none initially pointed out that there were 4 players ineligible and 1 varsity starter (These details all came out over the course of the days following in the 3 UHSAA hearings).

Friday, October 19: UHSAA Board of Trustees overturns the Thursday ruling allowing East to NOT forfeit the game against Cyprus placing East as the number four team in Region 6 play, leaving Cyprus out of the playoffs entirely.
• East forfeits 5 region six wins, now (2-7 overall, not required to forfeit game against Cyprus); Region 6 Football Championship forfeited; Head Coach suspended from participating/attending next 3 games but allowed to participate in practice; East qualified from playoffs as Region Six fourth seed; East is not allowed to play a playoff game at home; ineligible players not allowed to participate until declared eligible UHSAA; East on probation for one year; future eligibility infractions result in forfeiture of all games; $1500 fine.

Sunday, October 21: Herriman High School holds rally in protest of East’s participation in playoffs after admitting violating eligibility rules playing 4 ineligible players through the 2012 season.

Monday, October 22: UHSAA invites 4A Coaches and administrators to hearing to discuss the UHSAA decision on Friday allowing East to remain in playoffs, and other sanctions imposed. The UHSAA will not reverse the decision to allow East to compete in playoffs. Both Scott Wooldridge (Football Head Coach) and Bob Fratto (Boys Athletic Director) from Cyprus attended the meeting.

To the larger community of coaches and administrators throughout Utah, the situation has the appearance of a double standard on the part of the UHSAA. In an interview with Coach Bob Fratto, (Cyprus Men’s Athletic Director), expressed concerns about the ruling of the Board of Trustees at the UHSAA, he is not alone. Many including coaches, principles, and the public across the state have expressed grave concern over the inconsistency.
The Pirates’ season thus ended with a decisive 38-14 win over Hillcrest on Oct. 17, improving their record this season to 5-5 under new Head Coach Scott Wooldridge. The week prior in spite of a cold downpour of rain, the Pirates were victorious on Friday Oct. 12 in a 31-6 rout of Clearfield during homecoming in front of a full stadium. Competing next year within the loaded Region 6 will be no easy task for Cyprus. No coach or player ever wants to have numbers in the loss column, however for the Pirates to improve from a winless 2011 campaign to .500 in 2012 is a welcome change in Magna.

The Diva with the Red Hattitude 10/25/2012

admin — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 17:37:35 +0000

Andrea L. Boone – Editorial Columnist: Autumn is definitely here; I awoke this morning with a startle and then realized it was the sound of rain pitter pattering on the window pane. Quite a change in the weather but in the Salt Lake Valley there has not been a bit of snow. That will soon change, I am sure
I’m tired of all the political stuff that is on TV, in the papers. Enough is enough oh, in about three weeks it will be over.

Diva with the Red Hattitude

Quite a week! Worked one day at the VA! The veterans were good and we had a lot of fun. We shared gummy bears and gummy worms. We had a few laughed and giggle. I love my veterans, there is no doubt.
Saturday night we filled with excitement! A friend of mine, Eric, was in town from Redding, California. He wanted to get together with a couple of more friends for dinner; he had made reservations, texted me and gave me an address. So I dressed to the nines, and ventured downtown to the Gateway Plaza. Parked the car walked and took the escalator up to the second floor and sat down in the outside seating /waiting area. Time of arrival approached and I made a cell phone call I heard the voice on the other end, Eric, say look to your left. I saw him walking along the sidewalk, and soon two others joined us. They asked me if I had ever been to this place before and my response was “no!” Tacanos! I was given instructions and proper etiquette procedures. This a place where all the meat is brought to the table on a skewer, carved off by a waiter. You are given a small plate and a tong to retrieve your cutting. You are given a large plate and can go for a rip to the salad bar. I must admit, not one of my favorite set ups, but I was with friends who would lead me astray. Ya right! So we got a salad, and I got some shrimp. Back and the table and settled, a waiter came to get our drink order. I ordered a drink that was on the menu, they didn’t have it, so I just got water. You just cannot go wrong with water. There is a wooden cylinder painted red yellow and green sitting at the end of every table. I was informed if the red side is up, you want meat to be offered at the table, if the green side is up you are ready for dessert and if it lies flat, you want the check. So here goes! First handsome lad comes with a set up of meat and a very sharp knife; he said it was gopher, but knowing I was a first timer there, that was a joke, next came another dude with seething else that looked like a great big humongous intestine, and I declined that too. A young man came next with nutmeg/brown sugar baked pineapple. Yes, that was to die for. An offering of turkey and it looked like turkey came next. There were several other thing offered, I would not dare venture as to what they were. I had my fill of sushi, California rolls, shrimp and salad. Dessert was declined. All in all, it was great seeing friends and talking up a storm. They were perplexed at my amazement at such a place. I guess I do not get around very much. I thought I did, but that was a first for me. Would I go back again I just may have to think about that. It depends how adventurous I was at the time.
No further adventure. The boys and I always go to breakfast on Sunday Morning. It was a rough week for them. It has been three years since their mother expired. Things get a little tense, but we made it through the rough time.
Until next week, so not do anything you have to explain to the paramedics’ or Judge Judy. Toodles!

Killer Pool; Girl Power

admin — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 17:30:10 +0000

Andrea L. Boone – Editorial Columnist: Sponsored by the American legion Post 71 in the south Salt Lake area, killer pool is played every Monday night. It’s a unique game of pool where you are given a rotation number, the balls are racked and broken, each person gets one shot and the last one shooting and making the ball or clearing the table is the winner. This past week, it was girl power. Bernita Blockovich won the first round and Nina Mason won the second game. Both are from the 132 Unit Auxiliary in Kearns. We always have a wonderful dinner prepared by the host, American Legion 71. A good time is had by all. Besides, we get to watch Monday night football, too. This past week was a triple bonus, the debate, the Baseball play off game and football where the Bears ruled. There was something for everyone to watch!

Pictured, Nina Mason and Bernita Blockovich. Photo by Andrea L. Boone

The Pleasant Green Cemetary Needs Volunteers

admin — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 18:24:07 +0000

By David McGrath – Staff Writer: On Oct 13 at 9 AM, Hiram Bertoch, the President of the Board of Trustees of the Pleasant Green Cemetery Preservation and Development Association, will need at least 30 people to come to the cemetery to help plant 600 bulbs. These bulbs will help to beautify it for generations to come.
Bertoch is aware of the service project happening on the same day, but he cannot change the day that the event is on. It is crucial that these 600 bulbs are planted on the 13. There are usally people that Bertoch can count on to help with these cemetary projects, but they will be busy helping with the service project. The volunteers who help plant these bulbs will become a part of history.
According to Bertoch, the 600 bulbs that will be planted on the 13 will last for a long time. “These bulbs will be divided as long as I’m there,” Bertoch said. “Future bulbs will come from the ones that we plant. Once we get these bulbs planted, we will be pretty darn close to coming to an end of the two year project new spring.”
As part of Project New Spring, Hank and Judy Bertoch spent two full days cutting and painting letters spelling “Pleasant Green Cemetery,” then took a third day to place them in the ground, making sure they looked straight and neat. Some of Project New Spring was also done by a group of eight youth volunteers from the ages of 10 to 14 who spent a full day stacking bricks and pulling dirt.
After the two year project New Spring is completed, Bertoch will start work on the five year project “Moving Forward.” This five year plan includes adding water to the cemetery, adding brick walls and flowerbeds, planting trees, and adding some memorial gardens. “At the end of the five year project we will have water flowing to all parts of the cemetery,” Bertoch said. “We will have a brick wall and flowerbed at the end of every field. As part of this project we will plant 4,200 bulbs, 52 trees and will be xeriscaping several of the roads.”
Bertoch also plans on planting some memorial gardens along the dirt loop road and the outer fence. “For this project we will add a memorial garden with a meandering pathway and bushes and trees where people can sit,” Bertoch said. “Five years from now this cemetery will be a very different place. This five year project will help the cemetery to really blossom and come to life. We have a limited budget and need all the community support that we can get.”
So please, become a part of Magna and Pleasant Green Cemetery’s history by volunteering on Oct 13. The work that you do on that day will be enjoyed by generations to come.

Candidates Day at Magna Senior Center

admin — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 18:11:54 +0000

Candidates running in the Utah elections spoke to the seniors at the Magna senior center on Sept 28 at 10 am. According to Anna Dresel, the associate director for Salt Lake aging services, this event took place so that the seniors could become informed about the candidates running for office.

Brian McAdams Talks about what he can do for Salt Lake County if elected Mayor. Photo by David McGrath

When it was time for the event to start, Dresel welcomed both the seniors and the candidates and informed the crowd that she was also at the Magna Senior Center when the event happened two years ago. She also warned the speakers that Diane Gonzoles, a volunteer for the event, would ring the bell if the speaker’s time ran out.
Ben McAdams, who was running for the County Mayor seat, was the first speaker at the event. McAdams started his comments by talking about the importance of working together and not apart to solve the problems facing Utah. “I am running because there are many challenges on the horizon,” McAdams said. “We can do more by working together then by working apart.”
McAdams used an example of snowplows to demonstrate the importance of working together. “There is a snowplow for both Salt Lake and 8th East,” McAdams said. “The Salt Lake snowplow only plows the cul-de-sac and not 8th East. Why can’t we work together more cheaply? We can find ways to work together to save you dollars.”
Joe Andrade, an independent running for district two was the next speaker. Andrade spoke about his unaffiliated status and how he felt that this would help his candidacy. “I am unaffiliated, and what that means is I don’t have any dollars with my campaign,” Andrade said. “That also means that there is only truth, transparency, facts and reality in my campaign.”
The next person to speak was Merillee Rhus, who is running as a third party candidate on the state level. Rhus started her comments by talking to the crowd about her third party status, and how it would be okay to vote for someone with this status on a state level.
“When someone tells you not to waste your vote on a third party it might make sense on a national level but on a state level it’s okay,” Rhus said. “You don’t have to be afraid of voting in a new person, but you do have to be afraid of candidates making back door deals.”
Ken Larsen, a retired Associate Professor of Medicine and a fourth party Libertarian for the Governor of Utah, talked about what a libertarian was and about how not all candidates agree on the same points of the constitution equally. “Most politicians agree about life,” Larsen said. “But many only agree about liberty and not property or property but not liberty. Those who agree about liberty want to control property rights, but those who agree with property rights want to take away personal liberty, and that’s wrong.”
Ryan Perry, a representative for Michael Jensen, running for District two on the county council, was the next person to speak. “We are positioned well to represent you,” Jensen said. “We can try to solve the East and West corridor problems. We want to fight for you.”
The next speaker was Vince Rampton, a democrat running for Lieutenant Governor. Rampton’s running man was Peter S. Cook, a retired two star general of the army. “To borrow a military term, we are on a mission,” Rampton said. “We are concerned with what is happening in the state. You have an investment in the future. We have a government who has not been a good example. We need to revitalize the leadership in the government office. We need a leader and not a follower.”
Michelle Sharf, a representative for Senator Hatch, was the next speaker. Sharf talked about how Medicare and Medicaid are two pressing issues that need to be addressed immediately. “We need to look at reforms regarding Medicare and Medicaid,” Sharf said. “We are not going to have people working in the system that we have now. We have to stop burying our heads in the sand and pretending that this problem doesn’t exist. We have to face reality and need to do something different.”
The next person to speak was Mark Crocket, a republican running for County Mayor, who talked about the importance of deciding what to do about Mill Creek.
“We need to determine the future of the unincorporated county of Mill Creek,” Crocket said. “Currently, the County has no plan for what happens if Mill Creek goes. We need to stop burying our head in the sand and figure out what we can do.“
The last person who spoke was Scott Howell, a democrat running for the U.S. Senate against Orin Hatch. Howell talked about the importance of putting someone who knows business principles into the office. “Utah needs someone who will put business principles to work to solve the debt problem,” Howell said. “It’s time for business people to take over the government and use fiscal discipline. God bless you for what you’ve done to make this country great.”

“Why I Love Magna”

admin — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 17:51:06 +0000

Sylvia Sutton Sharp – Editorial Columnist: Home again to my beloved town! Yeah it feels so good! But great times were had while I traveled. I discovered Portland, Oregon is a VERY beautiful area. Wow!  The green there is the greenest (new word?), although we only saw it from the air and the airport, I fell in love with the place.

Many new improvments coming up for Pleasant Green Cemetery. Join the effort in Saturdat October 13, 2012 at 9 AM. Photo by David McGrath

Isn’t it strange how fast reality hits once you return to your homeland. I have weeds to pull, clothes to wash, bills to pay, groceries to buy, friends to call etc. etc. etc..  As I looked at my calendar I realized October is one of my favorite months. I love the Fall weather and also Halloween is one of my most fun holidays.  I also have many crazy deer hunting memories. More tales to tell on that one, eh.
Saturday October 13th will be a VERY busy day for me. I am going to the Pleasant Green Cemetery to help plant 600  tulip bulbs. I hope to see you there for this very amazing, history making event. I don’t remember of anyone ever planting tulips in the cemetery. Well, thank to Hiram Bertoch and many others it will happen. Yes it is true, in the spring of 2013 there will be 600(we hope) tulips blooming in Magna.
If you want to be part of this historical event be at the cemetery at 9 am sharp, bring some kind of a small tool to dig with and stay as long as you can so we can get the job done. This would be a great opportunity for a service project for your family, church group, scout troop or whatever. It could be a “Golden Day” for all to serve our community. It would be especially meaningful if you have a loved one buried there. I will be there, will you?

Heck, I Love Magna, Syl!

Friendship Gate Celebration

admin — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 17:25:29 +0000

The Friendship Gate is now open to the public.

The event, which happened at six in the evening, was a celebration of Chinese and Tawianese culture, complete with music, aerielists, dancing, art, fireworks and more. According to Michael Christensen, an employee for the center who was directly involved with getting the event together, this gate has been 12 years in the making.
The event started with a brief introduction by Christensen, which was followed by the Salt Lake Chinese Choir singing traditional Chinese melodies.
After choir sang their traditional songs, Mike Winder, the mayor of West Valley City, made a few comments to the audience about the cultural center, the Friendship Gate, and Nantou Tawian.
According to Winder, the Friendship gate was not the only gift given to the cultural center by other cultures. The statues of the American and Vietnamese soldiers near the Friendship Gate, for example, was given as a gift to represent the friendship that developed between Vietnam and America. Despite all the other gifts given to the center by other cultures, the grandest gift of them all is, according to Winder, the Friendship Gate.
According to Winder, the Friendship Gate is not the only cultural gate in the United States. “Chicago has a gate and Washington DC has a gate from Bejing,” Winder said. “However, these gates are nothing like our gate. Our gate is much more ornnate and decorative than in Chicago. We really have a one of a kind gate in West Valley City.”
Winder also spoke about the time 12 years ago when the city of Nantou Tawain formed its sister city relationship with West Valley City, which Winder called “A really wonderful partnership across the ocean.” Winder closed his comments in a welcoming and celabratory way. “We welcome you,” Winder said. “Let’s have a party tonight!”
After Winder’s comments, a group of five schools with Chinese immersion from West Valley and Salt Lake County schools carried colorful red and yellow banners with Chinese calligraphy and symbols through the audience. This group of children eventually made it to the Friendship gate, where a ribbon cutting with Mike Winder, the mayor of West Valley City, Ross Olsen, the director of the Cultural Celebration center, and others took place. After the ribbon on the gate was cut, Mayor Winder said “We officially declare this gate open.”
The ribbon cutting event was followed by a procession of men in colorful dragon costumes dancing to the rhythm of skilled drummers. The dragons had one person operating the head and the other operating the back.
These dragons would wag their tails, jump around and get up close to many of the audience members. The dragons also used an ongoing sight gag with a green cabbage that came out of the back end of one dragon and was then eaten by another. Eventually, the remains of this cabbage were tossed back into the audience. The dancing dragon performers were part of a local kung-fu club.
After the dragon dancers performed, the Utah Chinese Folk Orchestra played some traditional chinese numbers complete with a flute, drums, a sitar, and more. After hearing the Orchestra play some traditional Chinese folk music, aerielists from the Aeriel Arts of Utah performed tricks and stunts on a metal ring and two red curtains. The aerielist on the ring would stretch herself on the ring in a variety of positions, and the aerielists who performed on the curtains did heartstopping flips, turns, and spins.
The last two aerielists who performed climbed up the curtains together and did tricks in tandem and on top and bottom of each other. The aerielists were followed by Kao Poui, an Aztec dance group who danced to the rhythhm of a complex drum beat in traditional Aztec costumes. The Chinese Friendship Gate event concluded with a few more performances and a spectacular fireworks display. To learn more about the Utah Cultural Center or the events happening there, visit www.wvc-ut.gov.

West Valley Pet Festival

admin — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 17:12:09 +0000

By David McGrath – Staff Writer: West Valley—On Sept 29, pet owners had a chance to bond with their pets at the second annual petfest which happened at the West Valley Animal Shelter, located at 4522 W 3500 S in West Valley. The event included a “Best Dressed Pet Competition,” Police K-9 demonstration, training activities, vendors and services, and live music from the band Zenith.

The West Valley Pet Festival held at the West Valley City Park on September 29, 2012. Photo by David McGrath

This event showcased many services provided by West Valley City and Taylorsville animal services. Some of the services offered at the PetFest were free vouchers for neutering and spaying given by Utah Faces, vouchers for a free wellness exam given by the Creekside Animal Hospital, free dog treats and toys, leashes, and grab bags.
One of the agenices that was at the PetFest was Utah Faces, a volunteer, not-for-profit organization developed to assist and support the needs of the animals and activites at Salt Lake County Animal services.The main thing that Utah Faces does is help to get animals adopted. This agency is just starting out, but they hope to do more events throughout the year. According to Kathy Perish, the president of Utah Faces, this agency supplements the West Valley animal shelter and helps fund medical care and provides enrichment that the shelter can’t.
Another agency at the event was the Best Friends Animal Society, who has a partnership with West Valley Animal services. The society, which located in Utah and has a sanctuary in Kanab, was there to get the word out about fixing animals and their community cat program. According to Lydia Benning, who has been with the society for six years, the community cat program fixes feral cats and then gives them back to their caregivers.
The Kinney Animal Shelter, which helps animals who have been abused by their owners, was also at PetFest. This shelter was named after Kinney the cat, who was beaten so severely lost its eyes. When Cassie Pitts and Megan Urbanik found Kinney, they had a fundraiser for him called “Save Kinney.” Pitts and Urbanik were so touched by Kinney that they eventually started the Kinney animal shelter.
Along with having different services for animals, vendors were also at PetFest, with some of them offering free samples of treats for pets. The Lazy Woof, an online store locally owned and based was one of the vendors at the Pet Fest. This store, owned by Lori and Jennifer, was doing a drawing for free dog treats.
Another vendor at the event was Costco, which was doing a drawing for dog toys which people could enter if they signed up for their special membership deal. According to Nikki, who was with membership marketing at Costco, a membership of $55 for one card or $110 for two cards would get a person a year membership, a $20 Costco gift card, and a chance to win the three dog toy pack at the event.
One of the highlights of the event was Creature, the winner of Utah’s ugliest dog contest. Taylor Stokes, the proud owner of Creature for a year and a half, was there to answer questions about creature.
“Our vet was the one who reccomended that we put Creature in the Ugly Dog competition,” Stokes said. “On June 21, we decided to enter him into the world’s ugliest dog competition in Senoma, Californai, where he took second place.”

Along with Creature, Gunny Monster, the K-9 Mascogt for the local marines, was there with his owner Troy Grant. According to Grant, Gunny Monster has done charity events all over Utah, such as Toys for tots and the Super Bikes event.