Temporary Bridge keeps Snowmobiles on the Trails

  Garden Valley trail groomer, Rick Woytko, was the first person to drive over the recently installed Scriver Creek Bridge. “It’s a very awesome bridge that is only on loan for our snowmobilers this year,” he says, “but the Forest Service is working on getting a permanent bridge.”

The 1996 bridge was snowmobilers' community effort.

  Snowmobilers are grateful to the Forest Service, Boise County Commissioners, and the Idaho State Snowmobilers Association (ISSA), for making it happen. Snowmobiler, Rick Van Valkenburgh, says, “I think it’s great—it’s steel—it won’t rot.”

  Van Valkenburgh was “one of the older ones”, including Woytko and Dave Reimer, who built the old log bridge in 1996. By 2011, the bridge was rotted and usage was warned against by Forest Service officials.

  According to Woytko, County Commissioner, Jamie Anderson, went to bat for a bridge replacement, and after two meetings with the Forest Service and ISSA, the Garden Valley Snowmobilers Club was told there was a temporary bridge that they could use.

  “They hauled it in two halves on a log truck, unloaded it, and installed the forty-foot-long bridge before we knew what happened!” says Woytko. “At one meeting, we were talking about the possibility of having to clear snow to install it, and the next thing we knew, someone had gone up on a 4-wheeler before the snow, came back and said, ‘It’s up!’”

The old Scriver Creek Bridge was new once, and
although she has been replaced, she was a
sturdy old gal who faithfully served snowmobilers
and various "non-approved" vehicles for many years.

  Woytko avers that this is a vital bridge, which hooks up all trails around here. The Garden Valley trailhead is located at Terrace Lakes Resort and offers seventeen miles of groomed trails, to the Packer John Trail system to the north. The GV system also connects with the Smith’s Ferry system. Groomed trails go to Silver Lake, Six Mile, Boiling Springs, and Clear Creek. The Packer John system offers a 31-mile loop. From Terrace Lakes, you can actually access the 50-mile groomed trail to Cougar Mountain Lodge, in Cascade, and keep on going.

  “Scriver Creek is a big creek when it starts to melt—spanning forty-feet across the water,” says the busy groomer. “Snowmobilers are funny. If they can load and unload their snowmobiles once, rather than load and unload again, that’s where they want to go. It would really hurt the economy up here, without this very vital bridge. They would go elsewhere.”

  Van Valkenburgh agrees. “The bridge serves the snowmobile community as a whole and also summer recreation.”

  There was no ceremony to celebrate this critical and, from the sounds of it, much appreciated bridge, which crosses Scriver Creek about five miles up the road from the Middle Fork—just a trail groomer who was thrilled to his bones to know this bridge would make it possible for many snowmobilers to pursue this popular winter sport.

  Woytko says ruefully, “They put signs on it that say it’s for snowmobiles and groomers only. The first week, one-hundred-and-fifty cars and pick-ups went over it, looking for Christmas trees. I won’t tell you the license plate numbers, but I think when the Forest Service puts up the permanent bridge, they will put up gates.”

 

Banks Lowman Rockfall Mitigation Project

Senior Center Recruiting Talent for February Show!

                                                                                                                               

  Announcing a cure for the February winter blahs: Get out of the house and enjoy an evening of entertainment and laughs. That’s what the GV Senior Center has planned for February 22, when they host the First Annual Winter Talent Show.

  Board Prez, Ron Richter says, “Like all talent shows there will be beautiful music, but in order to really shake the February winter blahs, one needs a good belly laugh. So along with the beautiful music will be hilarious skits reminiscent of your high school and college days. Imagine the fun of a whole family, a Scout troop, or church group ‘acting’ out these silly scenes of yester year.” 

  The show’s recruiters are now soliciting talent and performers for the skits--especially talent and skits with children. Google “Free Skits” and you will find dozens of them for all occasions. Can you yodel, whistle, do the mountain jig, do magic tricks or twirl a lariat? That’s just what they are looking for.

  If you wish to join in the fun, call Ken Patterson, at 462-4209, or Ron Richter, at 462-3442. Admission will be charged to raise funds to offset event costs and to augment the Center’s general fund.

  A note from the board--Big Time Bingo Night: ~January 25 will be Bingo Night at the GV Senior Center. Not nickel and dime Bingo but Big Pot Bingo. In the hope of getting a real Bingo Night established, the Senior Center is organizing this night and hoping that it will provide some winter entertainment for these cold dark days. 

  By Big Time Bingo, they mean healthy sized pots. The board is planning to have increasingly larger pots as the games go on. There will be $10 pots and $20 pots, and who knows, there may be even larger pots if they get enough people~

  DINNER: Salad bar opens at 5 o’clock and dinner is served at 5:30. The meals are good and you can’t beat the price (donation for 60+ and $6, for under 60. Kids are $4). Wednesday, 1/16, stop in for a light meal of Potato or Chicken Noodle Soup, Corn Bread or Roll, and Tapioca Pudding, with Salad Bar. Friday, 1/18, Pork Roast will be served, with Roasted Potatoes, Veggies, Salad Bar and Rolls, and Peach Cobbler.

  Thursday Morning Breakfast Club just means we all say “allo, allo, join our table” or sit and read a book with your coffee and eggs and fixings. Show up by 9:30 and enjoy your morning mealtime spent at the Center. Children cost $3; over 12 to 60 pay $4; and seniors 60+ are by donation.

  Home Delivered Meals are so easy to come by; don’t even think about going hungry if you are house-bound or have just come home from the hospital. Call Judy at the Center and get started. There is no charge for the meals. Donations are always welcome but not necessary. Paperwork is short and sweet, with no intimidation. Call now.

  Exercise for free with Ione. She doesn’t get wild and crazy but you get a good stretch in and some nice work on strengthening your muscles. The group starts at 3:30 p.m., every Tuesday and Thursday, and work it for about forty-five minutes. You’ll be glad you did—don’t be a couch tater—movement is good for the heart and soul.

 

  Granny's Closet is filled with lots and lots of toys for good girls and boys, for the great toy extravaganza. These have withstood some previous handling but are all in good working order. Games are included in this as are kids’ books. Shop Granny’s, and pick and choose toys for upcoming birthdays and such. Make a donation to Granny's for them and save yourself a bundle.
 
  Winter clothing is on the racks and there is much fun to be had in simply browsing in linens, gifts, sewing, hardware, and kitchen wares for a good deal. Bring two books in and exchange them for a new read for the fireside. The New Hours for Granny’s are Fridays, 12-5, and Saturdays, 11-4. You can't beat Granny's prices!

 

  The Senior Center for All Ages is open on Wednesday and Friday, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Thursday, 9-noon (and for exercise classes). They are located at 261 S. Middle Fork Road, Crouch/GV. Call them at 208-462-3943 or mail to gvseniors@frontiernet.net.

 

 

Quilters Have Fun Raising Money for the Community

 The large Senior Center room is splashed with color on the walls, tables, furniture, and clothing of the women quilters. Even the spread of potluck dishes is a lovely palette of hues.

 

  This is the Garden Valley Quilters Guild, celebrating the holidays, after a year of creativity and fundraising.

  Today, Crouch Volunteer Ambulance EMTs, Donnie Adams and Donna Sevilla, are standing by the Christmas tree, accepting a very generous check from Guild president, Donna Swanson, of Lowman. Later, Donnie says to a table of revelers, “We do appreciate it, you know we do.” Quilter, Christy Jauregui, responds, “We appreciate what you do!”

  Today is just a day of cheer and play for the group—games and a show-and-tell, with the sharing of finished projects. Members say they have two parties a year—the other one is in the summer, when they display all the quilts on a line. One has to suspect that every gathering of these quilters is a party.

  There are about thirty members and they say Stitch n’ Snip in Crouch is their favorite fabric shop, owned by Rena Hastings. The shop is not only social but educational, where classes are held and ideas are shared.

  Christy Jauregui says, “In the fall, we are given a challenge. All of us are given four fabrics and challenged to make a winter block. We can use other fabrics and embellishments like bells, buttons and sequins, but they have to have a snowflake. We have a drawing and the winner takes all the blocks home and creates a quilt from them.” The quilt this year was made by Darlene Donovan.

Whimsical quilt by Rhonda Weimer

  Jauregui says the quilt project shared at this party, by Rhonda Weimer, is by far the most spectacular of the shares. Weimer gives some of the credit to her friend, Lorie Wellock, who shares inspiration with her. This quilt has much threadwork incorporated into it and is charming.

   A sofa is full of “Friendship Pillows” made by members: some from Dollar Store hankies, one a scarf wrapped around a pillow form—each is pretty and quaint.

  Every winter, a committee comes up with a pattern and fabric to finish a complete quilt, and the group works on it together—this is the raffle quilt—though last year, they bought one at Rena’s store. They sell tickets at events like the Terrace Lakes Golf Scramble which benefits the Ambulance, and library fundraisers. The drawing is held at the fall Fiber Arts Faire, and proceeds pay for rent, etcetera. The funds left over are donated. Last year, they presented checks to the Ambulance and Fire Department.

  The quilters will be working on a quilt at the Senior Center on the fourth Wednesday of January. Christy Jauregui says, “We are so grateful to have the Senior Center. We spread out and turn it into tables and cords.” The group is always looking for people interested in joining them. Contact Jauregui at 462-2437.  

 

Fire Fighters Treated with Awards Banquet and Santa

Garden Valley Fire Chief, Jon Delvalle, describes the Fire District Banquet as a good evening of friendships and spending time with extended families to reflect over the year—what they’ve accomplished and dealt with.

 

He says, “The banquet is a chance to thank volunteers and to recognize their ‘other halves’. The spouses and children put up with the volunteers responding at all hours, sometimes leaving at dinner and other inopportune times. We want to make sure we acknowledge them too.”

 

Delvalle calls the fire fighters part-time professionals: “It’s not easy to perform at the level of expectation and training requirements all year.”

This December, the Fire District honored Kyle Davis, as Fire Fighter of the Year. The award goes to people with outstanding performance over the last twelve months.

 

“Another not so outstanding award we give is the FUBAR (%#!*# Up Beyond All Repair!),” says the fire chief, “In the past, one driver ran over equipment, another tore out the main end of the truck.”

 

This year, Jason Yearsley presented a smoking kid’s engine (with help from a fireworks smoke-bomb) to Jeremy Cadotte, who had a catastrophic motor failure, by seizing up the engine. Cory Kelly won the award for getting the truck stuck; his blooper was even funnier because he is a professional driver.

 

Jason Van Dyk left a radio on the truck and it fell on the road. A citizen found it but Delvalle never informed Van Dyk, who hadn’t wanted to admit the goof. At the banquet, the fire chief helped to wrap a radio bra around Van Dyk—the bra had been fitted with extra attachments--a chain and lock and bungee cord under the crotch, with a bunch of zip ties.

The Fire District Auxiliary was also honored at the banquet. With all of the events that occurred in 2012, Auxiliary volunteers put in a lot of extra work time, not only at the sites and fire station, providing food and nutrition, but in fundraising efforts. The District acknowledged Diane Caughlin, as president; Toni Palmiotto, as secretary/treasurer; and Delvalle adds, “Debbie Drake is in the middle of that too. They have about twenty volunteers signed up, with a core of around eight.”

 

The fire chief also recognized the Fire Commissioners, who are elected officials: Don Matthews, Leigh Ward and Ron Reil, who keep on representing the District. Delvalle says, “No one else wants the job, although Leigh is up for re-election in 2013—we’ll see.”

 

A couple of days after the banquet, Santa arrived with red flashing lights at the Christmas party held at the fire station. Due to parking limitations, he was unable to land at the station and had to park his sleigh at the Garden Valley airport.

 

A gift for each child was provided by the Volunteer Fire Fighters Association and the children enjoyed treats, carols and Christmas readings.

 

   

 

Black Lab Found in Garden Valley

FOUND!!! Black lab? Found on Banks/Lowman Road in Garden Valley

Date: 2013-01-03, 10:27PM
We found an adorable male black lab dog on the highway Banks/Lowman Road on 1/3/13 at 2:15. He was across the Highway from the snow tubing and sleigh ride hill in Garden Valley. He is a very sweet boy; well behaved and smart. We just want to get him home. We took him all around town and to the vet in Crouch with no success so we took him to our home in Boise.

He has a blue collar with silver paw prints on it but no tags. He is fine and warm and fed. He just wants to go home. The vet in Crouch said his name might be Cooper and he is responding to names that end is "ER". If you have any information or if this is your pup, please call 208-695-1576 (Kayti) or 208-695-0861 (Karley) He is fine to stay here for a couple days but we really do really not want to take him to the Boise Humane Society. Thank you for your help.

• Location: Garden Valley, ID
• it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

Original URL: http://boise.craigslist.org/laf/3520780826.html