School News This Week!

YMCA

Invitational Track Meet

The YMCA track meet is an invitational track meet and is treated like a State Meet for Middle School students.
The following students have qualified for the meet on Saturday, April 30th in Boise:


100 mH— Ally Miran (20.8) 20 sec is qualifying
200mH— KZ Fetters (36.9) 36 sec is qualifying
4X100-- Avery, Mack, Michael, Jimmy (56-58)
Shot— Jimmy (33’4 ¼”), Michael (31’1”) 30’ is qualifying
Discus— Michael (103’2), Zach J (85’9”), Jimmy (80’4”) 80’ is qualifying
High Jump— Michael (5’2”), Casey (4’4”) 4’6 is qualifying
Long Jump— Brandon (14’3), Mack (14’7), Jimmy (14’10), Avery (13’1) 13’6 is qualifying.

Book Fair

Teachers' Lounge/Break Room

Monday, May 2nd, 3:30 to 4:30
Tuesday, May 3rd, 3:30 to 4:30
Wednesday, May 4th, 3:30 to 4:30
Thursday, May 5th, 5:30 pm to 8:15 pm, during the Concert
Come and see all the New Books they have.

SPRING CONCERT
Thursday, May 5

7:00 p.m.

In the Multipurpose Room

Mr. Defoe's Garden Valley Music Students

are Award Winning Performers

Be sure to Catch this Show!

Schwan’s Fund Raiser
If you enjoy Schwan’s fine selection of foods, you can help raise money for extra-curricular activities here at school, when you purchase your favorite snacks, pizzas, or other foods. Jeff Corder, the local Schwan’s distributor has an offer for us that is too good to miss. You can order on-line or buy gift cards to use for your purchases (the gift card has to be used completely on each purchase, no credits are given, so please order the $10 cards unless you make large purchases over $25). If the community spends $3000 on this campaign, the school will receive a 20% commission on all purchases.

Jeff feels we can sell $5000 plus by the end of the May campaign, which will raise $1000 for field trips and extra-curricular activities next school year.

On-Line Orders
1. Go to www.schwans.com to see all the Schwan’s products
2. Or go to www.schwansfundraising.com for the online order option.
3. Enter the requested information.
4. Our fund raising campaign ID# is 33956.

Schwan’s Gift Cards
If you already have Jeff calling on you, please order some gift cards to purchase your products from him. They work just like cash, but he cannot give change, so $10 cards must all be spent in their entirety. If you have an order of $18 dollars use a $10 card and $8 cash, etcetera.

To order gift cards:
1. Go to www.schwans.com and click on the Gift Cards link.
2. Or call 1-888-Schwans and inform customer service that you would like to purchase cards.
3. Use the fund raiser ID# 33956
4. Select Denominations $10 or $25
5. Gift Cards will be mailed to your address of choice and you can use them the next time Jeff calls on you.
6. Gift cards purchased during April and May will be credited to our fund raising, even if they are spent later in the summer, so consider buying a couple of extra cards if you are a regular Schwan’s customer.

Jeff will also set up a day in May, about the 18th or 19th when he will have his truck at school for the afternoon serving anyone who doesn’t get regular service at home.

The Old Merc News: Countdown to Opening!

NEIGHBORLY NEWS
From Greg & Gerold at the Merc

We are entering our final month in our current location. Sounds so sudden when you put it to paper, but we’ve been working a long time building a more appropriate space for a full service grocery store. We’re excited and certainly hope that you’re excited as well. Our overarching goal has always been to invest in our community through improving services while maintaining our rural character.

Gerold and I will certainly miss the charm of the Old Merc and all of the memories we collected. Many of you have memories as well, even prior to our owning the store. Because the Merc has continually been a store during the lifetime of the building, we know that the name Crouch Merc is attached to this structure and should not move with us.

The new store will be called Garden Valley Market. It’s appropriate to start fresh and build upon the growth of the Merc. Another item that will be transitioning is our Preferred Card program. The current program will end, but a discount and rewards program will begin based on earned useage. More details will follow in future messages.

We’re on facebook now (Garden Valley Market GV Idaho). Join us as a friend. We’ll be posting photos, specials, news, etc. For some of you, FB might be more convenient than email. Our new website is in development and when up and running, you’ll have the option of printing coupons, printing our flyers, utilizing our shopping cart feature and much more.

As of our opening (targeting Memorial Day Weekend), we do not have a pharmacist yet, nor will the gas station be completed. We will continue ahead with both, but they won’t be available when we first open.

We will keep you posted of our progress via email and facebook. As I’ve mentioned in earlier messages, we will close for a few days in order to move all equipment and remaining product to the new space. That date will be announced as soon as we have a firm time frame.

In the meantime, Spring Cleaning is in the air.
You’ll be surprised what you’ll find at the Merc to help you with
this annual rite of Spring.
These items along with produce and meat specials go on sale
Wednesday April 27th through Tuesday, May 3rd.

Tide Liquid Detergents: 50 oz $6.99
Shout Trigger Bonus size: $2.79
Scrubbing Bubbles: $2.79
Pinesol Cleaner: 2 for $6
Fantastik Trigger Spray: $2.79
Formula 409 spray: 2 for $6.00
Windex Cleaner: $2.79
Hefty Lawn and Trash Bags: $6.49

GARDEN VALLEY CHEVRON NEWS
Back by Rosemary demand, at the Chevron:

Every Tuesday we will be featuring our fantastic Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwich

Every Thursday we will again be offering our French Dip Au Jus Sandwich.

We have Habanero Tornado's daily, and Chicken Wrap for lunch.

We have Waffles, Biscuits n Gravy and other yummy Breakfast Items, including our current Morning Combo: 2 Tornado's and 16oz coffee/cappuccino for 2.99!

And Fresh Fried Donuts too.
The Chesterfried Chicken is as good as ever!!!
Come in and see what other goodies are here for you.

Garden Valley Photos Needed

The Garden Valley Syringa Club is looking for that special photo
for its 2012 Birthday Calendar.


Please submit photographs, historical or not, of the local Garden Valley area.
There is no pay involved, just lots of exposure!


E-mail to Judy Prachyl in the jpeg format, by June 15, 2011.


jprachyl@frontiernet.net

Fill 'er Up!

By Rich Smith

Yesterday I stopped at the GV Chevron station and filled my tank with liquid gold. Talk about sticker shock, the pump read almost $60, and I own a Subaru. The national price of gasoline is now $3.85 and rising to $4 a gallon. Consumers want to know what is driving this sudden increase. President Obama addressed this issue last week and proposed a “study” conducted by his advisers, to answer this perplexing question. Well Mr. President, just use common sense and save us a few million tax dollars on another study.

The price of gasoline is this high because it can be. In other words, OPEC and the gasoline companies can charge whatever they want for their product and we sheep will pay it. It is called the “milk the consumer to maximize profit” theory of economics. For those who may doubt this is the case, watch for the quarterly profits announced by Standard Oil, Exxon, Shell or BP. These companies will use any handy excuse to maximize their profits. For example, because the rebels in Libya blew up a guard station, or the King of Saudi Arabia went into the hospital for a hernia operation, speculators bid up the price of oil and, in concert, the price at the pump instantly increases. Have these incidents increased oil well or gasoline production costs? No, not by one drop. When OPEC decides to increase the cost of a barrel of oil by $5, why does a non-OPEC barrel of oil produced in Wyoming or in the Gulf of Mexico have to follow suit? Because it can.

Here is evidence that we are being had. How long does it take a barrel of oil produced in Saudi Arabia to arrive at your pump in the form of a gallon of gas? Considering the storage time oil waits for shipment in the mid-East, or the time in transit on tankers, at refineries, stored in large gasoline tanks, and then finally shipped to your gasoline station, the average delay is four months. Four months worth of supply! So why is it that when a speculator or OPEC decides to increase the price of oil by $5, does the price of a gallon of gas at the pump increase fifteen cents? All that oil in transit and gasoline in storage tanks have suddenly become more valuable.

Who benefits from the windfall? Certainly not the gas station owner; the oil companies and OPEC benefit. None of that more costly oil has yet hit the marketplace, yet my pocketbook felt the result at last fill up. OPEC claims they have a worldwide surplus of oil and gasoline demand in this country is down 2%, yet the cost of gasoline is up $1 a gallon from just a few months ago. Obama’s study will do nothing to stop this fleecing of America, by OPEC and the Oil Companies. What can stop them is to buy less of their commodity.

Remember the days of gas wars, where the law of supply and demand dictated price? Let’s all use less and perhaps it will have a lasting effect. I was just figuring that a round-trip to Crouch (18 miles) for a gallon of milk costs about $2.50 for gas. That is one expensive bottle of milk. I think we will wait and combine our trips into town. If everyone did this, say cut back their purchase of gasoline by 5%, the oil companies would get the message.

Prose: Contemplations for Easter

Nineteen-year-old author Jesse Anna Longshore shares her thoughts on life and loss. 

Beauty Amongst the Broken

For those that don’t know, my mom is sick. She isn’t just unhealthy, she is disease-ridden. Yet she is still the best mom I could ever ask for. I was having a hard day the other day; I needed her to be my mom, as selfish as that sounds. I went and wept on her. I was finally able to suck it up and put everything out of my mind, to try and enjoy the beautiful moment that God had allowed. I made a joke, saying ‘she could have given me some motherly advice,’ and as I started to smile to indicate that I was joking, she looked so deep into my eyes, I am sure she saw my heart stop beating. She spoke so softly as to keep from coughing and said, “I wish someone would give me advice.” Well, there went my efforts to stop crying. As I lay back down, I felt her praying. She mustered the strength to lift my chin up and tell me, “Jesse, always remember there is God in the good and the bad. You have to be thankful for the time you have.”


I felt a ribbon of goose bumps creep across my body, as I held her hands in mine. I prayed, I prayed so hard for the words to comfort her and the words that came out of my mouth were not my own. I looked at her with my tear-stained face and I told her that “everything will be okay here. We will be okay. We have each other.” Not until I said those words to the person who needed to hear them most, did I truly believe them.


All we have is each other in this small world. We have family and friends and nothing more. Never take for granted those that have given you something in your life. Never take for granted the love surrounding you, because I can tell you from firsthand experience that when it comes time to say good-bye, all you have to think about is all the things that you never said or the things you did and want to take back.


There are moments you want to hold on to, but you can’t. All we have as humans are the memories; memories of the love that has touched our hearts. It’s amazing how the smell of the cookies in the oven can bring back the night that you and your mom solved world peace in the kitchen. Or even a song, that you sang on the way to the beach, when your hearts were full of happiness, can play on the radio and you never will hear it without feeling that same happiness.


Sometimes I go running at night. Just to inhale the smokey air deep into my lungs. I breathe in the moisture and I feel the wind blowing my hair. I fill every ounce of my lungs until they are filled to their tidal volume. I do this for the people that are not equipped to do this. I think of those who have been hit by a drunk driver and can’t get out of bed without help or tools. I think of the beautiful children who have never known what it is like beyond the hospital walls. I hold my arms out for the ones that have never known what it is to be free. I do that for the people who won’t ever know the feeling of wind blowing their hair. And I breathe, I breathe for my mom. I breathe a breath that she can’t.


Because I have seen someone looking at life from the outside and not be able to take part in the parts that were built for them, I refuse to take life for granted. I refuse to take the ones I love for granted. This is a beautiful life and this life was meant to be lived. To live means to love, because as much as I wish I could make my heart turn to stone to save myself from pain, I would never take back the happiness that was felt, because in those moments there was beauty. A glimpse of beauty in this broken world~

~

Stopping Time

Everyone has asked for a countdown for something in their life, whether it is to get out of bed, to jump into water knowing it is cold, or making one important phone call. When someone says, “Three, two, one,” you immediately have a feeling for each number. With three, you know you have two more seconds to let the breath you just inhaled, out. At two, you know you have to let it out, because whatever it is you are resisting, is coming. At this point your heart beats a little faster, whether it is from fear or excitement. At the moment the word “one” is formed, you let your breath out and you jump in with two feet.


From the time you come out of the womb, you are counting down for something. Parents count down for the baby to come. They count down for the first word...and then the first steps. When you grow older, you are counting down to things that involve you, like getting boobs or your first kiss. The biggest one is getting your driver’s license. The only thing that is not appropriate to countdown is for Mondays. I have never heard anyone say, “Man, I cannot wait for Monday to get here.”


Nana has an old stopwatch that sits by momma’s bed. Nana uses it to see the time when she gives mom her medication, as to not lose track. I walk in there and amongst the heavy breathing, I hear the stopwatch ticking. The sound of time passing makes me want to turn back the time. To me, that watch is counting down. With every tick of the hands, I am losing time. I have been sitting in that room, a room that I can describe to a tee. I can tell you that there are gold sheets on the bed. The comforter is pulled to one side. There are seven pillows and a pad underneath her. I can tell you there is a treadmill in the corner and cards spread around the room in baskets that are overflowing. There is a mirror with a picture of Jamie and me taped to the right side. There are buckets on either side of the pillows and the peace of God is ever so present in there.


Sitting in this room makes me think of the ever so apparent future. I picture changes within my life and I am self-consciously counting down for things in my life. As I sit in this room, the ticking of that stopwatch is unending and I sometimes count the seconds until the hand moves all the way around.


But the truth is that whether we get the countdown or not, the future is going to come. Whether we force a child to walk or wait patiently, they are going to take those steps. Whether we force love to receive a kiss we long for, or you wait until love comes to you, the kiss will come. Whether you live life on the edge with no concern about death or you are careful with each step, you are going to die.


We cannot change the future. We cannot stop the inevitable countdown. This world is so caught up in the future, that we cannot appreciate the present. I can’t count the times I have been spending with someone and through the text, have been planning my next move. A harsh reality says that I am at fault. I drive fast so that I get to where I am going as fast as I can so I don’t miss out on anything...but really, in driving as fast as I can, only watching the tracks of the car in front of me, I am missing God’s creation. It becomes a blur beside me. My priorities are just wrong. I sit in the room and cannot stop focusing on what I cannot fix, that I may miss out on a smile or an expression of love. I hear the ticking and I am reminded of what is about to happen.


People are in and out of my house all the time. The smiles are plastered on the faces of those that come, as to bring a sense of hope, but beyond the smiles are the eyes. Sometimes even windows to the soul can’t be shut and we get to see in. We see the pain and the reality sets in.

Tonight I decided to go in her room, kind of escape the murmur of words that hurt. I put the stopwatch in the drawer of her nightstand. I stopped time. I held her hand and she squeezed mine back. Through the pain medicine and the pain, I know that she was praying just as hard for me as I was for her. The prayers weren’t out loud and they weren’t bringing tears, but they were powerful. I didn’t pray for anything but the present, as she prayed for the future. She doesn’t have a future here; she has now. I have a future on this pain-ridden, beautiful earth...I still have things to countdown for. When it was time to let her sleep, I gave a countdown, and at “one”, I let her hand go and time picked up where I left off.


What we as a society need to do is to become one with time. Cling to it like it is running away. Embrace the now with all we have. We can’t change the future, so why not hold on to those seconds instead of trying to outrun them. We have the power to stop time.

~Easter Week-End~

FRIDAY, APRIL 22:

6:30 pm: Gabriel Faure's Requiem performed by the Church Choir.
7:00 pm: Good Friday Service
St. Jude Catholic Church, Banks Lowman Hwy
(across from GV School)
All welcome.

7:00 pm: Good Friday Service
Crouch Community Church

SATURDAY, APRIL 23:

Spring Fling!
All Day, Downtown Crouch
Vendors, Horse & Wagon Ride, Food and Skits

11:30 am: Easter Egg Hunt at LDS Church

EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 24 :

8:00 am: Easter Cowboy Breakfast & Service w/ Bluegrass Music on River
10:30 am: Easter Service
Crouch Community Church
~
Greg and Gerold offer
EASTER DEALS AT THE MERC!

We wish everyone a Happy and Safe upcoming Easter Weekend. To prepare
for family or guests and not break the budget, here’s just a sample of what
you can find this week in your own hometown!!!! All items while supplies last.

WF Large Eggs (dozen)~~~~~~~99 cents
Western Family Butter~~~~~~~$2.79

Folgers Coffee~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~$8.99
Libby’s canned vegetables assorted~~~88 cents
Nabisco Crackers assorted~~~~~~~~~~2 / $4

Pompei Olive Oils~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~$8.99
WF All Purpose Flour 10 lb~~~~~~~~~$3.79
WF Sugar 5 lbs~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~$2.99
Wesson Oils (Vegetable or Canola)~~2 for $7

WF Sour Cream~~~~99 cents
WF Cream Cheese~~$1.09

Marie Calendar Frozen Pies~~~~~$5.99
Marie Calendar Pumpkin Pie~~~~~$3.99
Shasta 12 pack soda~~~~$2.99
Pepsi 12 pack Sodas~~~~$3.99

There’s much more to see throughout the store including new items
such as Flat Breads, Take n Bake Pizzas
and Food should be this good Tortilla Chips.

Helen has some great fresh produce which will catch your eye and
make your wallet happy!

Don’t forget Spring Fling on Saturday, April 23rd –

ONE DAY MEAT LOVERS SALE –
New York Steaks –starting at $5.99 per lb for family pack,
$7.99 lb single steaks 
 $8.99 lb fillet cuts
Whole Seasoned Chickens - $5.99 each.
Sugar Tree Spiral-Cut Hams~~~~$1.40 lb.
"Ready for the dinner table"

Tee-Shirts, Garden Items and more during Spring Fling
in our canopy outside the store for Spring Fling.

Have a great week and we look forward to your next visit.
Greg and Gerold

Crouch Bridge: What Were They Thinking Of? or, We Don’t Like To See A Small Town Die

Residents of Crouch and Garden Valley filled the expansive GV Senior Center on Monday night, to react to the new design of a replacement bridge for the 1935 Crouch bridge, over the Middle Fork of the Payette River, next to the tiny downtown village of Crouch.

Fifteen years ago, according to Boise County Road and Bridge Department Superintendent, Bill Jones, the State gave the Crouch Bridge a sufficiency rating of 50, out of 100. As of today, it is rated 23.7, by Idaho Transportation District. (Brooklyn Bridge has a 0 rating, with 150,000 cars whizzing across every day). In 2003, Boise County Commissioners were convinced it was the right thing to act in accord with ITD and agree to a bridge replacement project, and the Mayor of Crouch wrote a letter of support.


The design that was shown to residents on March 15, 2011, in the Crouch Community Hall, was not what  many people had in mind. Hence, on Monday evening, the community formed a cohesive unit of grassroots power and yes, expressed themselves.


The following is a general rundown of the meeting.


Let’s talk about Options:
A. Redesign the Bridge?


County Commissioner and Chair of the Board, Jamie Anderson, jumped right in and started addressing concerns: “If we back out...once the County signs up for Fed aid—we pay back about $300K. The original project is so old, there is a 20% match for every dollar, which taxpayers have been paying. When it goes to construction (the rate changed in 2006), we’ll pay 7.34%.


“We could back out. We could delay. We have 10 years to pay it back. It’s a lot in our budget—it means less services. We could delay with a cost--Federal Highways has said they will not pay for redesign.


“The $300K includes design, permits and environmental studies up to the present.”


Commissioner Terry Day assured the audience with a laugh, “We’ve had 40+ invoices, month and after month...if I had my druthers, I’d hand this project to you.”


“I don’t know anybody who’s happy with the solution of this bridge,” said Commissioner Bob Fry. “We’re looking at least $100K for redesign. $1.3M for construction...the cost of materials, would go up, if we delay. When you take money from a state or federal agency, there are strings attached. Be careful.”


Someone corrected a commissioner: “We don’t want to do what’s best for the County. We want to do what’s best for Crouch and Garden Valley.”


B: Remove the Bridge?
Anderson: “We’d want to consult our emergency services; since the Ambulance responds from Highway 17, this would be more of a concern for fire response. In approximately 3-4 years, ITD will condemn the bridge, as it is."


The bridge is 100% within the jurisdiction of Crouch. Yet, Mayor Bob Powell avers that
though Mayor Elaine Baker wrote a letter of support for a bridge, in 2003, “we had no opportunity for consideration—we have never been approached with a design.”


Bill Jones said it is not economically feasible to repair the bridge and it should be rebuilt. He commented, “At the first meeting, every person wanted a sidewalk for pedestrians.”


Who approved the design of the bridge? Anderson stated that federal aid has certain federal standards. When the matter finally came to the City Council, six days ago, via Marcia and Mike Hefner and other community members, they suggested a covered bridge. The Hefners are property owners who would stand to lose more than just parking space.


Mike Hefner handed a petition with 555 signatures of residents opposed to the bridge design, to the Board of Commissioners. He said, “This has brought up thoughts on what not to do, to correct a bad situation. If we don’t do what’s right, we will regret this.


“The girders are 7’ high. Greg and Gerold’s trailer court will be put in a big hole—no one has talked about that. I figured this was a speeding zone, with bike lanes...the height of the bridge...it also has to withstand a hundred year flow with no structure supporting the center on this. The width is their standard. When they considered the traffic, bicycles have to have a lane on each side. A covered bridge is the only way to go. I don’t like to see a small town die.” Affected property owners are the Hefners, Greg Simione and Gerold Dennett and the Youren family.


C. Not build? How about No Bridge?

Folks had ideas about this:
*Federal government is broke. Why don’t we impose on our senators and representatives and have them de-fund us and put the money back into the government's pocket. Leave the bridge there, do repairs and press on, so we don’t have to ruin downtown Crouch.
*The old road used to go through Mountain Shadows. In 1961-62, they built Davey’s Bridge—the reason for the bridge was to provide a road. We do not need two high-load bridges within one mile of each other. The economy is bad, the County is broke, the federal government is broke, I’m nearly broke. I do not want to spend one more dollar!
*Let’s take control and get the Federal government out.
*For people who want to build a new bridge, get into your pocket book. Let the bridge we have stand as long as it will and rebuild as it deteriorates. Then take it out and use Davey’s and see how the economy goes.


D. Re-engineer a bridge that would fit in our community?


Lots of answers were offered:
*The encroachment is on private property—90% is Marcia Hefner.
*Crouch is the epitome of Americana—we need a new bridge but I’d hate to see this big, huge concrete monstrosity come through to the middle of town.
*1-lane metal bridge, or condemn it and make it a walking bridge. With the old bridge, we’re able to walk to the store, kids can cross. A bigger bridge means bigger trucks, somebody will get killed.
*I’m from Pennsylvania. We have covered bridges. Stop paying consultants that you don’t know what you’re paying for. In Vermont, in Pennsylvania, they have covered bridges—they get it done.
*I'm concerned about the height and faster speeds. This is a rustic town, we don’t need a million dollar parking lot.
* The one-lane bridge is a good lesson in manners—we have to wait for each other and be patient. If people had known what they would design—just remember, we pay all the taxes—federal, state, and county~
*Bridge design is extravagant~
*I gave the engineer an F. There are other alternatives. A company makes beautiful arched wooden bridges, priced less. At the last meeting, several engineers brought this up, it was totally ignored. The community needs to set up barricades and not let them do it.
* I think it’s unspeakable. They haven’t involved the City of Crouch in the design. We could scale it down to two lanes, keep the old bridge, get timber and craftsmen to fix it up and even put a cover over the metal one. We need to take a deep breath, and not spend another dime on holiday engineers.
* This bridge is worn out. It needs to be replaced or moved—or stop driving across it!
*We could design a bridge digitally and get all specifications for it, for nothing.


The Trading Post is owned by Marcia Hefner. Employee Jerry Hines spoke out: “Marcia is the angel of Garden Valley. How many times has she helped people when they couldn’t pay for a water heater or needed help? Christy Morgan said, “Marcia has had the longest-standing business in town. Mess with one of us, you mess with all of us. Marcia has helped us all—we owe it to her.”


Before the meeting broke up, people wanted to know, “How do we get involved?”


Terry Day said, “We can’t make the decision tonight—but we have to make a decision. The “go ahead” option is a no. I know there is some resentment for the board; if you had shown this much interest in the beginning, these things would not have gotten out of control.”


The crowd responded that they never expected this kind of design, after expressing what they wanted.  How can they legally force those charges on us, now that we’ve rejected the design? A certain reporter reminded the commissioners that the engineers produced a bridge design that the town specifically said they did not want. “We need to hold them accountable for that money.”


Commissioner Anderson said, “We are exploring all the options, but we need strong words from Crouch."