Cousins donate Boardwalk arcade winnings to charity

 By Cathy Kelly

 SANTA CRUZ -- Local children in need hit the jackpot Sunday when a group of young cousins skilled at Boardwalk arcade games donated scores of toys to the Santa Cruz Fire Department for distribution to county charity groups.

The four cousins, Griffin and Nora Dolin and Cayley and Braedon Nickerson, ranging in age from 9 to 13, are from San Jose and Berkeley and visit their grandmothers in Santa Cruz every two or three months, said grandmother Kate Kaufman. Kaufman is married to Karen Sommerfeld and the couple lives on the Westside.

Kaufman, a recently retired county children's mental health employee, said she read a story in the Santa Cruz Sentinel about two years ago about a Central Valley couple who donated their Boardwalk arcade winnings to a charity and the grandchildren liked the idea.

"I thought that was a great idea and that it would be a fun way to teach some values," she said. "It's that lesson, that it's just as much fun to give as to receive."
On Sunday, the group cashed in arcade winnings from a year's worth of games and got a grand total of 15,944 tickets, spending about 20 minutes feeding long strips of tickets into a tallying machine and then choosing gifts. They picked out scores of Barbies, stuffed animals, Harley Davidson models and other toys that the group bagged up and took to the fire station downtown.

Griffin, 13, of Berkeley, said he and his cousins played a variety of games to win all those tickets, and that one of his favorites was the "ball dropper," officially called the Slam-A-Winner X-treme.
"We have what we need, and this is just a fun way to do something good," he said.
His cousin, Cayley, 12, of San Jose, said she loves the family tradition of going to the Boardwalk, and wanted to share the arcade toys with children in need.

"We've been saving up for the whole year and our grandparents buy a lot of tokens," she said, with a smile.
Kaufman and Sommerfeld estimated they spent $300 on tokens this year, adding that they always stock up in December when the park offers two tokens for the price of one.

It was clear at the arcade Sunday that it was great fun to choose what to spend all those tickets on. Kaufman said that was her favorite part of the day -- watching Griffin, Cayley, Braedon, 9, and Nora, 9, jump up and down at the redemption counter.

Boardwalk employee Nichole Saucier said it was the most tickets she has ever seen in her three years working there.

"That's such an awfully nice thing to do, to donate them," Saucier said.

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Boardwalk carousel spins for 100 years

By Jory John

SANTA CRUZ -- For nearly 100 years, the Looff Carousel, more commonly known as the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk's merry-go-round, has been traveling in circles.

Generations of theme park visitors, from toddlers to great-grandparents, have ridden horseback, attempting to throw their accumulated brass rings into a giant clown's mouth, lighting it up.

The carousel will commemorate its 100th anniversary on Aug. 3 but the Boardwalk began celebrating the milestone earlier this month. On Dec. 1, a commemorative poster designed by Boardwalk art director Jill James was released, featuring rows of brass rings on a black background. Three of the 100 rings are encrusted by jewels, while larger text reads "Looff Carousel," the "O's" also represented by rings.

James, who frequented the ride when she was a child, worked on the poster for about three months.

"I used to come here with my older brothers, and throwing the rings into the mouth was a really competitive thing for us," she said.

She said she wanted to do something modern, but also felt the pressure to properly honor the Boardwalk's centerpiece.

After being given free rein to experiment with different mock-ups, James produced designs that were more traditional, she said, including one with imagery of the wooden horses. It was the rings that she kept returning to, though.

"We all gravitated toward this design," she said. "I grew up with the carousel, so that was on my mind, but I

also wanted to be contemporary, be about today. The design we decided to go with is very different. It's not your typical amusement park poster."
A limited edition of 1,500 posters were produced on quality museum paper stock, using light-fast ink. The posters are being sold for $10 in the Boardwalk's gift shop, guest services office and website.

The Looff Carousel is the oldest ride at the Boardwalk and has been recognized as a National Historic Landmark. The horses were originally hand-carved by Danish woodcarver Charles Looff, who manufactured more than 50 carousels in his lifetime, and the ride was delivered to the amusement park in 1911. It has never changed locations, while various attractions have sprouted up around it over the years. The next oldest ride at the Boardwalk is the Giant Dipper, the world-famous wooden roller coaster, which opened in 1924.

The carousel goes through about 40,000 rings each year, according to Boardwalk spokeswoman Brigid Fuller, who said sometimes the rings are returned to the Boardwalk's administrative offices by mail. Meanwhile, the horses are retouched annually by an artist who spends most of December on the project.

Although it's quiet now due to the Boardwalk's off-season, music for the carousel is typically provided by two antique band organs, one built in 1894, the other constructed in 1912. They have both been restored in the interim.

Fuller said the carousel would be in operation starting Dec. 26 and will run through Jan. 2. She added that the ride is a vital part of the Boardwalk's history.

"It's very beloved here," she said. "We spend a lot of time and effort taking great care of it. Those horses take quite a beating during the year, so there's quite a bit of maintenance that goes into keeping them looking really good."

Kris Reyes, the Boardwalk's community relations director, said the Boardwalk wanted to kick off the carousel centennial with a "nice showpiece, something we could share with our guests, fans and the community."

"It really doesn't matter if you're 10 years old, or if you're 80 years old," Reyes said. "Everybody loves the carousel. It is certainly a ride worth celebrating."

James has also contributed a design, commemorating the carousel's anniversary, to Felton's Hallcrest Vineyards, featuring a close-up of a wooden horse, placed on a black background. The label denotes that the carousel was recently ranked the No. 2 carousel in the world by monthly trade newspaper Amusement Today.

In coming months, the carousel will continue to be celebrated through a variety of Boardwalk promotions, Fuller said.

"It's a very important occasion in West Coast amusement park history," she said. "We'll have more announcements about our plans for the carousel soon."

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Little Miss Generosity Nine-year-old Morgan's fundraising idea catches on

Sometimes a little idea can go a long way.

As nine-year-old Morgan Lindeman scanned the pages of The Province last month for her class's current-affairs assignment, she was moved by a story about the Empty Stocking Fund.

Fast-forward a few days later, and the Grade 4 student at Surrey's Ecole Riverdale Elementary came up with the idea to ask the 500 students in her school to donate a loonie or toonie each to help less fortunate families at Christmastime.

"When it comes to Christmas, most nine-year-olds write out lists of all these expensive gadgets they want," mom Kelly Skog said. "Not her. She wants to give what she can."

Teacher Kristi Marasa added that "[Morgan] just came into the class with a jar and an idea."

The Empty Stocking Fund pickle jar at the school's reception sits just a few metres from a colourful poster proclaiming December "Generosity Month," a message the little girl has clearly taken to heart.

"Christmas is a time for giving," Morgan said Thursday, taking a break from decorating gingerbread houses with friends Kyla Lokey, Ariana Michalik and Mikayla Schneider.

"We get a Christmas and other families don't, so my mom and dad and I thought it would be nice to raise money for them."

Morgan was honoured in front of her classmates and presented with the school's SOAR award -- Success, Organization, Attitude and Respect -- at an assembly this week.

"It made me feel really good," she said proudly.

The generous campaign won't end once Christmas rolls around. Little Morgan already has a plan for 2011.

"This year, however much we get, we can try and get more next year, and then challenge other schools to do the same," she said.

Standing nearby, her beaming mother said the family is very impressed by Morgan's initiative.

"She wanted to give back, so other kids get to have a Christmas like hers," Skog said

"We told her it's OK to ask for help when you need it, and when you don't need it, to give help."

The school is also fundraising for the Surrey Christmas Bureau, one of the 27 community service organizations, Salvation Army centres and Christmas bureaus that are beneficiaries of the Empty Stocking Fund.

Province readers raised $404,000 last year for the Empty Stocking Fund, which helps provide food, shelter and gifts to thousands of B.C. families.

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The Rock Garden of Chandigarh

One day 36 years ago, Nek Chand, a humble transport official in the north Indian city of Chandigarh, began to clear a little patch of jungle to make himself a small garden area. He set stones around the little clearing and before long had sculpted a few figures recycled from materials he found at hand. Gradually Nek Chand's creation developed and grew; before long it covered several acres and comprised of hundreds of sculptures set in a series of interlinking courtyards.

After his normal working day Chand worked at night, in total secrecy for fear of being discovered by the authorities.When they did discover Chand's garden, local government officials were thrown into turmoil. The creation was completely illegal - a development in a forbidden area which by rights should be demolished. The outcome, however, was the enlightened decision to give Nek Chand a salary so that he could concentrate full-time on his work, plus a workforce of fifty labourers. Nek Chand's great work received immediate recognition and was inaugurated as The Rock Garden of Chandigarh.

Now over twenty five acres of several thousand sculptures set in large mosaic courtyards linked by walled paths and deep gorges, Nek Chand's creation also combines huge buildings with a series of interlinking waterfalls. The Rock Garden is now acknowledged as one of the modern wonders of the world. Over 5000 visitors each day, some 12 million people so far, walk around this vast creation - the greatest artistic achievement seen in India since the Taj Mahal.

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Free Farm Stand

The Free Farm Stand happens on Sundays 1-3pm in Treat Commons Community Garden located at Parque Niños Unidos at the corner of 23rd St. and Treat Ave. San Francisco, CA

http://freefarmstand.org/

Thanks Chef Stephanie!