Cherry Jubilee: A sweet event for all ages

The Cherry Jubilee & Gift Exchange has something for everyone. And the cherries at this jubilee come sweetened with celebrities, sports memorabilia, an auction, homemade desserts and pastries, and even more!

In other words, it's just about time for Beaumont's annual Cherry Festival!

From 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 12th, Beaumont prepares for the city's signature event by celebrating at the Cherry Jubilee. The festivities will raise thousands of dollars for college scholarships for seniors at Beaumont High School.

Crowds are expected to gobble up "all you can eat" cherry delights at the Albert A. Chatigny Sr. Community Recreation Center, located at 1310 Oak valley Parkway. Between bites of cherry cake, brownies, ice cream and cheesecake, they'll catch fast-talking TV auctioneer and Yucaipa resident Dan Dotson of "Storage Wars" taking bids on everything from an autographed Willie Mays bat to a signed photograph of Yogi Berra. Dotson and his wife Laura, who host "Storage Wars," are grand marshals for the 2011 Cherry Festival. You'll find plenty more baseball memorabilia to bid on, and boxing fans will have a chance to go home with a signed photo of Jake La Motta, who slugged it out with "Sugar" Ray Robinson in a match that helped inspire the movie "Raging Bull" starring Robert De Niro.

"This is an opportunity for everyone in the Pass to come out and support young people and have lots of fun in a family-friendly atmosphere," said Bruce Murrill, a volunteer for the Cherry Festival Association.

Scholarship fund

To raise money for scholarships, local merchants are selling $1 raffle tickets at their stores for baskets full of merchandise. In all, more than 50 baskets will be given away during a drawing. The city of Beaumont is also taking part, donating three baskets provided by City Hall employees, the Community Services Department, and the Police Department.

Other prizes will include tickets for a Dodgers/Padres game in San Diego, a boat rental at Big Bear Lake, and the Morongo Band of Mission Indians will be donating gift baskets from Hadley's, dinners to the buffet, a stay at the Morongo Casino Resort and Spa, and a spa gift certificate.

Last year, the Cherry Jubilee raised $6,000 for scholarships.

Proud history

Nine years ago, the Beaumont-Cherry Valley Rotary Club came up with the idea for the Cherry Jubilee. The event is sponsored by Rotary in conjunction with the Cherry Festival Association and the City of Beaumont.

The Cherry Jubilee is the first of many fun activities during the 93rd annual Cherry Festival celebration, which runs from June 2nd to 5th. The jubilee promises to be a memorable night. For starters, enjoy homemade cherries jubilee - sweet, ripe cherries, a little sugar, cherry liquor - all whipped together, flambeed and spooned over vanilla ice cream. What a great way to celebrate the start of Beaumont's legendary Cherry Festival and raise money for local scholarships!

The Beaumont Charitable Foundation supports worthy causes that enhance our lives

Beaumont has long shown that it takes care of its own.

This good will dates back to the Great Depression when the city and local service clubs worked together to find jobs for men who were desperately trying to support their families.

Now, the city is continuing that legacy with the Beaumont Charitable Foundation, which was formed in 2009. The charitable arm of the city accepts tax deductible contributions, and helps raise money for many very worthwhile causes and outreach programs.

In that spirit, the foundation recently awarded 15-year-old Brittany Ramos $3,000 toward her trip to Europe this summer as a Student Ambassador for the People to People Program. For more than a half-century, the program started by President Dwight D. Eisenhower has promoted cultural understanding and peace among nations.

Other Foundation beneficiaries include the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Shop with a Hero, Spark of Love, Special Olympics, Smiles for Seniors and a program that allows students with perfect attendance to take in a Los Angeles Angels baseball game with police officers.

Through the charitable foundation, contributions are made to individuals and programs that enhance life in Beaumont. Applications are available at the Civic Center. The City Council, which serves as the foundation’s board of directors, decides how to award the money. Brittany received her award after she spoke at the Feb. 1 City Council meeting.

Beaumont’s young ambassador

“Brittany will be an outstanding representative of the city of Beaumont,” said Mayor Brian De Forge.

The hometown girl, who was accepted to the People to People program based on teacher recommendations and good grades, has already served Beaumont for many years. She is currently one of three princesses for the Miss Beaumont Pageant. And as captain of the Beaumont Police Explorers, Brittany will study Europe’s criminal justice system on her trip abroad. But before she leaves, Brittany will take part in many fundraising activities for People to People, including being a “waitress for a day” in Hemet.

Proudly representing her hometown

Brittany will depart in early June for her 20-day trip that includes stops in England, France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Once she lands overseas this summer, the world will become Brittany’s classroom. She will learn from the finest historians, educational experts, and professional guides.

While visiting Great Britain with other People to People students, the Beaumont High School sophomore will receive a briefing at Parliament and tour Buckingham Palace. Brittany will learn about the world wars by visiting Flanders Field in northern France and by touring the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. The teenager will gain an understanding of everyday life as she meets with ordinary European citizens and stays with local families in several countries.

During her trip, Brittany will be telling Europeans about her friendly hometown and fun things to do here like attending the Cherry Festival.

“I’m very excited,” Brittany said. “I’m looking forward to meeting new people and learning about many cultures and other languages.”

When she returns, Brittany will report on what she has learned to the Beaumont City Council. And one day, she hopes to protect and serve her hometown as a police officer, just like her father, Beaumont Police Corporal Chris Ramos.

“Beau” heads off to college and gets ready to make his hometown proud

Beaumont is going off to college, canine style. The hometown pooch believes in helping people just like his namesake, the city of Beaumont.

The black Labrador will soon enroll in a rigorous school for guide dogs to learn how he can help someone who is visually impaired or blind move about freely in the world.

Wearing a blue-and-white vest to show he is a guide dog in training, Beau, as he is called, drew lots of attention and got a big send-off recently at a breakfast meeting of the Beaumont Chamber of Commerce. Many came up and patted the guest of honor as they wished him well in his upcoming classes.

“I’ll invite the whole community to come out and see his graduation,” said Ambassador Jackie Johnson of the non-profit Guide Dogs of the Desert.

The making of a guide dog

So far, Beau has shown all the traits needed to be a successful guide dog, including a good temperament, intelligence and an inbred desire to serve, Johnson said. Beau showed these and many more great qualities while growing up in Cherry Valley with puppy volunteers Laura and Phil Myring. Beau goes to Mass with the couple on Sundays and navigates the busy aisles at Costco and Petco. Beau got his namesake from the Beaumont Lions Club, which works diligently in the Pass area to help the blind and visually impaired.

The upcoming training will take place in Whitewater at the Guide Dogs of the Desert facility and requires a lot from every dog. It’s an intense six-to-nine month program month that teaches Beau and his canine colleagues how to be the eyes of his master. The dog will learn to spot and guide his master around an obstacle like a tree branch on the sidewalk and also how to safely take his master through crowded train stations and airports and cross streets while watching out for traffic.

The promise ahead

On graduation day, about half the dogs that start the school will be qualified to be paired up with a master. The others will find work as therapy dogs, police dogs and search-and-rescue dogs.

Beau couldn't speak for himself at the recent breakfast - at least not in words. But as the lab keenly watched guests file out of the Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon (former East Valley Golf Club), he seemed eager to begin a journey that will lead to a career of service and helping others. From Beaumont to his desert training, Beau was on his way!

"Zebras and Beatles” part of our future?

More than 40 years ago, a Beatles' album cover ignited mystery and intrigue in its depiction of the Fab Four walking in full stride across a "zebra" crosswalk. The iconic photograph showed John, Paul, George and Ringo walking single file in the crosswalk, with its alternating black and white stripes.

Window to the future

In Beaumont, a well-traveled zebra crosswalk between the Civic Center and the Police Department represents the gateway to a new chapter in the city’s life. You will find it on Orange Avenue, between Sixth and Seventh streets. Orange Avenue has been blocked off under a plan to build a Civic Center Campus where all municipal facilities will remain in the heart of downtown. Pedestrians can now stroll peacefully across the city’s striped crossing and dream about what lies ahead: a more vibrant downtown, a more convenient City Hall and more public parking.

In the coming years, Beaumont’s dream of having all city facilities in one central location—Civic Center, fire department and police department — will become a reality. The block of Orange Avenue will remain permanently closed and will become a public promenade area with landscaped planters and illuminated at night with attractive, energy-efficient lighting. City employees and visitors alike will stroll back and forth beneath covered walkways in a peaceful, inviting atmosphere as they travel between buildings conducting business that might include anything from licensing a dog to updating a passport.

Civic Center Campus

The new Civic Center Campus is starting to take shape. Work has begun to turn the old Summit Elementary School site into a home for the Beaumont Police Department, Animal Care, Code Enforcement, Public Works and Engineering and the city’s computer department. There will be more public parking, as well as an improved, secured parking area for police cars and other city vehicles.

Can you hear it?

So if you’re strolling across that zebra crossing in Beaumont and hear the echo of hits from the Abbey Road album like “Come Together” and “Here Comes The Sun,” close your eyes for just a moment and it will be 1969 all over again! Or maybe it’s the soundtrack of our future, as Beaumont moves closer to a new Civic Center Campus where we can all come together and appreciate the sunny days ahead.

Among the Best and Brightest

Robert Starr is a young computer wizard who could someday help change the world through the use of supercomputers. While he has an odyssey ahead that will require intense study, Starr will forever cherish the support, encouragement and friendship of the Beaumont - Cherry Valley Rotary Club.

With the help of his local Rotary Club, Starr received a $26,000 Ambassadorial Scholarship award by The Rotary Foundation. He will soon be earning his master's degree in high performance computing at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Founded in 1583, the University is recognized for its high performance computing program.

"Robert will be a terrific goodwill ambassador for Rotary and will help further international understanding and friendly relations," said Arlon Brubaker, past president of the Beaumont - Cherry Valley Rotary Club.

A supercomputer is one of the latest, fastest or most powerful computers in the world. They come with immense processing power and are incredibly sophisticated. Among its nearly endless uses, supercomputers can simulate how a tsunami would impact a coastline or a city; test the aerodynamics of the latest military aircraft; and model the effect of proteins on Alzheimer's disease, Cystic Fibrosis and many kinds of cancer.

Hometown scholar

Starr grew up in Beaumont and is the son of Ken and Sharon Starr. He is 2007 graduate of Beaumont High School who will earn his bachelor's degree this spring in computer science and business administration from Chapman University in Orange. A counselor at Chapman University suggested that he apply for the Rotary Scholarship. Starr will leave in September to study in Scotland.

"This is a chance of a lifetime," Starr said. "I am very thankful that my local Rotary club and Rotary International sponsored me."

Ambassadorial Scholarships, which date back to 1947, are the Rotary Foundation's oldest and best known program. Since that time, more than 40,000 people from about 100 nations have studied abroad and represented Rotary and their respective homelands. In 2009-10, the foundation awarded nearly 700 scholarships totaling more than $16 million.

Before receiving his scholarship, Starr was interviewed by local Rotarians and by Rotary officials at the district level, which includes Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Rotary officials at the national level awarded the Ambassadorial Scholarship.

This is the second Ambassadorial Scholarship that the local Rotary Club has sponsored. Two years ago, the Club sponsored Clint Lorimore who went to Singapore to study international terrorism. Lorimore, who once served as former Governor Schwarzenegger's field representative in the Inland area, is now working on his doctorate degree.

Bright future

As he prepares for a year-long master's degree program, Starr dreams about harnessing the power of technology for good in the world and fostering Rotary's core values of high ethical standards and international understanding, goodwill and peace among all people. With today's supercomputers operating on the petaflop (that's one quadrillion operations per second!), the possibilities seem endless for out hometown computer whiz with a bright future ahead.