PiruFest 2009!

For Immediate Release: September 1, 2009

Labor Day Weekend offers PiruFest 2009 for Locals and friends

Submitted by Andy Arias 805-521-1554

This coming Saturday, September 5th offers great family fun at the 9th Annual PiruFest, in historic downtown Piru at the Piru Depot and Gazebo Plaza Park. Activities for this Labor Day Weekend festival begin at 3:00 pm and continue until 10 pm. Registration for the horseshoe tournament will start at noon with play set for 2:00 pm. The Depot and park are located on Center Street in the downtown district.

The Piru Neighborhood Council (PNC) and Rancho Temescal are sponsors for this annual event and joined this year by MAD Youth, (Making A Difference). MAD Youth are organizing a variety of games for all ages, including the good old fashioned Dunking Booth featuring local community and regional leaders as “dunkees”. Local arts and crafts vendors continue to sign up to offer unique jewelry and other specialty items, as well as information on upcoming health and community events, such as Relay for Life and Ramona Days at Ranch Camulos. Food vendors have also signed on to feature their treats. Food vendors will offer treats from Piru restaurants and shops as well as specialty items such as tamales, bar-b-q pit sandwiches, soft drinks, corn on the cob, hot dogs and more. Handmade quilts, jewelry, and other gift items will be available from a variety of vendors..

Always a hit with the locals and friends, the popular Horseshoe Tournament returns under the skills of Rusty Ortega. Organizers set up the pits in this downtown park to make this activity a center point of this daylong festival. This competition is an annual tradition among the town’s “ringers”. Contact Rusty at 805- 432-6388 to sign up or help organize.

Finally, music fans can enjoy local DJ-DB who will be spinning discs during early hours and then Dan Torres and the Piru River Band will be the featured headliner for the day’s entertainment. Known for their variety of current and “oldie” tunes, Dan and his band always get the crowd on their feet and on the dance floor. The stage area at the depot and gazebo plaza also offers plenty of room to join in the celebration.

More events are being planned so make sure your Labor Day holiday weekend plans include a visit to this fun town and join in what promises to be another successful celebration. For more details or sign up as a vendor, go to the website: pirupress.com or call Chacha Troyke at 805-521-0527.

What about the Texaco/Chevron site?

Representatives of the EPA will be in Fillmore on September 1st, 2nd and 3rd to conduct interviews about the site.

Specifically they would like to "...better understand what is important about this site from the city's perspective and to learn what your community wants or needs from EPA."

This is a 100 acre site (previously an oil refinery and pipeline transfer station) that the EPA has been cleaning up and monitoring for several years. It is just to the east of Pole Creek and north of 126. You can learn more about the site from the EPA's website.

At some point, hopefully in the near future, the site will be available for some type of redevelopment. It will likely be limited to industrial, passive park or open space.

If you would like to provide input into these interviews or join me in participating, please contact me at 524-7313 or email: gaylewashburn@sbcglobal.net

2009-2010 Draft Budget Available

On August 25th, the City Council will consider adoption of its 2009-2010 budget. The State has indicated its intention to take Property Tax, Redevelopment Agency Funds and other revenues from the City. The City Council, the Interim City Manager, staff and financial consultant have spent many hours of effort in budget revisions and project deferments to try and balance the budget and still maintain services.

You can view the draft budget at www.fillmoreca.com/budget.htm or request a copy from the City Clerk’s office.

The budget will guide the city in the next fiscal year. You may have comments or suggestions on the financing of the parks, theatre, library, streets and other infrastructure.

Your input and feedback are important so we urge you to contact your council members for more information. We want to hear from you. We also urge you to attend the August 25th Council meeting if you would like to provide input.

Mayor Patti Walker (524-2731)
Mayor Pro-tem Gayle Washburn (524-7313)

P.S. Your comments and thoughts are important - but, as always - please maintain civility. No personal attacks or defamatory remarks are allowed. Stick with the issues. I WILL use the delete key!