Summer is heating up but activities in our neighborhood have not slowed down. We are busy preparing for our annual picnic. It is set for Sunday, September 19th from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the park located at Bachrodt School. I encourage each of you to mark your calendars now. This is a fun event that the entire family will enjoy.
The RGNA raffle will be held at the picnic. The raffle is our neighborhood's biggest fund raiser. The money brought in from raffle ticket sales helps offset the cost of the picnic and pay for other activities throughout the year. So please buy some tickets when an RGNA representative knocks on your door.
Enjoy the rest of the summer!
Saturday, August 28th
It seems that bargain hunters can't wait to spend money. By 7:00 a.m. at our last neighborhood yard sale bargain hunters had already descended upon the Rosemary Gardens neighborhood. Deals were already being made before the official start time.
Eighty-five homes participated in the Neighborhood Yard Sale in May. Our next Neighborhood Yard Sale will be Saturday, August 28th, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Also, at the last yard sale, there was some praise, some suggestions, and some concerns. To address some of the concerns, the yard sale committee will post large signs on the day of the event at the three entrances to the neighborhood, we will also be advertising on the web via Yahoo!, and the ad in the Potpourri will be more elaborate.
So how do you make money at a yard sale? Well, one way is to get your neighbors to participate. One or two houses selling on a block seem to get a passing glance as cars drive by. But, a block with several homes participating seems to draw people out of their cars. That's half the battle in getting perspective bargain hunters to part with their money.
We can use your help. We need people to help with either hosting the recycling drive or with collection (hosting a recycling drive does not mean you have to do the collection). The recycling drive happens every second Saturday of the month.
We collect newspapers (sorry, no telephone books or magazines), CRV aluminum cans, CRV plastic soda bottles, and cardboard.
Want to help? Call the message center at 441-RGNA or come by one of the homes hosting the recycling drive. Each recycling drive starts at 8:00 a.m. and refreshments are provided. The next two recycling drives will be hosted at the following locations:
August 14: Carol Rivera
1208 Santa Paula Ave.
September 11: Joseph Fota
1437 N. San Pedro St.
Arthur and Alma Copeland, of Rosemary Street, celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary on June 5th, 1999. They are planning a cruise with their eleven children and their spouses to celebrate this wonderful event. Congratulations!
Please welcome Todd and Tracy Ulery to the neighborhood. They are residing on the 1300 block of Arnold Avenue!
Carol Rivera's eleventh grandchild came into the world on June 6th, 1999 at 2:26 p.m. He weighed 7 lbs. and 5 ozs. and was 19.5 inches long. Welcome Ryan Alexander Ramirez!
We have a new neighbor on the 1400 block of N. San Pedro Street. He is working toward his Master's Degree at San Jose State University. Please welcome Pat Jones to Rosemary Gardens!
On May 29, John and Pat Kenney of Arnold Avenue became the proud parents of Sean Patrick. Sean was 9 lbs. 6 ozs. and 21 inches long at birth. Due to a respiratory illness, he spent his first 12 days in ICU before going home. His lungs are fine now, as can be attested to by his delighted parents.
Larry Rivera, Carol Rivera's first born, celebrated his 50th birthday on June 26th, 1999. How can this be when mom is only 55? He graduated from Lincoln High School in 1967. Happy Birthday Larry!
The Children's Carousel features 33 beautifully designed and brightly colored animals, including a couple of Sharks! The merry-go-round is located at the Arena Green, on Autumn Street at Santa Clara Street, across from the San Jose Arena. The price is $1.00 per ride, but children under 12 can ride free on the 2nd Tuesday of each month.
The Carousel is operated by the San Jose Sharks and all the proceeds benefit the Sharks Foundation which is dedicated to meeting the educational, social, and cultural needs of our community.
The Children's Carousel at the Arena Green operates, weather permitting:
April 1 - August 31 Tuesday-Sunday 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. September 1 - March 31 Tuesday-Sunday 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
The Children's Carousel is not open on Mondays, with the exception of holidays.
For more information, please call (408) 999-6817.
Has your mail been consistently late? Does your mail constantly get delivered to the wrong address? Are you bothered by when your mail may come at 10:00 a.m. on one day and 5:00 p.m. the next?
These were some of the concerns that were brought to the attention of the U.S. Postal Supervisor at the St. James Station. According to the supervisor, all problems with mail delivery in the Rosemary Gardens Neighborhood have been resolved. To address the problems the U.S. Postal Service has assigned two permanent letter carriers for the neighborhood. One for Keoncrest Avenue to Arnold Avenue and one for San Pedro Street to San Juan Avenue.
So, if you are still having problems with your mail, the St. James Station Postal Supervisor would like you to call 1-800-ASK-USPS and let them know.
Mark you calendars!! The Rosemary Gardens Annual Picnic will be held on September 19th, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. For those of you who attended the picnic last year, you will remember a day of fun, food, sun, and music.
This year's event is promising to be even better! The event will include music, a repeat performance by last year's DJ "Music Plus Entertainment," a Dixieland Band, a clown, balloons, and, as always, BINGO!
Oh yes, there will be food! Last year, residents out did themselves by bringing some of the best dishes our community had ever tasted. So we're asking you to bring an appetizer, a salad, a vegetable dish or a dessert. The Rosemary Gardens Neighborhood Association will provide hamburgers, hot dogs and drinks.
We have one problem this year, we seem to be lacking volunteers to help out with the picnic. We are looking for BBQ'ers, food helpers, Welcome table and Raffle table workers, Bingo callers, and set-up and clean up helpers.
We also need to borrow garbage cans for trash and tubs for drinks. Currently, we have one garbage can and two drink tubs, but we need more.
If you can help out, call the Message Center at (408) 441-RGNA.
2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons chili sauce 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon grated orange zest 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 2 tablespoons orange juice 1 tablespoons lemon juice 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper 2 lb. flank steak
In a small bowl, combine the oil, chili sauce, soy sauce, orange and lemon zest and juice, garlic, ginger, and pepper. Whisk until well blended. Taste and adjust the seasoning . Place the flank steak flat in a large, shallow, non-aluminum dish. Pour the marinade over the steak. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours.
Prepare a fire in a grill. When the coals are medium-hot, remove the steak from the marinade, letting the excess drip off. Discard the marinade. Grill until grill marks appear, 5-7 minutes on each side for medium rare. Transfer to a carving board and thinly slice across the grain. Can be served hot or chilled. Chill for at least 4 hours or as long as overnight.
4 cups shredded green cabbage 2 cups shredded red cabbage 1 carrot, peeled and shredded 3/4 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup sour cream 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar 3 tablespoons cider vinegar 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 2 cloves garlic, minced salt and ground pepper
In a large bowl, combine the shredded cabbages and carrot. In another bowl combine the remaining ingredients, including salt and pepper to taste. Whisk until smooth.
Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss well. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Cover and refrigerate until the flavors are blended, at least 2 hours or for up to 8 hours. Keep chilled until ready to serve.
In our last news letter, we incorrectly identified UPS as United Postal Service instead of United Parcel Service. Thanks Karl, a long time employee for UPS, for pointing that out to us.
Just A Reminder...
August 31st is the last day for those 62 or older or blind or disabled to apply to the State of California for a refund of part of their 1998 property tax or a portion of their rent under the Homeowners and Renters Assistance Program.
Volunteers at the Yu-Ai-Kai Community Center located at 588 N. 4th Street will assist you in application preparation through August 25th. Call 294-2505 to make an appointment. To qualify, your total 1998 household income must have been $33,132 or less.
Car batteries, pesticides, and oil based paints are just a few of the items that cannot be thrown into the garbage. These items are considered hazardous waste and carry stiff fines if a resident is caught disposing of them improperly.
But, there is good news. On July 8th, Santa Clara County Household Hazardous Waste Program opened a permanent collection facility in San Jose at 1600 South 10th Street, between Alma and Phelan Streets. The facility is currently open to the public on Saturdays, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
This facility will help residents dispose of hazardous wastes in a more timely and safe manner than waiting for the occasional collection event, which often had long lines. These were often inconvenient, especially when people were cleaning out their homes prior to moving.
Additional information can be obtained at the County Household Hazardous Waste Program's web site at http://www.hhw.org or by calling (408) 299-6895.
Information provided by Pat Ferraro of the Silicon Valley Pollution Prevention Center
Lately, residents have been calling the Message Center and talking to board members about the number of illegally parked vehicles in the neighborhood. Remember, it is illegal to park a vehicle, boat, or trailer on the lawn. It is also, illegal to park semi's and oversized RV's on residential streets. Inoperable and abandoned vehicles cannot be parked on public streets or on private property. Vehicles cannot be parked on the street for more than 72 hours.
The Vehicle Abatement Unit in the Code Enforcement Division can fine owners. For the first offense, the fines are:
Lawn parking - $ 25.00 Inoperable vehicle - $ 250.00
The fines increase with each offense.
For vehicles that are parked on the street and are unused for 72 hours, or are unregistered, or inoperable, call 277-5305. For vehicles that are on private property and are parked on the lawn or are inoperable, call 277-5307. You need to provide an address of where the vehicle is parked, the closest cross street, the color of the vehicle, a description of the vehicle, and, if possible, the license plate number.
All calls are kept confidential.