Solano College Theatre Touring Company Auditions

AUDITIONS MAY 2, 2009, BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

The Solano College Theatre Touring Company members are considered important “Ambassadors to the Community.”

College and High School students that excel as triple-threat performers work with a professional musical director and choreographer to create a thirty-minute touring show. They share their exceptional talents by appearing at bookings across the region such as Disneyland, San Francisco Theatre Festival, Solano and Napa County Fairs and Vacaville Fiesta Days to name a few.

We are thrilled to announce that Vivian McLaughlin will return as the Artistic Director, and celebrated choreographer Staci Arriaga shall also return to share her talents and energy.

AUDITION DETAILS

• Saturday May 2nd, 2009. 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
• Harbor Theatre – 720 Main Street, Suisun City
• Please prepare 16 bars of a musical theatre song that shows off your vocal range & personality. Bring clearly marked sheet music in your key. Accompanist will be provided. Wear clothes you can move in and jazz shoes/dance sneakers for the dance portion of the audition.
• Rehearsals begin May 30th, 2009. Classes meet Saturdays from 9:30a.m. – 1:20 p.m.
• Call Stage Manager, Sue Cavazos to schedule your audition appointment. (707) 592-1549

Suisun City Preschool Enrollment to Open

Open enrollment for the Suisun City Preschool summer program begins at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday May 6 at the Nelson Community Center, 611 Village Drive in Suisun City.

Classes are available for children ages 2 years, 6 months through 5 years.

Registration is handled on a first-come, first-served basis, and will remain open until all class spaces are filled.

Please bring your child’s birth certificate as well as shot records.

For more information please call (707) 421-7200.

Solano County police departments seek $1 million in federal stimulus

SUISUN CITY POLICE TO ADMINISTER GRANT

The County of Solano and the Cities of Dixon, Vacaville, Fairfield, Suisun City, Vallejo and Benicia have been allotted $1,014,930 by the Federal Bureau of Justice Assistance under the 2009 Recovery Act: Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Formula Program.

The Suisun City Police Department will act as fiscal agent and administer the grant for each agency, which have developed individual plans to spend the money according to specific local needs. >>Click here for agency-specific information>>

The primary goals for this funding, consistent with the Recovery Act, are to create and retain jobs to support law enforcement programs, stabilize local budgets, and provide supplies and equipment to increase and enhance the capabilities of local law enforcement.

The public is encouraged to review the application, and provide comments and input on the intended uses of the funds. Contact Sergeant Andrew White directly by phone at (707) 421-7386, or by e-mail at awhite@suisun.com.

The application must be filed with the Bureau of Justice Assistance no later than May 18, 2009. >>READ MORE>>

Historic Steam Engine Comes to Suisun City

SUISUN CITY - Union Pacific Railroad's historic steam Engine No. 844 came through Suisun City about 10:30 a.m. today thrilling about 200 people gathered at the city Train Station.

Train enthusiasts and other curious onlookers started gathering at the Train Station on Main Street as early as 8:30 a.m. waiting for the historic train, which was traveling from Roseville to Oakland as part of its Western Heritage Tour. >>READ MORE & SEE PICTURES>>

Actor's Showcase Opens Final Projects to the Public

SOLANO COLLEGE THEATRE'S ATP SHOWCASES GRADUATING CLASS PROJECTS

Solano College Theatre proudly presents Every Story Is A Love Story, a showcase of scenes, songs and dancing presented by the Actor Training Program (ATP) graduating class of 2009. Playing May 8th and 9th, 2009 at the Harbor Theatre in Suisun City's Waterfront District, the showcase is directed by Nancy Carlin, who has been an ATP adjunct faculty member for 10 years.

This is the first time SCT has opened up the ATP final performances to the public. “We wanted to make these performances public because we have seen that they are consistently great,” said Managing Director Chris Guptill.

“The final projects are, literally, a showcase of the talent and creativity of our students in the best possible way. The performances are always entertaining and often very emotionally charged, allowing our graduates to show the full range of performance skills they have mastered at Solano. The only thing missing has been an audience, which is, after all, what makes the difference between an exercise and a performance.”

Every Story Is A Love Story features scenes from contemporary playwrights including Sarah Ruhl, Bob Glaudini and Stephanie Zadrevic. Songs and dance numbers about off-beat, quirky love will round out the performances.

The students showcased in the performances include: Heather Bankston from Suisun City, Randal Chun from Fairfield, Magdalena Crane from Napa, Bianca Doria from Sacramento, David Ewing from Napa, Sergio Gonzales from Vallejo, Roy Landaverde from Antioch, Ruben Perez from Napa, Melissa Petty from Fairfield, John Rivard from Vacaville, Allison Smith from Vacaville, Lindsay Stoltz from Napa, Sofia Tovar from Vacaville and Anthony Williams from Fairfield.

The ATP program was created in 1988 by SCT Artistic Director George Maguire and former Managing Director David Leonard. ATP is for the career-bound acting student. It is modeled after a variety of other conservatory-based (all-inclusive, taught by professionals) training programs. It includes modules on acting; singing; modern dance; tap dance; ballet; voice and speech for the actor; Shakespeare; text analysis; scene study; acting styles; movement for the actor; mask work; and a variety of other topics. Many ATP graduates go on to professional conservatories (such as the American Conservatory Theatre) or top-tier universities (UCLA, NYU, Yale). The ATP is designed to get graduates into programs that create career actors.

Every Story Is A Love Story performs at the Harbor Theatre, 720 Main Street in Suisun City, Friday, May 8th and Saturday, May 9th, 2009, at 8 p.m. Tickets are only $5 and are a tax-deductible donation to the Solano College Theatre Association Scholarship Fund.

For more information or to purchase tickets, please call the Solano College Theatre Box Office at (707) 864-7100 Tuesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m.

Historic Steam Engine Coming Through Monday

Union Pacific's historic No. 844 steam locomotive will travel through Suisun City on Monday (April 20) as part of its 32-day, four-state Western Heritage Tour.

The full steam engine won't stop in Suisun City but will pass through sometime between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. en route from Roseville to Oakland. The engine will be on display in Roseville on Saturday (April 18) and in Oakland on Tuesday (April 21) as it follows the Capitol Corridor route.

You can follow the progress of the No. 844 on the Union Pacific's website by GPS or on Twitter.

For more on the Western Heritage Tour and the No. 844, follow this link to the Union Pacific's fact sheets.

Here's a link to a Contra Costa Times article about No. 844's Bay Area activities.

Homebuyer Assistance Income Limits Revised

FAMILY OF FOUR MAKING $95,300 MAY QUALIFY

SUISUN CITY - The Redevelopment Agency has updated it's income qualification standards for its First-Time Homebuyers Assistance Program.

The program is designed to help individuals and families entering the housing market purchase a previously foreclosed home in Suisun City. To date, $3.4 million in local affordable housing funds have been committed to this program. Nearly $1 million in additional federal stimulus funds are being pursued to augment local funding.

Income limits also were recently raised for the Neighborhood Reinvestment Program.

These annual adjustments allow more families to qualify, and increases the opportunity for the Redevelopment Agency to reinvest in Suisun City's neighborhoods.

>>READ MORE>>

Neighborhood Grant Program Income Limits Raised

FAMILY OF FOUR MAKING $95,300 MAY QUALIFY FOR MATCHING GRANT

The Suisun City Redevelopment Agency recently updated the income qualifications for its Neighborhood Reinvestment Program to help homeowners improve their homes through a unique matching grant program.

Now more families potentially can qualify for grants of up to $2,500 to upgrade their house. >>Click here for the new income guidelines.>>

The program was created to help homeowners improve the safety, appearance and value of their homes, enhance neighborhood pride and reinvest in every Suisun City neighborhood.

Since its inception in 2007, the program has resulted in more than $255,500 in improvements to homes all across Suisun City through a partnership between the Redevelopment Agency and homeowners.

Here's how it works:

• For households making less than $63,500 for a family of four, the Redevelopment Agency will provide an 80% matching grant for qualifying projects. On a $1,000 project, the Redevelopment Agency would reimburse the homeowner $800.
• For households making between $63,501 and $95,300 for a family of four, the Redevelopment Agency will provide a 50% matching grant. On a $1,000 project, the Redevelopment Agency would reimburse the homeowner $500.

You can do the work yourself or hire a contractor, but either way the project needs to be submitted for approval by the Redevelopment Agency and the Community Development Department before any work begins.

>>For complete program details, go to the Neighborhood Reinvestment Program webpage.>>

JAZZ CLUB PERMIT APPROVED BY PLANNING COMMISSION

UPSCALE ENTERTAINMENT CLUB UNLIKE ANYTHING IN THE REGION

SUISUN CITY - A jazz and entertainment club was approved Tuesday for the new Harbor Square development in the heart of Suisun City's Waterfront District.

The Planning Commission unanimously approved a permit that could pave the way for the first upscale live music and entertainment club to locate in the rejuvenated Waterfront District.

Proposed for a 3,500-square-foot ground floor space at the corner of Main Street and Solano Street, the new club is expected to complement both existing restaurants in the area and the new Cast Iron Grill & Bar, which will open later this summer in a neighboring Harbor Square suite.

"The proposed lounge is a compatible fit and will help enhance and promote bringing people downtown to enjoy the promenade, our restaurants and listen to some live jazz or similar type of music," according to the planning staff report to the commission.

Local businessman Demetrius Mance wants to open the upscale music club tentatively named Demitri’s Lounge by the Bay to provide an entertainment option not available anywhere else in the region. Though Suisun City has had successful outdoor concerts for years, the lounge will take that experience to the next level indoors and year-round. >>READ MORE>>

First Harbor Square Business Opens

SUBWAY SANDWICHES FIRST BUSINESS IN NEW COMPLEX

Subway Sandwiches opened today as the first operation to open in the new Harbor Square complex at the corner of Main Street and Solano Street in the Suisun City Waterfront District.

Though it was a rainy and dreary day, the new sandwich shop appeared to be doing fairly brisk lunchtime business on its first day. No doubt a front-page mention in the Daily Republic this morning helped some.

Harbor Square is a nearly 40,000-square-foot mixed use building located in the heart of the Waterfront District. The complex, arranged around a central courtyard, offers restaurant and retail space on the ground floor with office space on the second. [For leasing information, contact Main Street West Partners.]

Stop by for a sandwich and welcome the newest business to open up in the Suisun City Waterfront District.

Suisun Marsh Makes "California Top 11" List

CALIFORNIA TRAVEL INSIDER NAMES MARSH A TOP STATEWIDE DESTINATION

A noted independent California travel writer has named the Suisun Marsh among her Top Eleven for California list of favorite destinations.

Writer Barbara Steinberg included the Suisun Marsh with this summary:

Suisun Marsh – The largest contiguous brackish water marsh remaining on the west coast of North America it encompasses 116,000 acres and includes 52,000 acres of managed wetlands. Incredible hikes and wildlife viewing; you pass right through on Amtrak’s Capital Corridor trains. Enjoy easy hikes from the Rush Ranch Visitor Centerpart of the Solano Land Trust off Grizzly Island Road. Enjoy a sunset kayak trip; a little fishing; explore Indian grinding stones; or views of white pelicans as they glide across the sky. Suisun Marsh is part of California's natural and historic past.

The best way to get into the Marsh is through Suisun City (on Highway 12 just east of I-80). The southern border of the City is formed by the Marsh.

You can drive in or take the Capitol Corridor train service to the Suisun-Fairfield station and enjoy the easy walk down the Promenade to the Suisun City Waterfront District.

At the south end of Kellogg Street, you'll find the Suisun Wildlife Center, a state-sanctioned nursery and safe-haven for abandoned infant wild animals from the neighboring Marsh. Next to the Center's main gate is the entrance to the Peytonia Slough Ecological Reserve and the Suisun City boat launch.

You can even get out into the Marsh itself aboard a guided tour boat trip aboard the California Sunset or by renting a kayak in town and heading out on your own or with an experienced guide.

A Great Day in Suisun City

I came across this blog entry this morning about a couple who simply met some friends for lunch in Suisun City then spent some time exploring the Waterfront District.

They walked along the Promenade, up Main Street and into the historic neighborhood nearby, snapping pictures along the way. For those of us who live and/or work in town, their fresh perspective is terrific, and exactly the authentic hometown experience we want people to fall in love with.

Here's a bit of their thoughts:

I know we only saw a small part of this little town, since we were on foot. I'd like to go back with our bicycles and really explore the entire area. I read that the It's-It ice cream sandwiches are made here, somewhere, and that the company has recently opened a small retail store next to their factory, where you can buy the sandwiches.

That alone is worth a trip back!

>>Click here to read more>>

Local Bald Eagles

I was perusing the Suisun Wildlife Center web site recently when I noticed a terrific little link to a bunch of photos of a bald eagle hunting in a pond near Travis Air Force Base.

The photos are terrific (I sampled one at right) but the information on the page was wonderful! >>Click here for more!>>

It's great to know that our area is becoming a habitat for our national bird!

Stop by the Suisun Wildlife Center any day to visit the resident animals native to the Suisun Marsh and environs.

Massive Career Fair Set for Thursday

SOLANO COUNTY'S LARGEST CAREER FAIR

Whether you are looking for your first job, have become recently unemployed or are looking for work closer to your home in Suisun City or elsewhere in Solano County, Thursday offers an opportunity you can't afford to miss.

The Workforce Investment Board of Solano County is hosting its Spring Regional Career Fair with more than 80 employers with positions to fill waiting to meet you.

Here are the particulars:

• WHEN: Thursday April 2, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• WHERE: University of Phoenix, 5253 Business Center Drive, Fairfield

Tips for Success:

1. Visit the Workforce Investment Board website for key information. >>Click here!>>
2. Get there early!
3. Bring plenty of up-to-date resumes.
4. Be ready for immediate interviews.

Complete lists of sponsors and participating companies is available here.