This Wednesday the Amador County Unified School District Board of Trustees will consider facility usage fees to be charged for the use of all District facilities. Currently, the main venue for community athletics and also heavily used by other community groups, the district has been absorbing much of the costs of the community usage and now, facing budget cuts, the district is looking to capitalize on its assets; its facilities. Under law the district must differentiate the fees that it charges to groups based on the category of the group requesting facilities.

The Jackson Rancheria Hotel and Conference Center has announced that due to illness, Brenda Lee’s Christmas will be canceled. The show was scheduled for Sunday, December 17, at 6 p.m. at Jackson Rancheria and will not be rescheduled. However if you bought ticket’s you can get a refund. Ticket holders must return tickets to where they were purchased within 90 days of the concert date to obtain a refund. If tickets were purchased at the Jackson Rancheria Box Office, ticket holders can obtain a refund between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. daily.  Any other questions about ticket refunds, contact the Jackson Rancheria Box Office at (209) 223-6148

Thursday, January 25th, at 7pm, the Amador County Historical Society will hold its first event for 2007, a special tour of the Amador County Museum, conducted by Museum Director, Georgia Fox. This will be a special inside view of the history of the Museum itself, as well as its marvelous collections and displays. The Historical Society had an important role in originally acquiring the property that houses the Museum for the county.

The Amador County Museum was built as a home in 1859 by Armstead C. Brown, one of Jackson's earliest settlers. This classic Greek Revival-styled dwelling sits atop Corral or Court house hill overlooking downtown Jackson. Cedar trees tower on each side of the concrete walk to the front door, planted there we believe by Brown when he completed the house. In 1849 A. C. Brown, older and more established than most gold seekers, left his Wisconsin home and law profession to "see the elephant" in the gold fields.

Even the usual weekend crowd in Sutter Creek looked tame as the 49er Bypass Challenge rolled into town last Saturday. Around 160 people participated in the race, which purposefully uses the play on words to educate the public on heart health and to promote exercise. But the race has another meaning- back in 2006, it was also the first to trek across the Highway 49 bypass. This year the route was different. Bicyclists and runners traveled the “old” road in a 5k, 10k, or 25k race titled the bike, single or double bypass. A pancake breakfast was also included. Proceeds from the registration fees went to benefit the Amador County Recreation Agency.

The Annual St. Patrick's Day Dandelion Days Celebration went off without a hitch this past weekend. The family-oriented event included an outdoor bazaar and flea market featuring antiques, relics and collectibles, arts and crafts, and much more. There was lots of fun, food, street entertainers and even a 5K run. But Dandelion Days is also known for its rich local community flavor, one thing that makes it so popular. In fact, a great many attendees come from outside the county to join the celebration. Not least of all, Dandelion days is the Jackson Lions Club's largest fundraising effort and benefits student scholarships and community events.

Today a study is being released in Science magazine. The study proves that the assumption that women talk more than men is just myth with no factual merit, according to he studies authors- a team of researchers who studied the conversational habits of 396 men and women for six years. Although, women did use more words than their  male counterparts, an average of 546 more words a day than men in the study, researchers state that it is not a statistically significant number.

Last year the event brought thousands of bicyclists into Amador County, many complaints from local residents, loud concerns for the county’s law enforcement agencies and tragically one death of a participant in a traffic accident. This year the promoters of the Sierra Century Ride will be holding the event in Calaveras County. A century ride is a 100-mile race, and this one involves long climbs and long downhill stretches. This year's ride will begin and end at Kautz Ironstone Winery in Murphys. Local nonprofit organizations will earn funds by providing assistance to riders at rest stops in Sheep Ranch, Wilseyville, Mountain Ranch and Angels Camp. All roads will remain open during the ride, and this year organizers will post signs to alert motorists to the route.

Plans are underway for the 2007 Amador County Fair to be held July 26th through the 29th. The theme for the 2007 Fair is “Bumper Cars, Rodeo Stars, & Ewe (you).”  According to Susan Clark, CEO, now is the time to make suggestions for what you would like to see or participate in at this year’s Fair.  “We want to keep the Amador County Fair current as well as honor our traditions, and hearing from the public will help us make decisions that reflect our unique community.” The Fair staff is already at work putting together the 2007 Entry Guide, which is the source book for anyone who enters their projects into the Fair’s competition.  Although there are several hundred classes to enter, there is always room for new ideas that reflect the current pastimes and hobbies of the community.  If you have a suggestion for an area of competition the Fair staff would like to hear about it by February 28th.  The Staff is also interested in the community’s input on Fair-time events. 

The action packed world of mixed martial arts returns to Jackson Rancheria Casino with the ever so popular Global Knock-Out - The Rancheria Beat Down on Thursday, March 22. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the event begins at 6:30 p.m. in Dalton Town Hall. You must be 18 or older to attend. Tickets are $100, $70, and $35 and are going fast so purchase your tickets online or by phone from Ticketmaster or in person at the Jackson Rancheria Box Office. The Box Office is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and accepts credit cards, checks, Dreamcatcher's Club points, and cash. The Jackson Rancheria Band of Miwuk Indians launched the Global Knock-Out series last October. This second event will feature many top local fighters, plus a four-man heavyweight tournament.  The audience is guaranteed a lot of action-packed fights. For more information contact the Jackson Rancheria at 800-822-WINN or visit jacksoncasino.com.

 

Last Saturday April 19th marked the long-awaited opening day for the new playground structure recently installed in Detert Park. The ribbon cutting event followed the fifth annual “Clean Our Green,” a community wide effort intended to give Jackson a spring cleaning by providing helpful participants with litter bags and gloves to remove litter in public areas throughout the community. Over 60 community members participating in this litter clean-up event to help celebrate Earth Day. 

As the Clean Our Green event came to a close, attention shifted to the play area behind the Jackson pool. After years of reserving funds for a new playground structure, the City invested 60,000 dollars in new playground equipment in the area where previous equipment was removed due to safety regulations.  The City received assistance from the Jackson Elementary School third graders to select the equipment and the City’s Public Works crew installed the equipment.  The play equipment features several different structures intended for children ages 2 to 12.  The event is funded with California Department of Conservation funds granted to the City from the deposits on beverage containers.