The Ukiah City Council is going to move forward with some much-needed repairs to the Orr Street Bridge. During the City Council meeting this week a set of plans from back in 2019 was brought. Those plans were previously approved but never acted on. The bridge is in very bad condition and some were questioning exactly what the bridge will be used for. An interim fix has received a couple of bids for the project. The council approved awarding the contract to Gregg Simpson Trucking for just under $230 thousand to replace the decking on the Orr Street Bridge. Debate continues on whether to allow traffic on it again at some point.
A Ukiah High School senior is among those named as semifinalists in the 69th Annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Elizabeth Lu is one of the academically talented high schoolers who now have a chance to compete for over 7,000 National Merit Scholarships worth around $28 million. You’ve heard the phrase ‘one in a million’, well Elizabeth was among 1.3 million high school juniors who entered the program by taking the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. It’s a nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors, with each state’s high-scoring entrants. We wish Elizabeth good luck!
It’s opening weekend for Ukiah Symphony Orchestra. Tomorrow is the opening concert of the 45th season. 7:30 is the time. And then Sunday afternoon at 2. There are many world-class musicians in this community and a couple of those are featured soloists in these two weekend concerts. Reed-player Paul McCandless and contrabassoonist Mary Ann Sacksteder will be performing. Concerts are at Mendocino College Center for Performing Arts on Hensley Creek Road, Ukiah. Tickets: www.ukiahsymphony.org or at the door.
Mark your calendar for the 2023 Ukiah Country PumpkinFest – it will be held on Saturday, Oct. 14 and on Sunday, Oct. 15 in downtown Ukiah. The theme this year is “Renaissance Pumpkins.” The event is the largest street fair Mendocino County, there will be something for everyone to enjoy including the annual Parade, Better Homes and Gardens Children’s Stage, Scout O Rama, Savings Bank Scarecrow City, Fire and Safety Expo, Haunted House, Beer and Wine Garden, Baking Contest, Dog Races, 3on3 Basketball tournament and much more. If you want to get all the details, go to cityofukiah.com and look up PumpkinFest.
The Arts Council of Mendocino County recently announced a Get Arts in the Schools Program or a GASP grant opportunity. What is GASP? It is a public and private arts education partnership that funds professional artist workshops and live performances in Mendocino County schools during the school year. The program is designed to incorporate arts into the core curriculum and to bring quality, educational, curriculum-based artistic enrichment in K-12 classrooms throughout Mendocino County. There are guidelines for schools and for artists. You can find the info on the Arts Council’s website at artsmendocinio.org. The deadline to apply is Nov. 1. Artists and schools will be notified of their awards by late November.
Here’s your chance to meet someone who was, literally, out of this world. Astronaut Nicole Mann, who was the first Native American woman to launch into space, is scheduled to visit Covelo tomorrow. The Round Valley Indian Tribes sent out a release that Colonel Mann was Commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew 5 and she will be featured in tomorrow’s parade which is part of the planned Indian Days festivities in Covelo this weekend. She will be speaking in the Hidden Oak Amphitheater at 2 tomorrow afternoon. Everyone is welcome to enjoy all the festivities at the Hidden Oaks Park rodeo grounds on Covelo Road.
This weekend Covelo is the place for the Indian Days festivities. A press release states that native and non-native community members are all invited to join the event at Hidden Oaks Park. Activities will include cultural dances, traditional food, a downtown parade, live music, mud bogging, a softball tournament, a chili cookoff and a kids’ carnival. Free camping is also provided. NASA Astronaut Col. Nicole Mann is a featured speaker. The festival begins tonight. The festivities will take place at Hidden Oaks Park rodeo grounds and amphitheater, located at 76699 Covelo Road. A schedule of events can be found online at www.rvit.org.
