A night so special...National Night Out was celebrated across the entire nation last Tuesday, and here in Valley Home it was truly a special night! Neighbor after neighbor came bearing special dishes to share. As the delicious community meal was set out for all to enjoy, the aroma of tasty food beckoned everyone to gather. During dinner shrieks of joy could be heard as children found their favorite foods and loaded their plates high. The night held special meaning in Valley Home as young folks who would soon be departing back to college and those folks who would remain here in Valley Home enjoyed a special meal together. Glenn and Laura Burghardt set up a very informative and fascinating history exhibit. I noticed the names of the Benedix family and the Dickens family several times along with special photos of some of Valley Homes oldest families. A very special gentleman made the effort to come spend the evening with us, Mr. Tony Taro. Thanks for coming Tony!

To the delight of young and old alike, Sheriff Christianson, his crew and helicopter landed on the school grounds early in the evening! Excitement abounded as everyone gathered around Sheriff Christianson. It seemed there were a million questions for him and he very kindly took the time to answer every single question. Just as the sheriff’s helicopter lifted off, the crowd was thrilled to see our Rural firefighters arrive. We were excited to see firefighter Robert Wiggins and firefighter C.J. Crim step out of the beautiful shiny red life-saving engine! The firefighters brought along some very tasty cookies (thanks Adam) which everyone enjoyed during the evening. Old and young alike could be heard asking to see all the tools and gauges on the big red engine! A special treat for Valley Home was a visit by Fire Chief Randy Bradley. Chief Bradley is such a warm and friendly person, knowledgeable and always open to all questions. He made the evening more special by stopping by. CHP Officer Chuck Leon arrived early in the evening in a beautiful, state-of-the-art California Highway Patrol car. Officer Leon and his family are very special to us here in Valley Home! It was quite a sight to see all of the teenaged boys crowded around the fully loaded CHP car hanging on to every word Officer Leon spoke.

During the evening Valley Home Principal Rolanda and husband Gary treated everyone to the most delicious frosty cold root beer floats! What a special night. Also stopping by to visit was our very own Supervisor Bill O’Brien and his beautiful daughter Samantha! Supervisor O’Brien works tirelessly for the communities he serves and cares very deeply for Valley Home. Enjoying the evening with his lovely wife was the witty and very knowledgeable Rural Fire Board member Ray Martin. Ray always makes every event special. Another important person in our community stopping by to say hello was Pastor Tim Hoover and his family from the Baptist Church behind Valley Home School. We appreciate their visit so very much.

Making the festivities more delightful was an old fashioned produce stand set up in the shade of the park’s little Oak tree. Fruit and vegetables were free and were shared by all. Adding to the farmyard area were two beautiful turkeys raised and owned by Ben and Sam Fletcher. Baby ducklings and baby chicks were also in the farmyard, raised and owned by Cooper and Cody Bartholomew. Valley Home resident Kevin Koppinger made sure the memories of this wonderful event will live on for all. The Koppinger family is well known for their involvement and love of Valley Home. New Valley Home 4-H Community leaders Sean and Julie Haynes and daughters Sierra, Violet, and Daisy were seen having a great time visiting with friends and neighbors. Sierra Haynes is the 2014-2015 Valley Home 4-H President.

I could go on and on, but I will end with a heartfelt thank you to all who came out for this special evening and with a huge thank you to Marg Jackson for caring so much about the communities she and the Oakdale Leader serve!

You may reach me at 209-985-5233 or e-mail me at winniemullins51@gmail.com. Until next time “Happy trails to all!”