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General
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By: Steve Smith
There’s a new nightclub in town.
Have you heard about the new night club that recently opened in Ramona? It’s hard to miss but also easy to miss because it has always been there. We have all driven past it a 1000 times and didn’t even know there was a dramatic transformation happening inside the building. Right now you might be asking yourself….”What nightclub? I haven’t seen any new building on Main Street”. That’s right it’s a new nightclub but not a new building.
It’s the Ramona Mainstage Theater. Orrin and Cheryl Day have transformed the theater into the Ramona Mainstage, “Ramona’s Finest Nightclub. The new Mainstage is a top of the line nightclub that will rival anything you might see in the Gaslamp area in downtown San Diego. All the theater seating has been removed and the floor terraced into three levels. New custom booths line the walls and tables and chairs provide the seating in the center. There is also a new large dance floor right in front of the stage for those that enjoy dancing. The sound system and acoustics also make it a perfect venue for live music. At the soft opening on July 25 it was a “standing room only” show featuring “Cash’d Out”
a Johnny Cash tribute band. The band is also scheduled to return to the Mainstage in September. Many more bands and other live music entertainment acts are already scheduled to the end of September.
The Mainstage is not just about live music, currently “DJ Pat” provides the dance music on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Like sports? Come in and watch Monday Night Football on the 6 wall mounted flat screen monitors and a 30x14 foot projection screen on the stage.
Enjoy a beer and other malted beverages while you are there. The Mainstage has 10 beers on tap including 7 micro brews, so there is something for everyone.
Also on tap (no pun intended) will be the return of stand up comedy with the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, look for that in September with future monthly stand up nights. This October watch for the Mainstage Halloween Bash costume party where the adults get to dress-up.
So if you are looking to have an evening of live music, dancing, sports or just hanging out with friends, forget driving down the hill and checkout the Mainstage. The Mainstage is also available for special events, private parties and meetings. Go to their website www.RamonaMainstage.com for the complete schedule of upcoming events and hours.
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Boxing article for Ramona Sentinel
Have you been thinking that you wanted to workout but lifting weights or step aerobics just doesn’t get you motivated? You think that running on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike isn’t getting you there either?
Well Ramona Fitness has a new boxing program guaranteed to be one of the most strenuous workouts you will ever do. This isn’t one of those “cardio boxing” programs you see on television infomercials. This is the same training you would do if you were a professional boxer.
Ramona Fitness owner Peter San Nicolas has brought a professional boxing trainer in to get this new program off the ground. His name is Tom Difencesco and his fulltime job is training professional boxers. He has worked with many name boxers and is currently training a number of up and coming boxers. As a former boxer himself Tom has the experience to get the best out of those he trains. But you may be thinking “I don’t want to get hit”. That is the cool thing behind this workout. You train as if you are a boxer but without your body being a punching bag. Sure there are punching bags and you are punching the bags but the bags don’t punch back.
So you train as if you were going to step into the ring and if you want to take it further you can. Here is a short sample of some of what a normal one hour workout is like. Prior to starting the workout we all have our hands wrapped just like a boxer does. We do 3 sets of 25 jumping jacks.
Then we may jump rope for 5-8 minutes. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. You then put on your gloves to do some heavy bag work. The heavy bag is water filled bag of about 160 pounds suspended from the ceiling. When working the heavy bag you may be working on your jab or doing combinations of punches. Try doing three 3 minute rounds of non-stop punching with 30 second rests between rounds. We may then go to work on the speed bag to develop coordination and rhythm. You will also do a lot of abdominal work….yes this means sit ups, crunches and medicine ball work. You will have a totally new appreciation for the level of fitness required to be a professional boxer. But this isn’t just about hitting a bag for 60 minutes. Tom works with each person to make sure your form is correct and your punches are not just wild swings. He says “it is better to slow your punching down and have the correct form than to punch wild and fast”. What you will be doing is a classic style of training used by professional boxing athletes for decades. It isn’t flashy or fancy and doesn’t require any special chrome plated machines or racks of weights to get your muscles working. If fact after every workout you will discover you have sore muscles in places you didn’t even know you had muscles. It is a workout so complete there will be no question in your mind that you are doing something good for yourself. It also has the wonderful effect of totally relieving any stress you had that day. Plus this has to be one of the fastest fat burning programs around when added to a healthy diet. It is also lot of fun and helps build confidence in your abilities and learning just how far you can push yourself and then pushing further. And ladies this isn’t just some guy thing….there are a number of women currently in the class developing some serious punching abilities and getting a workout they won’t get from plain aerobics. Tom also has a training session just for kids. It is great watching these young kids develop and seeing them start on an exercise program that they could enjoy for years. So if you want a “not the usual” workout, checkout the boxing program and see just how far you can go.
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Are you prepared?.....
With the recent rash of earthquakes it is time to think about your preparations for what happens after. What happens to you and your family after the quake and before if any help arrives from the government?
Have you done any preparing for an emergency? Do you have some emergency food to carry you and your family through a period when you may not be able to get food. Do you have emergency water in case there is no water available for days? Remember each person will need at least one gallon per day. What about candles, first aid kits, medicines you might need, flashlights, matches or even food for your pets.….you get the idea. Some may not agree but I would also include a gun and ammo as part of emergency preparations. This is just a small list of items we all need just in case. Today most emergency food supplies now are long shelf life of 5-20 years so they can be stored for long periods. Even most canned goods are fine for a couple years. Emergency supplies are like insurance, you buy it but hope you never need it. You don’t need to run out and spend hundreds of dollars on food and water. Just buy a few more cans at the store each visit. Get a couple more cases of water to have extra on hand.
But there is another reason to prepare right now with the current economy continuing its slide downward. An economic emergency can be every bit as devastating as a fire or earthquake. In some ways even more devastating because you may not see unemployment coming until it’s walking you out the door. So would it be at least a bit more comforting to know you at least have 30-90 days emergency food and other supplies to help you though the event. There are chances of even a financial collapse affecting the entire country which could affect food, water and fuel supplies for weeks or months.
None of this was meant to scare anyone it is only to get you to think about the “what if”.
What if we had a major earthquake or a financial meltdown. Will you and your family not only survive but thrive because you were prepared for the worst? I surely hope we never need any of this but also if we do we have prepared for the worst. Send me and email and I will send you the list of the 100 things that disappear first in an emergency.
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This was written for a real estate website
Ramona is country living at its best
If you’re looking for beautiful weather then take a short drive to Ramona and you will understand why it is know as the “Valley of the Sun”. On days when costal clouds will linger well into late afternoon, Ramona residents enjoy cloudless daytime skies and clear starry nights. The town was originally named Valley De Pamo Santa Maria, meaning warm valley of St. Mary. In 1884 land speculator Milton Santee purchased 7000 acres in the valley. Milton added some romance to the existing charm of the area by changing the name of the town to Ramona. The name was taken from the lovely Indian maiden featured in the book “Ramona” by Helen Hunt Jackson. The famous Ramona Pageant performed annually in Hemet, CA. recounts the romantic tale of Ramona.
Ramona rests in a valley created by the Cuyamaca foothills at about 1400 feet above sea level. Those foothills create a natural barrier to the morning fog and costal clouds that “down the hill” communities regularly experience. In addition to clear warm days Ramona also has clear cool nights. While summer daytime temperatures can be in the 90’s the evenings can be in the 60’s. The weather is also perfect for growing grapes which is why Ramona is rapidly becoming a major player in producing great wine. Stop by the wine tasting room next to the Ramona Café and sample some of the local wines.
But there is a lot more to Ramona than just good weather and wineries. This semi-rural community located 30 miles northeast of San Diego offers many amenities not found in other areas. Ramona offers homes with lots of one half acre to multi-acre estate ranches. Ramona is also the largest equestrian community in San Diego County. Residents enjoy an extensive riding trail system throughout the community, so you can ride from Ramona to the Anza Borrego desert and back. If you are looking for some water sports, good fishing can be found at lakes Sutherland and San Vicente. Water skiing can also be enjoyed at San Vicente.
In addition Ramona celebrates the rural lifestyle with two country fairs where kids in 4H and FFA exhibit the livestock they raised for auction. Ramona also hosts the Casey Tibbs rodeo named for the famous rodeo rider of the 50’s that grew up in Ramona. The rodeo draws professional riders from around the country for the competition and big money payouts.
If you’re looking for another type of challenge, Ramona also has two championship golf courses. The San Vicente Golf course located in the 3000 acre planned community of San Diego Country Estates. And Mount Woodson Golf course in the exclusive gated community of the same name offer golfers of all levels the opportunity to test their skills.
If antique shopping is your form of entertainment you don’t want to miss the many antique shops at the east end of town. It’s almost a guarantee you will find that special something you just cannot live without.
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Racing comes to the Ramona Rodeo
Yes race fans big time racing is coming to Ramona in May on the first evening of the Ramona rodeo. Just what kind of racing…..well it’s not NASCAR but some of those drivers could have raced in this class. It’s not NHRA either but it’s a good bet some of the drag racing guys have one of these machines in their garage. Well maybe not in the garage but at least in the garden shed. The racing coming to Ramona is lawn tractor racing. Yep that’s correct, lawn tractor racing. Most likely just like the one sitting in many backyards or garden sheds around Ramona. Most everyone has seen some guy riding around their yard on one of these miniature tractors. The average 200 pound guy looks pretty humorous driving around on one but it is ok, it’s a guy thing. Besides, what red blooded American male doesn’t want a lawn tractor even if his lawn is the size of a postage stamp? Well knowing guys will try to race anything with a motor it’s only natural the sport of lawn tractor racing was invented. It’s pretty easy to imagine two guys trying to decide who has the fastest lawn tractor and then racing around the yard trying to prove it. And there is even a national organization for the sport of lawn mower racing. The United State Lawn Mower Racing Association (USLMRA) sanctions regional races around the country with some races even televised.
The lawn tractor races here will be a benefit race with all entry money going to support the rodeo. The number of race entries is limited to 24 with the entry fee of 50 dollars per entry. Each entry will also receive two general admission tickets to the rodeo so drivers can invite a couple people to watch them tear up the track. To be a part of this fun event get down to the Sears store on Highway 67 and pickup an entry form. The signup period will be from March 9th to April 9th only. There will also be raffle tickets available for some donated prizes and a Grand prize from Sears. The race format will be two 5 lap heat races of 12 tractors each. The top 6 finishers in each heat will transfer to the main event race. The main event winner will receive a highly coveted trophy and cash prize. Each race will be a Le Mans type start. This is where the driver starts from across the track and runs to his tractor, jumps on and hits the gas. There will also be a practice night one week before the Friday race night. All tractors will have to pass a tech inspection to insure they meet the race rules, like a maximum of 20 horsepower gas engines, stock tires and the cutting blades must be removed. Complete rules will be available at Sears along with entry forms on March 9th. There are already a few guys preparing their race machines. One of them is Randy Waitman owner of RAE automotive repair on D Street. Randy says “Bring your game and let’s race”. This writer is also getting his tractor into race trim and expects to be a contender. This event will be fun for the whole family to watch. There is nothing more American than watching 24 grown men or women racing lawn tractors in the main arena on rodeo night. So come out and support the rodeo and watch some local racers give it their all for town bragging rights and a trophy.
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Have you been working out?
You may have noticed that the new Ramona Fitness center is finished. Those of us that workout there are very happy to be in the new gym. You might think “ok Steve, but what does a new gym have to do with technology”
Well there is more to this gym than just a bunch of weights and cable machines. You wouldn’t know by driving by that there is a state of the art audio and video system getting a workout in there also. There is a high end computer system running the gyms Clubcom entertainment network. This system spins out the latest music videos from DVD and pipes them to your workout machine. The sound system also has different zones so that the folks in the cardio rooms aren’t blasted out by the music in the weight area. The system can also change the music genre on the fly. Meaning they can have different videos for different times of the day. But it’s not only music playing through all the speakers in the ceiling. There is a 15 inch flat panel monitor mounted on each cardio station to watch the videos. Just remember to bring your headset and plug in. There are also three 40 inch flat panel monitors mounted on the walls for viewing when you are not on a machine. But not only do you get music videos, you also get almost 100 channels of cable broadcasts. There are also future plans to add the sports channels. Plus if you have a business you can have your advertising scroll along the bottom of each screen. You can even have voiceover included in you ad. So our local businesses can promote their business to us local folks. There is also a complete closed circuit television network with cameras throughout the facility to watch over all the various areas. One very special feature of this system is that there is a camera in the child care center. Parents can select a channel on their video monitor and watch their children. For parents that leave their kids in the child care center this has to give piece of mind to be able to keep an eye on their children while they workout. There is a saying about working out….”no pain no gain”. Well you can’t take out all the pain, but at least you won’t have the pain of missing your favorite cable show because you are at the gym. See you there!
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