This year, Casino Night will get a boost from the Mira Mesa Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber is committed to supporting the Mira Mesa Community, and the annual 4th of July event is one of Mira Mesa’s most popular community events. The event is also an excellent chance for Mira Mesa businesses to say “thank you” to their employees and clients, by sponsoring a game table or auction item.

Businesses and individuals interested in sponsoring game tables can download a sponsorship form from the Mira Mesa Town Council website. Additionally, auction items are being sought for Casino Night and donors will receive tickets to the event. Donation forms are also available at the MMTC website.

For additional information, or to sponsor a table or donate an auction item, contact Bonnie Apple at 858-784-3676 or Bonnie.Apple@expresspros.com, or Sandy Smith at 858-361-5229 or sandysmt@san.rr.com.

If you are looking for some farm fresh vegetables, fruits, flowers, specialty foods, farm fresh eggs, fish, baked goods, cheeses, olive oils, honey, jams and jellies, arts & crafts, boutique items, clothing, accessories, and more… then make sure you stop by each week.

The Market is open every Tuesday from 3-6pm and I believe it will be staying open until 7 with the next time change.

It is located right in front of Mira Mesa High School at the corner of Mira Mesa Blvd. and Reagan Rd.

She is the current chairperson (last year as well) of the 4th of July Committee and has been a very active member for several years. You would think that that alone would be enough volunteer work for one person, as it takes a ton of effort to put on events to raise money and organize the festivities of the 4th of July, but she does that and so much more.

I could go on and on about the different groups and committees she is on and been on, so instead… I will just list the groups she has been a member of over the years. She is still active in many of these groups and is serving on the board of some as well. I am sure I probably missed a few, but you’ll see why she is so deserving of being the Mira Mesa Volunteer of the Year for 2009…

Mira Mesa Town Council
Mira Mesa Chamber of Commerce
Mira Mesa HEROES
Mira Mesa Theater Guild
Stakeholders Committee
Kiwanis
NEC
Mira Mesa High School Business Partnership Council
Mira Mesa Community Planning Group
Hillery DAR Subcommittee

CONGRATULATIONS SANDY… Keep up the GREAT WORK!

(See Flyer below for details)

The Mira Mesa Cluster Schools Council is being formed by parents, staff and faculty of every school in the Mira Mesa “cluster”, with the support of our current District Trustee John Lee Evans for these reasons; in order to present a unified voice on behalf of our schools, to coordinate community issues and to ensure Mira Mesa schools all work together for the benefit of our kids and the community, as do other “clusters” throughout the District.  On Monday, November 9th, the open-meeting and membership will convene to determine our membership model and to begin working on issues including school funding, classroom air-conditioning and computerization of our classrooms and curriculum.

Are you aware of the proposed budget cuts for the school district, next year? They are very, very significant.  In order to ensure Mira Mesa Residents have the opportunity to know and respond to the proposed cuts, we have changed our agenda and will start our Cluster Schools Council meeting with a special Budget Presentation by our District Superintendent in regard to the pending budget crisis for San Diego Schools. If you don’t know about the proposed cuts and shortfalls, you’ll want to be at this meeting.

Over the last three years, California has seen historic reductions in school funding. For the San Diego Unified School District, this means a reduction of nearly 20 percent in school funding over three years, while the enrollment has increased by about 2 percent. That’s a reduction of $180 million in funding; not counting another $16 million that might have to be cut before the end of the 2009-10 school year.  Last year’s budget anticipated a reduction in $84 million for 2010-11. California’s budget analysts are now estimating more cuts that could be in the $17-110 million range.  Some of the proposed cuts include:  elimination of all Vice Principals, conversion of Kindergarten to dual-shift, half-day format, elimination of all librarians, increase in class sizes, elimination of all 9th-12th grade sports and more.

Come to a SPECIAL Budget Presentation for Mira Mesa Cluster on Monday, November 9 at 6:00pm in the Mira Mesa High School Media Room. Please arrive by 5:45 so the meeting can begin on time. Interim Superintendent, Bill Kowba and Chief District Relations Officers, Bernie Rhinerson, will present. Weigh in on the discussions: What programs and services are important to us here in Mira Mesa? What will be cut out, forever? Come find out so that you can convey your concerns to right people before it’s too late.

For more Information, contact your School Principal or Erik Basil (EBasil@aol.com)

Erik R. Basil, Esq.
THE BASIL LAW FIRM
3170 Fourth Ave, 4th Floor
Bankers Hill, CA  92103
619-688-0978
619-688-0984 FAX

Directions to Qualcomm Auditorium, 6455 Lusk Blvd:

Traveling west on Mira Mesa Blvd, turn right onto Lusk Blvd.
Continue on Lusk Blvd for approximately ¾ of a mile – through 3 traffic signals.
Turn right into the parking lot – Qualcomm building has a green roof.

This meeting is open to the public, and your participation is requested.

Our friends at Buca have been serving up family-style meals for years, and they specialize in accommodating groups of any size. This year, they are opening up their doors from 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving and putting out family-style portions of Turkey, Stuffing, Gravy and Cranberry Sauce in addition to their entire regular menu of World Class Italian Cuisine. Turkey and Lasagna for Thanksgiving dinner? I say yes, and keep it coming!

Don’t spend valuable family time waiting in the lobby while the table for your large party is occupied with another group. Buca is designed to accommodate groups of 4 to 40 people (and more), and Family Dining is what they are known for.  We invite you to celebrate the Traditional American Feast with an Italian Twist at Buca di Beppo, located in the Westview Parkway Shopping Center, near the Edwards Cinemas Theater, at 10749 Westview Parkway. Make sure you call for reservations at (858) 536-2822.

Are you in charge of booking your Holiday Party from work or school?  Bring the gang in to Buca di Beppo for the best Holiday Party Ever! Contact Rose Chambers at (858) 536-2822 to book your group event in one of their spacious rooms, and let the Buca team do the rest. Be sure to ask about the group packages available, and you will be the superstar at work for booking your next party at Buca di Beppo!

The Treasure Box provides families and individuals with a substantial box of grocery store quality food retailing between $65-100 for just $30 each. The Treasure Box cultivates relationships with more than 500 major food manufacturers across the country to purchase and provide top quality, nutritious food at sizeable volume discounts to the general public.

Each Treasure Box contains between 21-25 pounds of high quality, frozen foods, including chicken, pork, beef, or seafood, as well as vegetables, fruit, a side dish and a dessert. One Treasure Box is enough food to nutritiously feed a family of four lunch and dinner for almost a week or a senior citizen for nearly a month.

Wonder what you get for only $30? Here is an example of the November Treasure Box:
•    3-3.5 lbs. Whole Chicken
•    2 lbs. Boneless Ham Slices
•    2 lbs. Turkey & Pork Breakfast Sausage Links
•    1.625 lbs. Old Fashioned Beef Meatloaf
•    1 lb. Ground Turkey
•    40 oz. Macaroni & Cheese
•    1 pkg. Orange Clove Glaze
•    1.4 lbs. Hash Brown Patties
•    1 lb. Frozen Peas
•    1 lb. Frozen Green Beans
•    1 lb. Frozen Corn
•    1 lb. Buttermilk Biscuit Mix
•    1 each Dessert

That is a lot of food for only $30! To participate, you can contact The Treasure Box through their website and pay with a credit card, or from the Christ Community Church (cash/check) or from Walker Elementary PTA (cash/check). This is an amazing organization and program that can benefit anyone in our community, whether they are in a financial hardship or not. When people come to pick up their Treasure Box each month, you can see the smiles on their faces and know this program is working.

Orders can be made each month, as there is only one delivery made each month. There is a cut-off date for the current month, and for the November 21st shipment, the cut-off date is November 8. Don’t delay and miss out on such a great deal. They also have a Holiday Treasure Box available that features a whole turkey and all the fixings!

For more details, please visit the website at www.thetreasurebox.org, or you can contact Pastor Darrell M. Dunlap at Christ Community Church by: email, telephone: (858) 549-2479 or online: www.gotoChrist.com.

Motorists traveling to I-15 south from westbound Pomerado Road will be detoured south on Kearny Villa Road to east on Miramar Way onto southbound I-15. Detour signs will be posted to direct motorists. This daytime ramp closure will allow construction crews to pave the on-ramp and prepare for the signal coordination project at Pomerado Road.  If you have any questions regarding this closure or construction on I-15, please feel free to contact me at 858-668-3368.

Sincerely,
Antoinette Meier
Public Information Officer
I-15 Express Lanes Project
858-668-3368 office
858-688-1445 mobile

For construction updates, questions and road closure information, log-on to www.KeepSanDiegoMoving.com or call the Interstate 15 Project Information Hotline at 866-890-1397

Monster Manor rises from the depths to take its place in San Diego as the Best Haunted Attraction. Voted as Best of San Diego in the 2009 Union-Tribune/SignOnSanDiego.com reader’s poll, each year the ghoulish, cursed home of the Ghastleys rises up in Mira Mesa. Inside the brooding old Victorian mansion, the former tenants return to try and scare away all who enter their abode. Well, not quite ’cause there’s always “Room for One More.”

“Our volunteers are what differentiate us from everyone else in town,” Cast Director Trey Barkley said. “No one here gets paid to do this. We all do this because we love Halloween and scaring people, and I think everyone who goes through our haunted house senses it.”

Each year, Monster Manor is completely rebuilt and redesigned so that the attraction’s experience is different from year to year. With a team of over 200 volunteers, the Haunt’s scares and effects are unique from all the other haunted houses. Monster Manor is also the ONLY haunted house in San Diego County that caters to young children and families. During select days, the Manor transforms into Never, Never Land with Wendy, Tinkerbell, Peter Pan and the rest of the gang.

Lite Frite: Peter Pan and the Search for the Missing Shadow, as the daytime attraction is called, is designed for toddlers to preteens. It is a non-scary alternative to the nighttime attraction. In Peter Pan and the Search for the Missing Shadow, as Peter Pan sets off on his way home, he realizes his Shadow no longer trailed behind him. Parents and children will enjoy themselves as they encounter pixies, Lost Boys and other lovable characters that we all are familiar with. Guests, however, will find themselves face-to-face with those dastardly pirates, always seeking to stop do-gooders in their tracks.

Monster Manor opens now until Halloween. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12 per person.

Lite Frite is open on Halloween day from Noon until 4 p.m. Tickets are $5 person.

For more information, visit www.monstermanor.org or call (858) 222-4815. Mira Mesa Theatre Guild’s goal for Monster Manor is two-fold: to provide a safe, family-friendly environment for the community to celebrate Halloween and to serve as a fundraiser for local charities and the community.

All the proceeds for the daytime and nighttime haunts go to support the community. During the past eight years, Monster Manor has raised more than $75,000 in support of groups such as Boy Scout Troop 648, Friends of Ericson Elementary School, Mira Mesa Scripps Youth Football, Mira Mesa Youth Baseball, Poway High Ag Partners, Sandburg Elementary School — just to name a few.

The success of Monster Manor can be directly attributed to the involvement of the entire community. Designed, built and operated completely by a small army of 200-plus volunteers, the 4,000-plus-square-foot haunted house is an inter generational experience, with teens working alongside seasoned professionals, gaining valuable work experience. The Manor’s core group has more than 75 years combined experience in motion picture effects, theatre, and haunted-house production.

A true community project, all costs associated with putting up Monster Manor are paid for with the help of more than a dozen local businesses. Corporate sponsors for this year’s haunted house include: AT&T, Frazee Paint and the Target Shopping Center. Stop by before the Monster Manor vanishes for another year.