• Wildomar Night At The Diamond 2016

Wildomar Night at the Diamond had to be postponed from its usual July slot to August this year, but a key positive that came from it was that the temperatures weren't too high for this time of year. 

L to R: Cheri Zamora, Ben Benoit, Mike Hestrin, Marsha Swanson, Tim Underdown, Bridgette Moore. Also there are two of Wildomar's young Queens, and a shy lad too. ☺

☺

On field festivities included a pregame lineup of several Wildomartinis, and some of the officers that have served our community receiving recognition for their work.

Long time Wildomar community volunteer, Tim Underdown, was awarded with the Wildomar Rotary Club's citizen of the year. He didn't know it was coming. He thought he was just on the field to represent the VFW Auxiliary. 


City Clerk Debbie Lee sang The Star Spangled Banner, and though I was tasked with making a video of it —and thought all the go lights were on, somehow I only hit the real record button after the first verse... D'oh! Sorry Debbie.


Mayor Bridgette Moore asked Riverside District Attorney, Mike Hestrin, to throw out the first pitch on behalf of the city, and he did that well. Though, in her next stint as mayor I want to see the first man, Stewart Moore, be tasked with that duty.

Riverside County DA, Mike Hestrin, in mid delivery of a fastball on the outside corner.

The singing of Take Me Out To The Ballgame, during the 7th inning stretch, was to be done by Miss Wildomar Jessie Taylor, and it was a nail biter wondering if she'd make it to the park in time. 

Had the two teams scored more runs, it wouldn't have been an issue, but in a low scoring game the time goes by quickly and she had been at another event just before.

From the reports I was getting, she had five outs to get from Clinton Keith into the ballpark, and onto the field to lead the crowd in song. 

A bit of scrambling was going on for a possible stand in, and it looked as if a trio of Ben Benoit, Rod Zamora and Stewart Moore might get their chance to do a live audition for American Idol as last minute replacements.

But like a Hollywood movie, when against all odds, everything worked out according to the original plan. 

We saw Jessie Taylor appear on the concourse with one out left before it would have been too late, and much to the delight of Mayor Moore, and the chagrin of Stewart Moore, no substitute was needed.

Jessi Taylor wrestling with the makeshift mic stand. Hey Storm, if you want a long mic, why not go with that classic Gene Rayburn style from Match Game instead of that athletic tape and broom handle version?

The game ended with the Storm beating Lancaster by the score of 2-1, and the crowd, which included nearly 160 Wild O'marians from Section 103, went away happy.

•          •          •

There's a guy playing golf, and a guy coughs *cough cough*, "Hey shhh, shhh!" as the announcer goes, (in hushed tones) "Now ladies and gentlemen, he is now going to hit off this tee, it's 425 yards..." The guy standing up at the plate, hitting off of Nolan Ryan throwing the ball 95 MPH, and 50,000 people are screaming... and you're telling me it's easier to hit a baseball than that golf ball? What's the matter with you! 
—Tommy LaSorda  circa 1990

Hear LaSorda tell it in his own words at this link.

Wildomar Rap has played every kind of baseball except professional. Missed it by that much. (don't picture a finger and thumb a millimeter apart. Picture the grand canyon instead).

• Wildomar Night At The Diamond 2015

 As part of Wildomar Night, a local charity receives a portion of the proceeds. Wildomar's VFW was this year's choice.

The Wildomar team is assembled on the field before the game. From right to left is Mayor Ben Benoit, then Mayor Pro-Tem Bridgette Moore, and City Council Member Marsha Swanson. Followed by the Wildomar Queens, Members of the VFW, first responders, and Wildomar's Chief of Police Captain Leonard Hollingsworth.

In addition to being a very apt City Clerk, Debbie Lee can belt out a tune too. Below is a vdieo I took with an iPhone... try not to get goose bumps while listening to it... I dare you. ☺

1

Tickets were sold by the Chamber of Commerce and we all sat in section 103. If you're good at "Where's Waldo" you'll be able to pick out many faces that you recognize in the picture below.

Click on the picture to enlarge it.

Below is a picture of the some of the Wildomar contingent that had been on the field.

I managed to get the Council Members together, 
next time I'm going to have to get them to look at MY camera too. ☺

It was a ton of fun even though the Storm were shut out. A great evening surrounded by good people. Hope to see you at next year's Wildomar Night!

•      •      • 

Two and two to Harvey Kuenn, one strike away. Sandy into his windup, here's the pitch: Swung on and missed, a perfect game. —  Vin Scully, September 9, 1965

Wildomar Rap suggests that if you're attacked by a group of clowns... to go for the juggler.

• Meet Ashley Fox

I had the chance to meet a remarkable young lady while at the Astronomy in the Park event. Her name is Ashley Fox.

She's a girl scout and is in the middle of a Silver Award Project.

Read up on what a Silver Award is here.

She was busy manning the Marna O'Brien snack bar for the fund raiser, but still found ten minutes to chat with me.

Selling Pizza at the snack bar at Marna O'Brien Park on Astronomy night.
Ashley and Stephanie Moore at the counter and Cheryl McCool-Benedicto behind them.

—☺—

WR: I know that you are 13 and in 8th grade, what school do you go to?
AF: Elsinore Middle School and I'm in the GEMS program.

WR: What is the GEMS program?
AF: It's a magnet program (Gaining Excellence in Math and Science).

Click to learn more about Gaining Excellence in Math and Science

WR: What subject do you enjoy the most?
AF: My favorite subject this year is astronomy.

WR: What a perfect evening for your fundraiser (it being Astronomy Night at the park).
AF: Exactly!

WR: Were you born in Wildomar?
AF: No, I was actually born in Carlsbad. We moved to this area in 2005 or 2006.

WR: Besides the girl scouts do you have other activities?
AF: Oh yeah, absolutely. I have Families of SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy), which is basically a lot of parents and people who have SMA like me... which is my disease. Then there's MDA (Muscular Dystrophy Association), who supports you and I go to MDA camp in the Summer; it's like a week long.

 Click to read what SMA is

WR: Do you have any siblings?
AF: I do, I have a brother but he doesn't have it... but he may be a carrier so he has to check before he gets married.

WR: Do you find that people treat you the way they'd treat other people, or do they come up to you with big eyes [speaking in an affected manner] saying "how are you today?"
AF: That's a very interesting question because no one's ever really asked me that. Actually I get baby talked to a lot, and you would be surprised about how many people [don't] treat me like a real person.

It's probably like a 1 in 20 chance that a person will actually talk to me like a real person... 

...but the others treat me like I'm a baby and not all there. It's frustrating to me because until you get to know that person, that has a muscle disease, then people just lay eyes on them and say "she's cognitively affected, she's not all there." 

Then that's how I got treated in school when I was younger. They called me names, they called me the "R" word, they called me stupid, they threw stuff at me.

—휸—

Let me interrupt this conversation to chastise some of the parents out there. 

Really?
Feel free to teach your little darlin's some decency... 
the rest of us would be much obliged.

Now back to your regularly scheduled conversation, already in progress.

—휸—

WR: What was the first part of the Silver Award project?
AF: basically, deciding where it would go, and if we can meet the deadline and how much we were going to raise.

WR: The goal was $3500, and you're more than half way there ($2800 as of last count), do you have ideas of what to do if you raise a lot more than the goal?
AF: If we raise $4000 we might put in a piece of  sensory playground equipment.

I really enjoyed this next exchange with Ashley. I wanted to ask her about her experience on these types of swings.

WR: When you've been on these swings before... [I noticed her eyes getting a bit bigger] I'm sure you've been on one... right?
AF: Actually I have not.

WR: Oh, you haven't?
AF: I haven't. [Said with a big smile]

WR: Oh no. [Said with an even bigger smile from me]
AF: I've just heard about it.

WR: I've heard there's one in San Clemente, right?
AF: There is. There's an accessible playground where you can actually go on the equipment; big playground equipment with ramps and you can hang out like the other kids.

—☺—

The next fundraiser for Ashley's project is Monday May 12th at Stadium Pizza. It's an all day event and to participate just order from the menu (no specials or delivery) and be sure to mention the Freedom Swing.

Another great event on the fund raising schedule is

  Wildomar Night at the Storm Game.

Friday July 25th

$2 from each $10 ticket sold will be donated to the project. There will be grab bags with many great things inside for $5 apiece.
When buying your tickets, be sure to mention Wildomar and the Freedom Swing so that they know to add the money to the donations.


If you'd like to donate directly to the project, be sure to contact Ashley's mom, Kimberly. She gave me her phone number and would be happy to speak to you. (951) 639-7864.

 Click here to get in touch with Ashley's mom through facebook.

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Even if you're still stuck in the past and only use MySpace... don't be afraid Wildomar Rap's FaceBook page is house broken.