By: Kenny Melcombe

Cal State University Northridge is just about to have the grand opening for the student rec center. The past friday I had the opportunity to attend the Pre-Opening Dress Rehearsal. In a few words, it was better then I had anticipated. It was amazing!

The SRC will be open to of course students and then will have memberships for staff, faculty, alumni and the community for a very reasonable fee.

This is a state of the art center including a rock wall, basket ball courts,racquetball, indoor track, swimming pool, yoga studio, group exercise room, on top of the typical weight rooms, and fitness cardio rooms with eliptical, spin bikes, treadmills. Though typical is not the word to use… including 3 separate weight rooms and cardio equipment that can monitor your workout. Speaking of Technology–the SRC is striving for a LEED Gold Status and was designed to use the energy created by the bikes, treadmills, elipitical machines to power the entire building.

My friday workout consisted of climbing the rock wall, running the track and the treadmill, biking 12 miles, using the weight room, and ending with a swim in the beautiful pool. I can truly say this was the best time I have had working out and look forward to keeping in shape at the SRC.

The Grand Opening will be Thursday. Come get your memberships and get in shape. Or, by the way, If you join the Alumni Association you can get a significant discount on the membership. To join the Alumni Association click this link: https://www.csunalumni.com/default.aspx?page=Membership

The SRC features state-of–the-art weight and fitness zones, a rock wall, locker rooms, a 3-court gymnasium, a multi-activity court, fitness and group exercise studios, a racquetball court, an indoor track and recreational/lap swimming pool.

The SRC will have 3 different fitness zones that will be equipped with resources to help you achieve your fitness goals.

Inside the SRC will be 3 studios dedicated to Group Exercise and Fitness Training.

A multi-purpose studio where Zumba®, Step 360®, kickboxing, muscle conditioning, belly-dancing, hip-hop, boot-camp and many more group exercise classes will be held. This studio, when not being utilized for classes, will also be available for individual use and private training.

This studio will have specific equipment that will be utilized for classes such as; Spinning®, yoga, and pilates. Group and private mat, reformer and chair Pilates training will be available.

Determination Studio
A specialized studio equipped with TRX® and boxing equipment. This equipment and studio will be available during supervised open recreation times and scheduled classes.

INDOOR JOGGING TRACK

The SRC contains an indoor jogging track that is 1/8 mile long so you can enjoy your run in a climate-controlled environment, protected from the San Fernando Valley sun. The track’s superior biomechanical design allows for consistent traction with a cushioned surface providing greater safety and comfort.

Come test your limits and see if you’ve got what it takes to make it to the top of the 44-foot Ridge — Rock Climbing Wall!

The SRC has two pools available for your aquatic adventures. The Rec Pool is located at the SRC and the Plaza Pool is located adjacent to Subway in the University Student Union Plaza. The Rec Pool is available for both recreational and lap swimming. A large deck with furniture is also available for those that would like to relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. The Plaza Pool is programmed for lap swimming and special events but also has deck chairs available for those that would like to kick back in the sun for a bit. Please click the link below for pool hours.

Kenny Melcombe

Kenneth Melcombe, estate agent and licensed broker at Ewing & Associates Sotheby's International Realty represents buyers and sellers. He specializes in representing residential real estate properties throughout the San Fernando Valley and beyond.

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Charity in Calabasas

By: Kenny Melcombe

Saturday, December 10, 2011 at the Calabasas Commons marked the kickoff of the 2012 Calabasas Relay For Life in part with the American Cancer Society. We had a great turn out by the community as well as the fantastic sponsors for the day from the Commons.

The event started out with a scavenger hunt around the commons where teams started with a clue and checked various places around the commons. After the event, everyone met up in front of Marmalade Café for a bite to eat where we had a brief talk sharing what Relay For Life is about, how to start a team, how to fundraise, and all the particulars. A big thank you to restaurants at the Commons including La Salsa, Marmalade, Le Pain Quotidien, Crumbs, Ralphs. Food was terrific especially the soup from Le Pain Quotidien.

Great Event…Pre Event for the big Relay happening in May 2012.
Our grand sponsor is the City of Calabasas and there is room for more. Corporate Sponsors–you name it. So, if you want to get involved as a participant, sponsor, volunteer, and/or start a team please sign up online at www.relayforlife.org/calabasasca and/or contact me, Kenny Melcombe and I will get you started.

To conclude: The Calabasas Relay For Life takes place at A.E. Wright Middle School May 19-20…2012 SIGN UP now. This is the Calabasas Community Event. We are looking for local Small Businesses, local Corporation, Clubs, and organizations of all types. Connect with the community and join us this May for a very memorable event.

Kenny Melcombe
Relay for Life
Event Chair
818-349-3668

Kenny Melcombe

Kenneth Melcombe, estate agent and licensed broker at Ewing & Associates Sotheby's International Realty represents buyers and sellers. He specializes in representing residential real estate properties throughout the San Fernando Valley and beyond.

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A relationship workshop for couples and singles

By: Serena Scott Thomas

Sometimes, just a little communication can go a long way. Facilitator Joi Andreoli is conducting a 2 hour relationship workshop that will discuss some of the hot topics in relationships like:

• The fundamentals of masculine and feminine energy
• How to be the male energy or how to be the female energy…
• Tools for communicating that invite respect or cherishing

Share your dating and relationship experiences in a fun and supportive environment this Saturday, December 17th from 1:30pm-3:30pm. The cost is $25.

Location: 22020 Clarendon St., Ste. 200, Woodland Hills 818-314-8598

RSVP by: Thurs. Dec. 15^th to Joi Andreoli

Facilitator: Joi Andreoli, MA, MFTI, WANT® Educator and Transactional Analysis Practitioner

Serena Scott Thomas

Helping Children this Holiday Season

By: Roger Ewing

Our three Ewing & Associates offices have again placed Toys for Tots collection boxes in Calabasas, Agoura Hills and Sherman Oaks.  The collection boxes will remain in place through December 22, 2011. Toys of all monetary value will be distributed to needy children. Often, there are few gifts for children over the age of 10 so a special consideration for these children is always appreciated.

To find our offices, visit the links below:

Agoura Hills Office
Calabasas Office
Sherman Oaks Office

Roger Ewing

Award Winning British Artist offers drawing and painting for adults

By: Serena Scott Thomas

Winter 2011 with Sarah Stitt

The artist teaches an introduction to the language of drawing and painting, while providing guidance on how to express one’s vision on paper and canvas.

The course is an introduction to:
• Overcoming the fear of creativity
• Measuring, perspective, and learning to look dimensionally
• Using pencil, charcoal, and ink
• Learning composition and color theory
• Understanding depth and space
• Experimenting with tone
• Utilizing various surfaces and tools

Suitable for all levels:
This six-week course is designed to inspire confidence in students who want to learn art history and the traditional methods of drawing and painting.

Location
Paradiso Arts
by courtesy of Laura Alvarez, MFA
2918 Santa Monica Blvd #2
Santa Monica CA 90404

Class is limited to a maximum of 12 people per class. Each class is 3 hours.

Tuition
$410
Saturdays: 10am to 1pm
From Nov 5th to Dec 17th, 2011
(date of last class TBD)

Contact
For questions about the class,
Emaill sarahstitt@me.com
Phone: Sarah’s Studio 323 571 2344
Website: www.sarahstitt.com

For questions about Paradiso Arts
Email: paradisoarts@gmail.com,
Phone: Laura at 310 592 5879
Website www.paradisoarts.com

Hunter Drohojowska-Philp on Sarah’s work:

“Her landscapes rarely include people yet she excels at portraiture especially when
painting her own three children Grace, Gabriel, and Esther. As they change each year, gaining the attributes of adolescence and young adulthood, she paints the loss of youth, the growth of knowledge, and she does so without sentimentality. As with her landscapes, these are paintings not documents, and recall the similarly rigorous stance of American artist Alice Neel. Yet, like her landscapes, these paintings do measure time as it is passed in Los Angeles.”

Hunter Drohojowska-Philp is a journalist and art critic living in Los Angeles.
Her most recent book, Rebels in Paradise: The Los Angeles Art Scene and the 1960s is published by Henry Holt in July 2011

Serena Scott Thomas

New apartments in old town Calabasas

By: Karen Lee

Before you get too excited, to qualify, you must be over 62 and make no more than $41,400 annually. But, if you qualify, you’ll be in for quite a treat.

The 75-unit affordable housing complex, at 4803 El Canon Ave., will begin moving in as early as Oct. 17, according to a housing official. This 52,825-square-foot property, owned by Thomas Safran & Associates, have units that vary from 550 to 650 square feet. Residents at Canyon Creek Calabasas include a spa, a jacuzzi, a community room, a gym and underground parking.

The housing complex is located in the heart of Old Town Calabasas and was designed with an “old west” theme in keeping with the neighborhood.

Karen Lee

Karen Lee, estate agent at Ewing & Associates Sotheby's International Realty, specializes in representing estate properties throughout the Greater West Valley area including Woodland Hills, Calabasas, West Hills, Agoura and Tarzana.

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The newest bakery in Calabasas

By: Karen Lee

Le Pain Quotidien or, “the daily bread,” is a Belgian café-bakery chain with more than 160 locations worldwide. Lucky for us, their doors just opened a new eatery Monday at the Commons in Calabasas.

Le Pain Quotidien in Calabasas will, I assume, quickly become a hotspot for locals. With freshly baked organic goods, soups, salads, sandwiches and the tartine, this bakery has the perfect blend of European themes and local appeal.

Founded in 1990 by Alain Coumont in Brussels, Belgium, Alain still manages and directs the company’s commitment to organic ingredients and green building. Worldwide, the company has many locations in Los Angeles, New York City, Canada, Mexico, France, Russia and Kuwait.

Le Pain Quotidien will certainly receive the attention it deserves in the tightly knit Calabasas community.

Karen Lee

Karen Lee, estate agent at Ewing & Associates Sotheby's International Realty, specializes in representing estate properties throughout the Greater West Valley area including Woodland Hills, Calabasas, West Hills, Agoura and Tarzana.

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Fire Precaution in Calabasas

By: Karen Lee

The recent brush fire on Alizia Canyon in Calabasas should be a good reminder that fire season is upon us. Hot temperatures, dry brush and upcoming Santa Ana winds make the perfect fuel for this extreme danger.

Make sure that brush around your house is cleared, and that trees are trimmed away from the roof.

Have a plan for evacuation-what to take-important documents should be in a metal fire resistant box that can be grabbed in a moments notice. Prescriptions and family photos should be at the top of the list. Last minute decisions can be disastrous. A few years ago when a fire threatened Bell Canyon, Valley Circle Estates, and Hidden Hills, I remember loading shoes in a laundry basket to take! That would have been a waste compared to other, irreplaceable items.

Karen Lee

Karen Lee, estate agent at Ewing & Associates Sotheby's International Realty, specializes in representing estate properties throughout the Greater West Valley area including Woodland Hills, Calabasas, West Hills, Agoura and Tarzana.

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Tina Stern’s Hollister Ranch Property Featured as LA Times Home of the Week

By: Tina Stern

My listing of 114 Hollister Ranch, Gaviota, California was featured in the Business Section of the Sunday Los Angeles Times on 9.4.2011 as their choice for “Home of the Week” (view here). This 108 acre property with 5 structures is nothing short of magnificent. To view the property, see the YouTube video below or view the property website at www.114hollister.com

The legendary Hollister Ranch. Full parcel Listing. Inaccessible to the public, guard gated 24 hours a day. The 14,400 acre Ranch has 8 ½ miles of private pristine beach frontage for the exclusive use of homeowners. Property includes 2 complete houses, 1 guest house, 1 barn-game room and 1 secluded hilltop hideaway. Located approx. 30 minutes up the coast from Southern California’s most charming city, Santa Barbara. Ranch consists of 136 one hundred acre, or larger parcels. Parcel 114 is nestled in its own private valley. Its approx. 108 acres lie on a private road winding through 100 year old oaks, spring-fed creeks & vistas from rolling hills to pastures & the Pacific Ocean. It offers privacy, security & beauty only minutes to the beach. Whether seeking solitude or staging a grand getaway for family & friends, this is a rare, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a virtually unspoiled piece of the California dream right on the most protected coastline in Southern California

Tina Stern

Local Teams to Participate in The 2011 Hard 9 National Classic Baseball Tournament April 18-21

By: Maggie Mayall

Three San Fernando Valley high schools are set to participate in The 2011 Hard 9 National Classic Baseball Tournament April 18-21 in Anaheim, CA. They are: Chaminade College Prep in West Hills, Chatsworth High School in Chatsworth and Bishop Alemany High School in Mission Hills.

My husband and I will be in attendance watching our 10th grade left fielder. This is our very first year attending and we are very excited to participate in watching this new level of play for our big guy.

The fun begins for the players on Saturday, April 16 at 3:00 p.m., with the annual Home Run Derby taking place at El Dorado High School field.

The 32-game tournament starts at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, April 18, at the home fields of the tournament co-hosts, Esperanza and El Dorado high schools. This High School Tournament features the #1 team in the country, Saint Francis High School from Mountain View, CA. Sixteen Teams from Arizona, California, Florida, Tennessee and Utah are set to compete, including 32 players who have committed to NCAA Division 1 programs.

All the teams will compete on the campuses of California State University, Fullerton (CSUF), Esperanza High School and El Dorado High School. The semi-final and championship games will be played at Goodwin Field at CSUF.

Here’s a look at our three local schools in the San Fernando Valley that will be participating:

• Chaminade College Prep West Hills, CA (go Eagles!)

Head Coach Frank Mutz coaches Chaminade College Prep, ranked 13th in Southern California as of 4/11/2011, for his third-year. Chaminade is currently 6-1 in the tough Mission League. Included in these six wins is a sweep against another National Classic team, Bishop Alemany. The Eagles will enter the 2011 season with eight returning starters and 14 seniors. They have 7 players committed to NCAA Division 1 programs: RHP/C Mathew Troupe (U of Arizona), RHP Michael Dingilian (Cal Poly SLO), RHP Dalton Brown (Duke University), OF Brandon Rapoport (U of Washington), INF Dylan Delaney (U of Michigan), C/OF Jason D’Andrea (UCLA), and INF Tanner Reibenspies (San Diego State Univ). The Eagles were 27-7 overall in 2010, and advanced to the CIF-SS Division II Quarter Finals. They return most of last year’s starting line-up. Pitching and defense is their strength and they plan on manufacturing the runs to remain competitive in 2011.

• Chatsworth High School Chatsworth, CA

The Chatsworth Chancellors, ranked 4^th in Southern California as of 4/11/2011, have won 3 CIF City Championships in the past 4 years. The Chancellors return 5 All–League players, and are led by Seniors Aaron Brown (Pepperdine .368 BA, 5HR, 29 RBI), Steven Karkenny (.425 BA, 2 HR, 22 RBI), Brady Conlan (.349 BA, 1 HR, 22 RBI), Christian Lopez (7-1, 2.58 ERA), and Angel Rodriguez (6-2, 2.55 ERA). Chatsworth is making its second appearance in the National Classic.

• Bishop Alemany High School Mission Hills, CA

Bishop Alemany, not ranked in the top 25 as of 4/11/2011, is coming off a 19-8 season in 2010, and a second place finish in the tough Mission League (one game behind Crespi – the 2010 National Classic Champion). The Warriors, under Head Coach Randy Thompson, return almost their entire pitching staff from 2010. Junior Ryan Paramo, the Mission League Pitcher of the Year, returns after going 7-2 last season. Junior Cody Thompson posted a 2.14 era in 6 league starts last year, earning 1st team All-Mission League honors. The offense will look to Seniors Edgar Montes (CF) and Anthony Esparza (C), as well as Junior Peter Van Gansen (SS) to provide some spark. Van Gansen was an All-CIF selection last year, and Montes and Esparza are 3-year Varsity starters.

In a press release at pr.com, The National Classic quotes tournament director Marcus Jones: “The 2011 Hard 9 National Classic will showcase some of the best baseball talent in the country, including the top team in America. Since 1990, the National Classic has been recognized across the United States as the #1 high school baseball tournament in the nation, and that continues with this year’s field.”

Also reported is that more than 250 schools from 24 states have participated in the National Classic over the years. National Classic Alumni include Major League Baseball players Alex Rodriguez, Shawn Green, Brett Tomko, Shannon Stewart, AJ Hinch, Hank Blalock and Pat Burrell, just to name a few. In its’ history, more than 300 players that participated in the National Classic have been drafted and 42 players have played in the Big Leagues.

Our first game is at 10 a.m. Monday morning against Valley Christian from San Jose, CA. They are currently 10-6 and recently beat #1 ranked St. Francis on March 22. But we have a great team and anything can happen. This “Baseball Mom” will be wearing our team colors and shouting “Way to stay alive!” “Great wheels, kid!” and “You got this!”

If we win that, we might go on to play IMG Academy, which, my son says, “is basically a school that breeds baseball players. No joke, mom.”

Whatever happens, it’s all good. I’m a baseball lover and I can’t wait for the fun to begin! I love watching those kids play. We are expecting great weather, too. Put on the sunscreen! Wear a cap!

And let’s play ball!

For ticket and schedule information, visit: www.national-classic.com.

A complete list of teams participating:

• El Dorado High School Placentia, Ca
• Esperanza High School Anaheim, CA
• IMG Pendleton Academy Bradenton, FL
• Chaminade College Prep West Hills, CA
• Christian Brothers High School Memphis, TN
• Valley Christian High School San Jose, CA
• Bishop Amat High School La Puente, CA
• Sunrise Mountain High School Peoria, AZ
• Chatsworth High School Chatsworth, CA
• Bingham High School South Jordan, UT
• Notre Dame Prep Scottsdale, AZ
• Saint Francis High School Mountain View, CA
• Cypress High School Cypress, CA
• Clovis West High School Clovis, CA
• Bishop Alemany High School Mission Hills, CA
• El Capitan High School Lakeside, CA

For a list of Southern California High School Baseball rankings, go to http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-0411-high-school-baseball-20110411,0,1337099.story. Updates every Monday.

EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely solely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.

Maggie Mayall

Maggie Mayall, Realtor Associate at Ewing and Associates Sotheby's International Realty, specializes in representing residential properties in the West San Fernando Valley. A diligent Realtor and seasoned business owner, Maggie treats her clients with steadfast compassion and care.

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