By tradition Labor Day—that holiday that we observed a few days ago—is supposed to signal the end of summer. On that day the populace has that last ditch outing or picnic or some other fun time and gives up the outdoors for the next few months. It is the time to put away all the sand toys, place a cover over the barbecue and prepare for those things that we say are meaningful. There, however, is one problem. The principal object that should know probably did not get the word. We are referring to the sun. Ol’ Sol just keeps on cranking out those hot days with no notice of the calendar. He either has some heat to get rid of or he has heard bad things about those places to the south and as such is reluctant for the six months that he will be in hiatus.
Regardless of the Sun’s antics we mortals, however, have to heed the calendar. Hot or cold September is upon us and there are a bevy of things coming up that need some attention, undivided or otherwise. The other day, for example, I had a pleasant lunch over at the Bonita Golf Club with three officials from the Kiwanis Club of Bonita, Pete Matz, Bill Sears and Jim Woodford. I have been a member of this club for more than 30 years; hence there are many things that could have been discussed. Our discussions, however, were limited to one item, an up and coming activity. The club will be hosting its annual golf tournament.
The tournament is scheduled for Friday Sept. 21 with a shotgun start at one in the afternoon. This event has the distinction of being the longest, sustaining golf tourney of its kind in the South Bay. It had its start with a handful of golfers teeing it up at C.V. Muni in the late 1970s. In 1980 the event was moved to the Bonita Golf Club and has been staged annually evolving to a full tournament.
This golf tournament has enjoyed much success over the years. One of the reasons for this outcome is the many hours that the club members have put in to accommodate the players and those that will attend the banquet later in the afternoon. There is no denying, however, that this is a fundraiser. It is, in fact, the principal fund raiser for the Kiwanis club. It goes to furnish the monies that will enable the club to keep up with its many philanthropic endeavors, too many to mention in this space. I must, however, mention one club function since I hold it rather dear. That is the food baskets that are distributed to some of the folks in the South Bay who might need a bit of help at Thanksgiving and Christmas. The looks of appreciation and thanks that are given by the recipients are enough to make our day. I am fortunate to be part of this.
This past week we also were witness for the Sweetwater Woman’s Club first meeting of the year. In what has become a tradition the ladies were serenaded with a musical program performed by the Merrie Ukes, the South Bay’s ukulele ensemble. Led by its leader, John Porner, the musical group lent a bit of impetus to the club members who are looking forward to another busy year. We will be reporting more on the woman’s club and the Merrie Ukes in the coming weeks.
I feel that I would be utterly remiss if I did not mention an honor that has been bestowed on one of our local residents. Retired fire chief Scott Walker has been named as the Grand Marshal for the upcoming Bonitafest Parade scheduled for Sept. 29. This is an honor well deserved. We give our plaudits to Scott Walker.
