Novato

Hiking with small children is a great way to get them into the outdoors and introduce them to nature, but it can be a bit of a challenge. Small legs seem to tire out faster than larger ones, and when they outgrow both the stroller and the backpack it's best to seek out some shorter hikes that the whole family can enjoy with a minumum of whining and complaining. One of our favorite easy family hikes can be found at Rush Creek Open Space Preserve, on the northern end of Novato.

It's the weekend after Christmas, and the holiday specials are off the TV, the all-Christmas-music radio stations have gone back to playing whatever they normally play, and those gifts that were under the tree are now scattered all over the house. Despite the big run-up of Christmas cheer, it's disappointing when the whole holiday train comes to a seemingly full and complete stop after December 25. While I feel a certain amount of relief that the holiday chaos is pretty much over, I'm also wishing that I had more time to slow down and savor the pleasures of the Christmas season.

Fortunately, I have good news for those of you out there who haven't yet had your fill of holiday cheer—the Christmas houses are still open! If you're still looking for that holiday spirit, head on down to one of our local decorated houses and take in the magic one last time (or two or three, even).

Get a jump on your holiday shopping, and get excited about reading at Pleasant Valley Elementary School's 2009 Book Fair—Destination Book Fair: Read Around the World. Organized in cooperation with Scholastic, the Book Fair offers hundreds of different titles for all ages—even parents, with many at bargain prices, in both paperback and hardcover. Popular titles and series include Flat Stanley, Magic Tree House, I Spy, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and more.

Destination Book Fair takes place from November 16 through 20 in the multi-purpose room at Novato's Pleasant Valley Elementary School, located at 755 Sutro Avenue (between Center and Vineyard Roads). Hours are Monday-Thursday 8 am to 2 pm and Friday from 8 am to 1 pm, with a family shopping night on Wednesday, November 18 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. The Fair is open to the public, and inexpensive Scholastic books made great gifts and stocking stuffers.

Books may be purchased with cash, check, or credit card, and all proceeds go to support the school. You can also purchase books to donate directly to the school library and classrooms.

The 7th annual Rock'n Blues by the Lake returns to support Novato's public schools this fall at Stafford Lake Park. This popular annual event takes place Saturday, September 26, from 10 am to 8 pm and features an all-star lineup on four stages that includes the B-52s (pictured) and American Idol's Blake Lewis, as well local favorite Tim Cain, the Beatles tribute band Rubber Souldiers, young musicians from Novato and San Marin High Schools, and more. It's a popular event for all ages, and proceeds go to support the arts and music in Novato's schools (which sorely need the money).

Other attractions include a carnival, jumpies, interactive Guitar Hero and X-Box games, food, beverages, a silent auction and raffle, and a magic show for children.

What child doesn't dream of being a cowgirl or cowboy, riding their pony across the range? When my daughter was invited to a Pony Party for a friend's birthday at Novato's Morning Star Farm, we were all pretty excited. In case you're not familiar with it, Morning Star Farm is the large equestrian facility that you'll see in west Novato at the corner of Novato Boulevard and Sutro Avenue, directly across the street from San Marin High School.

Morning Star's Pony Parties are for children ages 3 and up, and our suitable for children up to 9 years old, although older kids can be accomodated with larger mounts if needed. The Pony Parties include one hour of hand-led pony rides, a trip to the farm's petting zoo—which includes goats, lambs, pigs miniature horses, ducks, and bunnies, and play time on their large play structure. Each child's pony ride lasts five to seven minutes and takes them through Morning Star Farm's scenic grounds.

This Sunday, June 28, from 2 to 6 pm, the Meridian Rolling Hills Club in Novato will host a fundraiser for Novato's Osheroff family. As you probably remember, 9-year-old Melody Osheroff and her father, Aaron Osheroff were hit by a drunk motorcyclist last month while in a crosswalk on San Marin Drive. Melody succumbed to her injuries, and her father was critically injured.

Sunday's event features a swim-a-thon, a silent auction, activities, and classes. All proceeds will go directly to the Osheroff Family Fund at Wells Fargo Bank. Meridian Rolling Hills Club is located at 351 San Andreas Drive in Novato's San Marin neighborhood. For more information call (415) 897-2185.

If you wish to contribute to the Osheroff Family Fund, you can do so at any Wells Fargo Bank branch in Marin, or send donations by mail to: The Osheroff Family Fund, c/o Wells Fargo Bank, 1590 Grant Avenue, Novato, CA 94945.

My son recently celebrated his sixth birthday, and when we asked him what he wanted to do for his party, he was adamant on having it at Cal-Star Gymnastics, a gymnastics and sports facility in Novato. He'd been to another party there last fall and obviously it made an impression on him. The price seemed to fit our budget, so we made the reservation and got ready to invite his friends.

Although I'd been to Cal-Star before for their drop-in Power Play sessions, I wasn't too familiar with their birthday parties. I didn't quite know what to expect from them, but I was more than pleasantly surprised at how fun and well organized the party was. The best thing about it, of course, was that all the kids had a blast. We had a wide range of ages there, from 3 to 8, and everyone had a really good time. Of course it didn't hurt that they were getting some great exercise and physical activity while they were at it!

Residents of Novato will have two opportunities to help the perennially cash-strapped Novato Unified School District this week. For reasons not totally clear, Novato schools receive considerably less funding per student than other districts in the county; NUSD gets $8,346 per student while other Marin school districts get anywhere from $9,000 to $12,000. For more information, here's a link to the NUSD's resolution and abbreviated text of Measure A (PDF).

Tomorrow, Tuesday, June 2, Novato voters will vote on Measure A, which increases the annual parcel tax by $96 a year. Novato's parcel tax, at $155, is one of the lowest in the US, and doesn't automatically increase on a yearly basis like those in the Dixie, Lagunitas, Ross, Reed, and other school districts. When you break it down, that's just a little over a quarter per day, probably something you'd just end up leaving in the tip jar at your favorite coffee place. Let's help keep Novato a desirable place for families to live and help the schools keep (in spite of their low funding) their excellent overall reputation!