March 20, 2014 | www.valcomnews.com East Sacramento News — BRINGING YOU COMMUNIT Y neWS FOR 23 YEARS — McKinley Park schedule released See Faces and Places, page 13 Janey Way Memories ............................................2 Lance Armstrong feature .....................................6 Writer Lance Armstrong to receive award from Leading seniors Faces and Places ............................................13 Sacramento County through song at School ............................................................14 Historical Society Hart Senior Center Calendar ..............................................................18 See page 4 See page 10 girls & boys from public or private Register schools are welcome! Now! Summer Classes & Camps CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL June 16 - July 25, 2014 www.stfrancishs.org/summer East Sacramento News Janey Way Memories: WWW.VALCOMNEWS.COM E-mail stories & photos to: [email protected] Vol. XXIII • No. 6 East Sacramento News is published on the first and third Thurs- day of the month in the area bounded by Business 80 on the 2709 Riverside Blvd. west, the American River on the north and east and Highway Sacramento, Discovering Soccer 50 on the south. CA 95818 t: (916) 429-9901 Publisher ................................................................ George Macko f: (916) 429-9906 General Manager ................................................... Kathleen Egan Editor ........................................................................ Monica Stark By MARTY RELLES Art Director.................................................................John Ochoa [email protected] Graphic Designer ........................................................Ryan Wunn Sales Manager ...........................................................Patty Colmer Cover photo by: Advertising Executives: Linda Pohl, Melissa Andrews, Jen Henry Monica Stark When I completed my military training in Distribution/Subscriptions ................................... George Macko September of 1969, the U. S. Army assigned Other photos: me to do a tour of duty in West Germany. Copyright 2014 by Valley Community Newspapers Inc. All rights reserved. Courtesy Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Monica Stark Then, after returning to Janey Way for a brief vacation, I flew on a military charter plane to Frankfurt, Germany and ultimately bused to the small Bavarian town of Gunzburg where I served in the 510th Ordinance Company. When I arrived there in mid-October, I no- ticed the weather was noticeably cooler and wet- ter than California. By mid-November, snow had covered the ground. It would stay there un- til mid-April. The harshness of the weather real- ly limited what we could do. I wanted to venture out into the countryside to see what was there, but we mostly just walked into town to shop and I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was awesome. enjoy the restaurants and taverns. Soon, Christ- I instantly developed a whole new apprecia- In your neighborhood, but where? mas passed, and ultimately spring arrived, bring- tion for the game of soccer or as the Germans Photo by MONICA STARK ing with it warmer, sunnier weather. called it: football. I swore that I would take up By April, the snow finally melted and we be- the sport when I returned home, and I did. gan to hike the Germany countryside. When I returned home in 1971, I began to Recall last issue’s story on aquaponics and its mention of Tahoe Park resident Anthony Nor- One Saturday afternoon, my friend Jack and look for soccer team to play on. I had no skills, ris who has been practicing it for the past five years? Well, here’s a photo of his front yard setup! I hiked toward Gunzburg, crossing the Danube but what the heck, I could learn. I eventually It’s so nice to drive along 62nd Avenue and watch the veggies grow. He offers custom built din- River, and then turning right toward the south- got my opportunity. ner table sized setups for about $500, which can provide vegetables for two adults. Norris can ern part of the town. As we walked along the A friend of mine, Bill Sontag, played for a be reached at [email protected]. levee on the edge of town, we sighted a park. team made up of people who coached in the We noticed quite a few people there and head- newly formed Sacramento youth soccer pro- ed over to see what was going on. The park fea- gram. He knew I played football in high school, tured an out-of-service swimming pool on one so he asked me to play goal keeper on his team. side and a sports field on the other. I accepted his offer and began a 15-year saga We saw a soccer game in progress on the playing adult recreational soccer. sports field, so we walked over and blended I ultimately worked my way out of the net into the crowd. I remembered playing soccer and onto the field to play the positions of right in high school physical education class, but fullback and left winger. Soccer became a way we did not play the way these people played. of life for me, occupying 35 Sundays through- We stumbled, crashed into each other, missed out the year and it all goes back to that Satur- passes and, well you get the picture, we weren’t day afternoon in Gunzburg when I first dis- very good. These German players looked mas- covered the sport. terful. They ran down the field like gazelles, At age 67, my sporting days have long dribbling the ball with grace, then kicked long, since passed me by, but my thoughts of play- arching passes into the middle of the field, ing adult competitive soccer with my friend where a waiting player, leaped and struck the Bill still linger, another unforgettable Janey ball with his head toward the open net. Way memory. 2 East Sacramento News • March 20, 2014 • www.valcomnews.com Valley Community Newspapers, Inc. Valley Community Newspapers, Inc. www.valcomnews.com • March 20, 2014 • East Sacramento News 3 Congratulations to our very own: Lance Armstrong Editor’s note: The Sacramento County Historical So- Midtown News, Old Sacramento News, Natomas ciety will recognize Valley Community Newspapers’s Journal, The Folsom Telegraph and the Sacramen- very own historical writer, Lance Armstrong, at its an- to News and Review. nual dinner, to be held Tuesday, March 25 at 6 p.m. Lance, who is presently employed by Val- at the Dante Club, 2330 Fair Oaks Blvd. ley Community Newspapers in Sacramento, has used his knowledge, researching abilities Lance Armstrong was born at Sutter Memorial and personal archives in the process of pro- Hospital in Sacramento and has had a lifelong inter- ducing local history articles for each of these est in the rich history of his native city and region. publications. At a very young age, Lance excelled in English These informative and entertaining articles courses and writing proficiency and creativity, and provide a valuable resource for the present and as a teenager, he was awarded a special medal for his future understanding of the area’s rich history. excellence in creative writing by the San Juan Uni- The majority of Lance’s local history articles fied School District. include oral history quotations from his inter- It was also during his teenage years that he creat- views with people from various levels of society. ed his own single-page newspaper, which he distrib- His local history articles have been positively rec- Photo courtesy uted to friends in various states. And because of this ognized by various newspapers and organizations. Valley Community Newspapers’s Lance Armstrong will be awarded fact, occasionally Lance has humorously told people For instance, in a review of local newspapers general excellence for publications by the Sacramento County that by the time he was 16 years old, he was the ed- in the Jan. 8, 2009 edition of the Sacramen- Historical Society. itor of a national newspaper. to News and Review, one of that publication’s Lance’s early interest in history led to his many writers, Cosmo Garvin, wrote: “Lance Arm- mental in developing the Riverside-Pocket area years of researching local histories and preserv- strong’s writing on Sacramento history is al- of Sacramento.” ing historical documents, photographs and oth- ways interesting.” In commenting about the latter honor, PHCS er historical items from throughout Sacramen- In 2006, the Elk Grove Historical Society pre- President Mary Ann Marshall said, “We are very to County and other areas of the Golden State in sented Lance with an honorary lifetime member- appreciative of the many Portuguese-related articles his vast personal collection, which is recognized ship for his continuous articles and other efforts that (Lance) has written for the Pocket News and we as the Lance Armstrong Collection. in preserving the 150-year history of the Sacra- are pleased with the opportunity we have to archive After graduating from California State Uni- mento County city of Elk Grove. them for future generations to have access to them. versity, Sacramento with degrees in journalism Lance, who is also a member of the Sacramento Lance did a wonderful job in making these stories and music, Lance began his professional writing County Historical Society, received another hon- come to life.” career, which includes his work for local news- orary lifetime membership six years later from In another honor, Lance received national rec- papers such as the East Sacramento News, Land the Portuguese Historical and Cultural Society ognition from the Grand Lodge of the Benevo- Park News, Arden-Carmichael News, Pocket News, (PHCS) for “his work in documenting the lives lent and Protective Order of Elks, in 2011, for Elk Grove Citizen, The Sacramento Union, Capitol and contributions of the many Portuguese and Weekly, Sacramento Downtown News, Sacramento Portuguese descended persons who were instru- See Armstrong, page 7 Answers on page 18 4 East Sacramento News • March 20, 2014 • www.valcomnews.com Valley Community Newspapers, Inc. Valley Community Newspapers, Inc. www.valcomnews.com • March 20, 2014 • East Sacramento News 5 Bern: East Sacramento linked with real-life Continued from page 6 ed about 10 feet above the ground below.