New tire swing in Rio Nido!

While enjoying an evening barbecue with our neighbors – whose deck overlooks the Rio Nido Playground, Dog Park, and Community Garden – we noticed that our daughter, her friend, and other neighborhood kids were gleefully gathered around the park’s newest feature. A fabulous new tire swing had suddenly appeared out of nowhere!

In the dappled, golden sunlight of this warm summer evening alongside the grassy banks of the dry seasonal creek, the kids took turns on the swing – sometimes in pairs – while the others pushed. Their laughter echoed through the canyons as their toes brushed over soft, green grass, purple irises, and then pointed towards the canopy of redwood branches lacing over the pale, blue summer evening sky.

My neighbor, Karyn, stood amongst the children (including her slender, pretty tween-aged daughter and her twin three-year-old sons) with an air of immense satisfaction, because she had been planning the installation of this new tire swing for some time. She obtained the tire and rolled it over from her home on the other side of Rio Nido, while her husband pushed the stroller with the twins. Then, she tied a rock to a length of rope and threw it over the tree branch, and looped it through. They somehow managed to tie the tire securely, and … voila! Instant fun!

The playground is mainly set up for younger children, and “I wanted there to be something for the older kids,” Karyn explained. Sure enough, after the younger crowd had dispersed, a group of teenagers passed by, instantly gravitated to the swing, and enjoyed an hour of good, clean, fun.

Times like these are what make me love living in Rio Nido.

Summer happenings in Rio Nido

Summer is coming & Rio Nido has a lively assortment of fun, family-oriented events & other things to do throughout the summer. Unless otherwise indicated, the happenings listed below take place in our picnic area, between Rio Nido & Canyon Seven roads, which run (somewhat) straight from River Road. The Rio Nido Homeowners’ Association (RNHA) hosts these events & welcomes everyone to join in the fun, whether you’re living in the area or just visiting. I also encourage locals to join RNHA & have more information below.

For those of you who’ve never heard of Rio Nido, we’re an eclectic, rural, small-town enclave tucked into a series of canyons along the Russian River & sheltered by our abundant & beautiful redwood trees. The name is Spanish for “River’s Nest.” We have a strong sense of community, perhaps because we don’t get mail delivery & hence frequently gather at our local post office, where we almost always hear about local happenings & gossip first. Patty the Post Mistress sells tea & cappuccino along with postage stamps, has written a riveting occult-thriller novel (Raven: the Praying Bird,) & can also provide you with a complete astrological chart for $15. She’s amazing.

We’re located 2 miles east of Guerneville (the largest town in our area), just a mile or two West of the famed Korbel Winery, off of River Road.

RIO NIDO SUMMER EVENTS CALENDAR:

Once again, these events are hosted between Rio Nido Road & Canyon Seven Road (off of River Road) in the main picnic area, except for the golf tournament. Once you turn in, we're hard to miss. If you live in Rio Nido, PLEASE consider joining our neighborhood association (informaiton provided below):

• Memorial Day Chicken Barbecue, Sunday May 25^th: Food: 4pm-7pm ($8.00 adult, $5.00 child). Music & dancing: 5pm-9pm
• Fourth of July Hot Dog & Hamburger Barbecue, Saturday July 5^th: Food: 5pm-8pm $5.00 per plate; Music & Dancing: 5pm-9pm
• Rio Nido Cleanup Day: Saturday July 12^th: Join us at the Rio Nido BBQ area & bring gloves & a paper bag. I still need to get the time & details from Cleanup Committee Chair, Domenic Farnocchia, but I’ll keep you posted.
• Pancake Breakfast: Sunday July 20^th: Breakfast 9am-12noon. Adults $6.00, Child $3.00
• Rio Nido Homeowners Golf Tournament, Saturday August 9^th: Northwood Golf Club, starting at 9am. 2-player Better Ball format (no handicap). $80 per player. Includes: 18 holes, cart & BBQ at Rio Nido BBQ area after game. To sign up, list the names & addresses of the players, include a check payable to the Rio Nido Homeowners Association, & snail mail to RNHA P.O. Box #A, Rio Nido, CA. For more information, contact Troy Held at troymheld at yahoo dot com (this is not formatted as a link because I don’t want the poor guy to get automatically-generated spam)
• Pancake Breakfast & Art Festival, Sunday August 17^th: Breakfast 9am-12noon. Adults; $6.00, Child $3.00; Rio Nido Art Festival 10am-3pm
• Rio Nido Homeowners Association (RNHA) General Membership Meeting, Saturday August 30^th at 11am.
• Labor Day Chicken Barbecue, Sunday August 31^st: Food: 4pm-7pm ($8.00 adult, $5.00 child). Music & dancing: 5pm-9pm
• MARSHMALLOW ROASTS THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER on Saturday June 21^st, July 12^th, July 26^th, & August 10^th: For good, wholesome family fun, join our gracious hosts, Domenic & Suzanne Farnocchia for roasting marshmallows by a roaring campfire, followed by a rated G movie (maybe PG, if they’re feeling kind of wild).
• RIO NIDO MINI GOLF – OPEN WEEKEND EVENINGS Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend: Our mini golf course isn’t as fancy as the one on Drake Road near downtown Guerneville (which is wonderful & seems well on its way towards becoming designated as an historical landmark), but it’s fun, charmingly designed, is in walking distance for folks who live or vacation in the neighborhood, it costs only .50 cents per play, & it’s RNHA member Susie Markham’s labor of love. The kids adore it – plus, it keeps them occupied & somewhat corralled during our events. There’s even a small rec-room with kids’ games & inexpensive candy, chips & sodas for sale.
• RIO NIDO ROADHOUSE POOL, RESTAURANT, BAR, & MUSIC all summer long: Thanks to the new owners, Leanne & Brad, we still have our fun, cool, & fabulous local pool & snack bar, which are open to the public. They also run a bar & restaurant with good food for reasonable prices, & host an eclectic assortment of melodic & danceable bands on Saturday nights for a modest $5.00 per adult (kids are free) in their attractive, enclosed picnic area.
• Cool, shady playground: We also have a lovely little playground & picnic area with a circular path for scooters, roller skates, & bicycles/tricycles, which goes over a charming little bridge for our seasonal creek. It’s located a couple of “blocks” north of our picnic area, post office & fire station.

IF YOU’RE A VISITOR OR NEWCOMER: Bring along some extra cash to the holiday events, because you may want to buy a Rio Nido T-Shirt or Sweat shirt with a picture of our winking moon; purchase a yummy dessert from the baked goods table; treat your kids to minigolf; or wet your whistle with some beer, wine, or a mixed drink. You’ll also need an extra layer, because it gets cool here at night. If you have kids & feel nostalgic for the sort of fun, small-town summers you enjoyed as a child, Rio Nido is definitely the place to go – especially during summer holidays.

There are also tons of festivals throughout our area throughout the summer & a lively fireworks show on July 4^th weekend in downtown Guerneville. For events listings, visit the Russian River Chamber of Commerce in downtown Guerneville or check their Web site at http://www.russianriver.com/ . If you want to stay here in Rio Nido, consider a vacation rental through Balaika Guest Homes or D&G Equities. These folks are reliable & have a good selection of rentals in this area.

IF YOU LIVE HERE - Please support the RNHA – Become a member: Do you live, work, or own property in Rio Nido or on Rio Nido Road (which is basically in Rio Nido, despite the Guerneville zip code)? If so, PLEASE join the RNHA. All you need to join is $15, a membership form with your contact information (RNHA has them at the booth at all the major events), & a pulse. Your yearly membership dues will help support all these events; maintenance of our picnic area (which is available year-round) & mini golf course. You will also periodically receive an RNHA newsletter with local news & upcoming events (it seems to come out about four times per year). Despite the organization’s name, renters are also welcome to join. For more information & sign-up forms, please visit the RNHA table at one of our holiday events, or write to: Rio Nido Homeowners’ Association, PO Box A, Rio Nido, CA 95471.

Got kids? Summer programs offered at Monte Rio School

Excitement mounts in local classrooms as kids eagerly anticipate the last day of school & the beginning of summer. No school! No homework! Just long, carefree, sun-drenched days of splashing along the shores of our river & ocean inlets, toasting marshmallows late into dusk, & watching 4th of July fireworks ... Fast forward 2 weeks later when the novelty wears off & the kids get bored & start whining. & whining. & whining. There's nothing to do. There's no one to play with. Telling them that if they're so bored, then surely they have time to help with some odious household chore only goes so far.

Here's where summer day camp comes in. There are three programs available, which will all be held at the Monte Rio School:

• West County Community Services' Monte Rio Summer Program: A new summer day camp program for children entering Kindergarten-7th grades at the Monte Rio School, which runs from July 9th-August 17th. Morning (9am-noon) & Afternoon (1-4:30pm) sessions at $50 per week each (morning session free to Monte Rio School students). For more information: Pick up an application at your local school or contact Nora Lomax 887.2226 x1006.
  
  
• Monte Rio School Age Center's (MRSAC) interim program: for children entering Kindergarten-7th grades at the Monte Rio School, which runs from June 18th-June 30th, not including the July 4th holiday. 8:30am-5:30pm. Cost $35 per day -- sliding scale offered to qualifying families.The interim program will be a continuation of last year's summer camp program & this year's vacation camps. For more information: contact Jynx Lopez at 865.0223.
  
  
• MRSAC's Preschool summer program: for children aged 33 months (2 years & 9 months) to 5 years at the Monte Rio School, which runs throughout the summer, beginning June 18th. $20.00 per morning session (8:30am-noon), $6.00 additional for extended care until 2:00pm & 6.00 additional for extended care until 5:00 pm (for a total of $32 for a full day). These are the same rate for the year-round preschool program. For more information: contact Jynx Lopez at 865.0223.

Costs for all of the above include meals, snacks, materials & field trips.

The folks at West County Services are excited about their new summer day camp, & several of the staff members currently work at the Guerneville School's highly-regarded after-school program. The morning sessions will take a fun, creative & hands-on approach to academic subjects like literacy, math, science, & art (in part, because funding for the morning session is geared to bringing up the Monte Rio School's test scores). The afternoon sessions emphazize more traditional summer activities, like swimming, sports, crafts & field trips.

The interim summer program will be run by MRSAC (which has been running the Monte Rio after-school & summer programs up till now) until West County Community Services takes over in July.

The summer preschool program is an extension of MRSAC's year-round program & is also a great way for prospective preschool parents to give their kids a head start for the upcoming school year. My daughter currently attends the Monte Rio Preschool, has learned a lot & has a grand ol' time. The staff are experienced, caring & wonderful. The play yard also has a fabulous new play structure.