By Allen Payton

As they have every year since they’ve lived in the big house overlooking A Street at the end of 10th Street, Ken and Diane Gray put up flags on their property in honor of Veterans Day. Other times througout the year, you might also see pink flamingos there, as well.

By Allen Payton

The Antioch and East County community joined together to honor America’s military veterans, today with a ceremony near the Antioch Veterans Memorial at the marina, followed by the annual parade down 2nd Street in the city’s historic Rivertown.

The ceremony, led by former Antioch Mayor Jim Davis, included comments from Mayor Wade Harper and County Supervisor Mary Piepho, beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Then at 11 a.m., in honor of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month when the armistice began, officially ending World War I in 1918, and pretty much at the 11th minute, the parade began. This year it was reversed and ran east from L Street to E Street, instead.

Marching bands from four of East County’s high schools, including Antioch, Deer Valley, Liberty and Freedom, participated in the parade, as did various veterans groups, Cub, Boy and Girl Scout troops and other organizations.

Following the parade, veterans and their families gathered at the VFW hall on Wilbur for a barbecue lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 29th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day, the state’s largest volunteer event, will take place on Saturday, September 21st, 2013. The event is expected to draw more than 70,000 volunteers who will combat marine debris at over 800 locations throughout the state by removing the trash that has accumulated on California’s beaches and inland shorelines over the past year. Get out there, join the effort in Antioch. Last year, over 100 participants volunteered There are three locations to choose from: Antioch Marina, Prewett Park & Fulton Shipyard. Select your location when you complete your registration (see link below). Last  year over 100 participants came together to clean along the Delta and create awareness of why trash  so damaging to our aquatic and coastal areas.

Coastal Cleanup Day provides  a way for tens of thousands of Californians to remove trash from our environments, but also reinforces that each of us, as consumers of goods and producers of those goods, has a responsibility to reduce, prevent, and clean up marine debris. For more information, and to register to volunteer, visit www.art4antioch.org/Coastal-Cleanup.asp or email Diane@Art4Antioch.org.  or call Diane Gibson-Gray at (925) 325-9897 or Julie Haas-Wajdowicz at (925) 779-7097.

For more information visit www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/ccd/ccd2.html.

By Eleanor O’Donnell

The Antioch Historical Society will host their final Summer Open Evening at the museum on Wednesday, August 21, 2013. We will feature a Vintage Car Show and an old fashioned Ice Cream Social, demonstrations of making ice cream in old fashion crank type ice cream maker.

The museum will be open from 1:00 – 4:00 pm and 6:00 – 9:00 pm. Admission is free.

We have had a nice turn out for the open house and have entertained many children with contests and snacks.  Our goal has been to acquaint people with the museum and the history of the area.  We have more people living in Antioch and area now than ever before.  The museum welcomes everyone and hopes to show the history of Antioch and people who were here before us.

The museum has been adding some improvements, a new wrought iron fence at the front of the drive-way, new lighting in front of the building and new carpet in the hallway and Riverview Room.  All provided by generous donations to the museum and fund raising efforts.

The museum is located at the corner of 1500 West 4^th Street at the curve from Auto Center Drive.

For more information please visit www.art4antioch.org/ahs.asp.

Antioch residents will again celebrate National Night Out, this year, on Tuesday night, August 6 in over 30 neighborhoods to help fight crime throughout the city.

The event begins at 6 p.m. and lasts until dark.  So, join with your neighbors and learn how to keep your neighborhood safe.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the National Night Out. To learn more about the National Night Out, visit the National Association for Town Watch at www.natw.org.