From City Manager Steve Duran’s Weekly Report, dated June 17, 2016:

“Thursday evening, I attended the Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting to hear the item on the initial draft conceptual plans for the redesign and renovation of Waldie Plaza and the discussion of changing the name to Waldie Plaza & Event Center.

The Commission provided a positive reception overall and good feedback, which will inform a revised draft.

This item will be brought to the City Council for discussion and direction at a later date.”

To view the complete presentation slides, click here: Waldie Plaza presentation 0616

The decorated windows of Urban Jumble antiques and salvage store, located at 307 G Street, in downtown Antioch, winner of the 2015 Rivertown Holiday Store & Window Decor contest, as voted by shoppers.

By Allen Payton

Out of 556 votes from shoppers between November 28 and December 12, the winner of the best holiday decorations in the Antioch Rivertown 2015 Holiday Store & Window Décor Contest is Urban Jumble with 140 votes. They will be awarded a one-time, 1/4-page ad in the Antioch Herald, which has a $500 value. The antique store is located at 307 G Street.

Winners of the Ballot Drawing Prizes, for those who voted in the contest are as follows:

Queen B’s Quilt Shop – Quilt – Cindy Phearson

Jim Lanter State Farm – Starbucks Coffee package 1 – Steve Brown

Jim Lanter State Farm – Starbucks Coffee package 2 – Sara Garcia

Jim Lanter State Farm – Holiday Snack Bowl package – Thula Keith

Oddly Unique – $50 Gift Certificate – Kimberli Williams

Oddly Unique, Too – $50 Gift Certificate – Francine Hudson

G St. Mercantile – $50 Gift Certificate – Debbie Delta

Almost There Travel – Disney Diamond Celebration promo package – Christina Kenson

Each of them will be contacted about their prize.

Thank you to all the businesses that participated and to all who voted in this year’s contest. See more photos of the window and store decorations of the businesses in Antioch’s historic, downtown Rivertown on our Antioch Rivertown Facebook page.

The shops in Antioch’s historic, downtown Rivertown, will be holding the third of three Saturday events during the holiday season, with their Customer Appreciation Day, tomorrow, Saturday, December 12th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and everyone is invited.

Oak Ridge Winery from Lodi will be doing a wine tasting from 2-4 p.m. at 209 G Street.

The Antioch Singing Angels will begin caroling from 213 G St from 2-4 p.m. and are looking for volunteers to join.  Hot cocoa and cookies included.

Santa will be available at 213 G Street from 3-5 p.m. for free photos by Bev Knight that will be available online.

Be sure to vote for your favorite window decorations in the Holiday Store Window Décor Contest and be entered to win prizes from downtown shops.

So, shop for unique Christmas gifts, eat at downtown restaurants and enjoy the holiday spirit in Rivertown.

A screen shot of Derek’s winning design on the Barber Battle TV show.

By Allen Payton

Derek “Tha Barber” Hernandez is not just another barber who enjoys cutting hair. He’s an artist and his talent won his fame and money, earlier this year on Cedric The Entertainers’ “Cedric’s Barber Battle” TV show.

Plying his trade at Ajja’s Barber Shop in Antioch’s historic downtown Rivertown, Hernandez is known for his portraits and design work.

“I’m only 22 but I’ve been cutting hair since I was 12,” he said.

He flew to Los Angeles where the competition occurred inside an actual barber shop.

Derek competed against a barber from Long Island, New York and another from El Paso, Texas. They were judged by three barbers to the stars.

The three contestants had to use soccer balls as the inspiration for the “buzzcut challenge” and had one hour to create their designs.

They had fun joking around and talking smack to each other as they cut their way through the show.

Derek, in Ajja’s, with his championship belt and a new design on a client’s head.

While Derek’s competitors buzzed the hexagonal shapes into the head of the men in their chairs, he went a different direction, buzzing in the design of a soccer player kicking a ball into pieces, instead.

He survived the first round, as one of his competitors got cut.

The second round was literally a head-to-head battle.This time they had to incorporate super heroes into their design. Derek was given Batman, while his opponent was given The Flash. More smack talk ensued, but it was Derek who came out on top.

Cedric referred to Derek as “DTB” and said “Your color work brought the Caped Crusader to life.”

The show aired on May 1st, and Hernandez won a championship belt, a package of hair supplies, a feature editorial on Barbershopconnect.com and $15,000. The editorial appeared on the website June 29th and can be viewed here. http://www.barbershopconnect.com/detail/054760/barber-of-the-week-derek-tha-barber/

Derek is married and lives in Antioch.

The show aired on May 1, 2015 and can be viewed on The CW website (www.cwtv.com) by clicking here.

Ajja’s is located at 508 W. Second Street in Antioch. To make an appointment to get a haircut that’s a work of art call Derek Tha Barber Hernandez at (925) 550-5602.

Customers browse inside the Oddly Unique store in downtown Antioch on Saturday, February 21, 2015.

By Allen Payton

Opened in Antioch’s historic downtown Rivertown in June, 2015 by Debbie Blaisure and Toni Lincks, Oddly Unique is just as the name says.

It’s a collection of antiques, collectibles and vintage items that will meet anyone’s tastes.

They offer furniture, jewelry, glasswear, toys, home decor, clothing, LP’s (that’s vinyl records for you CD generation types), and dolls by Frank Bruno.

Oddly Unique’s backroom includes the Man Cave.

Oddly Unique also offers something for the guys in their mancave including fishing, golf and camping items.

Debbie and Toni, who both have full-time jobs, started out at an antique co-op in downtown Brentwood. Then after five years, had outgrown the space and decided to open their own store.

“This is our passion,” Debbie said. “We feel that we can do a lot for the community, our loyal customers and friends.”

The store had a variety of shoppers on a recent Saturday afternoon. One was Mary Frederickson, a long-time resident of Antioch.

“I’m so excited for this,” she said. “The activity is back downtown.”

The store, located at 209 G Street, is open Monday through Friday from 2 to 9 pm and weekends Noon to 6.

By H. Maria

Harry Bouchard is a well-read, well-spoken, educated man. He loves the outdoors. He is not very tall, maybe 5’7” with a mop of curly golden hair, blue eyes. The “tell” of his love of the outdoors, is his tanned face. Early mornings and late afternoons are when he is most often outside. He has to take care with the sun. Medicine he must take makes his love of the sun problematic. Harry is a poet; the day we met he made his farewell by reciting his “poem of the day”. He flashed a boyish smile after his recitation and said, “the poem is free to you, but only this one poem, should you want to hear more, I do charge.”

He cares for his brothers in the way the New Testament instructs us to do. His occupation is to research valuable resources for his community. He welcomes new arrivals by supplying them with whatever information and materials are needed to make their move as smooth as possible. Harry is an orderly man of laws and codes. He makes sure new arrivals understand what will be expected of them as citizens. His other community service is to gather garbage from his town and place it where it can be easily be pick up. He told me he has made an arrangement with the neighboring community for daily collection. He loves where he lives. He shares that sunrises and sunsets there fill him with joy. He loves his life.

He told me a little of his history and proudly claims direct-descent from French pirate, Hippolyte Bouchard. ADHD and an easy tendency to depression require he take medicine. He brought out two prescription bottles, from his pocket, and held them out. I’m familiar with these medicines as being the gold standard for his problems. He lowered his head to look at the medicines and wryly commented they don’t really work for him. Despite having education and training in a useful field he says he has great difficulty working for others. He is very happy he was able to create the job he has, and is proud he does it well. He calls what he does, Human Resources for his community. He was once married. That union failed because of his then untreated mental issues. A son was born of the marriage. As he spoke of the boy, his blue eyes gave away the fierce love he has for his child. Despite having to move often, he has been careful never to move too far away. He wants the boy to grow up knowing he has a father who loves him. An elderly mother lives close by in a partly assisted living arrangement. He visits her from time to time and enjoys her hospitality. He never stays more than a day as he feels that would be wrong. Her rent is subsidized because of age and infirmity.

He graciously gave me a tour of his home. On the grounds were stacks of neatly contained waste he had collected from his community. In a culvert at the back of his lot was another waste pile that preexisted his move to the area. He puts a little of that pile out every day, as well. He’s careful not to put out too much for collection at one time. The service is free and he doesn’t want to overwhelm. Our visit came to an end as I had a scheduled commitment. After the recitation of his poem he wave me away with a big smile and a “be careful out there”. Harry Bouchard is a good man, he is a valuable man.

Since I met Harry in August, he has moved. Antioch cleaned out the homeless encampment a couple of months ago. I drove by the day after the clean up. I recognized his belongings neatly stacked in a row at the back of the lot. Harry lived in a ravine on our riverfront in a big tent. He collected tents, pots, and bedding to give to homeless that moved into his area. He gave out a list of contacts for sources in Antioch giving out food, clothing and direction to local homeless shelters. He also gave out information on how to apply for financial and medical aid. When we first spoke he stood downwind from me. The strong scent was overwhelming but interesting in that it was not the typical smell of a long unwashed human. It recalled the scent of a bobcat my husband and I once found while hiking in Southern California’s coastal mountains. He read my reaction, apologized and stood upwind from me.

“I shower at my mother’s from time to time”, he said. She is on financial assist so I can’t take advantage of her shower very often”. I don’t know where Harry is. I only ever saw him that one day. Harry is a truthful man. I could tell he believed everything he told me. What he understood to be a garbage collection agreement with Antioch was actually the work of citizens, including myself who took away the garbage he placed every day by a tree above his encampment. When I think of him, my immediate thought is that he could be helped to re-enter society. We in society would celebrate that as a job well done. Would he?