Castro Valley needs a space race; we need our moon shot.
We need a bonfire we can stand about and shake our spears at.
Castro Valley needs something to unite all of the disparate factions and areas, we need something to rally behind. I have found the locus where all things Castro Valley shall converge.
Let me stop here for a moment and say I know I’m usually all jokey jokey, but this is real. I’m not playing a game, I’m not putting anyone on, my wording may be bombastic, but I type with passion not sarcasm. This is a real goal and I am asking, nay, I am imploring you for your help.
The answer is Huell Howser.
If you are not familiar with Mr. Howser, you are missing out, he is the host of a little program on PBS called California’s Gold. The concept of the show is simple. Huell travels around our state finding little nuggets of awesome. He is also possibly the most unintentionally amazing person on television. He is funny, introspective and dare I say magnetic; you can’t take your eyes off of him and his exuberance is contagious. I don’t know how many episodes of the program I have watched, but trust me, I have seen Huell make a menudo factory interesting. Just think what he could do with a great town like Castro Valley.
And let’s be honest, not only could this showcase Castro Valley, this could also fulfill a serious bucket list item I’ve had for years, by facilitating my meeting Huell.
Castro Valley needs to be a little nugget of awesome.
A few days ago on CVLegends I asked for suggestions as to where we would take an outsider to show off our community, the answers were varied, but several themes were repeated. Following you will find samples of several responses.
“Lake Chabot, the rodeo, Loards & Vals.” -Pam Rottner
“For the place, I would take them for a walk around Lake Chabot. For the community event, I would take them to the Rowell Ranch Rodeo. For my restaurant, I would have to turn back time and take them to Gaslight Pizza.” -Andrea Pederson
“Place(s):Anthony Chabot Park off Redwood. Skyline at sunset with a view of the bay.Lake Chabot, canoeing.Earl Warren Dog Park, to run the mutt. Community Event:
Rodeo Experience. Chile Cook-off, Parade, Mixers and the Rodeo itself. Restaurants:
Val's for the food, Don Jose's for Dinner and Drinks.Maybe a stop for breakfast at JD's, Doug's or Dell's. After that, send them on their way with memories of the "Lighter Side" of CV.” -Edward Stegall
“The place would have to be Lake Chabot. Community event, probably the rodeo. Food would be Val's, or maybe Pyzano's (not for the food, for the pizza tossing.)” -CVLegends (yeah, I quoted myself.)
So there is the goal, very simply, now we need to make it happen. First I would like to get the word out, starting here, you can “Like” the freshly minted, “Bring Huell Howser to Castro Valley” page on Facebook. I think we need the support of the community and local journalism: Patch, The Castro Valley Forum, The Daily Review. Let’s get the word out and make something positive happen. I would also like further spread the word on Facebook, Twitter and to the one person actually using Google+.
Secondly, we need to start contacting California’s Gold. I think an email campaign should work. I would recommend short, simple letters to the program or you could simply copy and paste the following:
Dear California’s Gold,
Castro Valley is a great community that you should definitely spotlight on your television program. We have one of the oldest rodeos in the state held here each May, the Rowell Ranch Rodeo. We are home to the beautiful and historical Lake Chabot, which was constructed with the help of Chinese labor and Wild Mustangs. And finally we are home to the hamburger restaurant that is consistently voted one of the best in California, Val’s Burgers (which is actually right outside our border, but we won’t quibble), as well as home to Pyzano’s Pizzeria, owned by the world champion pizza thrower. Thank you for your consideration.
You can send these emails to: huell@calgold.com
Finally, I need your ideas. I’m not that smart, but I am enthusiastic. I need the smart people who know how to make things happen help me make this happen. You can contact me at www.facebook.com/CVLegends
Thank you in advance. Not only is this a moon shot for Castro Valley, it is a white whale for me.
