Wouldn’t you know, I got an earful in town this am. Mostly the aired concerns relate to the Fawnskin Market, commerce in general, and the mayor’s race.

One of the ideas aired was that the community should sent individual letters to the county complaining about the delay in the reopening of the Fawnskin Market. Apparently a diplomatic letter was sent recently by one of the community organizations stressing the need for this establishment to be operating and serving Fawnskin. Since it is an election year it might be a good time to voice your concerns as voters.

Artisan Weekends
Other artists have bent my ear regarding the need to create a draw into the community and last year I brought up ideas for artisan weekends. Most of the merchants are amiable to creating a draw. Music and art would be a great addition. I personally am not aware of what permitting and other considerations that have to be put in place but the Don Conroy Park and Captain John’s have been very supportive for other events so far.

If you’d like to be involved in working on such a project please comment below. The Fawnskin Chamber, North Shore Improvement Association, and the Moose Lodge are good sources for support and insight. Maybe a group of interested people can kick this around and put together suggestions and then take the next step of presenting ideas for the town groups to consider and give direction to so they can launch next spring.

GG’s Campaign
Being out of town has not done anything to help with my run for mayor of Fawnskin. A couple of people have said they would assist but I have not found the time to even hoodwink them! I’ve been so buried with work that I only have a glimmer of an idea that still needs to be fleshed out.

First, my platform is to make Fawnskin Temporary Resident Visas available to the poor folks who don’t live in our little township. Open those borders!

I’d recommend having the cards double as Passports to Fawnskin to drive business into the downtown area as the main target would be non-residents. A complete set of initials (hmm, we are kind of sparse on business) from each business visited will be entered into some sort of drawing…maybe dinner with the Fawnskin Mayor at the off limits Moose Lodge! Finally, perhaps these small cards will have the perk of allowing back gate access to the Fawn Park…For those of you reading from out of the area. My Fawnskin Mayor photo was taken in the Fawn Park with one of the Fawnskin Five (movie prop figures)–a fireman.

Fire Station 49
Which leads me to a more serious concern, Fire Station 49. I’ve brought this up before and have another individual passionate about fire protection who may jump on the bandwagon with me. He has a bit more clout than I do. Anyway, the station is antiquated and needs to be redone. We also need new equipment desperately. This issue does not only affect Fawnskin residents, it affects a good part of the valley that is under their jurisdiction.

If you have any looney ideas to help with this campaign, please comment below.

Okay, I can’t wait to see what goes on at this new site: Visit Big Bear Politics now.

Last night we ventured over to the grand opening for Fawnskin residents Cindy and Louis, owners of the Serenity Place Gallery. Although we loved the Big Bear City’s unique location, the move the village looks like it will prove to be a very good one. There were many regular supporters and even some new faces at the opening—a good sign.

The gallery is my favorite one in the valley. The new location is stunning and allows art viewing from a larger distance than the old location. The duo and their staff did a lovely job of painting the walls and arranging the lighting so that it truly highlights the work and gives the place a warm feel. The juried show on exhibit now had an eclectic mix of artists from all over the United States and many of our favorite artists have new work on the walls or on the shelves. A new artist is featured each month and it is a good creative fix!

The gallery also has a new “supervisor.” Dog lovers should drop by just to say hello to him. The canine was pretty sick recently (he is adopted) and so is on a special diet while he recovers. So please don’t bring dog treats unless you ask Cindy or Louis first.

For those of you who asked, Louis informed me that the art classes are temporarily on hiatus until further notice. The landlord has apparently allowed the gallery to also display in the hallways surrounding the gallery so don’t forget to meander out there. Tradewinds shop is moving next door so you might want to pop in there too.

The gallery is located on Village Drive between the UPS Store and the Arcade—in the new building that took ages to complete. The best place to score a parking space is in the lot behind them with the vehicle entry near the Mandolin Bistro.

Mandolin has become one of my favorite restaurants but now I have to add Café Mambo. Although we were a little slow getting there, last night our senses were immersed in culinary delight. Colin came out to check on how everything was and frankly it was unbelievably good.

The menu is not extensive but it is great–so drop by when you get a chance. In fact, when you visit the Serenity Place Gallery, you can just cross the street to Café Mambo since it is also located on Village Drive.