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The annual 4th of July Street Faire will be held from noon until dusk Saturday on Olympiad Road between Marguerite Parkway and Melinda.
Tom Riehl will emcee the Main Stage entertainment for his 13th consecutive year. The festivities will include:
- 12:30-1:00 - Karate Demonstration
- 1:00-3:00 - Steel City Jim and the Nightshift Band (Classic Rock)
- 3:00-3:30 - Watermelon Contest
- 3:30-5:30 - This Side Up Band (Jazz & Blues)
- 5:30-6:00 - Ice Cream Sundae Contest
A host of exhibitors will offer a large variety of food, crafts, entertainment and other activities. The Fireworks Show is scheduled at dusk.
During the afternoon citizens can also join in a TEA Party event being held at the Melinda entrance to the Faire. The “Taxed Enough Already” protest is sponsored by the local Republican group. The TEA Party is one of many being held on the 4th throughout the United States.
A free shuttle operates from 1:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. surrounding Lake Mission Viejo. No pets, skateboards, roller blades, wheelies, bicycles or barbeque grills are permitted. The event is provided by the MV Activities Committee.
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In the article on Farrah Fawcett, The MV Dispatch (June 26) referred to the tennis match in which she played in Mission Viejo as the “Challenge of the Network Stars,” when in reality it was called “Celebrity Challenge of the Sexes.”
Farrah was one of twenty-four motion picture stars, man vs. woman, in twelve different sports events held in the community of Mission Viejo between March 30, through April 3, 1977. Some of the other Hollywood stars who participated in events included Redd Foxx, Phyllis George, Elliott Gould, Bill Cosby, Tony Randall, Flip Wilson, and Lloyd Bridges among many others. This was just one of the many fun events that were available free of charge, to the residents of this young and developing community.
Art Cook
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The OC Sheriff’s Department is reporting that a 31-year-old female patient at Mission Hospital was raped while unconscious. The incident occurred after the patient was admitted around midnight on February 21, but no arrest was made until Thursday.
Jesse Pena was arrested in Ontario based on DNA evidence from the victim’s hospital gown. Pena was an emergency room technician and authorities believe he committed the rape while the patient was unconscious prior to treatment.
The woman realized she was raped after waking. She removed her I.V. so she could get to a phone and call 911.
According to DA spokesperson Farrah Emami, Pena may have worked at other hospitals in San Diego and Riverside Counties. Anyone with additional information or who believes they may have been a victim is encouraged to contact Supervising District Attorney Investigator Randy Litwin at (714) 347-8794 or the Orange County Sheriff’s Department at (714) 647-7042.
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Two Mission Viejo soccer players recently helped their West Coast Futbol Club win the US Youth Soccer FarWest Regional Championship. The under-age-13 (U13) team, coached by Nick Cucuk, won its second consecutive title by winning six games in six days against state champions from Hawaii to Arizona.
Goalie Teddy Czaja helped the team’s strong defense achieve five shutouts and a 27-1 scoring record against their six opposing teams. Matthew Anderson kicked the winning goal against Cal North in Sunday’s championship game. Both boys will be attending Capo High School next year.
Team celebrates goal in championship game
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Farrah Fawcett’s death at age 62 raises memories of her visit to Mission Viejo eleven years before the community became a city. She played in a tennis match known as the Challenge of the Network Stars. The event attracted over 5,000 spectators and was televised by CBS.
Farrah, an accomplished player, enjoyed her match against Bill Cosby, which she won 5-4 in a 9-point tiebreaker. The photos by AP were taken on April 4 during that 1977 MV event.
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Does the Council have priorities right? Facing a budget crunch, the Council appears prepared to sacrifice existing services and infrastructure in order to let $3.7 remain allocated for a resort-style tennis complex.
For the past three years the Tennis Club requested adding one new tennis court to the current seven. On Monday evening the Club was the dominant force in the audience at the budget workshop, seeking to save plans for the multi-million dollar, resort-style complex inspired by the ’designers’ in City Hall - instead of one court. Installing a single court could save the City over $3 million for balancing the budget without raiding reserves.
Instead the Council will approve 1) cuts of $350,000 from library services, 2) $400,000 from slope renovation on Marguerite, 3) significant maintenance reductions to sports fields, 4) cutbacks to park maintenance, 5) lengthened street striping cycles, 6) elimination of street light ornamentation, 7) further reduction in Christmas lighting, 
longer response time for service requests, 9) substantial reduction in funds for replacement and maintenance of computers and information technology, 10) elimination of wreaths for vets’ holidays, 11) dropping of earthquake insurance for Marguerite Complex, and other reductions and deletions.
The Council did not describe or discuss these cutbacks in front of the Tennis Club and audience Monday. Staff incorporated the cuts into the proposed budget which will be approved July 20.
In addition to the above cuts, the City will divert $2.1 million from reserves previously allocated for other purposes, and the Council will plan using another $2 million in park fees due from Target Corporation, if-and-when it sells the adjacent vacant ‘Steadfast’ property at Los Alisos and Jeronimo.
In addition to General Fund revenues being short of expenses by $3 million over the next two years, that deficit could double if Sacramento decides to usurp the maximum amount of city gas revenues from cities to help resolve the State deficit.
City Treasurer Irwin Bornstein advised the councilmembers he didn’t expect Mission Viejo’s revenue stream to be restored until 2013-2014. Nevertheless, instead of discussing modification of the tennis plan, the Council seemed to be putting lipstick on the pig, defending the City’s financial gyrations.
Cathy Schlicht questioned the value of the budget workshop. “I’m not happy with the way the meeting is being run, because what are we doing?” she said. ”We’re just spending money instead of looking at ways to save money.”
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UPDATE: On 6/26 the City announced this appearance has been postponed indefinitely.
Former White House counsel John Dean was disbarred and sent to prison for his role in the Nixon Watergate Affair. Later, in 1976, he wrote the book Blind Ambition chronicling the historical episode. The book was developed into an 8-hour TV series.
Recently Blind Ambition was republished and Dean is on a tour promoting sales. The Library will host a public presentation by Dean in City Hall Chambers on Tuesday, 6/30, at 7 pm. Admission is free.
Dean is controversial because of his complicity in the scandal and also because he became a prosecution witness against the White House. Many felt his account was self-serving and misleading. Last week a non-profit foundation withdrew $150,000 in funding from the Nixon Library because the Library permitted Dean to speak without an opposing viewpoint.
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On Saturday the local ham radio group will demonstrate its hobby to the public at Gilleran Park. Everyone is welcome to experience the many facets of ham radio, including Amateur Television, Digital Communications, and Satellite Communications.
The event also serves as a contest when the radios are used to see how many contacts can be made with other field day events around the world within a 24-hour period. The international field day is sponsored by the American Radio Relay League. The local program is conducted by the South Orange Amateur Radio Association based in Mission Viejo.
Interested residents can use a microphone and radio. FCC testing will be offered for those seeking to achieve or upgrade an operator’s license.
Gilleran Park is off Felipe Road south of LaPaz. The event runs from 11 am Saturday until 11 am Sunday, 6/27-28.
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Citing “new information,” prosecutors on the Dutch Antilles Island of St Maarten say a new search will be conducted for the remains of Leta Lynn Cordes. The Mission Viejo resident has been missing since January of 2008 when she disappeared after leaving her hotel room intoxicated, according to her husband, Frank.
In February of this year friends financed an independent search using international investigators and trained dogs, but were unsuccessful. The new search will use divers and sonar to probe offshore, according to Taiwan News. The search will be supported by US police as well as investigators from both the Dutch and French sides of the small territory.
Late last year Frank Cordes was arrested by prosecutor Taco Stein, but was released after being detained for three months. Click here for previous articles on Leta’s disappearance.
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