- PENDING- 27 Cottage Ave. -$179,900
This cute cottage is located on a quite cul-de-sac, and really close to schools. This single family home features 3 bedroom, 2 full baths, and a basement. Mature trees and lots of foliage surround the home, while a circular drive provides easy entrance and exit to the over-sized parking area.
Arts for All
Last week a group of us attended the 2nd Annual Performing and Fine Arts Gala at the new CUSD Center for the Arts here in Chico.
Chico Unified School District (CUSD) Center for the Arts
Wow, were we impressed (with both the new facility and the performances)! Located at the Pleasant Valley High School campus at 1475 East Avenue, the facility seats 484 people and is available to citizens and community groups for meetings and public activities.
It was great to see Chico area students (elementary through high school) engaged in all sorts of creative activities, including singing, musical instruments, drama, and different forms of dance. Prior to the live show, we were treated to some delectable treats made by the PV High Culinary Class and a slideshow of students’ art (painting, ceramics, mosaic art, etc.).
Arts for All (check out their Facebook page here) is a component fund of North Valley Community Foundation. Donations are tax deductible.
Kudos to the students, teachers, administrators, parents, and the Chico arts community for working together to keep the arts alive for our youngest citizens!
CUSD Center for the Arts - interior
Love Those Art Deco Towers!
Browsing through “Via” (AAA) magazine while waiting for my flat tire to be repaired this morning, I came across an article with photo about the new $470 million Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas.
Left: Senator Theater/ Right: Smith Center for the Performing Arts
I couldn’t help noticing the resemblance to our beloved Senator Theater in downtown Chico!
I’ve always had a thing for all things Art Deco, and these two structures are fine examples of Art Deco architecture.
The Senator Theater opened in 1927 as a 1,400-seat vaudeville and movie house. In 1978, the theatre was purchased by United Artists.
Restored in 2001, the theater later reopened as a performing arts center and now mostly functions as a concert venue. The lobby of the historic theatre is still intact and contains the original murals and chandelier.
The building’s tower was partially removed in the 1990s due to deteriorated condition but was restored to its original grandeur a few years later, thank goodness!
SACRED STONES – Abbey of New Clairvaux
Q: What is 1,000 years old, weighs two tons and hangs out in a monastery/winery? (No, the answer is NOT “ChicoLaura”!) A: One of the “sacred stones” being used to construct the “Chapter House” at the Abbey of New Clairvaux in Vina, CA (just 20 miles north of Chico).
Our Soroptimist of Chico club was treated today to a fascinating presentation by Jerry Olenyn and Karla Johnston, representing the Sacred Stones Project at the Abbey of New Clairvaux. Who knew stones could be so interesting?
Moved in 1931 from a Cistercian monastery in Ovila, Spain to San Francisco by millionaire publisher William Randolph Hearst at a cost of $85,000, the stones were intended to be used at Wyntoon (his estate near the McCloud River). He even had a structure designed by famed architect Julia Morgan (who designed his San Simeon estate). But then came the Great Depression, and the stones sat languishing for decades in Golden Gate Park, where some of them were used as borders in the Japanese Tea Garden.
Then In the 1990s, the stones were given to the New Clairvaux monks, who started using them to reinforce their monastery buildings with concrete and steel to meet modern earthquake codes. A few years ago the monks embarked on a huge undertaking: reconstructing the Chapter House on their spacious grounds.
Read more about the reconstruction here: http://www.kcra.com/news/18779644/detail.html#ixzz1nA4uph7z
In 2010, Chico’s legendary Sierra Nevada Brewing Company announced its joint venture with the Abbey of New Clairvaux to begin production of Belgian-style abbey ales. Named “Ovila” after the 12th century Cistercian monastery, Santa Maria de Ovila, the ales have proved wildly popular. Part of the profits go to help with the Chapter House reconstruction.
It’s been years since I visited the monastery, but I definitely plan to go in the near future. Click here for info about day visits; you can also schedule a weekend retreat if you are really wanting to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life in our techno world!
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