CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - Tiffany Madrid, founder of Madrid Music Group, is delighted to, at last, be able to resume her popular live acoustic open-mic music sessions to Carmichael.

Madrid will present acoustic open mic night on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at Stage 76 Kitchen & Bar at 7600 Fair Oaks Boulevard in Carmichael. Local musicians are asked to sign up at 5:30 p.m. to perform either two original or cover songs. Performance is from 6 to 8 p.m.

While it may be a new venue, new health and sanitary guidelines do apply in a live music entertainment environment, Madrid said.

“It’s still the same gathering of good local friends who enjoy making and listening to great original acoustic music,” she said.

Opening night on Wednesday, June 10, saw 18 performers play before an appreciative capacity audience.

Madrid, a resident of Fair Oaks, was part of a small group of friends in 2016 who just wanted to play, sing, and share their love for acoustic music in the greater Orangevale and Fair Oaks area. She had hosted open mic music nights at the former Love at First Bite Café at 7405 Winding Way and a coffee house in downtown Fair Oaks since 2019 but suspended her bi-monthly live music series with the onset of the pandemic.

“There are a lot of talented singer-songwriters in the Fair Oaks, Carmichael and surrounding areas who write their own material and are anxious to return to the stage,” Madrid said. “Most musicians whom I’ve spoken to are eager to returning to playing live. They miss the energy and feedback of a live audience.”

Madrid creates a very welcoming atmosphere for her artists and as before, the vibe is decidedly warm and casual. She serves as an emcee, introducing each performer, some who were braving performing live at Stage 76 for the very first time.

“On any given past evening, there may have been 10-12 people who wish to perform,” she said. “Tonight’s turnout was amazing.”

Madrid, who is also a performer, grew up in Simi Valley in Southern California, before moving to Fair Oaks some 20 years ago. She is a mom of three and enjoyed a past professional career in real estate and finance before returning to music, her first love.

The Stage 76 Kitchen & Bar in Carmichael at 7600 Fair Oaks Boulevard features a great selection of beer and a full bar, offers American contemporary cuisine with a regional pedigree. Its stage and private room can also be booked for music, comedy, open mic and art events. View a sample menu at stage76kb.com/menu/

Madrid Music Group’s Facebook page features video links to performances at their current location. For more information about the original acoustic music sessions, contact Tiffany Madrid at madridmusic916@gmail.com.

ORANGEVALE, CA (MPG) - A lot of people love their dogs, but Lily Bennet, 16, of Orangevale takes loving her dogs to the next level! From the early age of 7 years old, Lily had a natural knack for working with animals, most especially, dogs. She joined 4 H and by the time she was 9 years old, began competing in local kennel club competitions and winning too! And that winning streak hasn’t stopped. Lily most recently won the coveted title of Best Junior Handler in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show 2021 and a $10k scholarship earlier this month in New York. The show marked the 145^th year for this long-standing annual dog competition.

In a twist of fate, this almost didn’t happen, as her beloved dog Goose, a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, suffered a serious medical condition called “bloat” that prevented him from going with Lily to compete in New York. Thankfully, Lily’s swift response in taking Goose to the vet saved his life.  With that under control, Lily and her mom had to come up with a “Plan B” to find another dog to compete. As luck would have it, Goose’s stepbrother, Gunner, located in Pennsylvania, stepped in to save the day. Lily had to fill out the proper paperwork to make it official, and then get to work. She spent all of two days working with Gunner and nearly six hours grooming him to seal the bond before the competition. The rest is history.

“I was so nervous, I was shaking like a leaf,” Lily laughed, “As I walked into the ring, I kept thinking of the quote from the movie “Cars”, “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” and my other favorite saying, “fake it till you make it.”

Those mottos have served her well as she has also made history as the only junior to be a finalist in the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon category.

When asked if dog handling was a family tradition, Lily’s mom Cindy said they have traced their roots back to Lily’s great grandfather who was a dog handler nearly 100 years ago, not to mention an Olympic gymnast qualifier and a Rotarian also.

What’s impressive about Lily is not just her natural ability with her dogs, but her poise and maturity too. She’s got a twinkle in her eye that makes her sparkle and a positive energy that makes her furry friends not just adore her, but obey her too.

Beyond training and competing, Lily has a heart for giving. She has raised funds for charities including Wagon Angels, a program through the Portland Roadsters who decorate wagons for children in wheelchairs, another program called The High School Challenge, assisting students pursuing careers in the auto industry, and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, raising over $50k which earned her a Presidential Service Award!

While the excitement of the big win is still fresh for Lily, she is back to work, training multiple dogs daily and has her eye set on competing at the world competition this fall in Russia and possibly Spain this spring.

“I’m looking forward to meeting other handlers and seeing how they show, and learning how they do things over there,” said Lily. 

When asked if she’s going for another big win, she humbly replied, “I’m going for the experience, and we’ll see what happens.”

If anyone is interested in helping Lily’s fundraising efforts for her world competition, stay tuned for upcoming fundraising events!

SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) – In response to worsening drought conditions in California, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) began construction on a temporary emergency drought barrier on the West False River in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The barrier will help slow the movement of saltwater into the central Delta and prevent contamination of water supplies for Delta agriculture and municipal supplies for millions of Californians.

“California is experiencing a second consecutive dry year and snowpack runoff into our state reservoirs has been far less than anticipated, so we are taking emergency actions to protect the state’s water supply and environment now,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “DWR along with partner agencies is looking at all options to bolster the state’s drought response and mitigate drought impacts.”

The barrier will help prevent saltwater contamination of water supplies used by millions of Californians who rely on Delta-based federal and state water projects for at least some of their supplies. The emergency barrier will also help conserve critical water supplies in upstream reservoirs for later use by avoiding the need to send large volumes of water into the Delta to repel salinity this summer.

“Keeping saltwater from intruding into the central Delta is essential as a large portion of the state’s fresh water for urban and agricultural use goes through this part of the Delta,” said Ted Craddock, Deputy Director for the State Water Project.

On June 1, a temporary urgency change petition to modify State Water Project and Central Valley Project water rights conditions was approved by the State Water Resources Control Board, which will allow for water to be conserved for later instream uses and water quality requirements. These modifications are needed to help protect cold water pools for salmon and steelhead and maintain water quality while ensuring some water supplies are maintained if drought conditions persist next year.

Simultaneous to the drought barrier’s construction, DWR is pursuing long-term planning and permitting in anticipation of future drought conditions. There will be opportunities for public involvement during this process, which will continue into 2022.

DWR is working to get the temporary emergency drought barrier in place as soon as possible. The approximately 800-foot-wide temporary barrier consisting of nearly 90,000 cubic yards of rock will span the West False River and prevent salty tides and slower moving salinity from intruding into the interior Delta. Construction is expected to be completed by July 1. The barrier will be removed no later than November 30.

The barrier will block watercraft passage on West False River until its removal and will be marked by warning signs, lights, and buoys. Alternative routes between the San Joaquin River and interior Delta will be available.

On April 21, Governor Gavin Newsom signed an emergency order directing state agencies to take immediate action to bolster drought resistance across the state. The installation of a West False River drought salinity barrier during the 2012-16 drought proved to be an effective tool for reducing the intrusion of salt water into the central and south Delta and helped preserve fresh water supplies for future critical uses including drinking water and the environment. The West False River drought salinity barrier is just one of many actions DWR is taking to mitigate drought impacts consistent with the emergency order.

For more information, visit DWR's drought webpage at water.ca.gov/Programs/All-Programs/Drought

SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - The 2021 American River eaglets recently took flight.  Thirteen-week-old juveniles Rio and Lago (Spanish for river and lake), both dispatched on the same 104-degree Fahrenheit day. In a fifth season of observing the rare family, this researcher photographed all nursery phases. As with any animal, the raptors’ baby steps toward destiny were life-affirming to witness. Here’s my record of Independence Day for two junior national icons.

June 10, 6 am: I note younger sibling Lago has outstripped his sister in confidence. His restless passage around the nursery pine suggests he might be first from the starting blocks. Mama delivers a morning fish and departs. After breakfast, Lago resumes “branching.” He’s scrambling to outer limbs and challenging Rio for her high perch. Wings beating, he executes 15-foot leaps between boughs. He’s already achieving tiny, controlled flights.

9:15 am: The wunderkind seems to confer with his babysitting Papa. Perhaps the seasoned parent blesses him: Chocks away, go for it, kid.

10:45 am: After five hours of rising mercury, my cameras are overheating. I decide today’s too hot for fly-day and plan a retreat.

10:55 am: Busy Lago pauses on an outer branch. Without preamble, utterance or downward glance, the tyke simply takes off. He wafts above bluff trees for a hundred yards. Maiden flights typically include drama. Fledglings get stuck in foreign trees and are terrified by the abyss between them and the nest. Re-launching often takes hours. Not this time. To my amazement, ace Lago turns for home without stopover.

11 am: In an explosion of pine needles, a textbook fledge is complete. Alpha sibling Rio gawps. Lago’s dramatic silence says: Okay, so I’m king of the world. Now what?

11:30 am: Approving Papa joins his debutant. Lago seems to feel rewards are in order. His cacophonic eaglet tantrum echoes through the canyon. Papa endures the screaming for a full 20 minutes before scorching away to hunt at high noon.

4 pm:  I melt into a puddle of sweaty camouflage gear. Rio’s still not moved since seeing her brother’s feat. Papa’s hunting across the canyon. Above me, the achiever still screams: Bring me fish!

Next day, June 11, 6 am: Beholding an empty nest, I conclude Rio has also flown the coop. The morning brings unimagined fledgling experiences. The canyon is a noisy three-ring circus as liberated babies crash-land on unfamiliar trees and surfaces. Screaming like banshees at every turn, they flap homeward when fish are delivered.

7 am: Mama Bald leads her fledglings across the river. From a distance, I see them on a rocky shore, drinking deep. The artery has tantalized below their nursery for almost 13 weeks; now they gulp of cool, shaded paradise. They wade to breast-depth then splash, like sparrows in a bird bath. In a river named for their nation, juvenile icons Rio and Lago discover a whole new world. And it’s good.

God Bless America!

Footnote: Prescient parenting surely ensured survival for these babies. June’s ruthless procession of triple-digit days caused great wildlife suffering and many dehydrated raptors were saved by rescue agencies. In five seasons of recording the family’s activities, two flawless maiden flights -- within hours -- have not previously occurred. This observer feels the adults knew a heatwave was looming and wanted the babies out of an unshaded nest. Their encouragement might have hurried fledges, so Rio and Lago reached life-saving water in the nick of time. Pictures shown were shot from great distances with powerful lenses. River users who see animals drinking on banks should allow them space to refresh and hunt. Their lives depend on it.