The Earth Day Food & Wine Festival is an intimate celebration featuring earth friendly cuisine, sustainably produced wines, live entertainment and educational exhibits highlighting innovative products. The food and wine featured are grown on local Central Coast farms committed to innovative practices that protect both our natural resources and communities. Proceeds support sustainable agriculture research and farmworker outreach programs conducted by the Central Coast Vineyard Team (CCVT), a local 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

The Earth Day Food & Wine Festival will be held on Saturday, April 19, 2008 from 1pm to 5pm at the historic Santa Margarita de Cortona Asistencia in Santa Margarita, CA.

Following the acquisition of local Discovery Dining, and 21 years serving San Luis Obispo County in the same location, SLOCO Data, Inc. is moving to new offices to better serve their clientele. The printing and mailing business is now open at 1635 West Grand Avenue, Suite A, near the corner of Grand and 16th St.

Founded in 1987 by CEO Julie Tizzano, SLOCO Data, Inc. specializes in direct mail advertising. The multi-service company began by offering database and mailing services to the real estate market. Over the past two decades, the business has grown to offer graphic design, printing, direct mail, data base services and also still provides real estate information for the San Luis Obispo County community. The business’s slogan is “From Press to Post Office,” indicating the full service nature of their business.

(Editor's note: This is a winning essay for the Grades 4-8 category of the 2008 Amegn Tour of California Youth Essay Contest. This year's theme is "choose your own adventure, by bike.")

One day I had a feeling I wanted to go to Puerto Rico. I wanted to go to Puerto Rico because my brother told me that Puerto Rico was a beautiful island. So I thought about it, and I told my brother about having an adventure there and taking over our bikes. I brought my brother because he knows about a lot of places in Puerto Rico. So we planned our adventure and got permission from our parents.

We started to go to the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. We saw the pretty, sparkling ocean with some goldfish and other fish jumping high out of the ocean on the way. We started to ride our bikes around the island. It was true that Puerto Rico looked beautiful. I couldn’t believe it. It was interesting that Puerto Rico is one of the biggest islands between Florida and South America. We continued on our adventure with our bikes. I followed my brother because I didn’t know the places like he did. We passed an Art Museum and we also stopped and rested on a magnificent fountain. Again we started to go on our bikes and passed a tropical rain forest and had lunch there. It was the best. On the way we saw snakes, mongooses, and also saw beautiful flowers. The sound of the tropical rain forest had lots of birds singing. The day passed and we saw the sunset go down and soon it was night. My brother and I saw some bats pass by us. My brother and I went camping. It was the best time of my life.

Editor's note: This is a winning essay for the Grades 4-8 category of the 2008 Amgen Tour of California Youth Essay Contest. This year's theme is "choose your own adventure, by bike.")

If I could ride anywhere in the world it would be France, in the Tour de France. I would bring my mom to prepare my healthful vegan meals and my dad and Annie, our dog, to cheer me on. They would travel with the race entourage in our 4X4 Baja Tan Sportsmobile camper van.

In the Tour, I would glide by the sunflowers while in the middle of the peloton. Then I would make my move on the last climb of the day, Hautacam, a 14 kilometer climb in the Pyrenees with an average 6.8% gradient. At the ski station, where the slope increased, I would attack. As I climbed higher and higher into the sky, the shredded spoonful cereal with soy milk would really kick in. At the 3k banner where the gradient increased to 10%, I would extend my lead to over three minutes on the chase group of three rival riders. The crowd filling the switchbacks would part; the devil with pitchfork in hand and red cape billowing behind would be running next to me. With the sun beating down on me, I would hear my manager yelling encouragement in my ear bud. Then as I stand on the pedals I imagine Phil Liggett saying to the television viewers back in the United States, “he is dancing like Lance”!

(Editor's note: This is a winning essay for the Grades 4-8 category of the 2008 Amgen Tour of California Youth Essay Contest. This year's theme is "choose your own adventure, by bike.")

My eyes open on an early Saturday morning, the room cold from the early morning darkness. My legs fill with the sudden urge to be exhausted by the pounding pulse of muscle to metal. My thoughts race as I plan the only way to remedy this urge, a road ride. I think of my route, the gear that I am going to take, and what the ride will be like. Then my thoughts hit a huge snag, who is going to ride with me?

Did you capture the big waves with your camera? We want to see them!

Share your photos with us by posting them in the big wave gallery here or e-mailing us at webteam@thetribunenews.com.

If you have video, you can share it here.

You can also watch a video by The Tribune's Laura Dickinson  read more »

The planning process has begun for local implementation of the Mental Health Services Act Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) funding. The County has asked local members of the community to take a survey identifying our county's specific mental health needs. Results from the survey will be used as recommendations in the allocation of nearly $1.3 million in funding.

Please participate by logging on to http://www.slocounty.ca.gov/health by April 15.

(Those that take the survey will be entered into a drawing for movie tickets!)

For more information on PEI efforts, taking the survey

COMMUNITY SERVICE IS A WAY OF LIFE

SAN LUIS OBISPO: Old Mission School educates its students by living the motto of the founder and President of the Children's Defense Fund, Marian Wright Edelman: "Service is the rent we pay to be living. It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time."

As part of our curriculum from preschool to middle school, OMS encourages and requires acts of community service. Linda Murray, Assistant Principal and Kindergarten Teacher, introduces the preschoolers to community service in a family-to-family program. Throughout the school year, each class on the OMS Nativity campus collects items for their special family according to the family's wish list. The class continues to serve the same family throughout their attendance at the OMS Nativity campus.

According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 22,430 women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2007. During that same time period, more than 15,200 died from the same disease.

Ovarian cancer ranks as the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women and yet it remains largely unknown and chronically under-discussed by the American public.

In the North County, a group of five young women are dedicating themselves to lowering those staggering numbers by raising awareness, as well as gathering monetary donations for ovarian cancer research.

Caroline Barth, Ravae Rohrer, Jennifer Chavez, Megan Conaster and Megan Bentz are a group of five best friends who will be competing in the 2008 Wildflower Mountain Bike Triathlon on Saturday, May 3 as Team Ovacome, in honor of Barth’s mother, Mary, who has been battling the disease since 2005.

The Morro Bay Friends of the Library 2nd Wednesdays Current Topics Discussion Group will be sponsoring a
Meet & Greet Candidates Forum - April 9, 2008 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. The topic will include discussion on:
What are the critical issues facing Morro Bay? The Candidates for Mayor and City Council will be available to share their viewpoints. This event is free and open to the public at the Morro Bay Library Program Room 625 Harbor St.
Also televised LIVE on Channel 20 by AGP Video. For more information contact Karen @772.9268 or wednesdays@live-now.org or go to www.morrobayfriendsoflibrary.org