Back in November we reported on a fundraiser for Kelley Kalafatich, a beloved Coloma local who was diagnosed with transverse myelitis and paralyzed from the waist down by the disease.
We are happy to report that Kelley is making good progress. She is still in pain, but is working hard in physical therapy for overall strengthening and towards her goal of walking again.
Also good news: a DVD is now available of Kelley's adventure documentary: 3 Women, 3 Hundred Miles! This 65-minute documentary chronicles a self support adventure on river boards down the Colorado River, by Kelley Kalafatich, Julie Munger, and Rebecca Rusch. It did well at a Colorado film festival but since then has been shown only to small audiences. Having been fortunate enough to see it a few years ago, I can say it is extremely well done. The adventure is gripping, the people are real and engaging, and the Colorado River and Grand Canyon are awe-inspiring as always. You can order a copy by sending your mailing address, and a minimum donation of $40 to: Sue Norman, PO Box 9423, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 96158. Make the check out to, NTAF Southwest Spinal Cord Injury Program, and write "in honor of Kelley Kalafatich" in the memo line.
To keep up with Kelley's progress and post "atta girl's" for her, visit the blog maintained by Kelley's friends at checkonkk.blogspot.com.
National Public Radio's Morning Edition for Friday, March 7, focused on "virtues classes," where parents of different faiths bring their children together to learn about universal values such as kindness and helpfulness.
We were enjoying the engaging story when a familiar name came up:
"The children have been so patient for more than an hour, waiting for the highlight of the class, Cowboy Hay. Gil Miller Muro's stepfather strides into the room, sporting a long white beard, a hillbilly hat and a banjo. He begins strumming and the kids join in, perhaps not realizing they are crooning a theological message."
Cowboy Hay is well-known in Coloma for his portrayal of living history characters from the Gold Rush era. He is also a member of two reenactment bands, Coloma Celtic and Coyote Hill, which play music of the gold rush and old Celtic Irish music.
You can find the text of the show, along with photos and audio, at NPR.org. For more about Cowboy Hay, please visit CowboyHay.com.
In October of this year, Coloma local Kelley Kalafatich was hospitalized and diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a rare virus which paralyzed her from the waist down. Hospitalized since, she is undergoing intensive physical therapy in hopes of recovering some mobility. Kelley is a graduate of El Dorado High School, and became a river guide soon after. Her outdoorswoman and river guide skills have gained her employment in Arizona, Alaska, South America, Central America and Africa. She was the stunt double for Meryl Streep in the film "The River Wild," and co-produced her own film, "Three women, Three Hundred Miles." Her phenomenal worldly accomplishments are surpassed only by her gracious humility, generosity, kindness, and loyalty to friends. After release from the hospital she will reside in Fair Oaks with her boyfriend Kurt, and her furry four-legged friend Wilbur.
There was a fundraiser for Kelley on Sunday, December 9. Event Planners were pleasantly overwhelmed by 225 people who attended a dinner and auction hosted by the Sierra Nevada House. Special thanks go to Howard Penn, who donated the dinner, the staff, and the facility. A longtime friend of Kelley's, Howard made friends of everyone by serving celebratory shots to all the volunteers at the end of the night, a more generous host I've never met. The Event Chairperson, Janice Stanley, did an outstanding job orchestrating over 30 volunteers and 75 product donors in just 3 weeks to make this event successful. Thanks to all the volunteers, sponsors, donors, and attendees who stepped up; the list of supporters is too long to recount here! Kelley has clearly touched many people's lives, I'm certain she feels grateful for each and every act of generosity. Our community is lucky to have her, many people who attended the event who didn't even know Kelley. Yet we all left with a warm sense of security having seen our community take action when the need arises.
Todd Stanley, a resident of Lotus, was recently honored with two Emmy nominations for his creation of Discovery Channel's 'Deadliest Catch,' a series about the lives of Alaska's crab fishermen on the dangerous Bering Sea. One nomination was for Todd's camera work, 'Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Series,' and the second nomination was for 'Producer of an Outstanding Nonfiction Series.
Todd Stanley and his Co-Producer/brother Doug Stanley, were interviewed recently by Capital Public Radio's Insight program. When asked in the interview, "Any (other) particularly scary moments stand out for you?" Todd replied, "You know, I think every time you're out on deck is a scary moment. I had a crab pot, one time, it broke free from the crane that was lifting it and it landed on the deck just a few feet away from me. These things weigh about a hundred pounds empty, this one was loaded with 3-4 thousand pounds of crab. Yah, ya know, everwhere you look, there's danger waiting."
You can learn more about the dangerous job of crab fishing by clicking on The Deadliest Catch. You'll find more about Todd and the work he does at Boil Line Productions.
Todd Stanley will do a Featured Presentation at the Sierra Nevada House on Wednesday, September 19th at 7:30pm, with behind-the-scenes footage and a question and answer opportunity.
Dawn Bean runs 100 miles in under 24 hours! Coloma-Lotus local Dawn Infurna-Bean’s goal for her third year and final year of competing in the Western States Ultramarathon was to finish in a blaze of glory. She certainly succeeded! She finished in 23 hours and 9 minutes; shaving 40 minutes off her previous record. The Western States Endurance Run is a 100 mile long (161 km) ultramarathon that takes place on trails in California's Sierra Nevada annually on the last weekend of June. The race starts at the base of the Squaw Valley ski resort and finishes at the Placer High School track in Auburn, California. Runners climb a cumulative total of 18,000 feet and descend a total of 23,000 feet on mountain trails before reaching the finish. Because of the length of the race, the race begins at 5:00 A.M. and continues through the day and into the night. Runners finishing before the 30 hour overall time limit receive a bronze belt buckle, while runners finishing in under 24 hours receive a silver belt buckle. Dawn believes that her strong support crew, an awesome pacer, and her positive attitude all helped her complete the event in record breaking time. “It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done,” she reported. Congratulations on the silver belt buckle Dawn!
Just after 4:00pm on July 1, 2007, a fire began on the flanks of Mt. Murphy. Located in central Coloma, east and adjacent to the South Fork American River, the fire and smoke was seen from miles away. The burned area is owned and managed by the Marshall Gold Discovery State Park. The park acquired the land through the efforts of ARC who recognized the scenic value of Mt Murphy as a backdrop for the historic park. The area burned is classic chaparral grasslands with some brush and oaks. No cause of the fire was known. Several structures were threatened, but there was no loss of buildings thanks to the efforts of CDF, who fought the fire with hand crews, helicopter water drops, and retardant dropped from the air. Although fire officials closed all roads providing access to Mt. Murphy, there were no mandatory evacuations.
Helicopters filled their water buckets to fight the fire from the South Fork American River, above Troublemaker Rapid. River Road residents Jim Baldini, Heather Guttormsen, and Eleena Bradford (who is 5) were in a great position to view the Firefighter’s efforts. Here’s how they described their backyard scene; a helicopter would hover with its landing rails touching the water, then the pilots would honk and wave at the onlookers, then fly off as the suspended water bucket was filled. Heather echoed the sentiments of many residents when she applauded the talent and dedication of all these men and women that protect our little valley.
Thanks to Coloma area resident Brad Penner for the following video, shot from the north-facing canyon wall (river left) upstream from the fire:
2007 memberships are open for the Coloma-Lotus Chamber of Commerce. This active organization promotes business and community in the Coloma-Lotus Valley. Membership includes a listing in the printed Coloma-Lotus Guide, distributed throughout the Valley and at key El Dorado County locations. It also includes a listing in either the Coloma Valley Directory or The American River Directory.
Memberships are accepted throughout the year, but your application and payment must be received by February 23, 2007, to be included in the 2007 Coloma-Lotus Guide. There is an early bird discount for all payments received by January 15. See the Chamber Membership page for details.
Display advertising is also available in the Guide. Contact the Chamber for more information about advertisements in the Guide.
Back in November we reported on a fundraiser for Kelley Kalafatich, a beloved Coloma local who was diagnosed with transverse myelitis and paralyzed from the waist down by the disease. 
