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THE LOMPOC RECORD

Read Our Exclusive Interview with Lompoc Native turned TV Star, DORIEN WILSON

What's In A Name?
What's the preferred term for a resident of Lompoc? Put in your two cents worth now by taking the poll below!

WHAT DO YOU CALL A RESIDENT OF LOMPOC?

Mayor Dick DeWees, Chamber of Commerce Vice President Denny Anderson, Bob Wiener of The Lompoc Record, and Dennis Headrick, President of The Lompoc Valley Historical Society weigh in on the issue.

Read all about it, plus Lompoc Online's response.

EMAIL LOMPOC ONLINE

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NORAD Tracks Santa
Sunday, December 24th, NORAD Tracks Santa goes live! Meanwhile, check out previous Santa-tracking highlights.

Avenue Flower Shop
Have you seen the spectacular Christmas display at Avenue Flower Shop on Ocean Ave? If you haven't been there yet, it's not to be missed! They have lots of gift ideas for last minute shoppers, too. (See Welles' question to The Lompoc Answer Man, right, for more on Avenue Flower Shop.)

A Gift of Local Wines

If your Christmas gift list includes recipients in other states, why not delight them with a gift of local California wines?

Lompoc's own Babcock Winery is a great place to start. Shop their online store or just take a drive over to 5175 East Highway 246, Lompoc (Phone: 805-736-1455).

The tasting room at Laetitia Vineyard & Winery, off 101 just north of Santa Maria, is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and offers "gourmet food selections, exotic decore pieces, and rare gift items from around the world." Call them at 1-888-809-VINE(8463) for directions or visit their website.

Shopping at Prime Outlets in Pismo Beach? Visit Great Gatsby's Mission Winery and Mercantile a few short blocks away at 1750 El Camino Real, Grover Beach. They offer an enormous selection of local California wines, free tasting, great service and charming gifts. Select your wines and gifts -- they'll make up a beautiful basket and ship it for you, too. So fun and easy! The baskets we had shipped to the east coast arrived in perfect condition.

Can you recommend a local gift idea? Tell us here. And check back soon. More local Christmas gift ideas are on the way.

Elle Rowley's
Christmas Webpage

Lompoc resident, Ellen Rowley, grew up in Lompoc and graduated from Lompoc High School, but has been away for most of the last 25 years...in Idaho and Colorado.

She has recently returned and says she is "enjoying the delights of Lompoc with two brothers and their families, and my mother all living here. You can see my site at growley.com You will notice that it is for the most part a fun, family, Christmas site."

On Elle's Christmas website you can...

Email Santa, and Get a Reply!
Decorate Christmas Trees, Build Snow People and Create a Nativity Scene
Trade Recipe's with Mrs. Claus
Tour Elfland
Visit the Reindeer
Find Kid's Christmas Crafts
Read All About the Real Santa
and more!

Olive Avenue Odyssey
Take a break and stroll with Ron down Lompoc's Olive Avenue.

More by Ron...
Read the history of Surf Beach and Ocean Park.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Lompoc Valley Historical Society!
Happy Thanksgiving, Bonny and all your readers, from the Lompoc Valley Historical Society. Those of us who have Internet read your pages all the time and do enjoy them.

We wanted everyone to know that we will have our Fabing, McKay, Spanne complex at 207 N. L St. closed all of December and we will reopen on January 4, a Thursday morning. Visitors are welcome, starting that day and every Monday and Thursday morning from 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. -- except on National Holidays. So we wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays and we will see you all again starting on Jan. 4.

Any of you with an hour or two on your hands during those mornings would be most welcome to come and help us out - especially on Thursday mornings when the Third Graders are touring -- 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. That happens almost every Thursday morning.

Many thanks for your wonderful Lompoconline!
Myra Manfrina, board member and historian/genealogist.

P.S. I enjoyed Ron Fink's Olive Avenue tour, since we live on Olive and D St. One correction, Ron -- The Victorian home on the SW corner of Olive and H, now the home of James and Irene Haven, was built in the 1890's by John Douglas Black and his wife Clara Wilkin. John was a harness maker who came to Lompoc in about 1884 and opened a saddlery business on E. Ocean Av. Mrs. Black had a millinary shop next door. Black was also, about 1905, the city treasurer. That is probably more than you wanted to know, but the home that was Wright Peck's is next door to the south of that home, and it has the distinction of being the first home built on H Street. Myra

Lom-pock to the Bay Area?

Scott Peterson writes, I have never been to Lompoc. I have merely driven past it on the 101 between my native Orange County and my current residence in Palo Alto. However, I was recently involved in a debate over your town's name.

My roommate's employer, Blue Martini Software, mentioned the city of Lompoc in a radio ad--but the narrator pronounced it "Lom-pock." I heard the ad before it aired, and I let them know that the city is called "Lom-poke." Evidently my roommate finally verified this with your mayor himself.

Further debate has begun to rage about the situation, however. It was too late to fix the radio spot before it ran, so the Bay Area has begun hearing Lom-pock frequently. This has prompted a flurry of e-mail...
Read Scott's email in its entirety.

Lompocans Found Love Online!

Lompoc husband and wife, Dan and Pamela Crandall, found each other on the internet. Dan has created a website where you can read all about it.

Here's an excerpt:

...after about 4 binders full of emails, 60 online 'dates', countless phone calls, a couple visits (she came to see me first in California!), we were married at the farmhouse where she grew up on November 30, 1996, and it has been the best thing we have both ever done!

Visit Dan and Pam's Wonderful Story Website.

Mrs. Cubbison asks,
Q. Hi Don -- We bought a house here in Lompoc and it has an "original" Meyer's Lemon in the back yard. I know this because the neighbors told me it was planted back in 1975. No one can purchase the original anymore -- only the "improved" Meyer's Lemon is sold. Do you KNOW where a person could find out what was wrong with the original one? Thank you.

Don answers,
A. Let me do a little research. However I do believe there was nothing wrong with the original when it came to flavor and juice. The original probably is superior to the current "improved" tree. I think that the improvement had to do with the tree and the root system and more fruit production and not in the quality or taste of the original Meyer lemon.

I never had heard that the current fruit was superior! Have you?

My wife Noreen is so fond of the Meyer lemon fruit that she just might know. I will ask her. Our neighbor has the new Meyer. Perhaps we should compare the fruit and judge for ourselves.

Welles asks,
Q. I live & work in Carpinteria, but have a dear friend who lives on El Rancho San Julian 20 minutes out of Lompoc on Highway 1. I wish to get her something special beyond FTD Flowers and get it delivered for the holidays.

Can you direct me or give advise as to how to shop on-line (hopefully out of Lompoc) and, for the right price, get what I hope is something special, delivered to her place of residence? Thank you, in advance... Welles

Don answers,
A. The Avenue Flower Shop is a local flower shop and a very nice one at that. If they have nothing online that you wish to order they also have an 800 number 736-3636. Their address and other information is on the web page: http://florists.ftd.com/avenueflowershop

Let me know if it works out for you.

Welles responds,
Hi Don,

I am very happy to tell you of my great pleasure in doing business with the fine folks at the Avenue Flower Shop. Janice was extrremely helpful and made me feel most secure in a very important "Mission Of love."

Thank you very much for providing me with the helpful direction. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

Most Sincerely,
Welles Geary
Carpinteria

Dan asks,
Q. Don, home is Lompoc, even though I'm 3000 miles away. I've got an MBA. Can you find me a job in our little town?

Don answers,
A. Wow! That is out of my ability. Look in the Lompoc Record as there are usually many jobs listed. Here's their web page: http://www.lompocrecord.com.
(If you know of a potential job for Dan, email him.)

H. C. Miner asks,
Q. Don, where can I find information about the 1923 Naval destroyer tragedy at Honda Point? Is the part of the point where the destroyers hit the rocks open to the public?

Don answers,
A. Try this link: http://lompoconline.com/review_9-1-00.html. There you will also find some other useful links. The URL was taken from my Bangust pages which you also might enjoy. If you are in Lompoc our museum and the historical society have extensive information, pictures and books. I am going to have one picture on my ( Bangust) site soon. Thanks for the inquiry!

Miguel asks,
Q. Where is a good place in Lompoc to play Ping-Pong?

Don answers,
A. I am not sure but I would try the Boys and Girls club on Ocean, the "Y" on College or the Parks and Rec Center on Walnut.

Chris Hewitt asks,
Q. Hi Don, My name is Chris Hewitt and I recently purchased a 1965 Chevrolet Corvette. I'm trying to do a title history search on the car. I'm back to 1970 when a Robert Asher from Vandenberg AFB purchased the car from a used car dealership in Lompoc in 1970. Unfortunately he couldn't remember the name.

Would you happen to know of any in 1970? Do they still exist? Thanks for any info.

Don answers,
A. Well I was not here then but Sunset Chevrolet would be my first guess. It could also have been the Ford Agency which was Beatty Ford in those days. Now it is Lompoc Valley Ford. We do have Lompoc Toyota and Lompoc Honda now as well as Vandenberg Motors (strictly used cars).

There may be a way to get the information from the California DMV for a fee. Hope this helps.

ASK DON A QUESTION
(Would you like your email address posted with your answer so other readers can contact you, too? Just mention "Email link is OK" when you ask Don your question.)

Autumn in Lompoc!

No need to travel hundreds of miles to see leaves in their colorful glory. An absolutely fabulous and unbelievable (for this neck of the woods!) large display of foliage is at River Park. Several young maple trees, one at each campsite have leaves of brilliant crimson, glorious orange, glowing yellow-green, and many shades in between.

All of the leaves were still ON the trees as of Sunday, Nov. 26. Be sure to continue on to the lagoon, to enjoy the spraying fountain and many ducks, geese, and migrant water fowl. At the shore line are two large, mature trees (not maple), with bright gold leaves. Just sublime!

"If you live in the present, every moment is a new beginning."
-- Courtesy of Julie Levy

Do you know of any other local treasure-troves of autumn leaves? If so, please email Julie or Lompoc Online.

UPDATE from Julie: "Went back to River Park on Sunday Dec. 3. About 1/3 of leaves had fallen off. Most of the bright yellows and yellow-golds were gone. Colors were mostly bright red to dark red, to brown. (Presumably your readers know that River Park is on Ocean Ave., 1/2 mile east of town on the way towards Buelton.)....Discovered there is a stand of tall trees on Cypress near the Civic Center (near E street). Last time I looked (a few days ago) they were multi-colored. If you're tuned in to the Autumn tree displays, you'll notice loads of leaves are blowing in the wind. Leaf-showers!"

Also Inside This Issue:

-- Shannon Seeks Sue Frazier and Gwen Thompson (Mom and Grandma)

-- The Dr. Draw Companion by Bill Smith and Lynn Carlson (11/19/00)
Cartoons, Plus Reality/Perception and More...

-- He'd Like to Renew a Friendship

Lompoc PD Website

Hi, Just wanted to let you know that the Lompoc PD has revamped their whole web site and now have their own domain name! Please come and visit us. http://www.lompocpd.com

-- Bradley Damschroder
Lompoc PD web development team

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