Special Events for Friends of
Ronald Reagan
Sports Park
Upcoming Events
Fifth Annual Can-Do Day Celebration
Starts 2 p.m., March 6, 2010
Multi-purpose Room
Community Recreation Center
Ronald Reagan Sports Park
Rancho Vista Road
Temecula, California
Open to the public -- free!
ITS JELLY BELLY TIME AGAIN!
After distributing 6,500 packets of Jelly Belly candy last year, through about a dozen outlets in both Temecula and Murrieta, the Friends of Ronald Reagan SP have decided to do it again this year, marking the commencement of Jelly Belly Week (Feb. 1 - 6, 2010).
Perry Peters notes that the Jelly Belly Candy Company in Fairfield, California, has donated the same amount of candy this year. Everyone knows that Jelly Bellies were President Reagans favorite sweet.
The all-volunteer non-profit group utilizes the occasion of the anniversary of Reagans birthday, February 6th, to honor Temecula's Can-Do spirit. Ronald Reagan Sports Park is an example of what can be achieved by utilizing the spirit. In the late seventies, people who lived in the Temecula Valley rolled up their sleeves and built our first sports park, doing so without any government support.
To stress the importance of individual initiative, the organization sponsors Jelly Belly Week, February 1st to 6th, and conducts an essay contest on the subject for third and fourth graders within the Temecula Valley Unified School District.
The organization also honors a Temecula or Murrieta high school senior who tells a personal Can-Do story at the Can-Do Day Celebration. In addition, the all-volunteer board works to raise money to build a monument commemorating the achievement of those first volunteers.
It is particularly relevant, he observed, during these dire economic times, to encourage individual initiative, for which Reagan was recognized, while at the same time praising our community's original volunteers.
This year, the candy packets will be distributed in Temecula, Murrieta, and Menifee, while supplies last. Locations are listed below.
Jelly Belly Week draws attention to several important points:
1. It highlights the special connection between President Reagan, who once owned land here in the Temecula Valley, and those volunteers who built the original sports park, which is now named after the late President.
2. It calls attention to the organizations on-going effort to raise funds to build a monument in honor of those original volunteers who demonstrated the Can-Do spirit, along with the President who practiced it.
3. It allows the opportunity to invite everyone to the Fourth Annual Can-Do Day Celebration, to be held Saturday, March 7th, starting 2 p.m., at the Ronald Reagan Sports Park Community Recreation Center. It honors outstanding members of the community who continue to exemplify that spirit.
The event is free and open to the public.
Special Thanks to the Jelly Belly Candy Company.
Don't forget to pick up your early Valentine's Gift from Jelly Belly. We are so appreciative of their continued support and contributions to Jelly Belly Week.
Senator Dennis Hollingsworth and Perry Peters.
Jelly Belly Week - Feb. 1 - 6, 2010
Distribution Centers
Visit any of the following locations to pick up your free packet of jelly beans. This year, attached to the packet is a coupon for a 10% discount on jelly beans you purchase at the Old Town Sweet Shop in Old Town Temecula any time during the month of February! (10% of the stores sales will be donated to the scholarship program of Friends of Ronald Reagan Sports Park!)
Temecula
Old Town Sweet Shop Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce
28545 Old Town Front Street Suite 101 3670 Ynez Court - Suite A
Temecula, CA 92590 Temecula, CA 92591
City of Temecula City of Temecula
Community Recreation Center Community Services Departmeht
30875 Rancho Vista Road 43200 Business Park Drive
Temecula, CA 92592 Temecula, CA 92590
Temecula Public Library Temecula Valley Museum
30600 Pauba Road 28314 Mercedes Street
Grace Mellman Community Library Mary Phillips Senior Center
41000 County Center Drive 41843 Sixth Street
Temecula, CA 92592 Temecula, CA 92592
Temecula Valley Convention / Visitors Bureau Community Little Book
26790 Ynez Court 27430 Enterprise Circle West
Temecula, CA 92591 Temecula, CA 92590
Murrieta
Murrieta Public Library Murrieta Senior Center
Eight Town Square 41717 Juniper Street
Murrieta, CA 92562 Nine Town Square
Murrieta, CA 92562
Menifee
Kay Ceniceros Senior Center
29995 Evans Road -- # 2201
Menifee, CA 92586
Offices of Elected Officials
Temecula Mayor Jeff Comerchero
Mayor Pro Tem Ron Roberts
City Council Member Maryann Edwards
City Council Member Michael S. Naggar
City Council Member Chuck Washington
Temecula City Hall
43200 Business Park Drive
Temecula, CA 92590
State Assemblyman Kevin Jeffries (66th District)
District Office
41391 Kalmia Street Suite 220
State Senator Dennis Hollingsworth (36th District)
Temecula Office
27555 Ynez Road -- # 204
Temecula, CA 92591
Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone (3rd District)
Menifee Office
29995 Evans Road Suite 103
Sun City, CA 92586
How Sweet It Is!
The climax of Jelly Belly Week was Saturday, February 6,
Ronald Reagan's birthday. What better place to celebrate than
in front of the Old Town Sweet Shop in Old Town Temecula?
(The Sweet Shop, which sells jelly beans among its tempting
confection offerings, pledged 10% of its jelly bean sales during
the month of February to Friends of Ronald Reagan Sports Park.)
Some 6,500 free packets of jelly beans were distributed
through 21 different outlets in Temecula, Murrieta and,
Menifee, as well as to the crew of the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan.
The candy was donated to Friends of Ronald Reagan Sports Park
by the Jelly Belly Company of Fairfield , California. The company's
jelly beans were President Reagan's favorite candy.
CELEBRATING JELLY BELLY WEEK
Board members of Friends of Ronald Reagan gather in front of the Old Town Sweet Shop with the star of the show!
Seated from left: Bob Kowell, Casey Evans, Ed Dominguez
Standing from left: Perry Peters, Mr. Jelly Belly, Rick Reiss.
The Sweet Shop is donating 10% of its jelly belly sales during the month of February to Friends of Ronald Reagan Sports Park.
2009 Winner
2010 Essay Contest
To PRINT the form:
CLICK on the '2010 Ofiicial Entry Form' button beneath the picture, and select SAVE FILE.
It should download to your Documents or Download File.
You can then OPEN and PRINT the form from there.
Kiarah Davis, a Temecula Luiseno Fourth grader,
won first place in the 2009 Essay Contest, had her
essay published in the Community Little Book
and is shown riding in Temecula's Fourth of July
Parade as part of the Friends of Ronald Reagan SP
Parade entry, next to the Mayor's Trophy she helped her
school win.
2010 Official Entry Form
Please email us with any questions.
Ed Meese Event a Hit
Former U.S. Attorney General visits Temecula
"Reagan would have approved every one of them," he said, pointing to the ten objectives of the Can-Do Club of Friends of Ronald Reagan SP.
Explaining why he traveled to Temecula from Washington, D.C., where he serves as Ronald Reagan Distinguished Fellow in Public Policy, Edwin Meese III added that he visited Ronald Reagan Sports Park and was impressed with that, as well.
Meese's appearance motivated 10 people to step forward and present a $1,000 donation to the monument for a chance to receive an autographed photo with him. One, Bob Kowell, a member of the Friends of Ronald Reagan SP board of directors, made the donation in the name of Ed Meese, so that Meese's name will appear on the monument as a donor.
The occasion was a private fund-raising reception at The Humphreys Estate, located just east of Temecula and south of Temecula Parkway. Some 100 people gathered to hear the former Attorney General of the United States recount some memorable moments during the 30 years he was associated with the late President.
Meese waived a speaker's fee to assist the fund-raising effort. The Rancho Ford Lincoln Towncar that transported him to and from Ontario Airport, The Castle Bed and Breakfast that provided overnight accommodations, and The Humphreys Estate hosting the event - even the invitations, by Community Little Book -- were donated.
Others chipping in were Wilson Creek Winery, which provided the almond champagne, and Costco the bottled water and soft drinks. Explorer Scouts and home schooled students served as volunteer servers and clean-up crew, and greeted guests as they arrived.
Also donated were the professional portrait photography services of Reflections by Patricia. The owner, Patricia Mathis, posed and produced on the spot the photo with Meese each $1,000 donor received. It was promptly signed by Meese.
Meese had been briefed that the park was built by volunteers who, without government assistance, invested sweat equity, raised funds and painstakingly did whatever necessary to carve out a sports park from the rural countryside.
That Can-Do spirit attracted the attention of President Reagan in March of 1983, when he praised those volunteers for their typical American ingenuity. It also was the reason, 25 years later, that Meese chose to visit Temecula.
He noted that on the same month in 1983 that Reagan lauded Temecula volunteers in a speech to the U.S. Olympic Committee, he also gave his famous "evil empire" speech, referring to the Soviet Union, and the speech where he first announced his Strategic Defense Initiative, much maligned at the time. Just recently, a missile was fired successfully.
"Reagan did not believe in co-existence," Meese told his Temecula audience. "He believed the Soviet Union could be defeated economically."
In a humorous aside, Meese noted that, at discussions with national or world leaders, Reagan would pass his famous jelly beans around. Meese asked, "Have you ever tried to have a real argument while eating jelly beans?"
Observing the growth of the Temecula area since Reagan owned property here, he remarked, "You never lost your sense of community, even now that you've grown from 5,000 to almost 100,000 people."
He said Reagan held on to the Temecula land as long as he could, but finally gave up on trying to get water to the property, and eventually went to Santa Barbara.
2010 Essay Contest Winners
Janese Reyes of Community Little Book with 2010 essay contest winners.
From right:
1st place - Gianeen Almaria, 4th Grade, Temecula Luiseno Elementary
2nd place - Tyler Michaud, 3rd Grade, St. Jeanne de Lestonnac Christian
3rd place - Taylor Roe, 4th Grade, Temecula Luiseno Elementary
These winners will be invited to take part in the July 4, 2010 Parade
as part of the Friends of Ronald Reagan Sports Park entry.
Temecula, CA
92592
Friends of Ronald Reagan SP
42968 Agena Street
Temecula, California 92592
perrypeters2_verizon.net
Copyright 2009 Friends of Ronald Reagan SP - All rights reserved.
