Foothills Sentry - December 2023

Foothills Sentry Page 10 December 2023 You can STOP THE SPREAD of the GOLD SPOTTED OAK BORER. People are a primary source of the spread of this invasive insect. Don’t move firewood. Buy it where you burn it. Contact Mike Boeck at rockdad@cox.net. Information at ucanr.edu/sites/gsobinfo Eileen DeSantis Sgt. Louie Black, 100 years old, receives a flag in recognition of his service during a ceremony at the Field of Valor held at Handy Park. The traditional display of American Flags, each flown in honor of a veteran is organized by the Community Foundation of Orange. The usual week-long stand of flags was cut short this year, threatened by expected wind and rain. DeSantis named VP Parade Grand Marshal Eileen DeSantis, a longtime city resident and the always-smil- ing matriarch of the “James Street Gang” was selected as the 2023 Villa Park Dryland Boat Parade Grand Marshal. Eileen and her husband Frank moved to Villa Park in 1965, and raised their family of five – Frank, Jr., Joe, Chris, Kathy and Jeannie – to be actively involved in the community, the schools and businesses. She ran the Villa Park Elementary School carnival for many years. DeSantis was always support- ive of her husband’s entrepre- neurial ventures, including ob- taining a law degree to assist him in business. She has long campaigned to help keep Villa Park a small and friendly community, keep- ing it safe for children to walk to school, and preventing an RV park from being constructed. She was a charter member of the Villa Park Women’s League, and still contributes to the organization. Octogenarian keeps on peddling to take the gold Phil Knoll, 87, did not let a lit- tle hip replacement stop him. The octogenarian took his new hip, barely four months old, to com- pete in the cycling division of the Huntsman World Senior Games in St. George, Utah in October. And he took gold in his 85-to- 89 age category, riding his re- cumbent bike with a body sock for speed and aerodynamics. It was “only a criterium,” a five-mile road race, Knoll ex- plains. There were 18 riders in the line at a mass start, with cyclists ranging in age from 65 to 89. As he was the only one old enough to be in the 85-89 category, he brought home the medal. Knoll, an Orange resident, is often seen far and wide on lo- cal streets and roads. The former band and orchestra teacher at Peralta Junior High, from 1963- 1985, and Cerro Villa Middle School, 1986-2001, began riding cross-country to raise money for band uniforms. Though he retired and switched to a recumbent bicycle, he contin- ues to ride regularly and compete in cycling events. > Chr i s tmas Cho i r s > S i l ent Ni ght , sung toge the r by cand l e l i ght . V I S I T : W W W . S A L E M O R A N G E . C O M SCAN ME! 3 : 0 0 p m & 5 : 0 0 p m > A CHR I ST cent e r ed mes sage . > Hot Cocoa , Co f f ee , & Cook i es Christmas eve Wha t to Expec t on Decembe r 24th . . . C A N D L E L I G H T S E R V I C E S S a l em Lu t he r an : 6500 E S an t i a g o Canyon Road , Or ang e , CA The triumphant gold medalist on the podium. Phil Knoll and his recumbent bike, sans windsock.