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Show -N E W S- A8 • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2008 Spanish Fork Covering what matters most Namon. Bills / Spanish Fork News PATRIOTISM: Blaine Quarnstrom sings "This is My Country" at the ribbon cutting ceremony. Justice Center: From JUSTICE • A l in this country: the rule of law, civility and community. The rule of law establishes that no individual or group is above the people and their established laws. Civility not only deters violence, but guarantees that everyone will be treated equally. "The people who come here are entitled to be treated with respect," Durham said. The justice center expresses community in the combination of police and court services, coming together to jointly serve the community. Durham encouraged the audience not to take for granted the U.S. court system. "One of the chief exports of the U.S. is our court system and our concept of the rule of law," she said. She concluded by congratulating those who would work in the new justice center, calling this "a day of celebration of a very important part of the American tradition." Mayor Joe Thomas presided over official ribbon cutting ceremonies following Durham's address and a musical number by Blaine Quamstrom. Thomas Christiansen began the ceremonies by playing the national anthem as the flag was raised. ON JUSTICE: The Honorable Christine Durham of the Utah Supreme Court speaks on the role of the court system in the U.S. Celebration: From WIND • A l Craft Kite-Flying on the reservoir, hosted by Kiteman Productions. "It's the only show in the world where kites are pulled behind water-craft. You've never seen a show like this unless you've been to Walt Disney World," said Hansen. Admission to the Wind Power Celebration is free, and many prizes will be given away by vendors at the Go-Green Expo. Vendors will include: Gem and Zenn Cars, Recycling (Allied Waste), Mad Dog Cycles, Segway of Utah, Utah Trikes, Klune Chariots, Ventral Utah H2O Conservancy, Smart Car, and Wasatch Mountain Wind Power. The expo will showcase green products, as well as tips on how you can make your home or business more eco-friendly. On Saturday,at 11 a.m., Mayor Joe Thomas will appear at the celebration to welcome all to the wind farm, and to declare September 6th "Wind Power Day." After the ceremony, aircraft will fly over the canyon and balloons will be released. "In these times of rising costs, this is a great activity for families. It's being sponsored by area businesses and by Spanish Fork, and it's a great opportunity to experience the dead art of making and flying kites " said Hansen. OFF ROAD: Ventures from Crew 1532 of Spanish Fork participate in a mountain-biking trip near St. George. Adventures Ventures Marilyn Nielson STAFF WRITER For young adults ages 14—20 who are looking for high adventure and leadership development, Venturing Crew 1532 may be the perfect fit. Venturing, a program for both young men and young women, and sponsored by the Boy Scouts of America, celebrates its 10-year anniversary this year. In Utah Valley, the Spanish Fork Area Chamber of Commerce is the charter organization or partner with a Venturing crew led by Joy Prior, Kiersta Spendlove, Caleb Prior and Jennifer Lowe. Gordon Lowe is the Crew Advisor, assisted by four Associate Advisors. There are 18 Venturers in the crew, as well as 13 adult committee members. "We have a very diverse group of young people in the crew," said Lowe. "They come from Spanish Fork, Salem, Provo, and even Lindon." Venturing was created in 1998, and its purpose, according to the BSA website, is "to provide positive experiences to help young people mature and to prepare them to become responsible and caring adults." Lowe explains further: "Venturing is great for youth who want a highadventure scouting-type experience that may not be available to them through other channels. It's a safe and wholesome co-ed environment. It's not meant to compete with other activities like Scouting, but it just provides an additional resource and a great place to learn leadership skills." Three of the Venturers in the crew have recently earned the Venturing Silver Award, the highest award in Venturing. Others are working on the Venturing Gold. "The recognition methods in Venturing are a little different than in Scouting," Lowe explains. "You don't move rank-by-rank, but instead you can be working on several different levels of recognition simultane- Courtesy photos GOOD RECEPTION: Members of Venturing Crew 1532 enjoy a pickup game of football. ously." Because the Venturers are youth-run and youthled, the crew's varied interests are allowed to shine. The youth plan and carry out activities, working with adult mentors, and with their leaders making sure to maintain a safe environment. "We do a lot of diverse things," Lowe said. "Within the last year, we toured Maceys, we've done target shooting at the Orem Rec. Center, and for our next activity we're touring the Xango distribution warehouse located at the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon. We have a lot of fun." Venturing Crew 1532 also recently finished a Green River Cruise, where they had lots of leadership and First Aid training. In addition to the Venturing Leadership Skills Course (VLSC), they've learned CPR and other First Aid techniques. Going along with the activities, one important part of Venturing is what they call "Reflections," which are discussions of how they feel about, or what they've learned from the things they've done. "This gives the youth an opportunity to take a dayto-day experience and reflect on it in a larger way," said Lowe. "It allows them to take what might be a lifechanging application out of an experience that is just a small thing." After each activity, the crew likes to discuss "roses, thorns, and buds" of their experiences: "roses" are things they liked, "thorns" are things that could have gone better, and "buds" are the things they have learned and can apply to their lives in the future. Because one of Venturing's goals is to help youth grow into responsible, productive adults, Venturing activities provide an introduction to a variety of disciplines and vocations. "It helps the youth learn about making ethical choices and becoming good, moral citizens," Lowe said. In addition to these types of personal-development skills. Venturing stresses leadership and teaching skills. "Our model is 'Learn, Do, Teach/" said Lowe. "So during our meetings, the youth are able to teach each other and reinforce skills they've learned. One young man gave a presentation on road-biking—he showed us the equipment, the clothing, everything like that. Another gave a presentation on snowboarding. Another young woman taught us about ballet. It's fascinating to hear what they have to say." ; For those interested in learning more about Venturing, Lowe said that the Venturers are gearing up for an Open House in the first part of October. "We have a few members of our crew who are going away on missions and to college, so we are always happy to accept more youth who can contribute to our crew," he said. "I've been able to see this program on a national level, and I can say that the crew we have here is just as good as I've seen anywhere. Venturing is a great program, and it's phenomenal what it can do for youth development." Anyone interested in participating in Crew 1532 is welcome to contact the Spanish Fork Area Chamber of Commerce. |