Merry Christmas Pine Valley!

 

Christmas Worship Service in Historic Pine Valley Chapel

 

Next Sunday, December 19th, at 10:30 am in our historic Pine Valley Chapel, there will be a one-hour Christmas worship service focusing on the birth and life of the Savior. The program will include scriptures; congregational singing; special numbers by children and young women and young men groups; and brief spiritual talks. We feel that the meeting will be a meaningful experience that will enhance our holiday traditions. 

At the end of a year that has included division and turmoil, we invite everyone to gather to celebrate, to worship and to feel the peace of the Christmas season. All are welcome—full-time residents, part-time residents, visitors and friends.

Community Watch and Communication Seminar Jan 8

 

Pine Valley Community Nativity Lighting

Community members gathered on Saturday evening, December 4, to mark the beginning of the Christmas season. Bob Dalley offered some remarks, carols were sung and hot chocolate and donuts enjoyed by all who came. Thanks to those who organized the activity and to all who worked to set it up. Coming into the valley to see the nativity adds a  beautiful and peaceful experience to the holiday season.

PV Community Nativity Lighting December 4

 

Preparedness Seminar Saturday, November 6

 

This afternoon, the Pine Valley Preparedness Committee hosted a very informative meeting about "Bug Out Bags." There are many types of Bug Out Bags, but basically they are some kind of a backpack or other container that holds the essential items you would need to survive for at least 72 hours. There were three main presentations, one explaining the types of bags and what they might contain, another demonstrating Over the Counter Medical Essentials (this bag had been assembled based on suggestions from an earlier preparedness seminar.) The last showed an example of a bug out bag and all of the things it might contain. Many of the attendees added other ideas that helped us all plan for more complete bags of our own.

If you click on the Preparedness tab at the top of the page, you will find links to the information from all three of the presentations.  As we discussed in the meeting, there are several reasons why we might need to evacuate from the valley, the main one being fire. Go Bags will help us be ready for such an emergency.

Community Halloween Party This Friday, October 29

 

Goodbye Short Autumn; Hello Winter!

 October 12, 2021--only illustrations needed :) 

Pine Valley Flag Project

Many of you noticed the flags in the valley today--there are now 180 that are placed throughout town. In addition to the flags lining the streets, there are 13 flags behind the chapel. These were placed to honor our national heroes, recently fallen in Afghanistan, with the center flag honoring Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover of Salt Lake City. These men are all gone but not forgotten; let’s all remember their families in our prayers. 

People often ask if they can help support the flag project and we could use your help now. Today 20 additional flags were added on the west side of the road coming into the valley. We would like to add the same number on the other side of the road. Funds are also continuously used for flag maintenance and replacement. If you would like to help with the flag project, you can make a donation to: 

--Pine Valley Special Service District 

680 E Main Street 

Pine Valley, Utah 84781 

--We also now have a Venmo account @pine-valley-2 

--And finally, if you see any of the flag crews out putting up or taking down flags, you can give a donation to them and they will get it into the correct fund. 

Thanks for your support. Having these beautiful flags flying has only been possible because of donations from Pine Valley community members and friends of the valley. Thank you!

Annual Fundraising Dinner; Please Support Your Community!

 

NEW FIRE RESTRICTIONS; a message from our Fire Department

New Fire Restrictions. Due to the extreme drought conditions Utah has mandated more strict fire restrictions. Fire Managers have implementing Advanced (Stage II) Fire Restrictions that began Wednesday, June 30, at 12:01 a.m. (We in Pine Valley are now under very tight restrictions and can have NO outside fires. Even in an approved fire ring.)

These apply to: Lands in Washington, Iron, Beaver, Kane, Garfield, Coconino, and Mojave Counties: • Unincorporated privately owned and all state administered lands. (Pine Valley town area) • Dixie National Forest (Pine Valley, Cedar City, Powell and Escalante Ranger Districts). • National Park Service (Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Pipe Springs National Monument, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and Rainbow Bridge National Monument). The Following acts are prohibited until further notice: 1. Igniting, building, attending, using a fire, campfire, charcoal, coal, wood stove fire, including fires in developed campgrounds and fire pits on personal property. All debris burning is strictly prohibited. No campfires are allowed in any location until restrictions are rescinded. 2. Discharging or using any kind of fireworks on unincorporated private land (always prohibited on state and federal lands). 3. Operating or using any internal or external combustion engine without a spark arresting device properly installed, maintained and in effective working order as determined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) recommended practices J335 and J350. 4. Operating a chainsaw or other motorized equipment powered by an internal combustion engine, other than motorized vehicles between the hours of 1:00 PM and 10:00 PM. A one-hour fire watch is required after chainsaw or other motorized equipment has shutdown. 5. Detonating of explosives, incendiary or chemical devices, pyrotechnics, or exploding targets, or tracer ammunition (always prohibited on federal land). 6. Cutting, welding, or grinding of metal in areas of dry vegetation. 7. Smoking except in an enclosed vehicle or building, or a developed recreation site or areas of a minimum of three (3) feet in diameter cleared down to mineral soil. Fire conditions are extreme this year and we all need to use caution. This now restricts all usage of fire pits in campground, forest and our personal property. As we have seen in past people who disregard these rules can be cited, fined and could be held financially responsible for fire suppression and damage caused to our neighbor’s property. Please Be Careful. All our lives, forest and town could depend on a single spark. Rick Peetz Pine Valley Fire Dept

What Makes Pine Valley Pine Valley?

As property owners, we have the opportunity to work with County officials to influence future growth and preserve the characteristics of Pine Valley.  

The Pine Valley Preservation Committee would like your feedback on this brief survey.  Your answers will be used to shape discussions at town hall meetings planned for later this summer. 

April 23rd is the last day for submission.    Thank you!

Gardening Club for Pine Valley--Starting Seeds Indoors

In case you missed the post on Nextdoor, a gardening club for Pine Valley has been started. We already have seventeen members and a few more coming. If you are interested, check it out in the "groups" section of Nextdoor. For part time residents who aren't able to get Nextdoor, I thought I would post this information in case you are thinking of starting a garden this summer, here in Pine Valley or anywhere. 

We won't be putting in gardens for a while, but if we want to start some our seeds indoors, now is the time to make some decisions. First of all, there are many vegetables that do just as well planted directly in the soil, so no need to start those indoors. These include beans, beets, carrots, corn, lettuce and other greens, melons, peas, radishes, spinach, turnips. 

For warm weather vegetables, starting indoors can give us a head start with our short growing season. Directions usually say to start them 6 to 8 weeks or even more before the last frost day. Many cool weather gardeners use Mother’s Day for that last frost date, but some Pine Valley residents say Memorial Day. Neither is guaranteed. Between now and then, plan an area for indoor seed starting. Unless it is very warm, you will probably need a heat mat to warm the soil. You will also need containers, growing lights, a mild fertilizer and seed starting mix (which is different that potting mix.) You can buy seed starting mix, but there are also recipes online that usually contain things like peat moss, perlite, vermiculite or coco coir. These help keep the soil moist, but also loose for good aeration. 

There is a lot of good information available for planting seeds indoors from experts with more experience than me, so I’ll include a few below. A few things I’ve learned from experience is that window light isn’t enough to grow healthy seedlings, that a fan can help strengthen the stems and avoid leggy plants and that the seedlings need to be kept moist but not overwatered. 

Good luck! I’m going to try starting a bunch of mine indoors this year so good luck to us all!

Johnny’s Selected Seeds: Guidelines for Starting Seeds Indoors: https://www.johnnyseeds.com/on/demandware.static/-/Library-Sites-JSSSharedLibrary/default/dwe1d8d210/assets/information/7640-seed-starting-transplanting-guidelines.pdf

Burpee Seeds, Indoor Seed Starting: https://www.burpee.com/gardenadvicecenter/areas-of-interest/seed-starting/indoor-seed-starting/article10002.html

American Meadows, How to Start Vegetable Seeds Indoors: https://www.americanmeadows.com/start-seeds-indoors

Seed Savers Exchange, Starting Seeds Indoors: https://www.seedsavers.org/starting-seeds

Covid-19 Vaccination appointments open on Monday, Jan 25 at 9:00 am (over 70)

If you are over 70 and want to get a Covid-19 vaccination, you may have found that all the appointments for January are full. However, on Monday morning, January 25, starting at 9:00 am, you can sign up for appointments for February. 

Go to this website for the Southwest Utah Health Department: https://swuhealth.org/covid-vaccine/ 
Look in the Washington County section 

and choose “CLICK TO REGISTER” 

You will need to bring: 

Consent for filled out and signed (on the top of the sign up page) 

Personal ID showing you are 70 

Proof of county residency 

Wear a short sleeve shirt 

The appointments for this month were taken very quickly so if you want to get an appointment, be on the website and ready to sign up when it starts (9:00 a.m.) or even a little earlier to make sure. Good luck. We’ve had more than our share of Covid in the valley and it would be nice to get as many of us as possible vaccinated.

If you have had the first of the vaccines, I think this is also the place where you will go to sign up for your second, unless you already have an appointment time.