May 24: Dixie Fire Community News

The month of May continues to roll along with a lot of exciting developments and some wonderful community events.

Music on the Green

recap by Jane Braxton Little

Music on the Green Revival did more than bring music and art to Greenville on May 15. It brought huge smiles to the faces of the nearly 200 people who
participated.

“I went home feeling the positive vibe. It was good energy for Greenville,” said
Ken Cawley, one of around 20 musicians who participated.

The Taylorsville Elementary School band got the crowd clapping with its rendition of Queen’s “Rock You!” Conducted by Jane Brown, Plumas County’s only school music director, the band set a happy vibe for the afternoon by playing songs
familiar to everyone, including “Go Tell Aunt Rhody.”

“Too bad about the goose but it’s a good song,” quipped Brown, who was fresh from her University of Nevada, Reno PhD ceremonies.

Greenville recording artist Hank Alrich led the musicians through a series of jazz tunes featuring Michael Porter, a 1982 Greenville High School graduate who has performed with Rich Little and teaches at Admiral Akers School in central
California. Alrich sang the Bob Dylan protest song, “Blowing in the Wind,” and, in apparent defiance of the f-word (fire), “Setting the Woods on Fire.”

Jim Norman, keyboard artist and beloved GHS music teacher now retired, was surrounded by former students he inspired to make music central to their post-GHS lives. In addition to Porter, the Music on the Green Revival band included Jimmy Leal on drums, Johnny Leal on guitar, and Jerome Little on bass.

Maddy Fitch, another one of Norman’s inspired students, sang several inspirational tunes while kids did cartwheels and chased dogs across the lawn.
“What I loved most of all was the multi-generations frolicking on the lawn, loving
being together,” said Jane Braxton Little, who organized the event.

As the band played on, artists of all ages helped complete a community mural
designed by Triiey Hollyhox. It will soon be on display in Greenville. Both the
mural and the musical event were sponsored by Plumas Arts.

New Beginnings

A nice crowd turned out to celebrate the opening of the new J&C Enterprises sawmill in Crescent Mills with a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week.

Indian Valley also enjoyed the first Greenville Country Picnic and the opening of The Valley Grind coffee truck in Greenville.

Prom was held for Indian Valley students on May 14th.

To read more about these recent events, check out Meg Upton's Greenville Rising feature in Plumas News:

Monthly Dixie Fire Collaborative Meeting

Important information from PG&E, the Plumas Emergency Forest Restoration Team, and partners and members of the DFC were shared in this month's community meeting. You can view the slideshow and Zoom recording of the meeting below.

If you missed the community meeting on Saturday, or if you just want a refresher, here's a link to the slideshow:

And this link will connect you with the Zoom recording:

Need dirt?

Opportunities to help with the DFC

CALLING FOR VOLUNTEERS: Help set up chairs for the Dixie Fire Collaborative’s monthly meetings. Enjoy the camaraderie while providing a valuable service. Contact Sue Weber at sweberdfc@gmail.com.

HELP WANTED: The DFC is looking for a few people to volunteer to serve on a committee overseeing recovery funds. They will work with organizations receiving money and report to the community monthly on how and where it is being spent. Candidates should be willing to work collaboratively and professionally; some budget experience would be helpful. Contact Sue Weber at sweberdfc@gmail.com.

DFC Report to the Plumas County DROC (Disaster Recovery Operations Center)

• On Wednesday, May 11th, the DFC met with Plumas County officials and Cal-OES regarding procedures for the debris removal for several historical buildings. A good communication of the processes and timelines was presented and the meeting was very productive.

• On Friday, May 13th, Clint Koble of the DFC met with Melissa Smith of the Alliance For Workforce Development out of the Chester Office. The DFC is inviting the AFWD to get more engaged with the DFC planning and outcomes.

• Officials from Plumas County (Tracey Ferguson) and the DFC met with Robin Cole of Cal-OES and the National Center for Disaster Preparedness to discuss pre courses and discussions to take place before the Housing Forum on July 13, 2022, at the Greenville Elementary School. Present will be Federal, State, County, and DFC personnel with experts in the Housing industry. The purpose of the meeting is to introduce the leads from the National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Plumas County, and the Dixie Fire Collaborative, and to discuss the details surrounding the in-person delivery of FEMA-sponsored course MGT-472 Planning for Transitional and Long-Term Housing After a Major Disaster.

• The DFC received a report on the findings of Phase 0 by SERA Design, the company that visited Plumas County last month to ascertain what happened in the Dixie Fire, engage community discussions, and familiarize the community with SERA Designs.

• The DFC is currently working with the Information Technology Disaster Resource Center to bring in high speed internet via Mt. Hough and several line of sight locations into Greenville. Plumas Sierra Telecommunications is giving us free connectivity from their side of Mt. Hough; from there we want to beam it down to an unobstructed location in Indian Valley, and the redirect it into Greenville. We expect good things to happen regarding internet within a couple of weeks.

Greenville Big Time and Country Picnic!

Here are some events to look forward to and mark on your calendar!

Music video to benefit the community

GHS alumni and Nashville songwriter Alicia King and GHS alumni video producer Diane McAtee Utley debuted a new song, "Some Things a Fire Can’t Take" as a tribute and fundraiser for the communities impacted by the Dixie Fire. You can view it here:

There's still time to earn a free book!

The first fully-framed house

Jeff LaMatina is among the very first to have a fully-framed house on a brand new foundation. Way to go, Jeff!

That's all for now. Remember to send any event flyers, updates, and stories/pictures of rebuilding to brahndfc@gmail.com so we can share it with the community in our next newsletter.

See you all next time! 👋