Holidays

Here's a video look at 2012's best holiday decorations, as chosen by the Rancho Murieta Association. (Click the arrow to start the show.)  Happy holidays from RM.com!

The Christmas and New Year's holidays impact trash collection in Rancho Murieta, the Community Services District advises.  Also, here are the dates for curbside pickup of Christmas trees. Read more »

The Cosumnes River Elementary School got a visit from Santa Thursday thanks to the Sacramento Sheriff's Department, which landed a helicopter on a playing field at the school. Santa made his way to the outdoor assembly as more than 500 students chanted, "Santa! Santa!" The students were gathered to present Marines with the toys they had collected for Toys for Tots and Toys for Troops' Kids.  The kids got a chance to check out the copter too.

Photo gallery: 18 photos from the party

The Country Club’s Holiday Party brought warmth, good cheer and lots of music to the community Saturday night.  KFBK’s Ed Crane was emcee, and Sacramento Metro Fire District officials were on hand to explain and demonstrate the Lucas device, a chest-compression mechanism used to fight cardiac arrest.  The party was a fundraiser to buy a Lucas device for Rancho Murieta. The Summerset Big Band, with a dozen-plus musicians, had the crowd up and dancing with big band favorites (”In the Mood”) as well as pop-rock (“Bandstand Boogie,” “25 or 6 to 4”), holiday numbers (”Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” “Christmas Song”) and even Murieta’s theme song, “YMCA.”

Photo gallery: 26 photos from the Coat Dinner

First you donate a gently used jacket, coat, sleeping bag or blanket to help Loaves and Fishes and the Union Gospel Mission provide warmth to someone in need. Then you sit down to a chili and cornbread dinner and the fellowship of friends and neighbors in the brightly decorated social hall of St. Vincent DePaul Catholic Church. That's the Coat Dinner, a tradition that never fails to light up a chilly Friday night close to Christmas.

The Rancho Murieta Association announced that judging for the annual Holiday Lights Contest begins Sunday and continues through Dec. 14. Ten prizes of $50 each are offered. To win, have your decorations up and the lights on during the judging period. Contest winners will be announced at the Dec. 18 board meeting.

Hand-knit stuffed animals and hats with a touch of whimsy were Shirley Ochoa's stock-in-trade at the Murieta Village Craft Faire and Bake Sale Saturday as local crafters offered shoppers a variety of baked goods, jams and jellies, gourd art, knitted items and holiday decorations. The annual event at the Village Clubhouse marks the start of the holiday season in Rancho Murieta.

See nine more photos of the trick-or-treaters

Getting the jump on the other trick-or-treaters, the kids from Rancho Murieta Learning Center toured Murieta Plaza Wednesday morning, spreading smiles at every stop. Here they get treats from Glenn Easley of Ace Hardware.

It didn't near July 4 records, but temperatures at Wednesday's carnival were warm enough to require the occasional snow cone -- in colors only a kid could love.

 Inside -- links to more than 400 photos from July 4 events
 See some of your photos from July 4

Rancho Murieta shared another small-town Fourth of July with lots of visitors Wednesday. The traditions that give the Murieta holiday its spark also reflect the character of the community -- the 5K run was started by a resident decades ago, the pancake breakfast is prepared by volunteers, and the parade features decorated (what else?) golf carts. The Boy Scouts have a going concern preparing and selling snow cones at the carnival, and all ages are welcome to join the party at the Gazebo before the fireworks. And how many small towns have a fireworks display to cap the day's festivities? This one does. Read more »