El Dorado County’s Department of Transportation is constructing a new pedestrian and bike path along the Pony Express Trail in Pollock Pines between Sanders Drive and Sly Park Road. Scheduled to be complete in September, the project includes adding approximately 1.7 miles of Class II bike lanes on both sides of the trail, ADA and drainage improvements, crosswalks, and signage with flashing beacons.

Congrats to Wise Villa Winery (wisevillawinery.com) and their winemaker, Steven Eriksen, and owner, Dr. Grover Lee, on their prestigious “Best of California” win at the California State Fair Wine Competition. The victorious vino, 2023 Bouquet of Roses—which features strawberry, cherry, and other bright fruit aromas alongside floral notes—beat out thousands of other rosés to win the state’s most coveted wine award. 

Four outstanding high school seniors received Young Artist Awards, along with a $500 honorarium, at a reception hosted by Arts and Culture El Dorado (artsandcultureeldorado.org). Adrianna Vasquez (Oak Ridge High School) received the “Richard H. Bush Award for Music,” Luci Padilla (Ponderosa High School) won the “Joey Cattone Award for Visual Art,” Chloe Olney (Union Mine High School) was awarded the “Lanny Langston Award for Theater,” and Nia Henderson (El Dorado High School) received the “Jane Van Camp Award for Nature-Inspired Art.” Congrats to all the winners! 

Folsom’ favorite Italian eatery, Visconti’s Ristorante (viscontisristorante.com), is expanding their bar operation into the neighboring suite. The space is currently occupied by locally based furniture retailer Ultimate Back Store (ultimateback.com), which is relocating to a larger showroom at 2690 East Bidwell Street, Suite 100. Both moves are expected to happen later this summer. 

Placerville’s Enchanted Forest Dining Experience (enchantedforestdining.com) won “Best Bite in Placerville” on Guy Fieri's new Food Network show Best Bite in Town. Competing against other popular local eateries, Enchanted won the judges over with their Irish Gold Miner's Pasty Pie—a half-moon pastry filled with corned beef, Yukon gold mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, and caraway seeds, then sprinkled with edible 24K gold.

The City of Roseville is seeking licensed contractors interested in bidding on housing repair jobs financed through their Housing Rehabilitation Program, whose purpose is to preserve housing occupied by low-income families, correct home health and safety problems, and help revitalize neighborhoods. The maximum amount of work per home is $100,000; types of repairs can involve electrical, plumbing, roofing, and/or window replacement. To learn more, visit roseville.ca.us/news/what_s_happening_in_roseville/calling_all_licensed_contractors.

Placer SPCA (placerspca.org)—the largest and most comprehensive nonprofit animal welfare provider in Placer County—is constructing an 8,800-square-foot Veterinary and Foster Care Center. Sited adjacent to its current Adoption and Education Center at 200 Tahoe Avenue in Roseville, the upgraded medical facility will enable Placer SPCA's veterinary staff to expand services such as spay/neuter, vaccinations, microchips, dental work, and heartworm and flea prevention for shelter and community pets.

Folsom’s Community Service Day, an annual citywide event—this year on September 21—that mobilizes hundreds of volunteers of all ages to complete dozens of community service projects, is seeking submissions for project ideas. Send your proposal (deadline is June 28) by visiting folsom.ca.us/residents/folsom-community-service-day/project-proposals.

Visconti's Ristorante photo by Dante Fontana ©stylemediagroup. Other photos courtesy of their respective companies or organization.