Well, as you clearly know, this Saturday, Oct 7, is Picture Day.  What does that mean for all of us soccer fans at the park?   

VOLUNTEERS – WE NEED YOU!!! We still have less than half of the volunteers that we need to make the picture taking process run smoothly, so PLEASE find a couple of hours of time on Saturday to help us out.  Sign up at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080b4eacaf2da2f85-100717 for any of the shifts – we really, really, really need your help.

On the Café 58 front, there's good news and some tips on how to make this Picture Day a positive and fun experience for you and the kids:

First the good news:

1.  Breakfast on Saturday starting at 7:00am - The Snack bar will be open for breakfast at 7:00 am with egg muffin sandwiches, pancakes, donuts, bagels, and of course, COFFEE, which leads me to the next item.  Last year we sold out of lots of items, but we are stocking up for Saturday, so bring those Snack Bar bucks early and often!!!

2.  FOURTH ANNUAL COFFEE TASTE CHALLENGE - to encourage you to try our Groundwork Certified Organic Coffee, we want you to buy a cup o' java for JUST $2.00.  If you don't like the coffee, then tell us... we'll give you the coffee for free - of course the cup will still cost you the $2.00.  Hey, we are not in this to lose money; we just want you to try the coffee and be amazed at how much better it is than that "other barista-brewed stuff that costs much more, comes in a fancier cup, and takes longer to get.". 

3.  Express Lane – Our Express Lane is doing really well this year helping people who just want to get a drink and a small snack (pretzel, churro, chips or nachos), and have cash or Snack Bar Bucks.  The drinks are ice cold, so if you’re in a rush and just need water or a Gatorade, go to the Express Lane tent.  We’ve cut down the wait time and reduced the lines at the main Cafe 58 windows (remember that there are 2 windows, not just one). 

4.  Vegetarian options – It looks like the veggie-lovers among us are starting to take a stand, and that stand is at Café 58 (although you can sit down as opposed to stand).  Last game day (Sep 23), we sold more veggie burgers and grilled cheese sandwiches than we did all last season!!!! We will continue to dedicate a grill, a fryer and utensils to non-meat items, so bring your friends, family and even strangers, if you so desire, to Café 58 for some of our veggie fare. 

5.  Progress on funding our Region's scholarships - we don't have exact numbers yet, but thanks to everyone's support of Café 58 over the past 3 weeks, we estimate that we are close to funding almost $4,000 in scholarships that we have given to players in our Region.  You can see the updated progress on our website at: http://www.ayso58.org/Default.aspx?tabid=937931  All of those egg sandwiches, cups of coffee, hamburgers, hot dogs, smoothies, snow cones and drinks really do add up to a meaningful contribution to our community.  When thinking about where to eat breakfast, or where to buy the team a snack (pretzels, churros or nachos after the game) or lunch, please consider continuing to support our Region and those among us who would not be able to play soccer if it weren't for your purchases. 

6.  Thank you to our Sponsors - A thank you to two of our most generous sponsors who are supporting Café 58 and Region 58:

• Groundwork Coffee – For several years, Jeff Chean, a Region 58 Board member and also the owner of Groundwork Coffee, has supported our Region by supplying us with his Certified Organic “totally awesome” coffee.  We tout the coffee, not just because we get it from Groundwork, but because it is REALLY GREAT COFFEE.

• Central Valley Building Supply – For the second year in a row, CVBS is donating ALL of the propane that we are using in our grills each Saturday, totaling several hundred dollars of propane for the season.  We are really gassed that they have chosen our Region to support, so please support them as well if you have any building material needs (http://www.cvbs.com/), and tell them you are from AYSO Region 58.

Tips on Making Picture Day fun and safe for everyone:

1.  Parking will be a hassle and some tempers might flare (try to keep it calm out there in the parking lot) - arrive early, don't block other people's cars and don't double park (even for a few minutes).  Keep an extra careful eye out for kids dashing through the parking lot… we need to keep those kids safe!!!! 

2.  Kids will be waiting in what some might consider "lines" for what seems like an eternity to get their picture taken (even though it will only be about 30 to 45 minutes) - buy the kids a light snack (like a pretzel – good carbs, low fat, perfect before a game) or a drink (water or gatorade, but I'd go easy on the coffee before the game for the kids unless they really are craving decaf). 

3.  Games might get started a little late, but they will get started, and once they start, they will eventually end.  If they start late, that's more time for you and your kids to eat that healthy egg muffin sandwich before the game.  If they end a little late, there's still going to be snack at the end of the game, which might be lunch or a smoothie or a pretzel or churro.  (Are you starting to get the idea here about where to go before and / or after your game???) 

Lastly, enjoy your games on Saturday, have your kids put their best smiles on, and let's all have a safe, fair and fun Picture Day.  Oh, and if you haven't figured it out yet, please come to Café 58 to support our program.

Joe Lewis
Registrar, AYSO Region 58
email:  [email protected] 

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