The Park & The Sky: Rams Hill Golf

The world champion who races in Borrego Springs trains all summer in a Saskatchewan village Fred LaCroix, a French handcyclist and a familiar sight on Borrego Springs roads, was recently featured by CBC News for his racing in Borrego Springs and his summer training base in rural Saskatchewan. LaCroix, 65, is from the French Alps and has competed in the 6-12-24 Hour World Time Trial Championships in Borrego Springs. He won the 24-hour men’s handcycle event in the 60–69 age division, finishing despite mechanical problems. A former helicopter pilot who worked in 62 countries, LaCroix’s life changed dramatically in 2016 when a virus caused him to lose the use of his legs. The disability ended his aviation career and made him a wheelchair user. He later turned to adaptive sports, first racing in a wheelchair and then discovering handcycling, which allowed him to train for longer distances and endurance competition. LaCroix was looking for somewhere in Canada with flat roads and elevation slightly higher than the Borrego Springs course. He landed in Cadillac, Saskatchewan, a small village about 146 miles southwest of Regina , by chance. This is his third summer there. The village has taken to him. CBC News reported that residents gathered during his interview , and local officials said LaCroix has become part of the community. He has volunteered at fundraiser barbecues and even helped by watering newly planted trees at the village campground. Regional Saskatchewan news outlets have also reported on LaCroix’s training and his preparations for racing in Borrego Springs. His regular appearances on local roads have made LaCroix a familiar figure in Borrego Springs, creating an unexpected connection between this desert community and a small prairie village more than 1,500 miles away.

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Cool Down at the Library

Help restore and preserve one of Borrego Springs' most treasured gathering places Christmas Circle Community Park began repairing and upgrading an aging irrigation system in early August 2026. This work will not only get our irrigation system working more efficiently, but also begin to transform the look of the park. The Board of Directors is making an appeal to the Borrego Springs Community and visitors to the park to make a generous one time donation to help fund this project. Our goal is $25,000 by December 31, 2026. Please consider making a donation and keeping the Park we all love and enjoy looking its best now and for years to come.

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Weekly class invites musicians and singers ages 10 to 18 to explore rock-and-roll music from the 1960s through today.

A Free Path to a High School Diploma

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By Gabriel Wisdom I stepped out onto the stage at the San Diego ComicCon dressed as Thor. The wings on my helmet were slightly crooked, and the cape was too heavy for the San Diego summer weather, but none of that mattered. I can still feel the weight of the hammer in my hand, a ridiculous, glorious mirrored prop a friend of mine had built in his garage. The room was buzzing and in 1976, ComicCon was young and alive. The training wheels had come off and we had 3000 paid attendees – real fandom, but nothing like today’s 130,000 who attend each year. Behind me stood Stan Lee and his Marvel artist John Buscema, both of them watching the crowd like proud parents at a very strange school play. “Ladies and gentlemen!” I called out, raising the hammer. “I am THOR, God of Thunder, Lord of the Savage Lighting, and host for tonight’s masquerade ball!” The crowd cheered, and for a moment everything felt perfectly under control. Then I glanced at the judges seated in the front row. Gene Roddenberry, hands folded like he was observing a social experiment. There was Ray Bradbury, eyes burning with Fahrenheit 451 curiosity. And to Roddenberry’s right…a special surprise guest I’d brought along at the last minute, Timothy Leary, smiling like he’d just dropped in to see what condition his condition was in. I felt my stomach drop recalling earlier how ComicCon co-founder Shel Dorf had pulled me aside, his face tight with concern. “You brought him ?” he asked heatedly. “Do you have any idea what this could do to us? The most dangerous man in America , isn’t that what Nixon called him? I had shrugged, maybe a little too casually. “Leary and I are doing a radio show together with rock stars and other guests talking about science fiction; stuff like that, only this is science-faction. He’s crazy smart, and funny. Great fun.” Shel didn’t see it that way, but it was too late because there in the front row, the notorious “pied piper of LSD,” Doctor Timothy Leary was sitting between two of the most respected creative minds in speculative fiction. The first contestant came out dressed as a passable Spider-Man. “Have no fear, Spidey is here,” I boomed, voice steady, but my eyes kept drifting back to the front row. Leary leaned over to Roddenberry saying something that made them both laugh. Bradbury looked less amused. He crossed his arms, studying Leary like he was a story problem he hadn’t solved yet. Stan Lee was standing by the side of the stage, arms folded. “You’ve stirred the pot, kid,” he murmured. “I may have left the gas on and blown up the kitchen,” I replied. “Even better,” Stan grinned. Murmurs started spreading through the convention ballroom about Timothy Leary. A number of older people stood and left for the exits, shaking their heads. A dozen others followed shuffling past the rows of seated attendees. The energy had clearly shifted. I tightened my grip on the hammer and began swinging. “Alright!” I bellowed, “The mighty Thor shall supply the cure!” “True believers!” Stan Lee shouted. “What is a masquerade without a little chaos? The crowd laughed. The tension cracked. I looked down at Roddenberry who met my eyes and gave an encouraging nod. “The great Gene Roddenberry,” I declared to a round of applause. Then I asked, “In the Star Trek universe, what happens when unexpected elements enter the system?” Roddenberry stood slightly but not all the way. “We adapt,” he said. “Or we evolve.” Bradbury chuckled despite himself. Leary raised both hands. “Yes, we evolve. Sometimes you have to go out of your mind to come to your senses,” he laughed. The room erupted with another round of applause, some cheers, some boos, but it was alive again. Electric. I seized it. “Okay, let’s evolve this masquerade! Every contestant, you are now challenged to make it stranger, make it bigger, and make it believable!”  What followed was chaos, yes -- but the right kind. Comic-Con was still half counterculture experiment, half gathering of true believers and those who thought stories mattered more than the world seemed willing to admit. © 2026 Stan Lee, Gene Rodenberry, and Me ™ by Gabriel Wisdom

Jeff Sloan, Christmas Circle Community Park Board President

By Karen Pearlman, East County Magazine July 20, 2026 (Ramona) — San Diego County’s aerial firefighting capabilities have been boosted with the reopening of the modernized Ramona Air Attack Base, where state and local officials on Monday morning unveiled nearly $20 million in upgrades designed to get aircraft back into the air faster and expand around-the-clock wildfire response. The renovated base at 2498 Montecito Road now houses a new 4,000-gallon CAL FIRE C-130 Hercules air tanker, a night-capable S-70 CAL FIRE Hawk Helicopter, two S-2 air tankers and an OV-10 Air Tactical aircraft. The group of aircraft is creating what officials called one of California’s most advanced aerial firefighting hubs. The base’s aging infrastructure has been replaced with a modern retardant mixing plant capable of storing 20,000 gallons of fire retardant, redesigned aircraft loading bays that dramatically reduce turnaround times, and expanded ramp space to accommodate additional air tankers during major wildfire incidents. “This base is a regional asset,” CAL FIRE/San Diego County Fire Chief Tony Mecham said at a press conference that was livestreamed on YouTube . “When there is smoke in the sky, the citizens don’t care what color the fire engine is or what patch is on the uniform. They just want people to show up quickly.” The improvements come as California faces increasingly destructive wildfire seasons fueled by hotter temperatures, prolonged drought and more extreme weather conditions. CAL FIRE Director and Fire Chief Joe Tyler said the Ramona facility reflects years of investment in modernizing California’s aerial firefighting fleet. Over the past two years, CAL FIRE aircraft have flown more than 11,500 flight hours annually while maintenance crews logged more than 90,000 hours keeping aircraft mission-ready, Tyler said. Among the most significant additions is the C-130 Hercules air tanker, capable of dropping 4,000 gallons of fire retardant — more than three times the capacity of CAL FIRE’s traditional S-2 air tankers. The aircraft is part of the state’s new fleet of converted military transport planes that entered service beginning in 2024. Also based in Ramona is the county’s new S-70 Firehawk helicopter, which can perform water drops after dark — a capability officials said is already proving invaluable. It has an integrated 1,000-gallon water tank with hoist rescue capability and the ability to transport helicopter crews into remote terrain. San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Terra Lawson-Remer pointed to last week’s Thorn Fire, where the Firehawk flew nighttime suppression missions that slowed the fire’s progression and helped prevent flare-ups the following morning. “Our days are getting hotter, our nights are getting warmer, the winds are stronger and fuels are drier,” Lawson-Remer said. “Wildfire does not stop when the sun goes down.” She urged residents to prepare for wildfire emergencies by signing up for emergency alerts, planning evacuation routes and heeding evacuation orders when issued. For East County backcountry communities, the upgrades could mean quicker aerial response to fires threatening homes. Aircraft assigned to Ramona regularly respond throughout the county. Mecham twice shared the importance of coordinated and consolidated efforts between firefighting agencies across the county. “We fight fire without boundaries and without egos,” he said. Mecham said the modernization project focused on improving efficiency as much as expanding capabilities. Previously, air tankers were forced to maneuver awkwardly into a single retardant loading area, creating backups during major wildfire incidents. The redesigned facility features three drive-through loading pits that allow aircraft to taxi in, reload and immediately return to the fire. “The S-2s can reload in about two to three minutes,” Mecham said. “The C-130, under 10 minutes, it’s on the ground here at Ramona before it’s back in the sky responding to the next fire.” The expanded ramp now allows up to six air tankers to stage simultaneously. During last week’s Thorn Fire, officials said 11 air tankers were assigned to the incident, underscoring the need for increased loading capacity. Additional improvements are in the planning stages. Construction is expected to begin next year on a 14-person barracks to support future 24-hour operations, along with further expansion of the helicopter facilities. Monday’s ceremony also highlighted the historical significance of the Ramona Air Attack Base, which opened in 1957 as CAL FIRE’s first aviation base. While the facility received new buildings in 2000, much of its underground infrastructure — including water lines, electrical systems and retardant delivery equipment — had remained unchanged until the recent reconstruction. San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson, who lives in the fire-prone area of Alpine, thanked leaders for their understanding of the importance of the Ramona airport site… “not just in San Diego County but for Southern California in general.” “CAL FIRE has been an essential partner for the County Fire, providing joint fire protection in emergency services for more than 1.7 million acres,” Anderson said. “Since CAL FIRE’s creation in 2008, the Board of Supervisors have invested over a billion dollars into fire protection in emergency medical services. “In the years since we created County Fire, we have also expanded our partnership in collaborations. In 2022, CAL FIRE successfully collaborated with the Ramona Municipal Water District to establish the Ramona Airport as a hub for aerial firefighting teams, in addition to replacing fire engines and adding a third ambulance, which was so important to the backcountry and to all my constituents.”