Red Carpet Chronicles

Author Becky Davis shares details of desert plants with a possible future gardener.

On June 17, the Will Beckley Science Education Garden will celebrate its opening. Event starts at 4 pm.

See here for event details.

Scene from Red Carpet Chronicles puppet show

“The 17th annual Winchester Children’s Festival was a huge success on Saturday, April 18th. The Friends of Winchester provided tours of the breathtaking desert garden in bloom and I was busy signing books. The Winchester skate club did a re-creation of the book using puppets. I was humbled as I heard my words from the book featuring some of my favorite plants. They even had a Terri Terrain puppet. Thank you, Hector, for the time you spend with those wonderful boys.”
- Becky Davis, Author Red Carpet Chronicles

posted by Krissy Hawkins
Reading First  is a focused, nationwideeffort to enable all students to become successful early readers. The No Child Left Behind Act established Reading First as a high-quality, evidence-based program.

Since 2003, when Nevada was awarded a Reading First grant by the United States Department of Education, Nevada Reading First has awarded competitive subgrants to Local Education Agencies in order to increase reading proficiency and eliminate reading deficits by establishing high-quality, comprehensive reading instruction in kindergarten through third grade.

Teacher and children’s author Becky Davis will be participating in “Reading First” Family Literacy Nights throughout Spring 2009. “Reading First Schools are on the cutting edge of education. They take current scientifically based research and educate students based on these best practices. I am honored to be a part of this group of professionals that are dedicated to educational development and share an unrelenting devotion to the public education system.” says Davis, “I hope that by participating in their family literacy nights, I am a part of the much bigger process of bringing families together to read, discuss, and research something that intrigues both child and parent.”

Davis will be speaking at ten different elementary schools throughout the Clark County School District  including Edwards, Griffith, Harmon, Hinman, Moore, Reed, Rundle, Hal Smith, Vegas Verdes, and Wasden Elementary Schools.

I have never been surprised in my life…except for maybe the first news of Santa Claus when I was ten. I cried for about an hour and then felt total betrayal. How could my whole family keep this from me for so long?

Needless to say, everyone goes through that experience eventually in their life.

Then, you are 36 years old and Santa Claus, again, enters your life. This time, a different purpose. Like all parents, I am now betraying my own children for the good of the cause. Then, a twist. Santa comes to my house and passes out all of his presents to his wide-eyed children, with one gift left at the bottom of the bag.

He calls my name, and, once again, friends and family are in on the secret before I am. I sit on his lap and he hands me a box. At this point, I’m thinking, “clever husband has bought me jewelry” but the box is too big. I open it to find the one thing I have been dreaming of since the last time I sat on Santa’s lap, my very own published book.

I thought it was still being printed. I had no idea it was completed so early.  So, the finished product was a total surprise. I consider myself an insightful person, but my sweet husband Russell and Carolyn from Stephens Press pulled this one off beautifully. I wonder if they know the Easter Bunny?

Winchester Cultural Center is the heart of performing and visual arts for Clark County Parks and Recreation. Along with diverse youth and adult programming in dance, theater, fitness, skateboarding and visual arts, the center offers a park, desert demonstration garden, skate park, theater and art gallery. The gallery hosts ongoing exhibitions to highlight the talents of local artists while Clark County’s only 248-seat theater is home to an assortment of music, dance and theatrical performances. Artists, from nationally known musicians, vocalists and dancers to homegrown, youth-centered drama and dance troupes, have graced the Winchester Theater stage.

Winchester Center’s Demonstration Garden was created by the Friends of Winchester Park and the neighborhood community. Besides offering a beautiful, relaxing environment filled with birds and plants, the garden is a learning laboratory. The Friends of Winchester Park provide books and educational materials that allow local families to learn more about the desert environment and the plants that do well in the Mojave Desert. Books, measuring tools, scopes, and other items are available daily.

Winchester Cultural Center
3130 S. McLeod • (702) 455-7340
Tuesday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.