A slice of SLO County.

After three years, the Five Cities Dog Park Association has finally started with the construction of the off-leash dog park. After overcoming challenges on where the park would be approved, the new location is going to be section of the Elm Street Park.

“Having an off-leash dog park is important for us because our dog, Malibu, is so energetic and active. Just taking her for walks is not enough. It’s going to be great to have a local place where she can run free,” said Grover Beach dog owner, Dustin Thompson.

This off-leash Dog Park will not be maintained by the city of Arroyo Grande but will be maintained by volunteers of the five cities dog park association. Since this a non profit organization they are responsible for raising the funds to construct and maintain this area of the park. This is great for the community as well as dog owners to get to meet new friends with the one thing in common they love — their dogs!

Visit the Five Cities Dog Park Association at: http://fivecitiesdogpark.org/index.htm

With the summer sun beating down on Grover Beach, locals and visitors filled the streets for this year’s Stone Soup Music Faire. With this being my first visit to the annual festival, I was curious about the food, entertainment, and people that the event would draw out. My answer came within the first few minutes of browsing around; everyone seemed to be there to relax, have a good time, talk amongst each other, and enjoy the day. Soon I too found myself unwinding, wandering along the streets and sidewalks as I browsed the boutiques, crafts, and local vendors. One such vendor, Chic Ztudio from Los Angeles, caught my eye with his beautifully hand-crafted jewelry, and I couldn’t resist buying a turquoise and red stoned necklace.

The most challenging part of the day came when it was time to decide what to eat,since the aroma of BBQ, roasted corn, jambalaya, and tacos were all competing for my attention since my arrival. I decided on an Asada Torta and fresh watermelon juice and sat down under the sun listening to the fun sound of String Planet on the main stage. As the day wandered into night, more and more people began to arrive until the main stage seating was full and the streets were alive with visitors walking up and down along the faire.

If you missed the opening day of the festival, you still have a chance to experince the fun, food, and entertainment on Sunday. Dr. Magic and String Planet are back, along with Salsa dance lessons and more.

Visit the Grover Beach Chamber of Commerce website for full details, and enjoy the pictures below!

Here’s our Wordle for the week. It contains keywords from the life of SLO county from August 10 - 16. Enjoy!

More and more residents in SLO County are leaving their cars in the driveway, turning instead to alternate modes of transportation to get around town and commute to work. With gas prices on the rise since the beginning of summer, public transportation and carpooling have increased around the county, according to a report today on SanLuisObispo.com. But what about walking and riding a bike?

In a comment left by one local reader on the site, those habits have increased as well, “Walter, owner of Wally’s Bicycles, has told me he has been selling lots of commuter bikes. The perception seems to be that the only form of transportation is by automobiles. Maybe with more media coverage about commuting by bike, motorists might be more aware of bicyclists and be less aggressive. I began commuting to work by bike three months ago.” And perhaps that is the key to encouraging even more commuters to consider other options; making the conversation louder.

While riding a bike, walking, or even taking the bus to work is not practical for everyone, it certainly could work for many local residents who live in close proximity to their workplace. If non-automotive modes of transportation are embraced by a few, talked about in the local media, and encouraged by the community, we just may see a new and thriving trend in SLO County.

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How do you commute? Have you changed any of your transportation habits over the past year?