This is the 100th anniversary of Mother's Day, how did it begin?

 

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.)  Mothers’ Day is Sunday, May 11 and it’s not too early to start thinking about a gift for the moms you love.

 

This year is the 100-year anniversary of what is widely known as the first Mother’s Day, according to the West Virginia Division of Culture and History. On May 10, 1908, Mother’s Day founder Anna Jarvis brought 407 children and their mothers together for an observance at Andrews Episcopal Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia.

 

Jarvis’ own mother, Anne Reese Jarvis, had died three years earlier. During the Civil War, the elder Jarvis had formed Mothers’ Work Groups, who strived for peace, and also worked to improve sanitation and health conditions in the area of the Civil War battlefields.

 

Two years after her mother’s death, Anna Jarvis set aside the second Sunday in May to honor her mother in a personal and private way. But, she decided this was something all children should do for their mothers, and set about organizing the much more public celebration in 1908.

 

Because of Jarvis’ efforts to make her celebration a national and later an international holiday, President Woodrow Wilson signed legislation in 1914 recognizing the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day across the United States. It’s been celebrated on that day since then. President Wilson was also aware of a movement to honor mothers that began in Albion, Mich., through the efforts of the two sons of temperance crusader Juliet Calhoun Blakely.

 

While many of the early Mother’s Day celebrations specifically honored mothers who worked for peace or other social causes, it has evolved today into a holiday that honors all mothers and the important role they play in the lives of their own children.

 

Long ago, the children of Anne Reese Jarvis and Juliet Calhoun Blakely worked diligently to create national celebrations in honor of their mothers. Thanks to their efforts and the rise of technology, today we can honor moms much more easily.

 

A suitable honor for a mother of the 21^st century can be obtained simply by ordering a gift online from one’s own personal computer. Many will order flowers, but the Internet allows much more creativity in choosing a gift for moms.

 

The Bountiful Basket, a southern California business specializing in custom-designed gift baskets, has many unique Mother’s Day gifts on its website, www.thebountifulbasket.com  Some of owner Marilyn Taylor’s recommendations are:

 

Pink Roses For Mother’s Day: This white basket is filled with things that capture the nuances of pink roses, including lotion, a pink scented candle, a rose print ceramic mug with two packages of cocoa or cappuccino, a notebook and journal, and scented rose petals scattered throughout. “It’s a very delicate and feminine gift,” Taylor said.

 

The Perfect Mother’s Day Gift:  A faux-leather burgundy train case, filled with cookies, tiramisu, white cocoa or tea, a picture frame, a pen and a notepad. A Mother’s Day balloon can be included.

 

Roses, Roses Hatbox for Mother:  A red rose print hatbox, filled with cookies, pistachio nut crunch and a selection of herbal teas.

 

Serenity Pampering Gift Basket: This basket is filled with Taylor’s own Bountiful Spa Therapy line of bath products, including lotion, body wash, bath salts, a luxurious towel and more.

 

The above gift baskets, as well as many others described on the web page www.thebountifulbasket.com , would also be good gifts for brides-to-be. Elsewhere on the website are gifts suitable for dads, grads and grooms.

 

The Bountiful Basket has more than 250 different baskets to choose from, $10 to $500. These are grouped by themes, such as holidays, corporate, children’s and teenagers’ baskets, college students’ designs, and gifts with different varieties of products within.

 

But, if none of those designs are exactly what you’re looking for, The Bountiful Basket can custom-make the perfect gift that you will be proud to give and will fit within your budget.

 

For more information, go to the website, or call Taylor at (909) 425-2203.

 

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ViP GUESTS AT BIKES N’ BLUES TO DINE ON GOURMET FEAST

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) -- Honored guests of the inaugural Bikes & Blues Rendezvous will dine from a menu rivaling the best gourmet restaurants, brought to them by students of The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire.

The VIP (Very Important Person) Tent will feature a buffet of coconut battered shrimp served with strawberry horseradish sauce, seasoned Greek style lamb burgers served with mint and a rosemary pesto sauce, duck confit stuffed in puff pastry and served with a port wine demi reduction, sesame encrusted seared Ahi tuna served with a lavender ginger aioli, curry seared pork tenderloin served with an apple coconut cream sauce, Middle Eastern baklava stuffed with pistachio and rose water syrup, croquembouche (croque en bouche, a.k.a. “Crunch in the Mouth,”) and Fatoush bread salad served with lemon vinagrette.

City officials, council members, event sponsors, and other specially invited guests, as well as credentialed members of the media, will have access to the VIP tent during the event. It’s open from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday May 2 and 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, May 3.

“We partnered with The Art Institute, because they are located in San Bernardino, and we felt it was very important that we involve local businesses,” said Karen Blanco, director of communications for the San Bernardino Convention & Visitor’s Bureau. “Plus we have worked with them in the past and their food is wonderful.”

The International Culinary School at the Art Institute of California-Inland Empire opened in January 2007 and prepares students in Culinary Arts and Culinary Management. The Culinary Arts program, which some students have nearly completed, prepares them to work as entry-level chefs at restaurants, cruise ships and resorts, or to have their own restaurants or catering business. The students have recently won a national award for their culinary skills.

“Having the opportunity to cater a large event like the Bikes & Blues Rendezvous gives them practical hands-on experience,” said Chef Eyad Joseph, academic director of The International Culinary School, and a certified executive chef, certified culinary educator and certified culinary administrator. “It will also show some of the most influential people in the Inland Empire what they can expect from our soon-to-be graduates of the Culinary Arts program.”

Bikes & Blues takes place May 2-3 in downtown San Bernardino, bringing motorcycles and music together It will feature the world’s largest motorcycle, custom motorcycles belonging to Ozzie Osbourne and Vince Neil of Motley Crue, motorcycle stunt shows, a 66-mile Poker Run, and non-stop entertainment on two stages. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the newly named Edward G. Hirschman Burn Center at the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center.

The Art Institute of California–Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Culinary Management, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion and Retail Management and Media Arts & Animation. There are also Associate of Science degrees in Graphic Design and Culinary Arts. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.

It’s not too late to start classes. Courses begin May 8, offering day, evening and weekend classes for new and reentry students. For details or a tour of the campus call (909) 915-2100, or go on line to www.artinstitutes.edu/inlandempire.

The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire is only one of more than 40 educational institutions within The Art Institutes system, located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.

INCREDIBLE HULK ANIMATOR TO SPEAK AT ART INSTITUTE OF CALIFORNIA-INLAND EMPIRE

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) - Tim Pixton, animator for the new Incredible Hulk movie and God of War video game, will give a presentation 12:30 p.m. Saturday, April 26 at the Art Institute of California-Inland Empire.

“Since the Incredible Hulk isn’t even released yet, our attendees will be among the first to have an insiders’ view into this film,” said Santosh Oommen, academic director for Animation & Media Arts and Graphic Design at the Art Institute of California-Inland Empire. “We have Emmy award-winning feature film animators as instructors, and also expose our animation students to inside views into some of today’s hottest animation from leading animators.”

“Come join us as Tim Pixton takes us to the journey of his work and what it takes to begin a journey as an animator,” Oommen added. “He will talk about working on the Incredible Hulk at Rhythm and Hues as a character animator. He will also talk about what it takes to be a 3d character animator on feature films.”

Other films Pixton has worked on, and will discuss as well, are The Golden Compass and Alvin and the Chipmunks. Pixton has also worked on El Tigre, which is a television show on Nickelodeon, and he has had a stint as a character animator on the God of War game at Sony Games.

Seating is limited. To save your spot, call (909) 915-2100.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Culinary Management, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion and Retail Management and Media Arts & Animation. There are also Associate of Science degrees in Graphic Design and Culinary Arts. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.

It’s not too late to start classes. Courses begin May 8, with offerings in the days, evenings and on weekends for new and reentry students. For details or a tour of the campus call (909) 915-2100, or go on line to artinstitutes.edu/inlandempire.

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The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire is one of The Art Institutes (artinstitutes.edu) with 40 educational institutions throughout North America providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.

MAKING MY SPACE WORK

About Dameron Communications
Since 1989 Dameron communications has creatively met the needs of our diverse client base locally, regionally and nationally. We are an award wining agency that creates integrated marketing solutions to increase sales and profits, win elections, inform the public or gain acceptance of a potentially controversial issues. We use our 20 years of communications knowledge and experience to advance our clients’ objectives.

(San Bernardino, Calif.) Carl Dameron, agency director of Dameron Communications, a public relations and advertising company in San Bernardino, says that his firm frequently uses sites such as Myspace, Craig’s Lists and Topix.net to inform the public about upcoming events. Dameron Communications has clients in the education, political and non-profit fields.

“We use Myspace events to publicize seminars and open houses organized by our clients, Argosy University/Orange County in Santa Ana, Argosy University/ Inland Empire and The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire,” he said. “Thousands of eyeballs see the posts on these websites and we need to use every resource to get to the public.”

Dameron also said sites like Myspace are a great way to target the younger audience.

“More and more older people are also going to Myspace to gather information,” he said.