Plenty to do over Labor Day weekend

A long-established small-town parade — and the reopening of a popular water-sports getaway after a wildfire — are the highlights of Labor Day weekend in Yuba-Sutter.

Nicolaus will bid farewell to the summer with its 19th annual Labor Day Parade and a slate of festivities for the season's final holiday weekend.

The one-mile parade will kick off at 10 a.m. Labor Day in downtown Nicolaus, with registration ending at 9 a.m. A raffle, silent auction, live music and crafters' booths also are planned.

"It's not just about doing it for yourself, it's doing to keep the community having pride in where you are, taking pride in your little part of the world," said Steve Willey, chairman of the parade's volunteer organizing committee.

A pancake breakfast at 7 a.m. will precede the parade. Proceeds from the Labor Day events will benefit East Nicolaus High School and the Browns, Pleasant Grove and Marcum-Illinois elementary schools of south Sutter County.

Contact Teanna Bendure at 633-2817 for parade information, Teena Earhart at 633-4066 for information about the raffle, and Debbie Darrach at darracht@yahoo.com for crafter booth information.

In the Yuba County foothills, visitors are again welcome at Bullards Bar Reservoir and campsites off the North Yuba River after firefighters reined

in the 1,300-acre Bullards Fire, which broke out Aug. 27 below Bullards Bar Dam.

Though the fire forced the temporary closure of Emerald Cove Marina, manager Craig Robertson said attendance at the boat dock has bounced back to normal levels since the fire's containment.

"At its peak it was very scary because it got close to the marina, so it was touch and go for a bit, but everything's back on track now," he said.

The Emerald Cove Marina and campgrounds at the dam are open, although visitors are advised to drive slowly and watch for fire engines still on local roadways as their crews mop up the fire's remains.

For more information, call 692-3200 or visit www.bullardsbar.com.

Campgrounds near the North Yuba River are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Call the Yuba River Ranger Station at 288-3231 for more information.

Vacationers hitting the roads will face intensified officer patrols against suspected drunken drivers beginning tonight. Extra Yuba City patrols are slated to go on duty at 7 p.m., and additional California Highway Patrols will be on duty from 6 p.m. Friday to 11:59 p.m. Labor Day.

Marysville police will set up a checkpoint tonight in the southwest section of the city to search for possible drunken drivers and license violations, part of an "Avoid the 9" enforcement drive that also includes Sutter and Colusa counties.

A brief, late stretch of triple-digit temperatures this week is expected to sharply ebb during the holiday weekend.

The National Weather Service forecasts daytime highs at Yuba County Airport to slip from 101 degrees today to 95 Saturday, then to 87 Sunday and 88 for Labor Day.

EVENTS IN YUBA-SUTTER THROUGH LABOR DAY

Appeal-Democrat

Labor Day weekend activities will top off with the annual Nicolaus Day Parade at 10 a.m. Monday in Nicolaus.

This year's grand marshals are Shirley and Albert Lienert, longtime Yuba-Sutter residents.

Activities around the parade, based at the St. Boniface parish hall on Marcum Road, start with a pancake breakfast at 7 a.m., and continue with food booths, games and entertainment from 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

All money raised benefits East Nicolaus High School and Browns, Pleasant Grove and Marcum-Illinois elementary schools.

Activities planned in Yuba-Sutter also include:

Closing day for the season at Yuba Feather Museum and Gold Trader Flat — 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at 19096 New York Flat Road, Forbestown. Admission and parking are free.

The fifth Challenge Challenge Bicycle Road Race 2010 — 8 a.m.-noon Saturday starting and ending at Yuba Feather Elementary School, 18008 Oregon House Road, Challenge. Participants in the bicycle race, a 33-mile loop around Yuba County, are members of USA Cycling. Visit www.velopromo.com for more information.

The Annual Kermés Festival — 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday at the former Notre Dame School, Seventh and C streets, Marysville. Sponsored by the Comite Hispano de la Iglesia de San Jose de Marysville. Free admission.

Annual Tian Da Mela, for women only — 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday at Andros Karperos School, 1666 Camino de Flores, Yuba City. Presented by USA Punjabi Women's Cultural Organization. Free admission.

The Brownsville Mountain Festival — 1 p.m. to dusk Sunday at the Brownsville Amphitheater on Ponderosa Way, Brownsville. Sponsored by Yuba Feather Communities Services Recreation Committee. General admission is $15 and free for children age 12 and under.

Solo concert with pianist Brian Ganz — 5 p.m. Sunday at Alcouffe Community Center, 9185 Marysville Road, Oregon House, sponsored by the Palomarin Chamber Music Foundation. Tickets are $5 to $20. Call 692-0437 for more information.

In addition, the campgrounds at Bullards Bar reservoir are open and all recreation sites in the Tahoe National Forest are available over the weekend.

CLOSURES ON MONDAY

The following businesses and agencies will be closed Monday in observance of Labor Day:

Banks: Closed

Government offices: Closed

Schools: No classes

Post office: No delivery

Trash pickup: No change in service

Transit: No service; office closed

Appeal-Democrat:No change in service; office closed