Everybody’s business

Foxy stuff
Perry Fox, who helped customers seeking herbs and vitamins at S & S Produce and later Chico Natural Foods for a total of 11 years has started his own business.

The Vitamin Fox opened at 1224 Mangrove Ave. No. 7 a month ago, and Fox says the store offers customers “not only the highest-quality supplements in town, but it’s also the place to be for pertinent information, poignant advice and experienced consultations regarding herb and vitamin supplements and what they can and can’t do for their health.”

Crazy diamonds
If you don’t have plans for St. Patrick’s Day, plenty of fun is expected at the Chico Pro Baseball Hall of Fame’s “Legends of the Diamond” awards dinner at 5:30 that evening.

Five local legends will be honored and Chico State President Paul Zingg, a baseball expert and author, will be the featured speaker.

The event is at the Chico Masonic Family Center and tickets are $45 for adults and $25 for children 12 and under. Call 345-3210 for more information.

Grocery Paradise
Attention Paradise residents: If you’ve been driving down to Chico just to hit the Grocery Outlet, you can save your gas while you save money. The company opened an outlet in Paradise on March 11.

The store is owned and operated by Pat and Mike Ward, who are from a small Texas town and wanted to work in a place with a similar feel.

It’s the 125th Grocery Outlet (stores are located in six Western states and Hawai), and can be found at 6026 Clark Road.

Nursery cool
The nonprofit parent cooperative Chico Nursery School’s annual rummage sale promises to be “colossal.” Check it out at 1190 East First Ave. in the Congregational Church from 8 a.m. to noon.

Ferret this out
The ferret-loving scofflaws at Ferrets Anonymous want to come out of the shadows.

The San Diego-based group is deciding whether to launch a ballot initiative that would legalize ferret ownership in California, one of only two states that still bans them.

The group is holding a contest to come up with an acronym for the supporters of the planned initiative, and the winner will be deemed “No. 1” on a list of 3,000 expected signature-gatherers and donors.

These are my entries: Ferrets Are Really Tame. (F.A.R.T.) They could also go with: Respect for ALL Ferrets. (R.A.L.L.F.)

For more information go to www.ferretsanon.com.

The long goodbye
Well, here I am another week, but this time it really is my last column for the CN&R.

I was going to do a whole “senior wills” kind of thing, leaving co-workers stuff such as my secret parking meter (the one where the city forgot to adjust the rate), the Toaster Strudel I left in the freezer and this rad Lobsterfest press kit I just got. But, with News Editor Josh Indar also giving his notice last week, there aren’t many left around here.

Please track me down and keep in touch. It’s been real.