#El Pomar District

[wine-porn]

Train Ride

Paso Cab just hits different. As any loyal reader knows, I drink a fair bit of Napa and Sonoma cab–and not a whole lot of Paso. Not really a conscience decision–just happenstance. And–unpopular opinon coming–I think Santa Margarita and the East-side make better cab than the blingy glory-holes of the coveted–and $$$–West-side. Clean and direct, showing all the things EYE like in a Cabernet. All…

[myblckcty]

Dr. Anthony P Young | Tutmose Academy

Join My Black City in Celebrating and Supporting Dr. Anthony P Young | Tutmose Academy. We Shine Brighter Together. #MyBlackCity https://myblackcity.org/tutmose-academy/?feed_id=16402 >> >> Black Education Pioneer & Charter School​ Why did you launch the school? In 1990, the Tutmose Academy was initially named the Inroads Family and Community Services organization. In the beginning, the mission was to mentor high-risk kids who had been expelled from the traditional education system, however it was illegal for these troubled children to go to charter schools in Colorado at that time. Eventually, the laws changed, and the state provided financial backing to help work with kids who were on probation and to provide life skills training for programs such as anger management and critical thinking. In addition to teachers, we also had paid mentors who were on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All of our clients were young men between the ages of 13 and 18 who were on probation and were sent to our program as an alternative to youth detention facilities. Even though our school was open to all, my focus was really to impact the lives of young African Americans. What were some accomplishments you are proud of? We were the first charter school in the Harrison School District in Colorado Springs. In 1999, we were presented with the El Pomar Foundation “Excellence in Education” award, which recognized our unique model that assisted these youth who were in need. In fact, on the C-SAP test, which was the standardized test for public schools, we beat two local high schools in reading and math. It was a significant accomplishment because these were kids who society had discarded. We were able to demonstrate that through a unique program, we could have students perform at high levels and improve their behavior. Many of them had previously been in trouble with the Juvenile Justice System. Our students wore uniforms to avoid wearing gang attire. This also gave them a sense of dignity since some of them could not afford nice clothes. Occasionally, I see some of the students from our first graduating class, and I am proud to say, are pursuing productive lives. The most significant achievement was helping teenagers create positive futures despite the odds and challenges of their childhood. Unfortunately, because of the lack of resources,our charter school closed. However many are grateful for the years we provided this service to our community which changed the trajectory of the lives of so many young people. Interview By the Editor in Chief, Brandon Bornes

[zillowcondo]

The Vintners’ Vision : The Burbank Ranch Estate Vineyard and Winery

To those who have lived and worked in Southern or Northern California, and traveled by car to or from San Francisco, Los Angeles or San Diego, there is a stretch of coastline halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco called the Central Coast. And somehow, very much like any quiet stretch between big cities, the Central Coast was left alone for much of the 19th and 20th centuries. What WAS there, and what made this area somewhat better known in the 1920s, was the Hearst Castle at San Simeon, built by William Randolph Hearst, for his lady friend, Marion Davies. Oh, the scandal. Watch Citizen Kane to discover more.

Hearst Castle, near the town of San Simeon, Central Coast California

But even back then, and for years after, the quiet of the hills, the sound of the surf and the Elephant Seals was not interrupted by the sound of tractors and concrete mixers, except for the construction of gas stations, diners and maybe a motel here and there. Today, though, this area is more populated with beach towns, but still, not metropolises.

Vineyard/Winery Signs near Templeton, California

Yet, east of Highway 1, over the first range of central coast mountains, is an area that feels like Tuscany – full of olive trees, aromatic lavender, and now, a lot of grapes. The vineyards wineries in and around the larger city of Paso Robles, and the smaller town of Templeton, have seduced many connoisseurs to take the 2-3 hour drive down from San Francisco, Napa and Sonoma, and up from Los Angeles to see the vineyards, taste the olive oil, and drink the wines of this area.

Burbank Ranch Winery & Bistro, near the Tasting Room

One of the youngest and most awarded is the Burbank Ranch Estate Vineyard and Winery. Though a young vineyard, the land and soil was part of a larger land grant holding, Rancho La Asuncion, that had been subdivided through a survey back in 1886.

Sunrise At The Vineyard

Traveling through the gates of Burbank Ranch Estate Vineyard and Winery, up the drive, there is a sense of quiet, balance, and harmony. Eucalyptus, Pampas grass, white and live oak, olive trees and lavender all surround the silent, yet green, nearly tangible growth of the 45 acres of grape vines.

Pampas Grass and Vineyard Grapes at Burbank Ranch

Burbank Ranch is an 83.5-acre parcel located in the El Pomar District of Templeton (within the Paso Robles AVA.) The property has panoramic views of the Salinas Valley, the Santa Lucia Mountains, and oak-lined seasonal creeks. The gently rolling hills of Templeton can be viewed from every vantage point on the ranch. The nearby Templeton Gap in the Santa Lucia Mountains – between the Pacific Ocean and Templeton – allows cool Pacific Ocean air to flow nightly into the Ranch, which is approximately 26 miles from the Pacific Ocean, and between 1020 and 1125 feet above sea level.

The Peace Of The Land and the Vineyards, Burbank Ranch

We were here a week before harvest, when Fred and Melody Burbank were riding their Kubota RTV between grape blocks in the vineyard, assessing their growth and health, deciding which to pick first.

Fred Burbank In His Kubota RTV, In The Vineyard

The soil is well fertilized and watered, and the grapes, picked in small bunches have a wild, vivid taste. At harvest, all the fruit will be hand-picked, and picking starts long before sunrise, as the pre-dawn light is enough for the workers, often including Fred and Melody, to see the grape clusters. Then, after picking, the fruit is immediately taken to the winery for hand sorting, crushing, and fermenting.

Freshly Picked Fruit

This commitment to creating something living, personal, and meaningful are the root systems of the Burbank Estate Wine brand. And the wines themselves have been honored by multiple awards, those that take other vineyards decades to win. We met and discussed these and other issues that contemporary vintners often face when we interviewed Fred and Melody:

Fred And Melody Burbank, In the Tasting Room, Burbank Ranch

Pursuitist:   As regards you both, this was not your first profession. I am curious as to how you made the transition from medical doctor and marketing professional to successful vintners. Burbank Ranch Estate Vineyard and Winery is the culmination of a vision that both that you and Melody had. How did that vision emerge?

Products Of The Original Vision

Fred: I grew up in Omaha, Nebraska – a medium sized Midwest city surrounded by farmland.  That countryside always seemed peaceful to me.  Furthermore, the seasonal cycle of planting, growing, harvesting, and winter dormancy was a natural clock, one that ran at a human pace.  Reflecting this environment, by 3rd or 4th grade children in Omaha had all learned many of the principles of farming: crop rotation, contour plowing, aquifers, and the like. After leaving Nebraska, I lived exclusively in cities or suburbs – with no surrounding farmlands. I missed open spaces, farms, and seasons.

Fred In The Vineyard.

Melody:  Five generations of my family lived on small farms in the San Joaquin Valley.  My grandfather retired from the Los Angeles police force to a little ranch in northeastern San Fernando Valley.  Grandpa grew fruit trees and vegetables. I loved that country life and wanted a return to it.

Pursuitist: What made you choose the Central California area in contrast to the more popular Napa/Sonoma area? What attracted you to the Central Coast region?

Fred:  When I made the transition from clinical practice to full-time medical device development, Melody and I had a bit of free time.  We used that time to visit the two well-known wine grape-growing regions in California: the Napa Valley and Sonoma. Although Napa and Sonoma were charming they were a bit overdeveloped and fancy for me.  For whatever reason, they did not feel right.

Melody:  When we went to dinner in Napa at a well-known high-end restaurant, Fred showed up without a proper tie and jacket. He had to borrow both from the restaurant.  You can picture how much he liked that.  Then the food came.  He maintains that his dinner consisted of one pea on a huge white plate with a drizzle of purple something or other splashed around it.  I think he asked the waiter for additional bread a dozen times.  Maybe more.  The restaurant was definitely not our kind of place. We were seeking something, like what Napa and Sonoma were 40 years ago, not now.

 Pursuitist: How did you find the land that was to become Burbank Ranch?

Fred:  When our youngest child, Noah, started college at Stanford in Palo Also, we began driving up to the Bay Area from Laguna Niguel to visit him.  To break up the drive, we often stopped in Paso Robles – a good halfway point.

When we arrived there in the early afternoon, we toured wineries.  Unlike Napa or Sonoma, Paso still had a country feel to it.  It was possible to drive by a ranch and find a pickup truck up on concrete blocks with someone crawling under to fix a leak or replace an oil filter. It reminded me of rural Nebraska.

The Vineyard In Pacific Coast Fog

Melody:  The rolling hills on the eastern side of Paso Robles captured me.  Vineyards were present, but undeveloped ranch land was everywhere.  Rather than purchasing an existing vineyard, we decided to build our own from the ground up. I had looked at many vineyards and lots of land and when we saw our property I knew it was the one. I felt peaceful and serene and I knew we had arrived.

Pursuitist: How did development proceed?

Fred:  We chose a property on El Pomar Drive.  El Pomar means “orchard” in Spanish, reflecting the past when orchards had been planted in our area.

I wish I could say that we planned it all oh-so-carefully in advance, but we didn’t. Each step led to the next, and here we are today with 45 acres of planted wine grapes, an estate home, and a guest house, a barn, a working winery and tasting room.

Main Residence In Front With Lap Pool, Winery And Tasting Room Behind.

Pursuitist: What are your favorite times of the day at the Vineyard?

Melody:  I like early mornings and late afternoons best because the lighting is best for picture taking.  I never tire of seeing the sun come up, shining light across the vines.  Similarly, each sunset over the Santa Lucia Mountains seems more beautiful than the last. I never miss the sunset. I also like the nighttime because you can see so many stars.

Fred:  I like midday.  In the summer it is generally hot at noon, just perfect for swimming laps in the pool.

Pursuitist: As regards the Central Coast area, it is becoming a popular wine, and olive growing area now. When you bought the land that would eventually become Burbank Ranch, could you see the growth possibilities of the region? Or was this a surprise?

Fred:  By the time we purchased our property in 2008 wineries in Paso Robles had already proven that they could produce world-class wines from grapes grown in Paso.  In fact, in 2013 Paso Robles was named the “Wine Region of the Year” by the Wine Enthusiast magazine.  The award was given to Paso because it exhibited positive “…spirit and can-do positivity … it’s the region to watch.”

Veraison Early Grapes

Melody: In reflection, I guess I could see the growth possibilities because there’s so much land available and the wines coming from Paso are really good. Furthermore, because the Paso wine scene is relatively new, it’s not gotten stuck in a niche like Napa Cabernet. Paso lends itself to Bordeaux style grapes, Rhone style grapes and many others. That aspect of the area is very appealing for someone who wants to get into the wine business.

Did I anticipate that it would grow with more vineyards and olive orchards? I didn’t think about it. But I’m not surprised. It’s a lovely area and people are attracted to it.

Pursuitist: Burbank Ranch produces Estate Bottled wines – what does that mean?

Fred: “Estate Bottled” means that 100 percent of the wine comes from grapes grown on the Ranch and those grapes are crushed, fermented, finished, aged, and bottled on the Ranch. With the completion of our 19,000 square foot crush pad, tank room, underground barrel storage vaults, offices, and tasting room building, we now produce estate bottle wines.

Burbank Ranch Tasting Room, Sunset

We hand pick grapes either at night or at first light, transport them to the crush pad, hand sort the bunches, de-stem, hand sort berries, must pump grape berries to temperature controlled fermentation tanks, ferment, store in barrels, rack, filter, and bottle all on the ranch. Consequently, our wines are now “Estate Bottled.”

Pursuitist: Burbank Ranch has won multiple awards, and the Vineyard is still young. What are your thoughts on these accolades? And which one was the most surprising to you?

Interior Tasting Room, Burbank Ranch

Melody:  Our intention from the beginning of this adventure was to produce high quality grapes that lead to producing excellent wines. While Fred and I have both earned London-based Wine & Spirit Educational Trust (WSET) Level II Sommelier Certification, and we knew our farming practices were top notch and we thought our wines are fantastic, I still wanted outside evaluation of our initial wines to feel confident that we could produce world-class wines.

Four Winning Burbank Ranch Wines

Our first vintage was 2010.  My favorite wine, our 2010 Cabernet Franc, won “Best in Class” at the six-county, Central Coast Wine Competition in July of 2012. It went on to win a “Double Gold” award at the 2013 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, the largest competition of American wines in the world. This recognition confirmed my confidence in our wines.Since then, our wines have won awards at competitions across the country.

A Few Recent Burbank Ranch Wine Wins

 Pursuitist: Where do you see Burbank Ranch in the next few years? Is there room for expansion?

Melody:  Through wine competitions we have shown that we can produce high-quality grapes and from these grapes produce high-quality wines.  The next step for the Ranch is breaking into commercial sales.  Showing our wines in the tasting room and selling wine from that facility is pleasant and rewarding. And, in a sense, it is relatively simple.  Customers have self-selected themselves as interested in a new wine experience.  They have traveled some distance to reach the Ranch.  And, generally, they are not in a hurry.

Tasting Room Table, Set For Private Tastings

Commercial sales are an entirely different process.  Picture a busy mother, with her 3 year-old child in the shopping cart, pushing rapidly through the supermarket.  She is planning an evening dinner, gathering the items needed.  She reaches the wine aisle.  Ugh!  How does she choose wine to match her dinner? Does she do it by country of production, grape type, or wine maker style?  Or does she just buy on price?  Maybe label look?  Unlike the tasting, room, no one is standing in the aisle ready to talk her through the maze.

Consequently, the next step is the commercialization of the sale of Burbank Ranch wines.

Pursuitist: Finally, what are a few lessons you have learned in this process of owning and building a successful vineyard and winery? Has the Vineyard created different priorities for you, in some way or ways?

Fred:  We were very fortunate to have excellent consultants for phases of Ranch development that were foreign to us. I have learned about soil and water evaluation, irrigation planning, root-stock and grape clone matching, plant spacing, and vine training systems — each required expert help. None of this was a surprise.  And each phase had time boundaries. We knew when the phase would begin, and we knew when it would end.

Melody:

One of the simple fascinating things that I’ve learned is that farming depends a lot on Mother Nature. Of course I’ve always heard that but experiencing it over the last eight years has been eye opening, interesting and fun. Though we love rain, we can also get stuck in the mud. Though we love sun, it can also be too hot. Our grapes love balance, just as we do.

Freshly Picked Grapes From The Vineyard.

Our Ranch manager, Ruben, often says that working in the vineyard, and keeping all the 78,573 grapevines happy is like having 78,573 children. We feel that way also – each day, we care for them, and their nurturance. We know they are living things, and if we are good to them, they will be good to us. And they have.

The Fruit Of The Burbank Vines at Sunset

 The post The Vintners’ Vision : The Burbank Ranch Estate Vineyard and Winery appeared first on Pursuitist.

The Vintners’ Vision : The Burbank Ranch Estate Vineyard and Winery published first on http://ift.tt/2pewpEF

[karieengels]

If you’ve always wanted to own a winery here is your chance. The 84-acre Turnkey Business will be sold by Elite Auctions on June 17th

Burbank Ranch Vineyard and Winery, an 83.5-acre property with a thriving, licensed wine production business, will be sold at auction without reserve by Elite Auctions on June 17, 2017. Located at 5685 El Pomar Drive in Templeton, California, the estate is registered as a bed and breakfast and includes a 45-acre vineyard, three residential buildings and a modern winery and tasting room.

“Burbank Ranch was meticulously designed as a wine maker and connoisseur’s dream. The vineyard produced many award-winning wines, including Best of Class, during the first year it was harvested,” said Randy Haddaway, President and Founder of Elite Auctions. “Burbank Ranch was a true labor of love for Doctor Fred and Melody Burbank, who designed, constructed and farmed the 83.5-acre property for nearly 10 years. The buyer who purchases this property will be handed a highly esteemed operation that’s poised to continue growing into a booming business.”

In 2008 the Burbanks developed and planted the 45-acre, sustainably farmed vineyard, which is now comprised of 80,000 plants that produce 16 grape varietals. Handpicked fruit is processed using the ranch’s state-of-the-art machinery and monitored by high-tech computer programs, all of which is available for purchase.

The 19,000-square-foot tasting room is situated on the property’s highest point and features wall-to-wall windows with panoramic views of the Santa Lucia Mountains. The main room boasts an oak tasting bar and opens to an expansive terrace that offers seating and an outdoor bar that overlooks acres of vineyards across rolling hills. A commercial-grade kitchen and three private offices are also located on the main floor.

Below the tasting room, expert wine maker Steve Anglim strategically designed the wine-production space to house cutting-edge equipment and temperature-controlled storage space. Fermentation tanks, barrel vaults, a crush pad and a laboratory are thoughtfully positioned throughout the building to maximize quality wine production. The one-of-a-kind facility was designed with top-of-the-line ventilation and computer systems that are unparalleled in Paso Robles wine country. Burbank Ranch is certified to produce 10,000 cases of wine annually.

The 4,550-square-foot main house is a one-story, four-bedroom, four-and-one-half-bathroom estate. The home’s entryway opens to the living room, which boasts high ceilings, a grand oak bar and glass French doors that lead to the backyard. Behind the home sits a lap pool, a Bocce Ball court and a dining area shaded by a pagoda blanketed by lush wisteria flowers.

Also on the property is the 2,970-square-foot “Green Barn,” a steel agriculture building that houses farming machinery, tractors and utility vehicles. An attached 650-square-foot, two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment includes a living room, a kitchen and a washer/dryer. The property’s final structure is a 1,000-square-foot gatehouse with three-bedrooms, two-bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room and a washer/dryer.

Burbank Ranch is located in the El Pomar District of the Paso Robles American Viticultural Area (AVA), which is recognized as one of the few premium grape-growing regions in the world. In 2013, Paso Robles won Wine Enthusiast’s Wine Region of the Year award, which recognizes excellence in wine quality, innovation and excitement in an area. Burbank Ranch was also awarded the “Sustainability in Practice Certificate” by the Central Coast Vineyard Team for its energy efficiency, social equity, farming sustainability, water use, recycling and packaging processes.

Are you interested? Stroll through the slideshow below.

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Burbank Ranch is five miles from downtown Paso Robles, which is home to the annual California Mid-State Fair and a unique collection of restaurant, entertainment and shopping options. Burbank Ranch is easily accessible via private or commercial flights and is located 15 minutes from Paso Robles Municipal Airport and 30 minutes from San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport.

5685 El Pomar Drive is open for prospective buyers to view starting Saturday, May 20, 2017 and continuing every Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PDT. Private showings are also available by appointment. The last scheduled open house will be held the day before the auction on Friday, June 16, 2017 from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. PDT. Additional private tours are also available by calling Elite Auctions at 844.94ELITE.

The absolute auction will be held on site at 5685 El Pomar Drive, Templeton, California 93465 on Saturday, June 17, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. PDT. Broker participation is invited.

For additional information on this auction, as well as other Elite Auctions sales, please call 844.94-ELITE, email info@eliteauctions.com or visit www.EliteAuctions.com.

About Elite Auctions

Elite Auctions is a full-service, luxury real estate marketing company that bases its sales strategy on a collaborative team of partners and an accelerated sales process across the United States and internationally. Elite’s President and Founder, Randy Haddaway, is a former full-service advertising agency executive and former Senior Vice President of a prominent real estate auction firm, and has built a team that is directly responsible for over $330,000,000 in sales in just a 3 year period with over $1 billion in advisory marketing services. For more information call 844.94ELITE.

    Award-Winning Vineyard and Winery, Burbank Ranch, to be Auctioned in the Top U.S. Wine Region of Paso Robles, California If you've always wanted to own a winery here is your chance. The 84-acre Turnkey Business…

[nostalgiadr]

Paso Robles Splits Up

Paso Robles Splits Up

Last year, several dozen wine grape producers and owners of nearly a third of the land, applied to split up the huge 33,000 acre Paso Robles American Viticultural Area (AVA) into 11 smaller viticultural regions. This was done in an effort to describe each sub-appellation as separate and different areas. Now the United States Department of the Treasury has ruled that the new districts can…

[wine-porn]

Infantile El Pomar

This is some fruity shizzzz: oh man it hits instantly and fresh, almost to barrel-sample or press-wine levels: so thin and muscular the fruitiness is. Plum and apple in the nose, burnt down on lively young smokiness all energetic and ALIVE. At first, you’re almost turned away by it, feeling it might be all super-market in perhaps unimaginative fuzzy lushness. But it goes a different directin with…

[wine-porn]

Electrified

This wine is a bit of a nostalgic return: Dusty Nabor’s FIRST wine was his flagship cab from El Pomar District. He has since moved sourcing for that bottle to Happy Canyon, but here we have a joyful return to Paso Robles for his bargain second label series: No Special Occasion. Nearly impenetrable clear ruby in the glass with wide, staining pink edges. A nose unmistakably Paso: rich and a touch…

[wine-porn]

Choo-Choo

It was not my intention to open two Mourvedre���s back-to-back, but this thing called to me from the cellar tonight and I answered. Is it different from last night’s Monastrell? Night and day. And this is not something from the blingy throes of #winebro West-side Paso, but solid, perfectly articulated fare from the Templeton Gap out in El Pomar. Black and dense, the inky thinning to turbid-clear at…

[wine-porn]

Tempranillo Goals

SLO County hits pretty hard on the Iberian varieties: not just Edna Valley’s fascination with Albarino, but Paso Robles has numerous wineries putting out classic, well-done Tempranillo–not to mention Garnacha and Carinena–there’s even a little Mencia. Out on the east-side, in the vast rolling hills of El Pomar District, the dry climate, cooling influence of the Templeton Gap and gobs of sunshine…

[wine-porn]

Movin on Up

Staying over on the East-side of Paso tonight–sticking with the BDX varieties, but less than half the price of yesterdays. And… alcohols down in manageable levels. This is a beautiful wine, and the bang-for-the-buck is SHOCKING. When you look a Paso’s still-affordable cabs: the Ancient Peak’s, the Donati’s, the Sculptera’s, the Broken Earth’s, the J.Lohr’s, the Broadside’s, the Powell…

[wine-porn]

Temps for Hire

Not really *comparing* these wines–or at least not judging them against each other, but had a couple temps to open and decided to do them together. Fairly confident it will be apples-oranges. The Spaniard pours impenetrable bricking black-brown, musky and obviously very ripe in the nose. Old-worldy to an extent, but heady flush, concentrated maraschino and raisin elixir show this thing settling…

[wine-porn]

Jenny From the Block

Well, here’s your big, bold, bruiser Paso Cabernet. Purple-ruby in the glass, the pink rim staining my glasses terribly. Pretty muffin-top cherry-ridden nose all plush and sexy, the fruit reduced down into chewy squares of licorice, molasses and oak. The oak I must note started off very bold and distinctive on initial pour but slinks back into the wine quite comfortably with air. I’m chalking…

[wine-porn]

Crossover

Trying to guess the dominant varieties in GSM is always fun. Of course, the classical motivation for this moniker was CdP, where they ARE Grenache-proud and typically follow that order. We all have seen wineries attempt to modify the initials to suit their blend, but SMG is a transmission and MSG is synthesized umami and SGM just doesn’t flow off the tongue. So GSM has stuck around, though rarely…

[wine-porn]

Mourve Over

Mataro, Mourvedre, Monastrell, what EVER you want to say… JUST DON’T CALL IT GRACIANO. (sorry, Paso joke… you wouldn’t get it). Trying to remember the last Mourvedre I had. I honestly drink more Bandol and Monastrell than “Mourvedre”. This one is a gorgeous dark clear ruby–just a gorgeous wine in the glass: black/bruised-purple crimson with a pink edge. There was a distinct little bottle-funk at…

[wine-porn]

Forward. Never Straight.

Wow, what a beautiful wine. Dark, not-too-opaque ruby with *just* a kiss of garnet at the rim. Dirty and soiled in the nose, perfect barnyard funk melded nicely with deep cherry in a strong–but unextravagant way–of getting the sturdiness and solemnity across without the clingy attachments the ills of fruit-forwardness often bring. It’s rich. It’s ripe. It’s bold. But the tobacco and peaty…

[myblckcty]

Join My Black City in Celebrating and Supporting William Gamble. We Shine Brighter Together. #MyBlackCity https://myblackcity.org/william-gamble/?feed_id=7687 >> Pastor William Gamble is a retired US Air Force Communications Officer. Pastor Gamble was a continuous member of the People's United Methodist Church since 1994. Prior to that he worked in chapels and churches wherever he was assigned in the military. He is a licensed Local Pastor, certified by the District Committee on Ordained Ministry of the Rocky Mountain Conference, and is a Course of Study Program participant at the St Paul Theological seminary in Kansas, City, MO. He has been called upon to teach several Lay Speaking Basic and Advanced Courses in the Pikes Peak Sub-district. He has also served on various legislative committees at the Annual Conference, and currently serves as a board member/Secretary of the UMC Foundation for the Rocky Mountain Conference. Pastor Gamble was appointed to his present pastorate on July 1, 2009, and he served in that role until his retirement. As a visible member of the Colorado Springs Community, Pastor Gamble served as a member of the board for the Area Agency on Aging, Southern Colorado Black Roundtable (an advisory group to Governor Hickenlooper), El Pomar Black Advisory Council, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Chairman of the Colorado Springs Black Leadership Forum, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Bro. William Gamble served admirably as the lead facilitator for the Alpha Phi Alpha Iota Omicron Lambda Chapter Thanksgiving Basket Giveaway for several years. >> Pastor William Gamble is a retired US Air Force Communications Officer. Pastor Gamble was a continuous member of the People's United Methodist Church since 1994. Prior to that he worked in chapels and churches wherever he was assigned in the military. He is a licensed Local Pastor, certified by the District Committee on Ordained Ministry of the Rocky Mountain Conference, and is a Course of Study Program participant at the St Paul Theological seminary in Kansas, City, MO. He has been called upon to teach several Lay Speaking Basic and Advanced Courses in the Pikes Peak Sub-district. He has also served on various legislative committees at the Annual Conference, and currently serves as a board member/Secretary of the UMC Foundation for the Rocky Mountain Conference. Pastor Gamble was appointed to his present pastorate on July 1, 2009, and he served in that role until his retirement. As a visible member of the Colorado Springs Community, Pastor Gamble served as a member of the board for the Area Agency on Aging, Southern Colorado Black Roundtable (an advisory group to Governor Hickenlooper), El Pomar Black Advisory Council, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Chairman of the Colorado Springs Black Leadership Forum, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Bro. William Gamble served admirably as the lead facilitator for the Alpha Phi Alpha Iota Omicron Lambda Chapter Thanksgiving Basket Giveaway for several years.