Owner of Happy Heart Yoga Micky Lal is committed to providing the town of Davis with easy access to wellness services and exercise classes

By ZOE SMITH — city@theaggie.org

Happy Heart Yoga is offering free yoga classes on Fridays in Arroyo Park, with donation-based yoga classes, where participants are encouraged to pay what they can afford, as well as circuit training also being offered throughout the week. The class schedule can be found on their website, Happy Heart Davis. 

Micky Lal, co-founder and owner of Happy Heart Yoga, has a master’s degree in kinesiology from St. Mary’s University and has worked as a clinical health educator for over 10 years. Lal serves the community of Davis by providing affordable yoga and exercise classes, personal training and wellness seminars. 

“I just want to help people,” Lal said. “I’ve struggled with my own health in the past where I’ve had back pain and I was overweight. I’ve been able to reduce my back pain and am able to keep the weight off. So once I did that for myself, I was like, ‘I want to help people out there that are struggling with their wellness and their health.’”

One of Lal’s main goals in creating Happy Heart Yoga was to create a safe space in Davis that fosters a sense of community.

“During the pandemic, me and my wife actually moved to Davis,” Lal said. “We were really excited about meeting new people and making new friends and then quarantine happened and we didn’t meet anyone.”

The Happy Heart studio is located in West Davis, where they also offer indoor yoga classes. 

“I started teaching a free class out in the park on Fridays so that me and my wife could make some friends,” Lal said. “And so that’s how we kind of started and from there it built up a little bit more. We have a little studio here in West Davis.”

Other than free and donation-based classes, Lal offers strength training classes, healthy living classes and indoor yoga that cost $15 to drop in, or $12 if you buy a 10 class pass. 

“I’ve practiced donation-based yoga in the past, and I was like, ‘Oh, this is really nice, especially if you’re kind of struggling on finding a class or don’t really want to pay a whole lot of money,’” Lal said.

Happy Heart Yoga’s studio is located at 1260 Lake Blvd. Suite #120. For more information or to book a spot in a class, text or call (707) 999-3016 or email info@happyheartdavis.com.

Written By: Zoe Smith — city@theaggie.org

The establishment is set to open at the end of Sept. on Olive Drive

By HANNAH SCHRADER —  city@theaggie.org

Volt Coffee, Tea and Taps will operate as a coffee shop during the day and, on select nights, will transform into a beer garden offering craft beer and food trucks. Volt is located at 1123 Olive Drive, which is currently a Tax Solutions Group owned by Robert Salazar, but will transition to be a space also used for the new establishment at the end of Sept.

Some of the food trucks that will be offered are Chanchos Mexican food, King Tot Tater Tots, Noodle Daddy Noodles and Burning Chef Pizza. Salazar, also one of the co-owners of Volt, discussed the environment he envisions the shop having. 

“That’s something similar that I want to replicate [which] has been incredibly successful in other parts of the world where you create almost this beer garden where people can grab a drink, a coffee or a beer and then go outside to a food trailer of their choosing and then stay outside with friends with no pressure of getting out of there in a specific period of time,” Salazar said.

Salazar talked about the other owners of Volt and the strengths they bring to the management.

“The other two owners have been part of my practice,” Salazar said. “One is a partner with me and the other is an individual who works with me. The individual who works with me has a background in working in the coffee business for years and years and years. She’s a UC grad who just loves coffee, taking courses at UC Davis.”

Salazar described how the owners of Volt plan on maintaining high-quality products while also offering a diverse selection.

“We’re going to use organic as much as possible and we’re going to try to source it locally for the economy,” Salazar said. “We’re going to try and, you know, use never processed foods. It’s going to be fresh and what we have is what we serve. The menu or menus will be driven by what we can get. We want to provide a healthy choice but a good choice too.” 

While Volt is still a new business, Salazar hopes for the cafe to expand and branch out into future locations. 

“Our goal is to open more locations, to grow [and] iron out all the little things,” Salazar said. “Then eventually I’m going to look for investors and open up more. I mean, there’s no reason why this type of model shouldn’t succeed.”

Cory Koehler, the executive director of the Davis Chamber of Commerce commented via email on the upcoming opening of Volt.

“The Davis Chamber of Commerce welcomes Volt Coffee, Tea and Taps to town,” Koehler said. “We hope the owners and their staff connect with the Davis community, including its residents, student body, local elected officials and visitors. The business offers a unique menu that fits well with the Davis community. The Chamber is hoping the business takes our offer to host a ribbon cutting ceremony to welcome them to our great city.” 

Written by: Hannah Schrader —  city@theaggie.org

Local businesses collaborate to bring back the event for 2023

By ALMA CULVERWELL — city@theaggie.org 

The Pence Gallery and The Artery have brought back the 2nd Friday ArtAbout in Davis for another year. The free event occurs on the second Friday of each month and is a self-guided art walk that showcases the work of many local artists, businesses, and musicians in the area.  

The event was founded over 20 years ago by the Davis Downtown Business Association when several local art galleries wanted to provide a shared space for local artist exhibits. The ArtAbout tours were temporarily stopped in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Artery, the Pence Gallery and Logos Books brought back the event in July 2021.

Adele Shaw, local artist and ArtAbout coordinator, said that the tours are important to the Davis community. 

“I know how important it is for people to know that they can go out and go to art openings,” Shaw said. “I know how important it is for the community for people to be able to meet and share that moment and see new shows and be influenced by the magic of art and music and performance and all kinds of things that happen during the ArtAbout.”

The ArtAbout tours host many local businesses including Arboretum Artworks, 3rd Space Art Collective, Davis Craft and Vintage, Hunt Boyer Plaza, the Paint Chip and more. Shaw shared that the public has had many good things to say about the event. 

“We’ve heard really wonderful and positive things from the public and from the community about how much they enjoy art and how important it is to them to know that on a Friday evening there’s something to do that’s community-based, community-driven and community-centric,” Shaw said.  

Natalie Nelson, director of the Pence Gallery, described her favorite part of the ArtAbout tours and how the event brings the community together.

“My favorite part of it is the connection between the artist and their work and the public,” Nelson said. “People really enjoy asking questions of the artist, and understand the work better while having a great time with friends. I also like that you can walk to all of the venues since they are all located downtown. […] I think it makes people feel more knit into a tighter community. You can walk into various businesses or galleries with art up, and it’s a great feeling of exploring your own backyard.” 

The tours are sponsored by the Davis Downtown Business Association, Copyland and are also supported by a grant from The City of Davis Arts and Cultural Affairs Program. While the tours receive funding, Nelson said that they are encouraging the public to financially support the local artists.

“We are also trying to encourage people to support artists financially by buying their work, and by donating to the musicians who play,” Nelson said. “Many people and small businesses benefit when we support our local artists.” 

The next ArtAbout will take place on July 14 from 5 to 9 p.m. and will highlight artwork focusing on cats. 

Written By: Alma Culverwell — city@theaggie.org

Memorial organized by Maria Breaux and the city remembers the “Compassion Guy”

By MADELEINE YOUNG — city@theaggie.org

On Saturday, June 3, members of the community gathered by the Compassion Bench in honor of the late David Henry Breaux. The memorial was organized by the city of Davis and his sister, Maria Breaux, and featured multiple speakers including Mayor Will Arnold, former Mayor Rob Davis and former UC Davis professor Marina Oshana, among others. When asked about the turnout, Maria stated her gratitude for the community. 

“I still haven’t registered it yet, but it’s beautiful,” Maria said. “People loved him and he loved Davis. He made such an impact on people from all walks of life. It’s very special.”

Maria introduced the first speaker, Mayor Will Arnold, who talked about David’s impact on the community and the Compassion Bench.

“David could have chosen a lot of places in the world or even in Davis, but this is the crossroad he chose,” Arnold said. “That’s why we’re here today, to carry on a mission that he began in earnest and has spread throughout our community”

Former Mayor Rob Davis followed Arnold by sharing his memories of David, which date back to 2009. 

“I learned to listen to people and realized what David’s secret was at the bench — it was that he was willing to listen,” Davis said. “He was willing to validate the fears and anger and was not going to just sit there, but he was going to provide a space where people could deal with the challenges they were facing. David transformed my practice. I can’t think of another person in my life who transformed the way I was more than David.”

Davis then followed up with his hopes for community action in honor and remembrance of David’s commitment to compassion.

“As we think about how we’re going to remember David, I don’t want us to put a plaque by a bench,” Davis said. “That’s good, but we need to develop a set of practices, because David was always about practice. We need spaces where we community members are actively listening as David listened. We need community navigators, who will help orient people towards the help they need in the community. As we remember him today, there is a challenge that we do not leave this place with a memorial in mind, but we leave this place with a commitment to act in the ways that David would have wanted us to.”

Oshana then introduced a new scholarship fund, David Breaux Memorial Scholarship, that has been put together by the Yolo Community Foundation and will be open to high school seniors and first-year college students who demonstrate financial need. 

“You all know who David was, you all know what he did for us,” Oshana said. “This scholarship will be for those demonstrating an abiding commitment to social justice as compassionate service. David’s life mission was to spread awareness of compassion. This scholarship continues this goal and will allow a young person to help cultivate, in their own ways, a world where everyone treats each other with kindness, empathy and unconditional love.” 

The community mourns the loss of David Henry Breaux and is hopeful for the legacy he has left in Davis. To donate to the memorial scholarship, you can visit this website: https://srcf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=4069&sorg_id=1000.

Written By: Madeleine Young — city@theaggie.org 

The city is partnering with the California Raptor Center to help return a baby owl to its nest

By ALMA CULVERWELL — city@theaggie.org 

The city and California Raptor Center recently helped with the renesting of an injured Great Horned Owlet who was displaced from its family by installing a wicker basket to serve as a more stable nest and new habitat for the owls in the area. The city of Davis has been assisting with the rehabilitation of bird species in collaboration with the California Raptor Center for the past 20 years. They assist with a wide range of species from Red-Tailed Hawks to Burrowing Owls. 

Julie Cotton, the Raptor Center’s operations supervisor, described the rehabilitation process for the owlet that the center recently helped back to safety.

“This particular owlet was found by a local family along the Putah Creek bike path in South Davis,” Cotton said. “It appeared to have taken a fall from its nest before it was ready to fledge. That is, before it was ready to leave the nest and fly. The family realized the owlet could be injured and was in danger in an area with so much foot traffic, so they brought it to the California Raptor Center.” 

Cotton talked about the importance of owlets being raised by their parents and the process of reuniting them.

“We found that the owlet was uninjured, and our goal immediately became to reunite it with its family,” Cotton said. “Years of our own experiences and the experiences of other wildlife rehabilitators have shown that Great Horned Owl chicks do best when raised by their own parents or foster parents of the same species. One way to reunite them is to ‘renest’ them, which means returning them to their original nest or providing a substitute nest nearby.”

The Raptor Center was able to achieve this by working with City of Davis Wildlife Resource Specialist John McNerney. McNerny explained the actions he took in order to rescue the owlet.

“The owlet was transported in a top-loading pet carrier, similar to the ones used to carry a cat or other small pet,” McNerny said. “… I took the owlet up in the lift truck and carefully approached the nest site. Caution was necessary to prevent the sibling owlet from fleeing the nest. The wicker basket was attached to the nest tree approximately one meter from the original nest using plastic zip ties. The owlet was then extracted from the carrier and gently placed in a wicker basket. Finally, I quickly lowered away from the nest so the owlet could relax and settle in. Everything went smoothly and the operations supervisor reported that the parents resumed caring for the renested owlet that evening.” 

According to Julie Cotton, Great Horned Owls are the third most common species treated at the Raptor Center and many are brought in each year. In order to better protect these species, McNerney and Cotton recommend avoiding the use of rodenticides, avoiding trimming trees in spring and summer months and calling a wildlife center before picking up a baby owl on the ground.

Written By: Alma Culverwell — city@theaggie.org