As the Willow Glen Farmer's Market gears up for a new season, Willows Smokehouse Deli will be missing from the lineup.

On March 31, after less than a year in business, the North Willow Glen­based delicatessen shut its doors. Bill Rankin and Annette Boyer opened the Delmas Avenue location last June. It was adjacent to Ralph's Custom Smokehouse.

"We had stars in our eyes about being a big draw for the neighborhood and Willow Glen," Rankin said.

It had been a longtime dream of Rankin's to open a restaurant, and when he met smokehouse owner Montana Hutton two years ago he thought it had come true. During the next year, Rankin and Boyer created a menu that featured Hutton's meats in cold and hot deli sandwiches and barbecue dinners. But the business was never sufficient to make up for the startup costs.

Rankin said he will probably return to his former career in carpentry. Boyer works in the high­tech industry.

"It is sad, but I'm glad we tried it," Rankin said. "I'm thankful for the people in the neighborhood who were glad we were here."

One neighbor who will miss the deli is Kevin Christman. He said the deli was a welcome addition to the neighborhood, which has been working toward improvement with help from the San Jose Redevelopment Agency Strong Neighborhoods Initiative. It was a place he would bring friends to show off the changes in the area.

Spring forward with
a library book sale

The Friends of the Willow Glen Library invite residents to take a break from spring cleaning for a book sale.

On April 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the nonprofit will sell a wide selection of adult and children's books, videos, DVDs and CDs at the Willow Glen Branch Library, located at 1157 Minnesota Ave. Proceeds from the sale will benefit the library.

To arrange for an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act, call 408.808.2397 at least 48 hours prior to the event.

For more information, visit www. sjlibrary.org or call 408.998.2022.

Stone Church will celebrate remodel

Piece by piece, the Stone Church's $1.35 million renovation is almost complete, and the community is invited to celebrate the project.

The church has added 600 square feet, while preserving all of its Carmel stone exterior walls. It has relocated the nursery to the sanctuary and the old office has been remodeled into four classrooms.

On April 16 from 1 to 4:30 p.m. the church will open its doors to the public with free coffee and tea, a concert and hands-on activities for children.

The Stone Church is located at 1937 Lincoln Ave.

Cisco grant to Healthy
Kids aids health needs

The Cisco Systems Foundation is helping local children stay healthy.

The foundation gave a $7,500 grant to Healthy Kids, a locally funded health insurance program that provides coverage to low- and moderate-income children and children who do not qualify for public insurance programs because of immigration status. The program is a part of the Campbell-based Santa Clara County Family Health Foundation.

Money from the grant will provide funding for insurance, as well as community outreach and enrollment efforts.

"We are grateful to the Cisco Systems Foundation for their generous contribution to our efforts," Santa Clara County Family Health Chief Executive Officer Leona Butler said. "Through community-based commitments such as these, we can continue toward our goal of universal health coverage for all our children."

Children's fair is time for fun and learning

To celebrate the national "Month of the Young Child," the city of San Jose is holding its 17th annual children's fair on April 23.

In keeping with this year's theme, "Young at Art," children age 2 to12 can take part in hands-on activities at more than 60 booths sponsored by organizations and businesses offering products and services for families with young children. The fair will also feature family entertainment, special attractions, exhibits and food. Attendees are encouraged to bring nonperishable food items to donate to Second Harvest Food Bank.

Sponsoring organizations include the Santa Clara Family Health Plan, the Santa Clara County Office of Education's Head Start Program, the Center for Employment and Training, Children's Discovery Museum, Community Family Services Inc. and the San Jose Conservation Corps.

The focus of the "Month of the Young Child" is the need for high-quality, accessible and affordable early childcare and education. In keeping with this goal, the city of San Jose will present four awards to "outstanding contributors to child care" at the fair.

The fair is scheduled from 11 a. m. to 4 p.m. at Discovery Meadow, W. San Carlos Street and Woz Way near the Children's Discovery Museum of San José. For more information, visit www.moyc-csj.org or call 408.808.2617.