NOD TO THE NORTH … I know it’s subversive, but as nightfall came on the Fourth of July, we headed north on Pole Line to a wide spot in the road where we could see fireworks shows from both Davis and Woodland … yes, we did miss Dan Wolk’s first patriotic speech as mayor — “Let the fireworks begin” — but we definitely got double our money’s worth …

Our vantage point was so perfect, in fact, that we saw some far, far north fireworks that we speculated must have come from Medford … oddly, even though Woodland is 10 miles north, which means darkness sets in just a bit later than it does in Davis at this time of year, Woodland’s fireworks started a full 20 minutes before Davis’ did … apparently their mayor gave a shorter speech than ours did …

NOD TO HISTORY … I’m extremely pleased that our formerly long-standing neighborhood ice cream joint, Dairy Queen, will not be completely demolished to make way for office space on the site … according to Wendy Weitzel’s must-read column, the building’s new owners are “pleased with the existing building’s unique roofline” and intend to preserve it … in other words, it will at least still look like a Dairy Queen … in addition, as part of the lease agreement, the new owners are required serve Dilly Bars to neighborhood children on those summer afternoons when the temperature exceeds 105 in the shade …

SUB-HUB CREATES HUBBUB … OK, I’ll admit right off the top I stole that clever headline from my friend Don, who wants credit in case it wins a Pulitzer for “Best Headline,” which may be a new category for 2014 … “Dear Bob,” Don begins, “I have just sent you an article from The New York Times. Our fair city has been named a sub-hub. Unless the Vigilant Eye seizes on the opportunity to write a column under the headline ‘Sub-hub Creates Hubbub,’ he should be ashamed of himself. I have not copyrighted this gem and it’s in the public domain, but I’m giving you first crack at it.” …

Thanks for the crack, Don, much appreciated … and to finally pull people out of the dark here, it turns out the White House recently announced seven regional “climate hubs” designed, according to The Times, “to help farmers and rural communities respond to the risks of climate change, including drought, invasive pests, fires and floods.” … fair enough, but if you read all the way through to the end of the piece, you will find this correction: “An earlier version of this article stated incorrectly one of the Obama administration’s climate hubs to help farmers and rural communities respond to the risk of climate change. Davis, Calif., is a sub-hub, not a hub.” …

What? … such despicable disrespect for our fair city from the very highest levels of the federal government … we will not take this lying down … put simply, Davis is not a sub-hub … we are a totally relevant city that has a goal of being carbon-neutral before the Second Coming and we’re most definitely a hub, not a sub-hub … The New York Times had it right the first time … unless this is immediately corrected, I say it’s time to start impeachment proceedings against the 44th president of the United States …

According to the “corrected” version of The Times, “The hubs will be in Ames, Iowa; Durham, N.H.; Raleigh, N.C.; Fort Collins, Colo.; El Reno, Okla.; Corvallis, Ore.; and Las Cruces, N.M.” … all wonderful college towns, to be sure, but only Corvallis can hold a candle to Davis …

The sub-hubs — not to be confused with Stub Hub — will be in Davis, Houghton (Michigan) and Rio Piedras (Puerto Rico) … turns out the Davis sub-hub will focus on blueberries and wine grapes … as my dad used to say, “hubba hubba” …

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME … responding to my surprise that a resident of the Yolo County seat is known as a “Woodlander” and not a “Woodlandite,” as reported by that town’s daily newspaper, my friend Debra on Far West Russell Boulevard writes “I thought the proper term for Woodlander was ‘Non-Davisite’ “ … precisely, Debra … also defined as one afflicted with Davis-envy …

— Reach Bob Dunning at [email protected]

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