Award-winning Chula Vista Centennial book now available at a special anniversary price beginning October 17 marking city's 101st birthday.

CHULA VISTA, Calif. (October 17, 2012) – Celebrating the city of Chula Vista's 101st birthday on October 17, Chula Vista 100, the Centennial volunteer organization, announces that "Chula Vista Centennial: A Century of People and Progress" by Steven Schoenherr won three nationally recognized book awards and a local award from the San Diego Book Award Association. The colorful coffee table style book is now available at a special anniversary price online at ChulaVista100.com, at both Chula Vista Costco locations and Barnes & Noble in Otay Ranch.

The book won the following awards:

• San Diego Book Award Association – Winner, Local Interest and History. Founded in 1994, the SDBAA honors the best published books and unpublished manuscripts by San Diego County residents each year.

• Eric Hoffer Book Award – Finalist, Art category. This award recognizes books that capture the experience, execution, or demonstration of the arts, including art, fine art, graphic art, architecture, design, photography, and coffee table books. Fewer than 10% of titles become category finalists.

• Independent Book Publishers Association's "Ben Franklin" Award – Finalist, Regional category. Named in honor of America's most cherished publisher/printer, the Benjamin Franklin Awards™ recognizes excellence in independent publishing and judges books on editorial and design merit by top practitioners in each field.

• Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPYs) -- Finalist in the Regional Best Non-Fiction West-Pacific. IPBA recognizes excellence in publishing. Of 4,813 print book entries, 2,400 independent authors and publishers submitted books.

On March 12th, Chula Vista will celebrate California Arbor Day with a Centennial event led by the Environmental Sub-Committee and the Chula Vista Garden Club.  One hundred lemon trees will be planted throughout the city. Each tree will be certified and stories about the trees and owners will become part of our history and heritage.

Earlier this month, the City of Chula Vista's City Council declared the "Lemon Tree" as the City's official tree. Lemons were the first major agricultural crop and in the early part of the 20th Century, Chula Vista was known as the "Lemon Capitol of the World". The city was filled with lemon orchards and the packing houses brimming with a unique, thin skinned, sweet lemon valued by many. Today, the commercial lemon groves have moved out of the city, but private gardens and farmers markets keep the lemon on our tables.

On Saturday the 12th, Chula Vistans will pick up their tree at the Hilltop Tabernacle Church. The City's arborist, Paul Sirois will give a demonstration on the planting and caring for the trees. Volunteers are available to help the new tree owners with their treasure.  The Arbor Day Lemon Tree event has been supported by the Hilltop Tabernacle Church which staged the pick-up event, Durling Nursery who gave us the trees at their cost, the Chula Vista Garden Club for their support, and many local businesses who donated supplies and support.