Strike one: The shuttered Ralphs supermarket on Blue Ravine Road in Folsom apparently will not become a Strikes Family Entertainment Center after all.

Strikes co-owner Keith Burcham said last week that the owners of the supermarket struck a deal for a Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market instead. On-and-off negotiations for the site lasted about a year, and Keith said they were "really, really close" to making a deal for the bowling-dining-arcade complex.

The idea of Strikes in that struggling center was warmly greeted by some neighbors and other retail tenants, but other neighbors were loudly leery because Strikes sells alcohol and offers live music.

"This has nothing to do with the opposition," Keith said. "I don't want people to think they scared us off. … We want to be in Folsom. It just won't be in that facility."

Commercial broker Shaun Morrow said he expects Fresh & Easy to open next summer. British grocer Tesco has opened almost 70 of the smallish food stores in Southern California, Nevada and Arizona and plans to roll out dozens of stores in Northern California in 2009. …

Morton's maybe: A glossy brochure for a Folsom office building apparently jumped the gun a bit when it showed a much-coveted Morton's, the steakhouse in Elliott Homes' emerging Palladio lifestyle center.

The commercial broker's brochure also put Cheescake Factory at Palladio.

Unfortunately, for now, anyway, that's "wishful thinking," said Elliott Vice President Russ Davis.

"They have not signed leases," Russ said, acknowledging that there have been talks with Morton's and Cheescake chains. "We're talking with everybody. … It's a pretty small fraternity."

The same brochure also showed "Gormet (honest) Grocery Store," which presumably would be Whole Foods, the upscale grocer that will anchor Palladio, along with Barnes & Noble and a 16-screen theater.

General Growth Properties of Chicago recently announced a delay in opening a number of regional malls and shopping centers across the country, including the Elk Grove Promenade, because of the general economic malaise.

That decision will not affect Palladio because General Growth – which apparently has had outgoing phone problems for a couple of weeks – is only handling leasing for Elliott.

The opening still is set for October 2009, Russ said, though it's possible that the book anchor might open sooner.

He also said that building permits were pulled for eight more buildings in the last few weeks and that General Growth probably will announce some tenants before long.

If they get those phones fixed. Stay tuned. …

For the dogs: Saturday is opening day for FIDO Field, Folsom's long-awaited, 1.7-acre dog park next to Cummings Family Park on Creekside Drive.

The park features separate play areas for small and large dogs, double-gated entrances, a three-tier, wheelchair-accessible drinking fountain, a shade area, poop bags and a dog-wash area.

The 8 a.m. grand opening promises a ribbon-cutting ceremony, pet vendors, canine demonstrations, dog park etiquette and more, said Denise Hamma, spokeswoman for Folsom Independent Dog Owners, which has worked toward this day for more than eight years.

Denise said a metered entrance system will be used during the grand opening to handle the expected big crowd. For more information, visit www.fidoinc.org.

If I wasn't going to be at Tahoe – for a 44ish-year family tradition – I wouldn't miss this event. Cheers. …

Winemakers wanted: Want to learn how to make your own wine? For free.

El Dorado County grape growers Jim and Connie Ramos again are offering winemaking classes at their Oro Vista Vineyards, up near Lotus and Gold Hill roads in the Coloma area.

The classes are free, though Jim and Connie would love to sell you some of their merlot, zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon and primitivo grapes. We are talking good grapes – this year, Connie said, Oro Vista grape buyers won 13 home winemaker awards at the El Dorado County Fair and eight at the State Fair.

Classes will be held Saturday and Sunday and Aug. 23 and 24, all from 2 to 4 p.m.

Sign up at www.orovistavineyard.com. …

From the ashes: Thanks to great community efforts – especially from Rotary and the Sacramento River Cats – Cordova Girls Softball League is recovering from last month's vicious arson that destroyed some $15,000 in equipment and storage facilities at Mills Middle School.

And they need to hurry – the league is expecting 65 teams for its annual Labor Day weekend tournament.

Rod Borba, the past president who is coordinating recovery efforts, said Rotary of Rancho Cordova has pledged $3,000, applied for a matching grant from Rotary International and will provide labor to rebuild one of the damaged storage containers.

He also said the league is selling River Cats ticket vouchers – they get $5 per ticket – for the rest of the season and will benefit from a luau dinner Aug. 24 at the Cordova Church of Christ. For more information, or to buy tickets, call Rod at (916) 995-8750.

Call The Bee's Bob Walter, (916) 608-7448. Back columns, www.sacbee.com/walter.