Talk about walking on a cloud!

Last Thursday night, Oct. 28, I had the honor of not only being a recipient but also a presenter at the annual Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce Recognition Banquet.

The event was held at one of my favorite venues, the Angeles National Golf Club in Sunland.

I’m not a golfer but have had more than one occasion to visit the club. Once was during the summer for a dinner with my best friend and, during the summer especially, the club is a true retreat, so close to home – and the food is good, too!

The room was filled with leaders of the community, those who go the “extra mile” to accomplish and maintain the quality of life that we all treasure. It was especially fun to see some folks who first greeted me, left to go to their table, then returned with a big grin on their face after they learned that the CV Weekly received the award as Business of the Year. The night was full of congratulations and I felt honored to be included.

In addition to offering a few words of thanks for the award given to CV Weekly, I also had the chance to take the mic to introduce the awardee of Organization of the Year. That honor was given to the CV Drug and Alcohol Prevention Coalition.

The Coalition has accomplished an incredible amount in a relatively short time and due to the leadership of its organizers, was recognized by the chamber. I again offer the Coalition my congratulations and, with the rest of the CV community, anxiously await their next success.

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I missed Halloween.

Growing up just over the hill in Sun Valley, I was the girl who had her Halloween pumpkin on the front porch as soon as they went on sale in the supermarket. I first learned of Conwin Carbonics just off San Fernando Road when I went to buy dry ice. One year I even had a mix of human bodies and mannequins on the front lawn to scare trick-or-treaters.

After getting married and moving to our present home on a street that actually has streetlights, I was able to go nuts decorating the house for Halloween. My eldest son got the Halloween bug, too, and created some really fun props. His imagination was fed by other local events including the Haunted Jail at the CV Station (remember that?). One year we were able borrow a smoke-breathing dragon’s head that we had perched just over the front door.

We’ve had car “wrecks” in our driveway with skeletons hanging out of windows, fog drifting across our entryway courtesy of a fog generating machine and of course scary sound effects. But this year we didn’t even have a pumpkin – it rotted before the big day.

This year I found myself in Big Bear with my son, his wife and daughter. Pat and Taryn were there for a wedding and asked if I would join them so I could babysit. How fast did I say yes? Puleeze!

On Sunday, before heading home, we headed over to the The Village in Big Bear for their trick-or-treat event.

Dining at The Peppercorn Grille, we shared a meal with Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, Michael Myers of “Halloween” fame and an assortment of witches, goblins and ghoulies who paraded throughout The Village for its annual Halloween Haunt. The place was crawling with people costumed for the night and, like our own Montrose Spooktacular, the merchants had candy treats at the ready. Even my own baby granddaughter was dressed for the occasion in her lamb costume.

We enjoyed a wonderful meal that was made only better by the folks who embraced Halloween as much as I – even if this year it was only in my heart.

  robin goldsworthy, Viewpoints