Hometown Fun

Well, the cold that I earned at the 24-hour, rainy Relay for Life April 9-10 arrived full steam. I am stuffy-headed and feeling bleh – but I carry on.

Thankfully I wasn’t too pooped on Saturday not to take part in the 11th Annual Hometown Country Fair. I’ve been at just about every Hometown Country Fair and I truly believe this one was the best ever. The weather was near perfect, albeit a bit windy at times. The entertainment was great, there was a nice variety of food available for purchase and the kids had plenty of fun on the slides, Ferris wheel and the inflatables that were on-site.

There were some great organizations represented at the fair, too. One of my favorites was B.A.C.A. – Bikers Against Child Abuse – an international organization I became acquainted with a few years ago when my friend joined the group. These tough looking men and women have a united soft spot – helping to create a safer environment for kids who have been abused. The stories these bikers could tell would break your heart about the children they have had contact with over the years. What they attempt to do is make kids feel protected, especially those who have to testify against their abuser in court. If you have a minute, visit bacaworld.org and click on the B.A.C.A. video.

In addition to B.A.C.A. there were many other vendors and organizations set up on the lawn of the Crescenta Valley Park. This year saw the inclusion of members of the Armenian and Korean communities that set up pop-ups and introduced the crowd to aspects of their culture.

Prom Plus Club had “hamster balls” brought in from L.A. Partyworks, which provides the majority of our activities at Prom Plus every year. People paid $1 to get inside the plastic balls then race along the side of the park. It was a fun fundraiser for the May 21 Prom Plus event.

This year prom – and Prom Plus – is a week earlier than it typically is. Since graduation has been moved up to June 1, the prom has been moved accordingly. As in past years, the Crescenta Cañada YMCA is allowing us to use its facility to host the expected 450-plus students that will be attending.

As the date draws near, we on the Prom Plus committee are busy choosing the theme of this year’s event (it’s Star Wars), securing food and raising money to pay for the $20,000-plus event. One of our biggest fundraisers is the Taste of Montrose coming up on Sunday, May 1. This family-friendly event is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is held in conjunction with the Kids N Kritters and Wags N Whiskers event also being held on Honolulu Avenue. Thousands will be coming onto the avenue and we’re excited to give them a chance to try a taste of our local cuisine. Tickets are $20 and are available here at the offices of the CV Weekly (3800 La Crescenta Ave. #101), at the Merle Norman Montrose store and at the Montrose and Crescenta Valley chambers of commerce. Please put Taste of Montrose on your calendar and plan to join us on May 1.

Some might be unfamiliar with what Prom Plus is all about. In brief, back in 1991 one of CV High School’s seniors was shot and killed at an unsupervised post-prom hotel party. That incident galvanized the community into creating a safe but fun event for the kids to attend after prom. Those who attend prom don’t pay to attend Prom Plus; it’s included in the purchase of their prom ticket. Those seniors who only want to attend Prom Plus can pay $20 at the door of the Y at midnight.

There’s plenty to do to keep our guests busy from midnight to 5 a.m. Past events have included a climbing wall, mechanical bull, full casino and even a zip line. We also have opportunity drawings for great gifts for our seniors. But it’s expensive! So we host fundraisers and are always accepting donations.

Plan now to attend Taste of Montrose or, if you can’t be there on May 1, consider making a financial donation. You can make a check out to Prom Plus and mail to P.O. Box 212, Verdugo City, CA 91046 or drop it by our office here.

Thanks for your support!

  robin goldsworthy