If you’re like most people, myself included, you zip through the commercials on your TV’s DVR. You ignore the sponsorship page in the event booklet and go straight to the calendar of activities. But without commercials, there’d be no TV. Without business sponsors, there’d be no community events.  Without advertising and sponsorship, there’d likely be no businesses. And without businesses, there’d be no goods and services to increase the quality of our lives.

Therefore, while I have no sanctioned authority to do so, I declare today National Sponsor and Advertiser Appreciation Day.

I’d like to start the festivities by appreciating the sponsors that helped make last weekend’s Hometown Country Fair such a huge success. Thousands of local and out-of-area people came to enjoy the entertainment, the amusements, the food, the shopping and the exhibits. Volunteers, of course, had a lot to do with pulling off this ambitious undertaking, volunteers such as members of the American Legion, Prom Plus Club, CV Chamber, CVHS football team and dozens of other individuals. We thank each and every one of them.

In addition to our volunteers, businesses and individuals from all corners of our community stepped up to the plate with financial and in-kind support. In an inspired move, two supporters formed coalitions of businesses to become title sponsors. Those sponsors are: Valley Automotive Group, made up of 10 local auto care facilities, Bruce’s Automotive, 1 Stop Auto, Corey’s Independent Mercedes & BMW, Campbell’s Automotive Repair, Hexagon LLC, Ken Daniels Automotive, Serge’s Automotive, Smith Brother’s Complete Auto, Allstate Auto Repair and Jason’s Automotive Specialty.

And the CV Korean American Business Group, made up of Blue Air Commercial Refrigeration, Pho Season, Realtor Charlie Suh, CHL Trading, United Escrow Co., RP&I Management, Young Scholars Institute, West Coast Builders, Zen Sushi, Eben Ezer Medical Clinic, and Realtors James & Monica An.

Our other sponsors were Supervisor Michael Antonovitch, Nam Eye Center, Hancock Park Surgery Center, Bob Smith Toyota Scion, Monteau, Inc., Waste Resources, Inc., Descanso Garden Spa, Gelsingers Amber Road/Zeke’s Smokehouse, Crescenta Valley Weekly, Dream Dinners-La Crescenta, Bonners Equipment Rentals, Crescenta-Cañada Pet Hospital, USC Verdugo Hills Hospital, Kwon Orthodontics, Syncis, Inc., Burrtec, Crescenta Valley Water District, Orchard Supply Hardware, Albertsons Market, Riley & Associates, Caspian Services, JR Hardware, Sash & Door, AGA Medicare Options, Andersen’s Pet Shop, Montrose Travel, Crippen Mortuary, Dilbeck-La Crescenta, and GlenCrest Team. We hope you will support them as they support the community.

We also thank the many entertainers and presenters who gave us their time and talent for free. They are the CVHS JROTC, the CVHS Jazz Band, Rosemont Jazz Band, Djanbazian Dance Academy, Rosemont Cheers, Homenetmen Glendale Choir, Master’s Tae Kwon Do, Hiza Yoo Dance Institute, singer Dana Ryan, and musicians Faith Alone, The Desperate Measures and Carmine Zeccardi. We also appreciate our emcees Anthony Portantino, Ardy Kassakian and Charly Shelton.

Community helping community … that’s what makes our community great!

  Lisa DUPUY