Hold On Tight to Your Dream

I shared with you that earlier this month I attended an ELO concert at the Hollywood Bowl. While the concert was excellent, I was a tad disappointed that the song, “Hold On Tight to Your Dream” wasn’t performed.

I feel that in many ways, I am holding on tight to my dream. After all, it was just seven years ago that I launched the CV Weekly and those seven years have been tumultuous. The response from the community to having a dedicated newspaper, a reliable source from which to get news on a variety of subjects, was astoundingly positive. Even today, I get such encouraging feedback from readers and business owners who appreciate the hard work of the CV Weekly staff.

Of course, the flip side has been the challenges that have been thrown at me, typically of a financial nature, but also holding on to good writers and photographers. There have also been public digs at us over the years (though to be honest it really hasn’t happened in a while). Overall I have been so grateful that the hard work invested into this business, this dream of mine, has paid off.

I know that I am not alone in holding on tight to my dream. The Crescenta Valley – from Shadow Hills to La Cañada not to mention Glendale and the surrounding areas – has an abundance of people dedicated to their dreams – their businesses. They don’t shy away from long hours and hard work. They, too, are giving it their all with the hope that the challenges that they have had to overcome are not in vain.

That is one reason why I love being able to offer a shout-out to these business owners and service providers in the form of our annual Finest. The Finest is our “best of” poll that showcases those who our readers feel have gone beyond in the performance of their duties. And our readers take their responsibility seriously.

Thousands of votes are cast in over 100 categories. It takes weeks to tally the ballots, notify the winners and assemble a magazine that provides a quick reference over the next year of who these winners are. It’s a simple way to have, at your fingertips, the information you need when making day-to-day decisions. And you can be assured that it’s your friends and neighbors who are referring them.

So, from one dreamer to many others, let’s hold on tight – together – to our dreams and celebrate the accomplishments that make us The Finest.

  robin goldsworthy