Gathering Together

Last Thursday afternoon was a bittersweet one for me. I attended the annual Glendale Latino Assn. installation lunch and awards presentation. Held at the Oakmont Country Club, the room was packed with the movers and shakers of Glendale. After the installation of officers, it was time for the awards presentation … and time for me to hand the baton off to this year’s Woman of the Year.

Being named the 2013 Woman of the Year by the GLA was astonishing. I felt such a sense of pride in having my email signature include the designation. And though it may be a little outdated, I plan to have it remain for a while more. Congratulations to my successor Mercy Velazquez, a woman certainly deserving of such an honor.

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After reading the cover story last week about the awesome Crescenta Valley High School production of “Beauty and the Beast,” I decided to brave the rain and (despite the onset of a cold) head to the school auditorium to catch the final performance on Saturday night. I’m so glad that I did!

First off, being back in the auditorium was reminiscent of when my son Matt was in theatre while a student in the high school several years ago. A strong supporting character, Matt was cast in most of the school’s productions including “Grease” (Eugene) and “Pippin” (the Head – and a fine job he did).

Our family attended most of Matt’s performances, showing up backstage with pizza and cases of water, and working the concession stand. We were so proud of the productions and how well they were staged – and “Beauty and the Beast” was no exception. The show was exceptionally cast – the voice of Courtney Sohn as Belle was phenomenal – and the special effects were great. The audience could actually see the petals of the rose drop signaling that hope was fading.

Not surprising since it appeared that the performance was about sold out, I saw many friends who also came out to support our local production. Not only did I have a chance to enjoy a wonderful show, but I also had the opportunity to catch up with friends.

A wonderful night – encore! I look forward to next year’s musical.

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Though I’ve lived up here for over (gulp!) 34 years, I still am amazed how supportive the Crescenta Valley community can be. Attendance at “Beauty and the Beast” is one example of how the community can get behind a project. Another was a fundraiser for Prom Plus held Monday night at Straw Hat Pizza on Foothill.

I’m the president of Prom Plus, which hosts an after-prom party for CVHS seniors and their guests at the Crescenta Cañada Y. Prom Plus was started after a CV senior was shot and killed as she slept during an unsupervised post prom party held in a hotel in 1991. Since 1993, Prom Plus has provided a safe, but fun, event for kids to go after the prom. The event costs about $25,000 to put on (we have a mechanical bull, gyroscope, full casino and even a zipline) and we raise the money through a series of fundraisers. (Kids who attend prom don’t pay to go to Prom Plus – it’s included in their prom ticket. Those who don’t attend prom but want to go to Prom Plus pay just $20 at the door.)

On Monday night we held our first ever dine-out night. For those unfamiliar, dine-out nights are when a restaurant gives a percentage of the night’s receipts to a non-profit. Straw Hat, owned by locals Stephanie and Chris McReynolds, has a very generous donation policy. After talking with the McReynoldses, Prom Plus treasurer Cheryl Davis arranged for our fundraiser.

Never having done one before, I was nervous as to how it would turn out. No need to worry, though. When I showed up around 6 o’clock on Monday, Straw Hat was jumping. Not only were members of the Prom Plus Club, the student arm of Prom Plus, on hand but also plenty of Prom Plus supporters decided to come enjoy pizza. The Weismans made sure to stop by as did Mike Baldwin, Roy Allmon and other members of the VFW and American Legion. The Rinamans stopped in, among many others. Then there were the call-in orders: Chris Aristo made sure to order a couple of pies for his family as did the Leums. And I could go on.

Many thanks to everyone who came out and supported Prom Plus. I look forward to having another Straw Hat fundraiser and thank the McReynoldses for their generosity. I hope that the next time pizza is considered for lunch or dinner, the delicious fare at Straw Hat is remembered and folks head back over.

  robin goldsworthy