By Mary O’KEEFE

It is time again for the annual Hometown Country Fair being held at Crescenta Valley Park at 3901 Dunsmore Ave. on April 21 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This is the seventh year the Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce has sponsored the event that gathers entertainers, information booths and vendors.

“We will have live music starting at 2:30,” said Steve Pierce, chamber member. “We will have the wolves from Shadowland Foundation, the same group that is in the Montrose Christmas Parade, and a dog parade, a pie eating contest and a car show.”

There will also be entertainment on stage from local dance companies, including Crescenta Valley High School’s Advance Dance.

“The [event] is a fundraiser for the Chamber to support the scholarships and everything we do,” said Jean Maluccio, chamber advisor.

Like in years past, there will plenty to eat with Korean barbecue and Armenian food booths.

“And we will have an opportunity drawing for an iPad. The tickets are $5 each and we will only sell 500,” Pierce added. “So you have one chance in 500 to win.”

There will also be carnival rides in the parking lot near the Hindenburg Park (far west) area.

“We will have a silent auction as well,” Maluccio said.

This year there will be an added event to the Hometown Country Fair: a Run to Remember 5K in support of the Two Strike Park Memorial Wall.

The Two Strike Park Memorial Wall committee has been raising funds, and awareness, to build a memorial that will honor all veterans who lost their life while serving in the military.

“It was all triggered by Nick Steinbacher,” said Mike Baldwin, veteran and member of the memorial committee.

Steinbacher was 22 when he became the 300th Californian killed in Iraq. He was killed while serving in Baghdad on Dec. 10, 2006 after an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee vehicle.

His parents, and the community, had wanted him honored on a memorial wall, however the wall at Two Strike is small with no room for names and the memorial in Montrose honors those that served during the Vietnam era.

“There is no place locally where we can have all the names, so we turned to Two Strike,” Baldwin said.

A committee was formed and fundraisers were discussed.

“When we started brainstorming about fundraising, one of the ideas was to have a 5K run at some point,” said Lt. Col. Dave Worley, committee member.

Originally the thought was to have the race down Foothill Boulevard but then the chamber offered the Hometown Country Fair as a venue.

The run has been mapped out at Crescenta Valley Park with the help of Chris Evans, a CVHS graduate and co-head track coach at Golden Valley High School.

“I hope this becomes an annual event,” Worley said.

The total needed to build the memorial is $75,000; $30,000 has already been raised.

Worley had been on the patriotism committee in Glendale when they were building their memorial wall, about 20 years ago.

“They have a fund that they continue to [help] add names or for maintenance and upkeep,” Worley said.

It is hoped the 5K will help raise needed construction funds this year, and supply supporting funds in the future.

Several veterans who are not running have donated the entry fee of $20 for students who wish to run but need financial help. Rosemont Middle School teacher and former Student Run Los Angeles coach Terry Parker is gathering names of students to run.

Anyone who wishes to join the 5K can do so by visiting www.twostrikememorial.org and filling out the form. Runners are also able to sign up the day of the event.

The day will start with a run and end with the Hometown Country Fair. Volunteers from JROTC and Prom Plus Club will be at the fair and run to help anyone with questions.

  Mary Okeefe