By Robin GOLDSWORTHY and Mary O’KEEFE

This past weekend hosted plenty of events to keep residents busy. From bingo games to beer, the weekend offered something for everybody. The weather cooperated (for the most part), too, by tamping down its temperatures. While it wasn’t overly hot – highs hovered around 87 degrees at the height of the days – it was still desirable to get comfortable under some shade.

On Saturday, the Crescenta Cañada Lions Club held a food-raiser for the Bailey Center in Tujunga.

The center received from the Lion’s Club 40 bags and three boxes of groceries equaling 230 pounds. The food bank is part of the United Methodist Church of Tujunga. The Bailey Center has been feeding those in need for years; since COVID-19 the center has seen an increase in need and volunteers work to meet that need. Last week, for example, Bailey Center volunteers served 312 families and individuals totaling 1,172 people.

“Our needs are growing,” said Maureen O’Keefe of the Bailey Center.

Having organizations like the Lion’s Club gathering donations has become the lifeline for the center and those they serve. The need continues and the Bailey Center is looking for cereal, peanut butter, macaroni and cheese, canned tuna, chicken, salmon, SPAM, canned chili, SpaghettiOs and canned fruit, O’Keefe added.

“We will take fruit from people’s trees [as well],” she said.

Volunteers also need plastic grocery bags to help them organize and share grocery items.

Anyone who can and would like to donate can do so by bringing donations to the Bailey Center, 9901 Tujunga Canyon Blvd. in Tujunga. Volunteers are there to receive donations on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Items can also be dropped off at the office of Crescenta Valley Weekly, 3800 La Crescenta Ave. #206, La Crescenta/Glendale. Donors can call the office at (818) 248-2740 during regular office hours (M-F, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) to be directed where to drop off donations.

In the early evening, CV Chamber of Commerce hosted barbecue and bingo at St. Luke’s of the Mountains. Bruce’s Twisted BBQ provided a hearty dinner for those who paid $15, rounding out the meal with baked beans, cole slaw, potato salad and something to quench diners’ thirst.

As 6:00 drew near, Sadler Hall, the church’s fellowship hall, filled with over 100 players eager to cash in on bingo. Ten games plus three “big chip” games were overseen by members of American Legion Post 288 and VFW Post 1614. In all, $1,700 was awarded to lucky players (Moose Lodge 641 was the biggest donor with $300 for the night’s “blackout” game) plus one lucky winner of the night’s 50/50 drawing took home over $200.

According to the chamber’s executive director Steve Pierce, around $3,000 was raised to benefit the chamber, its operation costs, outreach efforts and scholarships.

Though not everyone won everyone left a winner knowing that this fundraiser was back in play.

Another event on Saturday evening was The Balcony of LA Summer Movie Night, held at Crescenta Valley Park in partnership with the LA County Parks and Recreation (Parks). The night was considered a huge success with over 400 people turning out to see “The Bad Guys,” a fun, family-friendly flick. The next scheduled Summer Movie Night is on Aug. 6 when “Sherlock Gnomes” will be screened followed on Aug. 20 with “Big Hero 6.”

The Balcony of LA hosts free family-friendly movies and invites everyone to “bring a blanket, pillow or some comfy lawn chairs and enjoy a little family time under the stars.”

Crescenta Valley Park is located at 3901 Dunsmore Ave.; movie nights are held on the west side of the park near the CV dog park. Events start at 7 p.m. when food trucks are on-site and show time is at dusk.

The event was suggested by members of The Balcony of LA including Maddie Madsen, who saw the impact of COVID-19 had on people’s mental health and wanted to find a way to help ease everyone back into post- (almost post-) pandemic life. That is when she turned to the parks.

“My goal was to highlight the space, fresh air and beauty our parks offer in conjunction with activities that are fun,” she said, “so people who were feeling isolated, anxious and lonely could feel safe and connected in an outdoor setting.”

The Balcony of LA is a non-profit organization founded by Johnny and Jade Brookbank. Madsen  approached Parks and received strong support from Jason Hauser, the Crescenta Valley Park supervisor. They started their outreach program with the screening of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” at the Christmas Toy Giveaway on Dec. 18 that Parks sponsors, and followed that with CV Park’s Spring Jubilee.

Madsen is the wellness and live events director of The Balcony of LA. She was able to secure a core partnership agreement with Parks for the summer movie series.

“Our first movie with the training wheels off was in May. We had maybe 100 people. Last weekend’s showing of ‘The Bad Guys’ turned out about 430 kids, parents, teens and seniors,” she said.

Madsen works to count every person who comes through the gate to the park so she can keep track of the program’s progress.

“The growth is everything we thought it would turn into,” Madsen said. “One of the moviegoers said to me after our second movie night, ‘Our community needs this,’ and we agree.”

On Sunday afternoon around 900 ticket buyers enjoyed a taste of some of the most interesting (and delicious) beers, wine, food and more. The Montrose Craft Beer Fest, organized by the Montrose Verdugo City Chamber of Commerce, featured 17 breweries, seven food vendors, two water vendors, six information booths, music, photo ops and more. After buying a ticket, folks were given a wristband and instructed to pick up a souvenir glass from the booth sponsored by We’re Pouring before heading into the “tasting” area. DJ Ernie kept the party going with music and friends were able to try a variety of brews and food over the course of four hours. There was even a silent auction, sponsored by Barbara Hollander & Associates, and macramé art that folks could create, sponsored by The Art Room in Montrose.

“We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to finally execute our 2020 postponed 7th Annual Craft Beer Fest,” said Mavil Aghadjanian, Montrose Chamber executive director. “The outcome was outstanding and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. We want to thank everyone who came out, all of the vendors who participated, all of our sponsors, all of the volunteers who assisted and especially J’s Maintenance, We’re Pouring and Montrose Barber Shop for making this year’s event possible. It took a village but together we did it!”

To see more photos, visit www.cvweekly.com.

Photos by Robin GOLDSWORTHY, Mary O’KEEFE, the CV Lions Club and CV Park