W hen I was starting the Crescenta Valley Weekly, I wondered if there would be enough going on around town to fill these pages. Little did I know!

September is typically a busy time of the year. Summer is winding down, school is starting and a routine is established. But this September was different in many ways. Not only were our kids scheduled to go back to school before the Labor Day holiday rather than after (so much for those plans), but the Station Fire had us evacuating, going back home, then evacuating again.

Even though the fire passed and school eventually got underway, things are far from quiet.

Saturday night Ricky and Lucy came to Two Strike Park with their Long, Long Trailer when the CV Town Council along with the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley hosted Movies in the Park. This event was originally scheduled for the first Saturday in September, but it was little too smoky.

I wasn’t able to attend last Saturday, but apparently I was one of the few who didn’t pack a picnic basket and make my way to Two Strike. Mary O’Keefe was there along with about 100 other folks, as was my husband. Both reported that the evening was a resounding success from the first cartoon (Mary’s daughter is still chuckling over Bugs’ and Daffy’s antics) to the rolling credits of early Lucy and Desi. Kudos to the Historical Society and the Town Council for bringing this free event – complete with popcorn – to CV residents.

On Monday I strapped on my roller skates and headed over to Crescenta Valley High School. Well, I didn’t really put on my skates, but it would have been easier to get back and forth between the cafeteria and the MacDonald Auditorium where two big events were taking place.

In the auditorium, Once Upon A Time bookstore presented Laughing Loudly for Literacy. Bookstore owner Maureen Palacios organized the event which hosted four children’s authors and illustrators. Each one took the stage, reading from their books and drawing on a whim for the young kids in the audience. Afterward, they sat and signed copies of the books, taking time to speak with a very admiring audience.

At the same time in the cafeteria, CVHS Principal Linda Evans hosted therapist Pam Erdman.

Erdman tackled the tough topic of how parents can communicate better with their teenaged kids, creating a more harmonious environment and offering direction for teens struggling with turmoil. An overwhelming number of parents attended Erdman’s presentation. The evening was so successful that Erdman will be returning later this month.

Nearby, at the Center for Spiritual Living, Mary O’Keefe was covering a meeting conducted by the city of Glendale to inform residents of its winter weather plans. It was standing room only at the church, filled with people looking for direction on how to prepare for the upcoming wet weather and seeking information on the city’s effort to keep our hillsides from toppling down.

Busy times are not behind us yet.

A county meeting as important as Monday night’s is being held on Oct. 6. It will provide residents with needed information but also attending will be every type of expert from insurance to the AQMD. That meeting is being held at Rosemont Middle School at 6:30.

In the next couple of weeks, we’re going to launch a series that is of the utmost importance to our community: substance abuse among our young people. Mary O’Keefe has written about this problem before and feels an urgency to resurrect the series for the CV Weekly.

So, don’t pull on your slippers and grab a book just yet – there’s still a lot going on.