That Time of the Year

As most of you know, I sit on the board of the Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce. On Wednesday morning at our monthly meeting, our board members did a quick review of how the calendar is shaping up for the holiday season. All I can say is holy moly!

As a group, we have a couple of “big ticket” events coming up. Most notable is the annual “mega mixer” that is taking place on Tuesday evening, Dec. 10, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at USC-VHH in the fourth floor council rooms.

For those unfamiliar, a mixer is a networking event for business owners and residents. It raises the visibility of local businesses and gives residents a chance to mingle with these business owners, learning what they specialize in. We have several vibrant chambers of commerce in the area – Glendale, Sunland-Tujunga, Montrose-Verdugo City and La Cañada Flintridge – and Tuesday’s mixer will feature all but the La Cañada Flintridge chamber. It’s going to be an incredible event – USC-VHH knows how to host a party – and will feature raffles, beverages and refreshments. The cost is $10 for members and $15 for non-members.

Personally, my dance card is filling up. Tonight, Mary O’Keefe and I are heading over to the Crescenta Valley Armenian Community & Youth Center for their holiday party. I’ve been before and know I need to head over with an empty stomach as the food is delicious.

Steve and I are excited that we reserved spots at next Saturday night’s Holiday at the Old Stone Barn up at Deukmejian Wilderness Park. The Stone Barn will be decked out for the holidays and there will be live entertainment provided by the Towne Singers and dancing from Pam Kay and the Tap Chicks. There will also be a craft table to make a holiday gift and hot chocolate, cookies and popcorn will be available.

I’m looking forward to attending the holiday get-togethers of Assemblymember Laura Friedman next week and State Senator Anthony Portantino next weekend. It’s always nice to see our representatives in a relaxed setting.

It doesn’t get much more fun than a snowball fight and that is what might be greeting Supervisor Kathryn Barger at the annual Winter Wonderland that she is hosting on Saturday over at Two Strike Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tons of snow will be brought into the park for kids to sled down and Santa will be on-site and camera-ready. It’s a great way to prepare for that night’s Montrose Christmas Parade – one of my favorite events. I love riding down Honolulu Avenue with members of the CV Weekly crew, waving and shouting “Hello!” to the thousands who line the avenue, rain or shine. I hope to see you there!

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As is too common during the holidays, there is bitter with the sweet.

When we decided to take over the duties of delivering the newspaper rather than bringing in a firm, Steve was in charge of hiring some reliable folks to help out. They were in addition to our local high school and college students who were willing to take on the job of getting up in the middle of the night to make sure our subscribers woke to the paper in their driveway. One of those drivers was John. He was a former police officer and anyone who was on his route was indeed fortunate. With John we never had to worry about a missed paper or a special delivery.

John quit delivering a few months ago and we learned this week that he died from cancer. One of the kindest remarks made was how much he enjoyed the years that he delivered the CV Weekly.

Thanks to John and the high standards he set for everyone here at CV Weekly. This week’s issue was thrown in his honor.

  robin goldsworthy