altadenablog

JPL breaks ground on water cleanup plant

From PSN, ground was broken for a water cleanup plant at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.  As were many rocketry research sites (such as the Rocketdyne Santa Susanna test site in the San Fernando Valley), the water around JPL is polluted with perchlorate.  The water will be cleaned, disinfected, and put in the Pasadena water supply.

Altadena Chamber mixer March 26

Just got this note from C Jake @ the Altadena Chamber:

Mark your calendar for the next Altadena Chamber of Commerce Mixer:

March 26, 2009, 5:30-7pm @ St. Elizabeth's Church (In the Library - there will be sign posted) 1840 N. Lake Ave., Altadena 626 797-7727

Sounds like a good opportunity to check out your cell phone reception!

Altadena City Council tonight

...we're celebrating one of the Days of Enforced Joy (TM) with the town council tonight at the community center, 730 E. Altadena Dr., 7 PM.

Super Saturday at the Library: friends, family, and dogs

It's a double feature Saturday morning, March 28, at the Altadena Library, 600 E. Mariposa.

SUPER Saturday Family Storytime continues at 10 AM Join us for stories, songs, and fingerplays followed by a Scholastic film adaptation of an award-winning, classic children’s picture book. Film screen times range from 5-15 minutes. Appropriate for children ages 2-8 years and their families. This program runs the 4th Saturday of the month at 10:00 am.

 

And, at 11 AM, it's Barks & Books: children ages 5-12 are invited to visit the library to read to Pearl. Pearl is a sweet, lovable standard poodle from the Pasadena Humane Society’s Home Companion Program. This reading enrichment program makes reading fun, boosts confidence and encourages respectful, humane treatment for all animals. The Barks & Books program runs the 4th Saturday of each month at 11:00 am.

 

Farnsworth Park Concert Series finalized

OK, we THINK they have it finalized now ...

Robert Klomburg of the Altadena station Sheriff's Support Group has given us what he says is the final revision to the schedule of this summer's Farnsworth Park Concert Series.  (Some problem with parks and rec double-booking).  It promises to be a great series, as always.  Check it out! Click graphic to enlarge.

Webster's Fine Stationers kicks off Five Acres food drive today

Altadenablog sponsor Webster's Fine Stationers,  2450 N. Lake Suite B, starts its food drive today to help Five Acres families to have a happy Easter.  Webster's will be collecting goods through April 6.  Among the items needed:

Potato mixes
Salad dressing
Stuffing mixes
Cake mixes
Bread mixes
Pie fillings
Canned fruit
Pie shells
Canned vegetables
Puddings
Pasta
Jello
Tortillas
Nuts
Gravy
Baking chocolate
Olives
Hams
Pickles
Frozen roasting chickens

Check out Lori Webster's blog for more details!

Spring is in the air at Danny's Farm

All kinds of doing's at Danny's Farm -- chickens, spring camp, and summer's coming up.  Click the graphic to enlarge.

Altadena Library announces teen programs for April & May

The Altadena Library District is hosting its first ever Spring Break Teen Gaming Fest.

Tues., April 7, Wednesday, April 8 and Thurs., April 9, from 4 – 6 PM, we’re calling all teens and tweens (ages 10-17) to bring their competitive spirit and their positive energy and come and have some fun playing traditional board games and video games!!!

"Give Your Mom a Kiss…" bouquet for Mother's Day!  On Fri., May 8, 4-5 PM, come to the Altadena Library and make Mom a gift she will love. A nice bouquet made by you....out of Hershey's Kisses!!! This program is for teens and tweens ages 10-17.

Please join us in the Community Room of the Altadena Library District. 600 E Mariposa Street, Altadena, CA 91001.

More information at www.altadenalibrary.org

Programs sponsored by the Friends of the Altadena Library District.

Crown City Symphony holds weekend concerts

The Crown City Symphony, conducted by Marvin Neumann, is pleased to announce three free performances with soloists Stephen Wood and Robert DeVaughn on:

Sat., March 14, 2 PM
Jackie Robinson Center
1020 N. Fair Oaks
Pasadena

Sat., March 21, 2 PM
Altadena Senior Center
560 E. Mariposa
Pasadena

Sun., March 22, 2 PM
Armenian General Benevolent Union
2495 E. Mountain
Pasadena

Mon: Effective communication between schools and special needs students

On Mon., March 16, 7-9 PM, PUSD's Special Education Community Advisory Committee (CAC) invites families of the District's 2,800 students with special needs to their monthly meeting.  Guest speaker Marc Purchin will share tips for effective communication between families and schools, creative problem solving & positive collaboration.

The talk will be at First Church of the Nazarene, Room 249 in Reed Hall, 3700 E. Sierra Madre Blvd., Pasadena. Contact: Blanca Siebels blancasiebels@sbcglobal.net 

(hat tip to Monica H!)

"Primavera in Altadena" bloggers' potluck is two weeks away!

All San Gabriel Valley bloggers, families, and hangers-on: don't forget that the "Primavera in Altadena" potluck picnic is taking place Sat., March 28, from noon-4 PM at the Mt. Curve covered tables in Farnsworth Park!  Spread the word and bring a dish to share!  The event is hosted by Altadena Above it All, Altadena Hiker, Open Mouth Insert Fork, and Altadenablog!

Truck plunges off Angeles Crest Friday morning, man hospitalized

An alert reader sent us a message about this incident this morning, and KABC News seems to be on top of it -- a SoCal Edison truck plunged off Angeles Crest Highway just before 7 AM this morning.  A 50 year old man was rescued and airlifted to the hospital with breathing trouble.

MPYD annual luncheon April 18 @ Brookside

The second annual luncheon of Mentoring & Partnership for Youth Development (MPYD) will be held on Sat., April 18,  from 11 AM-1 PM in the Mediterranean Room of the Brookside Golf Club, 1133 Rosemont Avenue, Pasadena.

The theme of this year’s event is “Changing Lives Through Mentoring.” MPYD will recognize individual, community, corporate, and governmental supporters. Honorary Event Host is Congressman Adam Schiff. Information on MPYD and this event is available at www.mpyd.org. Telephone Tecumseh Shackelford at (626) 840-0925 for information on sponsoring a table or purchasing individual tickets.

Supes honor Altadena sheriff's support group

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors presented a commendation to the Sheriff's Support Group of Altadena for their years of service to the community for producing the free Summer Concerts in Farnsworth Park. The Feb. 28 award was accepted by the current Chair of SSGA, Robert Klomburg.

Update on last night's home invasion

We have spent the day traveling to our undisclosed location for family business, and appreciate all the notices we've received about the big story of the day. (We called the sheriff's station about 6 AM on this story and was transferred to our old friend there, the Unanswered Ringing Phone.  This was followed by calling the public information number and talking to another old friend, the Voice Message That Never Calls You Back -- we didn't have a chance to follow up).  Pasadena Star News's story for tomorrow's paper pretty much tells the tale -- two men trying to pass as cops bound the victim in his bedroom and ransacked the house, taking about $2,000 and some watches.

Other takes on it:

LA Times

Fox

Update 3/14: Something we haven't found in any of the news stories, but from our sources:  the suspects are a black and an Hispanic male, last seen heading south on Fair Oaks.

Home invasion robbery on N. Fair Oaks

Sketchy information coming in: Thursday night sometime before 9 PM, men wearing some kind of uniform invaded a home on the 3400 block of N. Fair Oaks, and got away with cash and some watches.  Nobody's available @ sheriff right now, but we'll try to pursue this as we can today.

Here's a Google street view of the general neighborhood:

View Larger Map

Blogging lite

Taking care of some family business thru the weekend, so updates will be sporadic.

"Unincorporated towns rock"

... or so proclaims PSN in an editorial in tomorrow's paper, online now. Specifically, Altadena: PSN praises the work that has gone into the hillside ordinance:

As they have in the past, though, Altadenans, with just an advisory Town Council to substitute for true local government, have come together to create an indigenous planning document that is relevant to their own needs rather than to the generic whole of the county.

The editorial quotes town councilwoman Michele Zack (even spelling her name correctly), and gives special credit to Altadena Heritage and Altadena Foothills Conservancy for a job well done.

Unincorporated towns rock?  Well, we do!

Deputies shoot knife-wielding teen on Highview Ave. Tues. night

Just got a press release from the Sheriff's department (and thank you to the many folks who have emailed about this, or talked to us personally at breakfast @ Fox's this morning!): a sheriff's deputy shot a white male adult suspect in an incident at the 3000 block of Highview Ave. at about 8:30 last night.  No deputies were injured, and the suspect was taken to a local hospital.

According to the sheriff's department, two deputies from the Crescenta Valley station were responding to a family disturbance call on Highview.  The call stated that a 17-year-old, armed with a knife, was fighting with his parents.  Deputies encountered the suspect outside the residence. When they ordered the youth to drop the knife, he refused and advanced toward the deputies.  The press release states, "Fearing for his safety and the safety of his partner, one deputy fired one round from his duty weapon striking the suspect in the upper torso."

The suspect was transported to a local hospital where his condition is listed as critical.  Neither the deputies nor family members were injured.

(This report updates and consolidates an earlier story).

Bus service north of Altadena Dr.? Fuggidaboutit!

Pasadena Sub Rosa prints a series of email correspondence from a disabled resident to MTA re: getting a bus to come to Lake north of Altadena Drive.  The answer: nope -- no sidewalks, deep drains, steep slope.  This is a real issue, essentially leaving disabled, elderly, and nondriving residents trapped in the area unless they can negotiate their way down Lake on foot. 

Twitter-dena

Oh, we love all the new social networking stuff.  A-blog just carved out a new Twitter group, "Altadena".  You can get on the group page here, or if you're already twittering, the WORD "altadena" should be caught by the group, or use #altadena.

Statues of limitations

The frequent eccentricity of Altadena life is too much for some people.  Toadberry is freaking out a bit here.

20 minute portraits @ Altadena Junction Fri. night

Our newest arts space, Altadena Junction, 2524 & 2526 El Molino Ave., has announced this event on Fri., March 13, 8 PM-midnight:

The Altadena Junction Creative Arts Studio proudly presents...

In the Spirit of Franz Hals and Fotomat, Alex Schaefer will be painting 20 minute oil portraits from life! Sit and get painted. No purchase necessary.

Alex Schaefer was born in 1969. Like many artists, he took an interest in painting relatively late in life, but for whatever reason, at 18 he began to study drawing and painting in earnest a study that has continued to this day. He applied twice to the Art Center College of Design and was accepted the second try. His exposure to certain influential teachers such as Richard Bunkall, Dan McCaw, and Harry Carmean cultivated a deep fascination for art, specifically the history and craft of oil painting, representation, and expression.

After graduation in 1992, Mr. Schaefer entered the burgeoning video game industry where he worked for nine years with the virtual light and space of digital media, an experience that invariably influenced his perception and depiction of painted light and space on canvas. While no longer making video games, he still loves computers but takes particular delight in all the earthy, messy, “analog” aspects of paint and flaunts its physicality.

In addition to his expanding reputation as a fine artist, he is a loved and admired composition and painting instructor at the Art Center College of Design. Mr. Schaefer’s artwork is in a growing number of collections, both public and private, in the United States and abroad.

***

SPECIAL ADDED BONUS: The Altadena Junction Healing Arts Studio will be presenting a two piece "sneak peek" of an upcoming show by painter Sylvia Hamilton Goulden.

More progress on Mt. Wilson toll road

Simon Burrow of the Mt. Wilson Toll Road Informer has some pictures and updates of the toll road's reconstruction, as well as some compliments to the blog and our collaborators!

Altadena Crest Trail Restoration Working Group meeting ...

... is at 7 PM tomorrow at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr.

Down Syndrome resource center Club 21 grand opening Sat., March 21

One of our favorite causes, Club 21, a resource center for people with Down Syndrome and their families, will have a grand opening Sat., March 21, 10 AM-12 PM, on the grounds of Pasadena Covenant Church, 539 N. Lake, Pasadena. (Parking is at Westminster Presbyterian Church on the Altadena border, and there will be a shuttle down the hill).  Details for the grand opening are here.

Altadena Library adds Parent's Corner for cyber homeschoolers

The Altadena Library District Parent's Corner is a new addition to the growing list of Altadena blogs and resources.  Senior librarian for children's services Cassandra Stearn says the new site "will be geared more toward local homeschooling parents as they wanted a vehicle in which to feel connected with each other and to share information, but I think any parent may enjoy it."

Stearns wants all parents to send her information to post that might be of interest to others in the area, "hopefully creating a community of local parents centered around the library."  Check it out!

PSN front-pages hillside ordinance

PSN's Janette Williams looks at Altadena's proposed hillside development ordinance today, our attempt to prevent the Glendalization of the mountains.  The proposed ordinance still has to go through county regional planning and the board of supervisors before it is finalized.

"Madagascar 2" at library's Fun Flick Friday

The Altadena Library, 600 E. Mariposa,  is holding another Fun Flick Friday, March 13 with "Madagascar Escape 2 Africa" (Rated PG),

This sequel brings back lovable New York Zoo Animals, Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe and Gloria the Hippo. Still stranded in Madagascar, they manage to leave the island only to land in the wilderness of Africa. There, Alex meets the rest of his family but has trouble communicating after his time at the Central Park Zoo in this hilarious animated adventure. 89 min.

Fire trucks near toll road

While we were out tonight at a family event, we've gotten reports that 5 or 6 fire trucks rolled up around 8 PM near the Mt. Wilson Toll Road entrance.  Probably won't get any details about it until tomorrow morning, unless somebody out there knows something they can share!

Restoring Mt. Wilson Toll Road video

Dualmon put up a video on YouTube showing the machines at work restoring the toll road.

PUSD elections Tuesday

Jeremiah Small @ Stonehill News takes a look at the candidates for seats on PUSD board in a thoughtful and comprehensive post.

Snelgro bats 1,000

Ok, that's kind of a mixed metaphor since we're actually talking basketball, but ... Danyelle Snelgro joined the 1,000 point club for the Utah State Aggies Thursday night.  Details here.

Weekendin'

So much to do ...

• The Art Bender Weekend is going on at McGinty's Gallery at the End of the World, right now!
• Mind-blowing opening for Altadena Junction
• Author Darrell James speaks on  “Creating Believable Characters” on Sat. at 2 PM at the Altadena Main Library, 600 E. Mariposa (and don't forget historical novelist Robin Maxwell will speak at the library at 7 PM Monday, hosted by Ellen Snortland).
• Help decorate Eliot Middle School's Room 13 for the arts, Sun., noon -3. Details here.

The mystery of George Garner

The LA Times is on the case about George Garner, a noted black singer and theater actor in the 1930's from the Pasadena/Altadena area.  He accomplished many important things, but what happened to him is unknown -- and the Times is looking for someone who knows.  There is an Altadena chapter of the National Association of Negro Musicians named after him. 

Altadena firm lands $749K space contract

Global Aerospace Corporation (GAC) of Altadena has announced that it's working with JPL to develop a software model to predict the behavior of rechargable batteries in spaceflight.  Yep, it's complicated, but the press release is here.

Come and be a guest at the Junction Friday

Assuming no more buses crash into the building, Friday will be the delayed open house at Altadena Junction, the artistic/performance/healing space created by Lance Anderson and Marisol Martinez.

The announcement says:

After a couple of months of hard work, we are finally ready to open the doors to our new studios. Please join us for a casual affair with healthy treats and a “tour” of the Altadena Junction.

On one side we have Marisol’s “Healing Arts Studio” that will feature Yoga, Chiropractic and Raw Nutrition Workshops.

On Lance’s side you’ll get a sneak peek of the “Creative Arts Studio” that will be used as a Gallery and Performance Space.

The party starts on Fri., March 6, 6-10 PM at 2524 and 2526 El Molino.  For more information, call 626-791-8586 or email:  vergefringe@gmail.com.

McCleese stands alone

LA Weekly has a feature on overachieving Altadenan Sean McCleese, who enrolled at Oxy at age 16, now works at JPL, and has started Student of Fortune , an online tutoring service.

UPDATE 2/6: McCleese is interviewed by SoCalTech.Com.

Charles White biography

Images of Dignity: The Drawings of Charles White by Benjamin Horowitz is reviewed in this article in the Langston University Gazette.  White, who spent his last years in Altadena (there's a park named after him!) had a significant art career, coming out of WPA mural work and drawings of African American life.

Art Bender weekend at the Gallery

The Gallery at the End of the World, 2475 N. Lake,  is holding another Art Bender weekend Thursday through Sunday.

The schedule is:

Thursday - artist reception 6-9pm
Friday - 1st friday art club opening 7pm-1am $5 cover
Saturday - potluck barbeque
Sunday - brunch

ARTISTS INCLUDE.....
miss withers, david spurlin, joe feinblatt, april atuna, brandon mcclain, kathleen swayden, amanda fox, david goldberg, eve kessler, christy roberts, adrianne walker, mike street, steve lamb, a. allister mcdonald, jesse renderos, bobby rojas, jay watson, beau ashley burgess, akeke carroll, carl heinz, jeni carle, beborah blanco, jefferey r. kibbe, alyse woodward, paige turner, madeline kessler, kai-samuels-davis, kristen "blaze" carley, matt foote, courtnay robbins, ngene mwuara, johnny fox, dave lovejoy and ben mcginty

PERFORMANCES BY....
Friday - redwood stills and alamase arabesque with drummer rick sarabia
Saturday - vise virsa
Sunday - andrews bad stuff
dj radiant child

For more information:

galleryattheendoftheworld@gmail.com

A summer full of wonder at Altadena Christian Children's Center

It's not too early to think about summer -- really!  Altadena Christian Children’s Center is sponsoring "Summer Wonderland" June-August, a day camp just for children who have completed kindergarten through fourth grade:

Through the daily schedule, weekly speakers and field trips, our children are exposed to rich, multicultural learning experiences that are hands on, fun and meaningful.

The curriculum we use at Summer Wonderland is called Discovery! It is a series of interdisciplinary units of study with topics that are explored through fun academics, fine arts, recreation and sports. This year will be discovering our world as we go AROUND THE WORLD IN 50 DAYS!  There are opportunities for arts and crafts, music and movement, outdoor games, dramatic play, water play and cooking!

We want to help keep the children’s minds active and curious during the summer with a creative and fun approach to learning through their Camp experiences.

When does all this fun take place?

Dates and Times: June 22 to August 28, 2009
                       7 AM-6 PM
Location: Altadena Christian Children’s Center and Altadena Elementary School
               Altadena, Ca 91001
Contact: Toni Boucher, director
               Phone: 626-797-6142
               Email:altaccc@aol.com
               Website: accc-kids.org
               Fax: 626-296-3704

Co-op social, Wed. March 4, 7:30 at the Rancho

The food co-op folks sure know how to have a good time!  We got this message while we were gone:

Hello friends of 'Altadena Wants A Co-op'!

We're making progress! Hopefully you've seen the new information that has
been posted at our website - Membership Equity options, Start-Up Teams and
tasks, and our current schedule/organization of tasks chart. Check out
Patrick's Blog http://altadenawantsacoop.com/blog/1 for more details and
links!

We hope you can join us at our next social event - on Wednesday, March 4, at
7:30 p.m. at the Rancho Bar on North Lake Avenue.

Last month we had a great turn-out and enjoyed a relaxed evening getting to
know other co-op supporters a little better. It's been great meeting more
neighbors and friends of the co-op effort since the launch of the website -
we hope to see you on Wednesday evening!

best,Kristin

Danny's Farm hosts photo shoot to encourage adoption

Cathy Gott of Danny's Farm sends us this notice that the county Dept. of Children & Family Services hosted a photo shoot for children in need of adoptive homes.  Click on the graphic for the full story.

Mt. Wilson toll road re-opening work begins

Thanks to many alert neighbors (notably Steve Gerow and Stonehill News' Jeremiah Small) for letting us know that work has begun on re-opening the Mt. Wilson Toll Road, which closed due to a major slide after the heavy rains of 2005.  Crews have started work carving a new trail, and Jeremiah has sent us some wonderful pictures (below).  We've got some calls in to check on the construction schedule and when the trail will be re-opened -- will share when we get something concrete.  Meantime, enjoy Jeremiah's pictures below  (there  are more here) -- and check with the Mr. Wilson Toll Road Informer, which we just discovered.

  Cats at work,  close up.

Working in the slide zone.

Two free writer's workshops at the Library this week

The Friends of the Altadena Library and Sisters in Crime presents award winning author Darrell James, who will be speaking on “Creating Believable Characters” on Sat., March 7, at 2:00 pm.  James is the author of Body Count: a Killer Collection, an anthology of fifteen mystery short stories. His work has appeared in numerous magazines and his book anthology Landmarked for Murder.

“Darrell James has created unforgettable characters . . . from the sci-fi flavored Lydia, to the hilarious Sweaty Money, to the horrifying Running in Place. And don’t miss the tragic, yet triumphant Motherhouse.”—Sue Ann Jaffarian, author of the award winning Odelia Grey Mystery Series.

 

Women’s History Program:  Robin Maxwell with Signora da Vinci hosted by Ellen Snortland

Critics have called this seventh in a series of historical novels by Maxwell “utterly engrossing and glittering with color. Lorenzo the Magnificent, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci and his courageous, passionate mother, Caterina, walk through the pages of this book, radiating life and touching the heart.   I will never see the Mona Lisa with the same eyes again.”—Sandra Worth, author of The King's Daughter.  This special Women’s History Month event, slated for Monday March 9 at 7 PM, will be hosted by news columnist and Altadena resident Ellen Snortland.