The Altadena song -- or one of them, anyway -- marked Altadena's 125th Birthday Bash at Davies Auditorium in Farnsworth Park on Nov. 3.
UPDATE: We have video of Louis Van Taylor playing the national anthem after the break.
UPDATE II: We have lyrics to the Altadena song.
by Timothy Rutt
Hundreds of people attended Altadena's 125th birthday party, an occasion marked by good food, music, costumes, art, and some of the Bohemian eccentricity that our town is famous for.
And the whole event was thrown together -- from conception to completion -- in about six weeks.
We have photos after the jump.
The day started off with children's activities at the Mt. Curve Pavilion in Farnsworth Park. Melody Comfort arranged for games, some crafts, and a few refreshments to the younger set could feel they were a part of the special day.
Meanwhile, at Davies Auditorium, many of the sponsoring organizations hung banners from the rafters.
There were many displays of art and history: (1) A selection of art from Altadena artist Charles White, (2) An historical display from the Altadena Stables (3) Altadena artrepreneur Ben McGinty curated a display of Altadena-related artwork, here a selection from Debbi Swanson Patrick.
Dignitaries took their turn to honor Altadena's birthday, including:
- Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, who presented a proclamation from the state assembly;
- State Sen. Carol Liu, with Altadena Heritage President Mark Goldschmidt, doing the same thing from the state senate;
- Theresa Lamb Simpson of Congressman Adam Schiff's office;
- Members of the Altadena Town Council (from left, Greg Middleton, Jamie Bissner, and Dr. Sandra Thomas) who accept a proclamation from the county Board of Supervisors (hey! where'd they get that great logo? Somebody must've spent 15 minutes slapping that together on his MacBook Pro....)
- And Dr. Thomas introduces "Mrs. Altadena," Rosa Johnson, who at 102 years is almost as old as Altadena.
- Robert Hilton plays instruments he makes himself.
- The Bohemians played jazzy dance music from years gone by.
- The full house listened as ...
- Michele Zack gave a short history of Altadena.
- C Jake Truman admires the metal sculpture Ken Sakamoto made to commemorate the birthday.
- Webster's Fine Stationers assembled a photographic history of the Webster stores.
- CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams) was a presence at the event. Here, the team from Marathon Road poses for the camera: Derrick Carter, Deb Halberstadt, Christopher Martinez, and Sarah Leone.
- Marge Nichols cuts one of many cakes that were donated by local bakeries to celebrate the occasion.
- Some people came to the part dressed in vintage outfits: here, Anita David, Tana David, and Catherine Stebbins show three eras of women's fashions.
- Winner of the costume contest, tho', was Ketty Citterio, doing a Marlene Dietrich drag thing. Citterio will receive a free sitting and print from Photography by Walt.
All told, Altadena's 125th Birthday was one of the more successful community events in recent years, thanks to a strong committee in charge and the voluntary help of so many businesses, organizations, and residents who contributed to make it a memorable day of celebration.
UPDATE: This video just posted of Altadena's own Louis Van Taylor doing the National Anthem to start the events:
UPDATE II: We have a copy of the Altadena song lyrics (thank you, Nancy Rothwell). "Those responsible for the lyrics for this particular song are listed as "T. Jones, M. Elgin, C. Mathews. 1992, 1995, 1997." (That would be Terri Jones, Mary V. Elgin, and Charlotte Mathews.)
