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Voice
The
Serving the Community
of Sunland-Tujunga
and Beyond
January 2015
Volume 6, Issue 1
Visit us online at
www.voiceofthevillage.org
Canyon project would mean 242 homes
By Pat Kramer
STNC Region 1 Representative
It’s a new year, and as your STNC
Region One representative for Sunland
I wanted to bring you up to date on several news items that are of interest to our region. Region 1
covers the north side of Sunland between the 210 Freeway and Mt. Gleason
Avenue. I share Region One
with STNC Rep. Jorge Martinez, and together with the
other
board
memAlso in
bers of
article:
the Sun• High-speed
land Turail
junga
Neigh• Oro Vista
borhood
Park
Council,
we
are
• Community
trying to
Clean-up
make our
Day
community
healthier
and
stronger.
Big T housing project proposed
There is growing concern about a
new development proposed for 242
single-family homes along Big Tujunga Canyon in Tujunga. The development is called Canyon Park Homes
and would be built on 78 acres at
12400 N. Big Tujunga Canyon Road,
Filmmaker
Mike
Timm
proves
that
‘Love is
out
there ...
Way out
there’
View of the area on Big Tujunga Canyon, east of the Little League fields, currently zoned for 22 homes. The developer is
seeking a zone change that would allow for 242 homes. See community reaction in “Letters to the Editor” on Page 16.
between the Little League field and
Louis Roth Detention Center.
The owner of the property, Ben Salisbury, has applied for a zoning change
(from A1 zoning to RE9 zoning) because the current A1 zoning would
By Kresse Armour
If Woody Allen had a brother who
was a down-to-earth rocket scientist
suddenly thrust into a deep space
conspiracy, he might be Walter
Kipling –– the plucky hero of “A
Girl, a Guy, a
Space Helmet,”
the award-winning indie film
by Mike Timm.
Shot in black
and
white,
shades of the
feel-good ‘50s,
Timm describes
his whimsically
Mike Timm
sophisticated
film as “a movie that people haven’t
seen in a long time, but it’s what I
grew up on. It’s all about making
people laugh, even when it pulls at
heartstrings.”
A fan of Bergman and Fellini, he
See TIMM, Page 5
only allow him to build 22 homes in
this scenic corridor. Since his development is for 242 homes, he would need
the zoning change to go forward with
this project.
Many residents have expressed op-
position to a development of this size,
as it would add considerable traffic to
Big Tujunga Canyon, Mt. Gleason Avenue and Oro Vista Avenue. Since Big
See STNC, Page 2
Area man presents world premiere
concert featuring ‘The Planets’
Renowned Pianist David Rubinstein will give the world premiere of
his concert transcription for piano of
“The Planets,” by Gustav Holst, on
Sunday, Jan. 11, at Bridges Hall of
David Rubinstein
Music. Rubinstein, who makes his
home in Shadow Hills, has been
praised for a combination of refined
musical taste, formidable technique
and probing interpretations of the
works he performs.
In 2014 he undertook performances of his own transcription of
Gustav Holst’s The Planets, a tour de
force that brought him further recognition as a musician of the first order.
Born in New York City, he was a
piano student of George Kochevitsky and later studied with Claudio
Arrau.
Rubinstein’s recordings have been
critically acclaimed and appear regularly on the playlists of major
broadcasting services including
Classical24, K-Mozart (Los Ange-
See PIANIST, Page 2
Page 2
Voice of the Village
Bolton Hall activities planned
‘Millinery Delights’ on display
Little Landers Historical Society announces the opening of a new temporary exhibit at Bolton Hall Museum.
Millinery Delights is a fun and colorful exhibit featuring a variety of head
coverings and fashion accessories
from the first half of the 20th century
and more.
Millinery Delights will be available
for viewing at Bolton Hall through
April 2015. The museum also has a
wonderful collection of local artifacts
Canyon Park
subdivision
is proposed
STNC, from Page 1
Tujunga Canyon is only a two-lane
road, leading into the Angeles National
Forest, many wonder whether the current infrastructure could support a
major housing development.
There are also concerns about the
impact that Canyon Park Homes would
have on local schools, water (which we
already have restrictions on), the scenic
view and aesthetics of our area, and the
watershed that provides water to the
City of L.A.
If you have concerns about this proposed development, you can attend the
Scoping Meeting scheduled for Jan. 15,
at 6 p.m., at North Valley City Hall,
7747 Foothill Boulevard, Tujunga.
That meeting will allow the public to
submit comments that the developer
will have to address in his Draft Environmental Impact Report.
You can also submit a statement in
writing to Nick Hendricks, City Planner, Major Projects Section, 6262 Van
Nuys Boulevard, #351, Van Nuys, CA
91401.
Email: [email protected].
All statements should reference
“Canyon Pak Homes” and need to be
received at that office by Feb. 6, 2015.
For more information and updates
on this and other land use issues visit
the Projects Page on the STNC.org
website. There is also a community
group independent of the STNC called
Save Big Tujunga Canyon. Their
email:
[email protected].
There is also a Facebook page called
“Save Big Tujunga Canyon” that you
can join. If you are not using email,
you can call Liliana Sanchez at: 818309-0423 for more information.
A tunnel through our area?
as well as a great gift shop.
Bolton Hall is open to the public on
Tuesday and Sunday afternoons from
1-4 p.m. and entrance is free. Bolton
Hall Museum is located at 10110
Commerce Avenue, Tujunga.
For more information on Little Landers Society or historic Bolton Hall,
call 818-352-3420. Or, e-mail: [email protected]. You may also
visit the website at: www.littlelandershistoricalsociety.org.
les) and Pandora, with the most recent
addition of LIVE365. He currently performs a wide range of repertoire from
Bach and Scarlatti to the present and
has recorded extensively. He has per-
NEON –– Liquid Fire!
Where was the first NEON sign in
America? It might have been right here
in downtown Los Angeles. You can find
out more as Little Landers welcomes
historians, Dr. Dydia LeLyser and Paul
Greenstein, to tell us about the history
of neon signs.
This program will be held Saturday,
Jan. 10, 1 p.m., at Bolton Hall Museum,
10110 Commerce Avenue, Tujunga.
Their research into the history of neon
signs has taken them to the archives of
many government and educational institutions.
The program is free and open to the
public. Parking is available a few doors
uphill at the Elks Lodge, in the rear portion of the Elks parking lot. Additional
information is available from Little
Landers Historical Society by calling
818-352-3420.
Or, check out the website:www.littlelandershistoricalsociety.org or e-mail
[email protected].
Louis Roth
Detention Center
Canyon
Park Homes
project area
Big Tujunga
Canyon Road
Little
League
ball
fields
An aerial view of the 78 acre-parcel (outlined in white) proposed for the construction of 242 homes in the Canyon Park
development. A scoping meeting regarding this project is set for Thursday, Jan. 15, 7 p.m. at North Valley City Hall.
Stay involved with the high-speed
rail issue. The California High Speed
Rail Authority has held several ‘Open
House’ events to share their proposal to
tunnel through either Kagel Canyon or
Shadow Hills. This is a major proposal
that would have significant impacts including the loss of our equestrian
neighbors and their homes. For more
information and to stay involved, I recommend you email [email protected] to
be added to the community noticing list
and attend any local meetings on this
issue. For more this issue, please visit:
www.STNC.org.
New Oro Vista Park
As many people know, we are going
to have a new park down at the end of
Oro Vista by Big Tujunga Canyon in
early spring, 2015. Wesly Hernandez,
area director for Councilmember Fe-
World premiere concert planned
PIANIST, from Page 1
January 2015
formed throughout the U.S. and Europe
with appearances including an allFrench program at the Norton Simon
Museum. Other venues include Zipper
Hall, the National Gallery of Art,
Crocker Art Museum, Lincoln Center,
the Whittier College Bach Festival, the
lipe Fuentes, recently told me that the
contractor has completed demolition,
trenching for irrigation and preliminary
grading at the future Oro Vista Park.
When completed, it will be a passive
park with native plants, benches for sitting and enjoying the view, and decomposed granite pathways to take walks.
There will be more information coming
to you as the project nears completion.
Region 1 Clean Up on Jan. 17
Speaking of Oro Vista Park, there
will be a community clean up for Region 1 by Oro Vista Park on Saturday,
Jan. 17, 2015. We need all the help we
can get so please show up at 9 a.m. at
the corner of Grove Street and Oro
Vista Avenue, in Sunland. Councilmember Fuentes and STNC’s Clean
Up and Beautification Committee,
chaired by STNC board member Gail
San Diego Convention Center, the
Dame Myra Hess Series in Chicago,
and numerous international radio
broadcasts. Orchestral appearances
have included the Cal State L.A.
Baroque Ensemble, Berkshire Symphony, Westlake Festival Orchestra,
and Hudson Symphony.
Later this year Rubenstein will perform at the “Music at Meyer Concert
Carlson, will be on hand to support our
clean up project. Special thanks also to
Fresh and Easy market for refreshments. There will be garbage bags to
fill up to make our Region 1 area more
beautiful. Please come out to support
this event. Please bring your own rake
and work gloves. Community Volunteer credits are available for teens. Together, we can make a difference!
Our next Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council Land Use Committee
meeting will be held Jan. 5, at 7 p.m.,
and the monthly board meeting will be
held Jan. 14 at 6:30 p.m., both at North
Valley City Hall (entrance is on the
back side of the building). I look forward to meeting you and hope you will
take an active role on any issues in our
community that are of concern to you.
Series” in San Francisco (March 9) and
at the “Steinway Series @ the Smithsonian” in Washington, D.C. (Sept. 13)
Bridges Hall of Music is located at
Pomona College (“Little Bridges”), 150
E. 4th St. Claremont. General Admission tickets are $25 Seniors (60+), Students $20. For an online discount:
http://davidrubinstein.net/contact-tickets.html.
January 2015
Voice of the Village
Page 3
The storm drain: Not just for flood control
Growing Up in Sunland
By Tom Gilfoy
Have you ever wondered which
man-made feature would most dominate the landscape if you looked down
on Sunland-Tujunga from an airplane?
I’m sure the campus at Verdugo High
would be a candidate, as would Mt
Gleason’s campus. Even Foothill
Boulevard would have to be considered as it wends its way though town.
But right up there with the rest of
them, and certainly the most surprising
to most residents, would be the Haines
Canyon Storm Drain. As many residents know, storm waters off the western slopes of Sister
Elsie are funneled from a catch basin
at the mouth of Haines Canyon into a
large open storm drain that runs the
length of our valley before it empties
into the Big Tujunga Wash in Sunland.
Along the way it bisects literally hundreds of parcels as it sweeps from one
side of the valley to the other.
One of the parcels bisected when
the storm drain was constructed back
in 1937 was our family’s 2 1/2 acre
walnut grove on Oro Vista Ave. (The
old grove has long since been removed
and is today the site of the Sunland
Neighborhood Church.) Because of
the angle the storm drain took through
our property, it left a relatively small
triangular part of the original acreage
isolated on the opposite side of the
drain.
Eventually, our family sold this inaccessible parcel to the Los Angeles
Unified School District and today it’s
part of Sunland Elementary’s playground where it backs up to the drain.
The storm drain itself is a very large
concrete structure that increases in size
as it picks up more and more water on
its downward journey. Starting out
with a width of 14 feet and sidewalls
that are only seven feet high, the
drain’s measurements steadily increase
until by the time it reaches our old Oro
Vista property, the width and height
have grown to 20 feet across and 12
feet high, effectively more than doubling the original upstream capacity. When it rains hard and there’s a lot
of water coming down the storm drain,
the smooth concrete bottom causes a
surprising (at least to me) wave phenomena, with wave after wave coming
down in evenly spaced intervals. Just
exactly what force of nature causes
these waves I’ll leave to a hydraulic
engineer to explain, but whatever
causes them, they had a special meaning to our family. To us, wave formation was a pretty reliable indication of
just how hard it was raining upstream.
Many is the time we ran out in the rain
to look in the drain to see if waves had
yet formed, with a typical report back
to the house being something on the
order of, “No waves yet. It must not be
raining very hard up in Tujunga.”
During our youth the storm drain
was protected on both sides, as it is
today, by a chain link fence topped
PHOTO ABOVE:
Tom Gilfoy looks
at the storm drain
where it empties
into the wash in
Sunland.
PHOTO AT LEFT:
Ted Capuano
views the Haines
Canyon Catch
Basin where it funnels water into the
storm drain, sending “waves” of
water cascading
toward the wash in
Sunland.
with barbed wire. It was dangerous to
go over the fence and try to slide down
those 12-foot high walls on a rope, and
we were prohibited by our parents
from doing so. But even while still
only six or seven years old, we often
dreamed of doing just that.
My brother, Dick, reminds me of the
time we and a couple of other friends
drew straws to see which of us would
have the privilege of riding an old air
mattress down to see where the storm
drain ended. I don’t remember who
won, but it doesn’t really matter, anyway, as whoever won didn’t have the
nerve to actually get in the drain and
ride one of those waves. At that age we
didn’t know where the drain went after
it disappeared around the first big bend
below the walnut grove; in our imagination we thought it might have gone
over a big waterfall or into a big pipe
that emptied in Hansen Dam.
As we became older, we not only
became bolder but didn’t mind our
parents quite as well, either. As a result, many was the time we defied
standing orders and found ourselves in
the bottom of the drain (when it wasn’t
flowing with storm water, that is) to
embark on one adventure after another.
But to begin these explorations we
first had to figure out how to get into
the drain without being spotted from
our house. Since the drain was in plain
sight from the back windows of the
house, we knew we wouldn’t have
much luck getting over the top of the
fence and into the drain without first
being spotted by our parents. So we
found a place out of sight a few yards
above our property where there was a
notch cut in the top of the sidewall to
allow storm runoff to drop in. It was
just big enough to allow small boys to
crawl through, and by lowering our-
selves on a rope tied to one of the
fence posts, we were able to drop to
the bottom without being seen from
our house.
While in the bottom, we frequently
worked our way up stream to Foothill
Blvd. Others had been there before us,
as confirmed by the various graphic
displays of sex drawn on the concrete
walls under the Foothill bridge. As
young but interested kids, this was our
first exposure to this sort of graffiti,
and it wasn’t long before we had excitedly told most of our playmates at
Sunland Grammar School about what
we had seen. Soon afterward there was
a regular parade of school chums coming through our back yard to go down
the rope and see the bridge artwork. Of
course, too much of even a good thing
eventually became boring and it
See GILFOY, Page 12
Page 4
Voice of the Village
January 2015
Sunland Womans Club meets for fall celebrations, hears reports
The Sunland Womans club met on
Nov.12 for their Thanksgiving meeting.
The meeting was opened by President
Laney Clevenger White. The tables
were decorated with
a lovely fall theme,
which included jars
of candy corn. Guests were introduced.
The
Operation
Gratitude volunteer project was discussed and a decision was made to assemble bracelets to be sent to our
servicemen. The financial Statement
Club
News
was read by Treasurer, Margaret Beddoe. Membership Chairman, Shirley
Cooper, stated that we had 49 members.
New yearbook pages were passed out
by President Laney. It was decided that
we would again bring to the December
meeting items to be taken to the police
department for their use when encountering children in need. Hannah Ross
and her committee would take the items
to the Foothill Division station. The
luncheon was catered by I-Hop restaurant, which was turkey with all the trimmings.
The program for the afternoon was
From the Editor’s Desk …
With this first issue of the New Year, we would like to wish the community
a very happy 2015.
As a monthly newspaper serving the Foothills Communities, our mission
is to provide news coverage on subjects of community interest: topical issues,
cultural and social events, dining, sports, human interest stories, business,
youth, school, and Neighborhood Council news.
The Voice welcomes submissions, photos and letters to the editor, which
may be sent to: [email protected].
Staff Acknowledgements:
Voice of the Village is published on the first day of each month by the Sunland-TujungaShadow Hills Community Fund, a non-profit 501c3 organization established to provide financial support to student organizations at Verdugo Hills High School through matching grants
for community service performed by the students. VHHS Journalism students are encouraged
to write for Voice of the Village. Deadline for advertising, articles and announcements is the
15th of each month. Content may also be submitted by people in our community, who may
send in articles, letters, photos, and announcements for publication –– the content of which expresses the views of senders and is not necessarily that of the Voice of the Village. Voice of the
Village promotes submission of articles on subjects of interest in our community and reserves
the right to edit articles and/or to not publish them.
Manager/Publisher: Brenda Fortune
Editor-in-Chief: Kresse Armour • [email protected]
Managing Editor/Photographer: John Emig
Staff Reporter: Eric Owens
Advertising Manager: [email protected] • 818-397-3835
Voice of the Village: P.O. Box 4323, Sunland, CA 91041
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: voiceofthevillage.org
Looking for your own Voice?
We deliver 10,000 copies to locations throughout Sunland, Tujunga,
Shadow Hills, Sun Valley and the Foothills communities — be sure to
get yours! Locations include:
JOSELITO’S
IHOP
MI CASITA
DENNY’S
CROW’S NEST SPORTS GRILLE
S-T BRANCH LIBRARY
DO IT CENTER
RALPHS, VONS and
FRESH & EASY markets
MISSION VALLEY BANK
SPARKLE AND SHINE
VERDUGO HILLS HOSPITAL
GIAMELA’S
C & M PRINTING
S-T CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
McDONALDS
YMCA
ANGELES GOLF CLUB
LOST A PET?
Looking for a lost a pet? A local group has formed that is
dedicated to helping local lost and found pets to be reunited
with their owners. Join the ‘Sunland-Tujunga Animal Lost
and Found.’ Check them out on Facebook:
www.facebook/groups/sunlandtujungapets/
presented by Lois Johnson, who entertained with violin music, which included patriotic and classical numbers.
The December meeting was held on
Dec. 10. Tables were set with lovely
decorations befitting the Christmas season. The financial report was read
by Margaret Beddoe. Many items were brought to the
meeting to be taken to the Foothill Division on behalf of the Rosalee Stokes
Memorial drive, which is done each
year by the ladies. The membership
chairman reported that we have 60
members and all have paid-up dues.
Luncheon was served with lovely
ham, tomato tarts, green salad and
lemon bars.
The program for the afternoon was
presented by Steffen and Skylar Presley,
who entertained with piano and saxophone duets. Included in the program
were Christmas tunes.
The Sunland Womans Club meets the
second Wednesday of the month at the
center for Spiritual Living in La Crescenta. For more information about
membership in this charitable organization, please contact Joanne Brookfield
at 818-768-4608.
January 2015
‘A Space Helmet’
TIMM, from Page 1
admires the “surrealness” of their approach to filmmaking, which has influenced his own style. “You have to
amaze people,” he said.
The trace of a New York accent gives
flavor to Timm’s narrative as he recounts his journey from being boy in
Queens to a writer-director in Hollywood. He was just 10 years old, he says,
when he started seeing the world
through the lens of his father’s 8mm
movie camera. Animating great galactic
battles, he’d cast his own army of GI
Joes in reenactments of Star Wars and
other sci-fi epics.
The youngest of
five kids, he channels the heart and
soul of his artistic
parents –– his
mother a painter, his
father a musician.
And though his father had urged him
toward a “practical”
career,
Tim
nonetheless set his
imaginative sites on
the craft of filmmaking, a choice
his father could fundamentally appreciate. “He was a bass guitarist and
saxophonist who understood the pull of
creativity,” Timm said of his dad. “I
tried music, but not seriously. I’m not a
musician. I’m a storyteller.”
The boy from Queens attended
Catholic high school in Long Island,
“with a shirt and tie,” he said, and after
graduation turned down NYU for the
Rochester Institute of Technology ––
which had a budding film program. But
when he finished college, a job and career, he said, “were the furthest things
from my mind.”
So with all the freedom and wanderlust of a young man with no ties, he saw
much of the world –– hitchhiking his
way through Europe and the UK. “I
would stay for months at a time,” he
Voice of the Village
said. “Come back, work, save money,
then go out and travel more.”
Such travels have a way of both
broadening and grounding. In 1996
Timm found himself in Salt Lake City
working for the Sundance Institute. “I
was there for three years,” he said.
“Script writing, directing commercials.”
A TV commercial for Mountain America Banking would win Timm an Addy
award.
The experience began to shape his career. Now a creative manager for Universal Studios, he excels in cross-media
film campaigns: billboards, radio, TV,
“the things that tell the media narrative,”
he explains. “The
movie is one part of
the process. You
need to sell the audience at every
level. What’s the
story of the actors?
Why make this
movie?”
As for “A Girl, A
Guy, A Helmet,”
the story is one that
portrays a labor of
creative love ––
made on a budget
of just $10,000.
“Knowing I would
be shooting on a
micro-budget, I focused on the four creative elements which are not bound by
money: an original story, great acting,
camera angles and editing style,” Timm
said. “As long as I chose wisely, I knew
I could entertain the audience as well as
any studio picture would. Plus, there
was a pure thirst to direct, which needed
that creative quenching.”
With the huge success of his first feature film, Timm is currently in development of a “fantastic reality,
comedy-esque love story.” It’s another
micro-budget project, “with a big ensemble cast,” to be shot in the winter
and spring of 2015. “Local pros are
coming out of the woodwork to be part
of the production,” he said.
Local audiences are invited to see the
screening of “A Girl, A Guy, A Space
Helmet” on Saturday, Jan. 10, 7 p.m., at
McGroarty Arts Center. Across the film
festival circuit, the film has won Best
Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best
Supporting Actor, Best Production Design and Best Cast Ensemble awards.
Tickets are $15, with all funds from
this “Night at the Movies” benefitting
Page 5
McGroarty. A Q&A with filmmaker
Mike Timm, who makes his home in
Tujunga, will follow the screening.
Moderator will be Krystee Clark. Movie
munchies with a cash beer/wine bar will
be available. McGroarty Arts Center is
located at 7570 McGroarty Arts Center,
Tujunga. For more information call 818352-5285.
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Page 6
Voice of the Village
January 2015
Business News
Free income tax preparation
Beginning Feb. 4, and continuing
through April 10, residents can receive
free income tax preparation under the
Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE)
program administered by AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, a tax-exempt charity
of AARP. Membership in AARP is not
required.
Free income tax preparation will be
provided on Wednesdays and Fridays at
the
La Crescenta County Library, 2809
Foothill Blvd., (corner of La Crescenta
Avenue). Enter from the upper level
parking lot.
The hours of preparation are:
Wednesdays – 9:30 am to 2:00 pm
Fridays – 8:30 am to 1:00 pm
Taxpayers will be helped on a “firstcome-first-served” basis; advanced
reservations are not available.
All tax returns, both federal and California, are filed electronically using
IRS-provided tax preparation software.
Tax returns are prepared by volunteer
tax counselors who are trained and certified by IRS; all returns are subject to
a quality review by a second certified
counselor. After the tax return is prepared and reviewed, it is e-filed within
24 hours; copies of filed tax returns are
provided to the taxpayer.
All tax counselors must adhere to
IRS Volunteer Standards of Conduct as
well as AARP’s Standards of Professionalism. This means taxpayers can be
assured that their tax information is
treated with strict confidentiality and
security.
Taxpayers should bring with them:
• Last year’s tax returns
• Social Security Cards for you, your
spouse (if filing a joint return), and all
eligible dependents
• Picture identification for you and
your spouse (if filing a joint return) is-
sued by a government agency
• Income related documents: SSA
1099, 1099R, W2, Unemployment
Compensation statements, and other
1099 forms showing interest, dividends, and other income
• New this year: If you purchased
health insurance (“Obamacare”) in
2014 through Covered CA, you will receive a new tax form – Form 1095-A –
which provides information required
for your tax return. This form will show
your eligibility for coverage as well as
help determine your entitlement to a
new Premium Tax Credit. It should be
mailed to you by Jan. 31, 2015.
• You will not receive Form 1095-A
if you did not purchase health insurance
through Covered CA, or you were enrolled in Medicare, or you were covered
by an employer-sponsored health care
plan, including retirees.
• Expense-related documents: forms
showing federal and state income taxes
paid, 1098 forms, summaries of medical, dental, prescription drug expenses,
contributions to charities, vehicle tax
statements, property taxes and home
mortgage interest, and any business expenses. Receipts for expenses need to
be in reasonable order and legible.
• Brokerage statements or other documentation showing the cost basis (purchase price) and date purchased for all
securities or property sold or transferred
during the tax year
• A blank check with your name
printed on it, if you want direct deposit
or debit for any refund or balance due
• If you received a pension or annuity
from a former employer, bring the date
you began receiving these payments
Find other AARP Foundation TaxAide locations in your local area at:
http://www.aarp.org/applications/VMISLocator/searchTaxAideLocations.action
Elks and Chamber team to brighten holidays
Photo by Kresse Armour
From left: Elks Lodge Exalted Ruler Rochelle Zenger, S-T Chamber of Commerce President John Loussararian, and new S-T Chamber Executive Director Alescia Penn, holding some of the many toys gathered for distribution
to local youngsters along with holiday gift baskets. The Chamber’s Annual
Holiday Mixer and Toy Drive, held Dec. 9 at the Elks Lodge, drew a sizeable
crowd of supporters. With generous donations of food and toys collected
from community donations, the Elks made the holidays happier for many
local families. The Elks Lodge, always looking for new members, is located
at 10137 Commerce Ave., Tujunga. Call 818-352-2098 for more information.
The Sunland-Tujunga Chamber is located at 8250 Foothill Blvd., #A, Sunland. Call 818-352-4433 for more information on local business.
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-0550
spacious new boarding kennels
& air conditioned runs
6934 Foothill Blvd, Tujunga, CA 91042 • (818) 352-6085
Retirement Planning Associates
Tel (818) 781-7721 Ext. 25
Stocks
Fax (818) 787-2232
Municipal Bonds
Efax (847) 628-0426
Closed-End Funds
[email protected]
Mutual Funds
James A. Ellis Retirement
7145 Woodley Avenue
Van Nuys, CA 91406-3932
Sunland-Tujunga Employer Plans
Registered Representative of, and securities offered through, J.K.R. & Co. Inc.
Lions Club
Member NASD, SIPC
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January 2015
Voice of the Village
Page 7
School News
Santa and his crew visit
Pinewood Elementary
The Verdugo Hills High School Leadership Class delighted kindergarten
students at Pinewood Elementary School with a visit from Santa, Mrs. Claus,
and a host of ‘elves’ and helpers. The kindergarteners wrote letters to Santa
asking for special presents, and with the help of donations from around the
community the VHHS students delivered. In the holiday spirit, the following
LAUSD Police officers donated gifts to help make the day a special one: Sgt.
Besunder, Det. Stafford, Officer Flood, Officer Mendez, Officer Perez, Officer
Anabell, Officer Weber, Officer Hernandez, Officer Harvey, Officer Amir, and
Officer German. Leadership students who coordinated the event included
Shelley Quema, Tatiana Abramian, and Shannon De Leon. The VHHS
Leadership Class is comprised of students, hand-chosen by faculty, who have
demonstrated strong leadership qualities and help to coordinate events and
activities at VHHS throughout the school year.
Business News
Photos by Kresse Armour
Century 21 Crest, in Sunland,
made hundreds of Christmas
memories for local families
this past December by providing free, professional color
photos for the more than 450
children who came to visit
Santa. And there were cookies.
Kids weren’t the only lucky
ones. Pets were also invited to
come and sit on Santa’s lap.
At right, Lucy tells Santa all
about her Christmas wish list.
Poetry Corner
Village Poets present Teresa Mei
Chuc and Ross Canton Jan. 25
The Village Poets of Sunland-Tujunga will hold their first Monthly
Reading Series of the New Year on
Sunday, Jan.
25, from 4:306:30 p.m., at
Bolton
Hall
M u s e u m ,
10110 Commerce Ave., Tujunga. They
are delighted to
announce that
Teresa Mei Chuc
poets Teresa
Mei Chuc and
Ross Canton will feature at this event.
Teresa Mei Chuc is the author of two
poetry books, Red Thread (Fithian
Press, 2012) and Keeper of the Winds
(FootHills Publishing, 2014).
Teresa Mei Chuc was born in Saigon,
Vietnam and immigrated to the U.S.
under political asylum with her mother
and brother shortly after the Vietnam
War, while her father remained in a Vietcong “reeducation” camp for nine
years. Her poetry appears in journals
such as EarthSpeak Magazine, The
Good Men Project, Hawai’i Pacific Review, Hypothetical Review, Kyoto
Journal, The Prose-Poem Project, The
National Poetry Review, Rattle, Verse
Daily and in anthologies such as New
Poets of the American West (Many
Voices Press, 2010), With Our Eyes
Wide Open: Poems of the New American Century (West End Press, 2014),
and Mo’ Joe (Beatlick Press, 2014).
Teresa’s poetry is forthcoming in the
anthology, Inheriting the War: Poetry
and Prose by Descendants of Vietnam
Veterans and Refugees.
Ross Canton is a poet, playwright,
filmmaker, novelist, and director. His
work has been published widely in literary journals in the United States, England, and Australia. He graduated from
UC Santa Cruz, where he studied under
such luminaries as George Hitchcock,
editor of Kayak, Gregory Bateson, and
Norman O. Brown. He received his
MFA in Poetry and Non-Fiction from
Vermont College of the Fine Arts. His
books of poetry include Involving Residence, No Thanks, Walking Water On
Earth, The Art of Naming, and The Endurance: Journey To Worlds End, a
lyric novel. He is also the author of You
Don’t Know Me, a novel, The Light
Where Shadows End, a memoir, and a
number of plays and stage adaptations.
He is the Founder and Artistic Director
of Studio Theater West in Santa Monica, and the founder/originator of
Movie/Poem, Inc. a multi-media platform for cross-genre poetic expression.
Poets are welcome to bring their
poems and sign-up for the open MIC
upon arrival. Light refreshments will be
served, and a $3 donation is appreciated!
For more information, take a look at
our blog:
http://www.villagepoets.blogspot.com.
Page 8
Voice of the Village
January 2015
Club News
Bloomin’ Squares: Alive, well and growing this winter
By Dianalee Bartera
Bloomin’ Squares Ambassador Friends and family are among the
most important associations one has in
this world. Research points to the fact
that humans need one another to
thrive. Still, life is more than an allemande left your corner or a dosado
your partner. Thriving is about making
real connections with people that help
heal broken hearts, mend broken bodies, stir up life-long friendships, and
even solidify business opportunities.
I never in a million years thought
I’d even remotely tolerate square
dancing, so when a friend at work
starting “recruiting” me, back in the
‘90s, to try square dancing, I ran like
the scared girl I was. Boy am I grateful
he kept asking, and for three years!
Thriving is about bridging gaps, and so
is square dancing, which was named
the Official Folk Dance of California
in 1988. My best friend is a lady I met nearly
20 years ago at a square dancing weekend event right here in Los Angeles.
My life has changed a lot in those
years, as most lives do. I’ve developed
in ways I could not have imagined
back then –– and all because of that
friendship. Every day, I thank God for
all the joy that dancing and the dancers
bring into my life. I enjoy dancing
with clubs all over the world, but I frequent “Glendale B&Bs,” the “La Crescenta Sets in Step,” and am a founding
Elks supporting veterans
member of the Bloomin’ Squares,
which dances in Tujunga.
Born from a liaison between Occidental College students, local dancing
residents and Bloomin’ Squares Dance
and Social Club, 2015 will mark the
first time in more than a decade that
Sunland-Tujunga has had a beginner
square dance class start up this January. People asked, and Bloomin’
Squares stepped up to the plate and
said, “yes” to the community! Often I hear, “I don’t like country
music, so I won’t like square dancing!” Believe it or not, modern western
square dancing doesn’t require country
western music. Any music with a fourfour beat makes for great square dancing, and Bloomin’ Squares’ new
teacher, Phil Farmer, brings SunlandTujunga a great variety of music, a terrific singing voice and a great mind
and manner for helping students learn
easily while having a great time.
Classes begin: Beginners Square
Dance Classes start on Wednesday,
Jan. 21 at 7 p.m., followed by the Intermediate Class at 8:30 p.m. Winter
Classes meet on the 1st, 3rd, 4th and
5th Wednesday of the month, through
July. Bloomin’s Advanced Class is still
in progress and continues on Sundays
4-7 p.m. until mid-February, when the
new Advanced Class will begin. All
dancing and classes are held at the
Sunland-Tujunga Municipal Building
located at 7747 Foothill Blvd, Tujunga. More info: 818-945-1189.
BUILDINGAFOUNDATIONFORYOURFAMILY!
Photo by Earl Bouchard
The Sunland-Tujunga Elks Lodge has a proud tradition of supporting veterans.
For many years the Lodge has maintained ongoing programs, visitations and
presentations of special gifts to patients at the Veterans Administration Medical
Center. Some much appreciated ‘gifts from the heart’ this past year included the
40 warm and colorful lap robes crocheted by Veronica Chavez and Margie
Bouchard, who made them especially for the veterans at VAMC. The Elks
Lodge is located at 10137 Commerce Ave., Tujunga. Call 818-352-2098 for
more information.
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January 2015
Voice of the Village
Page 9
Club News
Elks help OLL Food Pantry
When local organizations come together, it’s a great thing for the community. For the third year running, the
Sunland-Tujunga Elks Lodge pledged
matching funds of up to $1,100 to benefit Our Lady of Lourdes food pantry,
known as “The Pasture,” which services hundreds of local families in need.
To acquire the donation, the S-T Elks
applied to the Elks National Foundation
for a grant to meet their goal. The grant
also pays for dictionaries that are given
to local elementary school students.
OLL raised $1,997 in their 2014 fund
drive and, as promised, Elks Exalted
Ruler Rochelle Zenger, and Elks Lodge
members Jim Saurer and Earl Bouchard
presented a check to OLL’s Gena Beierschmitt for The Pasture.
The Elks Lodge is located at 10137
Commerce Ave., Tujunga. Call 818352-2098 for more information.
Photos by Kresse Armour
Elks and OLL team up for ‘Help Make Christmas Dinner Special’
The Pasture is a well-stocked pantry that serves about 200 families per month.
N
New
ew Construction
Remodel
Additions
Additions
Kitchens & Baths
Home Repairs
Painting
Decks
Costco generously donates bread and pastry items to OLL for distribution to
families in the Sunland-Tujunga area.
Santa visits La Crescenta Woman’s Club
Santa wore himself out and took a
little nap!! The Junior Section of the La Crescenta Woman’s Club hosted its annual
“Breakfast with Santa” by serving a
continental breakfast to the approximately 120-plus children and adults
who attended. Children received a digital photo with Santa Claus, a candy
cane and bag with small gifts (stickers,
toys, etc.). Our visitor, Santa Josef, also brought
his special gold coins, giving one to
each child. The children were able to
color on the paper table covers at the
event. Members and guests were entertained with holiday music and Christmas Carols sung by the CVHS
Charismatics. There was a holiday craft area for
the children to get creative by decorating ornaments. Our local firefighters
from Station #29
c a m e
with their
hook and
ladder
truck for
the kids
to climb
on and
visit with
the firemen.
We thank all of the local businesses
and members who donated many
prizes for the opportunity drawings and
silent auction, as well as donations of
food.
We also appreciate Skip Rogers for
his great photography skills, capturing
the special day! The profit our club
made from the event will be donated to
various local organizations. Call
Call fo
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for a
free estimate,
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[email protected]
Page 10
McGroarty
fundraiser
serves up
chili with all
the fixin’s
Voice of the Village
January 2015
Photos by Kresse Armour
The community flocked to McGroarty this past December for its annual Chili Bowl fundraiser. Hundreds of beautiful bowls, hand-crafted by McGroarty pottery students, were sold to hungry members
of the public, who had their choice of ‘varietal’ chilis. Left, John Carey and Desmond enjoy a bowl.
Cookies and chili: An unbeatable combo
Photos by Kresse Armour
Above, 5-year-old Micah Horowitz
gets creative at McGroarty’s cookiedecorating station as Donna Horowitz
looks on. At left, Santa’s ‘helpers’ offer
the best baked goods in town.
The Randy
Van Horne
Singers!
The Randy Van Horne singers
played to a standing-roomonly crowd at Bolton Hall on
Dec. 13. The popular group,
featuring Tujunga’s own
Franny McCartney, far left,
rocked the house with Christmas carols and favorite holiday standards.
Photo by Kresse Armour
January 2015
Voice of the Village
Page 11
WinterFest
2014: Snow,
Santa and fun!
Additional photos, Page 19
Photos by Kresse Armour
WinterFest thrilled the
community again this
past December as people young and old
flocked to Little Landers Park for snowplay
(with fresh snow provided by Councilmember Felipe Fuentes), a
visit with Santa, warm
cups of hot chocolate
and an evening of
great entertainment.
Music and rich voices
filled the air across the
event. New to WinterFest were special tables where kids could
get creative with holiday projects to take
home.
WinterFest was a Rotary-sponsored event.
Above, from left, Rotarians Candace Laughlin,
and Sabrina Godinez, Congressman Adam
Schiff, Rotary president Wendell Bowers, and
event organizer, Rotarian Brenda Fortune. Rotary meets Tuesdays, 7 pm, at Joselito’s.
Page 12
Voice of the Village
Restaurant of the Month
Photo by Kresse Armour
The Crow’s Nest Sports Grille is a friendly, sawdust-on-the-floor tavern where
family and friends can meet up for a good meal and good drink. Open seven
days a week, fresh peanuts are always out for customers. A full menu offers
breakfast, lunch and dinner, with entrees from eggs to Friday night steaks
prepared with fresh, quality ingredients. Sauces are homemade. Meats,
produce, wines, beers, and bakery goods are hand-selected. There are 24 big
screen TVs, along with pool tables and video games. There are specials every
night, with Happy Hour from 3-6 pm, Monday through Friday. Trivia contests
and Comedy Night are great crowd pleasers. Owners are Susan and Art Miner.
The Crow’s Nest is located at 7279 Foothill Boulevard, Tujunga. Call 818-3530852. Check out the website: www.thecrowsnestsg.com.
Growing Up in Sunland
GILFOY, from Page 3
wasn’t long before we wanted to explore farther upstream.
To extend exploring possibilities,
we managed to use the side opening
and the ropes to lower our bicycles
into the drain, which, with its smooth
concrete bottom, turned out to be a
great place for bike riding. It was
pretty darned safe too, with certainly
no danger posed by careless auto drivers. Although we rode up and down the
drain a lot, we never dared go up as far
as the Haines Canyon beginning. This
was mainly because we never quite
managed to summon the courage it
took to enter the long, dark tunnel near
the lower end of Commerce Avenue,
where for a long stretch the drain runs
along under Vallejo Drive. Below the
tunnel, however, there were several
opportunities for short side excursions
up feeder drains.
From these we could be found pop-
ping out of culverts and manholes all
over town.
One time we were spotted on one of
these side excursions by a friend of our
dad. It was too long ago to remember
exactly what happened next, but can
you imagine our dad being asked by
his friend something to the effect of,
“You’ll never guess where I saw one
of your boys this time,” and then proceeding to tell him he saw one of our
heads popping out of a manhole or a
culvert somewhere on Foothill Blvd.
In all events, and regardless of the
exact nature of the conversation, it was
enough for dad to crack down hard and
bring our days in the storm drain to a
screeching halt.
Insofar as I know, the Haines
Canyon Storm Drain has forever after
been used exclusively for its originally
intended purpose of flood control.
Reach Tom Gilfoy at:
[email protected]
Foothills Music Academy
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www.FoothillsMusicAcademy.net
January 2015
American Legion Post #377
supports needy families
Commander Dan Kellgreen of American Legion Post #377 had a mission
this Christmas: it was to support the
community and those who are in need.
He contacted fellow American Legion
member Dorie Scott, a teacher at
Pinewood Elementary School, and
asked for her help. She presented the request to the new principal at Pinewood,
Ms. Patrizia Puccio, who was thrilled
with the idea. “We have families who
contact us, asking for help at this time
of year,” she said. “They are looking for
Christmas presents for their children.”
A list was provided by Principal Puccio, and the American Legion did the
rest. Karen Ostrom stepped up and
helped to arrange a meal for each of the
families. Commander Dan and Post
#377 were already supporting Toys for
Tots, so a special box was placed inside
the Post to collect presents for the local
families.
It all came together the night of Dec.
20. The families showed up at the Post
and were treated to a full meal; then
Santa passed out presents to all of the
children. Karen made sure each family
had food to take home as well as grocery store gift certificates. This was a
memorable Christmas celebration for
all.
Post #377 members and boosters,
such as Bud Fales, Bob Smith, and
Doug Boyland, as well as many others,
were more than generous in donations
of food and gifts. Many others, including Sharon Thorpe and Tina Messina,
donated their time preparing the meal
and decorating the Post.
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January 2015
Voice of the Village
Page 13
Obituaries
William Edward
Petteplace
1959-2014
The family of Billy Petteplace is sad
to announce his passing on Dec. 9,
2014, in Williams Lake, British Columbia, Canada. He was 55.
William Edward Petteplace
Jr. was born in
Va n c o u v e r ,
Canada on Aug.
19, 1959 to Bill
and Betty Petteplace.
He
lived in Tujunga most of
his life but
moved to Williams Lake in December
2007.
Billy had a kind heart, was creative,
loved animals and played the guitar. He
was a welder by trade, a great mechanic and able to fix or build almost
anything.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Bill and Betty. His dad, Bill,
passed away in September 2013, and
his mother, Betty, passed away in August 1986.
He is remembered by his daughter,
Frankie Lee, and granddaughter, Jose-
lyn, of Sacramento; siblings, Joanne,
Tammy, Jimmy, Tracey and Chris,
along with their family members; by
many aunts, uncles and cousins in
Canada, California and Nevada; as
well as by many friends.
Memorial services to be held in
Williams Lake and Tujunga in the future.
Thank you for sharing a part of this
man’s life. He will be missed.
William ‘Bill’ Crow
William Charles Crow died peacefully on Dec. 12, 2014, at New Vista
Care Facility.
He was 83 years old. Bill was manager of Post 377 of the American Legion in Tujunga for over 30 years.
Prior to that, he had worked at various establishments in the Sunland-Tujunga area.
Bill served in the U.S. Marine Corps
in Korea.
He was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the son of the late William and
Lucile (Michel) Crow. He moved to Tujunga in the 1950s after his service in
the Marine Corps.
He was the brother of the late Lucile
Crow Williams, Mary Frances (Francie) Crow McHendry and Carolyn
Crow McTernan. He is survived by several dozen Williams, McHendry and
McTernan nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grand-nephews, great-grandnieces and great-grandnephews.
He was assisted in his later years by
Rita Williams of Bullhead City, Arizona, and Gina Poulos of Zephyr Cove,
Nevada.
Funeral services were held at the
Crippen Mortuary in La Crescenta on
Dec. 18. Mass services were held at
Our Lady of Lourdes on Dec. 19.
Graveside services were held at the San
Fernando Mission Cemetery on Dec.
19.
A “Celebration of Life” was held at
the American Legion, Post 377 on Dec.
19.
Wildlife Waystation
seeks Crowdfunding
Wildlife Waystation founder and director, Martine Colette, could use your
help in getting the word out about the
new Crowdfunding Campaign that
started in December.
The money raised will help the
Wildlife Waystation obtain its muchneeded Conditional Use Permit from
the County of Los Angeles, which
holds the potential to help the facility
return to the mission of aiding all animals in need –– and once again have
visitors be able to come and see its animal residents.
For more information call 818-8995201. Visit the website at: wildlifewaystation.org.
The Wildlife Waystation is located at
14831 Little Tujunga Canyon Rd, Angeles National Forest.
Remodel
Additions
Decks
Deck Repair
Dan Murnan
Construction
Termite Damage
Repair
Dry Rot Repair
818-517-1560
[email protected]
California Contractors License #592570
Page 14
Voice of the Village
Haggen to acquire
Tujunga Albertsons
The Haggen grocery store chain,
based in the Pacific Northwest, has announced that it will acquire 146 stores
as part of the divestment process
brought about by the Federal Trade
Commission’s (FTC) review of the Albertson’s LLC and Safeway merger.
This will include the Albertsons market
located in Tujunga.
After the close of the transaction in
early 2015, Haggen will convert all of
the Albertsons (and Safeway) stores it
acquires to the Haggen banner, in
phases, during the first half of 2015. All
Albertson’s LLC and Safeway store
employees will have the opportunity to
become employees of Haggen as their
individual stores are transitioned to the
Haggen banner. Haggen plans to retain
the current store management teams.
“With this pivotal acquisition, we
will have the opportunity to introduce
many more customers to the Haggen
experience,” said John Caple, chairman
of the Haggen board of directors and
partner at Comvest Partners, a private
investment firm that owns the majority
of shares of Haggen. Haggen is deeply
rooted in the communities it serves,
providing support to local events and
partnerships. For more information
visit haggen.com.
Community News
Tabbi and Carpenter are
2014 Spirit Award winners
The 12th Annual Spirit of Johny Car- (NHOER) ends an exciting year of
penter Awards and Second Annual growth and has extended its reach to
Community Food Drive, held at the new heights. We look forward to 2015
McCurdy’s ranch, took place this past to be the best year ever. NHOER is a
Nov. 22. This was the first time both CA 501 c(3) public charity, located in
events were held on the traditional day Lake View Terrace. ID# 27-2613489.
that Johny had his Thanksgiving Dinner at the original
Heaven on Earth Ranch.
The 2014 Spirit honorees
were Phil Tabbi Sr. and
Katherine Carpenter. The recipient of the donated food
was “Winds of Hope,” led by
Pastor Domingo Mota, from
Sun Valley. Our community
donated more food this year,
and it took a U-Haul truck to
load it. The offices of Councilman Felipe Fuentes, CongressAdam
Schiff, Spirit Award winners Phil Tabbi and Katherine
man
Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra Carpenter.
and Supervisor Michael
Antonovich also recognized our hon- All donations are tax deductible. Please
orees. We had representation from mail to: NHOER 9845 Foothill Place,
Foothill Trails District Neighborhood Lake View Terrace, CA 91342. Call us
Council, Valley Village, Foothill Divi- at 818-470-5235. You can also email:
sion LAPD, and the San Fernando [email protected]. Visit our website:
Rangers, among others. We also thank www.NHOER.org. Like us on Facebook under ‘New Heaven on Earth
OK Trophy for donating the plaques.
The New Heaven on Earth Ranch Ranch.’
January 2015
Cadre Landscape is
CLCA award winner
The California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA) has honored
three landscape contractors in
the San Fernando Valley with 2014
statewide Trophy Awards for excellence
in landscape installation and maintenance, demonstrating the best quality,
construction, originality and attention
to detail on local 2014 projects.
Landscape
of
Los
Cadre
Angeles (Tujunga) won the top tier Excelsior Award, which is first place in
Large Renovation Installation, and first
place in Unlimited Commercial Maintenance for their work at the Wateridge
in Los Angeles.
The Trophy Awards were established
to encourage interest in landscaping,
recognize crafts people who produce
outstanding landscapes, create pride in
superior workmanship and bestow public recognition on companies, institutions, municipalities and residents for
their interest in a beautiful California. A
total of 56 awards were presented from
more than 121 entries.
The California Landscape Contractors Association is a non-profit trade organization of licensed landscape and
landscape-related contractors.
For more information visit the website: www.clca.org.
Arts & Entertainment
50+ music students perform at Foothills Music Academy’s Holiday Recital
This year’s holiday recital for
Foothills Music Academy students was
the largest yet. It was so big that it had
to be split into two separate performances. The beautiful sounds of holiday
music and cheer filled the chapel of
Open Bible Church in Tujunga. A total
of 53 students, ages 3 years to adult,
played a variety of music for an audience of more than 300. It was a huge
success and shows that music is alive
and well in our beautiful community of
Sunland-Tujunga.
Notable performances included 8year-old IJ Cheock on the drums playing “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. His
first recital, 5-year-old piano player,
Kevin Washington, smiled from ear to
ear after his performance. Rowan FillHudala sang a beautiful rendition of
“I’m Not the Only One” by Sam Smith.
We also had 7-year-old Zoë Yeseta,
who sang and played the piano. Brothers, Ayden and Charley Daza both
played exceptionally; Ayden on the guitar and Charley on the drums, both have
been playing for about eight months
and are very talented. We had the pleasure of hearing the beautiful voices of
Jennifer Thompson, Jessica Vega and
Juliana Cobb, as well, who continue to
impress us. Another first time performer, Zachary Pontius, played “Star
Wars” on the piano and played “Good
Riddance” on the guitar
and sang at the same time.
Lastly, Alexandra Bebout
serenaded us on the piano
with “Moon River” and
another beautiful piece.
Overall, both performances were wonderful and
filled with a tremendous
amount of talent from
these students.
In addition to the
recitals, the school announced the winners for their practice game. The school
created a great game in order to encourage the students to practice more. The
winners for this quarter won trophies,
gift cards, cash and special certificates.
The first place winner was Anna
Toomey, of La Crescenta. Second place
winners tied: Amina Wright of Lake
View Terrace and Aolani Dominguez,
of Sunland. The third place winner was
Natalie Dominguez of Sunland. All of
the students did a really great job in
their practicing, and it is very notice-
able at each recital when we see the improvements. Practice is the fundamental
backbone of learning to play an instrument, and the more students practice
the better they will become.
If you have any questions or would
like to inquire about music lessons for
yourself or a family member please call
the school at 818-248-4848. They offer
music lessons to students from age 2
through adult. Foothills Music Academy offers a free introductory lesson
for anyone who would like to try an instrument. Information is also available
on their website at www.foothillsmusicacademy.net. They host recitals 3
times a year and attendance is always
free to the local community.
January 2015
Voice of the Village
Page 15
Girls water polo looking to claim a 4th league win
Verdugo Hills HS News
By Cristian Morales
Girls water polo is back and ready to
win the competition. The team has a
triad of captains composed of Lauren
Case, Yuri Walsh, and JoAnna Yortiss.
The team has been league champions
for three years in a row and expects a
fourth win this season. With the team
consisting of plenty of returning players, they expect a good season this year.
Lauren Case is one of the captains of
the team. She is in 12th grade and
started water polo when she was in 10th
grade. She first started out by joining
swim team in 9th grade because of her
desire to learn how to swim. From
there, she grew fond of the water and
joined water polo as a sophomore. Lauren looks forward to bonding with the
other players and preparing them for
next year. In addition to playing water
polo, Lauren was in the Rose Bowl
Aquatics
grade. During
Club
this
11th grade, she
past summer.
was a starter
There they
for the team.
trained her to
Yuri looks forgo to Nationward to buildals and Junstrong
ing
i
o
r
relationships
Olympics. In
with her teamwater polo,
mates over the
her advancourse of the
tage is the
season. Her
amount of
advantages are
experience
being a good
Photo by Cristian Morales
she has. As a Girls Water Polo captains are, from left, Lauren shot and supcaptain, she Case, Yuriu Walsh and JoAnna Yortiss
port. She behopes
to
lieves that she
carry the team to victory.
can synergize with her team to put forth
Another one of the captains is Yuri a tremendous amount of effort.
Walsh, a senior. Yuri joined swim team
JoAnna Yortiss is another one of the
as a freshman and enjoyed swimming a captains. She is in 11th grade and has
lot. Then she decided to take it to the been in water polo since 9th grade.
next level by joining water polo in 10th JoAnna believes that having a positive
VHHS girls soccer begins a new season
By Edward Tatulian
Verdugo has had its first girls soccer
game of this exciting new season, with
much emphasis on the new. According
to co-captain Elizabeth Blackwell, “We
pretty much had the same team for two
years.” This year however, of the 18
players they had last year, 11 of them
had been seniors due to graduate. Even
so, our Lady Dons are taking the field
by storm. On Dec. 4, both our varsity
and JV teams took on the Sylmar Spartans at Verdugo. Our JV team beat Sylmar in a shutout game 3-0. Our varsity
team prevented Sylmar from scoring
after Sylmar’s first goal in the first half,
with Verdugo varsity acquiring a victory of 4-1. On Dec. 8, Verdugo faced
off against Village Christian at Village
Christian High School. Verdugo fought
long and hard, tying up the score by the
end of the first half with 2-2. In the second half, however, Verdugo shutout Village Christian and managed to score
themselves, nipping their second victory of the season with Verdugo 3, Village Christian 2. The Grant game has
been postponed to a further date due to
With the smell of ribs cooking, I
write this following story on high
school basketball to you, my loyal readers, and supporters, as I enter my fifth
year here at the Voice of the Village.
The varsity Dons boys’ basketball
team is off to a 5-8 start. Senior center
Adrian Gutierrez guided his team to its
second-ever Division I program victory,
when he had a career-high 29 points
over Long Beach Wilson. Two-year
transfer from Renaissance Academy in
senior Shane Hughes also recorded a
personal-best 23 points to beat out cur-
Girls basketball
working toward
a good season
By Mohammad Nafis
Photo by Edward Tatulian
The Verdugo Hills High School Girls Soccer Team practices for a new season.
rain (in California? Yeah right!). We
can look forward to playing against
Grant at a date to be announced, but it
will probably take place sometime in
January.
As of Dec. 15, Verdugo Hills varsity
girls soccer has not had any league
games, but they have been playing
strong in the games they’ve played so
far. In accordance to the team’s overall
win-loss-tie record, Verdugo stands
third in the East Valley Girls Soccer
Standings. We do have the same number of wins as John H. Francis Polytechnic High School, but we haven’t
lost a game yet, unlike Poly. It is too
early to tell how well our JV soccer
team will perform, though we can all
expect the JV team to continue to try
their hardest.
Our girls varsity soccer team will
have their first game of the year on Jan.
3 against Granada Hills. The details of
the game are to be announced. Girls
soccer will hold many more games after
Verdugo Hills High School’s winter
break ends. On the 14th, our varsity
team will take on Monroe at Verdugo.
On the 16th, Verdugo varsity and JV
will host a conference game against
Chavez. Verdugo varsity will have two
away games against Arleta and North
Hollywood on the 21st and the 23rd respectively. On the 28th, Verdugo varsity
will have its last game of the month
playing against Grant at Verdugo.
rent Laker Nick Young’s Cleveland
team 71-52.
On the JV side of things, the Dons
are also 5-8 after a 3-1 finish at the third
annual Dons Holiday Classic. Sophomore transfer from Concordia - Sylmar
finished with a career-high 18 points,
while freshman Dylan Anderson had 15
to beat San Fernando 69-51 in the semifinals on Dec 20.
Sophomore Chris Ojoh and Keyvin
Gharabekyan were named to the alltournament team and were involved in
the crazy game with SF that had four
technical fouls called in.
After starting 4-0, former Dons
player Lilly Roque’s Valley Academy
of Arts & Science (VAAS) girls’ team
loss to host Grant 55-60 and Rialto 3847 at the Lancer Tournament.
Roque’s younger sister, Lana, a
member of the 1-3 Lady Dons team
started off its season with its 1st preseason home victory since Nov. 2005 after
a 48-38 win over San Fernando. Senior
All-League selection Veronica Verduzco contributed to the game with 18points on December 3rd.
Then the Dons squared off against
the Crusaders (8-5) of Village Christian
VHHS basketball roundup: Another great year
By Eric Owens
attitude already makes you a better
player. “When you have a positive
mindset and get into the game, you’re
going to play better if you’re being positive rather than negative.” In addition
to water polo, she does swim team in
order to stay conditioned with the
water. Last summer she was also a lifeguard at San Fernando pool. With the
pool switching over to LA County, she
is now an LA County lifeguard, and she
plans to continue the program. She
looks forward to winning league for the
fourth time in a row.
All of the captains expect that the
players will have a good time and enjoy
this season. With the player build
mostly consisting of returning players,
they already have a strong, experienced
team. With girls water polo under
skilled, admirable, and positive leadership, we can expect them to give a great
season.
See ROUNDUP, Page 17
Verdugo Hills’ girls basketball team
is giving their best for this season! Last
year, JV had an overall score of 3-15
win/loss ratio, and Varsity had an overall score of 10-4 win/loss ratio. This
year JV has lost only one game, and
Varsity has a total of one win and one
loss. JV and Varsity have just started,
and they are practicing as much as they
can to be persistent! A JV player named
Giselle Mota thinks that this year is
going strong; they are progressing and
hoping to have a dunking season.
According to Giselle, the team’s goal
for the season is to “win the league and
to work as a team!” Giselle has practiced her skills such as crossovers, dribble control, lay-ups, shooting forms,
and more! The JV and Varsity players
show their dedication by practicing
after school from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM.
Their training consists of workouts to
help them improve their game, including running laps, practicing shooting,
and having a one-on-one practice. The
coach pushes his players to the limit,
honing the skills that they learn every
second!
On Dec. 3, Verdugo Hills JV team
went up against San Fernando, and the
score was 49-28. Verdugo lost; we
struggled in the first three quarters, but
in the last quarter, we got up to 29. According to Giselle, “it was unfair because our JV players were dropping
out, and there were only five players in
the game, so nobody couldn’t sub in for
the five players to go out and have
some rest; everyone was tired to even
move anymore. According to JV basketball player Giselle Mota, “We barely
See BASKETBALL, Page 17
Page 16
Voice of the Village
January 2015
Letters to the Editor
No zoning change:
No to 242 houses in
Big Tujunga Canyon
Dear Editor:
Save Our Canyon! I just learned that
a developer from Calabasas is planning
to build 242 homes in Big Tujunga
Canyon next to the Little League fields.
This has to be stopped. The area is
zoned for 22 houses. Does the developer not realize the dangers? Big T is a
narrow canyon with a winding two-lane
road. There is a huge threat of wildfire
in dry years. There is a huge threat of
flooding in wet years. There are only
two ways in and out of the canyon. The
traffic impact that vehicles from 242
houses would bring is huge. How are
emergency vehicles supposed to get in
and out on this narrow canyon road in
the event of emergency? And what
about the threat to wildlife habitat? And
what about water use and electric use
for 242 homes, when we’re already
supposed be conserving our utility use?
We’re talking about 1,000 people occupying what is now natural space. Three
words come to mind: ‘Save Our
Canyon.’ Do not let another developer
come in, destroy the natural land, and
leave with a pocket full of profit.
We cannot allow this zoning change.
Go to the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council meetings and make your
voices heard! Go to the Land Use Committee meetings and speak up for our
community.
How do you ‘Stop the Canyon Park
Development?’ Check it out on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/groups/StopCPD/
Call 323-895-6275.
Get information at these websites:
[email protected],
http://www.stnc.org and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F
To_1RBhYjc
John Gibbs
Tujunga
Stop high-speed rail
dead in its tracks
Dear Editor:
I was shocked when I learned that
Supervisor Antonovich was the one
who suggested tunneling through our
local national forest for a Palmdale-toBurbank high-speed rail. What a terrible thing that would be for our forest
and our foothills community. I felt
sucker punched. I thought he cared
about our part of the world. Public
transportation is important, but this is a
VERY misguided attempt. There are so
Shop
the
Rock!
many reasonable alternatives. Those alternatives need to be explored, and this
high-speed rail project needs to be
stopped dead in its tracks.
Lois MacKenzie
Sunland
High-speed rail is a
real threat
Dear Editor:
As a resident of Shadow Hills, I cannot believe that a high-speed rail is
planned through our quiet equestrian
community.
I have talked to many neighbors who
don’t believe that it is a ‘real’ threat,
and so they are not concerned. They
should be. Years ago my family lost the
home I grew up in when nobody considered that threat to be ‘real,’ either. So
they didn’t stop it. We lost a whole
neighborhood to a powerful developer.
We were forced out. There is a now a
seedy mall and parking lot where our
house used to be. Where dozens of
houses used to be.
The mall could have been built in a
number of other places. Just like this
high-speed rail proposal – it needs to be
built in another place. This is not a case
of ‘not in my backyard.’ This is a case
of somebody standing up to another bad
idea and a powerful interest that will
hurt our residents and our community.
They might have money, but we have
loud voices. Supervisor Antonovich’s
plan would mean tunneling 25+ miles
underground from Palmdale to the Big
Tujunga Wash and Flood Plain. It’s a
terrible idea. We need to stand together
and stop this madness. I don’t want to
lose another home I love.
Katy Ramsdell
Shadow Hills
High-speed rail: A
special interest at
work?
Dear Editor:
Nobody asked me if I was OK with
a high-speed rail through Sunland. This
is just another case of our whole area
being treated like we’re a sub-standard
utility yard of Los Angeles. Let me be
clear: we count. And we vote. And we
don’t want a high-speed rail through
these beautiful mountains. How could
such a plan even be considered? Isn’t
our local forest protected? A tunnel
under the mountains and then an elevated bridge over the 210 Freeway is
the stuff of nightmares for a community
like ours. We moved here for the beauty
and rural environs of this community.
Is Supervisor Antonovich working with
some special interest group that we
don’t know about? I think there is a lot
more at work here than we’re being
told. Who really benefits from a highspeed rail through our mountains? Not
us, that’s for sure.
Timothy Bale
Sunland
Photos by Kresse Armour
Our local foothills boast many sprawling parks. One
of the North Valley’s public areas, McGroarty Park,
is open seven days a week, from dawn to dusk. This
“pocket park” features a children’s play area with
swings and climbing equipment, as well as tennis
courts and picnic tables. Situated just across the
street from the McGroarty Arts Center, it’s grassy
with lots of trees and a nice place to take kids.
Seven-year-old Nathan enjoys an afternoon with his
dad, Charles Clewley, on a recent Saturday
afternoon.
Business Card Ads
January 2015
Voice of the Village
Page 17
Twenty Questions
By Kresse Armour
Honorees for the Fernando Awards. Johnny Higginson is second from left
NHOER’s Johnny Higginson
honored as Fernando finalist
Johnny Higginson was one of the finalists for the 56th Annual Fernando
Awards, held this past October at the
Globe Theater at Universal Studios.
The award is given to those from the
San Fernando Valley who volunteer
for the purpose of making this a better
community and helping others. Johnny
is the owner of the Rockin’ W Ranch
in Shadow Hills.
Using equine therapy, his Shadow
Hills Riding Club works with those
with disabilities. He has also participated with Saddles for Soldiers to
offer veterans the same type of therapy.He has also worked with the Help
Group for teens with autism, Phoenix
House for at risk children, and the
Girls basketball
BASKETBALL, from Page 15
Roundup, from Page 15
on Dec 10. Crusader freshman Micaela
Cacho-Negrete posted one crazy stat
line, when she had 22 points and 22 rebounds in a 59-31 cross-town rivalry
contest. While Lia Petrosian was storming the court for the Dons, former CV
basketball teammate and Sunland resident Camie Ellingford was sitting at
scores table doing book.
Finally, USC-bound Bennie ‘Buckets’ Boatwright racked up a Village
Christian record 50 points to beat
Saugus 97-66 at the San Fernando Valley Invitational Tournament, while Lancaster Baptist’s Seth Hanna put in 43
points to beat host University Prep on
the road this past month.
VHHS Lady Dons Soccer Roundup
By Eric Owens
On December 4, your reigning Div II
city champion Lady Dons soccer team
started the 2014-2015 season with a 41 home win over the Spartans of Syl-
LAPD Fridge Chart
Please snip and keep handy!
911: Emergencies only, when you need fast help
Fire! Crime in progress. Medical emergency. Imminent danger.
877-ASK-LAPD (877-275-5273) Police Dispatch
Sends first available car: Suspicious activity. Noise. Lewd
acts. Illegal alcohol sales.
Clipped from The Voice
VHHS Roundup
The Voice is launching a new feature
for 2015 that offers twenty trivial questions. Sometimes they will be entirely
random, and sometimes there will be a
unifying theme. See how well you do.
Answers are on Page 18.
The capital of Kentucky is: a.) Lexington, b.) Louisville, c.) Frankfort.
The diamond is the birthstone for the
month of: a.) April, b.) May, c.) June
The largest planet is: a.) Saturn, b.)
Venus, c.) Jupiter
The first college fraternity was
formed at: a.) Harvard, b.) Yale, c.)
William and Mary.
What two colors, when combined,
make green? a.) red and blue, b.) yellow
and blue, c.) black and blue
A negative number is: a.) any number less than zero, b.) any number than
can be subtracted from another number,
c.) an inverse fraction
Which of the following is a staple
drink in Tibet? a.) llama milk, b.) tea
with rancid butter, c.) red onion juice
Juliette Low established: a.) the Girl
Scouts of America, b.) the National Organization for Women, c.) Daughters of
the American Republic
He is credited with saying “it is better to avoid a war than to win one.” a.)
Colin Powell, b.) Francis Bacon, c.)
Dwight Eisenhower
In early American homes, Dutch
ovens were: a.) copper-bottomed cooking pans, b.) cast iron boxes, c.) small
ovens at the side of the open fireplace.
What was Gandhi profession? a.)
doctor, b.) lawyer, c.) accountant
What underwater byway takes travelers from England to France? a.) the
Metro, b.) the El Train, c.) the Chunnel
Which of these famous artists is
known for his paintings of sunflowers?
a.) Michelangelo, b.) Renoir, c.) van
Gogh
Who was Davy Jones? a.) the mythical ruler of a Limbo under the ocean,
b.) the captain of the Titanic, c.) the first
inventor of the aqua lung
What is a scarab? a.) one of the many
scabs caused by leprosy, b.) a sacred
Egyptian beetle, c.) an Arab in exile
Horticulturists consider ladybugs to
be: a.) garden pests because they eat
fruit, b.) garden saviors because they
eat bugs harmful to plants, c.) benign,
neither helpful or harmful
The water-filled ditch around a castle
is called: a.) a moat, b.) a causeway, c.)
a spire
Who is known as the founder of psychoanalysis? a.) Sigmund Freud, b.)
Plato, c.) Louis Pasteur
Who wrote “The Night Before
Christmas?” a.) Charles Dickens, b.)
Robert Frost, c.) Clement Moore
The largest state east of the Mississippi is: a.) Georgia, b.) South Carolina,
c.) Virginia.
Senior Lead Officer for Quality-of-Life Issues
Vice, prostitution. Neighbors’ disputes. Vehicles on lawns,
long-term illegal parking:
S-T, LVT, Shadow Hills
818-634-0705
North & South Pacoima
818-634-0685
East Sun Valley
818-634-0755
W. Sun Valley, North N. Hollywood
818-634-0854
Clipped from The Voice
mar, which saw senior forward
Makayla Nichols score a hat trick. A hat
trick, for those who don’t know, is
when a player scores 3 goals.
Nichols’ hat trick was the second of
her career to help the Dons (3-0) win
their 21st consecutive home game and
beat a Los Angeles City Section opponent for the 16th time in a row.
Next up on the schedule was a
matchup against the Crusaders of Village Christian (3-2) on December 8th.
Crusader and FC Golden State teammate of Beth Blackwell, Harmony Menier scored two goals against the Dons,
but senior transfer Diana Chilian goal
won it in the second half.
To end the month, the 5-time defending East Valley Conference Champ
Dons traveled to Polytechnic in Sun
Valley to go up against the Parrots, the
score in this game was 3-1 Verdugo to
extend their conference winning streak
to 28 in a row and unbeaten in their last
33 games.
Finally, the girls played two games
against the JV boys’ and the alumni
girls’. In the alumni girls’ contest former captains Amanda Ochoa and
Melody Flores as well as mid-fielders
Meghan Bezak, Anita Chavez and Grecia Alfaro-Ruiz, defenders Valerie
Vasquez and Kelli Gelsinger and goalie
Jadira Espindola were all on hand for
the alumni in a game that went to a
penalty shootout.
Clipped from The Voice
had a few practices, so we were not prepared as we should have been.” So far
JV is doing a solid job in their games,
but let’s see how Varsity is doing.
Our Varsity girls are in a 1-1 win/loss
ratio, and it is really good to see some
progress being made. On Dec. 3, Verdugo Hills went up against San Fernando, and we crushed Fernando by
48-38. We showed San Fernando who
is the boss around our area! For that
game, #50 Veronica Verduzco was
nominated for as Player of the Game!
On Dec.10, Verdugo went up against
Village Christian, and we lost by 59-31.
Wounded Warriors Project for post 9 11 veterans.
Johnny was nominated by New
“Heaven on Earth” Ranch (NHOER).
Another local 501 c(3) public charity,
located in Lake View Terrace. NHOER
became a non-profit member of the
Fernando Foundation in 2013. This
was NOER’s first year to submit a
nominee. Johnny was chosen as one of
the finalists. It is a rare honor for a
first-time nominator see their choice
get to the finals. Johnny’s message was
on his presentation video before the
gathered guests at a packed house. The
business and political community of
the San Fernando Valley heard firsthand his commitment to those in need.
We also had Mel Wilson, nominated
by the North Valley Regional Chamber
of Commerce, from Pacoima, a finalist. The eventual honoree was Martin
Cooper, nominated by the Boys &
Girls Club of the West Valley and New
Horizons. The winner is determined
from the votes of Fernando Foundation members.
Answers on Page 18
See LADY DONS, Page 18
Page 18
McGroarty presents
a ‘Night at the
Movies!’ Jan. 10
The award-winning indie film, “A
Girl, a Guy, a Space Helmet,” will
screen at McGroarty on Saturday, Jan.
10, at 7 p.m., as the arts center introduces a “Night at the Movies!” with
filmmaker and Tujunga resident, Mike
Timm. A fund-raiser for McGroarty, the
event will include a “Q & A” with the
writer/director. Contact McGroarty for
tickets, which are just $15.
The arts center is located at 7570
McGroarty Terrace, Tujunga. Call 818352-5285 for more information.
‘Timeless Tile’ event
at McGroarty Jan. 18
Flex your creative muscle while supporting the McGroarty Arts Center!
The “First Annual Timeless Tile
Event,” set for Sunday, Jan. 18, 10 a.m.
– 2 p.m., is just $25 per person and your
unique renditions will be on permanent
display. By creating your own 6X6 tile
masterpiece, you’ll help the iconic McGroarty Arts Center continue to provide
a full program of workshops and
events. Supplies and expert help will be
provided. Call 818-352-5285 for more
information. Check out the website at:
www.mcgroartyartscenter.org.
McGroarty is located at 7570 McGroarty Terrace, Tujunga.
Fourth Fridays
continue at
McGroarty Jan. 23
For a wonderful night of musical entertainment, come to “Fourth Fridays”
at McGroarty Arts Center and kick back
with refreshments and live performances. Call 818-352-5285 for more information. Check out the website at:
www.mcgroartyartscenter.org. McGroarty is located at 7570 McGroarty
Terrace, Tujunga.
TTT to screen film
‘God’s Not Dead’
On Tuesday, Jan. 6, Bethel Church,
10725 Penrose St., Sun Valley, 818767-4488, “Tuesday Table Talk” will
offer a showing of the film “God’s Not
Dead” (rated PG). When college student Josh Wheaton encounters an atheistic philosophy teacher who insists that
his students will only pass by admitting
that God is dead, Josh dedicates himself
to proving the professor wrong about
God. The video will be preceded by a
potluck supper. The potluck starts at
6:30 p.m. The video presentation starts
at 7:15 p.m., followed by desert and
discussion at about 9:15 p.m. This
event is free.
Voice of the Village
Upcoming Events
Day Trippers live at Crow’s Nest Jan. 31
Day Trippers is an all ages musical journey incorporating the
sounds of The Beatles, as well as
the music from the solo years of
John, Paul, George, Ringo and others!
The band is the brainchild of
local Tujunga resident, Steve
who
has
DeAro,
performed/recorded with Harry
Nilsson, Eric Carmen and members
of The Turtles. He recreates/interprets in their own “style” a Fab four
music performance (without the
Elks Omelet Bar
January 18
The Elks Lodge will host its monthly
Omelet Bar on Sunday, Jan. 18, 9 a.m.
– noon. This event, held on the ‘Third
Sunday of the Month,’ offers one of the
best breakfasts in town, served up hot,
fresh and to your order. Cooks are great
and the atmosphere is family friendly.
The Elks Lodge is located at 10137
Commerce Ave., Tujunga. Phone 818352-2098 for more information.
Best Friends Society
The Best Friends Society is an animal rescue organization with nationwide programs that are helping to end
the killing of homeless pets by holding
adoption events, spay and neuter programs, promoting no-kill shelters and
much more. For upcoming events: call
818-643-3989. Visit the website at:
bestfriends.org/la
Lady Dons
Lady Dons, from Page 17
In the shootout: Blackwell, Ochoa,
Nichols, both Kelli and Danielle
Gelsinger, Bezak and Katie Flores all
scored; but freshman goalie Brisa Flores beat Jadira to win it.
Finally, Village Christian boys’ will
host Lancaster Baptist (1-1) on Tuesday, January 13th at 11am, while the
Lady Dons look to extend its chance to
win the program its 6th consecutive
East Valley League title – when they
travel to the Mustangs of Arleta on January 21st at 2:30 p.m.
wigs and makeup) in a way that is
a new, creative and unforgettable
blast to the past. Performing a vast
musical catalog of eclectic and familiar songs to enjoy, a Day Trippers performance ensures that “a
splendid time is guaranteed for
all!”
Day Trippers will be performing
an “all ages” show on Saturday Jan.
31, 9 p.m., at The Crow’s Nest
Sports Grille, 7279 Foothill Blvd.
Tujunga. No cover. For more information, call 818-352-0852.
Poetry Festival at
Library January 10
The Sunland-Tujunga Public Library
and Elsa Frausto, Poet Laureate of Sunland-Tujunga, will present the
“Foothills Poetry Festival” on Saturday,
Jan. 10, from 3-5 p.m. Come celebrate
with us the many voices in our community with poets Teresa Mei Chuc (Vietnamese),
Shahe
Mankerian
(Armenian), Mira Mataric (Serbian),
Gloria Enedina Alvarez (Spanish/English), Maja Trochimczik (Polish) and
Elsa Frausto (Spanish and Russian).
Poems will be read in their original languages, with translations into English
with a musical interlude by guitarist
Ander Frausto. The Friends of the S-T
Public Library will provide refreshments. The library is located at 7771
Foothill Blvd., Tujunga. Call 818-3524481 for more information.
January 2015
Skills workshop for
Teen Parents at
S-T Library Jan. 8
The Sunland-Tujunga Branch Library will be offering a program called
“Skills for Teen Parents (STEP),” starting Thursday, Jan. 8, at 3 p.m.
The program’s goal is to connect
pregnant/parenting teen moms with the
services and resources they need to:
• Identify personal strengths and
goals for the future
• Continue their education, find employment, and manage their finances
• Take care of their health and that of
their children
• Develop skills to build healthy family relationships
We will offer at least 10 workshops
from the following list, with lunch and
day care provided:
• Pediatrician basics
• Healthy eating for you and baby
• Car seat safety
• College 101 and financial aid
• Banking basics
• Resume writing • Job interviews
• Time management
• Day care inspection
• Cooking • Sewing
• Yoga
The Sunland-Tujunga library is located at 7771 Foothill Blvd., Tujunga.
Call 818-352-4482 for hours of operation and more information about their
many programs.
Stand Up at
McGroarty Jan. 31
Who doesn’t love a great night of
stand up comedy? We can all use a
good laugh! Come laugh the night away
with stand up comedians and musical
acts on Saturday, Jan. 31, 8-10:30 p.m.,
at McGroarty. Tickets are just $25, and
proceeds benefit McGroarty Arts Center. Call 818-352-5285 for more information. Check out the website at:
www.mcgroartyartscenter.org. McGroarty is located at 7570 McGroarty
Terrace, Tujunga.
Answers to Twenty Questions
From Page 18, the answers to
‘twenty trivial questions.’
1. Frankfort
2. April
3. Jupiter
4. William and Mary in 1750
5. Yellow and blue
6. Any number less than zero
7. Tea with rancid butter
8. Girl Scouts in 1912
9. Francis Bacon
10. Though now generally referred to
as the two-handled cooking pans in
modern kitchens, Dutch ovens were
originally small brick ovens on the side
of a fireplace
11. Lawyer
12. Chunnel
13. Vincent van Gogh
14. Ruler of a limbo under the ocean
15. Sacred Egyptian beetle
16. Ladybugs are garden saviors, because they eat garden pests
17. Moat
18. Sigmund Freud
19. Clement Moore
20. Georgia
January 2015
Voice of the Village
Page 19
Community News
WinterFest
brings out
community!
Photos by Kresse Armour
Hundreds came out
to the 2014 WinterFest celebration
held in Little Landers Park Dec. 6.
Volunteers from Verdugo High School,
local police and fire,
Teranga Ranch
(terangaranch.org),
Best Friends animal
rescue group
(bestfriends.org)
and other organizations and entertainers came together
for a great night of
community fun.
Additional
photos,
Page 11
WO
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HONEY!
This newsletter
is FULL of
interresting
things!
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glad we
joined!
tone
The Co r ner s
(818) 352-3420
[email protected]
We have lots of great historical programs
Get our monthly newsletter
Membership is only $20 per year
Page 20
Voice of the Village
January 2015
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Jan 2nd
NEW MEMBER PROMOTION - Your membership
will bring about more positive change not just
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reach your goals and connect with family and
friends. At CCY & VHY.
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Fiesta Days 5k Run. With expert support from our
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Jan 12th
YOUTH SWIM LESSONS - Your kids will gain
confidence and learn new skills in a fun & caring
environment. All ages & levels.
6 week sessions, 1 or 2 days a week, at VHY & CCY
$81 members, $148 participants
Jan 12th Registration Deadline
YOUTH BASKETBALL LEAGUE - Open to boys &
girls 3 to 17 years. League includes 1 weekday
practice & 1 Saturday game. Played at CCY & VHY.
Early bird fees: $100 member, $130 participant
Jan 3rd Saturday 1:00pm
YOGA FOR POSITIVE CHANGE - This workshop is
ideal for anyone trying to make a positive change in
their life such as in their careers, relationships or
physical well-being.
At CCY $10 members, $25 participants
Jan 13th 6:30pm²Program Orientation
MODEL UNITED NATIONS - Come to our Rally
event & learn about our premiere leadership
program for 6th, 7th & 8th graders. At CCY.
Contact Natalie at 818.583.4737
Jan 5th
12:30pm-1:30pm
POETRY GROUP ± Share your favorite poems as
we read and discuss how poetry impacts our lives.
Meet at VHY.
Contact Suzanne at 818.583.4732
Jan 20th-22nd
ARIZONA GEMS TOUR - Come and explore
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Stay at the beautiful Blue Water Resort Hotel in
Parker, Arizona.
Contact Suzanne at 818.583.4732
Jan 10th Saturday 10:00am
INTRO TO INDOOR CYCLING - Individualized
instruction on proper alignment and how to use the
cycle power meter. Also learn hand and seat positions, terminology, and pacing.
At CCY $10 members, $25 participants
Jan 20th Tuesday 7:00pm
FAMILY LINE DANCING - Come bring your family to learn some new line dances or refresh some
old ones. At VHY. Free to all.
Contact Suzanne at 818.583.4732
Jan 12th
YOUTH GYMNASTICS - Join our popular program
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gymnast. 6 week sessions, 2 days a week
all levels, at VHY & CCY
$96 members, $144 participants
Jan 28th 12:00pm
DOC TALK± Low Vision Awareness
Learn from local experts about a variety of health &
wellness topics in this fabulous speaker series.
At CCY.
FREE to all, no RSVP necessary.
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