By Mary O’KEEFE

Moviegoers of the past were channeled to the present as the Andersen’s Pet Shop parking lot filled with people and popcorn last Friday and Saturday nights. The occasion was the inaugural Montrose Film Festival held at the former site of the Montrose Theater in the 2200 block of Honolulu Avenue. The Montrose Theatre was a popular local venue from 1924 to 1987 when it was destroyed by fire.
For the weekend’s event a giant movie screen was inflated at the south end of the parking lot. Audiences ordered dinner from a variety of local restaurants and  volunteers from the Crescenta Valley High School Prom Plus Club popped the popcorn, took dinner orders and acted as ushers throughout the nights.
In movie theaters of the past, live music was played to keep the audiences entertained before the main show. The Maestros’ band kept that tradition alive as they played Dixieland jazz. Some audience members got up and danced as the band played on.
“I love home towns,” said a woman who had just been passing through Montrose on her way to her Los Angeles home. She saw the movie screen and stopped.
“We had a pretty good crowd,” said Steve Pierce, one of organizers of the event.
The idea for a Montrose Film Festival had been a topic of conversation for some time between Pierce, fellow organizer Tony Smith, Glendale Councilmember John Drayman and Mike Lawler, president of the Historical Society of Crescenta Valley.  Through the efforts of these men along with the support of the City of Glendale, Andersen’s Pet Shop, the Montrose Shopping Park Association and the historical society, the festival was finally planned.
On Friday the movie screened was “My Wild Irish Rose” released in 1947 and starring local actor Dennis Morgan (whose real name was Stanley Moran).
Montrose, Crescenta Valley and Morgan have strong ties.  He was the honorary mayor of Montrose, before it became part of Glendale. It was his celebrity presence that brought stars to Montrose for the annual Rodeo Days and Christmas Parade.   He also was the key player in establishing Two Strike Park.
On Friday before the main movie, Drayman treated the audience to a restored film of Montrose in 1949.
“Welcome back to the Montrose Theater,” Drayman said.  “This movie is a terrific piece of footage that I don’t think has been seen in a very long time. It is the 1949 [Montrose] Rodeo Day Parade and the rodeo. The parade was a regular activity and this was the last year it was held.”
The rodeo was held at a ranch that had been sold in 1949 to the Oakmont Woods development. No ranch meant no rodeo.
In the past a Dennis Morgan film was shown at Two Strike Park as a celebration of his roots. Pierce and Smith wanted the event to be more like a film festival so they moved it to Montrose. Dennis Morgan’s family attended last weekend’s screening and liked the new venue. “This is wonderful,” said Betty Moran, daughter-in-law of the actor.
She, along with husband James and their children Kristina and her husband Jason, sons Austin and James and his fiancé Jessica, sat in the front row for Friday night’s showing.
“We have always attended the Two Strike Park movie but this is the first time our whole family has come together for this,” she said.
Morgan had two sons, James and Stanley, and daughter Kristin.
“We love this movie,” Moran added. “At the very end [Dennis’] daughter Kristin is in the movie. She sits on her dad’s lap and he sings to her.”
Kristin was 8 years old at the time.
Both Friday and Saturday saw a full house with people spilling onto the sidewalk and even watching the film from across the street. On Saturday night the movie screened was “The High and Mighty,” released in 1954 and starring Glendale resident John Wayne.
During both nights many asked Smith and Pierce when the next movie night was going to be.
“I’d like to do it every weekend,” Smith joked but added that would not be practical. Both would like to have it more than once a year but have to work on the schedule.
If last weekend’s audience was any indication, they will have plenty of support for another hometown movie night.

Photo by Michael YEGHIAYAN Booker T. (left) played a number of songs from Potato Hole, his recent Grammy Award winning album at last weekend’s Pasadena Jazz Fest.

By Mary O’KEEFE

Moviegoers of the past were channeled to the present as the Andersen’s Pet Shop parking lot filled with people and popcorn last Friday and Saturday nights. The occasion was the inaugural Montrose Film Festival held at the former site of the Montrose Theater in the 2200 block of Honolulu Avenue. The Montrose Theatre was a popular local venue from 1924 to 1987 when it was destroyed by fire.
For the weekend’s event a giant movie screen was inflated at the south end of the parking lot. Audiences ordered dinner from a variety of local restaurants and  volunteers from the Crescenta Valley High School Prom Plus Club popped the popcorn, took dinner orders and acted as ushers throughout the nights.
In movie theaters of the past, live music was played to keep the audiences entertained before the main show. The Maestros’ band kept that tradition alive as they played Dixieland jazz. Some audience members got up and danced as the band played on.
“I love home towns,” said a woman who had just been passing through Montrose on her way to her Los Angeles home. She saw the movie screen and stopped.
“We had a pretty good crowd,” said Steve Pierce, one of organizers of the event.
The idea for a Montrose Film Festival had been a topic of conversation for some time between Pierce, fellow organizer Tony Smith, Glendale Councilmember John Drayman and Mike Lawler, president of the Historical Society of Crescenta Valley.  Through the efforts of these men along with the support of the City of Glendale, Andersen’s Pet Shop, the Montrose Shopping Park Association and the historical society, the festival was finally planned.
On Friday the movie screened was “My Wild Irish Rose” released in 1947 and starring local actor Dennis Morgan (whose real name was Stanley Moran).
Montrose, Crescenta Valley and Morgan have strong ties.  He was the honorary mayor of Montrose, before it became part of Glendale. It was his celebrity presence that brought stars to Montrose for the annual Rodeo Days and Christmas Parade.   He also was the key player in establishing Two Strike Park.
On Friday before the main movie, Drayman treated the audience to a restored film of Montrose in 1949.
“Welcome back to the Montrose Theater,” Drayman said.  “This movie is a terrific piece of footage that I don’t think has been seen in a very long time. It is the 1949 [Montrose] Rodeo Day Parade and the rodeo. The parade was a regular activity and this was the last year it was held.”
The rodeo was held at a ranch that had been sold in 1949 to the Oakmont Woods development. No ranch meant no rodeo.
In the past a Dennis Morgan film was shown at Two Strike Park as a celebration of his roots. Pierce and Smith wanted the event to be more like a film festival so they moved it to Montrose. Dennis Morgan’s family attended last weekend’s screening and liked the new venue. “This is wonderful,” said Betty Moran, daughter-in-law of the actor.
She, along with husband James and their children Kristina and her husband Jason, sons Austin and James and his fiancé Jessica, sat in the front row for Friday night’s showing.
“We have always attended the Two Strike Park movie but this is the first time our whole family has come together for this,” she said.
Morgan had two sons, James and Stanley, and daughter Kristin.
“We love this movie,” Moran added. “At the very end [Dennis’] daughter Kristin is in the movie. She sits on her dad’s lap and he sings to her.”
Kristin was 8 years old at the time.
Both Friday and Saturday saw a full house with people spilling onto the sidewalk and even watching the film from across the street. On Saturday night the movie screened was “The High and Mighty,” released in 1954 and starring Glendale resident John Wayne.
During both nights many asked Smith and Pierce when the next movie night was going to be.
“I’d like to do it every weekend,” Smith joked but added that would not be practical. Both would like to have it more than once a year but have to work on the schedule.
If last weekend’s audience was any indication, they will have plenty of support for another hometown movie night.

Photo by Leonard COUTIN Vocalist Lorna Luft comes to the Alex Theatre on Sept. 16 in “From Broadway to Hollywood – in Concert.” This is the first time that she will be appearing at the historic theatre.

By Brandon HENSLEY

Concert goers to Glendale’s Alex Theatre this month will have a chance to see an accomplished vocalist (and well-known celebrity offspring) help usher in a new Pops series, produced with the New West Symphony’s Classical Masterpiece Series.
Lorna Luft, daughter of famed entertainer Judy Garland and producer Sid Luft, will be the guest star vocalist during the Sept. 16 show, “From Broadway to Hollywood – In Concert.” Luft will also perform the same show on Sept. 19 at the Kavli Theatre in the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.
That date will open the 16th season of the New West Symphony, and will be the inaugural concert of the New West Pops.
Steve Goldstein, the show’s director and a friend of Luft, asked her to be in the show and she “jumped” at the opportunity.
“In a time when symphony orchestras are struggling so much and a lot of them that I’ve worked with have gone under,” Luft said, “you really think to yourself, ‘This is tragic, that the arts are getting cut and the funding is getting cut and the school programs don’t have any music in them and all that. So when you get the opportunity to work with a symphony, grab it.’”
Luft will be performing popular songs from musicals and films such as “A Star is Born” and “Babes in Arms,” as well as songs from her award-winning show and album “Songs My Mother Taught Me – A Celebration of the Music of Judy Garland.”
Luft said narrowing down the song selections can be one of the hardest parts of doing a show. “It really is weeding out what I think will be a perfect program for these shows, so that’s what you do. You have to put a lot of thought into what [the audience is] listening to, what they want to hear and what you want to sing.”
Now 57, Luft said she still gets nervous before shows. “Oh, yeah,” she said. “I find the older I get my nerves are more heightened.” She added, “I’ve talked to many performers [who agree] that the older we get the more frightened we get.”
Luft’s personal intentions are to keep performing as long as possible, because at age 12 she knew she wanted to do this for the rest of her life. The other side, though, is about setting an example to younger performers. She said she wants young stars to be influenced, but not to imitate. This is the example she tries to set while carrying after her mother.
“What I’m doing is saying thank you,” she said about Garland. “I’m never going to compete against my mom because there isn’t anybody that’s ever going to be like her. So I’m not competing against anything. I’m sharing with an audience what she left me. Not only me but to everybody.”
Luft is a Southern California native. She has performed on Broadway and in London, but so far has never appeared at the Alex Theatre.
“It’s a gorgeous venue,” she said. “You look at these light fixtures, and you look at this, and also the history behind this theatre, that Charlie Chaplin used to come and have things here … it’s just part of history, that if you could sort of step into, you’d think, ‘How lucky is this, they haven’t torn it down.’”
After performing with the New West Symphony, Luft will be going to China in the fall for the World Expo in Shanghai and is excited to visit the Great Wall. But even doing press junkets all day is never a boring thing for the long-time performer.
“This is what we do,” she said. “This is a good day. A bad day is when nobody calls.”
“From Broadway to Hollywood – In Concert” will be held Sept. 16 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25, $59 and $69.50 and can be purchased by calling the Alex Theatre Box Office at (818) 243-ALEX or online at www.alextheatre.org.

A little known Labor Day destination is a short boat (or air) trip across the sea.
Camp Fox Labor Day Family Camp has been operated by the Glendale YMCA since 1969. Many a family has traveled the 26-mile ocean channel to step foot on the shores of Camp Fox, Catalina. Parents and children alike have enjoyed the holiday weekend away from the mainland in a private cove, a true island paradise. Year after year they return, building memories and friendships that last a lifetime.
Kayaking, paddle boarding, fishing, hiking, archery, ropes course, volleyball, Frisbee golf, climbing wall, and snorkeling fill the day. Camp Fox campers wake up to a sunrise filled with the sounds of ocean waves crashing on the beach just a few feet from their cabin. Away from city lights, the Milky Way is clearly visible in the evenings. No TV is necessary; nightly campfires, songs and skits fill the evening.
For those wanting to get away without going far, room is still available at Camp Fox Labor Day Family Camp from Sept. 4 – Sept. 6. Questions can be directed to Ray Calame, director, at (818) 240-4130 ext. 24 or by emailing rcalame@glenymca.org.
Housing accommodations, boat transportation, meals and entertainment are all included in the fee.
Adults (18 and over)   $235
Children (3 to 17)        $225
Infants (0 to 1)             Free
Registration:
Glendale YMCA
140 North Louise Street
Glendale, CA  91206
818 240-4130 or online at www.glendaleymca.org.
Contributed by Lynda HESSICK

By Doug KILPATRICK

Welcome to At Home in the Foothills, a regular CV Weekly column featuring tips and information about maintaining and enjoying your home.
Now that the kids are back in school and summer vacations are over it’s time to make a top-to-bottom inspection of your home. While not a substitute for professional inspections this can pay big dividends in protecting our largest single investment.
Let’s start with the roof. If you don’t feel comfortable going up on top, use binoculars from the ground. Look for missing or curling shingles and make sure that the metal flashings that seal pipes and roof edges are tight and in good repair.
Check the rain gutters and downspouts – they should be clean and tightly attached. While you’re at it, branches that touch the roof or walls should be trimmed to prevent wind damage and to reduce fire danger.
Next, take a good look at the wood trim. Look for peeling paint, dry rot and signs of termite activity. Paint failure allows moisture into the wood which leads to deterioration.
Check the windows – any broken glass? Do they seal well? If they are wood do they need painting?
Finally, check the concrete foundation. Small cracks are generally not a structural issue, but large or growing cracks need evaluation. Make sure that there is at least six inches of clearance down to the soil from any wood trim and that shrubbery is not brushing against the walls. Finally, those downspouts that we looked at earlier should discharge water away from the house and the soil should be slightly sloped to drain water away from the foundation.
Question of the week: How can I find out more about rebates and tax credits for energy efficient appliances, weather-stripping and similar projects?
Answer: There are energy efficiency rebates available from California and local utilities and substantial Federal tax credits for energy efficiency upgrades. We’ll discuss this in detail in a future column but in the meantime, here are two websites with more information: http://www.fypower.org/ (California) http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=tax_credits.tx_index (Federal).

By Brandon HENSLEY

They are not long, the days of wine and roses. And so, as the summer days dwindle, residents gathered at Deukmejian Wilderness Park Sunday evening to enjoy what the park’s vineyard had to offer in the form of grape picking and wine making.
The Stonebarn Vineyard Conservancy, a group whose roots are in the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley, hosted its annual vineyard tour, when people were allowed to harvest grapes from three of the back rows of the vineyard.
The grapes were placed on a table and sorted through, then put through a crusher, at which time lead speaker Stuart Byles talked about the history of wine making in Southern California.
“We didn’t even think we’d be able to do a crush today,” said Marie Yeseta, Byles’ wife and a conservancy member. “But when we took a measurement last Tuesday, it looked like we were going to be able to do a crush.”
The sugar content in grapes is measured by a refractometer. High temperatures mean high sugar levels, which is a good thing. But with the cooler weather this summer – with the exception of last week – things were looking dicey. Yeseta said there will be another picking in a couple of weeks when the rest of the grapes are fully ready.
“Unfortunately a lot of them were already dried out and turned into raisins,” said participant Gloria Lee. “So we didn’t get the kind of crop we had hoped, and Stuart Byles says he thinks it’s because the mildew got to it this year.”
The vineyard was revived in 2004 by the city of Glendale in memory of French immigrants George LeMesnager and Pierre Durancette, who had vineyards on the property in the 1800s. “So we’re actually doing this in essence for the history of it,” said Byles.
There was a table of wine bottles from the event’s past years – it began in 2007– along with several books on wine making. A wooden sign was hung from the tent, which had words from Yeseta’s father Thomas: “We will drink no wine/Before it’s time/And the time is now.”
Byles said he and his group learned how to make wine from wine mistress Heather D’Augustine. “Her kindness and generosity and enthusiasm has rubbed off on us,” Byles said. “It’s been nothing but a labor of love. Toiling in the vineyards is a happy occasion.”
The Stonebarn next to the vineyard was not open to the public, as it is still under renovation. It will be seismically retro-fitted, as its structure is currently weak. Soon though, Byles hopes to make the barn a place to store equipment and hold wine-making classes. In addition, the conservancy is in the works of getting its wine-selling license.
Yeseta said their partnership with the city of Glendale is going to pay off in more ways down the road.
“Along with the city wanting us to kind of get more involved with the vineyard …  they’re helping us out with it and we’ll be doing programs, so it’s going to advance more and more each year,” she said.
This was also the first
year a movie was shown after the sun had set. People who stayed were able to watch,
“A Good Year,” starring Russell Crowe, a banker who inherits his family’s vineyard in France.

Stuart Byles (in hat) of the Stonebarn Vineyard Conservancy oversees the crushing of the grapes following a harvest at Deukmejian Park.

Then of course, there was also the enjoyment of good company. Several small groups of older residents gathered after the grapes had been through the crusher, and reminisced. Perhaps about their days of wine and roses.
“Oh of course, it was fun, and talking about old times,” said Ellie Pipes, who helped sort the grapes.
“It becomes a social occasion at the same time you’re working,” said Lee, “and you’re doing something with your own community.”

CSA Fall Ball baseball is for youth ages 5-12 
(age as of April 30, 2011). Tryouts are Saturday, Sept. 11 at Two Strike Park, 5107 Rosemont Ave. in La Crescenta.
8 & Under are at 9 a.m.; 10 & Under at 10:30 a.m. and 12 & Under at 12:30 p.m.
6 & Under Coach Pitch T-Ball is pending with enough signups. Parents meeting will be announced.
Sign up online or in person but do not pay until division is confirmed.
Team drafting will take place by Sept. 13 and practice will start the same week.
One Saturday game per week will be played Sept. 18 thru
Nov. 20 at
 Two Strike and CV Park.
All Divisions are $150
and include a player hat and shirt.
Questions can be sent to League President Dave Klein at roserace@aol.com or Softball President Manny Amit at
manny.amit@abc.com.

By Michael YEGHIAYAN

The Los Angeles Falcons Track Team traveled to
Norfolk, Va. during the summer to compete in the Junior
Olympic Games. Five students from the Glendale Unified School District participated in the track meet and competed in both individual and team events.
Lasting from July 31 to Aug. 7 at Norfolk State University, the Junior Olympic Games
are an annual showcase of
track and field talent held by the Amateur Athletic Union. Over 15,000 athletes were invited to compete in the event’s 15 sports.
The Los Angeles Falcons included two students from Crescenta Valley High School. Juniors Matthew Williams and Josh Carlos joined junior Cory Trevino and sophomore Jeremy Zdoorian from Hoover High School as well as Leana Setian from _______ middle school. Coaching the team in Virginia was Pablo Carlos.
The strongest showing for
the Falcons was the Intermediate Boys’ 4×800m Relay, in which they placed seventh in
the nation. A team consisting of Williams, Carlos, Zdoorian
and Trevino finished with a time of 8:29.79, which was
approximately 12 seconds off the leaders. The event was
won by the St. Louis Express with a time of 8:17.36.

Photo by Tricia FLYNN New and old friends and family members of St. James Holy Redeemer Catholic Schools met and mingled at a barbecue held at Dunsmore Park last Sunday.

Summer is over and school is in full swing. The families of St. James Holy Redeemer Catholic School met on Sunday, Aug. 29 for a family style get together at Dunsmore Park. The day was bright and there was an excitement in the air
as students renewed friendships and made new ones. As the kids played relay games and heard about each other’s summer adventures parents shared stories and talked with some of the teachers of both campuses.
The merging of the St. James and Holy Redeemer has been a common topic of discussion this past year, but with the new school year comes a spirit of moving forward. Both schools, which have become one, still stand as top Catholic schools in the foothill area.
St. James Elementary holds classes for grades kindergarten through fourth and has expanded its curriculum, now including Spanish, orchestra, science and art.
Holy Redeemer Middle School has also grown and is considered strong in academics and athletics. The students at Holy Redeemer have already been on campus most of the summer. The girls’ volleyball team has been practicing twice a week for two hours and the boys’ football team has been working equally hard. The Cheer Squad is in the middle of its cheer camp, practicing every day to get ready for the new school year.
The students on both campuses are eager to get back to school. Barbecue organizers felt Sunday’s gathering was a great way to start the year off by having fun, eating and enjoying each other’s company.
Susan Romero, principal, and Father Ed Dover, pastor for both parishes, attended the barbecue, taking time to meet new parents and saying hello to returning ones.
The school is still accepting applications. Call (818) 248-7778 to arrange an appointment to tour the campuses and pick up an application.

Contributed by Tricia FLYNN

From the desk of the publisher Robin Goldsworthy

This week marks the one year anniversary of the Crescenta Valley Weekly. Let me say that this past year has flown by.
For those who don’t know, the CV Weekly was born of the ashes of the Crescenta Valley Sun, a noble undertaking purchased by the Los Angeles Times and subsequently closed down like the Leader before it (also purchased by the L.A. Times … hmmm do I see a pattern here?). In any case, it didn’t take too long for me, the former editor of the Sun, to realize that my friends, neighbors and businesses in the Crescenta Valley wanted their own newspaper. And why not? We are a vibrant, active community and we like to stay connected to our neighbors, our businesses and our civic organizations. I am proud to say that the Crescenta Valley Weekly is an important component in ensuring those connections.
What I didn’t know was that we launched at a truly historic time. Historically desperate economic times nationally coupled with historically devastating natural disasters locally.The photo at the top of today’s column shows my fledgling staff around my dining room table where the very first paper was being worked on – just before we were evacuated due to the Station Fire. After the third evacuation, we packed up and headed down to Mary O’Keefe’s house. Though the smoke was still thick, we didn’t get any knocks on our door telling us to get out.
The past year has been a time of lessons learned – some rather tough. An undertaking of this sort has been financially exhausting – I have fully funded it myself – and I am so thankful to those advertisers who recognized early on the asset that the CV Weekly could be to our community. J’s Maintenance, Merle Norman Cosmetics, Verdugo Hills Contact Lens and Glendale Area Schools Federal Credit Union climbed aboard my dream wagon and helped propel us forward. Early subscribers – some who stopped by my house to plunk down their dollar a week commitment – rallied us on. There have been photographers and writers who have donated their services, all in the name of, “I want to see the paper succeed.” And without the talent of my designers and writers, headed up by Mary O’Keefe, my office manager Debbie Taylor, and a dedicated sales staff, there is no way I could have gotten this far.
My family and friends have supported me in countless ways and urged me on. Their confidence has been humbling.
To all who have said a prayer on our behalf or offered a pat on our backs, thank you.
If you haven’t subscribed yet, please do. If you haven’t advertised yet, please consider doing so.
We appreciate your support.

Robin Goldsworthy is the publisher of the Crescenta Valley Weekly. She can be reached at robin@cvweekly.com or (818) 248-2740.