The Season of Celebration
Last Thursday I had the privilege of being one of four honorees of the Verdugo Hills Council of the Boy Scouts, which selected me as a Hometown Hero. I was truly dumbfounded because I have always considered first responders – the ones who run into trouble rather than away from it – as heroes. But nonetheless I accepted the invitation from the Scouts and, with Steve, headed to the La Cañada Flintridge Country Club for the ceremony.

I didn’t know what to expect, but clearly this was a big deal. The caliber of people who took their seats in the dining room was the “who’s who” of the Valley. Several of my friends with the American Legion and VFW were on hand as were several dignitaries. The guest speaker was retired Major General Mark MacCarley who gave glowing descriptions of the four recipients. In addition, Eagle Scout Brett Tyler was recognized for his years of service in the Scouts.

I was so pleased to hear Brett, who passed away unexpectedly in October just shy of his 21st birthday, being honored.

At the end of the night, we gathered for photos and for some really kind comments from the attendees.

Thank you to the Boy Scouts for including me in such a wonderful manner.

On Sunday, I made my way to the La Crescenta Library for the 3rd Annual Christmas Tree Lighting. The event, which was originally scheduled for Dec. 5, had been postponed due to the high winds and fires. When Robbyn Battles, organizer of the tree lighting, notified me of the change in date, she cautioned that the event would be an “abbreviated tree lighting.”

With that in mind, I was curious as to how many people I would find at La Crescenta Avenue and Foothill Boulevard. Typical of our community, there were about 150 people on hand for the event.To read what happened, and to see some great photos, check out my story on page 3.