With so much to do in the Crescenta Valley and surrounding areas this weekend, folks are going to have to strap on their rollerblades to make it to all the events.

By Michael ARVIZU, Mary O’KEEFE and Isiah REYES
To say Crescenta Valley is a busy place on a typical weekend is an understatement, but on a busy weekend – like this upcoming one – it can be a bit overwhelming.

The following variety of events highlights what is special about the CV community and the best part is everyone is invited to join in the celebrations.

The Third Annual Armenian Korean Cultural Festival, Oct. 11 at Crescenta Valley High School, 2900 Community Ave., La Crescenta from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

This is the third year for the festival that gathers people from different cultures in a celebration of diversity. Since its concept, the event planners have wanted to expand the festival to reflect more cultures. This year welcomes the inclusion of the Latino culture.

“We decided to expand the festival and include more community members,” said Carmen Ohanian DDS, co-chair of the festival. “This year the Latino community showed interest in being [part of the event].”

The official program will begin at 11 a.m. with government and city officials, including Glendale Mayor Zareh Sinanyan, then about every 20 minutes there will be a new cultural program alternating between Korean, Armenian and Latino, Ohanian said.

“We will have a children’s choir in Korean and Armenian,” she added.

The festival will be located in the CVHS quad.

“We encourage everyone to attend,” Ohanian said. “The beauty [of the event] is we can come together as different [cultures] from all parts of La Crescenta and work together for the benefit of our community…Getting to know each other through our culture is the best way to communicate.”

There will be food for purchase representing Armenian, Korean and Hispanic cultures as well as information booths.

The Second Annual Crescenta Valley Dog Park Festival, Oct. 11 at Crescenta Valley Park, 3901 Dunsmore Ave., La Crescenta from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Crescenta Valley Park will celebrate all things dogs during the 2nd Annual Crescenta Valley Dog Park Festival. Dog-related vendors will be on hand such as dog and veterinary care boutiques.

“We’re going to have raffle prizes and it’s a free community event for the family,” said Abel Garnica, Crescenta Valley Community Regional Recreation Services supervisor.

Also present will be the Los Angeles Responsible Pit Bull Owners Association, which will train dogs in obedience. Doggie Wonderland will have a presentation on how to find the perfect dog sitter. There will also be an emergency pet preparedness presentation.

A dog contest called “CV’s Finest Dog” will include a variety of categories from best trick to best costume.

The humane societies from Glendale, Pasadena and San Gabriel will have booths as will Petco and the Crescenta-Cañada Pet Hospital.

Kiwanis Duck Splash, Oct. 11 at Verdugo Park, 1621 Cañada Blvd., Glendale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The 10th annual Kiwanis Incredible Duck Splash, produced by the Kiwanis Club of Glendale, will bring the family together as rubber ducks race  against each other for the grand prize at Verdugo Park. The event will once again partner with the Glendale Police Dept. K-9 Unit.

“The Kiwanis Incredible Duck Splash is Glendale Kiwanis’ biggest fundraiser of the year,” said Todd Hunt, president of the Kiwanis Club of Glendale. “We plan to net over $50,000, all of which will be reinvested back into the community. The beneficiaries of the charitable fundraising event are primarily children and youth in Glendale and neighboring cities throughout Los Angeles County.”

The races will consist of various heats with about 18,000 rubber ducks racing down a man-made “lake” to the finish line. The ducks will fight for a  $10,000 grand prize for their “adoptive” owners, determined by a unique number on a tag affixed to the bottom of each duck. Other prizes include second and third place prizes at $1,000 each, fourth and fifth awards of $500 each and a “quack pack” winner who will win an iPad Mini.

To participate, ducks must be purchased. One lone duck is priced at $5, a quack-pack of five is priced at $25, a family of 20 is priced at $100, and a flock of 50 is priced at $250. They can be bought via the website www.ducks4kids.com or up until noon the day of the event at the park. The final race for the big prizes will take place at 2 p.m. In addition to the duck splash races, there will be game booths and carnival-style games where kids can win prizes.

“Another unique aspect of this event is that we partner with local schools and non-profits as Duck Buddies,” Hunt said. “These organizations help sell our ducks and they keep half of all their sales. Combined, we’ll pay out over $20,000 to these groups. In total, that’s $70,000 that will benefit dozens of organizations and programs throughout Glendale and surrounding communities.”

Some organizations include the Salvation Army, Glendale YWCA, Glendale YMCA, Boy Scouts, Prom Plus and many programs and projects in local schools.

There will also be face painting and live music. The Jewel City Kiwanis will be barbecuing burgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, French fries, snacks and drinks.

“It will definitely be a great day of ducks and dogs at Verdugo Park,” said Hunt.

The 6th Annual Glendale K-9s in the Park Oct. 11 at Verdugo Park, 1621 Cañada Blvd., Glendale from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Glendale Police Dept. K-9 Unit will be near the Kiwanis Incredible Duck Splash at Verdugo Park. There will be demonstrations throughout the day as well as merchandise and give-aways for visitors’ dogs.

This dog-friendly event will offer vaccinations or micro-chipping at a discounted price and chances to win a raffle with a variety of prizes including an iPad Air. Visitors’ dogs can be certified as a Good Canine Citizen by the AKC (American Kennel Club) or entered into a pet costume contest. There will also be opportunities not only to watch the amazing K-9s but talk to their handlers from Glendale as well as Burbank, Pasadena, Santa Monica and Los Angeles police departments.

For kids there will also be bounce houses, a rock climbing wall, face painting and a balloon artist.

This event is a major fundraiser for the Glendale Police Dept. K-9 Unit, which is supported by the Glendale community. For more information, or to donate or sponsor the event, visit www.glendalepolicefoundation.org.

Click on the QR code with your Smartphone to get more information.    9th Annual Friendship Games hosted by Glendale Homenetmen Ararat Chapter beginning Oct. 11 and held at various sites and times.

Homenetmen Glendale Ararat Chapter is hosting the 9th Annual Friendship Games for the Glendale community. Over 250 athletes ages 10 and older have signed up to participate in tournaments that include basketball, soccer and table tennis making these games one of the largest multi-ethnic youth and adult athletic events ever hosted in Glendale.

The basketball games will be held on Saturday, Oct. 11 and Sunday, Oct. 12 at the Glendale Homenetmen Ararat Chapter North Campus, 3347 N. San Fernando Road, and the Glendale Sports Complex, 2200 Fern Lane in Glendale beginning at 1 p.m.

The table tennis competitions are open to everyone and will take place on Oct. 12 at Homenetmen Glendale Ararat’s North Campus. The youth soccer tournament, coordinated in conjunction with Glendale AYSO Region 88 teams, will begin Oct. 22 and end on Nov. 5 at the Glendale Sports Complex.

“The goal of these Friendship Games is to bring together community members from different cultures and ages to foster goodwill, create new and lasting friendships and unite the Glendale community in a friendly competitive manner,” stated Tomik Abrahamian of the Homenetmen Glendale Ararat Chapter. “We want to give the opportunity for aspiring athletes, professionals and especially the younger generation to show off their talent, pursue athletic excellence and show true sportsmanship.”

Glendale Adventist Medical Center, Allen Gwynn Chevrolet, the Glendale University College of Law and many other local businesses sponsor the Friendship Games. Proceeds from the games will support future activities of the Glendale STAR program and Glendale Police Explorers.

Glendale City Manager Scott Ochoa and Glendale and Los Angeles police departments will also be competing in basketball. Any group or individual can still sign up to play. For more information or for a complete schedule of the games, call (323) 256-2564, or visit www.araratgfg.com. Follow the Friendships games and post updates using @myararat and #glendalefriendshipgames.

JPL Open House Oct. 11 and Oct. 12 at JPL, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena/La Cañada from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For science, technology and engineering fun there is no place like the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Once a year the lab opens its doors to the public. The event theme this year is “Welcome to Our Universe” that will take visitors on a “ride” through the wonders of space.

Highlights include a life-size model of Mars Science Laboratory; demonstrations from numerous space missions; tours of JPL’s machine shop, where robotic spacecraft parts are built, and the Microdevices Lab, where engineers and scientists use tiny technology to revolutionize space exploration.

The Earth Science Center will show 3-D videos of  Earth and JPL’s Earth science missions. Visitors will also see a globe with data from NASA’s Earth-orbiting satellites projected onto the sphere.

Vehicles and items carried by persons entering NASA/JPL property are subject to inspection by officers at the entry checkpoints. The following items are prohibited at NASA/JPL: all weapons, explosives, incendiary devices, dangerous instruments, alcohol, illegal drugs, pets and all types of skates including skateboards, Segways and bicycles.

Admission to open house is free. Parking is also free, but is limited. All visitors should wear comfortable shoes; no buses will be provided from JPL parking lots. JPL will provide vans for mobility-challenged guests.

Empty Bowls, Oct. 11 at CV United Methodist Church, 2700 Montrose Ave., La Crescenta from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Once again, Crescenta Valley United Methodist Church will host its annual Empty Bowls soup dinner event to raise money for hunger relief. For the past six years, Empty Bowls has raised over $35,000 for local food pantries such as Friends In Deed House, Fishes and Loaves of Glendale, and Christians Concerned for Burma.

Proceeds from Saturday’s event will support hunger relief efforts at the Bailey Human Care Center at Tujunga United Methodist Church, and the United Methodist Church World Service Fund.

But the event isn’t just about the soup. The bowls that the soup is served in are handmade by students from the Crescenta Valley High School ceramics department and the La Cañada Flintridge Community Center. The bowls are sold for $15. Guests can then fill their bowl with a soup of their choice, made by local restaurants, including Dish in La Cañada and Leo’s All Star Sports Bar and Grill in Montrose, among other local restaurants. After dinner, guests keep their bowls.

Live music will be led by CVUMC’s director of music Barb Catlin.

For more information, call (818) 249-6173.

  Isiah REYES, Mary Okeefe, Michael ARVIZU