Wow! What a busy time in the valley. I remember growing up when all of a sudden, after weeks of an empty calendar, everything seemed to happen at once. My mom used to say, “Feast or famine!”

Last weekend was certainly a time of feasting.

Saturday morning was spent at the annual Arbor Day celebration at Two Strike Park. Going off to bed on Friday evening, the threat of rain seemed distant. However, around 3 a.m. I awoke to the sound of rain hitting the rooftop. I was nervous for the planners of the celebration – it’s a big deal here – but thankfully the rain held off for the better part of the day.

Two Strike’s basketball court was filled with pop-up tents and displays. An awning had been installed to protect attendees from the weather and the stage was also covered. The county of Los Angeles, specifically Supervisor and County Mayor Michael Antonovich, hosts the event with the CV Town Council with support from the Department of Parks and Recreation.

Several local organizations were represented, including CVHS Prom Plus, CERT, and the CV Town Council, and the La Crescenta Woman’s Club was honored for 100 years of service to the community.

After Arbor Day I headed over to Crescenta Valley High School for the huge Outdoor Family Korean Barbecue. The fundraiser benefitted the CVHS Instrumental Music Foundation so in addition to delicious food, there was fantastic music. The quad was filled with folks – more people were there than I could have imagined in support of the music department.

I was there in time to hear members of the Jazz Band perform including Jonathan Sim who played guitar in addition to singing. What a voice! It was the best $10 I could have spent.

Saturday evening I was back at the high school, this time for the Dance Department’s Spring Concert. We have some truly talented kids in our community and on Saturday evening they presented some beautifully choreographed work.

The skies really opened up on Sunday if you remember. Hail fell from the heavens and currents of water flowed steadily down the street. But our family pulled on our rubbers and headed out to Santa Anita Park for the annual Day at the Races, a fundraiser for the CV Chamber of Commerce and CV Sheriff’s Support Group.

I was worried that attendance to the fundraiser would be low and indeed, according to Rick Dinger, about 30 folks didn’t show up who were expected, however around 100 supporters did come out. Under the pavilion at Santa Anita we were protected from the rain, not entirely from the cold, but pumping our fists and yelling at the closed circuit TV for our horses to run, baby, run warmed us up.

To see some pictures of the event, go to page 15.

Election day is just around the corner and I’m sure that no one is more pleased than the candidates themselves.

It’s no secret that the Glendale City Council race has had candidates flinging more mud than I saw on the track at Santa Anita on Sunday afternoon. It does make me think twice when I see a man spend more time attacking a fellow candidate than promoting his own platform. If elected what does he bring to the table? The city of Glendale needs people who are ready to roll up their sleeves and work, not carrying on about matters that have already been addressed.

This behavior alone demands that the good citizens who have the opportunity to vote for the Glendale City Council get out and do so on April 5 to help Glendale retain its title as the Jewel City.

  column, robin goldsworthy