By Robin Goldsworthy

The sun could not be any sunnier nor the crowd any friendlier than those found at the Hometown Country Fair last Saturday.
This was the fourth fair that the Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce has hosted for the community and I have been involved with all four.
I sit on the chamber board and when we decided to move forward with the idea a few years back, we certainly had occasion to reconsider the idea not once, but twice. The first year the fair was held at Crescenta Valley Park as it has every year. It was held in September and man oh man did we cook! It seemed to be 100 degrees and all of us – participants and organizers – were melting.
The second year we were swept away when an unexpected rainstorm of monsoon magnitude hit the park. Unbelievable!
This past September and last Saturday we were finally blessed with the weather of which Californians have come to rely – sunshine and clear skies.
I think that well over a thousand folks showed up at the park to listen to the bands, bid on silent auction items and watch the dog parade. This year, Lynn McGinnis, who recently retired from teaching at Rosemont Middle School, undertook the daunting task of organizing a pie-baking contest. We didn’t have a lot of entries, but those who did enter made the day that much more tasty. Thank you to Youna Karlsson of Berolina Bakery, Joe Kroening of Andy’s Transfer and our own Anna Loutsos for judging the contest. Congratulations to winners Mike Maluccio and Baylee Renfro for their delicious pies and handmade crusts!
Read more about the fair on page 5. Visit our website www.cvweekly.com to see photos.
—————————–
Last week we reported on the well-attended drug forum held at Verdugo Hills Hospital, hosted by the Crescenta Valley Drug and Alcohol Prevention Coalition. For many in our community, the news that such a drug problem existed was shocking and unbelievable. Others – some are parents – didn’t want to hear about it. Heroin in La Crescenta? No way! I mean, don’t we live in Happy Valley up here (yes, that is what some who live outside this community have called us).
I’m a parent who hasn’t dealt with a drug issue in my family. However I want to know about this problem. It affects us all, whether in the form of increased crime to support drug habits or having our personal well being threatened. Being part of this community means participating and contributing to the welfare of our neighborhoods. That’s not just by helping in Hometown Country Fairs, but recognizing that we – as a community – have a problem.
The coalition is working hard with local law enforcement and other professionals to find solutions – solutions that will not only benefit the families individually but the community as a whole. I know that in fact through their intervention and presentation of help that some families in our area have already received assistance and direction. In other situations, parents who felt alone and isolated dealing with this have found the strength and courage to reach out for help and are now helping others in this difficult journey.
There’s no question that we live in a great community up here – the formation of the coalition alone proves that – but we’re not a perfect community. And we never will be as long as there are folks up here who insist in sticking their heads in the sand, pretending there’s nothing wrong in Happy Valley.