altadenablog

Sahag Mesrob board sends letter to neighbors

Two weeks after Los Angeles county zoning officials threatened to shut the school down, the chairman of the Sahag Mesrob Armenian Christian School said in a letter to the neighbors that they have delivered over 1,400 names and addresses of parents and local supporters to officials.

Exactly who they delivered them to isn't clear; the letter says that "We already have delivered to city officials last week over 1,400 names and addresses of parents and local supporters, but the end of the week, we will have two to three times more."  However, Altadena isn't a city, but an unincorporated town, and town council officials have no power other than to make recommendations --  and in its last meeting, the council unanimously asked the county to enforce the zoning code in the case of Sahag Mesrob.

According to the county, the 250-student school, which opened its Palm St. campus in September, hasn't yet received a conditional use permit (CUP) to operate.  Two weeks ago, it received a notice of violation from the county, the practical intent of which would be to close down the school.

However, it was still in operation Friday, which is also a day when the county zoning offices are closed.  (Altadenablog left a message with the zoning office Friday afternoon).

Sahag Mesrob principal Shahe Garabedian told Altadenablog last week that a letter, signed by school board chairman Ara Assilian, was circulating to the neighbors.  The letter itself said that, after ten years of looking for school sites, the Palm St. property became available and the school filed for a CUP.  School officials opted to open the school before receiving county approval because, "To us, the uninterrupted continuation of our children's education took priority."

Assalian also cites "the positive impact our school will have on your home values," because parents would want to live closer to the school, and the school's effect on the economy. 

Link to pdf of Sahag Mesrob letter

Cassini-Huygens relays "best witches"

Our friends at JPL send us this from Saturn:

As we begin our new Equinox mission at Saturn, the Cassini-Huygens team sends "best witches" for a happy, healthy and fun Halloween.
We've enjoyed sharing stunning images and exciting results of Cassini's first four years at Saturn - and promise to scare up many more treats as we continue studying the eerie glow of Saturn's rings, the spine-tingling thunder on the planet, the hair-raising jets on Enceladus, and the murky brew on Titan.

More here.

"Tour de Altadena" set for Dec. 6

The Altadena Sheriff's Station with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Athletic Association (LASAA) will be holding the 2008 Tour of Altadena.

The event will take place Sat., Dec. 6, 2008 from 9 AM until 2 PM.

The Cycle-Thon is a 12.5 mile fun ride through Altadena. Start and finish will be at the Altadena Sheriff's Station, 780 East Altadena Drive. The ride starts at 9 AM. After the bike ride there will be a barbecue at the Station featuring hot dogs, burgers, chips, salads and drinks. All for a small fee. The BBQ will start at 11:30 AM.

Visit the Sheriff's SHARE Trailer and meet Altadena Station Volunteer Groups: Sheriff's Support Group of Altadena, Community Advisory Committee, Altadena Clergy Council, Volunteers on Patrol, Altadena Posse Company # 7 & Altadena Mountain Rescue Team.

All proceeds will benefit the Altadena Sheriff's Station Annual Charitable Giving Campaign.

For more information contact: Sergeant Daniel Bartlett at: 626-798-1131 ext 2600.

Scrambling to stop the poachers

Illegal bow and gun hunting has been going on in the local hills ("Ram-bro'" and his ilk) , and this message has been hitting the local newsgroups:

Haunt-a-Dena

Of course, we have our areas that are "haunted" all the time in Altadena, such as the Cobb Estate (e.g "The Haunted Forest") and Gravity Hill.  But this time of year, the 'haints come out in otherwise normal neighborhoods.

Granddaddy of 'em all is the "Haunted Yard" at 1640 Braeburn, which every year sets new standards in wretched excess (this is definitely NOT for the little ones!)

On the other hand, there's the more pastoral effect of this line of scarecrows at the corner of Altadena Dr. and Holliston:

Verdugo Hills Community Hike Nov. 8

It may be too late to get the cheap price, but this sounds like fun in our neighboring foothills:

Verdugo Hills Community Hike
Saturday, November 8, 2008

Put on your hiking boots and join the communities of Glendale, Burbank and Crescenta Valley in a day of exploring the hiking trails and visiting the points of interest in your other backyard : the Verdugo Mountains.

Included in the registration: free meal (served at the summits) and a Community Hike souvenir.
Registration: $5 per person if received by October 31, 2008
$10 per person if received AFTER October 31, 2008

Check out www.VerdugoHillsHike.org for registration forms, event information, maps, hike and trail run routes and more!

BOOOO!

It's Halloween, and there's a full day packed with activities! Check our Holidays page for the full rundown, including festivities at the Altadena Library, the Haunted Jail, and Ray Bradbury at Vroman's in Pasadena.

(Graphic from the wall of Ace's Smoke Shop on Lake).

UPDATE 8:30 AM: Please note that the Chaney Trail Gate will be closing at 6 PM, starting today and through the weekend.

Altadena Library board seeks to fill vacant seat

The Altadena Library Board of Trustees is accepting résumés of those persons who would like to serve on the Altadena Board of Library Trustees.  Currently one position is vacant for the unexpired 2011 term.
 
Those applying must be 18 years of age and a resident of Altadena.  The Board meets on the 4th Monday of each month at 5:00 p.m.
 
The Board will interview potential candidates at the November 24, 2008, 5:00 p.m. meeting and make an appointment to fill the vacancy at this meeting.
 
The appointed person may run in the November 3, 2009 election for the unexpired two year term of this seat. 
 
The Altadena Library is located at 600 E. Mariposa Street, Altadena, CA 91001.  Telephone number 626-798-0833.
 
DEADLINE:  submit a letter of interest and résumé to the Director’s office by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 14, 2008.  
 

End of an era at Altadena Hardware

Altadena's hardware maven Don Thomas and his sister Shirley Harrington were honored in an ambush appreciation at Altadena Hardware this morning.  Despite word going out widely about it, they were surprised ...

Adam Carter of Assemblyman Anthony Portantino's office, presents Thomas with a proclamation from the state assembly.

Followed by a presentation from Rita Hadjimanoukian of Supv. Michael Antonovich's office, with a proclamation from the county.

Followed by Doug Colliflower of the Altadena Chamber of Commerce.

Don and Shirley's last day is Oct. 31 -- stop in and say goodbye!

"Alan's War": a local soldier's graphic novel

Thanks to Altadenablog reader Tom Kosakowski, we've just found out about Alan's War, a graphic novel by the French artist Emmanuel Guibert.  Guibert has illustrated the memoirs of Alan Cope, a soldier from the Pasadena/Altadena area who served in WWII.  As a comic geek, what we've seen looks pretty good (our major geek credential is that we saved Stan Lee's seat for the debut showing of "Raiders of the Lost Ark").  Check it out!

Camellias, azelias, and Nuccio's

The OC Register goes up north to Nuccio's for a nice piece about their wares this season.

Crop Swap Sunday at Farnsworth Park

Gail Murphy of COFE-Altadena, the backyard farmer's group, is having a "crop swap" Sunday at Farnsworth Park.  A good place to trade your excess produce!  Gail sends us this:

When: Sunday, Nov 2nd @ 4 pm

What: You can bring:
Fruit
Veggies
Seeds
Plants
Herbs
Nuts
Eggs
Etc! (Jam, Dried Fruit?)

Open to non-members of CofeA, as long as they bring something to swap. You can tell your neighbors and friends. (We can invite them to join!)

Where: Farnsworth Park, Altadena
Specifically the south side of the park, near the park entrance off of Concha. Meet adjacent to the childrens play area. There is a wall where we set our things.

PUSD: 'fess up!

PSN editorializes today about the use/misuse/abuse of Measure Y funds on the heels of the school district's trying to float another bond issue (measure TT).  It singles out the events at the former Noyes elementary school in Altadena, where the contractor hightailed it to Lebanon with hundreds of thousands of district dollars.

Crime log: Oct. 16-26, 2008

Burglaries, weapons, forgery, and drugs mark this fortnight's Crime Log, after the jump:

Scratched and sore, Millard Canyon neighbors go weed-huntin'

The hyperkinetic Alice Wessen sends us this missive about a cleanup around Millard Canyon:

This is a very sensitive and important wildlife corridor and, for the past several years, the area of Millard Canyon below the road crossing has been invaded by an increasingly varied group of non-native weeds that are choking out everything else and seriously threaten the ecosystem.

A $25,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) through their "Partners for Fish and Wildlife" program has been received to begin addressing this problem.  The grantees are working in cooperation with the San Gabriel Mountains Regional Conservancy and have also attracted the attention of the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS).

A few folks (including yours truly) got together this last Saturday Oct 25th and we cleaned out about 1,000 feet of streambed, pulling out non natives that had choked the area. The group photo shows us after our work. We are scratched up and are sore, but it was a great day.

Group Photo:
John and Michiko Lynch, Mindy Hickman, Alice Wessen, Eric Hochberg
Photo by Mike Hickman.
Also helping John Kimble (not shown)

Mike's contact info for folks who would like to volunteer in the future is:
Mike Hickman
vht@att.net, or by phone at 626.398.6471

Library open Veteran's Day, with celebration & speaker

Although most local libraries will be closed on Nov. 11, Veteran’s Day, Altadena Library District’s main and branch library will both be open for business as usual with lots to choose from to keep both children and adults entertained and informed.

All those who need a place to study, computers with internet access, free loan DVDs, audio books, or something good to read are more than welcome to stop by and check out the library. 

And, the library will celebrate our veterans with a notable speaker:

“Norm” Stevens, an 8th Air Force bombardier, will present his stirring tale, An Innocent at Polebrook, at the library on Tues., Nov. 11 at 7 PM.    Steven’s book tells the true story of an innocent l8-year old plucked from his small hometown in California who found himself at l9 riding in the nose of a heavy bomber under conditions he could not possibly have imagined.  The book explores the excruciating tension between his innocence and the raw reality of war and the bravery and courage of his own and the other men in the 8th Air Force.

Stevens joined the Army Air Corps, serving during WW II from April 1943 until October 1946. He flew as a bombardier on a B-17 in the 8th Air Force, 351st Bomb Group, at Polebrook, England during the summer and fall of 1944. His tour of duty consisted of 34 bombing missions over Germany and occupied France, Belgium and Holland.  He is a recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal.

This presentation will be held at the Altadena Library Community Room, at 600 East Mariposa Street, in Altadena. For more information please call 626-798-0833 or visit the library’s website at www.altadenalibrary.org.

 

We're being skeptical about it

Altadena's Michael Shermer of the Skeptic's Society is profiled by the Spiritual Book Club (but honestly, I thought most of us got over Atlas Shrugged after college).

The forces are aligning ... you must go to Danny's Farm!

A confluence of events tell us that Danny's Farm's Pumpkin Festival is the place to be this Halloween:

• PSN has a story about former Dodger Jim Gott, who was serving as "Principal for a Day" at Loma Alta School.  Gott, and his wife Cathy, are the moving forces behind Education Spectrum and Danny's Farm in Altadena.
• BuyLocalPasadena features the farm on its webpage.
• Altadena Stables has loaned out some horses for the festivities.

I guess we'll have to go!  The festival goes from 4-7 PM thru Thursday at Danny's Farm, 3064 1/2 Ridgeview Drive, Altadena.  More information: call 797-FARM, or  www.dannysfarm.com

Ramses Barden named player of the week

Wide receiver Ramses Barden of Altadena, a senior at Cal Poly, was named "Offensive Player of the Week"  by The Sports Network.  Says the network of his recent game against Southern Utah:

Barden had 12 catches for 217 yards and two touchdowns for Cal Poly, breaking Darrell Jones' school record for career receptions with 181 and snapping Jerry Rice's mark for touchdown receptions in 27 games. Barden had TD catches of 12 and 41 yards in the first period.

Getting in the spirit -- or not

Cape Cod Times has an article on ghost hunting, just to get you in the mood for Halloween.  And Altadena's Skeptics Society, as you can expect, delivers the buzzkill.

Beware "Ram-bro'" on the trails

The encounters with poachers going on near the Meadows are getting worse, with reported threats to dogwalkers and increasingly-aggressive behavior.  This message has been making the rounds of local newsgroups, originating Saturday:

This man who occasionally hunts with an older man who calls himself "Rambro" is combative and aggressive when being confronted. There have been several incidents where they have jumped out of the bushes trying to ambush what they think is a deer, and it has been women walking their dogs. Naturally the dogs go into "protective mode" and the hunters have threatened to shoot the dogs while aiming the bow & arrow directly at them.

The hunter today was African-American, late 20's possibly 30, usually wears a camouflage hoodie and drives a white Bronco (lic# 1FEC322) and sometimes has a Caucasian hunting partner with him. The older hunter is African-American, possibly 50ish, camouflaged out (including war paint make-up) and drives a beat up reddish/crimsonish van with the back windows blacked out.

Rambro continues to hunt around private properties in the Meadows. After an encounter today, the neighbors called and two squad cars came out. The sheriffs did say that Rambro has a warrant

Ram-bro'.  Yeah, we get it. 

Ups & downs

Everything has its ups and downs, as Dylan Rokos, 9, discovered at St. Mark's Country Fair this morning.  The St. Mark's Fair was just one of the many fairs and fiestas going on in Altadena today.

Red flag warning thru Sunday night

A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM PDT SUNDAY. A LONG DURATIONS OF SINGLE DIGIT HUMIDITY LEVELS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING...WITH HUMIDITY LEVELS ONLY RECOVERING TO BETWEEN 15 AND 20 PERCENT IN THE FOOTHILLS. A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE OCCURRING. A COMBINATION OF LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...VERY WARM TEMPERATURES... AND CRITICAL FUELS WILL CREATE EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL. PLEASE ADVISE THE APPROPRIATE OFFICIALS OR FIRE CREWS IN THE FIELD OF THIS RED FLAG WARNING.

Hunters spotted around the Meadows

Surveying the local blogs, the Meadows neighborhood reports several sightings of hunters among the trails (of course, hunting is not allowed).  Among their tactics, they leave dog food on the trails in an apparent attempt to lure bear or deer, and traversing private property is standard for them. They have a history of animosity toward hikers and dog walkers, so be careful and call the sheriff if you see them.

PEN hosts Altadena Elementary tour, neighborhood coffees

Did you know that Altadena Elementary School posted a 49-point gain on its state API score this spring?
 
Come find out what’s happening at Altadena Elementary School!
 
Thursday, Nov. 6 at 9:00 am
Altadena Elementary School Tour
743 E. Calaveras Street
Principal Greg White will lead a tour of Altadena Elementary School, accompanied by Pasadena Education Network programs director Susan Schwartz.
 
Saturday, Nov. 8 at 3:00 pm
Neighborhood Coffee for families with young children
 
·  Meet your neighbors with young children (Children welcome!)
·  Find out about Pasadena Education Network (PEN) – a resource for busy parents who want to be well-informed about public school options in Pasadena Unified School District
·  Meet and talk with kindergarten teacher Regina Major and parent(s) with children enrolled at Altadena Elementary School.

For more information, or to RSVP and get directions to the coffee, e-mail neighborhood@penfamilies.org or call 626-296-0232 and leave a message with your name, phone number, and the best time to call you back.

brought to you by…                    

Pasadena Education Network (PEN) is an independent, grassroots parents’ organization. Visit www.penfamilies.org to learn more about the resources we provide, including elementary school fact sheets, school tours and parent coffee chats, an informative e-bulletin with updates on PEN events as well as key Pasadena Unified School District dates and deadlines, online parent discussion groups, and free programs to help families discover, explore and evaluate their public school options! Find out why more parents are saying:  “We are so grateful to PEN for taking the stress out of choosing an elementary school!”

10th annual Highview Ave block party Sat 2-6pm

From the folks on Highview:

Come say hello, meet your neighbors and enjoy lots of food, volleyball, maybe some b-ball.  Just bring a dish to pass as your family's contribution. This is our tenth year (yeah!) celebrating our neighbors, neighborhood, and just having a fun afternoon together.  Top of Highview Ave, between Fair Oaks & Marengo, cross street is Palm (yes that's right next to Sahag Mesrob's new campus).

Thanksgiving centerpieces to benefit Hathaway-Sycamores

The fabulous Mickie has a piece on the Los Altos' Auxiliary's fundraiser to benefit Hathaway-Sycamores' Altadena campus -- Thanksgiving centerpieces delivered to your door.  Details are here.

Weekendin': festivals and pumpkins

Lots of stuff this weekend: pumpkins and church festivals!

• St. Mark's Episcopal Church will be holding its Country Fair Sat.
• St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church is holding its Fiesta de las Sierras on Sat-Sun.
• Danny's Farm will begin its first annual Pumpkin Festival Sun.
• The Arboretum of Los Angeles County in Arcadia will hold its annual Halloween Family Festival Sun.
• Descanso Gardens in La Canada-Flintridge will hold its Pumpkin Fest Sat.-Sun.
• Altadena Christian Children's Center and Kiwanis will hold its pancake breakfast and children's festival at Altadena Baptist Church on Sat.

Anything we're missing?  Email us!

(Pictured: a cylon Jack-o-lantern, because we miss Battlestar Galactica.  Yeah, we're a geek)

(P.S.: We actually found instructions on how to make a Cylon jack-o-lantern!)

American Cancer Society plots Relay for LIfe for summer '09

The American Cancer Society is planning an event for Altadena next summer, and planning is starting right now.  An informational meeting will be held Nov. 12 at 6 PM at the Altadena Community Center. 
The Society has provided the following details:

What is Relay For Life?
Relay For Life of Altadena will be a fun and unique 24-hour event to increase cancer awareness while raising much-needed funds for the American Cancer Society’s patient service programs, cancer research, advocacy and community education. Teams composed of 12 to 24 people formed by local businesses, community groups and friends & families will be raising funds before the event. At relay, team members take turns walking around the track, relay-style and enjoy fun activities and entertainment off the track.

We Honor Survivors
Survivors are invited to join us as our honorary guests in the Survivors Lap, which begins Relay For Life. Cancer Survivor’s strength and courage help the community see that cancer survivorship is real- that we are making progress in the battle against cancer.

Teaming Up for the Fight…How you can help!
Form a team. Teams come from businesses, clubs, families, hospitals, faith-based groups, schools and service organizations.

Join us for our Survivor and Caregiver special activities
Volunteer to help with the event. What better way to give back, than to volunteer!
Join the Event Planning Committee.

•  Become a sponsor. Show your community that you care!
•  Become a volunteer for some of our other local programs and services such as Road to Recovery, Look Good Feel Better, Man to Man, Reach to Recovery and many more!

For more information about Relay For Life please contact Sarah Eagle on 626 372 9456
sarah.eagle@cancer.org

Veteran's Benefits & Education Workshop Nov. 8

From our friend Landy W. Johnson III comes word of a free workshop on veteran's benefits Nov. 8 at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr., from 9 AM to noon.  Co-sponsored by the Pasadena/Altadena NAACP and the Altadena Senior Center, the workshop includes:

Presentation from Guadalupe C. Sanchez of the Dept. of Veteran's Affairs;  "Boots to Books: How to adjust from War to Student"; Robert Calixto, Owner/Broker and Debra A. Francis, Loan Manager of Sunflower Real Estate & Mortgage Services;  William Syms, field representative of Rep. Adam Schiff; Adam J. Carter, field representative for State Assemblyman Anthony Portantino; "Operation Hope," assistance with housing loan modification by Anne Marie Molina.

For more information, contact Landy W. Johnson III, VA Chairperson, at (626) 794-7999 or naacpaltadena@sbcglobal.net

45,000

It took only 14 days to rack up our latest 5,000 page views!  You like us, you really like us!

Thank you for supporting Altadena's community newsblog!

Prop.8: let's reason together

This is a couple of days old, but town councilman Timothy Kelly (who is also director of the DePree Public Policy Institute and associate professor of psychology at Fuller) has a piece in PSN asking opponents and proponents of Prop. 8 to stop demonizing each other and meet halfway.  Good advice for this election season!

RIP Zane Grey

The iconic Western novelist and outdoorsman died this day in 1939 at his home in Altadena (practicing his fly fishing cast, as we hear it).

Charles White Park becomes "The Haunted Graveyard"

Charles White Park, 77 Mountain Ave. in Altadena, will hold "The Haunted Graveyard" from 6-9 PM on the pre-Halloween Thurs., Oct. 30. It's free!  For more information: 798-6335 or 798-1173.

Library looking for literacy assistant

The Altadena Library district is looking to fill a part-time Americorps literacy assistant position.  Benefits include valuable training and experience, an opportunity to serve the community, a living allowance, and an education award at completion of service.  For more information, call 798-8338.

Out to launch Friday night

Our sky-eye-guy Bill Westphal says that, with a little luck, there'll be something to see fairly early tomorrow night: a Delta II launch at Vandenberg AFB at 19:28:21 PDT (or 7:28 PM to us civilians).  Launch window is one second long, so either it happens or it doesn't.  Weather permitting, launch should be visible for 200 miles.

The payload is an Italian COSMO-3 satellite going into near-polar orbit that will take radar images of Earth.

Altadena Hardware makes the front page

... of the PSN, that is.  Janette Williams' story of Don Thomas'  and Shirley Harrington's imminent departure (and Steve Salinas biking to the rescue) is the well-deserved above-the-fold tribute.

Art on Palm set for Nov. 1

The biannual Art on Palm street fair will be held from 9 AM- 4:30 PM Nov. 1 at 1419 E. Palm St.

The outdoor event features the work of local artists and artisans. Ceramics, collages, jewelry, paintings, photography, prints, sketches, textiles and woodwork will be shown.

Refreshments will be sold and the proceeds, including a percentage of the gross sales, will go toward a nonprofit organization.  Admission is free, and free parking is available on surrounding streets.

For more information, call (626) 798-7637.

"Soul Food Sunday" Nov. 9

The Altadena NAACP,  ACT-SO, and the Youth Council will host "Soul Food Sunday" Nov. 9, from 3-5 PM at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr.

In addition to "free food and good vibes," there will be live music, dance, spoken word/poetry, art, dramatics, open mic, etc.

The dinner is a kick-off event fro ACT-SO and the Youth Council.  ACT-SO (Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics) a major youth initiative of the NAACP. It is a yearlong enrichment program designed to recruit, stimulate, and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among African-American high school students. ACT-SO holds a local and national competition annually where students compete in 26 categories in the sciences, humanities, business, and performing and visual arts.

The Youth Council is a replica of the larger body of the NAACP focused on creating young, civic minded, socially responsible leaders.

" It’s what Sunday dinner is all about…food, family, friends, and fun! "  

For more information: (626) 794-7999  or go to www.naacpaltadena.org

(Hat tip: Debra Johnson)

A little sidetrip: St. Sahag and St. Mesrob

This has nothing to do  and everything to do with the kerfluffle on Palm St.  A little journey into understanding here:

The Altadenablogmaster considers himself Anglican with a stiff shot of Eastern Orthodoxy thrown in, and an interest in church history.  So after the events of recent weeks, we asked ourselves, "Who or what is Sahag and Mesrob, anyway?"

It's old hat for anyone of Armenian heritage, but it's news to us. Saints Sahag and Mesrob, aka "The Holy Translators,"  developed the Armenian alphabet, thus making it possible to translate the Bible (and everything else) into what was until then only an oral language.  One of the aims of their effort was to design letters that were not only useful, but beautiful.  More information here and here.

Bears and fire danger -- another week in Altadena

From Bill Westphal:

Heads up!

 

A Bear was spotted in the Chaney Trail / Alzada Road area.  that's only 1/2 Mile from Holly Slope Road.

 

Be alert when walking.  If you encounter a Bear do not run.  Make lots of noise and make yourself look as large as possible.

 

This Department of Fish and Game Web Site has more information:

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/keepmewild/bear.html

 

Also, Fire Weather Watch.  Temperatures are rising and Humidity is falling through the end of the week.  There is a chance of Santa Ana Winds.  Be Prepared.  You should have a plan in place.  Know what you're going to take with you in the event you are asked to evacuate.  Have a hose with a nozzle ready, neatly stored, in case you need it in a hurry.

And now -- "Steve's Altadena Hardware"

Jane Brackman of the Altadena Historical Society has the scoop on what's happening at Altadena Hardware, 849 E. Mariposa:

Altadena has been very fortunate to be home to a family-run hardware store for the last eighty-plus years. The Altadena Hardware store was actually established before the Thomas family came to town in 1923, but the three generations of Thomas owners have left an indelible mark on what has been a local “hang-out” for years.

With current owner Don Thomas retiring and leaving the area in November, along with his sister and her husband, Shirley and Dennis Harrington, it looked like the hardware store was destined to close.

Sheriffs will host "Haunted Jail" for Halloween

For the 11th year, the Altadena Sheriff's Station will present "The Haunted Jail (in 3D)!" this Halloween, 5-8 PM at the station, 780 E. Altadena Dr. (at Lake Ave.).  Not recommended for children under 5 (the jail is scary!) minimum donation is $2 per child or adult.

Packed Town Council meeting considers school, elections

We have survived the almost 3 1/2 hour October ATC meeting, and return to the office exhausted in body and dead in soul.  Nonetheless, we go so you don't have to.  You're welcome.

In a packed community center, two major points of contention highlight this month:

Sahag Mesrob: a long line of residents went up to the podium during public comments to decry the Palm St. school, which received a notice of violation from the county last week.  (A brave handful did speak in favor of the school).  The council agreed to send a letter to the Board of Supervisors, asking them to enforce the notice of violation.

The June election: like Dracula rising from the dead, the loose ends of the election came back to haunt the council again.  Council chair Gino Sund  said that they had reviewed all election materials, spoke to poll workers, and reviewed the ethics committee report, and didn't find reasons to negate the election. 

However, former town councilmember Walter Olszewski restated previous claims of election irregularities and said that "the town council does not want to look at the ethics of it."

As well, Brian Franklin took to the podium several times during the course of the meeting to read an extended complaint that involved absent councilman Ken Balder, the Altadena Town & Country Club, Lincoln Crossing, and other topics.

(Pictured: overflow crowd at the community center.  Photo courtesy Bill Westphal and the Westphal PhoneCam,)

Blue lobster captured, will avoid coating with butter

Carolyn Seitz points out this CNN story that a rare (1 in 3 million ) blue lobster was recently captured, and will be spending its days on exhibit at a Connecticut aquarium.

The blue lobster, of course, is our inspiration for Rosie's Blue Lobsters, our walkin' team at the Down Syndrome Assn. Buddy Walk on Nov. 2.  We are so grateful for all those Altadenablog readers who have contributed to the cause, and there's still time to join us on the walk or sponsor our team!  Details here.

White sings at Muir fundraiser tonight

Linda Lane White, "The Singing Realtor" from Altadena and a John Muir alum, will be performing at a fundraiser tonight with Muir's jazz ensemble at the Pasadena Jazz Institute at the Paseo Colorado in Pasadena. 

Writes Linda:

The John Muir High School Jazz Ensemble will be playing and I will warble a few tunes with them. It’s a mere $20 (tax deductible) fundraiser that the John Muir Alumni Association is sponsoring to help raise much needed funds to complete some cosmetic improvements to the school where funds are not available elsewhere.  If you are a fellow Mustang, you really need to be there!

Shhh! It's a secret!

We haven't figured out why they want word spread far and wide AND keep it a secret, but Don Thomas will be honored on Oct. 29 as he retires from Altadena Hardware.  Don't tell Don!

(NOTE: We corrected the date, as the flyer font is hard to read -- but it's correct now!)

Isn't it romantic? (2000's version)

Inland Daily Bulletin's story about Laurie Roades and Alison Bowen's  wedding at the Altadena Community Church (UCC) shows that gushy stories about gay romance can be just as nauseating as straight stories of same.

Break-ins at President Streets

The neighbors in the President Streets neighborhood are reporting that someone broke into several cars Sunday night/Monday morning in a rash of burglaries.  Second-hand from sheriff's says this has been going on for awhile.

Petrea's Altadena photos

Life away from the screen has been too busy -- and still is -- so we have major catching up to do today.  Here's some short takes from one of our favorite blogs:

• Petrea at the invaluable Pasadena Daily Photo looks at "Altadena's First Water Park" (is there another one?"
• Today's Daily Photo post looks at the WaMu ruins (the one on Lake, not the one in your portfolio).  And I'm with her on this: Ralphs is depressing, and central Altadena needs a grocery store as rockin' as Farm Fresh --excuse me, Super King -- in the west or the Vons on Allen.