Claudia Peschiutta
GLENDALE -- Get ready to see green.
Local Kiwanis clubs plan to beautify the area by planting about 1,000
trees throughout Glendale and surrounding cities this year.
The clubs will kick off the planting effort on Jan. 27 with a "Tree of
Life Family Festival" at the Glendale Sports Complex. The daylong event
will include games and other activities, including a ceremony honoring
firefighters who battled the San Rafael Hills fire.
"They did so many great things in saving our hills and homes," said
Don Fiske, a Glendale Kiwanis Club member who is overseeing the planting
project.
Hundreds of Southern California firefighters fought the December 1999
blaze, which burned 525 acres in the hillsides of Glendale and La Canada
Flintridge. Only a few homes were damaged by the fire and no serious
injuries were reported.
"They really sacrificed a lot," Fiske said. "They need to be honored."
The tree project is being sponsored by several Kiwanis clubs, the
Glendale Unified School District, the city of Glendale and others, Fiske
said.
Trees can be sponsored for a $35 fee.
The trees will be planted everywhere from schools to parks, said Vic
Ledgerton, who oversees 11 local Kiwanis clubs.
Aside from improving the environment, they may "replace the paper that
our organization may use for the next century," he said.
IF YOU GO
* WHAT: "Tree of Life Family Festival"
* WHEN: From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Jan. 27.
* WHERE: Glendale Sports Complex, 2200 Fern Lane.
* INFO: The event begins with a pancake breakfast at 8 a.m. A ceremony
honoring area firefighters starts at 10 a.m. Games, lunch and other
activities follow from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
* COST: Tickets for the pancake breakfast are $4. Children 5 and
younger eat free. Lunch prices vary.
* CALL: For more information, call 354-8838.
