Glendale's centennial celebration and a picnic tradition will coincide on Monday on the lawns of a historic Glendale landmark.
The Glendale Old Timers Assn. will salute 100 years of Glendale history with the annual Old-Timers Picnic from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Casa Adobe de San Rafael, 1330 Dorothy Drive .
The picnic will feature an awards ceremony for 100-year-old Glendale resident Gertrude Ness and two birthday cakes to celebrate the city's 100th birthday.
"It's a very touching, sentimental event," said Doris McKently, member of the event's picnic committee. "And in a historic setting with the adobe and the shaded trees, you get a glimpse of the past."
Organizers welcome anyone to bring their own lunches to the event and to reminisce with old friends and make new ones.
The Old Timers Assn. will serve refreshments, and accordion music will play throughout the festivities. People can purchase tickets for door and raffle prizes at the event.
"We have absolutely phenomenal drawings," picnic committee member Lynda Burns said.
But the picnic isn't really about winning things, Burns said. Its purpose has been to welcome new people to the community.
"And basically that's how it's continued," she said.
The picnic has been a Glendale staple since Aug. 24, 1907. Its goal was to bring together the area's settlers with new arrivals to foster more understanding and begin new friendships, McKently said.
The picnic was held in Echo Park in Los Angeles for three years, and then in Verdugo Park in 1911. Since 1953, it has been celebrated at Casa Adobe de San Rafael, built in 1865 by Tomas Sanchez and his wife, Maria Sepulveda, who was a member of the Verdugo family.
On Monday, Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich is scheduled to attend and present awards to volunteers including Ness, Larry Miller and the YWCA for their community service efforts City officials are also invited. .
The local chapter of the American Legion will also present colors at the beginning of the event for a patriotic observance, McKently said.
Burns invited anyone interested in having a good time to come to the event.
"You really can be any age," she said. "It's just a nice welcoming picnic that people really seem to enjoy."
FYI
WHAT: Glendale Old Timers Assn. Annual Labor Day Picnic
WHEN: 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday
WHERE: Casa Adobe de San Rafael, 1330 Dorothy Drive, Glendale
CONTACT: Doris McKently at (818) 243-0977
