Fountain

Those frogs have got to go. You know which ones I'm talking about, Glendale. Situated at the entrance of the Marketplace on Brand, the trio, now sporting a faded green facade, cower behind their tree branches, indiscriminately spitting water at you when you walk by. It's been around 14 years since they first hopped onto the scene along with the rest of the area that developers hoped would invigorate downtown Glendale. Since then, numerous establishments have come and gone (Bennigan's, anyone?

Buck Wargo GLENDALE -- The 33-year-old Soroptimist fountain will be dedicated Thursday at the southwest corner of Brand and Glenoaks boulevards. Glendale Mayor Dave Weaver and other council members will attend the event that starts at 11:45 a.m. Since it was dedicated on Dec. 8, 1967, the fountain has been a work in progress. It took the Glendale Soroptimist Club nearly 13 years to raise $5,000 to build the original fountain -- an 18-foot bowl with colored lights and a single gusher, said group spokeswoman Doreen Key. In the early 1990s, a new dancing waters fountain replaced the original to match the architecture and landscaping theme of the recently built Red Lion Hotel built adjacent to the site, Key said.

A fire that tore through a water fountain design company in Sun Valley on Saturday caused more than $1 million in estimated property damage, officials said. The fire at Wet Designs, 10817 Sherman Way, started when a hit-and-run driver struck a power pole just after 3 a.m. Saturday. The damage to the power pole caused a power surge inside the building, which led to the blaze, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Erik Scott said in a statement. It took 125 firefighters roughly 1 1/2 hour to control and extinguish the blaze, which was contained to the single-story, 8,400-square-foot building, officials reported.

SOUTHWEST GLENDALE — Cement lion heads on the fountain at the Pacific Community Park are posing such an attractive target for would-be thieves and vandals that the city is having them removed. The lion heads, which are designed to spout water out of their open mouths, have incurred damages that are compromising their function, Community Services Coordinator Eve Rappoport said. “They are kind of attractive nuisances,” she said. “And our park maintenance staff said we need to replace the lion heads; we need to do something because the water is dribbling and it’s just not operating the way it should.

DOWNTOWN — Hundreds of cardinal-and-gold clad USC fans converged at the Americana at Brand Monday for a pep rally that filled shops and restaurants with the echoes of snare drums and trumpets. Fans surrounded the large dancing fountain at the center of the shopping complex, often relocating to get a better view of the Trojan Marching Band, which was positioned in a corner next to the fountain and was visually obstructed by a stage set up for ESPN Radio and other permanent structures at the site.

The official "Opening of 2006 Duck Season" is Friday, Sept. 8 at the fountain of the Glendale City Center Plaza on Brand Boulevard between Wilson and Broadway. The "First Duck" of the season, followed by the whole flock of ducks, will be launched in the Plaza fountain around 12:30 p.m. The community and all public is welcomed to participate in this opening ceremony with the Hoover High School Marching Band, complete with lots of rubber ducks, media coverage and prizes, all produced under the leadership of the Kiwanis Club of Glendale.

On April 5, I called the Recreation and Parks Department of the County of Los Angeles to report a nonworking drinking fountain at a county park near my house in La Crescenta. I left my name and telephone number with the person who took my call, and the person said they would forward the call to the maintenance section. I received a call at home April 6 saying they were looking into the problem. By the next evening, when I next went to the park, the drinking fountain had been repaired!

GLENDALE — A pair of workers planted another tree on the sidewalk at Adams Square Wednesday, putting some finishing touches on a long-awaited streetscape project. The project's completion is about a month away. But already, the street and landscaping improvements, where an enclave of shops and residential homes on Chevy Chase Drive, Acacia Avenue, Adams Street and Park Avenue co-exist against a hillside backdrop, lend a European feel. There's even an old fountain and a newly-installed trellis to complete the look.

Josh Kleinbaum If Rick Caruso has his way, the Glendale Town Center will have a fountain nicknamed after Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, a pear-shaped park nearly the size of a football field and a mix of architectural styles to make the project look like an evolving urban downtown. Although they did some nitpicking, the city's two Design Review Boards liked that plan, unanimously approving Caruso's Stage II design for the Town Center on Thursday.

Improvements started seven years ago are unfinished as work that was completed begins breaking down.SOUTHEAST GLENDALE -- Members of the Adams Square Merchants Assn. are frustrated that the city has not completed a renovation project that was conceived in 1992. John Cianfrini, founder and president of the Adams Square Merchants Assn., said the unique and historic business district that features structures that were built as far back as the 1920s was supposed to be renovated with federal Community Development Block Grants.

A fire that tore through a water fountain design company in Sun Valley on Saturday caused more than $1 million in estimated property damage, officials said. The fire at Wet Designs, 10817 Sherman Way, started when a hit-and-run driver struck a power pole just after 3 a.m. Saturday. The damage to the power pole caused a power surge inside the building, which led to the blaze, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Erik Scott said in a statement. It took 125 firefighters roughly 1 1/2 hour to control and extinguish the blaze, which was contained to the single-story, 8,400-square-foot building, officials reported.

Those frogs have got to go. You know which ones I'm talking about, Glendale. Situated at the entrance of the Marketplace on Brand, the trio, now sporting a faded green facade, cower behind their tree branches, indiscriminately spitting water at you when you walk by. It's been around 14 years since they first hopped onto the scene along with the rest of the area that developers hoped would invigorate downtown Glendale. Since then, numerous establishments have come and gone (Bennigan's, anyone?

Harry Pryor was an enthusiastic cheerleader for any group he supported, so when he joined the Verdugo Club it seemed natural for him to take charge of choosing callers for the monthly bingo games. Pryor began developing his leadership skills when he was just 9 years old. That's when he started delivering papers for the San Bernardino Sun. While in high school, his principal asked him to plan a daylong event for members of the orchestras, oratorical societies and sports teams of all five high schools in the San Bernardino area.

Rita La Fountaine- June 4, 1933-October 19, 2010-11-15 Rita was born in Monrovia, CA to Henry and Cacille Mauch of Arcadia. She was the cherished wife of George La Foutaine, and loving mother of Richard, George, Christian La Fountaine; daughter, Gabreille Pearson; grandmother to Nina, John, Claire Alana, Michelle, Craig and Trevor. She is survived by daughters-in-law, Dana and Shelly La Foutaine, brothers, Rudy and Richard Mauch, and sister, Rose Marie Turner. She will be sorely missed by her family, nieces, nephews, and friends.

GLENDALE — Legislators want more fresh water in schools, but they won't pay for it. They moved a bill to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger earlier this month that, if signed, requires schools to make fresh water more available to students before next summer. The bill's intent could be satisfied by providing disposable cups and pitchers of water, or bottled water to students during mealtimes. Advocates said making water more readily available would set children on a path for healthy habits throughout their lives, and help their learning and focus in the classroom.

?Fountain of Trevi ? Love Poems,? a book by Ankin Timourian, is small ? the size of a thin paperback, but it contains nearly 100 poems divided by topic into four sections. The pocket size is handy for slipping into a purse and reading on the run, while the poems are lightweight and short. Scores of full color photo illustrations enhance the reader?s visual pleasure. The first section, which Timourian titles ?Heaven on Earth,? holds poems rich in romance, passion and erotica.

DOWNTOWN — Hundreds of cardinal-and-gold clad USC fans converged at the Americana at Brand Monday for a pep rally that filled shops and restaurants with the echoes of snare drums and trumpets. Fans surrounded the large dancing fountain at the center of the shopping complex, often relocating to get a better view of the Trojan Marching Band, which was positioned in a corner next to the fountain and was visually obstructed by a stage set up for ESPN Radio and other permanent structures at the site.

NORTHWEST GLENDALE — A 48-year-old Fountain Valley man was struck and killed on the Ventura (134) Freeway early Tuesday morning after he pulled over, got out of his car and tried to help people involved in a previous crash, authorities said. The fatal accident, which is still under investigation, occurred at about 1 a.m. on the eastbound Ventura Freeway just west of Pacific Avenue when 26-year-old Sara Kacee swerved at a high rate of speed to miss the first wreck, which was blocking the No. 1 and 2 lanes, and hit Kirk Dowling as he walked along the sound wall to offer his assistance, according to the California Highway Patrol.

SOUTHWEST GLENDALE — Cement lion heads on the fountain at the Pacific Community Park are posing such an attractive target for would-be thieves and vandals that the city is having them removed. The lion heads, which are designed to spout water out of their open mouths, have incurred damages that are compromising their function, Community Services Coordinator Eve Rappoport said. “They are kind of attractive nuisances,” she said. “And our park maintenance staff said we need to replace the lion heads; we need to do something because the water is dribbling and it’s just not operating the way it should.

Accompanied by the music from “Jaws,” Mayor Ara Najarian launched a flock of rubber ducks Friday into the fountain of the Glendale City Center Plaza to kick off duck season. The event, coordinated by Kiwanis Club of Glendale, marked the beginning of the third annual “Incredible Duck Splash” fundraiser to raise funds for nonprofit organizations in the community. “This is being held to raise money for charitable activities that Kiwanis raises money to fund and to allow other charitable organizations in town an opportunity to raise money,” said John Sadd, president of Glendale Kiwanis.