Grapes

George Le Mesnager, who left a major imprint on the northern area of Glendale and La Crescenta, was inspired by stories of California’s Gold Rush to leave his native France. Born in the early 1840s, he immigrated to New York as a very young man and from there, consumed with a desire to go West, booked passage on a ship that took him as far south as the Isthmus of Panama, according to an undated Ledger article reprinted in “Sources of History, La Crescenta,” compiled by June Dougherty in 1993.

Mark Humphrey Priests, patients and employees at Glendale Adventist Medical Center will continue 1,700 years of Armenian tradition with the hospital's seventh annual Blessing of the Grapes ceremony today in the center's chapel. "Many of our patients and employees are of Armenian backgrounds, and they really appreciate having a ceremony to thank God for all of their blessings," said Al Garcilazo, a senior chaplain at Glendale Adventist Medical Center.

Varujan Tomassian was recovering from heart surgery at Glendale Adventist Medical Center on Wednesday, but thanks to a special gift of grapes brought by local clergy, the Glendale resident was all smiles. Tomassian was the first patient at the center to receive a bundle of the blessed fruit in connection with the ancient Armenian religious tradition known as the Blessing of the Grapes. The ritual, which stems from teachings in the Old Testament, is traditionally celebrated on the second Sunday in August — harvest time in Armenia, said the Most Rev. Muron Aznikian of the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church in La Crescenta.

DOWNTOWN -- Cast members from director John Ford's "The Grapes of Wrath" will appear at the evening screening Saturday, Jan. 13, at The Alex Theatre. Dorris Bowdon, Darryl Hickman and Shirley Mills will be interviewed at the 8 p.m. screening by host Leonard Maltin. Written by John Steinbeck, this movie unveils the hardships faced by the Joad family during its trip from a Depression-era Oklahoma dust bowl to California. The powerful story, directed by Ford and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck, brought an Academy Award to Jane Darwell as the matriarch.

Joyce Rudolph, Enjoy! GLENDALE -- What makes the 1940 movie "The Grapes of Wrath" a classic? Audiences can relate to the story today and it emphasizes the strength of the American family, believes film historian Rudy Behlmer. Director John Ford's adaptation of John Steinbeck's book reveals the hardships of the Joad family's trip to California from Oklahoma, which suffered drought and crop failures and became a dust bowl during the Depression. The film takes a fictional family and follows its exodus to the promised land, Behlmer said.

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that Julia Child's reign as the queen of French cooking in America happened surprisingly late in life. Her determination to learn and master the classic techniques occurred in her 40s. Paula Deen, the doyen of Southern cooking, also came late to fame. She was in her 40s when a divorce left her in financial straits. Paula started a catering company that eventually blossomed into a landmark Savannah restaurant, best-selling cookbooks and her own television show.

The Blessing of the Grapes, an Armenian tradition as old as Christianity itself, was celebrated at Glendale Adventist Medical Center’s chapel Wednesday with incense, candles, and prayers from Armenian religious leaders. Hospital staff and visitors sat before an altar heaped with bags of grapes as Rev. Muron Aznikian, who is from the prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church, talked about the ceremony’s significance. The ritual blessing of the grapes is an annual harvest-time event that began when Armenian pagans offered their first fruit of the season to the gods in hopes of protecting their crops from natural disasters, Aznikian said.

NORTH GLENDALE — Standing near the rows of grapevines planted below the ancient barn at Deukmejian Wilderness Park, Stuart Byles breathed in deeply as he turned the handle of an antique grape crusher. The aroma released as the crushed grapes plopped into the giant barrel below brought back childhood memories of sitting among the grapes of a Southern California vineyard, he said. "Whenever I smell that new wine being made, I always think of that. Smell and memory are so intimately intertwined," said Byles, co-founder of the Stone Barn Conservancy, an offshoot of the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley dedicated to revitalizing the winemaking history of the region.

Alecia Foster NORTHEAST GLENDALE -- Serezha Khachatryan had always liked the Blessing of the Grapes, an Armenian religious ceremony. "When I learned today that they were doing it, I was excited," Khachatryan, a patient at Glendale Adventist Medical Center, said. Khachatryan and other Armenian patients received small bags of grapes Wednesday after a ceremonial blessing by the Rev. Vazken Atmajian of St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church. The harvest-time celebration is a time to give thanks and praise God for the gifts he has given his followers.

Local wine aficionados got a hands-on lesson on the wine-making process that began in January and culminated in October with a grape-crushing party at Deukmejian Wilderness Park. Stuart and Marie Byles, the Stone Barn Conservancy's husband-and-wife wine-making team, led classes on wine making for about 10 months at the park and at their La Crescenta home for those interested not just in wine tasting but also in what it takes to create a palatable vino. Alicante bouschet grapes are grown at the city-owned vineyard at Deukmejian Wilderness Park and these are made into wine and bottled under the Stone Barn Dunsmore Creek label.

Local wine aficionados got a hands-on lesson on the wine-making process that began in January and culminated in October with a grape-crushing party at Deukmejian Wilderness Park. Stuart and Marie Byles, the Stone Barn Conservancy's husband-and-wife wine-making team, led classes on wine making for about 10 months at the park and at their La Crescenta home for those interested not just in wine tasting but also in what it takes to create a palatable vino. Alicante bouschet grapes are grown at the city-owned vineyard at Deukmejian Wilderness Park and these are made into wine and bottled under the Stone Barn Dunsmore Creek label.

Inspired by other French winemakers who had already come to California, a young Frenchman named George Le Mesnager arrived here in 1866. He set about acquiring several plots of land, including the large property in the northern reaches of our city which now forms Deukmejian Wilderness Park. As a new arrival, Le Mesnager, like other immigrants, worked at whatever came his way, from tending sheep to working as a county court translator. At one point he edited a French newspaper. In the midst of his energetic quest to make his fortune, he felt compelled to return to France to help defend his country in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71.

George Le Mesnager, who left a major imprint on the northern area of Glendale and La Crescenta, was inspired by stories of California’s Gold Rush to leave his native France. Born in the early 1840s, he immigrated to New York as a very young man and from there, consumed with a desire to go West, booked passage on a ship that took him as far south as the Isthmus of Panama, according to an undated Ledger article reprinted in “Sources of History, La Crescenta,” compiled by June Dougherty in 1993.

NORTH GLENDALE — Standing near the rows of grapevines planted below the ancient barn at Deukmejian Wilderness Park, Stuart Byles breathed in deeply as he turned the handle of an antique grape crusher. The aroma released as the crushed grapes plopped into the giant barrel below brought back childhood memories of sitting among the grapes of a Southern California vineyard, he said. "Whenever I smell that new wine being made, I always think of that. Smell and memory are so intimately intertwined," said Byles, co-founder of the Stone Barn Conservancy, an offshoot of the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley dedicated to revitalizing the winemaking history of the region.

If the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley prevails, it will revitalize what was once a thriving viticulture in Glendale. Last Sunday, a half-dozen historical society members harvested the last of the grapes from the Stone Barn vineyard in Deukmejian Wilderness Park, intent on bottling what will be the second vintage of the Stone Barn Conservancy label. The wine project was undertaken shortly after Glendale purchased the park site and planted seven rows of grapevines below the old Le Mesnager barn, known as the Stone Barn, on land that was part of a sprawling commercial vineyard 100 years ago. The historical society took over the vine cultivation a few years ago. “We think of it not so much about making wine as preserving history,” said Dianne Thompson, a member of the Stone Barn Conservancy (an outgrowth of the historical society)

CSD hearing set for next week A hearing by the L.A. County Department of Regional Planning about the proposed Community Standards District (CSD) will be held at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 20, in room 150 of the Hall of Records, 320 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, 90012. The proposed zoning ordinance reflects six years of discussion between residents and the Foothill Design Committee. The CSD would establish development standards for the Foothill Boulevard corridor within the unincorporated area of La Crescenta.

The Blessing of the Grapes, an Armenian tradition as old as Christianity itself, was celebrated at Glendale Adventist Medical Center’s chapel Wednesday with incense, candles, and prayers from Armenian religious leaders. Hospital staff and visitors sat before an altar heaped with bags of grapes as Rev. Muron Aznikian, who is from the prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church, talked about the ceremony’s significance. The ritual blessing of the grapes is an annual harvest-time event that began when Armenian pagans offered their first fruit of the season to the gods in hopes of protecting their crops from natural disasters, Aznikian said.

Blessing of the grapes at center Glendale Adventist Medical Center will host its annual Blessing of the Grapes, a long-standing Armenian tradition, from 9:45 to 10 a.m. Wednesday at the medical center’s chapel on the main floor of the East Tower, 1509 Wilson Terrace, Glendale. For more information, call (818) 409-8008.   Artists welcome at Art Day event Glendale Mayor John Drayman has proclaimed Art Day on Friday. In observance, art enthusiasts are welcome to bring a painting, poem, song, story or scene to share as well as a potluck item for the celebration from 4 to 8 p.m. at The Gardens, 1134 E. Lexington Drive, Glendale.

Varujan Tomassian was recovering from heart surgery at Glendale Adventist Medical Center on Wednesday, but thanks to a special gift of grapes brought by local clergy, the Glendale resident was all smiles. Tomassian was the first patient at the center to receive a bundle of the blessed fruit in connection with the ancient Armenian religious tradition known as the Blessing of the Grapes. The ritual, which stems from teachings in the Old Testament, is traditionally celebrated on the second Sunday in August — harvest time in Armenia, said the Most Rev. Muron Aznikian of the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church in La Crescenta.

TODAY Glendale Adventist Medical Center will host its 11th annual "Blessing of the Grapes" community ceremony from 9:45 to 10:30 a.m. at the Adventist Chapel, 1509 Wilson Terrace, Glendale. Rev. Vazken Atmajian, pastor of St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church in Glendale, will perform the blessing. The ceremony is designed to give the first yield of the vineyards as gifts to the church as a way to ask for God's blessing. All patients will receive a cup of grapes on their dinner trays.