Picnic

Claudia Peschiutta MONTROSE - It was party time for local Democrats. Party legislators and candidates turned out for the "Democratic Unity to Victory Celebration," a picnic held Sunday at the Gardens of Hillmont in Pasadena. The event was sponsored by the 44th Assembly District Committee of the California Democratic Party. State Assemblyman Jack Scott (D-Montrose) and Carol Liu, the Democrat challenging Susan Carpenter McMillan for Scott's seat, were there, as was state Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Glendale)

The word "picnic" entered the English language from either German or French. The French used the word first in the 1500s to describe a group of diners who brought their own wine to a restaurant. A hundred years later, the word appeared again, this time in a dictionary. The French verb piquer means to peck or pick. Nique translates as "things of little importance." Picnics were not held outdoors; they were more likely to be potlucks where each guest contributed a special dish. Over time, a picnic became a meal eaten outdoors in pleasant surroundings.

Amanda Anderson has become a well-known presence in her Rancho Santa Margarita neighborhood. Every year, the 14-year-old posts fliers around the block, asking neighbors to donate backpacks, which she in turn passes on to charities. To build the stash in her garage, Amanda also goes door to door for contributions. "A lot of people in our neighborhood are expecting it, because this is the sixth summer she's done it," said her mother, Sheri Anderson.

Judy Seckler GLENWOOD -- Members of the Glendale Old-timers Assn. are working hard to ensure this year's Old-timer's Picnic tops the "laid back" meter. No need to be an old-timer to attend. The entire community is welcome to join those who were born in Glendale, went through the Glendale school system and have called Glendale their home for many years. Bring a picnic lunch and the association will supply the coffee. The free picnic will be held 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept.

Judy Seckler GLENWOOD -- Dust off your sun hat and be prepared to hang with neighbors you haven't seen in awhile at the Old-timer's Picnic. The yearly event scheduled for Monday is open to any person who has lived in Glendale for 25 years or more. Those residents who called Glendale home for that time period but who have moved away are still invited to attend. Bring a picnic lunch and the Old-Timers Assn. will supply the coffee. The free event will be held 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Casa Adobe de San Raphael, 1330 Dorothy Drive.

Gary Moskowitz NORTHEAST GLENDALE -- The Glendale High Alumni Assn. will host a picnic for all Glendale High School alumni. The picnic will be from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 11, at Verdugo Park, 1621 Canada Blvd. All Glendale High graduates from all years, their families and friends are invited to attend the event. Tickets are $13 if purchased prior to the event. Tickets purchased the day of the event are $15. A barbeque will include tri tip, chicken, beans and salad.

Darleene Barrientos Several area churches are working to bring the blessings to the less fortunate with a picnic to benefit Habitat for Humanity. The La Canada Circle of Faith, made up of eight area churches and a temple, is hosting Picnic in the Park today at Memorial Park at 1201 Foothill Blvd. in La Canada Flintridge. Admission to the event is free for children. Adults will be asked to make a $5 donation, for which they will receive three raffle tickets.

The Monte Vista Elementary School community enjoyed games, food and each other's company at last Friday's annual picnic sponsored by the school's PTA. From 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 24, friends, teachers and families gathered on the school's lower field, many bringing a picnic dinner and dessert to be shared. The event was emceed by Monte Vista parents Mark Miller and Vito Palazzolo. Brightly colored blankets were scattered on the lawn as children whizzed by on scooters loaned out by the school.

Though the school day had ended hours earlier, Kinder Playground was alive with activity Friday evening, as children hula-hooped and pedaled tricycles while the smell of something on the grill greeted new arrivals to Valley View Elementary School’s fall family picnic. The annual event is held to give students and their parents a chance to meet and interact with others in the school at the start of a new academic year, Valley View Principal Carla Walker said. “The purpose is to get the whole school community together to meet each other at the beginning of the year,” she said.

Boy Scout Troop 127 named five of its Scouts Eagle Scouts. All children of first generation Armenian and Lebanese families, the Eagle Scouts are Christopher Raffi Ovanesian, Sasoon Amerian, Allan Robert Issai, Shunt Yervant Manoel, and Steven John Ayoob. All five young men are Glendale students. Each Scout earned 21 merit badges by providing service to the community and outdoors in addition to taking on leadership roles and organizing a service project. Ovanesian's project included donating four picnic tables and building two picnic benches for Brand Park.

The Wildwood Picnic Area, located about five miles into the Angeles National Forest along Big Tujunga Canyon Road, is starting to look like its old self again. A dozen freshly painted picnic benches are neatly positioned in the shade, and thick green vegetation lines Big Tujunga Creek. The scene here now stands in stark contrast to two years ago, after the popular spot was consumed by the Station fire. The revitalization is due, in part, to collaboration between the U.S. Forest Service and the Student Conservation Assn., the nonprofit group that taps youth for paid summer jobs to protect and restore national parks.

T hree elementary school students became unofficial members of the Glendale Fire Department at Friday's Junior Fire picnic at Verdugo Park. The Fire Department hosted its annual picnic as a celebration for Glendale Unified fifth-graders who spent the last school year learning about fire safety. To honor the students, the Fire Department put on several games and cooked up meals at Verdugo Park. Before the picnic, students were asked to submit essays about fire safety for a chance to win prizes and earn honorary Fire Department titles.

LA CRESCENTA — In-N-Out patrons ran for cover Wednesday afternoon as flames ignited a small hillside fire on Lowell Avenue that crept up near the restaurant’s picnic benches. The fire started at 2:05 p.m., quickly consuming vegetation between the fast food restaurant and a home on Vista Court and Lowell Avenue near Foothill Boulevard, said Battalion Chief David Frelinger of the Los Angeles City Fire Department. The blaze may have started from a cigarette, he said, adding that an empty pack was found on the hillside.

Wave the flag and raise the tea bags. Some area residents are getting ready for a patriotic celebration of our nation’s independence with just a bit of revolution thrown in for good measure. Two public gatherings are planned in coming weeks at the Jeffers’ estate, 1823 Foothill Blvd., in La Cañada, in honor of Independence Day. Both events need reservations and include music, speeches and activities for kids and adults, as well as catered meals, with hot dogs, hamburgers, and all the other trimmings of a traditional small town picnic.

CITY HALL — An extensive makeover plan for Griffith Manor Park got a strong endorsement Tuesday from the City Council and nearby property owners who said it was high time to upgrade the long-neglected enclave. The roughly three-acre park is the largest plot of green space in an otherwise drab industrial corridor that has been in a near-constant state of flux, from the build-out of the Walt Disney Company’s Grand Central Creative Campus to the multitude of multimillion-dollar public infrastructure projects along the San Fernando Road corridor.

The evening of Friday, Sept. 19 was full of activities for families at Valley View Elementary. The Fall Family Picnic reigned over the school on Friday night as the playground bustled with students and parents. People lined the fence and even the sidewalk, waiting patiently for a plate of the barbecue dinner. Booths with food, drinks, desserts, PTA sign-ups and even Cub Scouts were scattered across the blacktop. Parents crowded a booth selling Valley View sweatshirts and T-shirts, as they grabbed the latest spirit gear.

Mountain Avenue Elementary families took to the upper field on Sept. 12 to enjoy the annual Back to School picnic. Kids ran around the field with friends while parents greeted each other and caught up on what everyone did over summer vacation. Teachers joked with students and met parents. It was a time to sit back and relax before schedules became filled with soccer games, homework and school activities. Mountain Avenue is Committed to Kids, MACK, the school’s Foundation, was there to remind parents to join and support their efforts.

On Sunday, Aug. 24, St. James the Less Catholic School gathered together students and their families for a huge back to school picnic at nearby Dunsmore Park in La Crescenta. Students from kindergarten through eighth grade invaded the park, ready for some fun in the sun and good food. St. James sponsored the event with burgers, hot dogs and drinks, while the school families brought salads, veggies, fruit and lots of desserts. St. James pastor, Father Ed Dover, took the opportunity to meet some of the new school parents who have students joining the St. James family.