Surprise

Last Friday night as Kyle Studebaker sat down with friends to enjoy dinner, an unexpected guest made a welcomed visit. Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce president Howard Hakes stepped into the neighbor’s house to surprise Studebaker with the news that she had been chosen as the Female Volunteer of the Year. Studebaker was one of nine awardees that the chamber chose. Additional honors were extended to Bob Fletcher as Male Volunteer of the Year; Pastor Dave Roberts as Man of the Year; Patty Scripter as Woman of the Year; Holly Stevens as Student of the Year and Lynn McGinnis as Educator of the Year.

Tim Willert Leslie and Sergio Aguilar have lived near the intersection of Boynton Street and Palmer Avenue for 10 years. The couple and their three children visit Palmer Park every week, but were shocked to learn a shooting took place not far from where their kids played Sunday. "It does surprise me because this neighborhood is pretty quiet," Leslie Aguilar said. "I feel safe because I see police cars patrolling all the time." On Thursday, one alleged gang member shot another in the 1200 block of South Boynton Street near the park's western entrance.

It is not too surprising that oral communication has finally been moved to the end of the City Council meeting, since it?s been in the works, off and on, for years (?Mayor Drayman faces first salvo,? Thursday). This move will undoubtedly lessen public comment, which is probably OK since not much attention is paid to those not financially well-off enough to foster new high-rises, new condos, increases in city management salaries, public land giveaways and so on. In Glendale, and probably in other cities, open government is without meaning and is merely two words.

It is not too surprising that oral communication has finally been moved to the end of the City Council meeting, since it’s been in the works, off and on, for years (“Mayor Drayman faces first salvo,” Thursday). This move will undoubtedly lessen public comment, which is probably OK since not much attention is paid to those not financially well-off enough to foster new high-rises, new condos, increases in city management salaries, public land giveaways and so on. In Glendale, and probably in other cities, open government is without meaning and is merely two words.

Judy Seckler HORACE MANN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL -- Without the help of a fancy set of wheels or a cell phone, the students at Horace Mann Elementary School have big plans for their moms on this Mother's Day. "I'm going to go on Saturday and buy my mom a single red rose to surprise her," Armen Martirosyan, 10, said. He admitted she deserved more stuff, but he didn't have the time to go shopping because he had to study and do homework. "Actually, I don't like spending money.

Slow pace, borrowed stories Gabrielle Reynolds is president of EZ Cater, Inc., manufacturing collapsible catering equipment. She is married to fellow critic Patrick Reynolds. "Dragonfly" might have been very enjoyable, were it not for a pace so slow that it gave you lots of time to anticipate the next twist. The plot seemed like a conglomeration of story points from many otherworld features of recent years ("What Dreams May Come," "Sixth Sense," etc.)

Anderson Bittersweet birthday Hagop Seksenyan wanted to throw a surprise party for his best friend, Mary Berberian, on her 17th birthday Tuesday. But he got so wound up trying to get Assemblyman Scott Wildman elected state senator that he had to make a quick change of plans. "We were all going to go to his house, but he called me and said, 'Sorry, I can't take you out for your birthday because of the election,"' Berberian said. Instead, Seksenyan and other friends serenaded Berberian with a hearty version of "Happy Birthday," as Wildman's other volunteers anxiously watched for election returns.

Darleene Barrientos Flanked by friends at a table laden with plates full of fresh, warm pancakes, syrup and fruit, Edward Van Houghton spent Wednesday morning much the way he has so many others for the past 43 years. But Wednesday's breakfast club was a little more special. Van, as he's known by his friends, had a birthday cake in front of him as the waitresses at the International House of Pancakes, 605 N. Glendale Ave., and his friends who breakfast with him regularly, threw a surprise 96th birthday party for him at his favorite restaurant.

Will someone please call the Glendale Health Department to cite the owner and Realtor of 1342 Mountain St. for violations of the city health codes? Holding an open house that will be serving barbecued food to the public has many health and zoning code problems. The event is aggressively advertised. This is a despicable display of arrogance. There is no regard for the law. This carnival atmosphere doesn't surprise me. Realtors are running around falling all over themselves cutting their commissions to obtain business.

PASADENA - A tie may have sounded unappealing to the Crescenta Valley High boys' soccer team, while it probably would've been something Muir would be satisfied with coming into Friday's Pacific League opening match. When it come to the final whistle and the Falcons and Mustangs found themselves deadlocked in a 2-2 draw at Muir High, the feelings were much different for both sides. Crescenta Valley felt happy to start league with a point after giving up a goal to Muir's Alex Tapia with about two minutes left in regulation.

In the midst of Sunday night football, our doorbell rang and I cautioned my wife to open only the small window in the door to see who it was. To my surprise, she opened the door and what a delight. On our porch was our neighbor, who I had only met once, his wife and their new baby and several other folks in Christmas costumes, singing a couple of Christmas carols, accompanied by our neighbor, playing a violin. For us it was such a wonderful treat and I don't think anything we may receive or experience on Dec. 25 could top this.

In case there was any remaining shred of hope that Glendale Unified might stand a chance in a highly competitive federal grant program, the U.S. Department of Education on Monday wiped it clear. The finalists for the Race to the Top grant program, which could send up to $40 million over four years to winning school districts, were announced Monday -- and Glendale Unified was not on the list. In California, the finalists were Animo Leadership Charter High School, Galt Joint Union School District, Lindsay Unified and New Haven Unified.

Thanksgiving meal planners looking for their favorite pies from Marie Callender's this year will find a new restaurant in its place at the corner of Pacific Avenue and Burchett Street -- but the faces, surroundings and recipes will be familiar. Gevik Beginian, the restaurant's owner, decided last week to drop his franchise with Marie Callender's -- which has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection -- and opened his own restaurant called Serious Bar & Grill. When he purchased the restaurant last March, it had been a Marie Callender's, but the former owner had dropped the franchise.

LA CRESCENTA - An unlikely CIF Southern Section Division III playoff run that began with a come-from-behind victory over the 10th-seeded squad, followed by a win against the No. 7 team, came to a screeching halt Saturday evening for the Crescenta Valley boys' volleyball team. The unranked Falcons dropped their quarterfinal match against visiting No. 2 seed South Torrance, 25-15, 22-25, 25-18, 25-21. "Like I told my guys, they made a couple big plays that we didn't. We missed a couple.

All six people who ran for the Crescenta Valley Town Council were elected, according to voting results released after the Nov. 5 election. There were just six open seats, so the only real competition was for who got the most votes, which determines who gets a regular seat, and who serves as an alternate. Local volunteer Danette Erickson got the most votes, according to the council's website, followed by retirees Frank Beyt and Charlie Beatty, meaning they will serve as regular council members.

A lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union alleging racial profiling at Hoover High School was met with mixed reaction Friday as officials defended a 2010 operation in which dozens of Latino students were allegedly interrogated as an effort to keep gang activity at bay. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, alleges that approximately 55 Latino students were detained and searched at lunch on Sept. 24, 2010. Those targeted were intimidated and interrogated about any scars, tattoos and gang affiliations, and were ordered to stop hanging out with one another at lunch, according to the suit.

A planned parade for an Ottoman military marching band in Hollywood has been canceled amid uproar from Armenian groups who said the event was an affront to the genocidal murders that took place in 1915. Ottoman-Turks killed roughly 1.5 million Armenians from 1915 to 1923, resulting in the first modern-day genocide. Turkey has refused to acknowledge the massacre as genocide. The permit for the parade, scheduled for Oct. 3 on Hollywood Boulevard between Highland and La Brea avenues, was pulled Wednesday, an official at the Los Angeles Police Commission said.

Going into the exhibition titled “Women Painters West” at the Burbank Creative Arts Center Gallery, one might expect a feminine version of westward expansion art like that of Charles Marion Russell or Frederic Remington. But the eclectic presentation of abstract, traditional, and assemblage art is surprising, and quite good. Originally known as the Women's Art Club of Southern California, Women Painters West has educational, fraternal, and charitable objectives through the encouragement of artistic expression.

Lucy’s Pizza Corner was full of surprises. Its Burbank Boulevard location is not in the best Burbank neighborhood — it is attached to a liquor store and its overhead sign says, “Al Forno.” Furthermore, it has no web presence. If you Google it, you only get an address, phone number and basic information. Google “Burbank pizza places,” and you get nothing. I wasn’t holding out much hope for the quality of the food. But that turned out to be my final surprise.