The Down Beat Express was founded nearly 30 years ago by Pasadena area saxophonist Safford Chamberlain. A year or so later Safford passed the baton to Pat Emmett and the rest is a long swingin’ history of concerts, corporate and charity banquets, wedding receptions, dances and the CD recording “The Silver Project”.

• Helter Skelter:  Originally from Altadena?  Oh, my!
• Good news: the dog that was taken to the Baldwin Park shelter a few days ago has been identified and reclaimed by his family.
• It's Hahamongna Blog Day today, as area bloggers devote their efforts to saving one of the last great local almost-wild areas. 

Well … it’s a band!

Walkers, bikers, and dogs … this will be a recurring theme.

… and vehicles of all kinds …

… and all sizes!

Bikers and scooter drivers …

 
…

We’re looking to establish a list of recovery meetings in Altadena or nearby that will have a permanent page for reference.  If your group would like to be listed publicly, please let us know at altadenablog @ gmail.com.  We require days, locations, times, and and any special information (i.e. women only, men only, etc.)  Also include public phone/emails if you have them. 

Thurs., July 8

• Sand candles: Go to the Altadena Library Community Room, 600 E. Mariposa, from 4-5 PM as the teen reading program gets a little dirty while being creative playing in the sand to create fun beach-inspired sand candles. This is just a small part of the Teen Summer Reading Program which ends August 3, 2010. Join today for a great summer of creative programs, fantastic reads and awesome prizes.

• Charles White Park will get $300,000 in federal funds for improvement, says this PSN story.
• Dan Abendschein's story on the Whitter Daily News site talks about a reduction in crime in sheriff-patrolled areas —

“The Laramie Project”  follows the true story of Tectonic Theater Project, a company of actors as they journey to Laramie, Wyoming and conduct several interviews with the town’s people following the brutal murder of a local gay college student,

Two exciting artists from the Bay Area, Matthew Montfort and Mariah Parker, will appear at the Folly Bowl Aug. 1 in the Swanirvar Annual Fundraiser Fusion Music Concert.

Matthew Montfort is the leader of the world fusion music ensemble Ancient Future.  An award-winning guitarist (Louis Armstrong Jazz Award), he is a pioneer of the scalloped fretboard guitar (an instrument combining qualities of the South Indian veena and the steel string guitar).

• Beth Capell in the California Progress Report looks at new laws getting rid of “junk health insurance,” citing the case of Altadena’s Susan Braig,
  whose breast cancer apparently wasn’t catastrophic ENOUGH for her insurance company.
• Slake is a new LA quarterly creating some buzz in literary circles.  Brand X Daily includes a selection by Alta-novelist Michelle Huneven that appears in the magazine.

… but we know it when we see it.  Webster’s Fine Stationers (Altadenablog sponsor) recently commissioned local artist Gary Thomas to install some windows with his paintbrush, and the look is astonishing! Check it out next time you’re on North Lake!

To give you some sense of proportion, we’ve stolen borrowed this picture from Webster’s Facebook page, featuring Webster and Altadenablog’s joint team member Devon Pettengill.

On June 9, 2010 a status conference was held in the La Vina case.  In light of the La Vina HOA’s decision not to further appeal the County’s judgment against it, and at the urging of counsel , the Court ordered that the process preliminary to dedication of the trails identified in the judgment be completed by the next status conference which is set for September 22,

But this nails it:  the mother recognizes somebody —

Allegretto has a nonprofit organization, Harmonikids, which helps bring the power of music to children who need it in their lives. 

Altadenablog welcomes its sponsor, McGinty’s Gallery at the End of the World.

Ben McGinty’s Gallery at the End of the World could easily be called the center of art culture in Altadena, a community that is already a place where many artists choose to make their homes. When McGinty opened the Gallery eight years ago as the Underground Art Society,

Carolyn Seitz from the Sheriff's Advisory Council sends us this:

Don't give yourselves a chance to be afraid of an earthquake occurring, BE PREPARED instead.

Here is a link to the Emergency Survival Guide published by the County of Los Angeles.

It is a 100 page guide that provides useful tools for getting yourself and your family prepared for the next big quake or other catastrophic event.

Lt. Joseph Dempsey of the Altadena Sheriff's Station sent this message along:

Altadena Sheriff's Station reports: There have been recent thefts from vehicles in the area north of Loma Alta Drive and west of Fair Oaks Avenue.

This weekend we experienced nine reports of thefts from vehicles. The thefts all occurred in the late night/ early morning hours.

If you’re on Facebook, we found this 2008 Folly Bowl performance immortalized on video.

The Crown City Dixieland Band hails from, and is aptly named after, the City of Pasadena (“Crown of the Valley”).

This popular Dixieland band has been providing Wednesday night entertainment for the past quarter century (25 years!) at Pasadena’s Burger Continental Restaurant (Lake at California).

Make sure to join us in the Community Room for this fun program that is just a small part of the Teen Summer Reading Program which ends August 3,

Thurs., July 15

• Altadena Congregations Together Serving (ACTS) Summer Salad Supper starts at 6:30, presentation at 7:30 at Altadena Community Church, 943 E. Altadena Dr.  Topic: “Using our Bodies to Connect with God” by Pastor Ruth Sievert of Christ the Shepherd Lutheran Church and Lori Stein of the Altadena Baha’i Community.  Bring a vegetarian dish to share.  Donations accepted for low-income students at Loma Alta Elementary School: backpacks,

• A garden mourns:  even as it prepares for Saturday’s annual picnic, the Altadena Community Garden mourns the passing of one of its own, Tom Lamp.

• Altadena deputies were involved in a Glendale arrest of two men with ten pounds of methamphetamine in their car.
• Late registration for AYSO Region 13, which includes La Cañada, Pasadena and Altadena, will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Region 13 Clubhouse ( 711 W.

The Altadena Hillside Management Ordinance will be the subject of a public hearing on July 27.  The official announcement is below:

Starting July 18, the Altadena Public Library will be closed on Sundays, the result of staff cutbacks to cope with a reduced operating budget.

The Altadena Library District receives 97% of its revenue from property taxes assessed by Los Angeles County. The economic downturn has resulted in the devaluation of local real estate, and therefore less tax revenue.  The county assessor notified the library that it should expect 3% less for their budget than last year,