Coffee Gallery Backstage's Bob Stane will receive the Best of the West Ambassador Award this weekend at the Folk Alliance – Region West (FAR-West) conference in Irvine. Today's profile of Stane by the fabulous Mickie Mills looks at his career, from running a 24-hour photo shop on the Arizona Indian reservation to booking for the Ice House,

Fresh off their successful pairing of George McGovern and John Dean, the Altadena Library is keeping up the pressure with two more exciting programs in the coming week:

• Sat., Nov. 7: An Afternoon with Robert Wagner Nov. 7—LOCATION CHANGED to SENIOR CENTER

Fri., Nov. 6

• Altadena artist Susan Braig will be among those selling at the Fall Ceramic Fair and Studio sale at Xiem Clay Center, 1563 N. Lake Ave., on Fri. 6-9 PM and Sat. 10:30 AM-4:30 PM. Enjoy demonstrations, live music and refreshments as you meet exhibiting artists and source one-of-a-kind hand-made treasures. 

The Altadena Chamber of Commerce will hold its "member appreciation mixer" on Wed., Nov. 11, 5:30-7 PM at the Altadena Golf Course's 10th Hole Bar & Grill. 

Free admission & raffle ticket for chamber members (dues must be current); no host bar, guests are $7.  Bring a raffle prize to promote your business.

In an atmosphere reminiscent of a medieval faire, fairies, elves, and minstrels abound:  Amazing Silent Auction with one-of-a-kind items. Visit The Doll Room, King Arthur’s Market, and The Wishing Well for incredible holiday shopping and artisan crafts.  Live music, food, games, children’s tea garden,

Bill Bing, Director of Bands at Caltech, and a long time resident of Altadena, tells us about an upcoming free concert at Caltech on Fri., Nov. 13, at 8 PM at Ramo Auditorium:

In 2008, The Caltech-Occidental Concert Band performed in Carnegie Hall.   This will be the first time the public has had an opportunity to view the video of the band’s performance in that historic venue.

The Altadena Town Council’s ethics committee voted last night to recommend to the entire body that councilman Herbert Simmons be ousted from office.

Simmons’ website, altadenans, prints a letter he received from the committee, which reads:

The committee charged with hearing the issues regarding your alleged violations of Altadena Town Council Bylaws and Ethics standards convened on [11/5/09] and voted in majority for your removal from the Altadena Town Council.

The folks at multi-cultural scissors paper rock salon, in Altadena-adjacent 1864 N. Allen, sent us a last-minute entreaty:

Please join us…"Sunday at the salon!"

Styling Class
If you are "growing out" or "going out" learn some new techniques to change your hair style for the holidays.
            
Sunday, November 8th, 1:00 –

Saturday afternoon, with daughter Katie Wagner, he shared memories of the golden age of Hollywood and his storied career in film and television.  About 100 people attended the talk, where Wagner also autographed his memoir, Pieces of my Heart.

Who doesn’t love a giant slide?

Those Manning Boys offered an Irish musical treat.

Booths, rides, and of course, food, kept people coming.

Laura Garrett of the Pasadena Audubon Society tells us that they are looking for volunteers to help them clean up the Cobb Estate signs:

The Pasadena Audubon Society installed six nature trail signs at the Cobb Estate a while back, and they have been getting badly graffitied,

Latest example: not everybody favors establishing an eternal anti-graffiti plan for the Audubon signs at the Cobb Estate — some would prefer that a natural area stay, well, natural.  Local historian/activist Michele Zack shares with us a letter she has sent to Supv. Michael Antonovich:

Dear Supervisor Antonovich,

Veteran’s Day is Wednesday, and the Altadena Senior Center at  560 E. Mariposa, already has the jump on honoring those who have served.

Senior Center staffer and veteran Landy Johnson has set up a “Veterans Wall of Honor” at the center, and wants to fill the wall with pictures and memorabilia of our local soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines.  For more information, call the Senior Center at (626) 798-050.

A note from Carolyn Seitz of the sheriff's Communitee Advisory Committee:

Last year, the Altadena Sheriff's station distributed food and toys to more than 200 families.

This year, more families than ever are experiencing dire straits.

If you are able and willing,

In recognition of the 40th Anniversary of Mankind’s first walk on the moon, Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich joined Apollo 11 Astronaut Buzz Aldrin in honoring the hundreds of men and women of NASA and 24 Apollo astronauts who served this nation in the armed forces, and helped advance this nation’s space program.

No other nation has spent so much of its blood and treasure to keep other people free.  Thank you all for your service.

Don't forget that the Altadena Library has a tremendous program today at 7 PM.

At PUSD, this is a dreaded "pupil-free day."  Which means updates will be sporadic, if at all today!

• Caltech-Occidental Concert Band, 8 PM, Ramo Auditorium, Caltech.
• Coffee Gallery Backstage: Bop Ensemble, with Bill Bourne and special guest Dan Janisch.  8 PM, tickets $15.

Sat., Nov. 14

• Altadena: Heritage of Abundance energy efficiency workshop, at the Community Center, 9-11 AM.  Free for Altadena Heritage members,

Just wanted to offer a sincere Altadenablog "Thank You!" to our wonderful sponsors and those of you who've helped fill our tip jar since the Station Fire.  It has enabled us to pay off our desktop computer, erase assorted debt we've accumulated bringing this blog to you, increase our bandwidth, and most prominently enabled us to upgrade our camera equipment from a cheesy $200 point-and-shoot Kodak to a Canon XSi with several lenses and a big ol'

Halloween is just around the corner, and the Altadena Library's offering a couple of fun projects next week:

Now that's what we're talking about, from Bill Burnett:

HUGE MULTI-FAMILY GARAGE SALE

Saturday, Oct 24, 8 AM to 3 PM
At the home of the Burnetts
2375 Catherine Rd.
Altadena, CA 91001
2 blocks west of Lake off Calaveras
Electronics, Furniture, Strollers, Clothes, Toys and much much more
Come find what your looking for!

Grizzly Point where the Middle Merrill crosses Sunset Ridge: plastic cover on trail sign that has melted and re-hardened as a drape.

Burned-unburned interface where the Middle Merrill turns to go up Grand Canyon. 

Black berets were the headwear of choice as Altadena Heritage celebrated our boho past in the Boho Highbrow Weekend’s kickoff cocktail party at the Mountain View Mausoleum tonight.  Altadena Heritage’s resident historian, Michele Zack, said that about 75 people had reserved places tonight, but as befits a bohemian event, lots of folks showed up at the last minute without notice!

The hors d’oeuvres would be to die for —