The  MARTIAN CHRONICLES of JPL

from gloriana casey

 Sojourner left the Earth for Mars,
a  shoe box size fit in.
Then Opportunity came next
with Spirit as its twin.

Two hundred pounds or so, those two,
that searched the  Martian Plain.
Now Curiosity’s the one
to make the grandest gain.

Our weekly column for the Pasadena Sun is up ...

Downtown Dog Rescue needs someone to rescue its Altadena mobile spay/neuter clinic.

Lori Weise of Downtown Dog Rescue says they raised $5,000 to bring a free spay/neuter community clinic to Altadena dog owners, who need to comply with LA County’s mandatory policies.

But the clinic — planned for June 30 at Loma Alta Park, in conjunction with LA County Animal Control — needs to be relocated somewhere else.  

Weise writes:

I would hate to cancel the clinic because we already have 20 appointments booked. 

by Jamie Bissner

The Brown Act was passed in 1953 and originally was a 686 word statute.  

• Local GOP gears up: The Pasadena Republican Headquarters 2012 will hold its official grand opening on Thursday, June 14, 6 PM at 2306 East Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena.  Keynote speakers are Alan Jackson, candidate for Los Angeles County District Attorney; Kevin James, candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles; Jack Orswell, candidate for Congress, 27th District; Lynn Haueter, Chairperson of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County and Col. John Fer (U. S. Air Force Ret.). Open from 12 PM – 6 PM throughout the month of June;

Downtown Dog Rescue’s spay/neuter clinic has been, well, rescued.

DDR had planned to hold a free clinic at Loma Alta Park on June 30, but that conflicted with the Altadena Community Garden picnic the same day, which eats up all the parking, and they were looking for a new Altadena location.

Steve’s Pets, 2395 North Lake Ave., has stepped into the breach, and will host the clinic.

Ed Meyers at Steve’s said that the clinic will be held at the store’s parking lot,

The Altadena Coalition of Neighborhood Associations (ACONA) will hear from the Altadena Chamber of Commerce, meet new Sheriff Capt. John Benedict, and find out why El Patron has succeeded in a location where many  other restaurants have failed.

Ed Meyers, Lori Webster, and Daniel Harlow of the Altadena Chamber of Commerce will talk about attracting more businesses to town, parking requirements, empty storefronts, permitting issues,

Sue B. Dance Studio, 2525 N. Lake Ave., announces its schedule of family summer dance classes for all ages.  

Classes will be held on Wednesdays, June 20 and 27 and July 11 and 18.  Classes run 55 minutes.

Polynesian Family Dance Class   5:15 PM 

All family members: Girls & Boys, Teens, Moms, Aunts & Grandmas!  Come learn traditional Polynesian dances from Hawaii, Tahiti,

 Los Angeles County’s summer beach bus from Altadena to Santa Monica Beach will start next Tuesday, June 19, and will continue on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, with the last bus on Labor Day.

Pickup starts at 9:15 at Lincoln Avenue and Ventura Street, with arrival at Santa Monica at 11 AM.  Pickup from the beach is at 3:30, with drop-offs in Altadena beginning at 4:45 PM.

All children and adults are $3,

• Gelato summer: Bulgarini Gelato, 749 E. Altadena Dr., has announced its summer hours:  Monday to Thursday: noon – 9 PM; Fri. and Sat., 11 AM-11:30 PM; and Sunday, 10 AM-9 PM.  Leo Bulgarini told us he will announce the summer “dinner and an Italian movie” series sometime soon, so watch this space.
• Morishita gradates from Colorado College: Jennifer Morishita graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Colorado College. Morishita is the daughter of Mayumi and Wilson Morishita of Altadena.  

Comprised of 15 movements, the All-Night Vigil is based largely on Russian Orthodox chants. It is also very rarely performed, owing in part to the demands it places upon the choir.

 “The Vigil is a technical and emotional tour de force,” says Jeffrey Bernstein of Altadena,

Young Altadenan Chase Musson, 13, just finished 8th grade, and he has a rare opportunity: he was invited to be evaluated directly for admission for college.  Proud dad Brent Musson  said that Chad has scored in the top 20% of graduating seniors nationally (and remember, these are 17- and 18-year-olds).  

Chase successfully completed an interview with the director of the Early Entrance Program at Cal State University,

The Keyes bungalow in Altadena is an example of the “airplane style” in Arts & Crafts bungalow architecture. Photo by National Register of Historic Places.

by Jane Brackman
Altadena Historical Society

The Keyes Bungalow, one of Altadena’s exceptional Arts & Crafts homes,  is featured in American Bungalow magazine this month. 

The house,

The clock is ticking for the Ninth Annual Golden Poppy Awards, to be held Sunday, June 17, from 3 to 6 PM.

The Golden Poppy Awards and Fete, sponsored by Altadena Heritage, celebrates Altadena’s gardeners who increase the beauty of the area while keeping earth-friendly at the same time.

This year’s celebration will be at the home of master gardener and Altadena entrepreneur Susann Edmonds at 2593 N.

For those who haven’t yet joined: We are getting close to the 500 member mark. If you join now, you are automatically entered into a drawing to get that coveted “500th Member” designation. Become a member today and this honor could be yours. And because we can’t get to 500 without member 499,

Yes, this is far afield from where we usually go, but we want to say something anyway:

The Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles’ annual fundraiser, “TwentyWonder: A Carnival of the Mind” will take place at the Doll Factory in LA on Sat., July 7.   Everybody from Joel Hodgson (of “Mystery Science Theater 3000″) to Exene Cervenka (X) will be there, a combination of art,

Starting July 7, Loma Alta Park in Altadena will join the city of Pasadena’s “Parks After Dark” program, offering free recreational, educational, cultural, and family activities for residents.

The programs will take place on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings from 6 PM-10 PM at the parks through Aug. 24.  Programs are geared toward families, teens, young adults, and seniors, providing fun and fitness activities.  Entertainment, such as music and concerts,

by Timothy Rutt

Above, Michael Greiner calls out instructions to his students as they entertain the crowd at the Altadena Farmers Market Wednesday.  Greiner creates giant marimbas from PVC piping, and holds classes and music camps for young people where they learn how to play these repurposed irrigation pipes.  

Here’s a YouTube example of Greiner’s troops in action, after the jump.

Tim Sippel, a former assistant principal at John Muir High School and Blair High Shool in Pasadena, has been named the new principal at Muir, Pasadena Unified School District officials announced Thursday.

Sippel replaces Sheryl Orange, who served in the role for four years. He will start in his new duties July 1.

Sippel currently is the director of PUSD’s Linked Learning initiative,

• After the Fox: Pasadena Weekly’s Dan O’Heron give a favorable review to our Wednesday morning staple, Fox’s Restaurant (ask for the Alicia Special).
• Gelato:  LA TImes’ Jonathan Gold pens another paen to Bulgarini Gelato.
• Juneteenth: Altadena’s hardest-working writer Laura Monteros shares local celebrations of Juneteenth in her most recent Examiner column.
• Farmer’s Market: The Clean Plates blog contributes yet another rave review of the Altadena Farmer’s Market.

This Saturday, Neighbors Empowering Youth (NEY) will donate six computers to families who need them, and give the families a training class on how to use them and practice basic internet security.  

And NEY would like to keep doing it  — but it doesn’t seem like anybody’s biting.

“We contacted as many nonprofits in the community as we could,” said Normal Smith at NEY.  “We’re asking them if they do a mentoring program,

17-year-old soccer star’s abilities and compassion propel her mission to help the less fortunate at home and abroad

by Timothy Rutt

Altadena’s “Coach Casey” Cousineau is ready for Dartmouth, but is it ready for her?

An Altadena man is in stable condition after being shot early Saturday morning in Pasadena, police said.

The incident occurred around 2 AM. in the 800 block of Summit Avenue when two black males in their 20s got into a dispute, said Pasadena Police Lt. Diego Torres.

One man shot the other multiple times in the upper body, he said.

Big Hat’s Bob Mann says:

Western entertainer R.W. Hampton will appear at Big Hat’s concert series in Altadena this summer.

The Pasadena Police Department will allow the public to listen to some emergency calls for service over the department’s radio system, reversing a decision made earlier this year to block public access to the police frequency.

Earlier this year Pasadena police upgraded their radio communications system from analog to digital in order to meet federal standards that wikll take effect in 2013.

The meeting will be led by Geoffrey Baum, PACCD Board of Trustees president and Area 1 representative, and Dr. Mark Rocha, superintendent-president of Pasadena City College.

This is a regular District meeting so members of the public will be able to see the District’s trustees and administration conducting regular business.

Altadenablog sponsor Webster’s Fine Stationers’ monthly wine pairing event features “the wines of La Mancha,” with OddBallGrape.com’s Anne Bannon and Michael Holland.:

This month, Anne and Mike will lead you though the beautiful Iberian countryside, tasting reds and whites that are perfect for summer. Paired with tapas from a popular local eatery, this event is a spectacular kick-off to Father’s Day!

And now, ready for the next holiday ….

The Altadena Town & Country Club has set Mon., July 2, as the date for the annual fireworks display for the 2012 Independence Day holiday.  The fireworks are set to go off at 9:30 PM at the country club.

There are three upcoming events that still have room for you:

Craftsman quilting at the Chamberlain House: Nationally-regarded vintage textiles design expert Barbara Brackman will discuss Arts & Crafts designs on patchwork, embroidery, and quilting for the Altadena Historical Society this Sun., June 3,from 2-4 PM.  The presentation will be at the historic 1912 Chamberlain House,

On Thurs., June 7, from 5-7 PM there will be an informal celebration to welcome Altadena’s new station captain, John Benedict, as well as Operations Lt. Duane Allen, and Detective Lt. Michael White to the Altadena Sheriff Station.  We will also bid a fond farewell to Lt. Roosevelt Johnson.  The celebration will be at the Altadena Senior Center, 560 E.

• Tournament grants: Over two dozen San Gabriel Valley nonprofit organizations were the recipients of $100,000 worth of grants from the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, including Mentoring & Partnership for Youth Development at Muir High School.  Bill Kisliuk at the Pasadena Sun has the full rundown.
• For the birds: The never-annoying Steve Bass points out this LA Weekly blog article on local birding activities (yes,

Some things to look forward to this busy weekend:

• Helicopter open house: The Pasadena Police Department helipad in Altadena will have an open house on Sat., June 2, from 10:30-2:30 PM.  There will be choppers, police vehicles, demonstrations, a chance to talk to recruiters if you're so inclined, and rumor has it you'll even get a chance to see the sheriff's Air 5 rescue helicopter,

Everyone is invited to Altadena Library’s Third Annual Art on Millionaire’s Row arts and crafts festival which will take place on Saturday June 9 from 10 AM- 6 PM. The art fair will feature local artists and crafts vendors, a juried salon exhibit, live music throughout the day, delicious food from Altadena’s favorites, children’s activities, and fun for the whole family.

We'll be traveling to Sacramento and back today for our son's drug trial, so entries will be light.