You might have heard talk around town about our recent bash promoting the bookish fun to come March 17 in Pasadena’s Central Park.
 
About what a great party it was at the smashing Castle Green, with Pulitzer-winner Jonathan Gold reading from his essay on Zubaran’s “Still Life with Lemons and Oranges,” (hanging in our own Norton Simon),

Lisa Haley and the Zydekats lit up the night at last summer’s Sheriff Support Group Concert Series.

by Timothy Rutt

The Sheriff’s Support Group of Altadena has set the dates for the 16th Annual Summer Concert Series, and they’re looking for support to make it happen again.

The dates for this year’s concert series are: July 7, 14, 21, and 28;

Here's Altadenan Johnny Otis (who died this week), performing his big hit on the "Johnny Otis Show," unknown date.

• Johnny Otis, one more time: Erin Aubrey Kaplan at KCET’s website writes about Johnny Otis: “Johnny Otis was white.  But he was unquestionably a race man, more so than many black people of his time.”
• Etta James, “At Last”:  and this great singer, whom Johnny helped discover, died this morning in Riverside,

by TImothy Rutt

Altadena sheriff deputies went to a call at about 10 AM this morning at Holliston Avenue and New York Drive.  According to the Altadena station dispatch, it is believed to be a suicide.  No other details are available at this writing.

“FORK in the Road Solutions!”
from  gloriana casey

The Coffee Gallery needs help,
Community will race
just like those western movie scripts,
Pitch in! And save this place!

Now don’t forget that Coffee place
gave birth to “FORK IN ROAD”
For humor is a priceless gift,
and Artistry’s true code!

Some  marketing–

• For PUSD parents who are interested in Spanish or Mandarin immersion programs, there will be a free screening next Tues., Jan. 24, of the documentary “Speaking in Tongues” at the Pasadena Central Library, 285 E. Walnut St.,  from 6:30-8:30 PM. Volunteers will be on hand to answer any questions that prospective parents may have. The enrollment period ends February 1.
• Altadena composer Peter Boyer was named Composer in Residence for the Pasadena Symphony’s 2012-2013 season,

A concert in celebration of the birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart will be presented by members of The Tuesday Musicale and Opera Pasadena on Friday, Feb. 3, at 7:30 PM, at Altadena Baptist Church, 791 E Calaveras St, Altadena. The program will include chamber music for clarinet, violin, cello and piano,

Another selection of news you've read here first at the Pasadena Sun this Sunday (of course, we're the ones writing it!)

Pictured: Arroyo Pacific Academy Service Club members stack large debris at the Eaton Canyon Nature Center’s native plants garden Jan. 18, 2012.  Photo:  Arroyo Pacific Academy

by Timothy Rutt

Members of the Arroyo Pacific Academy Service Club, along with parents and teachers, volunteered last week to clean up the Native Plants Garden at Eaton Canyon Nature Center. 

Paramedic Deputy Ricky Hernandez prepares to be lowered several hundred feet from the Air 5 rescue copter to retrieve a trapped climber in Millard Canyon on Jan. 22, 2012.  Photo: Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

by TImothy Rutt

A 19-year-old South Pasadena woman on a day hike was rescued by helicopter from a cliff face Sunday afternoon in Millard Canyon,

John Levy, a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master and renowned personal manager for many jazz and soul legends, died in his Altadena home on Fri., Jan. 20, three months short of his 100th birthday.

Among his clients were Cannonball Adderley, Betty Carter, Randy Crawford, Roberta Flack, Herbie Hancock, Shirley Horn, Freddie Hubbard, Ahmad Jamal, Abbey Lincoln, Ramsey Lewis, Herbie Mann, Les McCann, Wes Montgomery, George Shearing,

by TImothy Rutt

The LA County Sheriff's department has released a "helmet-cam" video of Sunday's rescue of a 19-year-old South Pasadena woman from a cliff face in Millard Canyon.

Full story is here.

“Portrait of  the Citizen of the Year, as an Altadena Man”

from gloriana casey

Citizen of the Year will be—
 Altadena city:
A man of interests, oh so wide;
Yes! He’s also witty!

A man whose brain is synapse full,

Soroptimist member Marilyn Commodore’s crew (her grandkids) at the Soroptimist Silent Auction, December 2011.

by Lynne Eodice
Altadena/Pasadena Soroptimists

Soroptimist International of Altadena/Pasadena held its 16th annual Silent Auction at the Frostig School in Pasadena in December. The auction, which represents the club’s largest fundraiser of the year, raised money to assist women and girls in local communities and globally.

The classes are free, but you must attend all three for CERT certification.  To register, go to http://fire.lacounty.gov/ProgramsEvents/Cert_schedule.asp

Mason Sedlik provided these views of the B2 bomber, which flew over the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl Monday.

by Bill Westphal

The second day of the new year was full of activities.  The Rose Parade, complete with low level flyby of a B2 Stealth Bomber.  The Rose Bowl Game , along with another flyby of a B2 Stealth Bomber.  And, another flyby of the International Space Station (ISS). 

Pasadena Unified School District remains off this week, so we're working at about half-speed and spending time with the kids — and counting the days until Monday ….

The "Over 40 Fitness Fun" ladies are back! If you are over 40 years of age and have 25 or more pounds to eliminate; want more flexibility, coordination, strength and balance and want to play out with other women at 7 AM (Mon., Wed., and Fri.) contact Revvell@gmail.com for more information or call  818-824-4422.

… we're still on a half-vacation while PUSD is out of school (which means it isn't really a vacation at all!)  We're still going to be on half-speed for a few days.

A horse was rescued after it apparently collapsed a metal manhole cover near Lincoln Avenue and Altadena Drive Wednesday afternoon.  Brian Charles at PSN has the details.

Thurs., Dec. 22

Between 5:00 AM and 1:00 PM, Saturday – A residential burglary occurred in the 2500 block of N. Altadena Drive. Suspect(s) entered the residence by removing the rear bedroom window screen. Loss: white MacBook, misc. jewelry.

Who knew it was this close to spring?

Central Altadena Little League (CALL) will have tryouts this Sat., Jan. 7, and the following Sat., Jan. 14.  Details on CALL’s website.

East Altadena Little League will also have its assessment this Sat.  at Donley Field (behind Longfellow Elementary).  Details here.

• Cowboy is the new Paco: Cowboy, the horse who fell into the manhole cover on Lincoln Avenue Wednesday, is the subject of  stories in the hipster LAist and a site called Horsetalk from New Zealand.
• The latest code-bombing:  Dan Abendschein at Huffington-AOL catches the latest: Schaefer Ambulance, which is parked on Lake Avenue, doesn’t have the right permits and will need to give the county a pot o’ gold (i.e.

from gloriana casey

COWBOY, he is a “Wonder Horse”
in picture of despair.
Though in the photo shown of him
the hole’s not round—but square!

Now manhole covers are cast iron,
not squared–but circular.
For those square corners, they can crash,
while roundness does demur.

Or possibly a rectangle
 and metal cover then?
But how much weight did COWBOY have
to crash the structure in?

Rescheduled from the windstorm, it’s now on for RIPE Altadena’s “Herbal Remedies to Grow or Forage” workshop on Sun., Jan. 8

Marcia Coppess of HomeBody Botanicals will talk about the simple medicinal uses for a variety of easily-acquired herbs, with some hands-on touching, tasting, and smelling.

The workshop costs $5, and will be at 3 PM at the Pasadena Seventh Day Adventist Church, 1280 E. Washington Blvd.

Their name is edited Trio (that’s how they spell it) and they’ll be appearing in a house concert at Beckett Hall, 1051 E. Altadena Dr., on Sat., Feb. 4, at 8 PM. 

Doors open at 7:30 PM.  $15 minimum donation suggested.  Please bring light fare or your favorite drink to share at the break. 

The contemporary Folk/Americana trio of veteran performing songwriters Mark Davis, Brett Perkins and David Zink present songs collectively written by the three California born troubadours from ongoing discussions on life,

Two missing mountain bikers were found safely and airlifted out Thursday night when their campfire was spotted by a helicopter.

Sgt. Debra Herman at the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station said that he two young men were reported missing by the girlfriend of one after they failed to return from a mountain biking excursion Thursday afternoon.

According to Herman, 

It's up a day early: our column in the Sunday Valley Sun — what the Altadena Library has in store for the first half of the year.

The National Weather Service has put a wind advisory in effect until 3 PM Sunday:

* winds and timing… northeast winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 35 mph will develop this evening and persist through most of
Sunday. The winds will be strongest below passes and canyons and in the foothills.

* Impacts…

Received an email from a reader who said that two female friends — both moms-to-be — were attacked by two pitbulls while walking on Florecita Drive on Saturday.  One had to be taken to the emergency room for stitches.  No other information available.

Not the first dog attack story we've received in the past month.

Friends of the Altadena Library present: “What’s Under the Clutter?” with Tracy McCubbin of LA based business dClutterfly 

Why do we keep what we keep and how can we evaluate our possessions to see if they are really worth the shelf space? Tracy McCubbin will talk about the practical and emotional sides of clutter and why we keep it around.