Sunday, January 11, 2026

Altadena Candlelight Vigil to Mark Eaton Fire Anniversary at Venue That Burned, Reopened

The Altadena Town & Country Club, a 116-year-old institution whose clubhouse was destroyed in the Eaton Fire and which partially reopened in September, will host a community candlelight vigil Sunday evening marking one year since the disaster.

The program, organized by the Altadena Chamber of Commerce & Civic Association and community partners, will be emceed by 94.7 The Wave morning host Greg Mack and feature performances by a children’s choir and the Benn Family Band, an Altadena family who lost their home in the fire and later appeared on “America’s Got Talent.”

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with food and beverages; the ceremony begins at 7 p.m. Free shuttle transportation will be available from Lake Avenue and Mendocino Street.

The event is also being coordinated by Connect 2 Rise Inc., Kinfolk Helping Hands, and Intentional Talk Radio Network, according to organizers.

“Altadena Town & Country Club may have burned, but our community’s unshakeable bonds cannot be broken,” organizers said in an invitation to residents.

The Benn Family Band, scheduled to perform Sunday, lost two immediate family homes and 20 homes family-wide in the January 2025 fire. The five-member group, led by mother Laurie Benn and daughter Loren Benn, performed on “America’s Got Talent Season 20,” where their rendition of “Rescue” by Lauren Daigle received a standing ovation from judges.

“We lost everything,” Laurie Benn said in a September interview. “Our house, our church, our community space, all gone in the fire. But what we didn’t lose was our music. Singing is what’s kept us together.”

Her daughter, Loren Benn, added: “Every time we sing, we’re singing for Altadena.”

The venue’s general manager, Craig Sloane, marked the club’s September reopening by noting it had been 235 days since the clubhouse burned.

“This reopening represents a new chapter in our history,” Sloane said at the time.

The club, founded in 1910, employed 120 people before the fire and served as a gathering place for community organizations including the Rotary Club, which met there for more than 50 years, according to reports. The pool and tennis courts have reopened; the clubhouse has not been rebuilt.

Free shuttle buses will operate from Lake Avenue and Mendocino Street, with loading times between 6:15 and 6:55 p.m., according to organizers. A second shuttle will load from the same location between 6:45 and 7:00 p.m.

Street parking will be permitted near the vigil site, though the venue parking lot will be closed for the event, organizers said.

The program is scheduled to conclude with closing remarks at 8 p.m.

The Altadena Town & Country Club is at 2290 Country Club Drive, Altadena.

For more contact Changematters99@gmail.com.