Top Floats Announced from the 4th of July Parade

Posted on July 11, 2023 by Sue Pascoe

The Will Rogers Ranch Foundation entry included horses, cars and people lassoing.

The American Legion Auxiliary has announced the top two floats from the Palisades 75th annual Fourth of July Parade.

The Will Rogers Ranch Foundation and Resilient Palisades were selected this year. Each winner will receive a $500 check that will be presented at the Auxiliary meeting on July 19.

Judging the floats this year were auxiliary members Nekeishia Lester Spinner, Stephanie Hubsch and Cameron Brown.

The Will Rogers “float” incorporated ropers, horses and a float complete with a paper cut out of Will Rogers.

Judges wrote, “One of the standout features of their presentation was the incorporation of numerous decorated cars, all adorned with 4th of July-themed decorations. This innovative idea not only added a visually captivating aspect to the display but also symbolized the American tradition of parades and processions that are often seen on this patriotic day.”

The judges noted that the horses from ranch not only enhanced the authenticity, but paid homage to the equestrian heritage of the Will Rogers Historic Park and Ranch House and reinforced the connection of horses in the history of the United States.

The judges also liked “the involvement of youth lassoers. This addition not only showcased the talent and skill of these young individuals but also emphasized the importance of passing down cultural traditions and skills to future generations.”

Judges concluded, “Through their impressive display of decorated cars, inclusion of ranch horses, and involvement of youth lassoers, they successfully crafted an engaging and immersive experience that celebrated the history, traditions and values associated with Independence Day leaving a lasting impression on parade goers.”

The auxiliary has been told that the Will Rogers Foundation plans to use its prize money to restore a player piano located in the historic ranch house.

 Judges felt that Resilient Palisades successfully integrated their mission of addressing the climate and ecological crisis into their float presentation along with this 4th of July theme, “Diamond Jubilee in 2023.”

“By highlighting their core values and engaging with onlookers through literature distribution and seeds, they effectively conveyed their commitment to building a resilient future for the community and the surrounding environment,” judges said. “Resilient Palisades’ recognition for the Most Creative Use of the Palisades 4th of July Theme is well-justified due to their innovative approach in integrating their mission of addressing the climate and ecological crisis into their float presentation.”


The “Vegan for Everything” float was the brainchild of the Resilient Palisades Vegan Solutions team led by Aleks Pavlovic. The 10-foot carton of soy/oat/almond/hemp milk was built by team members the day before the parade.

The paintings including the milk box and veggie burger box were done by Vegan Solutions team member Sara Marti.

On the float, there were five vegan models cooking veggie burgers, lifting weights, DJ-ing, dancing, and demonstrating the benefits of eating less meat.

“Around the base of the float, the team hung posters of movies that remind us eating less meat is good for our bodies and for the climate,” said RP co-founder Ryan Craig.

The prize money will be used to help fund the group’s Clean Air + Water team’s ongoing campaign to buy electric blowers for gardeners who work in the Palisades and are willing to give up gas blowers.

“So far, well over 50 gardeners have begun this journey with us and we hope to help them all in the coming months,” Craig said.

The first time the prize was given for the best decorated float was in 2022 and a check for $1,000 was given to the Palisades-Malibu YMCA. This year the auxiliary elected to give two $500 prizes to encourage greater float participation in the parade.

PAPA President Matt Rodman said, “The Palisades Americanism Parade Association hopes that the American Legion Auxiliary Award for the Best Community Organization Float will become an annual part of the 4th of July Parade. We thank the members of the Auxiliary for their sponsorship of this award.”

Posted in Holidays | Leave a comment

Sunday on New York City’s Upper West Side

Posted on July 11, 2023 by Sue Pascoe

Central Park in New York City

(Longtime CTN columnist Bob Vickrey ushers in a fresh new voice to this site by way of introduction to his talented writer friend Ken Williams, who takes us on a cultural stroll along the Upper West Side of Manhattan.)

By KEN WILLIAMS

The Upper West Side is the

quintessential New York

neighborhood– a tree-lined

enclave bordered by Central

Park on the east and Riverside

Park on the west. Dense with

universities, schools of art,

music, theology museums,

houses of worship of all faiths,

Columbia University, Julliard

Jewish Theological Seminary

(largest in the world), Union

Theological Seminary (home

of the social gospel — the belief

that there is Christian communal

responsibility to provide for the

dispossessed. MLK studied

here, as did the Berrigan brothers,

Bonhoffer (the Lutheran pastor and

martyr who stood up to Hitler)

This, the intellectual heart

of NYC, and one of the world’s

most important centers of

learning and culture

Columbia University

To walk these streets is to

walk in the footsteps of countless

luminaries from every walk of life–

the Gershwins (George and Ira),

Lenny Bernstein, Bogie and Bacall

This is where the Roosevelts (both

FDR and Teddy) studied law at

Columbia. The list is endless.

 

All thìs is a prelude to what at

first may seem a rather pedestrian

occurrence — grabbing a cup of

coffee on Sunday morning.

But stick with me here. We are about

to enter a world of wonder–a

nirvana– for the inveterate reader

and writer.

 

Every Sunday in the cafes and

coffee houses on the Upper

West Side, a ritual is performed–

a secular ritual as solemn as

the religious services being

held in the churches, synagogues

and mosques that populate the

area.

To walk into any of these

establishments is to observe heads

lowered, fixed concentration,

while encountering muffled silence.

Although there are laptops

and cell phones aplenty, the single object

of this self-absorption is a newspaper–

The New York Times.

The primary sound heard is not

the clicking keyboard or

a cell phone conversation,

but instead, the rustling of paper being

folded, or a prized article being

torn from the paper to be kept

for future reference.

It seems a cross-section of

NYC citizenry is represented here.

The crossword enthusiast

suddenly shouts “…an eleven-

letter French word for nonchalant”

The crowd– almost on cue–

shouts “insouciance.” The 20 year-

old trust-fund baby–blue-haired with

piercings– is discussing abstract impressionism

art with a retired Jewish couple.

The cabbie is checking results

from the Aqueduct race track.

A drama student from Julliard

is reading the review of her

Off-Off Broadway play (her first)

with her fusion-rock guitarist

boyfriend, who that night will

have his first solo performance

in the Village

 

A young architect is passing

around a five-page spread

in the Times on the 100-year

birth date of the Chrysler building.

A quick conversation ensues–:

Pick your side: NY City’s greatest

building — Empire State or the

Chrysler? The discussion gets

lively. The will to power right brain–

Empire State. I am reminded

of the movie The Fountainhead

with Gary Cooper as Howard

Roark, whose inspiration was the

Empire State. OR, the poetry

of the Chrysler versus the prose

of the Empire State?

Whimsy of the Chrysler or the

cold logic of the Empire State?

 

Then the conversation evolves

into the Times best critic of

architecture — Paul Goldberger

or Ada Louise Huxtable. You’ll notice,

not one– but TWO– Times

critics covering the Architecture

beat. While I found this level

of sophistication stimulating, I

needed to come up for some

air. But I am not complaining,

having just escaped Greg Abbott’s

Gulag (once known as the great

state of Texas)– if only temporarily,

I gathered my wits and jumped

back into the fray.

 

Ah, the New York writer–the

coffee shops chock full of

writers– aspiring playwrights,

Ph.D. students polishing their

thesis, the professor proofreading

the rough draft of his textbook

proposal.

 

This neighborhood seems to

breed the novelist who is haunted

by the spires of the great publishing

houses of New York, which can

be seen over the treetops of Central

Park. So close–a twenty-minute

walk away, but the distance is

infinite to the unpublished.

 

Probably few places in the

world where “words”– spoken

and written– are so important.

Has the battle between print

and pixel been lost? Book

sales are strong, so I hear.

Glutton for punishment that I

am, I will be going to the Strand

Bookstore tomorrow (18 miles

of books). Alas, it is time we conclude

our pleasant little stroll as I reluctantly

make my preparations for return to the

dreaded Gulag that awaits me in Texas.

 

Ken Williams has also written travelogues about London, Paris and the Galapagos Islands. He is a graduate of Louisiana State University and has recently been accepted by the Rice University Masters of Liberal Studies program. He lives in Houston. 

Posted in Viewpoint | 6 Comments

Obituary- Dr. Susan Love Worked to Eradicate Breast Cancer

Posted on July 11, 2023 by Sue Pascoe

Dr. Susan Love

For more than 10 years there was a Dr. Susan Love Foundation for Breast Cancer Research annual 5K walk/run, the “Walk with Love,” in Pacific Palisades.

The first was held in 2008, and nearly $40,000 was raised. Then Riviera resident Helen Dameris, who organized the event said, “After learning more about her work, it became clear to me that if anyone could eradicate breast cancer, it was Susan Love.”

Dr. Susan Love died on July 2 in Los Angeles of recurrent leukemia. She was 75.

Love was born February 9, 1948, in Little Silver, New Jersey. As a child she lived in Puerto Rico and then in in Mexico, where her father was an industrial salesman.

She attended the School Sisters of Notre Dame, who sent her to Fordham University in New York to continue her studies. She graduated and applied to medical school.

She was among the top graduates in the 1974 class of the State University of New York’s Downstate Medical School.

Love completed her surgical training at Boston’s Beth Israel, and in 1988, founded the Faulkner Breast Center at Faulkner Hospital in Boston.

Dr. Susan Love’s Breast Book, first published in 1990, and to be released in its updated 7th edition this year is considered the global “bible” for people with breast cancer by The New York Times. The book has been translated into German, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, and Hebrew.

Love was recruited by the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1992 to found what later became the Revlon UCLA Breast Center.

In 1996, she retired from active practice of surgery to dedicate her time to pursuing the cause of breast cancer and the goal of ending that cancer.

In 1998, Love earned a master’s degree in business at UCLA’s Anderson School. She was appointed by President Clinton to the National Cancer Advisory Board, a position she held from 1998-2004.

She launched the Love Research Army in 2008, which accelerated cancer research by partnering volunteers and scientists for clinical trials.

Love denounced a standard late-205h-century treatment protocol for breast cancer, which involved mastectomy, radiation and chemotherapy, instead advocating for lumpectomy followed by radiation whenever possible. “Wanting to keep your breast is not about vanity,” she said in a 1993 interview in Technology Review. “Its about being intact as a person.”

For 13 years Love convened the International Symposium of the Human Breast, a meeting she established to bring together world-class researchers, clinicians, and advocates from multiple disciplines in an intimate think-tank environment to stimulate ideas, collaboration, and seed-funding opportunities for breast cancer research.

Love’s foundation CEO Clinton Conway said on her passing, “The light that Susan shared with the world has touched so many, and the world will mourn her loss. As an advocate, a researcher, a doctor, a ssurgeon, a friend, an author, and so much more, her legacy will live on forever in the love she showed the world.”

Love is survived by her wife, Dr. Helen Cooksey, and their daughter Katie Patton-LoveCooksey and her wife, Diana Patton-LoveCooksey. She is also survived by two sisters, Christine Adcock and Elizabeth Love, and a brother Michael James Love.  Service plans are pending.

Dr. Susan Love’s Foundation hosted a 5K run/walk in Pacific Palisades to raise funds for breast cancer research.

Posted in Obituaries | Leave a comment

Will Roger 5/10K Celebrates Nearly 3,100 Runners

Posted on July 10, 2023 by Sue Pascoe

At the start of the race, nearly 3,000 people ran down Alma Real.
Photo: Rich Schmitt

There were 3,064 total registrants in the 46th Will Rogers 5/10K race, and about 412 of those were kids who had entered the half-mile Kids Fun Run.

After the race, co-organizer Thomas Hathaway told Circling the News “We’ve averaged 3,015 over the past ten years, which means that the race has returned to pre-Covid attendance levels.”

The weather was ideal at 73 degrees and slightly overcast. The course started by the Palisades Library on Alma Real, and then proceeded through the Huntington Palisades. Those running the 5K circled back to finish by the library, while those running the 6.2 miles continued down Sunset Boulevard. Racers took the switchbacks up the hill to Will Rogers State Historic Park and then circled back to the finish at the library.

West Point graduate, and Korean and Vietnam Veteran Wally Hastings, 93, was recognized and honored for his service prior to the run.

Ross Chitwood, who is the Director of Worship and Community at the Methodist Church, and a graduate of the Juilliard School, sang the National Anthem.

The honorary race starter was Michael Ricks, CEO Providence/St. Johns Hospital. Ricks, 52, is also an accomplished triathlete, avid runner and ultra-marathoner. After starting the race, he ran it finishing 43rd overall in the 10K in a time of 44:03, which was good enough to capture third in his age group.

Steve Guttenberg ran the 10K.
Photo: Rich Schmitt

Former Honorary Mayor Ray Leonard was at the race.
Photo: Rich Schmitt

Sprinters, runners, walkers, stroller pushers and those with dogs started down the course, cheered on by neighbors who had gathered to support athletes and friends. At least two former honorary Pacific Palisades mayors were on the course: Sugar Ray Leonard (2011-2014) and Steve Guttenberg, (2002-2006). Guttenberg, who has a play opening in August on the East Coast, was in town over the 4th and ran the 10K.

 

5K MALE

Noah Wexler
Photo: Rich Schmitt

Borrowing a title from the film No Country for Old Men, this 5K could best be described as “No Race for Old Men.” The top ten runners in this 5K included three who were 19, three who were 16, two 17-year-olds and two 15-years-olds, and all easily finished in under 17:30.

The winner was a former Palisades High School cross country and track standout, Noah Wexler, 19, who finished in 16 minutes flat. He attends the University of Michigan, where in addition to studies, he worked as a football manager.

He was followed by Max Fields, 17, (16:06) who runs cross country and track for Palisades High School and was second in the 5K in 2022 (16:01).

Fields is a two-time City Champion in cross country and at the state championships last year, he was 15th in the Division I boys’ race.

Aaron Pavon, 15, was third with a time of 16:14. He runs track and cross country for Loyola High School.

The 5K course record was set by 17-year-old Jake Ratkovich in 2022 (15:43).

 

5K FEMALE

Kaitlyn Tanner
Photo: Rich Schmitt

Kaitlin Tanner, 26 from San Clemente, was first with a time of 18:45. Second was 18-year-old Ava Baak of Pacific Palisades (18:51). Baak, who graduated from Palisades High School in June won the 1600 at the CIF City Section, qualifing for state.  She will attend the University of Michigan in the fall and has plans to run club.

Third was Darby Green, 21, (20:12). A Georgetown University student, Green was a standout swimmer at PaliHi. She won the 5K last year in 19:46.

 

 

 

10K Male

Henry Didden
Photo: Rich Schmitt

The top runner was Woodland Hills resident Henry Didden, 19, who ran a 5:29 mile pace finishing in 34:04.  He attended Viewpoint High School, where he ran cross country and track. He finished his freshman year at Bucknell University where he also ran track.

Taking second was Jim Lubinski, 44, (34:59) of Calabasas.  Last year Lubinski finished third in 35.39. Rounding out the top three was Pacific Palisades’ Leo Craig, 17, who ran 36.35. Craig attends Harvard-Westlake High School, where he runs cross country and track, specializing in the 800-, 1600- and 3200-meter runs.

The course record was set by Tonny Okello (31.21) in 2014.

 

Female 10 K

Laura Osman
Photo: Rich Schmitt

First was Encino’s Laura Osman, 42, in a time of 38:59. Santa Monica’s Elizabeth Fellows, 32, was second with a time of 40:49. Jessica Rees, 38, from Culver City was third (43:48).

Kaitlyn Peale set the course record in 2018 with a time of 36.19.

 

 

 

 

 

DICK LEMEN TROPHY:

The winner of the Dick Lemen Perpetual Trophy was Oak Park High School, which is located in the Westlake area. Palisades High School was second.

The top three Oak Park runners were Mark Hodges (18:31), Enzo Crivello (19:12) and Luke Hodges (19:18). The top three Palisades runners were Axel Mammen (17:61), Louisa Mammen (21:19) and Bailey Gair (24.32)

This race pits high school students against each other and coincides with the 5K race. Student runners from local high schools run under their school’s name and compete for the team trophy. The fastest three individual times are added to determine the winner.

The first year of the competition Palisades High edged out Loyola by just 53 total seconds. Last year Loyola claimed the trophy.

The late Lemen was a longtime Palisadian and a track coach at Palisades High for many years. He was also a member of the Ridge Runners, the band of about 20 local runners who originated the Will Rogers Run in 1978.

Kids Fun Run:

Nearly 400 kids ran in the Fun Run.
Photo: Rich Schmitt

This year’s race sponsors included: Saint John’s Health Center, the Cynthia L. & William E. Simon Jr. Foundation, Farmers Insurance, Kennedy Wilson, Laura Brau Estates, The Ariola Group, Will Rogers Ranch Foundation, Ronald Reagan American Legion Post 283 and the Jordan Kaplan Family.

Race organizers Hathaway and James Klein gave a huge shout out to the community for its participation.  Money after expenses goes to Palisades Optimist Club, which not only supports education and treatment centers for juvenile offenders and at-risk children, but also gives grants to local nonprofits.

Wally Hastings was honored for his service to the country at the beginning of the 4th of July Will Rogers 5/10K Race.
Photo: Rich Schmitt

Posted in Holidays, Sports | 3 Comments

Viewpoint: Stereotyping Is Always the Easy Way to Avoid Thinking

Posted on July 10, 2023 by Sue Pascoe

The hills outside of Austin are lush and building is ongoing.

Receiving a bachelor’s degree in sociology is generally not conducive to receiving job offers upon graduation. But the courses that this editor took, including one on racism and stereotyping provided and continue to provide insight.

A family member, who used to live in Culver City wanted me to visit her at an Austin suburb over the July 4 holiday.

Texas Heat versus cooler weather in Pacific Palisades: I haven’t missed a Palisades July 4th in decades: but finally, family always wins over weather.

This editor shared with a few Palisadians that I would be in Texas, and the responses were straight out of textbook stereotyping: those Texans are all gun-toting, Trump-loving Neanderthals that walk with knuckles on the ground.

People stereotype because it is easier than actually investigating the truth—and by putting others down, it makes one feel superior, better about oneself.

The Texas town I visit has beautiful well-kept roads, unlike Temescal Canyon and Sunset Boulevard—and even Radcliffe, where a tree root has gotten so large, it serves as a de facto speed hump.

Near my daughter’s home, there are lots of walking paths, a community swimming pool ($5 a swim, versus twice that much in the Palisades), a Gold’s gym ($35 a month for membership), a variety of interesting restaurants, bookstores, Whole Foods and H.E.B. (an amazing grocery store), and a vibrant library with a volunteer-run bookstore that accepts Venmo.

I’m sorry I’m missing this library program on Thursday called Great Decisions Discussion Series: Economic Warfare: “Waging economic warfare consists of a variety of measures from implementing sanctions to fomenting labor strikes. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, economic warfare has been the main means for the west to challenge Russia. How effective will these sanctions be at convincing Russia to cease its war?

“This Great Decisions discussion will be facilitated by Gabriel Noronha. Noronha is the Executive Director of Polaris National Security and is a fellow in the Gemunder Center for Defense and Strategy at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America. Previously, he served as Special Advisor for the Iran Action Group at the U.S. Department of State and worked as the Special Assistant for the Senate Armed Services Committee under Chairmen John McCain and Jim Inhofe. Noronha speaks and conducts research in Russian, Mandarin, and Spanish. All are invited to attend this in-person program. No registration is required.”

The libraries run an array of programs, including a book mobile.

Twice a month the community has a free “big-band” evening, when people can go to the park and hear music.

According to Department of Education, the National Assessment of Educational Progress and Ed Source, on the fourth-grade level, Texas was one of 29 states where mathematic was ranked significantly higher than California. Reading at Fourth Grade level was about the same in both states.

In a May 12 Opinion piece in the Daily News (“Ex-Californians Take Billions When They Leave”), top taxpayers in California, with an adjusted income of more than $500,000 accounted for 57.1 percent of the personal income tax collected by California. (This was about 1.9 percent of all returns filed. Even those here, who are making between $23,943 and $37,778, pay a four percent tax.)

Income tax returns filed in 2020 and 2021, show that more than 700,000 people left California and the top destination was Texas, “with 105,434 individuals relocating there.”

The article concluded “State policy makers should be deeply troubled by the fact that so many Californians who were willing to pay reasonable taxes for decent public services found that they have neither in California.”

People from California are also moving to Texas because housing is cheaper. My daughter was sharing a two-bedroom apartment in Culver City, complete with cockroaches, located about four blocks from that nasty encampment at the 405 Freeway underpass at Venice.

A homeless encampment is below the underpass at 405 and Venice Boulevard. Even though there has been funding generated for the homeless, nothing has changed over the past three years.

Every time she left the Palisades to go back to her apartment, I worried about her safety until she called to let me know she had arrived.

Her first apartment in the Austin area had a beautiful view of the hills and the trees, brand-new appliances and was in a gated community – and cheaper than what she paid here.

Texans, just like Palisadians worry about the plastic in the waterways—there was a well-organized clean up along the Gulf Coast.

Texas Monthly Magazine highlighted “The Best and Worse Legislators” and shock, there are actually Republican and Democrats listed on both sides.

Basically, it’s time to stop stereotyping. Think about trying compassion and being open-minded.

Posted in General | 1 Comment

Blueberry Bushes Forever – and Identified

Posted on July 10, 2023 by Sue Pascoe

The two blueberry bushes are on the east side of the house and have produced abundant berries.

This editor has received help from three sources, in helping to identify the two blueberry plants that are doing so well in her back yard.

Initially, this editor planted the bushes after chatting with the late George Wolfberg and learning blueberries could be grown in Pacific Palisades. The first spot was too shady, and the two bushes didn’t produce.

This editor moved them to a spot where they get half day sun on the east side of the house.  The combination of a rainy spring and the new location has produced abundant berries.

As this editor bragged about her “crop,” many wanted to know the variety—and I couldn’t remember, so I put out a plea to my readers, who are smart and informed.

The first person to respond was George Wolfberg’s widow Diane, who wrote: “My notes indicate that our Santa Monica Canyon blueberries are Highbush blueberries, vaccinium corymbosum: one variety is called Misty, the other may be O’Neal.

“They were planted in full sunlight in 2006—and only doing poorly the past two years, because I’ve neglected them. I don’t think we’ve ever fertilized them,” Wolfberg said and added, “We have more overcast weather in the Canyon than higher up in the Palisades.”

Another reader wrote she had taken notes from an earlier CTN newsletter:  in which George Wolfberg’s daughter had responded. “I am pretty sure they are either: Misty, O’Neal, or Sunshine Blue. All are supposed to do well in Southern California coastal areas. They do best when they have another blueberry plant close by.

“Climate change is impacting where they grow well. They seem to do best in pots with regular watering and good drainage. They have to have soil acidifier (sulphur) added regularly to produce well.”

That reader also wrote that “A few years ago, a gentleman representing Monrovia Nurseries spoke at the Palisades Garden Club. One of the topics he spoke on was blueberry bushes and the new variety Monrovia had that grew well in this area.”

The speaker said the bush could be found on Armstrong Nurseries on Wilshire and, “That bush has given us (and the birds) luscious blueberries with no effort now for years.”

Finally, a third reader gave a tip that might help in future plant identifications: “Download this app on your phone: PlantNet. Then take a picture of the plant or just the leaves and upload it to the site. You will get an answer on the exact blueberry plant you have. Or at the very least it will suggest one or two and then you can do further research.”

Thank you all.

Posted in Environmental | 2 Comments

Palisades 4th of July Parade Celebrates Diamond Jubilee

Posted on July 9, 2023 by Sue Pascoe

Annie Helliwell was one of three skydivers, who opened the parade by landing on Sunset Boulevard to admiring crowds lining the route.
Photo: Rich Schmitt/CTN

By CHAZ PLAGER

On July 4th, 2023, the “happiest day in the Palisades” arrived once more, in the familiar form of the 75th Annual Palisades 4th of July Parade.

This year’s theme was “Diamond Jubilee in 2023,” and was penned by Judy and Wayne Marcus.

Palisades High School marching band performed in the parade.
Photo: Rich Schmitt/CTN

“With perfect weather, the largest and most enthusiastic crowds we’ve seen, and good times had by all, the Palisades Fourth was a success,” said Palisades Americanism Parade president Matt Rodman. “Daphne [Gronich], I and all the other hard-working volunteers were incredibly pleased with this year’s successful parade, music and fireworks. We’re glad our community enjoyed the day as much as we did.”

Palisades Americanism Parade Association President (a volunteer position) Matt Rodman and his wife Rene at the start of the parade.
Photo: Rich Schmitt/CTN

Pacific Palisades Baseball Association float organizer Tripp and Kelly Nassour were equally enthusiastic.  “This year, more than ever, I think we’re grateful,” the Nassours said.  “It’s wonderful to be free of COVID. The Palisades is back.”

This year marks the 10th parade float organized by Tripp and Kelly. Like every year before, they hosted a taco party just before the parade. Thanks to their generosity, I was able to enjoy some of the party’s food, which was delicious. The Nassours also rode on the PPBA float in this year’s parade.

The 75th annual Pacific Palisades Parade began at 2 p.m. sharp, as the Adrenaline Nation Parachute Team landed on Swarthmore Avenue, diving from a plane 3,500 feet above the town. “It’s great to be here,” said team leader Tom Falzone. “If you asked me why I did this, in a word, it’s respect.”

The parade kicked off to a festive start, headed by Kids on Bikes. There were crowds of kids on patriotically decorated bikes forging ahead. Four winners received this year’s decorating award, a $50 gift certificate to the town’s popular yogurt shop.

Kids on Bikes is always a popular entry.                                                         Photo: Rich Schmitt/CTN

The Ronald Reagan American Legion Post 283, which donated $40,000 to make the parade and day possible were next in the lineup. Riding in the parade included Legion President Jim Cragg, Auxiliary President Ruth Wells and SAL President Larry Kirven.

Palisades High School Football players wearing jerseys took responsibility for carrying banners for individual parade sponsors.

Since this was the celebration of the founding of the country, America’s freedom fighters were well represented by the California State Color Guard and drumline. The 26th State Guard Attachment rode alongside them in armored vehicles, Brigadier General Peter Cross leading them.

Brigadier General David G. Smith of the Air Force also represented those who have fought for our country’s rights.

The Mountain Fifes & Drums is a youth music program and is a living history community service program for boys and girls.
Photo: Rich Schmitt/CTN

The Scouts of Troop 223 were next, mounted on several boats towed by trucks. Scoutmaster Mike Lanning, the 2019 Parade Marshal and the Pacific Palisades 2022 Citizen of the Year, rode with them.

Can dogs be patriotic? Owners of Paws N’ Claws, a dog grooming salon located on Marquez Avenue says they can. The salon sponsored hundreds of dogs that walked alongside owners in American regalia.

Fire Station 69, at the same time as participating in the parade, held a free hot dog stand just outside the station (I had some. It was very tasty).

The Oom PaPa Band, a local marching band, joined the parade with classic American marching anthems.

Floats this year included one from the Palisades-Malibu YMCA, which was decorated in children’s designs and one from Kehillat Israel.

Taeryong Taekwondo came out in uniform, members marching down the street while performing techniques and breaking boards.

Massive trucks from Hart Built Construction rode through the streets, blaring their horns in celebration.

The New Orleans Jazz Band, always a favorite in the Palisades, ambled through the streets, playing an upbeat jazz medley perfect for the occasion.

Another float this year was sponsored by Resilient Palisades, “Palisadians for the Planet.” People danced with signs and flags promoting clean energy.

A member of the Pasadena Bagpipes played on the route.
Photo: Rich Schmitt/CTN

After a lull, the Pasadena Scots came in formation, bagpipes and drums aplenty.

The band went before Parade Marshal Sylvia Boyd, who has been involved not only in volunteering with the parade for decades, but also recognized for her volunteer efforts by the Pacific Palisades Community Council.

Every good parade has horses, and the Palisades 4th was no exception. Groups of horse riders were present with horses and riders dressed for the occasion.

Bringing up the rear was the Palisades Charter High School Color Guard and Marching Band under the direction of Peter Ye and Allison Avina-Wyant. The guard danced with swing flags in front while the band marched behind them, playing a medley of songs.

Did PAPA organizers save the best for last? Maybe. More than 50 members of the Fancy Feet Dance Studio danced down the street to pop music, followed by the PPBA float.

As a lifelong resident of the Palisades, I always love to see the parade each year.

I love the town I was raised in, and love to see the smiles on faces as floats pass by and fireworks in the evening. Here’s hoping I live to report on Pacific Palisades centennial parade in 25 years.

Members of Fancy Feet danced down the parade route.
Photo: Rich Schmitt/CTN

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Annual Water Balloon Fight Results in Goodhearted Drenching

Posted on July 9, 2023 by Sue Pascoe

Photo: Rich Schmitt/CTN

(Editor’s note: Circling the News received a June 16 email from Palisadian Tom Lavia, asking that this publication cover the 17th Annual Monument Water Balloon Fight. He wrote “It’s the oldest and the biggest water balloon fight in 90272 and Rich [Schmidt, a photographer] has covered it in the past. We welcome you to drinks and tacos, but can’t promise that you won’t get wet.” It only took CTN a minute to realize an event of this magnitude needed to be covered. But the idea of getting drenched. . . luckily CTN reporter Chaz Plager signed up for “hazard duty.”)

 

The annual Fourth of July Monument Water fight was underway.
Photo: Rich Schmitt/CTN

By CHAZ PLAGER

The best cure for a summer day’s heat is water. And the Monument Street Water Balloon Fight is just the place to get your fix.

Hosted by Tom Lavia and Aaron Bendickson every Fourth of July, the 17th annual water balloon fight drew more than 200 attendants and close to 30,000 water balloons.

“Our neighbors up the street— The Beaver family— started it 17 years ago,” Lavia said. “Eleven years ago, around when we moved in, they asked us to carry on the torch, and here we are.”

Participants were encouraged to bring their own balloons and water guns, from a small Squirt Blaster to the three-foot-long Super Soaker Ultra.

At 11:30 a.m., the event opened with a speech.

“Welcome to the best part of 4th of July!” Cohost Aaron Bendickson yelled. “We know what you want, and there’s 60 kids charging down that away that know what they want. Have at you!”

One participant decided, forget the water balloons, try the bucket.
Photo: Rich Schmitt/CTN

With those words, the fight began. Children squealed as massive balloons of all shapes and colors were lobbed into the fray, soaking all those unfortunate enough to be in the way.

A privileged few with water guns were able to spray down other children at little risk to themselves. It was a full half hour of simple joy, one appropriate for a holiday like the 4th of July.

When the fight ended, participants and parents could treat themselves to soft drinks and a taco bar, courtesy of the Lavias.

The event received rave reviews.

When asked how much fun he was having, 5-year-old Hunter replied, “One hundred percent!”

The annual water balloon “festival” was pronounced 100 percent fun.
Photo: Rich Schmitt/CTN

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Orchid Hunter Tam Will Speak about Searching for Rare Species in Ecuador

Posted on July 9, 2023 by Sue Pascoe

 

Orchid hunter Brandon Tam will speak about his travels in Ecuador.

Brandon Tam, an Orchid Collection Specialist at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, will speak to the Malibu Orchid Society at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 18, at the Hart Lounge, in the Community Methodist Church, 801, Via de la Paz.

The specialist will take orchid lovers on an expedition through Ecuador, which has one of the highest orchid species densities in the world. The lecture is free, and residents are welcome to attend.

There are more than 4,200 documented orchid species distributed along Ecuador’s various ecosystems. While some species are found on peaks as high as 13,000 feet above sea level, the majority, however, grow in the humid cloud forests.

Tam will showcase the incredible variety of orchids he encountered in various habitats ranging from 4,000 to more than 10,000 feet.

He will also discuss his mission to find the elusive Slenipedium aequinoctiale, a rare orchid species.

The rare Slenipdeium aequinoctiale was sought by Brandon Tam.

His grandmother first introduced him to orchids when he was seven by giving him a white cymbidium.

During high school, he volunteered at The Huntington. When he graduated at age 16, Tam was offered a full-time position as an orchid collection specialist by Dr. James Folsom, Director of the Botanical Gardens.

While working with Folsom to reinvigorate The Huntington’s orchid collection, Tam attended California State University Polytechnic, Pomona, earning his bachelor’s degree in plant science in 2015.

Tam oversees one of the largest orchid collections in the United States and one of the most diverse collections in the world, which has grown from 2000 to more than 10,000 plants in the past ten years.

The Huntington’s orchid collection is housed in more than 26,000 square feet of growing area, which includes the Rose Hills Foundation Conservatory and three collection greenhouses, dedicated specifically for tropical plants.

Miltonia orchids grow in higher elevations of the Andes in Colombia, Panama and Ecuador.

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Brigadier General David G. Smith Rides in the July Parade

Posted on June 30, 2023 by Sue Pascoe

Brigadier General David G. Smith.

“Those who say that we’re in a time when there are no heroes, they just don’t know where to look,” Ronald Reagan once said.

With his quote, the former President and Palisades resident probably had Brigadier General David G. Smith in mind. The officer has spent his life flying, instructing, and defending freedom.

One of the Air Force’s most distinguished officers, Smith will ride in the Pacific Palisades 4th of July Parade.

Since joining the Air Force in 1982, he has traveled the world with the mission of spreading liberty and freeing people from tyranny.

Smith traces his heritage to the American Revolution on his father’s side of the family. His father served in the U.S. Army during World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

His mother was a combat nurse in the European theater during WWII. Smith’s grandparents were “White Russians” (The term describes Russians living in the area between Russian and Poland). They immigrated during the Russian revolution. “They would clearly have been killed if they had stayed in Russia,” Smith said.

What he learned from his family’s legacy was “freedom is not free, but a cherished commodity that not everybody on earth gets to enjoy.”

Smith was born in Camp Zama, Japan.  He received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1976 from the Chaminade University of Hawaii and after graduation worked as a marketer for Jack Daniels distillery. Then, the company was bought out.

“The day I received the call that my position would be eliminated at the end of the fiscal year, I walked to the mailbox, and there was a brochure from the Air Force,” Smith said. “It simply said, ‘Aim High.’”

In 1994, he received his Masters of Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and added his Doctor of Business Administration in 2012 from Arizona Northcentral University.

A master navigator, he has flown B-52’s at multiple locations and served as instructor and assistant flight commander.

Smith was the lead navigator for the SAC Bombing and Navigation Competition, winning nine of 11 awards, which included the Fairchild Trophy in 1986. The Trophy is awarded to the best bomber unit in the combined fields of navigation and bombing, and he was recognized by President Ronald Reagan.

He was individually selected to serve as Regimental Air Liaison Officer attached to the elite 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, to evaluate the close air support mission in joint operations with the United States Army (1998-2001) at Fort Irwin, California.

Smith said that was also a challenging experience in many ways, but “I learned so much about our amazing soldiers on that assignment, and how hard they work.” He said he appreciated the true dedication of those serving the country.

In 2008, he was deployed to Baghdad, Iraq. After his extensive life-long career in the military, Smith said that “combat operations in Iraq was clearly my toughest challenge.”

He said it was a combination of horrors of war, signs of senseless loss, and uplifting remarkable morale from dedicated Americans and the Iraqi’s.

“The reality is there are horrors in war, but I also believe we were doing a lot of good there,” Smith said. “There are very sad stories, and uplifting ones, but the reality is, it was a war zone, and that is a challenge to any participant.”

Smith is the Special Assistant to the Commanding General, California State Guard (CSG), California Military Department, and the director of the multi-billion-dollar Air Force Production and Flight Test Facility, Plant 42 in Palmdale.

“I have cherished my time with the United States Air Force, and I have also cherished my time with the California Guard,” Smith said. “The dedication of the men and women I have had the rare opportunity to serve with is absolutely awesome.”

Smith has been in several parades, but a small community Fourth of July parade in Kailua, Hawaii, stands out. “A medal of honor recipient was in that parade and my son asked why I saluted that individual although very junior in rank to me,” Smith said. “It was a wonderful learning moment to explain the importance of the Congressional Medal of Honor, and how anybody who has earned that award warrants a salute.”

Smith is married to the former Denise Cook, and they have six children, son Damien, and daughters, Daira, Darcie, Avalon, Bailee, and Madyson, and seven grandchildren.

Brigadier General David Smith has flown the B-52 at multiple locations, as well as serving as an instructor and flight commander.                                                                                                                            Air & Space Forces Magazine. Credit: Nellis AFB Public Affairs

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