The Valley Line: Pre-Olympics event makes a splash
Quite a wonderful pre-Olympics event at Rose Bowl Aquatics Center was held the weekend following Independence Day.
La Cañada resident Mary Pinola, who is a grant writer at the facility, did an outstanding job hosting the event themed “Trio to Rio.” The center welcomed the USA and British Olympic synchronized swim duet teams as well as swimmers and divers who have represented the USA in previous Olympics.
The swim demonstration included outstanding young athletes such as Christine Vose and Trenton Julian, who just returned from having participated in the 2016 Olympic trials in Indianapolis.
Sisters Olivia and Bridgit Rosendahl performed spectacular dives from the 10- and 7-meter platforms. Their dives were breathtaking! Both of the girls began swimming at the local center; Olivia is coaching diving there the rest of this summer.
The program also included Troy Dumais, a bronze medalist in diving and who participated in four Olympic Games. Also featured was 82-year-old Felix Grossman, who was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in June.
Also in the performance were the Unsyncables, whose members are dedicated to lifetime adult fitness through competitive and recreational synchronized swimming. They did a lovely water ballet.
They were followed by breathtaking performances by duo synchronized swimming teams of Olivia Federici and Katie Clark of Great Britain and the American Team of Anita Alvarez and Mariya Koroleva, who gave us a preview of the water ballets they will be performing for the Olympic Games.
The evening festivities included a poolside buffet dinner of Brazilian cuisine.
John Nabor, five-time Olympic medalist in swimming, acted as master of ceremonies. He introduced Bernadette Greene, deputy consul-general of the British Consulate-General, Los Angeles. Greene then presented floral leis to the British team. Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich recognized the American team. The event concluded with the Olympic Fanfare musical score as the crowd sent the athletes off with their very best wishes for the “swim of a lifetime” at the Games of the XXXI in Brazil.
Among the area residents I saw in the crowd of nearly 500 spectators were Liz Argue, her daughter Betsy Pollonn, Maxine and Ed White, Lisa Cloud and her adorable little boy, Cody; Dr. David Viar, president of Glendale Community College, and his wife, Jane; Edna Karinski, chief executive of the Community Foundation of the Verdugos; Camille DeBruin, Merle and Linda Robertson, and Ann and Bill Peplow.
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On a recent evening I went to the Ahmanson Theatre to see “Grey Gardens,” a musical of the story of the eccentric aunt and cousin of Jackie Kennedy Onassis.
Before the curtain had risen on the first act, Angela Lansbury, the award-winning stage and film actress and the star of the beloved TV series, “Murder she Wrote,” was spotted in the sold-out crowd of theater goers. The audience rose to their feet to give this iconic actress a standing ovation, which was beautifully and graciously accepted.
It was quite an evening at the theater for everyone.
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Also this month, I made my annual jaunt to the Laguna Art Festival and Pageant of the Masters.
I drove down to the beach with a friend. We went early so we could poke around Roger’s Gardens, an amazing one-of-a-kind garden and gift shop in Corona del Mar. Then it was on to the Surf and Sand Hotel’s beach-front restaurant, Splashes, for a refreshing beverage and a light snack before going to the art festival and pageant. The Surf and Sand has also been a Laguna haunt for me over the years. It is for the friend I was traveling with too — she and her husband honeymooned there more than 50 years ago.
I have been going to the festival and pageant for practically as long as I can remember. There is absolutely no way I would miss it! I always love seeing the art displays and listening to the live music.
To my surprise I ran into an “old” LCF neighbor, Catharine Cooper. Catharine is an exhibiting photographer at the festival. Her moving exhibit examines lives of the homeless.
We had time to quickly catch up on our lives, which was fun. Catharine is an adviser to the Ocean Foundation, Washington, D.C. and EcoAlianza de Loreto in Baja California. She is a former trustee for the Laguna College of Art and Design and chair of the Laguna Beach Open Space Committee. As a member of Laguna’s Environmental Sustainability Committee, she drafted the Ocean Element to help guide the city toward practices to protect and sustain the seas.
The Pageant is stunning, as always. It’s theme this year is “Partners.” Featuring works from around the world, this year’s production of “living pictures” highlights memorable art made possible by partnerships — between husbands and wives, siblings, artists and models, even artists and their patrons.
Truly fun at this year’s pageant were dance numbers celebrating Fred Astaire and his partners and also Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron from scenes in “An American in Paris.” Of course the famous scene of Kelly dancing among the rain drops from the movie “Singin’ in the Rain” was delightful.
I so highly recommend this Pageant of “Tableaux Vivante” for families. There is simply nothing else like it in the world!
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JANE NAPIER NEELY covers the La Cañada Flintridge social scene. Email her at jnvalleysun@aol.com with news of your special event.