La Cañada History: La Cañada Presbyterian Church celebrates 25 years

Ten Years Ago

Destructive winds battered La Cañada for a 36-hour period in early January 2003, uprooting trees and downing power lines. Two homes, one on Lombardy Drive and the other on Angeles Crest Highway, sustained heavy damages when large trees crashed through their respective roofs. La Cañada Elementary School was closed temporarily due to a power outage. City officials saw one silver lining to the windstorm: The large bucket on a pole advertising Kentucky Fried Chicken was blown down, effectively bringing to an end the need to negotiate further with the shopping center’s owners to remove it and replace it with a smaller, monument-style sign.

Twenty Years Ago

Having suffered the worst loss in the team’s 30-year history, a 48-8 fall to Muir High School on Oct. 3, 1992 in pre-league play, it was announced in January 1993 that the La Cañada High School football program would no longer be scheduled to play Muir. “We’re not capable of beating them,” Coach Nic Larez said.

Thirty Years Ago

The county library system announced that author Ray Bradbury would make an appearance at the La Cañada Flintridge library on Jan. 13, 1983, where he would speak on the topic, “Beyond 1984: What to do when the bomb doesn’t drop.” Cost to attend was a suggested donation of $1 per person. It was later reported that about 450 people turned out for the event.

Forty Years Ago

Members of La Cañada Presbyterian Church made plans to begin the celebration of the church’s 25th year with a potluck supper on Jan. 12, 1973. A large party was also planned for Jan. 25 of that year. The membership roster had grown in that quarter century from 158 to approximately 1,600.

Fifty Years Ago

La Cañada citizens interested in serving on a committee to organize the community’s first youth employment service were invited to attend a Coordinating Council meeting at the Youth House (today the Community Center). It was hoped the service would be launched by the summer of 1963.

Sixty Years Ago

The elementary school menu for the first week of 1953, as published in the Valley Sun, featured the following entrees: Macaroni Beef Casserole (Monday), Tamale Pie (Tuesday), Hamburger on Bun (Wednesday), Beef Stew (Thursday) and Baked Fish Fillets (Friday).

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Compiled from the Valley Sun archives by Carol Cormaci