The Valley Line: A spectacular day for golf, having a party
The annual Fiesta Days celebration is in full force here in our community. Tonight Memorial Park will be jam-packed with locals taking part in the family dinner and fireworks show. I’ll be there. Will you?
Tomorrow is the grand Memorial Day Parade, where half of the townspeople will be sitting on the curbs lining Foothill Boulevard watching the other half of the town’s inhabitants, who are in the parade. I jest, of course, but this parade is so much fun and so “Little Town, USA.”
Tomorrow afternoon, many La Cañadans once again will gather in the park to listen to the music of Captain Cardiac and the Coronaries open up the summer’s Music in the Park series. Hey, it’s tradition! Come join the fun.
Another tradition worth mentioning is the recent Hathaway-Sycamores Child and Family Services’ “Shot-at-a-Million” Golf Classic, which just raised $140,000 to help fund educational and therapeutic treatment programs for the youngsters and families.
The event was held at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Angeles National Golf Course in Sunland. More than 200 golfers took to the links to take part in this tournament, which grows in popularity each year.
It was a picture-perfect day on this beautiful course, the majestic mountains in sharp relief in the background. Ten of the golfers qualified to take a swing at a hole-in-one and instantly become a millionaire, but no one made the 165-yard shot. Each of the qualifying golfers had their moment of glory as they stepped up on a raised platform to tee off. They were surrounded by well-wishers who were cheering them on.
After their day on the course, the golfers joined friends and family at the traditional 19th Hole, where they quaffed refreshing beverages and took part in the festivities.
KCBS news and traffic reporter Whitney Drolen emceed the after party. Helping her out in the program were Bill Martone, CEO of Hathaway-Sycamores, and Rob Myers, executive vice president of development.
The shining stars of the reception were three students who have attended after-school tutoring at Hathaway-Sycamores Highland Park Family Resource Center. Simon Gee, director of the program’s Computer Learning Lab, was like a proud father because he tutored these students.
Receiving accolades and glowing with the special recognition for receiving full scholarships to their chosen universities were Elisha Marquez, who will start her freshman year at Stanford University; Donald Kaplan, who will attend Bucknell University, and Alejandra Negrete, who will begin fall classes at UC Irvine.
Each one of the students stepped to the microphone to share their experiences at Hathaway-Sycamores and all of them agreed that the tutoring they received in the learning lab at the resource center helped them to reach their academic goals.
The golfers and their guests enjoyed a beautiful summer-like evening on the patio overlooking the golf course. They partook of a buffet of delicious foods and were excited to bid on tempting items at the silent-auction tables. Two lucky guests won trips for two to Maui and New York.
It was a spectacular day for golf as well as a party, all to raise funds for Hathaway-Sycamores programs. Hathaway-Sycamores is the largest provider of children’s mental-health services in Los Angeles County.
JANE NAPIER NEELY covers the La Cañada social scene. Email her at jnvalleysun@aol.com.