It’s time for Fiesta Days in La Cañada Flintridge
Residents will take to the streets to celebrate the community’s heritage and local businesses this weekend in the 40th annual Fiesta Days.
The event, which honors La Canada Flintridge’s Spanish roots, began in 1973 and has grown into a community-wide celebration that falls on Memorial Day weekend.
This year’s theme is “Neighbor to Neighbor” and the parade, which usually draws large crowds, will be led by Grand Marshal Allen Lund.
The La Cañada Flintridge Chamber of Commerce and Community Assn., which hosts the event, doesn’t change Fiesta Days’ main lineup much from year to year. The top attractions include a Saturday morning community breakfast with French toast and strawberries, a vintage car show, a fireworks show at Memorial Park and the Memorial Day parade.
But residents have come to enjoy the weekend’s festivities as annual traditions, said Pat Anderson, the chamber’s president. “We seem to have a formula that works. We continue to do it because it brings the community together.”
New this year is a kick-off event at the Community Center of La Cañada Flintridge that will see neighbors compete in a poker tournament and other games for prizes. Last year, the center held a bridge tournament. And the family film “How to Train Your Dragon” will screen for free in Memorial Park on Saturday night.
The La Cañada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Assn. will host an open house for the second year in a row. Residents can get a sneak peek at the 2014 Rose Parade float entry, “Dog Gone!”
For those who want to start off Memorial Day with a run through the foothills, the Crescenta-Cañada Family YMCA is hosting its yearly 5K and 10K races. The center will also offer its one-mile family run and a hike through Cherry Canyon.
“It’s really beautiful,” said Rosanne Malogolowkin, the Y’s executive director. “Neighbors come out of those houses and cheer the runners on. It’s a really great community event. It’s a great way to kick off Memorial Day.”
Barbara Marshall, who has worked on the event for four years, is this year’s Fiesta Days chairwoman. She said she enjoys giving back to the community through a weekend of activities.
“It’s really fun,” she said. “It’s a celebration of our tradition here.”
--
Follow Tiffany Kelly on Google+ and on Twitter: @LATiffanyKelly.
RELATED: