The Valley Line: She has unbridled enthusiasm for June LCF Chamber of Commerce mixer
Whew! These have been extremely frenetic weeks trying to keep up with our busy community members. It takes some doing, let me tell you.
The official first day of summer arrived on the same day the Flintridge Riding Club hosted the monthly La Cañada Flintridge Chamber of Commerce and Community Assn. mixer.
Greeting members at the mixer, now called a “Community Afterhours Get-together” were chamber VIPs Pat Anderson, Starr Frazier and June Beemer. Also saying hello at the sign-in table were Barbara Marshall and Harriet Hammons.
Since my daughter, Heather, rode at the club from the time she was 12 to 19, it was very nostalgic for me to return to this familiar landscape at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains.
Riding club board members were on hand to welcome visitors too and were very proud to share their historic clubhouse, barns and show rings. Among some of them there to “meet-and-greet” guests were Suzie Osino, president of the club; Gina Groth, Maria Crone, executive director; Jessica Webster, treasurer and Ann Deren-Lewis, vice president. Randy Strapazon, a longtime member of the club and past board member, was chair of the event.
As a surprise, the club prepared a mini horse show for the guests who gathered around the show rings to watch and learn about the different disciplines of horsemanship.
First in the ring was Peggy Klump aboard a beautiful horse named Damon. Gerhard Poliz, a dressage instructor, was the commentator. Poliz explained the discipline of dressage and communications between a horse and its rider.
Next up was Western pleasure rider Charni Lewis with her horse named Art who, by the way, is about the friendliest horse I’ve ever met. Roberta Pollock provided commentary on the demonstration.
Suzie Newman, also a Western pleasure rider, was on hand to show off not only her silver-accented saddle, but the fancy footwork of her mount, Starlet.
From there we walked on to another ring where we watched hunter/jumper action. Taking their steeds through their paces and over the jumps were Melanie Liu aboard Chappy and Tonya Lee on her horse, Stitch. There’s no getting around it — I love seeing horses and their poised riders executing a series of jumps.
After the show, guests once again sat at round tables around the beautiful old oak trees to dine on Italian food prepared by Trattoria Allegria in Montrose and dessert of cupcakes baked by Rojos Bakery in La Cañada.
Many raffle opportunity tickets were called for gift packages from restaurants, Santa Anita tours and other items, and plaques were presented to new business owners joining the chamber.
It was a hugely successful gathering. I hope the Flintridge Riding Club will host another mixer one of these days.
***
I was among the throngs attending the opening of the Hollywood Bowl on June 16. It was an incredible evening with the legendary Diana Ross, who was more than amazing. Her costumes were stunning and she sang all the tunes that we have loved forever. The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Thomas Wilkins accompanied her
Before Ross began her performance, in the spotlight were members of Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (YOLA) who played with the full orchestra.
La Cañada residents Teena Hostovich, her husband Doug Martinet and their son Michael were the opening night committee chairs.
The benefit concert raised more than $1.75 million for the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s education and community programs (including YOLA), which serve more than 150,000 youth, families and teachers every year.
In a statement, Ross said, “I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside. Give them a sense of pride to make it easier — let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be.”
***
On Saturday, June 9, the California Art Club unveiled its 107th Annual Gold Medal Exhibition at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County with a gala preview and buffet dinner for collectors and artists.
More than 500 were in attendance for the festivities. The event raised nearly $305,000 with a portion of the proceeds supporting educational programming for the arts organization headquartered in Pasadena.
Among the club’s prestigious board of directors are La Cañadans Neal Brockmeyer and Al Plamann. Molly Brockmeyer and Nancy Plamann attended this special opening night alongside them.
JANE NAPIER NEELY covers the La Cañada Flintridge social scene. Email her at jnvalleysun@aol.com with news of your special event.