La Cañada History: Singing shoppers among the throng when HomeGoods opens store in new Town Center

Ten Years Ago

A ribbon-cutting event was held on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008 for the second retailer in the new La Cañada Town Center, a HomeGoods store. About 80 customers had already gathered around the store entrance by 8 a.m. that day, where they were welcomed by store manager Desiree Lyons. Two shoppers, longtime friends Darlene Pittman and Sandy Wise, entered the store enthusiastically singing, “If you’re happy and you know it, slide your card...”

Twenty Years Ago

KCET journalist and producer Huell Howser was in town as the featured speaker at the 5th annual Lanterman Lecture, presented by the Lanterman Historical Museum Foundation and held in Fellowship Hall at Church of the Lighted Window (today known as La Cañada Congregational Church).

Thirty Years Ago

An effort by La Cañada High School administration to emphasize the danger of consuming alcoholic beverages turned into a confrontation when a large part of the student body turned up on campus wearing T-shirts with beer company logos on them, in defiance of a school ruling against such attire.

Forty Years Ago

Eight months after construction started, the Crescenta-Cañada YMCA dedicated its new, $200,000 two-story Youth Activities Center and, at the same time, introduced its new general director, Jim Havlick.

Fifty Years Ago

Pasadena fire officials were trying to determine the cause of a fire that destroyed the interior of the Music Conservatory building at Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy in October 1968. The loss was placed at $100,000 including the destruction of 10 pianos and an organ. None of the school’s 215 students was injured, as they were eating lunch in another part of the campus when the blaze broke out.

Sixty Years Ago

In the first few weeks of the 1958 fall term, the cafeterias at La Cañada, Paradise Canyon and Oak Grove elementary schools were operating at an approximate $70-a-day loss. The assistant superintendent suggested boosting sales by lowering the cost of lunch from 40 to 35 cents. The school board decided to have the district office send a questionnaire to parents to get their input before taking any action.

Compiled from the Valley Sun archives by Carol Cormaci.