Home Decorating Contest Inspires Patriotism in Palisades

By JACQUELINE PRIMO | Reporter

The Pacific Palisades Fourth of July Home Decorating Contest was all stars and stripes for contestants and judges alike.

For the Sutton family on Galloway who was declared the contest winner; the Morris family on Friends as the runner up; and the Corwin family on Las Casas who won the first annual Sponsor’s Award, the contest was filled with an extra dash of sparkle and patriotic pride.

“It is so exciting to knock on the door to the winners’ and honorable mention homes. We have our fingers crossed that the entire family is home. It is a great moment of laughter, hand-shaking and picture snapping,” said contest sponsor Joan Sather, realtor and estates director with Sotheby’s International Realty in the Village.

Sather has been the enthusiastic sponsor for the contest for the past five years and was among the contest judges, a group that also included several members of the PAPA committee including chairman Daphne Gronich; Arnie Wishnick of the Chamber of Commerce; and last year’s contest winner Bev Lowe.

Judging took place on the afternoon of July 3 and Sather said the judges were keeping their eyes open for the contestant home with the best expression of patriotism.

“We theme up the golf cart with ribbons and flags and take off on a pre-arranged route to drive by the homes of the finalists. We stop at each house, discuss and take notes. Our route generally starts with Toyopa Drive in the Huntington since that is the parade route. Then we wind through the Alphabet Streets, into the bluffs of Via de la Paz and across to the bluffs of El Medio,” Sather said.

“This year we also had some entrants toward the Marquez area, so off the little cart chugged to cover that territory. There was even a lemonade stand detour for a refreshing break, with homemade cookies,” she added.

2015 Honorable Mentions:

Sommer family on Alma Real

Genow family on Toyopa

Kedeshian family on Toyopa

Christopher family on Via de la Paz

Ward/Eisfelder family on Hartzell

Flutie family on Charm Acres

Ramsey family on Ocampo

Almaraz family on Sunset

ALMOST RAN

“Every year, we attend the Williams’ Fourth of July party and every year we say they should enter and win the decorating contest,” Nasreen Babu-Khan told the Palisadian-Post of their friends the Williams family, whose display of American pride tends to miss the deadline for the Fourth of July Home Decorating Contest.

“They are super last-minute folks and are never ready in time for the annual judging. So, I am submitting a photo from this year to show their house moments before the parade.”