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Music and Mayors Mark the Parade

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American Legion Post 283 float won the Sweepstakes as Most Outstanding Float. It was decorated with a big birthday cake, a party horn and confetti, celebrating the nation's birthday.
American Legion Post 283 float won the Sweepstakes as Most Outstanding Float. It was decorated with a big birthday cake, a party horn and confetti, celebrating the nation’s birthday.
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa made good on his pledge a year ago to ride in Tuesday’s Palisades parade–the largest Fourth of July parade in Los Angeles. The high-energy mayor started out by sitting in an open convertible along Via de la Paz and Sunset until he reached the grandstand at Ralphs, whereupon he began walking the remainder of the route down to Drummond and then back along Toyopa to the park, shaking hands with spectators all along the way. The mayor was followed by singing icon Patti Page, who drove up from Solana Beach to ride as parade grand marshal; parade marshals Don and Carolyn Haselkorn; Honorary Mayor Gavin MacLeod; County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky; City Councilman Bill Rosendahl; Assemblywoman Fran Pavley; Los Angeles school board president Marlene Canter and board member David Tokofsky; and various other community leaders and honorees. The festivities also included a record 20 bands and other musical groups. Longtime resident Cheryel Kanan (business manager of the Palisadian-Post) rode as president of the PAPA, the parade organizing committee, and Hoppy Mehterian rode as leader of PAPA People, the volunteer group that handles various duties the day of the parade and at the fireworks show. At 2 p.m., all eyes were in the sky above town looking for the Carey Peck skydiving team that usually swoops down to land at Swarthmore and Sunset, marking the start of the parade. Many spectators were disappointed when they failed to appear. “We’re very sorry,” Peck told the Palisadian-Post yesterday. “We discovered technical problems with the plane the evening before the parade.” After calling all over Southern California, Peck was unable to find a plane that supports a skydiving operation. “There are not a lot of planes that sky divers can use,” he said. “We need a specific type of plane in order for the insurance to support diving, and those at the Santa Monica Airport aren’t the right type.” Peck’s plane usually comes from Riverside. “The skydivers are a popular feature of our parade and we apologize for their absence this year,” Kanan said. A group listed as the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps, which defines itself as “a citizens’ Neighborhood Watch observing and reporting on illegal activities at our borders,” brought controversy–and a group of chanting protestors–to the festivities. (See Editorial, page 2.) American Legion Post 283 won the Float Sweepstakes award as Most Outstanding Float, the Norwalk All City Youth Band garnered the Musical Sweepstakes trophy, and the Lighthouse Church and School of Santa Monica won the Patriotic Award for Best Local Entry with a float titled “The Light as the Message.” The Santa Monica Mounted Police received the Bud Emerson Memorial Award for best equestrian entry. Other awards included: Civic Float: Palisades Garden Club (first), Theatre Palisades (second), Community United Methodist Church (third). Youth Float: Pali Kids Protect the Earth (see story, page 4), Palisades-Malibu YMCA, Palisades Pony Baseball Association. Service Float: Riviera Masonic Lodge 780 (first). Marching Unit: Fancy Feet Dance Studio, Palisades Lutheran Church, Brownie Troop 835 (based at Seven Arrows Elementary School). Novelty: Patriotic Pups, Kids on Bikes, Gerry Blanck’s School of Karate. Antique Auto: Palisades Volleyball Club, Calvary Church of Pacific Palisades, Aldersgate Retreat. Clowns: Willyum the Clown (Bill Prachar).

PPBA Mustang All-Stars to Host District Tourney

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For the first time ever, the Palisades Pony Baseball Association is hosting the Mustang District All-Star Championships, the first round of the Pony Baseball National tournament. The tournament, consisting of the area’s best 10-and-under teams, starts Friday, July 7 and runs through next Wednesday, July 12 at the Palisades Recreation Center’s “Field of Dreams” diamonds. Teams from surrounding cities will play for the right to advance to the Sectionals, the second stage of the Pony Baseball National tournament. The two top teams from this week’s competition will move on to the Sectionals. Under the direction of head coach Bill Elder, who led the Cubs to the PPBA Mustang championship in June, the Pali All-Stars consist of Matt McGeagh, Cade Hulce, Jackson Kogan, Joe Rosenbaum, Brett Elder, Drew Pion, Paul Kirkpatrick, Jackson Bantle, Alex Flutie, Wylie Beetley, Chris Duvall, Justin Ruder, and Dawson Rosenberg. Pali advanced to the final four of last weekend’s Firecracker National Invitational, where they lost 8-5 to host Chino Hills on Monday. Earlier, Pali lost to Simi Valley, 12-9, before rebounding to beat Las Vegas, 4-3, and La Crescenta, 16-3.

Records Fall in Youth Triathlon

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Compared to the Palisades- Will Rogers 5/10K, the Palisades Youth Triathlon is still in its infancy. Yet, in just four years, it has emerged as one of the “cool things to do” for local youth on July 4. While a number of records were broken at this year’s competition, the number Triathlon founder and organizer Deborah Hafford is most proud of is 160. That is the number of young athletes ages 5-15 who participated in Tuesday morning’s event, which began with a three-mile bike ride through Huntington Palisades, continued with a one-mile run through the Village and ended with a 150-yard swim at the Palisades-YMCA pool in Temescal Canyon. Fourteen-year-old Willy MacMiller, who had finished third overall the previous two years, set a blistering pace on his bike that distanced him from the pack and he went on to win the event with a time of 19:43, breaking the record of 21:22 set by Jared Brown in 2005. MacMiller lives in the San Fernando Valley, but his uncle Jim lives in the Palisades. Willy, who will be attending Crespi High in Encino in the fall, runs for the West Valley Eagles Track Club. “The 3,000 meters is my best event,” he said. “I do it in around 9:59. I usually do mountain biking in the San Fernando Hills. But I need to work on swimming.” The second finisher overall was Jimmy De Mayo, also in the 13-15 age group, who completed the three phases in 21.02. Finishing third, also in the 13-15 age group, was David Hafford. The first female finisher was 14-year-old Natalie Farnham, who won for the second straight year and, in the process, knocked almost two seconds off of last year’s winning time. Farnham completed the event in 23:08, bettering the previous course record of 23:30 set two years ago by Courtney Knapp. “The training helps,” said Farnham, who went to three of the four clinics offered by the YMCA and directed by Hafford to prepare participants for Tuesday’s triathlon. Allison Merz, also 14, took second in 23:34. “It was hard,” she admitted. “I did zero training. The worst was going uphill on the bike.” Sitting next to Merz was Alexandra Edel who confessed: “I should have tried the bike before the race. It was like 30 years old and it wouldn’t shift.” Finishing third in the girls’ 13-15 category was Vianey Barrios, who was the second girl to begin the pool phase but was passed after several laps by Merz, who swims for the Palisades-Malibu YMCA team. Barrios had run the Palisades-Will Rogers 5K in 27 minutes, finishing about an hour before the start of the Youth Triathlon. She would have run faster had she not missed the 5/10K turnaround point and been forced to run back up the hill. Barrios is part of Exceeding Expectations headed by Cherie Grunfeld who trains youths in San Bernadino who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. This year she brought 14 athletes all of whom competed in the 5K and the triathlon. “I really like this,” Barrios said, “It keeps you out of drugs and keeps you healthy.” Barrios is planning to run cross country at Redlands East Valley High next year. Cody O’Connell was a repeat winner in the boys’ 11-12 age group. He took first place last year in 24:26. This year, he set a new record of 23:11. Second place was Alex MacMiller and third was Dylan Rees. Mara Silka repeated in the girls’ 11-12 age group and her time of 23:46 was the third fastest overall. She eclipsed last year’s time of 25.38 and set a new age group record. Second place was Emily Berkin and third was Lucy Tilton. Winning the boys’ 9-10 age group was Alec Wilimovsky with a time of 27:52, followed by Joe Rosenbaum and Michael Beutner. In the girls division, Kjahna O took first place for the second time in 27:39. MacKenzie Gray was second and Rachel Martin third. Tommy Lutz set a new boys’ 6-8 record with a time of 31:22, ahead of second place finisher and previous record-holder Joe Walker. Third went to Collin McCarthy. A record also dropped in the female 6-8 category as Courtney Corrin finished in 30:58. Finishing second was Aralely Juarez and third went to Jacylin Inclan. The last triathlete to complete the course was six-year-old Sarah Kitay. Four members of her Brownie troop jumped into the pool and swam with her, cheering her on until she touched the wall. Nine-year-old Veronica Ramos, one of the students from Ninth Street Elementary in Santa Monica who had come to the Palisades to train for the previous last four Saturdays was the last place finisher in 2005. Part of the problem in that race was she hadn’t quite mastered the bicycle and did the course on training wheels, was ecstatic this year. She told Hafford, “I was last last year and this year there were tons of kids behind me.”

Gilmore Feels Right at Home

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29TH ANNUAL PALISADES-WILL ROGERS RACE

Palisadian Peter Gilmore speeds toward the finish line at the entrance to the Palisades Recreation Center, moments from winning the 5K race for the eighth time.
Palisadian Peter Gilmore speeds toward the finish line at the entrance to the Palisades Recreation Center, moments from winning the 5K race for the eighth time.
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer

Peter Gilmore is the first to admit there is no greater feeling than finishing first in your hometown race. He should know, for he has a lot of experience doing just that. The 29-year-old Palisadian won the Palisades-Will Rogers 5K for the eighth time in 12 years on Tuesday, finishing the 3.1-mile course through the streets of Huntington Palisades in 14:15, his third fastest time yet. “I actually considered trying the 10K this year but I wanted to see if I could break 14 [minutes],” said Gilmore, who set the race record of 14:10 in 2003 and ran his second-fastest time (14:12) a year later. “I could feel it in my legs after the first mile that I just didn’t have it today, but this is still a very respectable time. It was quite hot but I make a conscious effort to train in the heat because you never know what the weather will be like. You have to be prepared for anything.” Mikal Sandoval, a ranger at Will Rogers State Park for almost 25 years, got the day off to a rousing start with her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner–only the second time she has performed the national anthem in public. “The first time was for the Chamber of Commerce on opening day of the polo season last year,” said Sandoval, who sings in a four-part ladies’ acapella group that will be competing at the small chorus world championships next week in San Antonio. “I love to sing vintage songs from the 1920s and 30s, lots of standards and show tunes, but to be asked to do this is very exciting.” Further enhancing the patriotic mood was official race starter Lu Parker of KTLA’s Prime Time News, who implored the throngs of people gathered at the entrance to the Palisades Recreation Center to “remember the men and women overseas who are fighting for our freedom.” With that, the horn sounded and the first wave of runners, equipped with computer chips on their sneakers, crossed the intersection of Alma Real and Toyopa. Palisadians Mike Haddan (15:18), Ryan Gordon (16:18) and Ethan Meyers (16:28) finished second through fourth overall, respectively. Meyers won the 16-18 age division while another local runner, 15-year-old Rickey Gables, won his age group in 20:37. Three other Palisadians won their age divisions: Bob Olds took the 65-69 age group in 24:03, Bob Gold won the 70-74 category in 27:07 and Ted Mackie finished first in the 75-99 division with a time of 31:48. Gilmore finished 17th at last year’s New York marathon and is in serious training for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Next on his schedule is the seven-mile- long Falmouth Road Race in Massachusetts on August 13–one of the most competitive races in the country. Yet even while Gilmore pursues ever-ambitious goals, nothing can replace the thrill he gets running in front of friends and family. “It’s hard to acknowledge people when you’re concentrating on the race but I did hear a lot of people cheering for me and I saw a lot of familiar faces,” said the 29-year-old Gilmore, who graduated from Palisades High in 1995, went on to run cross country and track at UC Berkeley, and now lives and trains in San Mateo. “It’s very rare to have a race like this that is a benchmark.” Though she did not have the “home course advantage” that Gilmore enjoyed, Jenna Dee found her first try at the 5K to her liking, winning the women’s race in 18:47. “This was an awesome course with plenty of shade and rolling hills,” said the 32-year-old from Marine del Rey, who trains with See Jane Run, a Santa Monica-based running club sponsored by Nike. “It was warm out there but a woman who was watering her lawn sprayed us with her hose as we went by and it felt great. If I knew her name I’d send her a thank you card.” Dee overtook last year’s winner, Therese Fricke of Santa Monica, in the third mile and finished 15 seconds ahead of runner-up Tania Fischer, who won the race herself in 1993 in 16:36, seven seconds off the women’s record set by Annetta Luevano in 1995. Fricke, who clocked 18:39 last year, was third in 19:08. Claudia Campos was the first Palisadian woman to finish, placing sixth overall in 20:43 and winning the 45-49 age group. Other local runners to win their divisions were Joelle Corey (25:06) in the 16-18 age group, Samantha Bryant (22:41) in the 35-39 age group, Patty Beckwith (24:49) in the 50-54 age group and La Rel Beyer (29:47) in the 70-74 age group. Kevin Koeper, a 28-year-old from Arcadia, won the men’s 10K for the second straight year in 33:01, crossing the finish line 12 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Kevin Purcell of Los Angeles. Setting the pace with several fellow Nike Team runners, Koeper ran the 6.2 miles in 31:54 last year under cooler conditions. The 10K record of 29:46 was set by New Zealander Russel Edmonds in 1983. Local division winners were Chad Kanoff, who won the 1-12 age group in 52:44, and Al Werker, who won the 70-74 age group in 40:17 Erica Aklufi, a 30-year-old Santa Monica resident, braved the grueling Will Rogers switchbacks to recordl the sixth-fastest women’s 10K time ever. Aklufi ran the race in 35:55, one second faster than Mindy Ireland’s clocking in 1986. Katie Dunsmuir, a PaliHi alum and five-time 10K winner, set the women’s record of 35:09 in 1983. Aklufi held off the challenges of Palisadian and three-time 10K winner Kara Barnard, who was second in 38:01, and defending champion Lucy Fitzgerald of Santa Monica, who earned the bronze medal for third place in 41:41. Ali Riley, who was second overall in the 5K the previous year, tried the 10K for the first time Tuesday and won the 16-18 age group in 42:14 while fellow Palisadian Catherine Coleman won the 50-54 age group in 49:30. Also receiving a medal was Larry Meyer, although it wasn’t because he placed among the top three in his age group. At the post-race medal ceremony, Meyer was recognized for having participated in every Palisades-Will Rogers 10K since the race began in 1978. “I guess this the only way I’m going to win anything here, but I’ll take it,” the 59-year-old from Glendale joked. “My best time was 51 [minutes] and something and I can’t remember the year. I always like to wear the shirt I got from the first race but my wife’s out of town and I couldn’t find the thing.” While keeping his consecutive 10K streak alive remains top priority, Meyer is closing in on yet another personal goal–running a marathon on all seven continents. In 2005, he ran marathons eight days apart in Antarctica and South America, leaving only Asia left to conquer. “I’m planning to run a race along the Great Wall of China next May, so that will take care of that,” Meyer said, adding, with a touch of sarcasm, “I have to say that this race is the best. I just love the switchbacks.” Of the 2,344 runners this year, 1,306 were Palisadians. For complete results, visit the official race Web site at www.palisades10k.com or log on to Race Central at www.runraceresults.com.

CLASSIFIED ADS FROM THE JUNE 29, 2006 ISSUE OF THE PALISADIAN-POST

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HOMES FOR SALE 1

MALIBU 4 BDRM WITH POOL & JACUZZI. Off Las Flores (Seaview Estates). To be sold to highest bidder by July 31st. No realtor involved. Call (310) 924-4354 or email bis@baldingerins.com

HOMES WANTED 1b

WE BUY HOUSES, APTS & LAND! ALL CASH, AS-IS, FAST CLOSE. David, (310) 308-7887

HOME EVALUATION 1d

COMPLIMENTARY EVALUATION OF YOUR HOME. It’s fast, easy and it’s free! Visit www.WhatsmyHomeWorth.com

FURNISHED HOMES 2

MAUI HOUSE WITH VIEW. 2 br, 2 ba non-smoking house in South Kihei w/ view of ocean, Lanai’i and Haleakala. Vintage Hawaiian furnishings, Lanai, BBQ, easy access to best beach on the gold coast. Available August 2006. Rent: $1,150/wk+deposits. Call (808) 879-9295. Local reference: (310) 459-7580 CABO SAN LUCAS: 1 week at beautiful Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Resort. Large presidential suite sleeps 6-8, ocean view, pool, spa, restaurants. Aug. 18-25. Call Hugh, (310) 459-7371, or email hughhmh0939@aol.com

UNFURNISHED HOMES 2a

PACIFIC PALISADES WONDERFULLY UPDATED ’60s style house on the Castellammare bluffs. 3 bdrms, 2 ba, newly refinished hdwd floors, all white modern kitchen w/ all appliances, central heating and a/c. 2 car garage, pvt yd with lap pool and bonus rooftop jacuzzi with sunset views of the Pacific. $7,500/mo. 17929 Castellammare Pacific Palisades, 90272. Call Gary C. at the Beaumont Co., (323) 466-9761 (M-F, 8:30-5), (323) 314-7143 (evenings and weekends) PACIFIC PALISADES. BEAUTIFULLY UPDATED home on mountain edge of alphabet streets, within walking distance to village, 3 bdrms, 2 ba in main house, modern kitchen, Subzero, Viking, granite countertops, hardwood floors, extensive mouldings, updated bathrooms, separate guesthouse with bathroom and kitchen area, 2-car garage, big flat tastefully landscaped yard. Can come partially furnished. $8,000/mo. Call Lisa at (310) 203-7952 or (310) 454-9274 PACIFIC PALISADES. BEAUTIFULLY UPDATED 4 bdrm, 3 ba, ocean views, outdoor kitchen, private yard with jacuzzi, decks. $8,500/mo., short or long term lease. Call (310) 230-3333 EL MEDIO BLUFFS AREA 3 bdrm, 2 ba plus bonus rm, lrg mstr bdrm. All appliances. Corner home w/ mtn view. Priv bkyrd. Gardener incl. Avail 8/1/06-4/30/07. $4,300/mo. Call (310) 454-1669 IMPECCABLE 4 BR, 3.5 BA HM w/ ocean/mt/cyn vus. Apx 5 min to town & beach. Available for 3 mos. min. Mstr ste w/ pvt study, cooks kit, fam rm, vaulted ceilings, FR doors thruout open to patios, BBQ area & gardens. This home has it all. $12,000/mo. Adele Carlson, Prudential CA Realty. (310) 230-3747. ADELLE.MC@verizon.net 3 BDRM, 1 BA HOUSE 2 blks from village. Water and garden included. $3,200/mo. Call (310) 395-9547 2 BDRM, 2 BA TOWNHOUSE, 2-car garage, new carpet, paint, A/C, fireplace, patio, pool, tennis, laundry room. $2,650/mo. (909) 861-4493

UNFURNISHED APARTMENTS 2c

EDGEWATER TOWERS 1 BDRM, large patio, ocean view. Pools, gated security, covered parking, tennis gym and more. Available July. $2,300/mo. Telephone and fax: (310) 454-5652 NEAR OCEAN: 1 BDRM, 1 BA, Like new, patio, 2 parking, st. level. Walk to shops & rest. $1,300/mo. MUST BE OVER 62. Tel: (310) 454-0846

RENTALS TO SHARE 3a

QUALITY LIFE, HEART OF PAC PAL village, mtn view, Sunday market, restaurants, shops, activities. Beautiful 3 bdrm, 2 ba condo w/ vaulted ceilings, hdwd flr, balcony, W/D, parking space. Seek considerate, responsible, active, professional like myself. Female preferred. No drugs, smokers, pets, negative thinkers. Ideal for someone on a project here and goes home weekends. $900 + 1/2 util. Call (310) 890-6687 SEEKING ELDERLY WOMAN roommate to share expenses. Beautiful ocean view apartment in the Palisades. Call Martha, (310) 459-8072

WANTED TO RENT 3b

MATURE, CLEAN, PROFESSIONAL WRITER seeking guesthouse on Westside. Xlnt refs. (818) 284-0667 or email at onekoolrj@yahoo.com

OFFICE/STORE RENTALS 3c

$950/mo. 15115 1/2 Sunset Blvd. #B. LITE & BRITE 2 room office suite. 2nd floor. Call agent, (310) 459-3493 MEDICAL SPACE: UPSCALE BUSY medical bldg. 300 sq. ft. Three office suite. Available 9/1/06. Call (310) 273-8700 OFFICE IN SANTA MONICA. Ten min. from Palisades. $625/mo. Private, windows, sunny, free high-speed internet, cleaning. Also available; furnished cubicle with window and storage. 14th & Broadway. (310) 393-8306. kk

VACATION RENTALS 3e

PRIVATE FURN APARTMENT IN PARIS. Services available. 24-hour hotline. Starting at $75 a night for 2 persons (studios to 4 bedrooms). Privacy, economy, convenience as you live like a Parisian. 5 day minimum. Established in 1985. PSR 90, Ave Champs-Elysees. PSR, Inc. (312) 587-7707. Fax (800) 582-7274. Web address: www.psrparis.com. Email: Reservations@psrparis.com

DONATIONS 6

LOOKING FOR COMPUTER DONATIONS for 112th St. Elementary School literature competion for 6th graders. For details call Maggie, (310) 403-1845

LOST & FOUND 6a

FOUND: FAMILY PHOTOS, Tuesday 6/21, approximately 11 a.m. on Temescal Blvd. Southside sidewalk across from Pali High (1950s). Writing on back of photos. Call (310) 454-1321 LOST: WHITE & SILVER CAT. Blue eyes, male. Lost on 6/22, Upper Chautaugua, name Fluffer. Please call (310) 573-0357

MISCELLANEOUS 6c

SEMPER FI: TO BE ALWAYS FAITHFUL. US Marines code of honor. A class by Ray Nasser, US Marine, CA cred/teacher. Purple Heart. 16321 PCH #63, Pacific Palisades. (310) 454-7432

BOOKKEEPING/ACCOUNTING 7b

BOOKKEEPER/EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT. QuickBooks, Ouicken, Word processing, Excel spreadsheets, Business Management. Professional, detail-oriented Palisades resident. Exlnt refs upon request. Victoria, (310) 454-2705

COMPUTER SERVICES 7c

PUT YOUR COMPUTER TO WORK – PC BASED CAMERA SURVEILLANCE-Featuring: Live Viewing via Internet & Record to Hard Drive. Easy to Use Low Cost Solutions-4 to 16 Cameras – FRANKEL CONSULTING – 310.454.3886 MARIE’S MAC & PC OUTCALL. I CAN HELP YOU IN YOUR HOME OR OFFICE WITH: Consultation on best hard/software for your needs – Setting up & configuring your system & applications – Teaching you how to use your Mac or PC – Upgrades: Mac OS & Windows – Internet: DSL, Wireless, E-mail, Remote Access – Key Applications: MS Office, Filemaker, Quicken – Contact Managers, Networking, File Sharing, Data backup – Palm, Visor, Digital Camera, Scanner, CD Burning – FRIENDLY & PROFESSIONAL – BEST RATES – (310) 262-5652 YOUR OWN TECH GURU – Set-up, Tutoring, Repair, Internet. End Run-around. Pop-up Expert! Satisfying Clients since 1992. If I Can’t Help, NO CHARGE! COMPUTER WORKS! Alan Perla, (310) 455-2000 COMPUTER CONSULTANT, MAC SPECIALIST. Very Patient, Friendly and Affordable. Tutoring Beginners to Advanced Users. Wireless DSL internet. MAC/PC SET UP – Repair – Upgrade – OS X. Senior discounts! Home/Office. William Moorefield, (310) 838-2254. macitwork.com COMPUTER PROBLEMS? Discount prices. Call now for immediate service. Local Palisadian. Taylor, (310) 382-0735

GARAGE, ESTATE SALES 7f

PLANNING A GARAGE SALE? a moving sale? a yard sale? a rummage sale? an estate sale? Call it what you like. But call us to do it for you. We do the work. Start to finish. – BARBARA DAWSON – Garage Sale Specialist – (310) 454-0359 – bmdawson@verizon.net – Furniture – Antiques – Collectibles – Junque – Reliable professionals Local References

ORGANIZING SERVICES 7h

HOME & HOME OFFICE MANAGEMENT. Do you need regular assistance, but not full time help? 15 yrs exper, exclnt refs. Website: www.paulapopins.com. (310) 455-4281

MISCELLANEOUS 7j

PALI ALUM STEVEN WINTERS produces, edits, customizes & musically digitizes documentaries, parties, regular videos, DVDs. Also Mac computer expert. Cell: (323) 394-9007, or sj_winters@hotmail.com

DAYCARE CENTERS 8

PALISADES LEARN AND PLAY creative & nurturing Pre-K program. Crafts, music and educational curriculum. All staff CPR certified. Openings for summer/fall. Full or P/T. (310) 459-0920

NANNIES/BABYSITTERS 8a

NANNY/BABYSITTER available Monday-Friday. Excellent Palisades references, experience with newborns. Call Rosie, (323) 962-8486 BABYSITTER AVAILABLE Monday-Friday. Very good references. Call Carmen, (323) 373-0781

HOUSEKEEPERS 9a

“PROFESSIONAL SERVICES.” We make your home our business. Star sparkling cleaning services. In the community over 15 years. The best in housekeeping for the best price. Good references. Call Bertha, (323) 754-6873 & cell (213) 393-1419 HOUSECLEANING/OR BABYSITTING Available Mon. thru Fri., 7 a.m.-4 p.m. L/O. References, experienced with children. Own transportation. Please call Imelda, (323) 752-5244 HOUSEKEEPER/EXCELLENT references, own transportation. Available Monday-Friday. Please call Virginia, (310) 287-0186, (310) 384-3418 HOUSEKEEPER/BABYSITTER AVAILABLE Monday-Friday. Excellent local references. Many years experience. Own transportation. CDL. Please call Gladis anytime, (323) 972-8021 or (323) 291-0130 HOUSEKEEPER/NANNY: Local family looking for work for our housekeeper. Our children have flown the nest. Wonderful, excellent cleaner, great with kids. Call Bonnie, (310) 454-4004

ELDER CARE/COMPANIONS 10a

CAREGIVERS/COMPANIONS Live in/out. Minimum 2 years experience. 3 work related references required. CNA’S/CHH’S welcomed. Bondable. Call (323) 692-3692

GARDENING, LANDSCAPING 11

PALISADES GARDENING – Full Gardening Service – Sprinkler Install – Tree Trim – Sodding/Seeding – Sprays, non-toxic – FREE 10″ Flats, Pansies, Snap, Impatiens. (310) 568-0989 TREE AND LANDSCAPE EXPERT. Horticulturist, arborist, landscape manager/designer. Tree diagnosis, trimming, removal, appraisal/donation for tax deduction. Lawn diagnosis, repair. Sprinklers, drip systems. Expert maintenance. Greenhouse/veggie/herb gardens Comprehensive plant & landscape consulting. Darren Butler, (818) 271-0963 POND CONSTRUCTION & DESIGN: Water gardening. Japanese Koi fish. Filtration pond service, repair & maintence. Free estimates. Cell, (310) 498-5380, (310) 390-1276. Visit us at www.TheKingKoi.com GARCIA GARDENING SERVICE – Maintenance – Sprinkler Systems – Planting – Clean-up – Landscape – (310) 733-7414

MOVING & HAULING 11b

HONEST MAN SERVICES. 14″ van & dollies. Small jobs to 2 bedrooms. Hauls it all. California/Nevada. Over 12 years. Westside experience. (310) 285-8688

WINDOW WASHING 13h

HAVING A PARTY? SELLING some real estate or just want to do some spring cleaning? Get those WINDOWS SHINING by calling No Streak Window Cleaning, where we offer fast friendly quality service you can count on! For a free estimate call Marcus, (323) 632-7207. Lic. #122194-49. Bonded EXPERT WINDOW CLEANER 20 years Westside. Clean and detailed. Free estimates, sills and screens included. Up to two stories only. Brian, (310) 289-5279

MISCELLANEOUS 13i

PRESSURE WASHING. Superior cleaning, driveways, walkways, patios. Craig, (310) 459-9000

HOUSESITTING 14b

HOUSE/PETSITTER AVAILABLE: Currently sitting for Emmy Award-winning filmmaker. Looking for next job. Has house/pet sat $2M home in BH. References: well known actor, exec producer. (917) 754-6735

PARTY ENTERTAINMENT 14e

LA’S PREMIER EXOTIC PARTY & event staffing firm. Theme parties available. Bartenders, servers, etc. domesticdesires.com. (323) 969-0840

PET SERVICES/PET SITTING 14g

BE HAPPY TO COME HOME! Trusted house/pet care in & around Palisades since 1986. Educated, responsible. (310) 454-8081 PET HEAVEN – TOTAL PET CARE. Training. Walking. Playgroups and hikes. 30 yrs Pali resident. References. Call (310) 454-0058 for a happy dog. HAPPY PET – Dog Walking – Park Outings – Socialization. Connie, (310) 230-3829

MISCELLANEOUS 14j

CERTIFIED LIFEGUARD available for private pool parties. 4 years experience. Local references. Call Taylor, (310) 562-1736 I WILL BODYGUARD your children. 13 years martial arts & boxing experience. UCLA graduate. Fluent in English, French, Spanish. Excellent with kids. 9 years childcare. (310) 740-1150

SCHOOLS, INSTRUCTION 15d

PIANO INSTRUCTION. Give the life-long gift of music! Very patient, creative teacher. Music degree, USC. Qualified, experienced, local. Lisa Lukas, (310) 454-0859. www.palisadesmusicstudio.com PRIVATE PIANO INSTRUCTION IN YOUR HOME: Customized learning made FUN! Classical – Modern – Jazz – See results. KIDS & ADULTS. Palisades Chamber member. Sandra, (310) 666-4149

TUTORS 15e

INDIVIDUALIZED INSTRUCTION. EXPERIENCED TUTOR 20+ YEARS. Children & adults, 20+ yrs teaching/tutoring exper. MATH, GRAMMAR, WRITING & STUDY SKILLS. Formerly special ed teacher. Call (310) 313-2530. SCIENCE & MATH TUTOR, All levels (elementary to college). Ph.D., MIT graduate, 30 years experience. Ed Kanegsberg, (310) 459-3614 MS. SCIENCE TUTOR. Ph.D., Experienced, Palisades resident. Tutor All Ages In Your Home. Marie, (310) 888-7145 EXPERIENCED SPANISH TUTOR. All grade levels, conversational & all ages. Local refs, flexible hours. Please call Noelle at (310) 273-3593 READING SPECIALIST – Master of Education-Reading and Learning Disabilities – Special Education Teaching Certificate: K-12 – Regular Education Teaching Certificate: K-9 – Elementary Education Teaching experience: 12 yrs – Services provided for special & regular education students of all levels – Academic areas taught include reading (phonics and reading comprehension) writing and spelling – Private tutoring includes accessing the student’s needs, developing an individualized education program and implementation of that program. Palisades resident. Call Brandi, (310) 230-9890 PROFESSIONAL TUTOR. Stanford graduate (BA and MA, Class of 2000). Available for all subjects and test prep (SAT & AP). In-home tutoring at great rates. Call Jonathan, (310) 560-9134 PIANO TEACHER IN PACIFIC PALISADES! 20 years experience. I teach in your home. Great with children and adults returning to the piano. Call Karen Rae, (310) 383-0200 CLEARLY MATH TUTORING. Specializing in math! Elementary thru college level. Test prep, algebra, trig, geom, calculus. Fun, caring, creative, indivdualized tutoring. Math anxiety. Call Jamie, (310) 459-4722 TOP TUTOR. Harvard-Westlake “A” Student: History, Algebra I & Latin I, for enrichment or getting ahead, summer is a great time to become the student you want to be. $25 per hour. Ryan, (310) 663-2317 LANGUAGE ARTS TUTORING. Secondary credentialed teacher in English from USC, ten years experience. Specializing in grammar, writing and test preparation. Call Louise, (310) 459-2433 INSPIRATION & ORIGINALITY. Articulate your ideas with dramatic writing. Realizing one’s imagination with words is a formidable tool for improving confidence. The same process used in verbal communication is an essential skill in social interaction. 8-15 years. Taught by screen and short story writer who has worked with LA’s Young Storytellers Program and the Writers Guild foundation’s High School Screenwriting Workshops. (310) 993-3037 or mayleparis@hotmail.com

CABINET MAKING 16

CUSTOM WOODWORK AND CABINETS. Craftsmanship quality, 20 years experience, local resident. Local references available. General Contractor Calif. License #402923. Ron Dillaway, (310) 455-4462. rondillaway@yahoo.com

CARPENTRY 16a

QUALITY CRAFTMANSHIP. Skylights, windows, doors, fencing, decks, kitchens, bath, etc. (310) 428-3822

CONCRETE, MASONRY, POOLS 16c

MASONRY, CONCRETE & POOL CONTRACTOR. 36 YEARS IN PACIFIC PALISADES. Custom masonry & concrete, stamped, driveways, pools, decks, patios, foundations, fireplace, drainage control, custom stone, block & brick, tile. Excellent local references. Lic. #309844. Bonded/insured/ workmen’s comp. Family owned & operated. MIKE HORUSICKY CONSTRUCTION, INC. (310) 454-4385 – www.horusicky.com

CONSTRUCTION 16d

CASTLE CONSTRUCTION. New homes, remodeling, additions, fine finish carpentry. Serving the Westside for 20 yrs. Lic. #649995. Call James, (310) 450-6237

ELECTRICAL 16h

PALISADES ELECTRIC, ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR. All phases of electrical, new construction to service work. (310) 454-6994. Lic. #468437. Insured. Professional Service ELECTRICIAN HANDYMAN. Local Service Only (Not lic.). Please Call (310) 454-6849 or (818) 317-8286

FENCES 16j

THE FENCE MAN. 14 years quality workmanship. Wood fences – Decks – Gates – Chainlink & overhang. Lic. #663238, bonded. (818) 706-1996 INDEPENDENT SERVICE CARLOS FENCE: Wood & Picket Fences – Chain Link – Iron & Gates – Deck & Patio Covers. Ask for Carlos, (310) 677-2737 or fax (310) 677-8650. Non-lic.

FLOOR CARE 16l

GREG GARBER’S HARDWOOD FLOORS SINCE 1979. Install, refinish. Fully insured. Local references. (310) 230-4597. Lic. #455608 CENTURY HARDWOOD FLOOR. Refinishing, Installation, Repairs. Lic. #813778. www.centurycustomhardwoodfloorinc.com. centuryfloor@sbcglobal.net – (800) 608-6007 – (310) 276-6407 HART HARDWOOD FLOORING. Best pricing. Senior discounts, quality workmanship. Bamboo, maple, oak and laminate. Installation & refinishing. Call for free quote. Lic. #763767. Ron, (310) 308-4988 GOLDEN HARDWOOD FLOORS. Professional installation & refinishing. National Wood Flooring Association member. Lic. #732286 Plenty of local references. (877) 622-2200. www.goldenhardwoodfloors.com

HANDYMAN 16n

HANDYMAN, Since 1975. Call for your free est. Local ref. Lic. #560299. Member, Chamber of Commerce. HOOSHMAN (310) 459-8009, 24 Hr. LABOR OF LOVE carpentry, plumbing, tile, plaster, doors, windows, fencing & those special challenges. Work guaranteed. License #B767950. Ken at (310) 455-0803 LOCAL RESIDENT, LOCAL CLIENTELE. Make a list, call me. I specialize in repairing, replacing all those little nuisances. Not licensed; fully insured; always on time. 1 Call, 1 Guy Marty, (310) 459-2692 THE HANDY GUY. Any job, big or small. Over 16 years experience. Lic #B-858574. We’re proud to donate our services to Habitat for Humanity. (310) 216-9034 PETERPAN – Quality home repair. Serving entire Westside. (Not lic.) Ask for Peter, (310) 663-3633 AVALON ESTATE MAINTENANCE. Specializing in all aspects of home repair. Reasonable rates. Refs available. Prompt service. Non-lic. Call Dustin, (310) 924-2711

HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING 16o

SANTA MONICA HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING. INSTALLATION: New and old service and repairs. Lic. #324942 (310) 393-5686

PAINTING, PAPERHANGING 16q

PAUL HORST – Interior & Exterior – PAINTING – 52 YEARS OF SERVICE – Our reputation is your safeguard. License No. 186825 – (310) 454-4630 – Bonded & Insured TILO MARTIN PAINTING. For A Professional Job Call (310) 230-0202. Ref’s. Lic. #715099 SQUIRE PAINTING CO. Interior and Exterior. License #405049. 25 years. Local Service. (310) 454-8266. www.squirepainting.com SPIROS PAINTING, INTERIOR/EXTERIOR. Painting on the Westside since 1980. Lic. #821009. Fax and phone: (310) 826-6097. NO JOB is too small or too big for Spiro the Greek ZARKO PRTINA PAINTING. Interior/Exterior. 35 years in service. License #637882. Call (310) 454-6604

PLUMBING 16s

BOTHAM PLUMBING AND HEATING. Lic. #839118. (310) 827-4040 JLK PLUMBING. Re-pipe and sewer specialist & all plumbing repairs. Mention this ad & receive 10% off. Lic. #722414. Call (310) 678-6634 WHITTLE’S PLUMBING – Drain & sewer problems – Garbage disposal & H2O heaters – Copper repiping & gas lines – Fixtures remodels – General construction. #1 PLUMBING. Mobile, (310) 429-7187. Lic. #668743

REMODELING 16u

KANAN CONSTRUCTION – References. BONDED – INSURED – St. Lic. #554451 – DANIEL J. KANAN, CONTRACTOR, (310) 451-3540 / (800) 585-4-DAN LABOR OF LOVE HOME REPAIR & REMODEL. Kitchens, bathrooms, cabinetry, tile, doors, windows, decks, etc. Work guar. Ken Bass, General Contractor. Lic. #B767950. (310) 455-0803 BASIX DESIGNS & REMODELING, INC. WE DO IT ALL – Kitchen & Bathroom Remodeling Specialist – Room Additions – Interior/Exterior Paint – Windows/Doors – Custom Carpentry – Plumbing – Electrical – Call For Free Estimate – Toll Free: (877) 422-2749 – Lic. #769443 COMPLETE CUSTOM CONSTRUCTION. New homes – Kitchen – Bath – Remodeling – Additions – Quality work at reasonable rates guaranteed. Large and small projects welcomed. Lic. #751137. Call Michael Hoff Construction today, (310) 230-2930

HELP WANTED 17

DRIVERS: EARN MORE AT WERNER ENTERPRISES. Western region runs. Also seeking inexperienced and seasonal drivers. (800) 346-2818 ext 123 ADMIN/PR. Fast-paced, upscale office in Pacific Palisades. Will train & reward. PT/FT. Call (310) 454-0317 RECEPTIONIST FOR CONST. CO. Exp. required. $10 to start. Avail. immed. Fax Res.: (310) 573-1686 MEDICAL OFFICE, Santa Monica. Part-time position. Front and back office. Experienced, or we will train the right motivated person. (310) 829-3303 or fax resume to (310) 829-3301 RECEPTIONIST/OFFICE assistant full time for Pacific Palisades travel agency. Excellent phone skills required and general office experience. Call Pat or Geri at (310) 459-9891 PRE-SCHOOL TEACHER NEEDED who loves children, art, music. Team player, must have experience, and 12 ECE units. Begins September 2006. Fax resume to: (310) 454-7203 PACIFIC PALISADES PROFESSIONAL FIRM seeks receptionist/admin ass’t who can multi-task; is detail oriented; and has professional telephone manner. Accounts receivable detail experience helpful; seasonal overtime. Excellent salary; 401k Plan; health insurance; and flex-time. Please fax resume to (310) 313-0242. HOUSEKEEPER/NANNY NEEDED Tues.-Sat., 12 p.m.-8 p.m. Excellent English & refs req’d. Must drive. Please call (310) 581-8891 and lv message. DRIVERS: BE A DRIVING SENSATION at J&S Transportation! Health, 401K! Great home time! CA DL-A, 2 years experience, double endorsement required. (800) 985-1044 WANTED: INSTRUCTIONAL AIDES, Palisades Elementary. Hrs: 15/wk. Time: 8:30-11:30. Days: Mon.-Fri. Making a difference in a child’s life: Priceless! Call (310) 454-3700 or fax resume, (310) 459-5627 EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT: Full time position available in growing Westside Financial Inst. Must be organized and have excellent verbal, written communication skills. Computer proficiency & banking knowledge required. Excellent pay & benefits. Resumes must include salary requirements. Please send all inquires to resumes@1stprivate.com LADY WANTED FOR LIVE-IN position. Light housekeeping. Help with handicapped daughter. (310) 457-3393 FULL-TIME live-in nanny/housekeeper needed. English speaking. Good references. (310) 246-9921

AUTOS 18b

2004 GLS CONVERTIBLE Volkswagen Beetle Turbo. 15,000 miles, leather heated seats, tiptronic xmission. Please call (310) 592-2817 1973 DODGE DART SWINGER 2-door coupe. 318 V8. 78K original miles. Very clean. Transmission done. New top. $5,000 obo. Call Rich @ (310) 393-3295

GARAGE, ESTATE SALES 18d

ESTATE SALE. JULY 8TH. Saturday. 8 a.m.-6 p.m. 572 Radcliffe Ave. Antiques, books, clothes, furniture. Everything must go! GARAGE SALE. JULY 1st, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. 721 Hampden Place, Pacific Palisades, Jewelry, pottery, tools, plants . . . S.M. ANOTHER CLEAR-OUT-CLEAN-OUT Sale! Eclectic mix of fine & funky! Knick-knacks/books/ stuff. 2511 Arizona (in the alley bet. 25th-26th Streets). Park on 26th. FRI.-SAT., Jun. 30-Jul 1; 8 a.m.-4 p.m. MOVING SALE: Antique dining chairs, slipper chairs, tables, dressers, clothes, kitchen items, home accessories. SAT.-SUN., JULY 1 & 2, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. 441 Puerto Del Mar and Almar. GARAGE SALE! SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE! SAT., JULY 1st. 8 a.m.-1 p.m. 805 Haverford Ave., Pacific Palisades

MISCELLANEOUS 18g

DODGER TICKETS: 4 Field seats behind home plate plus parking. August 9th, 11th, 14th, 29th. GREAT SEATS. (310) 459-3458

WANTED TO BUY 19

WANTED: Old tube guitar amplifiers, ’50s, ’60s, etc. Tommy, (310) 306-7746 – profeti2001@yahoo.com

Send in the Clown, the Runners, and the Fireworks!

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Give Me A Buzz: Joe Almaraz at Palisades Barber Shop gives Palisadian Bill Prachar a last minute spruce-up before his work begins at the Fourth of July parade. Clowning around since the early 1990s, Prachar enjoys playing off the audience
Give Me A Buzz: Joe Almaraz at Palisades Barber Shop gives Palisadian Bill Prachar a last minute spruce-up before his work begins at the Fourth of July parade. Clowning around since the early 1990s, Prachar enjoys playing off the audience
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer

Pacific Palisades celebrates the Fourth of July in spectacular fashion, starting with the 8:15 a.m. 5K/10K Will Rogers Race and the 10 a.m. Youth Triathlon. At 2 p.m. the Palisades Americanism parade begins on Via de la Paz and finishes at the Palisades Recreation Center. Live music at Palisades Charter High’s football stadium starts at 7 p.m. with fireworks lighting up the sky at 9 p.m. ‘ Early Parade Chairs Nixed “The Bureau of Street Services reminds the community that no spectator chairs should be placed along the parade route prior to 6 p.m. on Monday, July 3,” said Andrea Epstein in Councilman’s Bill Rosendahl’s office. “All obstructions placed on City property prior to that time will be confiscated.” ‘ Patriotic Pups in 12th Year A parade tradition since 1995, “civic-minded” dogs march in the parade with their owners. Your dog must be comfortable in the company of horses, other dogs and large crowds. You must provide water for your own dog and keep him or her under your control at all times. The group will gather under the trees at Palisades Elementary and will march relatively early in the parade. Contact: Marilyn Haaker at 454-6430. ‘ Kids on Bikes All ages of children encouraged to decorate and ride their bikes in the parade. Helmets are necessary. Call 454-4896 or e-mail leonhause@aol.com for more information. ‘ Street Closures Starting at 7 a.m. the Huntington Palisades, including Alma Real, Corona Del Mar and Toyopa, will be closed for the Will Rogers Race. In addition, Sunset from Almalfi to Monument will be closed in both directions. The roads will re-open after the race course is cleared at approximately 11 a.m. The parade route, including parts of Via de La Paz, Sunset, Drummond, Toyopa, La Cruz and Alma Real in front of the Rec Center will be closed starting at 1:30 p.m. Those streets will re-open at approximately 4 p.m. or after the parade route is cleaned. Bowdoin Street in front of the Palisades Charter High School will close at 7 p.m. and re-open after the fireworks at approximately 9:30 p.m. People are reminded to observe the barricades and should not try to remove them. They are up for safety reasons. ‘ Ralphs Closed All Day Ralphs on Sunset, which is normally open 24 hours a day, will close at midnight on July 3 and re-open at 7 a.m. July 5. The store’s parking lot is used for a staging area for the parade’s equestrian units as well as the site for the V.I.P. grandstands. ‘ No More Hot Dogs Jim Stein, an estate agent with Prudential in the Palisades, wanted to “do something for the dogs” this Fourth of July. During last year’s parade, he noticed that the canines marching in the parade, called the “Patriotic Pups,” were burning their paws on the hot concrete. “I had to carry one of my dogs home because she couldn’t walk anymore,” says Stein, who has two lab mixes and a Dalmatian. Stein researched online and found Musher’s Secret, a dense, barrier wax developed in Canada for use with sledding dogs. Applied to the bottom of a dog’s paws, the product is supposed to protect against hot pavement. Stein ordered 100 jars, which he plans to distribute to dog owners on July 4.

Sales of Potrero Rim Lots Are Still Stalled

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Norman Kulla, senior counsel to Councilman Bill Rosendahl, announced at last week’s Potrero Canyon Citizens Advisory Committee meeting that while he and other city staff have stepped up efforts to facilitate the project, it has now been determined that only 22 lots’and not 35 as originally thought’will eventually be available for sale: one on Earlham, two on Alma Real and the rest on DePauw Street. According to Kulla, the 13 lots on Friends Street “which were acquired with city funds,” have been dedicated exclusively for park use, which protects them from private development. He also said that the city is still preparing the brief to go to the California Coastal Commission to have the existing permit regarding Potrero changed to allow for the sale of the two Alma Real lots (615 and 623), which the city leases out. The current permit requires that the park be completed before any of the lots can be sold. The proceeds from these two sales, estimated to be at least $5 million given current real estate values, will be used to complete Phase II (which is 95 percent complete) and for the design of Phase III’the proposed park which has become controversial in recent months. However, a trust fund must be established prior to the sale of these lots to assure that the funds are used exclusively on the Potrero project. Kulla reported that Mark Brown, the assistant city attorney, has yet to draft the ordinance to establish the trust fund as directed by City Council in December 2004. Further complicating matters is the fact that the sale of the two lots cannot proceed until the city has received certification from The Byers Group, the consulting geotechnical engineer, verifying that the compaction of the fill on both lots is complete. Kulla indicated that since a “search of Building and Safety records did not turn up the necessary documents,” John Byers, who apparently has the certifications needed, would have to be paid the $27,000 the city still owes him for work on Potrero before he will release the documents. Kulla also reminded the 16-member Potrero committee and the 30 residents gathered in the old Palisades gymnasium that the Potrero project is encumbered by a $5 million loan from the city’s reserve fund. However, the senior counsel did indicate that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa would be asked to waive repayment. Alice Gong, project manager for the City Engineer, stated that there is currently about $500,000 in funds earmarked to complete Phase II compaction work, from which she expected the funds due John Byers to be paid as soon as this week. “He wants to get paid before he meets with me again,” said Gong, who explained that Byers will also have to be paid from the funds remaining in the Potrero construction account to consult on completing Phase II grading, “as there have been some changes in site conditions since work stopped on the canyon several years ago”. She said she had no idea yet what his fee for that new work will be. Gong noted that after the certifications are received and the Coastal Commission approves the permit change, “the sale of the Alma Real lots can proceed.” Gong also said that at this point, the earliest the brief could be on the Commission’s public hearing agenda “is October,” at least a year later than originally thought. The basic Coastal requirements for the proposed “passive” park include provision for two access points (one from Frontera, the other from PCH), at least 10 additional parking spots, restoring the riparian habitat and widening the fire road. Also discussed at the meeting was the possibility of adding more access routes, which was rejected by several residents who live on the rim of Potrero, as well as the possible addition of an off-leash dog park. There were several suggestions as to where the additional parking should be located but no consensus was reached. While the next Potrero Advisory committee meeting is July 19, the recreation subcommittee will meet Wednesday, July 5, at the Palisades Recreation Center in the old gym at 851 Alma Real starting at 7:15 p.m. to continue discussion on the three most contentious issues: west rim access, parking and the off-leash dog park. The public is invited.

Rich Wilken: On the Go on the Fourth

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On the Fourth of July, many Palisadians wake up early to run in the 5K or 10K race which start at 9 a.m. But Rich Wilken is up long before that because by 6 a.m. he’s at the corner of Alma Real and Ocampo, where the race starts, to make sure the streets are closed. He and his son, Matt, then patrol the route to make sure the way is clear for the runners. At the first Will Rogers race in 1978, Wilken was asked to purchase a starting gun and blanks. “I showed up a couple of minutes before the race and handed it to them,” Rich said. “‘Where have you been?’ they asked. It was before cell phones and no one had seen me for a couple of days and they were worried they wouldn’t have a pistol.” Wilken has attended 28 of the 29 years of Fourth of July races; the one year he missed it, he was in Denmark with his Boy Scout troop. After the race, Rich goes to the Palisades High School football field, where he unlocks the gates for the fireworks technicians from Pyro Spectaculars who will spend the afternoon preparing for the nighttime show. He started working on the fireworks years ago when a fellow Optimist Club member Bud Petrick asked him to help. Wilken grew up in the Palisades and, as a 10-year-old, he marched in the parade with his Boy Scout troop. When he was 14, he drove his baseball team through town, because the team coach, who was supposed to drive, never showed up. “I didn’t kill anyone, but I did get into trouble,” he said. It was his fellow Optimists John Prough, Wally Miller, Arnie Wishnick and, of course, Petrick who encouraged him to join the Palisades Americanism Parade Association (PAPA). “Once you’re on the committee, you help here, you help there,” he said. From the high school, Rich dashes to the starting point of the parade where he hands out awards to visiting VIP’s. He then makes his way to Sunset and Swarthmore and assists in crowd control, until the skydivers have landed. Early parade-goers might remember that the parade originally had one announcer, a man from Pageantry Productions. Bud Petrick eventually became the first local announcer and still anchors the show for parade watchers in the bleachers in front of Ralphs. Wilken provides commentary from one of the additional locations on the parade route. “I did it a few years with Flo Elfant,” he said. ” The past few years, I’ve worked with Cathy Wishnick the past few years. She’s good with the script. I specialize in the ad libs.” Rich often runs a mic out to a tuba player or a dignitary in a car. “One year when I handed former Honorary Mayor John Raitt the mic, he sang ‘God Bless America’.'” Once the parade passes his location, Rich returns to the Stadium-by-the-Sea to see how the fireworks set-up is proceeding, and then back to the parade route to pick up traffic barricades no longer needed and move them to the stadium. Volunteers for crowd control have been slim in the past few years, leaving Wilken and his son to set up red, white and blue plastic bunting between the barriers. After the parade is over, Rich makes a quick run home for a shower before the fireworks begin. Not only does he organize the fireworks program, from the bands playing, to the outside vendors, to arranging for small American flags to be handed out, but he also the official announcer. After he introduces the band, he gives a “stand-up” salute to veterans, followed by announcements and thank-you’s to the sponsors, initiates the National Anthem and then signals the start of the fireworks display. “It is at this time I join the crowd and sit back and enjoy the noisy and colorful fireworks display,” he said. After the display, he once again is on the move. “I put lost parents and kids back together, stack barricades, return the electric carts borrowed from the parade route, collect any donations given to PAPA people during the show, work with the Pali staff plant manager to close down the stadium, and then I go home to collapse’until the next Fourth of July.” (Rich Wilken grew up in the Palisades, was one of the first students to attend PaliHi, and, in addition to at least 29 years of volunteering for PAPA, he has been PAPA president twice. Wilken is an architect who designed Mort’s Deli, Palisades Lutheran Church Sanctuary and the remodel of Saint Matthew’s Parish Center. He was the founder and designer of the once locally well-known Wilken Surfboards company. Wilken and his wife Deann have two children.)

At Home On the Road

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Martha Patterson (right) and her daughter, Sally Patterson Tubach, are the authors of
Martha Patterson (right) and her daughter, Sally Patterson Tubach, are the authors of “It Isn’t A Bus: Pioneering Motorhomers Cross the USA.”
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer

W hen the Pattersons of Pacific Palisades embarked on a 7,500-mile round-trip journey across the United States in the summer of 1951, the local newspaper announced the family’s departure: “Pattersons Leave on First Trip in Unique Private Bus.” Martha Patterson’s husband, Pat, might have challenged that headline, arguing that what they were driving was not actually a bus. It was an early motor home’a 33-ft.-long, 8-ft-wide vehicle called a Flxible that they had converted into a house car for family travel. Martha, who holds the distinction of having lived in the Palisades the longest of any current resident, tells the story of her family’s adventure as pioneering motor homers in a new book, “It Isn’t A Bus,” written with her daughter, Sally Patterson Tubach. The authors will sign their self-published book at a party at Martha’s home on July 3. For more information, call (213) 447-5188 or e-mail lauraepatterson@yahoo.com. “It Isn’t A Bus” details the two-month trip that Martha and Pat took with their three young children, Charles, 12, Dave, 9, and Sally, 5. Told in Martha’s warm and honest tone, with a good dose of humor, the story takes readers on a bumpy but joyous ride across the country and introduces them to a host of quirky characters from a female hitchhiker to vacationing school teachers driving a hearse. “My mother’s account of our family’s adventure has allowed me to see my five-year-old self, my older brothers and my engineer father through her eyes,” Tubach writes in the foreword. “Based on her journal of this trip and her letters home, her story conjures up an America that was more innocent and less regulated and in which husbands and wives rarely questioned their roles. People were not afraid to invite strangers into the private space, and no one thought twice about powering large vehicles with abundant fossil fuels’except for my dad. He thought about the future and created a hybrid house car that could run on both gasoline and butane gas, because the latter ran cleaner and cheaper in our bus’ powerful Buick engine.” Motor homing, before it was called that, was Pat’s idea. “He had a wild imagination,” says Martha, who married Charles Patterson (Pat) in 1938. It had been Pat’s idea to elope and marry in Las Vegas, which Martha agreed to because “I was so much in love with Pat.” She admits, “I was so uneasy going off with a young man I wasn’t married to. You know, it wasn’t done in those days. That’s what made me nervous, and I thought I’d ruin my reputation with all my Pacific Palisades friends to do something like that.” Martha didn’t ruin her reputation in town. After they were married, the Pattersons bought two lots on Via de la Paz, next to the original home of Dr. Charles Scott, founder of the Palisades, and near Martha’s family’s original home on Swarthmore. Pat, who worked as a mechanical engineer for North American, had a passion for cars and, over the years, acquired quite a collection of automobiles and airplane parts that the Pattersons stored on their Potrero Canyon property, which extended from La Cruz almost to PCH. When they purchased the canyon in 1949, it was being used as a landfill and was known as the “town dump.” One of the familiar sites on the property was a cigar-shaped aluminum “bomber” made from two cockpit sections of World War II Martin B-26 Marauder bombers that Pat had bolted together. Pat had wanted to turn the bomber into a travel home but, fortunately for Martha, before he had the chance to do that, he discovered a small school bus in a junkyard in East Los Angeles. The 1933 vintage model Utility Coach served as the Pattersons’ first family house car for a trip they took to Apple Valley (at the edge of the Mojave Desert) in 1948. They affectionately called it the Bouse’a combination of bus and house. Pat had aspirations to take their children on a longer, educational cross-country trip. He himself had come west from Iowa on a motorcycle in 1934, during the Great Depression. M artha, too, had journeyed to California from the Midwest, traveling with her family, the Frenches, from Ohio in their Jeffrey Touring Car in the summer of 1921. She was only six years old at the time, and it took them 26 days to make the trip, camping along the way, often with other migrating families. They settled in the Palisades in early 1925. It would be about 25 years before Martha would again embark on a journey across the country’and back’this time, with her own family. The Pattersons’ vehicle of choice was a used red and white Flxible bus that they converted into a home on wheels. Flxible buses were built in Loudonville, Ohio, and carried passengers between the LAX and downtown Los Angeles in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Pat found a damaged one that needed its engine rebuilt, and a salesman agreed to sell it to him with the necessary parts but without the tires, for $1,500. Martha writes in her book: “During the nine months we worked on it in our spare time, evenings and weekends, we discovered to our chagrin that a modern, 1945-model, cross-country bus was a far cry mechanically and financially from a Model A Ford.” While Pat worked on the mechanics of converting the bus into a traveling home, Martha was in charge of the interior design, of making it feel homey inside. “I thought it would be good policy to have a different design on each pair of sheets because we all had to have single beds,” says Martha, who sewed patterned sheets for her family’s beds, plaid slipcovers for the four passenger seats behind the driver’s seat, and ruffled yellow and black floral-print curtains for the driver’s window. Pat had constructed bunk-bed frames along the sides of the bus where they slept, except for Sally, whose bunk was suspended by chains from the overhead baggage rack. Martha found a large National Geographic map of the country and shellacked it over their masonite dining table, which folded out from the wall. “We could sit at that table and eat, and we could also sit at that table and plot our next day’s journey, and see where we were headed and how much progress we had made,” she says. “It was real cozy in the bus.” ”The Pattersons set off in the summer of 1951 in their “Flexie,” which they also called “the Monster,” “the Thing” and “the Bouse.” They headed to Las Vegas and traveled through Arizona and New Mexico before heading up through the Midwest to New York, and then taking the northern route home, dipping into Colorado and Utah for the last leg of their journey. Pat’s ingenuity and Martha’s faith in Pat were tested many times throughout their journey, the first time at the beginning of the trip when Martha was driving and the clutch housing exploded. They had to spend 11 hot days on the Hualapai Indian Reservation in the Arizona desert while they waited for the clutch parts from Ohio to arrive. “It was a very binding experience for us as a family to go through all of these problems we ran into,” Martha says. “I think it gave the family a feeling of togetherness that, possibly, we might never have achieved in ordinary daily living. We shared all of these things’the good things and the scary things. I figured that when we had that breakdown that would be the end of the trip, but no, not for Pat.” In addition to patience and perseverance, the Patterson children also learned about some of this country’s history. They explored the historic battleground at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, visited George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate in Washington, D.C., and studied Mt. Rushmore through a telescope in South Dakota. “I think they liked the freedom of having our own vehicle and our housekeeping arrangements so they didn’t have to be dragged in and out of restaurants or hamburger stands,” Martha says about her kids. “It was a traveling home. I cooked at the little four-burner stove that Pat had installed and I cooked good meals, I have to say. We ate everything like we would at home, but when we got tired of being where we were we could just start up the engine and go.” They had all the facilities they needed except for a bathroom. Pat had installed a toilet in the engine room but they only had access to it from the outside, so they had to stop at trailer parks to shower. “We were stopped frequently by policemen and other people who said, ‘You can’t park a bus here,'” Martha says. “Pat’s answer was always, ‘This isn’t a bus’ and then he’d invite them to come in, and they’d look around and they were utterly surprised to see a stove and a kitchen sink and beds.” At the time of their trip, the Pattersons only knew a couple of people who had converted buses into house cars. “A few people were ahead of us in this but not many,” Martha says. “Most of the motor homes in those days had to be converted buses because those were the only vehicles you could get with enough space to make it into a home.” In the years after their cross-country journey, the Pattersons enjoyed many shorter trips in their Flexie. In the mid-1960s, Pat and Martha discovered the smaller, German Setra buses, five of which they imported and converted into motor homes. Their last motor home was a GMC with automatic transmission. Martha still cherishes the memories of her family trip and her adventures with Pat, who died unexpectedly in 1976. “On the road still has a powerful allure, and the spirit of our family’s long trip is something that my brothers and I have retained throughout our lives,” Tubach writes. “Whatever this journey meant for us, it was my father’s uncommon vision that made it possible.” Martha Patterson is the author of “The Backyard Bomber of Pacific Palisades.” Sally Patterson Tubach, who has a doctorate in German literature from UC Berkeley, is the author of “Memoirs of a Terrorist” and co-author of “An Uncommon Friendship: From Opposite Sides of the Holocaust.” For more information about their book, visit www.motorhomepioneers.com.

Beloved Old Barns: New Book Tells the Story

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I don’t give a jot. I love you a bushel and a peck. What’s a jot, a bushel, a peck? Time passes and words disappear, often protected only in the context of a clich’. And, according to author Bob Crittendon, the big red barn, the schooner of the prairie, may soon be just a word without a home. The author of “Barn in the U.S.A.” (Fulcrum Books), Crittendon is doing his very best to document these icons of American history. “I never lived on a farm,” Crittendon told the Palisadian-Post, “but my dad took me to my granddad’s farm in Tennessee when I was 5. I loved the smell, size of the barn and I harbored an interest in barns for many years. I wondered what the story was behind the barn.” Finally, when Crittendon retired, he took a four-year sojourn through the back roads of the western states documenting these American icons. “I decided to focus on the Western states because in those barn-rich areas there are just so many barns, it’s ridiculous.” Whereas in the West, development has gobbled up farmland and the fabled barns as well. In choosing the barns to include in the book, Crittendon had certain criteria in mind. “They have to be historic, either 100 years old, or have some particular architectural significance, or connected with a person or event that was historic. “I wanted to know how old it is, who created it and its survival story,” Crittendon said. Will Rogers’ barn is included, as is the O.K. Corral, Crittendon explained. Each barn is given a full-color page, paired with another page of history and additional photos. He has included just five in Southern California, far fewer than in other states. “Will Rogers’ barn was actually more assembled than built, since Will acquired two sections of horse stalls from a barn in the San Fernando Valley,” Crittendon writes. In its final form, the barn, with its distinctive round canopy roof, also featured a row of windows and open wooden louvers, and provided quarters for a stable foreman, tack room, utility room and a wash rack. In addition to chronicling the most interesting barns in the West, Crittendon included addenda in which he discusses the traditional barn color, red, historic preservation efforts and barn styles. In the early 19th century, red barns began replacing the colonial grays of the 1700s. “The red color was a derivative of ferrous oxide (rust), a common component of paint mixtures in New England because it was cheap and easily obtained,” he writes. “This became the standard, and the familiar red barn was born.” The styles of the barns of the West often combined the earlier Eastern barn styles with the particular needs of an owner. “A barn is used to shelter livestock, horses or cows, or for feed,” Crittendon said. “There is supposed to be some covered enclosure, but I did include the O.K. Corral stables in Tombstone, Arizona, because of its historical significance. “The covered stables will suffice as the barn closest to the famous gunfight.” “Barn in the U.S.A.” will be available in bookstores this summer and to members of historic preservation groups at www.historicbarns.com.

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