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Madison School

(There is a very cool project going on at Madison school right now)

I hope you came by to vote for your favorite of the past week's Camelot Where You are photo contest entries. The poll is at the upper left of the blog.

We've been wasting spending so much time on contest frivolity that we almost missed some important events. So today, as a community service, here's a partial list:

Today!
September 29
Put the Fork in Hunger
I hope you're reading this early, because the free pancake breakfast at Farnsworth Park at Lake and Mount Curve in Altadena is today, 7:30 to 11:00 a.m. It's sort of not free because you should bring non-perishable food items or financial donations, all of which will go directly to Union Station Homeless Services in Pasadena. And you'll get pancakes!

Also Today!
September 29
Muir Ranch

Tomorrow!
September 30
Wiggle Waggle Walk
Pasadena Humane Society's super annual fundraiser where the canine chic meet, greet and even compete. Sweet!

October 2
NFL at the Rose Bowl?
Personally, I think it would be a disaster for the Arroyo. What do you think? The Recreation and Parks Commission will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, October 2nd at 6:30 PM at the Rose Bowl Media Center, 1001 Rose Bowl Drive in Pasadena. Park in Lot F and enter through the auto gate to the left of Gate A. The draft EIR is available here. Public comment ends at close of business on October 8th.

October 7
Bike the Arroyo Seco!
Starting at Hahamongna Watershed Park at 8am (I'll be there a bit earlier), ride the Arroyo to downtown with fellow riders in support of an Arroyo Seco bikeway and healthy transportation alternatives.

Building a Better Altadena
"Studies show that Walmart hurts jobs because other businesses close when Walmart comes to town." Is this what we want just yards from Pasadena's city limits? Click the Building a Better Altadena link and find out what you can do.

The No 710 Freeway Extension and related No on Measure J issues are gaining support from state and local politicians. Definitely worth learning about, as these issues strongly affect our quality of life in Pasadena.

Be sure to vote! (Now, on the Camelot Where You Are contest, and in November, on all the other stuff.)

More Drive-By

This isn't really a drive-by shot, silly. It's not safe to shoot photographs while driving. This is a park-by shot.

But I'm keeping up my (teeny tine-y) theme in support of the Put a Fork in Hunger food drive, which is coming up this weekend (details below). The drive was put together by The Fork Guys: Phil Coombes, Ken Marshal and Bob Stane.

Two of The Fork Guys, Ken and Bob, operate the Coffee Gallery Backstage. I shot this photo at the back side of the building. I figure it's appropriate, it's a back room. Plus I love that sign in the window.

The Coffee Gallery Backstage offers musical entertainment in the evenings. Check the website for what's coming up. It's an intimate cabaret, dressed up to look like a coffee bean warehouse. But the room doesn't sit idle during the day. "For a slight fee or absolutely free depending on the event," the Coffee Gallery Backstage is a meeting room, a community space of sorts. For me it's a cherished spot because I join there once a month with one of my favorite groups, at the combined meeting of the local chapters of the Alameda Writers Group and the Independent Writers of Southern California.

Thanks so much, Fork Guys.

Update Friday morning: just received this bulletin from Phil:
Due to major traffic and safety concerns, people dropping off non-perishable items for food drive MUST enter Bellefontaine off Fair Oaks and proceed West. We want this to be safe and successful with no danger of accidents or the city shutting us down.
BTW, we are in desperate need of volunteers for both days. Please call Phil or email him if you can assist on either day for shifts 8-11 or 11-2. His number is below.

Details of the Put a Fork in Hunger Food Drive to benefit Union Station Homeless Services:
Saturday and Sunday, November 21st and 22nd between 8am and 4pm, at the Fork in the Road where Pasadena and St. John Avenues meet south of Bellefontaine. Drive by slowly (see update, above) and hand your non-perishable food items to the volunteers in the bright orange t-shirts and holding outreach bags. The Fork guys are also looking for volunteers. For further information or to volunteer, contact Phil @ AgentPhil.com or call 626 644-3227.

Guerrilla Drive-By Donations

Update Friday morning: just received this bulletin from Phil:
Due to major traffic and safety concerns, people dropping off non-perishable items for food drive MUST enter Bellefontaine off Fair Oaks and proceed West. We want this to be safe and successful with no danger of accidents or the city shutting us down.
BTW, we are in desperate need of volunteers for both days. Please call Phil or email him if you can assist on either day for shifts 8-11 or 11-2. His number is at the end of this post.

In keeping with this week's developing theme (did you notice a theme developing?) of guerrilla art, here's a guerrilla drive-by photo, taken at dusk yesterday while I waited for the traffic light to change at Orange Grove and Lake.

I've long admired this building at 825 E. Orange Grove Blvd. I searched the web for architectural information but didn't find it. I want to say Myron Hunt because it has that early 20th century Pasadena charm. But I'm no expert. (It's next to this building. I like them both.)

I've also wondered what was housed in the building and now I know: it's the headquarters of Union Station Homeless Services, the charity that will benefit from your non-perishable food donation to the Put a Fork in Hunger food drive this weekend. Here's an undated web page with history and information about Union Station. Assuming this page is up-to-date, 825 E. Orange Grove Blvd. is also Union Station's Family Center, with an emergency center, facilities for meals, case management, parenting classes and childrens' programs accommodating 50 parents and children.

With the Put a Fork in Hunger food drive this weekend, the Fork guys are helping Union Station fill their food banks. Union Station not only holds a giant Thanksgiving dinner at Central Park, it feeds thousands of needy people throughout the year. I posted about the drive-by food drive yesterday and I might remind you again--using relevant, fun-filled and action-packed photos for your enjoyment, of course.

If you can add historical or architectural information in the comments, please-oh-please do.

(Update: See the comments: Thal Amathura of Avenue to the Sky and Darrel Cozen of Design and Historic Preservation came through with the answer: the architects are Bennett and Haskell. Google them and you'll recognize their buildings all over town.)

Details of the Put a Fork in Hunger Food Drive:
Saturday and Sunday, November 21st and 22nd between 8am and 4pm, at the Fork in the Road where Pasadena and St. John Avenues meet south of Bellefontaine. Drive by slowly and hand your non-perishable food items to the volunteers in the bright orange t-shirts and holding outreach bags. The Fork guys are also looking for volunteers. For further information or to volunteer, contact Phil @ AgentPhil.com or call 626 644-3227.

983 Too Many

If you live in Pasadena you probably already know about Union Station Homeless Services. Here's a branch of Union Station I happened on the other day: the Euclid Villa Transitional Apartments. I didn't know what it was at the time. I thought it was a pretty house, and I could tell from the signs on the porch that it wasn't a private home. I took a picture, came home and looked up the address.

According to the website, families living there "pay 30% of their income for rent, while gaining the skills, stability and confidence they need to secure permanent housing."

You can't learn everything from a website, and homelessness is a complicated issue. But that sounds sane to me. A homeless person who ends up at Pasadena's Union Station is lucky, if you can call that lucky.

In searching for other organizations in Pasadena that serve the homeless, I found the Ecumenical Council's Friends In Deed. Their site says, "The official homeless count of 2008 in Pasadena found that 983 homeless adults and children live on the streets on a given day." This tells me the homeless percentage of our population is low compared with Los Angeles, for example. But one homeless kid is one too many.

It's our town. These are our neighbors. What other organizations do you know of that serve Pasadena's homeless?