La Cañada Flintridge History
What happened 10-20-30 years ago in the city of La Cañada, California?

La Cañada History: 'A Parade of Roses' at Descanso Gardens

Sixty Years Ago: The Flintridge League hosted a tea and fashion show at Descanso Gardens themed "A Parade of Roses," featuring local young women as models.

La Cañada History: Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy hosted Golden Jubilee for Dominican sister

Sixty Years Ago: The Flintridge League hosted a tea and fashion show at Descanso Gardens themed "A Parade of Roses," featuring local young women as models.

La Cañada History: Finch's Old Fashioned Frostee Freeze served hot dogs, hamburgers

Sixty Years Ago: The proprietors of Finch's Old Fashioned Frostee Freeze, 720 Foothill Blvd., added 360 square feet to their existing building, including a patio, and announced plans to begin serving foods such as burgers (35 cents) and hot dogs (25 cents).

La Cañada History: St. Bede School hosted first public fundraiser

Sixty years ago: The first public event at La Cañada's new parochial school, St. Bede School, was a spring fair to help raise money for the school's building fund. "Eenie Meenie Minee Moe St. Bede's Fair the place to go," read a promotional poster.

La Cañada History: High school hosted four international students

A fundraising lasagna dinner was held in support of the local chapter of American Field Service at La Cañada High School.

La Cañada History: Community Carnival raised music program funds

The 1993 Community Carnival held on the La Cañada High School campus raised approximately $20,000 to help fund performance tours, uniforms and instruments for the school's music programs.

La Cañada History: 4-H club starts at St. George's Episcopal Church

Forty Years Ago: Eighteen boys and girls ages 9-17 joined La Cañada¿s new 4-H Club, which was organized by Mr. and Mrs. James Brenner of Commonwealth Avenue.

La Cañada History: Flintridge Hunter and Jumper Horse Shows

Sixty Years Ago: The Flintridge-La Cañada Guild of Huntington Memorial Hospital planned its annual Flintridge Hunter and Jumper Horse Show. It was expected to be the last one held at Keith Spalding's Hunter Trials Field.

St. Francis High School wins first La Cañada Flintridge All City Track Meet

The track meet Meet was held in March 2003 on the fields at the St. Francis and La Cañada high school campuses. St. Francis captured the overall competition with a decisive win.

Oak Grove PTA staged its Family Fun and Mardi Gras

One of the featured attractions was a makeup booth where attendees could be transformed into clowns, glamour girls, monsters, or whatever struck their fancies.

Jack Longpre retrieved errant balls for new driving range

Jack Longpre, a member of La Cañada Country Club, donned scuba gear to dive into the water hazards on the golf course and collect golf balls.

Junior Baseball and Softball Assn. ready to play ball

The La Cañada Junior Baseball and Softball Assn. was gearing up for the 2003 season 10 years ago this week, with hundreds of children expected to participate.

An antique fashion show and luncheon for a 1973 fundraiser

Leaders of the La Cañada High School Music Parents Assn. ran their spring 1973 fundraiser, an antique fashion show and luncheon.

Wand children featured in Valley Sun for 1963 Valentine's Day

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Wand, Mary Ellen, 5, and Bobby, 3, were featured on the cover of the Valley Sun for its 1963 Valentine's Day issue. The Wand family made their home in the 400 block of Paulette Place.

Storm floods Oak Grove Park baseball field

Oak Grove Park across the street from La Cañada High School was under water, flooded by a fierce storm that dropped more than five inches of rain on the weekend of Feb. 10 and 11, 1973.

Sport Chalet founder Norbert Olberz featured in ad for local retailer

Norbert Olberz was featured in a full-page Valley Sun advertisement for La Cañada Poly Clean Center, which claimed the sporting goods retailer had dry-cleaned everything in the photo, except for the skis, for $2.

Paw'd Squad animal rescue organization visits Petco

During a fund-raiser in the winter of 2003 customers could buy a kiss from Bernie the Rottweiler, the three-legged mascot of the Paw'd Squad animal rescue organization.

Water District links with Colorado River Aqueduct

The Foothill Municipal Water District was formally accepted as a member agency of the Metropolitan Water District, allowing it to connect with a river aqueduct.

Nelson Brothers look over 'La Cañada Oaks' in 1953

The Valley Sun cover featured a photograph of the Nelson brothers standing on a mesa taking in a view of the growing town. In the early 1950s their family's neighborhood was developed under the name "La Cañada Oaks."

Les Fleurettes debutantes take their bows to society

Twenty Les Fleurettes debutantes of the La Cañada Thursday Club prepare to make their 1962 debut at the Bal Blanc de Noel in the Viennese Room of the Huntington-Sheraton Hotel, today the Langham Huntington, in Pasadena.

La Cañada Presbyterian Church celebrates 25 years

Members of La Cañada Presbyterian Church made plans to begin the celebration of the church's 25th year with a potluck supper on Jan. 12, 1973. The membership roster had grown in that quarter century from 158 to approximately 1,600.

Cub Scouts help young patients being treated for tuberculosis

Cub Scout Pack 512 of La Cañada Elementary School presented handmade toys and a large television set to the Children's Ward of Olive View Sanitarium in San Fernando. The young patients there were being treated for tuberculosis.

Christmas village and train display at the Wagners'

The vast Christmas village and train display in the living room at Nancy and Bob Wagners' La Cañada Flintridge home was featured on the cover of the Valley Sun on Dec. 17, 1992.

Resident determined not to miss daughter's wedding

Dr. Rodney Lilyquist of Woodleigh Lane, recuperating at a Glendale hospital following an operation on his spine, hired an ambulance to drive him to the North Glendale United Methodist Church.

Firefighters learn about radiation exposure during the Cold War

They were required to take seven days of instruction on radiation exposure and how to read measures of radioactive fallout.

Businessman encourages La Cañadans to buy holiday gifts locally

La Cañada Flintridge resident and businessman Jeff Dewey was heading up the annual "Shop in La Cañada Flintridge" campaign for the local chamber of commerce.

Little piggy Patricia Ann joined the Mentz family

Gerry had a little pig, and this little piggy went to market. A young pig named "Patricia Ann" was welcomed into the Earlmont Avenue household of the Mentz family.

In 1972, the Foothill Freeway opened

The Foothill Freeway through La Cañada was nearly completed and was expected to open by the end of November 1972.

Boy Scout Troop included six sets of brothers

The Scouts and their families were given special recognition at the troop's Fall Court of Honor.

In 1952, Elementary school held Halloween carnival

Carol Collado, a student at La Cañada Elementary School, created a poster to promote the school's Halloween carnival and appeared with it on the cover of the Valley Sun with classmates Lars Oakander and Susan Fite.

In 1972, Foothill Freeway bridge collapses while under construction

Six workmen died and 21 others were injured, six of them critically, when a 60-foot section of the Foothill Freeway bridge under construction collapsed and the workers fell 90 feet to the floor of the Arroyo Seco.

Sport Chalet went public with 1.6M shares

Twenty years ago, the company filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering of 1.6 million shares of common stock.

In 1952, La Cañada held its first Harvest Moon Dance

Baptiste Way resident Mrs. George Turner, her features suffused in candlelight, modeled for the cover of the Valley Sun in a publicity photo for the first Harvest Moon Dance that was taking place that weekend.

Los Gringos Locos was once a Conrad's

Conrad's in Plaza de La Cañada (where Los Gringos Locos operates today) was closed to customers while a complete renovation was underway.

La Cañada Country Club opens in 1962

A grand opening weekend featuring a formal dinner-dance on Saturday, followed by nine holes of golf on Sunday, was held at the new La Cañada Country Club on Godbey Drive. Bill Godbey was the developer and president of the club.

Flintridge Preparatory School marked 50th anniversary with dinner at Caltech

The school marked its 50th anniversary by hoisting an anniversary banner on its flagpole. A formal dinner marking the milestone was held at Caltech.

Paradise Canyon Elementary School students head back to school in 1952

La Cañada schools were preparing to welcome students when the 1952-53 school year got underway on Sept. 15.

More than 130 boys gear up for football season

La Cañada Junior All-American Football's fifth season began in 1972. A fourth team, the Junior Pee Wees, was added to the program that year.

Pilot forced to land helicopter in La Cañada

A patrol helicopter jointly owned by the Glendale and Burbank police departments was forced down by engine failure in an empty field in the upper Alta Canyada area.

August is a historically hot month for La Cañada

Photographer George Anderson captured a 1952 August afternoon shot of 4-year-old Bill Blundell seated in his family's car and finishing off a Popsicle under the watchful and perhaps envious eyes of his sister, Lynn, 5, and their pet dog, Kelly.

Twenty years ago, JPL employees cheered launch of Poseidon satellite

The Poseidon satellite studied circulation in the world's oceans and their effect on climatic conditions for more than three years.

Ladies' poker champion Barbara Corson celebrates winning

Corson was the grand champion in a ladies' poker tournament sponsored by Bally's Casino in Reno.

Sport Chalet building takes shape in 2002

The new corporate office building for Sport Chalet, Inc. was taking shape in the summer of 2002. About 100 employees were expected to move into the 27,000-square-foot building in the fall of the same year.

Cars flooded the Foothill Freeway

The first section of the 210 (Foothill) Freeway through this valley, the stretch from Ocean View Boulevard to Lowell Avenue, opened to traffic on July 17, 1972.

La Cañadans sought refuge from the heat at high school's pool

La Cañadans seeking an opportunity to swim in the summer of 1982 were taking advantage of community swim hours at the La Cañada High School pool.

Monrovia Recorder Consort performed at Descanso Gardens

The group was directed by Hans Bender, formerly the first violinist of the Heidelberg Bach Symphony and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

Lemonade stands set up 'all over the valley'

A hot spell prompted young entrepreneurs to set up small businesses in June of 1962.

La Cañada High School rendering released

An architect's rendering of the planned $3 million La Cañada High School was released in June 1962 by the Los Angeles firm of Smith, Powell and Morgridge. The school district's first high school was expected to be ready for by the fall of 1963.