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Blog archive

October 2024

September 2024

August 2024

1619 Wide Ranging Interests
08/19/2024

1619 Wide Ranging Interests
08/19/2024

First Anniversary
08/19/2024

Alexandra Leaving by Leonard Cohen
08/16/2024

Muse des Beaux Arts by W. H. Auden
08/16/2024

The God Abandons Antony by Constantinos P. Cavafy
08/16/2024

Ch – Ch – Ch –Changes
08/15/2024

Cultural Activities Team offers an ‘embarrassment of riches’
08/15/2024

Engaging in Pasadena Village
08/15/2024

Future Housing Options
08/15/2024

Message from the President
08/15/2024

There Are Authors Among Us
08/15/2024

Villagers Welcome New Members at the Tournament Park Picnic
08/15/2024

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas
08/14/2024

A narrow Fellow in the Grass by Emily Dickinson
08/13/2024

Haikus
08/13/2024

One Art by Elizabeth Bishop
08/13/2024

Poem 20 by Pablo Neruda
08/13/2024

Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
08/13/2024

Trees by Joyce Kilmer
08/13/2024

July 2024

June 2024

May 2024

Emergency Preparedness: Are You Ready?
05/28/2024

Farewell from the 2023/24 Social Work Interns
05/28/2024

Gina on the Horizon
05/28/2024

Mark Your Calendars for the Healthy Aging Research California Virtual Summit
05/28/2024

Meet Our New Development Associate
05/28/2024

Putting the Strategic Plan into Practice
05/28/2024

Washington Park: Pasadena’s Rediscovered Gem
05/28/2024

Introducing Civil Rights Discussions
05/22/2024

Rumor of Humor #2416
05/14/2024

Rumor of Humor #2417
05/14/2024

Rumor of Humor #2417
05/14/2024

Rumor of Humor #2418
05/14/2024

Springtime Visitors
05/07/2024

Freezing for a Good Cause – Credit, That Is
05/02/2024

No Discussion Meeting on May 3rd
05/02/2024

An Apparently Normal Person Author Presentation and Book-signing
05/01/2024

Flintridge Center: Pasadena Village’s Neighbor That Changes Lives
05/01/2024

Pasadena Celebrates Older Americans Month 2024
05/01/2024

The 2024 Pasadena Village Volunteer Appreciation Lunch
05/01/2024

Woman of the Year: Katy Townsend
05/01/2024

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January 2024

Villagers Welcome New Members at the Tournament Park Picnic

By Margarite Olmos
Posted: 08/15/2024
Tags: margarite olmos

Leave it to the Pasadena Village staff to find hidden treasures—both places and people. Many of us were unaware of the existence of Tournament Park. In fact, according to Dan Guerrero, “I live on Glen Oaks on the West side of the Rose Bowl, but each Monday I walk with Ron Scott starting on Wilson and passing Tournament Park. I had not noticed the park until the picnic location was announced.” Tournament Park is clearly a hidden gem in plain sight. Were it not for the Pasadena Village balloons and sandwich board in front, many of us might have missed it!

A plaque inside the park informs us that Tournament Park is a historic site: It was the official terminus of the first transcontinental airplane flight in which Calbraith (Cal) Perry Rodgers took off from Sheepshead Bay, New York on September 17, 1911, landing here on November 5, 1911. 

Upon entering the park, we were welcomed with name tags, distinguishing new members by a bumble bee sticker next our names, and a canopy of trees that kept the tables and benches cool for participants. I asked Sue Kujawa about the history of the picnics and she mentioned that they had begun a few years before the pandemic, during which the picnics were suspended. This year’s picnic initiated the picnics again after the hiatus but with a focus on welcoming new members, something I appreciate as a new member myself. Indeed, members approached me with a welcoming “hello and how long have you been a member?” Villagers introduced themselves to each other in a friendly and generous manner, asking where we were from and what our interests are. Some ideas for starting new interest groups were explored and I was happy to note that several members shared my life experiences as we navigate this chapter of our lives aided by such organizations as Pasadena Village.

The trees provided shade and the volunteers, yummy food: delicious salads from Al Miller, Shizzie Akasaki, Peggy Henderson, Marsha Dawe, Sandy McConnell; fresh fruit and baked sweets from Betsy Blue, Bruce Christensen, Valerie Jones, Sue Kemp, Sue Kujawa, Nancy Goodell, Denise Aronow, Suzi Hoge, Catherine Fuller; varied chips from Gail Anderson, Jeff Gutstadt, Tamanika Ivie; veggies to accompany the burgers and beverages from Jane Hufnagel, Linda Sindell, Tamanika Ivie, Jocelyn Keene, Jeannie Brown, Anne Regan-Smith; and special thanks to the grilling crew— Al Miller, Wayne April, Pat Dawe, Doug Colliflower, Gary Smith, Tom Polenzani— who braved the fiery coals to offer us the burgers and hot dogs that we eagerly consumed.

Clearly, it DOES take a Village!

And, finally, what would a good picnic be without play? Tossing water balloons on a hot day always provokes a laugh whether by participants or observers, and I clearly enjoyed the laughter and the day, as I am sure others did as well.

Click here to see photos of everyone enjoying the day.

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