Dining, Arts & Entertainment

Art is for people to view, enjoy and be inspired by the creativity of the artists’ paintings, photography and sculpture.  The Santa Clarita Artists’ Association wants to provide art to Holy Cross Providence Hospital and Cancer Center for patients to see art everyday.  On Friday, January 29, a painting was presented as a gift to Holy Cross Providence for their patients to enjoy from the Santa Clarita Artists’ Association.

In January, a collection of nearly 800 local students, families and community members filled the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center (PAC) at College of the Canyons for the second installment of the PAC’s Almost Free Family Series, sponsored by McDonald’s of Santa Clarita.

Server: Would anyone care for dessert?
Guest: Dessert?  Let’s just take a look at the menu.
We all know this situation.  Everyone at the table comments on how full they are and how they can’t eat another bite, but when the server comes and asks whether anyone would like dessert; you find that there is always room for dessert, for good ones at least.

We’ve all experienced it.  That moment at the end of a meal or drink when the server approaches the table and strategically places the bill between you and your new date.  Sometimes it’s snatched up before any discomfort can creep into your psyche and disturb an otherwise enjoyable evening.  Other times, however, it just sits there, awkwardly demanding attention while defying you to ignore it and carry on gracefully as though there had been no disturbance in the force.  So here’s the question of the month….

Following a tough start to the new year in terms of receiving donations, the Santa Clarita Valley Food Pantry received a much needed $10,000 donation from Wells Fargo to help tackle hunger in 2010.  The donation will support the organization’s soaring demand for food services, which experienced more than 43,000 total client visits in 2009.
Belinda Crawford, Santa Clarita Valley Food Pantry’s executive director, says the donation comes at a time when high unemployment is pushing demands for help to record levels and when charities are worried about resources to meet the needs of the most vulnerable. 

A lot of people think Persian food is a very heavy meal, containing mostly rice and meats.  Well that is not true!
Talking to the Persia Restaurant owner, Homayoun Daryani we noticed that the Persian food could be one of the healthiest food around.
“If you are worried about the rice for your diet, you have to know that the rice in Persia Restaurant is cooked in two process, so it loses the starch behind at the first boiling period and it gets fluffy in the second process which is steaming.

Jonathan Larson’s ground-breaking musical, based loosely on Puccini’s opera La Bohème opens March 6 at the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center at College of the Canyons for a limited run.
Rent’s creator, Jonathan Larson, died suddenly the night before the off-Broadway premiere of his show.  Subsequently, the show won a Pulitzer Prize, and the production was moved to Broadway in 1996 where it gained critical acclaim and won a Tony Award for Best Musical.

The College of the Canyons Foundation’s Silver Spur Award for community service is one of the Santa Clarita Valley’s most prestigious honors and the annual Silver Spur dinner event itself has achieved “must attend” status for many community-minded individuals.
Each year, a selection committee pours over the resumes of dozens of deserving candidates in the difficult quest to select the year’s honoree. 

D’Wilfri DanceArt and Entertainment School of Dance has something for everyone and that includes you.  No more hesitation! Now is the time!
We offer private and group dance classes for all ages, adults, teens and children alike. 

Here we are in February already and Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.  This is the most romantic holiday of the year.  This is the one Women never forget, and men better not forget.  They tell you what to do.  You are supposed to buy her flowers or candy.  But what is she is a “Greenie” or diabetic?  You can always get her jewels.  That can never be a mistake, but times are tough and maybe diamonds are not in the budget.

If you are looking for superior service, fresh flavor and a friendly atmosphere, Forever Geisha is the restaurant for you.  It was a pleasure to come to Forever Geisha for my dining experience as well as meet manager Allan Gao.
Allan truly wanted to make my meal special so he began by asking about my experience with sushi and Japanese cuisine.  Just as any excellent host would, he took the time to understand what I was comfortable with and chose a few items to begin.

Cultivating and expressing creativity isn’t just for the artist, writer or musician, it’s for everybody.  Writer John Updike noted, “Creativity is merely a plus name for regular activity.  Any activity becomes creative when the doer cares about doing it right or better.”
Cultivating personal creativity is absolutely essential to both economic and personal success.  In a recent article from Psychology Today, “…in today’s economic environment, no one can afford not to innovate.  You may have to be creative to survive right now.”

The City of Santa Clarita began installing eight directional signs on four local roadways today to assist the public in locating two of the most frequented commercial destinations in Santa Clarita.  The signs are part of the City’s 21-Point Business Plan for Progress, which aims to boost the local economy and support business.
The signs are placed in medians along McBean Parkway, Valencia Boulevard, Magic Mountain Parkway, and near Bouquet Junction.  The signage is designed to increase visibility for Westfield Valencia Town Center and the Valencia Auto Center - Santa Clarita’s two largest sales tax generators. 

Fillmore & Western Railway provide a nostalgic trip back in time for those who fondly remember the early days of rail travel.  Besides being the location of many feature films and television productions, the trains are the setting for daytime excursions, weekday group tour trains, murder mystery dinners, Pumpkinliner trains, Day Out With Thomas™ event, Christmas Tree trains, Dinner with Santa trains, the North Pole Express, Margarita Madness trains, The Wine Express and many more special events throughout the year. 

Well the holidays are over, and for our club, we have the opportunity to slow down a bit.  Before I go any further, I would like to say “Thank You” to all who contributed to our annual food and toy drive.  Every year I say we are not going to do it and every year this community never ceases to amaze me. 

Enjoy another new art exhibit at Tesoro Adobe Historical Park from January 10 to March 5, with a free public reception on February 6 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.  View artwork, enjoy appetizers, tour the museum which houses collectibles from the 1930s and take in the beautiful scenery of cacti, succulents and desert flowers surrounding the Adobe.

The line-up outside the hall at St. Clare Catholic Church starts early as the crowds gather in eager anticipation of another delectable fish fry dinner.  2010 marks the 32nd year that St. Clare Catholic Church in Canyon Country has sponsored a series of fish fry dinners on the six Fridays of Lent, beginning February 19th and continuing through March 26th.  These dinners benefit families in need and various local charities.

This month’s topic: Deception.  It’s an ugly word by any definition.  We know that marriages can end because of it.  But what do you do when you unwittingly find yourself on the other side of it?
A friend recently told me about a man she’d met at a social event.  The mutual attraction was immediately evident as sparks flew from the moment their eyes met.