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Eagle Rock Gathers to Honor John Stillion (PHOTO GALLERY)

The community volunteer and co-founder of Collaborative Eagle Rock Beautiful is remembered on his first death anniversary at a poolside brunch and fundraiser on Hill Drive.

"Once upon a time, I met a man who held the very breath of inspiration in his hand, as if it were a handkerchief he could wave at will—a magic kerchief that made impossible things come to life, made the stillness dance, and made people believe in their own dreams." That was how Cheryl Leutjen, vice-president of Collaborative Eagle Rock Beautiful, began her introductory speech Sunday in memory of the organization's co-founder, John Stillion, who died in April 2011 at the age of 79. An Eagle Rock resident for about 14 years, Stillion transformed every community he lived and worked in—starting with an inner-city L.A. school he taught at after graduating from UCLA and ending with a string of incomparable achievements in Eagle Rock. Scores of …

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Giving Back on Thanksgiving—to Eagle Rock

Let’s remember to truly ‘give’ on this holiday of thankfulness.

On Thanksgiving, we all run the risk of celebrating the holiday but forgetting to truly express our gratitude—whether it be to family members, friends, neighbors or the community. On this centennial year for Eagle Rock, there’s probably no better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than to take a moment to give back to our neighborhood. Eagle Rock Patch asked 12 Eagle Rockers for tips on how to be thankful to our community on Thanksgiving. Here are their responses—and feel free to add your own in the Comments section at the end of this page. Happy Thanksgiving! "Support local businesses, patronize the local folks—business here is very hard. Join some civic organization that serves the community—the Kiwanis, Rotary, Women’s Club, the Eagles, the …

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Planting Set to Begin on Eagle Rock Trail Memorial Garden

The project is a tribute to Darryl Medeen, who worked tirelessly to make Eagle Rock beautiful.

What a difference eight kids can make to life in Eagle Rock. On Saturday, November 5, eight children volunteers from the L.A. Conservancy Corps almost entirely weeded an area along the Eagle Rock Trail where a memorial garden is planned for Darryl Medeen, one of the most active members of Collaborative Eagle Rock Beautiful, who died in 2009. CERB member Chloé Renée Ziegler is now set to begin the delicate work of planting in the proposed garden, which was painstakingly cleared and terraced by a group of volunteers and two professional workers on October 22. We hope you enjoy these photos of the weeding operations along what happens to be the last patch of wilderness between Eagle Rock and Pasadena.

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Peter Choi

12:18 pm on Wednesday, November 16, 2011

For more information/history about the hiking trail (and how to get there) please check out my recent blog and short video: http://eaglerock.patch.com/blog_posts/patch-blog-how-to-hike-up-the-eagle-rock-canyon-trail   more ›

Collaborative Eagle Rock Beautiful Makes Headway on Memorial Garden

The garden, in memory of Darryl Medeen, will be located along the last wilderness area between Eagle Rock and Pasadena.

A picturesque memorial garden has been planned for some time now in tribute to Darryl Medeen, one of the most active members of Collaborative Eagle Rock Beautiful, who died in 2009 after years of working tirelessly for the volunteer group that is the force behind the Eagle Rock trail by the 134 freeway. Last week, on Saturday, October 22, CERB volunteers and two dedicated professional workers began digging, terracing and clearing brush in an area along the nearly mile-long trail where the memorial garden, along with an engraved memorial bench, will be located—and these photos are a testament to their hard work. The team pruned shrubs and cleared the way to more stunning views of the Eagle Rock, the Los Angeles basin and—on a clear day—the …

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Peter Choi

8:45 pm on Sunday, October 30, 2011

If you'd like to hike the Eagle Rock Trail, please click on the link to see my short video on how to get there & things to know. http://eaglerock.patch.com/blog_posts/patch-blog-how-to-hike-up-the-eagle-rock-canyon-trail#youtube_video-7552002   more ›

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'Daydreamers' Short on Cash, Long on Fun (PHOTOS)

Sunday's 'Daydream Festival' was a neighborhood effort to help pay off a loan for the purchase and development of the last wilderness trail between Eagle Rock and Pasadena.

About 200 people attended the “Daydream Festival” Sunday on a relatively tiny strip of grassless land officially known as Richard Alatorre Park, a stone’s throw from the 134 freeway and the gigantic Eagle Rock. The event, free and open to all from noon to 7 p.m., was aimed at raising donations for Collaborative Eagle Rock Beautiful, a community group that has been fundraising to pay off some $70,000 in loans to purchase and develop the Eagle Rock Canyon Trail, a four-and-a-half-acre open space that is the last wilderness trail between Eagle Rock and Pasadena. The Daydream Festival was presented by Cannabis Clubs United With the Community (CCUWC), which describes itself as "the majority of open-minded residents in the community [who] have …

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Take Back Eagle Rock

Eagle Rock Gears Up To 'Take Back The Boulevard'

The first in a series of meetings to re-imagine, reshape and reform Colorado Boulevard kicks off Wednesday.

A meeting of Eagle Rock community leaders, business people and property owners is scheduled Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the Coffee Table Lounge in what is being billed as the launch window to a neighborhood initiative that could well be a model not just for Northeast L.A. but for all of California and beyond. Titled “Take Back The Boulevard,” the initiative is aimed at improving and revitalizing the Eagle Rock stretch of Colorado Boulevard, part of the traffic corridor through which historic Route 66 still passes and whose scenic landscape has been much loved by generations dating back to the area’s first Tongva settlers. Initiative's Aims “TBTB,” as the community endeavor could be neatly abbreviated, seeks to generate broad-based community …

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VIDEO: Remembering John Stillion, Teacher, Visionary, Community Volunteer

Four Eagle Rock community volunteers pay tribute to one of Eagle Rock's best.

John Stillion lived for beauty. Let us count the ways: It’s fair to say that wherever Stillion went, he found something to beautify. Some of his most remarkable achievements were in Eagle Rock, where he settled after retirement and lived for about 13 years. Again, let us count the ways: Click here to watch a video about some of the work that Stillion spearheaded in Eagle Rock. Stillion served on a string of local boards, including the Center for the Arts, TERA (The Eagle Rock Association), Colorado Boulevard Design Review Board, Eagle Rock Community Preservation and Revitalization Corp., Fraternal Order of the Eagles, Pasadena Elks Lodge, and the Eagle Rock Centennial Steering Committee. But perhaps the achievement Stillion was most proud …

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Peter Choi

9:35 am on Thursday, September 15, 2011

Click the link below for a short video about The Eagle Rock Canyon Trail, a lasting legacy from John Stillion & the CERB: http://eaglerock.patch.com/blog_posts/patch-blog-how-to-hike-up-the-eagle-rock-canyon-trail   more ›

5 Things to Fuel Your Friday: Jan. 21

Chekov, kids' games, wine tasting, 'Sylvia,' landscape Eagle Rock.

1. How about an afternoon short cut to one of the world’s greatest literary minds? Two one-act plays by the 19th-century Russian writer Anton Chekov will be presented in free readings by the Parson's Nose Theater company at the Lineage Performing Arts Center in nearby Pasadena at noon today and at 7 p.m. tomorrow. The plays are the well-known comedies, The Boor and The Marriage Proposal. Seating is limited, so call to reserve a place. 89 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena, 91105, 626-403-7667. 2. Friday means game day at the Eagle Rock Branch Library. Beginning at 3:30 p.m., kids and teens can come by for board games and old-fashioned fun. See you after school! 5027 Caspar Ave., 323-258-8078. 3. From 5:30-8:30 p.m. tonight, join other wine …

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Caring for Colorado Boulevard

What's being done to reduce speeding along the Eagle Rock stretch of the Colorado corridor and help keep it beautiful.

The stretch of Colorado Boulevard between the 134 freeway exit and the Glendale border shouldn't give the average driver a lot of stress. Sure, you might have to slam on the brakes for that annoying light at the bottom of the Colorado Boulevard offramp, or maybe see some ugly tree stumps on the median, but you will arrive in Glendale before you know it.  To Eagle Rock resident John Crimins, however, Colorado Boulevard is more worrisome. He and his wife own a house on Wiota Street, just above the Colorado Boulevard freeway exit. "I have a kid who goes to Montessori up the street and Colorado Boulevard is like an extension of the freeway," Crimins says. "A lot of kids wait at the bus stops on Colorado and, with the speeding cars, sometimes …

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