|
|
Sages Whoop It Up at Annual BBQ!
PHOTOS BY KATIE DALSEMER ©, MESSENGER The arch which was the brainchild of Stacy Sledge who drew on her days as a set decorator gave the barbecue a real country western feel. (L-R) Bert Whalley, Lee Kelly, Sage super volunteer Gabrielle Lamirand and Rick Nervik. Lisa Villaseñor, one of the dedicated volunteers who helps prepare the Sages dinner once a month, clanged the triangle signaling the start of dinner. Randy Just couldn’t get enough of his job as Grill Master, cooking up food donated by the Topanga Community Club for the event. Kerry Bennassar and son, 7 ½-year-old Nico, fueled-up after helping prepare the barbecue feast. Five Topanga homeschooling moms and their kids volunteered at the dinner for the first time. Homeschool families will host a regular fun-and-games day with special focus on Sage-agers from noon to 2 p.m. on Nov. 8 at the Topanga Library.
Thankfully, the brutal two-month heat wave broke just in time for the Third Annual Canyon Sages Country Barbecue on October 5. 
Fifty Sages, their families and volunteers—old and young—joined in the lively affair held at the Topanga Community House.
The barbecue was a virtual Who’s Who of Topanga’s active older generation. Linda Hinrichs, still running her preschool, Children’s Corner, came straight from the youngsters to the oldsters. Topanga Historical Society guru Ami Kirby arrived with husband Doug and his perfect baked beans. The Messenger’s own Lee Kelly was there, dressed in Western gear, with perennial favorite Kenny Douphner. Karen Moran, who held a Theatricum fundraiser a while back for her daughter who was stricken with cancer, came with
the good news that her daughter now tests cancer-free. Sages regulars Henry Smith, Michele Acker, Roberta and Dan Kirby, Russ and Evelyn Jensen were joined by some new faces, like long-time Topangans, Roger and Darlene Weld, who moved to Topanga in 1961.
The event was a fun affair, presided over by Lisa Villasenor, who recently took over the reins of the Sages dinners, held the first Friday of each month, from Karen Dannenbaum. As they always do, the Topanga Community Club donated the main dish for the event, this time dogs and burgers done up on the Community House grill by former TCC president Randy Just.
The dinners are usually prepared by volunteers so that the rest of the seniors can just pull up a chair and enjoy. But for the barbecue everyone was invited to bring their favorite treats to accompany the regulars’ dishes—like Lisa’s corn bread, Karen’s brownies, Karla Morrison’s coleslaw and Lynn Dickhoff’s salad.
The décor was over-the-top Western, as only former set decorator and present Town Council prez Stacy Sledge could have managed. Giant cowboy boots flanked the stage. Bales of hay, sunflowers and wildflowers set off the colorful tables and the twang of Western country music filled the air. 
The hit of the afternoon was the wanted posters on the back wall, featuring some familiar “outlaws,” like “El Jefe Sam” Buschmann and “Bad Girl Betty” Maddalena. The crew who helped stage the colorful setting included Gabrielle Lamirand, Becca Barkin, Penny Chavez, Laurie Sledge and Dan Hanrahan.
HOMESCHOOLERS TO HOST GAME DAYS
Five Topanga homeschooling moms and their kids volunteered at the dinner for the first time. The kids—a motley group of 6 to 10-year-olds—pitched in with gusto, sparking up the event with their cuteness, delivering drinks and food and carrying their weight in chairs when cleanup time came.
Jenni Klemp, one of the moms, stepped up to announce a new program. Starting on Nov. 8 at Topanga Library, the homeschoolers
will host a regular fun and games day, open to all Topangans from 12-5 p.m. at the Topanga Library, with special focus on Sage-agers from noon to 2 p.m. Jenni thinks it’s a great chance for their sweet kids to interact with the older generation and would like to know what board games people would most like to play. Contact her at jenni.matt@hotmail.com with your ideas.
MORE TCC ACTIVITIES THAN YOU CAN SHAKE A STICK AT
Sages activities chair Gabrielle Lamirand also announced a fun new class—Dance Party Fridays with Betty YeeOpp for just $6 a class at the Community House. An experienced fitness instructor and live wire, Betty will teach Zumba Gold, Free Style and Line Dancing from 10:30 -11:30 a.m. Wear your workout gear and come ready to have some fun. The class is open to all ages. Also check out Jackie Safanov’s Qigong and Tai Chi and Susan Pinto’s Balance Class. Check the Dateline for time and place.
Larry Roberts’ computer classes also continue with Internet Searching Skills on Wednesday, Oct. 24 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Community House. The fee is only $10. Bring your laptop if you have one. To sign up in advance for any of these classes, contact Gabrielle at (310) 455-3030 or just show up!
Also, bring out your inner beatnik and join the Sages for a group poetry reading and writing session at the Poetry Panel on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at Topanga Library at 7:30 p.m. It’s free and open to all.
WHAT IS A SAGE?
It’s a person wise enough to use that euphemism when alluding to the fact that she/he is over 50. The group, now more than 200 strong, shares information, holds events and sponsors classes and clubs of special interest to the over-50 crowd.
Want to join the Sages or find out more? It’s free! Call or email Michele at (310) 455-1319 or send an e-mail to gmsjohnson2002@yahoo.com; Dateline at topangamessenger.com; the green Sages notices on the community calendar at onetopanga.com; or the Sages web pages on the Topanga Town Council website, topangatowncouncil.org for more information.
The next Sages Social will be held on Friday, Nov. 2, 3:30 p.m. at the Community House, 1440 N. Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Topanga, CA 90290.
