Hacienda Heights residents will celebrate the grand opening of the new $21 million community center with a week of special events and performances.
The fun begins 11 a.m. Saturday with the dedication by Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe and civic leaders. Residents will be able to tour the amazing center at 1234 Valencia Ave., just off Turnbull Canyon Road.
Then Hacienda Height’s own Grammy Award winning Mariachi Divas will perform on the outdoor stage from noon to 2 p.m. Founder Cindy Shea lives just down the street.
Residents will enjoy a free lunch from local Mexican, Hawaiian and pizza restaurants. Children will be entertained with many games and face painting.
“It’ll be a great day for the community to come out and celebrate with us,” said the center’s new director Susan Brown with the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation.
On Saturday night, a dinner dance will serve as the inaugural ball. The cost is $10 for an Italian dinner of pasta and salad. Couples 21 and older can then dance to a live band.
On Sunday, everyone can kick up their heels at the big country Western barbecue and dance from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“We’ll have activities for cowboys of all ages. Live entertainment by Del Rio, a mechanical bull, games and face painting,” Brown bragged.
For $7, residents can enjoy a Western BBQ of chicken and ribs. Then they can work off the extra pounds by learning how to square dance and line dance in the center.
On Monday, a community showcase will take to the new stage from 6 to 8 p.m. Brown said the center has scheduled the Ballet Folklorico and hula dancers, as well as a guitar class to perform.
Trio Ellas will perform from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday. The three women combine traditional mariachi, romantic boleros, bluegrass and rock. Their Latin Pop album “Noches Angelinas” was nominated for a Grammy Award. The concert is free, but seating is limited in the 500-seat auditorium.
Thank you, thank you very much. Elvis takes the stage in a tribute concert on Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are only $5.
“We looked months to find some great acts,” Brown explained. “And David Hoover puts on a great Elvis show.”
Kids rule the night on Halloween. A free Halloween carnival will take over the lush grounds with lots of games and entertainment.
But beware, maties! Pirates will battle on the outdoor stage at 6 p.m. The award winning pirate troupe specializes in action and comedy with sword fighting, pistols and breakaway bottles.
“I’m friends with Ted Shred, an actor and stunt coordinator who started the group with nine other pirate enthusiasts,” Brown said. “They put on a great show.”
Then families will move inside the auditorium to see Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” until 9 p.m.
On Nov. 1, the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District moves into the community center for a district wide open house from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The local school district provided the land for the new community center.
“The district is excited about the ongoing partnership we have with the county,” said School Superintendent Cindy Parulan-Colfer.
She said the open house will feature performances by musical groups from many of the local schools. Each school will also have a booth.
The weeklong celebration concludes that evening with a production by the STC Foundation and Dance Impressions.
“They’ll perform a colorful variety of Chinese dances, including the lion and dragon dance,” Brown said. “I’m not sure how much they will be charging at the door, but it will be worth it.”
