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Troop Arrives at Jamboree
La Mirada~On the morning of July 24, we woke up happy from sleeping in nice soft beds. After breakfast, we shipped out for Arlington. It was a solemn place with perfect rows of white headstones which reminded me how freedom isn't free and that it comes at a heavy price. While we were there, we visited the graves of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Ted Kennedy.
We watched the very stylized changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider. I have to give these guards some recognition because it 
was 100 degrees at the time. Us Scouts were sweating like crazy while the guard, who were wearing wool uniforms, barely had a line of sweat as they performed their solemn duty.
After Arlington, we moved to one of the most iconic buildings in our country: The Capital. We were visiting the place where our country’s laws are made. As we climbed the steps, I thought about the School House Rock song: “I’m a bill, yes I am only a bill and I am sitting here on Capital Hill.”
Mr. Gardea was able to arrange a tour of the inside of the Capital through Congresswoman Grace Napolitano. Thank you to both.
We had lunch at a huge mall built around the Union Station. From there we moved on to the Smithsonian museums. It quickly became one of my favorite spots. We were only able to get into the Air and Space and the Natural History museums. The Air and Space of course was filled with all kinds of rockets, missiles, airplanes, and space stuff. I especially enjoyed the exhibits on gravity and the early history of the airplanes.
We could have spent the whole day there but we only had about an hour before we had to exit the Air and Space Museum and hike over to the Natural History Museum. We saw all kinds of animals and cool looking plants. It was very similar to the museum in Los Angeles but on a much grander scale. None of the exhibits came alive like the movie but they did have a great gift shop. I bought some gifts for my brother and sister.
After dinner at the Fashion Center, we went to visit Mr. Lincoln. From his chair, he had a clear view of the famous reflecting pool and the Washington Monument. His famous Gettysburg address was etched off to the side. We walked a short distance to the Korean War Memorial which I thought was one of the cooler memorials because it displayed life-like soldier statues moving in formation. Next we paid our respects to the Vietnam memorial. I was amazed when I saw the monument because it seemed to rise out of the ground. So many names were on the wall...
Scouts Eye Nation’s Capital
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| La Mirada Blog's Christopher Guerra in front of our Nation's Capital |
Exclusive! Note: Third entry in a series
Washington D.C.~Five score and about six month ago (February 8, 1910), our scouting fathers brought forth on this continent, a new program to teach this country's youth "responsible leadership, character development, and self-reliance through participation in a wide range of outdoor activities, educational programs, and, at older age levels, career-oriented programs in partnership with community organizations." (Wikipedia)
On the morning of July 23, we pulled ourselves out of bed and filled up at the breakfast buffet. Our first tour of the day was Gettysburg National Park. We toured the many battlefields
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| Troop 826 on the steps of the Capital |
such as Little Round Top that made this place a major turning point in the Civil War. Many American lives were lost on these fields and there are several monuments to remind us all why we should always remain united. In the high temperatures, we slowly climbed an observation tower. From there, we had a magnificent view of the city and park. Our Gettysburg ranger told us how the outnumbered Union army held off the Confederate forces at this site by forming a defensive line in the shape of a fishhook. After the Union victory, President Lincoln later came to Gettysburg to deliver his famous speech.
For lunch, we ate lunch at a place where they had a huge food court of various restaurants. Something for everyone. We ate and headed back to the buses only to find out that Troop 818's (Galaxy) bus driver misplaced his keys. So we waited out in the hot sun until our leaders came up with a plan. It was decided that we would all board the buses with the Galaxy troop taking the empty spaces left on the other three buses. We were grateful to be back on the road and cheered when the cold air finally filled our bus.
We headed towards our nation's capital, Washington D.C. Our first stop was the National Holocaust museum. I was not prepared for what I saw in this museum. It was one of the most heartbreaking, breathtaking, and saddest places I have ever experienced. The one exhibit that got to me the most was the exhibit where you are walking across a bridge and the shoes of the victims were to our sides. We left there with a lot to think about.
Scouts Continue on Their Journey
Second in a series of articles from Christopher Guerra, La Mirada Boy Scout attending the 2010 National Scout Jamboree in Virginia
It is 9:00 pm on July 21. I am sitting around the airport near the check-in area with my troop. Scouts around me occupy their time with crossword puzzles, phones, iPods, and lots of chatter. The air is heavy with excitement as take-off time draws near. At 9:15 pm, we took a group picture and said goodbyes to our families as our leaders moved us to the security check area. This will the longest and farthest I have ever been away from my parents. Despite the time and distance, there isn't a scout that isn't looking forward to what's to come.
We boarded the plane and took our seats. As the plane started climbing, I took one last glimpse of the lights of Los Angeles, California. I won't see them again for 16 days. I looked over our itinerary for the next few days and it looks like they have us up and running from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm every day.
As the plane reached cruising altitude, scouts soon succumbed to sleepiness including myself. Five hours later, I woke to a beautiful sunrise on my left and an
even more magnificent city to my right. We had arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania!
As I exited the plane, I thought to myself "One small step for a scout, one giant leap for Christopher!". We walked out of the airport and met Howard our tour bus driver. We loaded our small duffel bags in the bus and climbed aboard. We didn't get food on the plane so the bus was filled with moans of hunger. I looked out the window as we rolled along taking in the city. Picture Los Angeles with more greenery, fewer skyscrapers, and open spaced, less crowded neighborhoods and you got Philadelphia.
Girls Softball to Have Fundraiser Tomorrow
"Silver" Team First Ever in La Mirada to Advance to Nationals; Get a Haircut and Support the Team
La Mirada~The La Mirada Girls Softball Association's 10U Silver All-Star team will be hosting a fundraiser tomorrow, July 25th from 9AM-1PM at La Mirada Barbershop, 12764 La Mirada Boulevard.
The girls qualified for the tournament by finishing fifth in state competition and are the first La Mirada Silver team ever, to make it to the big dance.
The National Championship Tournament will take place August 2nd-8th in Tucson, AZ.
Top stylists and barbers from LM Barbershop and Isabelle Marie Salon will be on hand to donate their time and talent for the team.
Prices are women-$18.00; Men and Children-$12.00; with ALL proceeds going to the La Mirada Girls Softball Association Silver All-Star team.
La Mirada Silver all stars Berlyn Carreon, Gabrielle Munoz, Sarah Duran, Tatum Anzaldo, Vanessa Ayala, Alexis Bermudez, Madeline Pirnat, Gisele Acuna, Sierra Schimmel, Clarissa Hernandez, Sydney Saucedo, Alexis Bonilla, Sarah Perez and Breanna Vasquez and Isabelle Gonzalez
Contact Maria Carreon at (562) 755-6468, for more information or to donate to the team .
EXCLUSIVE: La Mirada Boy Scout to Send Back Accounts From Jamboree in Virginia
Note: This a first of a series of articles from Christopher Guerra who is a member of La Mirada Boy Scouts Troop 919. Christopher will be sharing experiences with us as he attends the BSA 2010 National Scout Jamboree in Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia-which is celebrating 100 years of scouting.
One hundred years ago, Lord Baden Powell's scouting program arrived in America. On February 8, 1910, a few scouts and their leaders gathered together to teach principles of patriotism, courage, self-reliance, and other kindred values. Today, it has grown into the largest youth organization in the United States with over four million active participants.
On July 23, 2010 over 44,000 scouts from across the nation will arrive at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia turning it into the third largest city in the state, complete with street lights, wi-fi, buses, a hospital and fully functional post office. Their mission: To celebrate the founding of a program whose values are just as relevant today as they were one hundred years ago.
Hello readers of La Mirada Blog. My name is Christopher Guerra and I am a Life Scout from Boy Scout troop 919 chartered through La Mirada Presbyterian Church. I would like to 
thank Mr. Aiello for allowing me to post my experiences and adventures in scouting and the BSA National Jamboree.
A few months ago I was very fortunate to be selected to attend the 2010 National Scout Jamboree celebrating the 100-year anniversary of scouting. Scouts from various troops throughout the Los Angeles area were put together to create four new Jamboree troops. Each troop is made up of 36 scouts, three adult leaders and one youth leader. I was put into Troop 826. Our leaders are Chris Gardea, Wes Romberger, Kathleen Wood, and youth leader Nick Mercurio . Various LA area sports teams generously granted permission for us to use their team names and logos as part of our troop designations. My troop 826 displays the Dodger logo. Other troops display the Galaxy, Kings, and Lakers logos.
Since March 2009, troop 826 has met monthly to discuss plans and preparations for the event. We split up into four patrols, the Terminators, the Wookie Warriors, the Flaming Fu Fu Kittens, and my patrol, the Star Destroyers. To make sure that we were prepared, we camped out together so that we could learn to work as a team. We participated in various outdoor activities, created patrol yells and ultimately got to know each other a lot better. This was extremely important because for Jamboree we would all be together for sixteen days. It was on this first outing we made our soon to be famous troop yell:
County Cuts May Affect La Mirada Library Hours
The La Mirada Blog family welcomes Ed Carrasco to the writing team.
La Mirada~The County of Los Angeles has postponed its plan to change the La Mirada Library's hours of operation which would have started this Monday.
The county is consulting with labor unions on the changes, said Pam Broussard, County of Los Angeles Public Library spokeswoman. Because of the consultation, the changes to the library's operating hours are on hold.
As part of the county's $8.8 million cuts to the library system because of dwindling property tax and general fund revenue, the La Mirada Library would have closed on Fridays in addition to Sundays and Mondays. Its Tuesday through Thursday hours would have remained the same (10 a.m. to 8 p.m), but on Saturday would have changed from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Any information regarding the library's new schedule will be announced in the coming days, said Broussard.
Huge Rummage Sale at Temple
La Mirada~Temple Beth Orr will host a rummage sale in a large air-conditioned room Sunday, July 25th at 8am and Monday, July 26th at 9 am, 15721 Rosecrans Avenue.
Bobby Sox Tournament Coming to La Mirada
La Mirada~Bobby Soxer's from all over the Southwest will converge on La Mirada as the city is host for the 48th Annual Bobby Sox Tournament of Champions July 15-20 at Behringer Park.
For more information visit the organization's website at http://www.bobbysoxsoftball.org/.
Opportunities are available for businesses and residents to help with the tournament. Contact contact Kelli Amador at kelliamador@yahoo.com or Mandy Rjinders at
mandkns@yahoo.com.
Also, check out our links page for the local chapter of Bobby Sox and other youth sports leagues.
Annual Independence Celebration Set to Go
La Mirada~La Mirada's annual Independence Celebration will be held July 3 from 4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at La Mirada Regional Park.
The celebration will include live entertainment, picnic games, great food, and a firework spectacular. Sponsors include: Supervisor Don Knabe County of Los Angeles - Fourth District, ARCO AM/PM Valley View at Alondra, and CareMore.
For more information, call the Community Services Department at (562) 943-7277 or visit www.cityoflamirada.org
“Avenue of the Presidents” Has Long Tradition in La Mirada
La Mirada~The City of La Mirada will continue tradition with the annual unveiling of the "Avenue of the Presidents". The portraits of U.S. Presidents will be displayed on La Mirada Boulevard from Alondra Boulevard to Leffingwell Avenue from June 28 to August 2.
In 2007 the City presented new portraits of the presidents purchased from the White House Historical Association. The original portraits were painted by local artist Cecil "Cy" Young in 1976 and will be kept as part of La Mirada history.
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