A Magical Blvd. Christmas

December 11, 2010 • 5-9 pm
The BLVD between Beech and Gadsden Ave.

Enjoy the sights, sounds, and feel of the holiday season with a Magical BLVD Christmas, Lancaster's winter wonderland celebration. Bring the entire family and spend the evening with carolers, dancing, and outstanding Christmas entertainment on two stages, including Nuns for Fun, the Lee Matalon Jazz Ensemble, and the AV Children's Choir.

• Browse through the Christkindlmarkt for Christmas crafts, foods, and a farmer’s market.
• Children can enjoy a train ride or make crafts in Santa’s Workshop.
• Visit the Holidays Around the World exhibit and see how different cultures celebrate the holidays.
• Be dazzled with a brilliant display of lights, wreaths, decorations, and numerous holiday scenes.
• Donate a new, unwrapped toy to the LA County Fire Department's "Spark of Love" Toy Drive.
• Shop for the holidays or dine at one of the BLVD’s outstanding restaurants.
• And, of course, Santa will be there

It's A Wonderful Life

Presented by It’s Only Tuesday Productions at Lancaster Performing Arts Center
Friday, December 3 – Sunday, December 5, 2010

Kick off the holidays by seeing one of the classics performed live at the Lancaster Performing Arts Center this weekend.

“It’s a Wonderful Life” by James W. Rodgers is a seasonal treat offers redemption and hope through the story of a good, but slightly ineffectual man named George Bailey. After a devastating financial mishap has left him broken spirited, George contemplates his value and life. In "A Christmas Carol" fashion, his crusty-but-lovable guardian angel shows up to give him a tour of the world without his presence, and it isn't a pretty place. It’s a Wonderful Life is an uplifting holiday tradition you will want to share with the whole family.

For more information or to purchase tickets
Call, Click or Visit the
Lancaster Performing Arts Center Box Office:
(661) 723 - 5950 / LPAC.org / 750 W. Lancaster Blvd., Lancaster, CA 93534

Happy Turkey Day!

We wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Happy Halloween!

On the scariest night of the year, ghost and goblins come from everywhere! Halloween events this year include:

On Oct. 31 the Antelope Valley Mall hosts its ``Spooktacular Halloween Bash,'' mall stores will hand out candy to trick-or-treaters from 5 to 7 p.m. From 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the mall center court, costumed teens will tell Halloween stories for younger children. From 6 to 7 p.m. entertainer Ken Frawley will sing songs and play games with children.

Haunted Houses:
43008 Guyman Ave., off of 40th Street West and Avenue L
7203 Peachtree Lane, located off 75th Street East north of Highway 138

The valley's two biggest haunted houses are the Mira Loma Haunted Jail, hosted by sheriff's deputies and Factory of Fears at Mira Loma Detention Center, and the sixth annual A.V. Scare.

The Haunted Jail begins tours at sunset tonight, Saturday and on Halloween at Mira Loma, on 60th Street West at Avenue I. Tours begin under the jail water tower and end at 10 p.m. Admission is free. Visitors should be prepared for long lines, deputies warned. Call (661) 949-3831 for a recording of general information

Other events:
Halloween craft programs for children will be held at 2 and 3 p.m. Wednesday and a Halloween video program with crafts from 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 31 at the Quartz Hill Library, 42018 50th St. W. For more information call (661) 943-2454.

A drop-in Halloween/Fall craft event for children age 2 and over runs from 3 to 5 p.m. Oct. 31 at the Lake Los Angeles Library, 16921 E. Ave. O. Preschoolers must be assisted by a parent.

Children will have a choice of making a fall leaf pin or a Halloween bookmark. For more information call (661) 264-0593

The Heart of the Tejon Ranch Vision

It’s not easy being green, that’s why Centennial and our partners work so hard at it. Tejon Ranch signed an historic conservation agreement with the nation’s leading environmental organizations (the Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, Audubon California, Planning and Conservation League and the Endangered Habitats League) that will permanently preserve up to 240,000 acres of Tejon Ranch. For those who love soccer, that is about 125,000 competition sized soccer fields!

So what does this mean for Centennial? Just like the Ranch, we at Centennial are committed to conservation. In fact, half of our site’s 11,700 acres will be open space with nearly 80 percent of the open space area looking exactly as it does today.

Our goal is use the land and resources to meet the housing, employment and lifestyle needs of current and future generations of Californians, while being guided by the Ranch’s core values of conservation and good stewardship.

If you haven’t already be sure to check out a community hike led by the Tejon Ranch Conservancy, which was created as part of the Tejon Ranch Conservation and Land Use Agreement. Just visit the website at: http://tejonranchconservancy.org/, and click on “Events”.

Supporter Spotlight: Dave & Jill Wade

Dave and Jill Wade of Lebec, Supporters since 2007 and founding members of Friends of Centennial.

If you’ve heard Dave Wade talk about Centennial, you know he is passionate about the new community. Dave and Jill’s support for Centennial is rooted in Tejon Ranch’s record of environmental sensitivity.

The Wade’s are pleased that Centennial will bring the convenience of much needed services without disturbing the tranquility of the mountains that drew them to the area.

“The commitment to quality and stewardship that Tejon Ranch has demonstrated shows that they take care of their land. We will enjoy the benefits and sense of community associated with Centennial while preserving the open space that makes this area so special.”

Centennial: A Walkable Community

Was there ever a time where you wished you didn’t have to get in the car and fight traffic to buy groceries, take the kids to school or to a park? At Centennial you can leave your car in the garage. Centennial has been designed as a series of compact walkable villages where most homes will be within one-half mile of a neighborhood park, schools, and retail stores. Centennial also is being planned with 7 – 8 foot paseos with landscaping between the pavement and pedestrian along main roadways and off-road trails to enhance a walking experience.

Need to get to your neighbor’s house on the other side of Centennial for a barbeque while carrying a bowl of potato salad? No problem. An internal transit system will be in place to take residents to any part of the entire community as well as to the two transit stations that will connect you with regional bus and train service into the San Fernando Valley and other parts of Los Angeles County.

Question of the Week: Is the economic climate impacting Centennial?

From time to time we receive questions about Centennial to our e-mail address (info@centennialca.com). We welcome your questions about Centennial and will periodically feature questions on Centennial Scout.

Lately we’ve received a number of inquiries about the effects of the current economic downturn on Centennial. Actually, the current conditions make this just the right time to be in the planning process. Centennial is the solution a lot of local residents are waiting for. The new town will bring jobs and drive economic growth in the region.

Once we begin building the new town, Centennial will help address the housing needs of a growing region. Southern California’s population is projected to grow by 3.5 million by 2020 and we need to plan accordingly.

Centennial will be built-out over a period of 20 years and between now and then it is reasonable to expect the economy and the housing market to rebound.

Help Wanted

It seems like everyone is talking about the economy these days. In particular, the US job market is a hot button topic. We at Centennial are excited to be able to contribute the Country’s job growth.

A highlight of master-planned communities like Centennial is that they plan for jobs, amenities and vital services that the region needs to thrive. Since Centennial is a self-sustaining community, we’ve planned for a wide range of job opportunities from entry level to professional services, including teachers, firefighters, doctors, nurses and attorneys. In fact there will be more than 30,000 permanent jobs available once the 20 year build-out of Centennial is completed. That is 1.3 jobs to every one home created!

Job growth at Centennial will start before we even lay a brick. Nearly 30,000 construction jobs will be ongoing for the entire 20 year build-out.

It is our hope that Centennial can help people live the American Dream.

Starry Nights

There’s nothing like looking up in the sky and seeing hundreds of beautiful stars. It’s an experience only a few in the LA Metro area can enjoy on rare nights. In the mountain communities, it’s a nightly spectacle. And we intend for it to stay that way with our “dark skies” program. Within the bounds of Centennial, all the lights will be aimed downward for minimal light pollution. Beyond the downward lighting, all outdoor lighting will be non-glare to further protect light projecting up. All signs will have dark backgrounds with minimally colored characters.

Light pollution wastes energy, is harmful to the natural ecosystem and can even cause insomnia. Other health and environmental effects of light pollution are still being investigated, but the bottom line is, it isn’t good for anyone. As always, the environment and well being of our residents and neighbors are our greatest priority, which is why we are striving to make our community one of the best anywhere.

The Mighty Oaks

The oak trees play an important role within the Tejon Ranch ecology and the Centennial community. There are 181,000 oak trees living on the Centennial site now.

Ninety-nine percent will be protected and preserved. For every oak tree that must be removed, more will be planted in its place. Three new oaks will be planted for each standard size and ten for every heritage size. All in all, over 5,000 new oaks will be planted. Besides the present oaks on site, another estimated 268,000 oaks will be preserved in our off-site mitigation areas. There will be a nursery on-site to nurture the new trees which will be planted in the community, or to expand nearby existing oak tree stands.

Better Passing on the Newhall Pass

To make commuting smoother on the I-5 through the Newhall Pass in Santa Clarita, we are part of a coalition that spearheaded environmental and impact studies and secured funding for significant improvements. Funds for these improvements have been committed with construction to begin in 2011.

The plans include adding mandatory truck climbing lanes over the Newhall Pass so we can get those sluggy 18-wheelers, U-Hauls and other large trucks off the primary lanes, leaving them for cars only. This alone will guarantee a zippier drive. HOV lane also will be added, which will not only open up more lanes, but encourage carpooling. Additionally, the construction will create 10,000 jobs.

These improvements to the I-5 are slated to be done before we break ground on Centennial. Planning ahead is the only way to stay ahead!

School Bells Before Doorbells

A top-flight school system is one of the first stepping-stones to creating a great community. This is why we have worked with the Gorman School District to set aside six sites for state-of-the-art facilities for Kindergarten through 8^th grade. Also included in our plan are two first rate high schools with Antelope Valley Union High School District that will be a set piece in the Centennial community.