are Joanne “Yorkie” Galvin, Sheryl Williams, Dotty Bennington, Julie Fernald, and Anitia Lomeli. Middle row, from left, are Joseph Barton, Gordon Huff, Ismael Sandoval, William Uniak, Earl Westergaard, Anthony Fonte. In the back is presiding Exalted Ruler Anthony Manzo.

This Thanksgiving was the 23rd year that owner Andreas Psaras, fourth from left in the photo, and his crew have helped the hungry and less fortunate.

But it couldn’t be done without community support. Dozens stepped up to donate turkeys, money and time to the effort.

They are: Food 4 Less; Super King Markets; Golden State Water Company’s Kaven Motadi, Deven Sisodia and Ken Vecchiarelli; Nena De la Torre with Golden Touch Auto Body and Towing; Tammy Burris with LKQ-Pick Your Part; Paul Sahagun, with La Lampara with Mobil Homes; George Lazaruk with CR&R; Emily Grant with SoCalGas; Tom Carpenter with Frontier Real Estate Investments; Adam Othman with USS Cal Builders; Elvin Campbell, Stanton Boys & Girls Club director and representing the Stanton Lions Club; Barb Karch, with Adventure City; Vincent Petronio with Magic Lamp M.H.P.; Jerry Ristrom, with the Stanton Lions Club; CARE Ambulance Field Training Officer and EMT Jacquelynn Bonom and Samara Monroy; Damian Valdez, with Super King Markets; Stanton City Councilwoman Alyce Van; Stanton Mayor David John Shawver (coordinator of the event); Kristy Morehead with CR&R; CARE Operations Manager Daniel Ko; and Gary Balikjian with City Collision.

Participants included representatives from GG, Stanton, Westminster, Anaheim, Buena Park, La Habra and Buena Park.

The goal? Figure out a way to improve Beach Boulevard. The event included games and refreshments.

In the photo, a family tries their hand at the game of Jenga.

Local dignitaries, as well as Stanton locals, attended.

It was a an event to celebrate veterans but also mourn the passing of Stanton-ite Ed Royce, a World War II veteran who died on Oct. 16 at the age of 94.

Royce served as a PFC in the United States Army as a forward-advance observer. He was a leader of the Resistance Movement in France who kept communication with allied troops, enabling the military to combat the enemy.

He’s shown here at a 2017 Veterans Day ceremony.

Pictured, Ricky Bethell, far left, casts his ballot on measures A and B at the Stanton Community Services Center. shown with him, from left, are Voting Inspector Cecilia Quiroz and Clerk Thuy Lan Nguyen.

Measure A (the pot tax) passed by a 67 percent to 33 percent difference.

Measure B passed with 64 percent of the vote, according to the Orange County Registrar of Voters. About 3,000 citizens voted in the election.

Jennifer Stewart made a living as a sculptor before her return, five-years-ago, to the restaurant business as new owner of Azteca, a beloved fixture on Historic Main Street.

Azteca, located in downtown Garden Grove, features wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling Elvis memorabilia for Elvis fans to enjoy during lunch, dinner and weekend Karaoke nights.

But while all the décor inside the restaurant itself is dedicated to the memory of “The King,” the bar area inside Azteca has always featured a wide variety of other classic-music references and memorabilia. It’s there you’ll find where Stewart’s love of art and her obsession for classic-rock-music intersect within the ongoing installation of her “Iconic Album Covers” series.

The original wall-relief sculptures are back-lit with color-morphing LEDs and celebrate a variety of music icons. The collection of sculptures includes The Beatles’ “Abbey Road”;  Madonna’s “True Blue”; and the latest, a tribute to the heavy metal band “Metallica.”

So, what’s next?

As a way of giving back to the city, Stewart is creating a bronze police K-9 monument. The bronze statue will feature stalwart four-legged officers and their handler officers who serve so diligently. The monument will feature a life-sized, detailed study of human and canine officers spotlighting the necessary trust and special bond of the K-9 team.

Behind the lifelike figures, on the large anchoring wall, will be a rendering of the city’s clock tower and a close-up rendering of the various police badges throughout the years.

The flat, vertical wall on the back of the sculpture will memorialize K-9 officer teams from the past, present and future with small placards. More names will be added over the coming years as the K-9 officers serve and are retired.

In 2020, Garden Grove will celebrate the 50-year anniversary of adding K-9 police officers to the police force. After decades of service, Garden Grove’s policing is being contracted out to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Stewart’s sculpture will be displayed at the department, at a place to be determined.

Stewart said her sculpture is a way to honor and thank Garden Grove police officers for their tireless and continued service to the community, a community that so many long-time residents have called home since the city was formed.

Jessica Cedillo, 19, came to America from Mexico shortly after she turned 6-years-old.

Just one month later, she began attending elementary school; not speaking one word of English.

“I cried; school was so difficult because of the language barrier,” she said. “I used to tell my mom that I didn’t need to learn English and that I just wanted to go back to Mexico.”

Jessica shared that when she joined the Boys & Girls Club of Stanton in 2006, she met a great staff member, Joanna, who helped her with her homework.

“I gave Joanna a hard-time, knowing she didn’t speak much Spanish, but she never gave up on me and she taught me to speak English.”

Some six-to-seven months later, Jessica was fluent in English and her grades, as well as social skills, with her classmates improved. After mastering English, she remembers being able to help younger children with their homework at the Club; continuing on with her own Club membership, at the age of 11, she also became a volunteer at the Club.

Board President Brian Donahue said he noticed Jessica helping other Club members with their homework as well as with their English language skills and learned of her background, coming from Mexico and not speaking any English and then going on to help other children at the Club in any way she could.

“She grew to be a responsible teenager and was awarded ’Youth of the Year’ twice; we’re very proud of Jessica,” said Donahue.

“The Boys & Girls Club of Stanton has given me so much support within other areas of my life, that I was able to start volunteering at the City of Stanton, where I now work as a Recreation Leader,” she continued. “I truly believe that my passion for community and public service stems from receiving so much support from the Boys & Girls Club, that I want to pay it forward and help my community just like the Club helped me.”

In 2015, Jessica was selected as the Club’s “Youth of the Year” and she also went on to be selected as “Youth of the Year once again in 2018 and also received the “Community Builder Award” through the “Interfaith Council for Stanton, Garden Grove, and Westminster.”

“Jessica has been such a great example of what the Club does; she received our highest award, “Youth of the Year” twice,” said Executive Director Elwin Campbell. “She is the only two-time recipient of that award in our 50-year history.”

Jessica said in high school, the Club was always there throughout everyone of her accomplishments. “In 2017, Joanna helped me develop a resume to apply to Girls State as a Delegate, which is a leadership program designed to increase awareness and knowledge of governmental processes, while teaching young women about the duties, privileges, rights and responsibilities of citizenship.”

She said having the Club’s help to get accepted to the leadership program,  “Meant so much

because despite not being a U.S. Citizen, I’ve always been proud of my community. The

Club was also there as I became my school’s Student Body Secretary in 2017, as well

as navigating the pressures of applying for college as a first-generation college student and becoming one of the ‘Mariners of The Month’ at Pacifica High School in Garden Grove.”

Jessica talked about how the Club’s staff cheered her on through college rejections and acceptances.

“I want to continue helping others through community advocacy, either in local government or as a high school Spanish teacher. With the support I received from the Boys & Girls Club, I’m able to motivate my younger siblings, ages 12 and 13, to also get involved in volunteer opportunities  in Stanton.

Jessica also took part in the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s Explorer Program and was advanced to an Explorer Sergeant. She’s a graduate of the Garden Grove Unified School District on the Honor Roll and Principal’s Honor Roll at Pacifica High School.

“Jessica is one of the most remarkable teens I have had the pleasure of working with in my 12-years at the Boys & Girls Club of Stanton,” said Unit Director Joanna Succar. “She’s an inspiration to all, and her potential is limitless; her love for service and community activism is an integral part of who she is. She’s a great leader who truly embodies all of the values that our Clubs work so hard to instill in our youth.”

“Jessica is such a hard-working, dedicated, active and always pleasant volunteer and a natural-born leader,” said Former Stanton Mayor Al Ethans. “We’re very fortunate to have her in our city.”

From an unsure beginning in America, Jessica not only works for the City of  Stanton as a Recreation Leader but is now beginning her second year at Irvine Valley College, where she’s working toward an Associate Degree in Spanish and, Social and Behavioral Sciences, which she will achieve in May of 2020.

What’s next for Jessica? This Fall, she plans to apply for a transfer for the next school year to pursue her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish.

For Boys & Girls Club information, call 714-891-0740.

The Garden Grove Active Downtown Plan will aim to create a healthier, more connected, and more vibrant downtown.

Garden Grove Mayor Steve Jones said, “Downtown Garden Grove is experiencing milestone economic growth and development. To keep pace and foster a lively and vibrant downtown, we must find ways to better connect our residents and visitors to the area.”

The GGADP concept is made possible through a Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant, which was approved by the Garden Grove City Council in February 2018, to leverage alternative modes of transportation to help enhance the city’s downtown economy and livability.

The grant was awarded based on the criteria and scoring from the United States Census, as well as collision data.

Using the city’s 2016 Active Streets Master Plan that identifies possible concepts for bikeway and pedestrian improvements, the city and the consultant firm, KOA Corporation, will evaluate the recommendations and assess feasibility, roadway characteristics, traffic, and more to develop engineering-level concepts for future grant funding opportunities for the Garden Grove Active Downtown Plan.

The Garden Grove Active Downtown team will be hosting pop-up booths at several key events throughout the year. Visit ggcity.org/activedowntown to learn about potential concepts and proposed improvements for the downtown area.

For more information, contact Alana Cheng, Community and Economic Development Department, at 714-741-5998 or email at alanac@ggcity.org.

Driving on Garden Grove Boulevard between Beach and Brookhurst, the city suddenly changes for the next two miles.

Right in the middle of Garden Grove is a hidden cultural jewel .

Welcome to Koreatown.

According to Ho-El Park, president of the Korean American Chamber of Commerce of Orange County (KACCOC), businesses have established themselves and have thrived in Koreatown of Garden Grove for the past four decades.

Koreatown features a plethora of Korean restaurants, beauty-related shops, beauty schools, financial service firms, Korean markets, law offices, Real Estate offices, accounting firms and automotive services.

Park noted that people of all ethnicities patronize the Korean shops.

“A lot of Vietnamese patrons eat in our restaurants and shop in our area, too,” Park said.

Garden Grove is home to what is widely considered Orange County’s original Koreatown, dating to the 1970s. Back then, Garden Grove was considered a hipster place when it came to Korean barbecue. Nowadays, you can find splendid Korean restaurants all over Orange County.

But if you want the best stuff, you might want to check out the Korean Plaza and other areas of Koreatown featuring some of the best Korean restaurants in the country, including Mo Ran Gak, New Seoul BBQ and Jang Mo Gip.

Care for brisket, pork belly, cold noodles, rice cakes?

Koreatown is a must-see.

This is Park’s second year serving as the Chamber president.

“In early 2000, two monument-signs were erected in the center-divider along

Garden Grove Boulevard,” he said. “The name of the area was changed by City Council this year to officially be Koreatown.”

Park said that membership in the chamber is composed mostly of Koreans but is open to anyone.

“Anyone can join; currently we have 35-board members overseeing KACCOC and the membership,” he said.

The 35th Korean Festival, aka “Arirang Festival,” which is in its early-planning stages, is set to be held this year from Oct. 3 through Oct. 6.

The Arirang Festival began about two decades ago; however, it’s now run independently by the Korean Festival Committee of Orange County.

The Festival is a weekend to celebrate and share the Korean culture with the

community, which includes Korean music and performances, along with an open-air market that features many booths, a talent show, singing and contests.

It has been suggested that the way to learn about a country and its people is through their food, and Korea has an amazing barbecue, fresh off the grill. You can also enjoy Korean soul food: spicy rice cakes and dumplings.

Food and music can connect different peoples of the world; Korean skincare productsmand services are also booming and are widely recognized.

Many Korean stores and shops have signs in both English and Koreanm (AKA “Hangul”).

For information about the Korean American Chamber of Commerce of Orange County, contact info@KACCOC.com or call 714-638-1440.

Proceeds from sales at this stand will go to “Santa’s Siren,” which helps less fortunate children and families at Christmas-time.

At right is Bud Heitman. who is working on the booth.

Fireworks can be purchased July 1-4 and can be set off from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Independence Day.