ON THE TOWN:
A star-spangled salute at Starlight Bowl

Every city, town, village and hamlet across America has its own unique way of heralding the official start of summer. In Burbank, the season of vacations, barbecues, pools and beach outings begins with the opening of the Starlight Bowl’s Summer Concert Series.

A WORD, PLEASE:
Quotations that misuse the marks

A retailer in Athens, Ga., recently held a donation drive for the Salvation Army. But it wasn’t your typical ho-hum, run-of-the-mill canned food drive. No, this CVS store posted a sign making it clear that its customers were encouraged to drop off not cans but “cans.”

Q&A: Sue Georgino

On the eve of her retirement, Sue Georgino strolled a hallway of the Community Services Building, pointing to photographs of volunteers, smiling families and newly minted residential and business developments.

SMALL WONDERS:
Tears in heaven

It’s 7 a.m. as I write this, so maybe it’s just the tequila talking. But this was a lousy June. A never-ending series of Portland mornings — dreary days that drive men to bars for breakfast and cause teenagers to pierce cartilage.

ON THE TOWN:
Gloom gives way for the light of life

The final week of June was by all means one filled with gloom. Not just the gloom of overcast skies that we Southern Californians are used to in the year’s sixth month, but the gloom that comes from the loss of iconic figures that have played a role in the cultural fabric of our lives.

Q&A: GREGORY BOWMAN

During his last day as superintendent of the Burbank Unified School District, Gregory Bowman sat in a bare-walled office as the faint sounds of string instruments rose from a stereo, one of his few remaining possessions in the room.

A WORD, PLEASE:
Squirrel away wordy phrases

In 2004, my husband-to-be and I bought a cute yellow house on a decent-sized lot with our very own apricot tree and then proudly declared ourselves homeowners.

START THE PRESSES:
Adding up some of our change

My office at the Burbank Leader features two windows. One looks out onto the newsroom, while the second is a glowing rectangle tuned to either local news or CNN.

SMALL WONDERS:
A couple of pleasant distractions

Daughter 1: Are you writing your article, Daddy?

ON THE TOWN:
Local high school alumni reunite

While the gloom of June brought gray skies, Johnny Carson Park was transformed into a bright sea of vivid blue and red as proud Burbank and John Burroughs High School alumni gathered at the venue Saturday for the ninth annual All Class Reunion Picnic and Car Show.

A WORD, PLEASE:
Reaching a conjunction junction

Recently I got an e-mail from a reader who has a long-running dispute with his daughter. She says you can’t start a sentence with “and.” He says he’s going to do it anyway.

SMALL WONDERS:
Walking away a satisfied father

I was 2 when he left. When I became a father and my daughter turned 2, I looked at her and tried to imagine how it would feel to walk away from her.

SERVICE CLUBS:
Students receive funds

The Burbank Magnolia Park Optimist Club Scholarship Committee presented 10 deserving students with $1,000 scholarships at a dinner meeting May 21. It was very rewarding to hear each student talk about themselves and their dreams for the future.

ON THE TOWN:
Road Kings roll out chariots for charity

Burbank, like every other American city, is an ever-changing place. Some changes are great — like the revitalization of Downtown Burbank, while some we mourn — like the loss of those great chile rellenos at El Chiquito and the late night jazz and nightcaps at Chadney’s.

A WORD, PLEASE:
Semicolons are showy

“My advice to writers just starting out? Don’t use semicolons!” Kurt Vonnegut advised in a 2007 speech. “They are transvestite hermaphrodites, representing exactly nothing. All they do is suggest you might have gone to college.”

SMALL WONDERS:
Going the extra smile

I find it interesting that in such a populous area we fight so hard to avoid one another. Or maybe it’s just me, and you’re all finding ways to get together without inviting me.

ON THE TOWN:
Two men stage one-man shows

Faced with overwhelming requests for assistance, the Burbank Temporary Aid Center has seen as much as an 80% increase from last year for some of the services they provide. According to Michael WalbrechtMichael Walbrecht, who serves as the board of directors chairman, continuing to provide services during these difficult economic times has placed increasing pressure on the organization to engage in more aggressive and effective fundraising.

START THE PRESSES:
It was a short, strange trip

I left my house a little past 7 a.m. last week, enjoying the air on my mile-and-a-half bicycle jaunt to the Burbank Metrolink station. I waved to an old man in a Miami Dolphins cap, apparently startled by a business-wear and briefcase-clad man whizzing by before breakfast.

A WORD, PLEASE:
Nothing wrong with splitting infinitives

A few weeks ago, I wrote in this space: “The key to avoiding the frightening-sounding problem known as the ‘dangling participle’ is to not be frightened.”

SMALL WONDERS:
If the shoe fits, wear it

I love a good pair of boots.

START THE PRESSES:
It’s time for us to tweet our words

Does Twitter have a valid place in journalism? Or, rather, is it a bland, overwhelming and narcissistic medium, more useful for telling people about your shampoo preference than a way to engage readers?

A WORD, PLEASE:
It’s easy to get caught in a spell

For years I’ve been writing this column hebdomadally. But I didn’t know I was writing it hebdomadally because I had no idea what hebdomadally means. Today I know it means “once a week,” and I have a bunch of kids to thank for it.

ON THE TOWN:
Reality stars do the tango in Burbank

While the country may not be in great shape economically, we can at least revel in the fact that we have a bountiful supply of reality television to watch.

SMALL WONDERS:
Barber shop is rite of passage

So I’m driving home the other day and we pass a barber shop. The kids notice the candy stick-like barber pole out front and ask what that means.

START THE PRESSES:
Truth is the best place to begin

When I was a kid, the coming of Memorial Day meant so much more than it does now. It heralded the coming of summer: lazy days, road trips, swimming pools and sunburns. My brain could begin to unclench. Soon, I would sleep in longer, think less, and enjoy more. The anticipation of that heaven was almost as good as days themselves.

A WORD, PLEASE:
Pace oneself

I’m obsessed with sentences. It’s partly from working as a copy editor.

ON THE TOWN:
A musical evening at Burroughs Bowl

Every summer the hills that surround Burbank come alive with the sound of music. Nestled in the Hollywood Hills to the south sits one of the most iconic amphitheaters in the world, while to the east, the Verdugo Mountains provide a hillside home for Burbank’s own outdoor music venue.

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