BY EDDIE RIVERA, EDITOR, WEEKENDR MAGAZINE
Published on Thursday, May 18, 2023 | 6:09 am
Most — but not all — of Pasadena Beautiful’s proud 2023 Golden Arrow awardees. Pictured at the awards ceremony on Wednesday, May 17, 2023 [Photos: Robin Banks and Eddie Rivers/Pasadena Now]
(Larger Photos below)
Just inside the Western Justice Center on Grand Avenue, itself awash in a sea of roses in its own front garden, twenty Pasadena homeowners were awarded Pasadena Beautiful Foundation’s Golden Arrow award Wednesday, for their stunning home garden creations.
“This event is a high point in our year. We get to acknowledge the beautiful homes in Pasadena,” said Pasadena Beautiful Foundation President Greg King, “and the very special care that the homeowners individually have taken on their property.
“It’s an egalitarian event,” King continued. “We have nine districts in the City of Pasadena, and we have two volunteers who go out and drive every inch of the city, and then they select six gardens (in each district) that they think are the best gardens, and then the next two judges whittle those down to three.”
Eventually, the organization selects three from each district, for a total of 27 winners. Twenty of the winners were presented on Wednesday. Winners were presented with a large golden arrow-shaped lawn sign to proudly display in their gardens, along with a certificate of merit.
Wednesday’s ceremony provided an unexpected bit of levity when the opening host noted that homes with “Christmas lights still up, or with gnomes or plastic deer in the yard,” would not be acceptable.
So when the first winners, Marshall and Vivian Kwong, proudly stepped up to receive their award, Marshall gleefully pointed to a tiny section in their home garden, displayed on a large projection screen for all to see.
There, deep in the shrubbery, was a gnome.
This year’s 2023 Golden Arrow Final recipients are:
- Marshall and Vivian Kwong
- Gail Rolf, Angela Williams, and Martine Ibarra
- Lorne Buchman & Rochelle Shapell
- Linda Eliana Paquette
- David and Cathy Chun
- Stephen Rodriguez
- Glenn and Larissa Costa Evans
- Kelly F. Duke and Dr. Cheryl Resnick
- Joyce and Robert Wolf
- Boualem Bousseloub and Sharon Calkin
- Patrick Geraghty and Daniel Ellis-Ferris
- Chiara Tellina
- Jeff and Elizabeth Freeland
- Carlos and Sarah Foglia
- Mario Voyatzis
- The Cordova-Wagner Family
- Justin Wikke and Danika Wikke
- José and Janice Mercadé
- Aileen Frias and Paul Dimapawi
- Chris and April Goodwin
As President King noted after the awards, “Whether you’re in Madison Heights, or whether you’re on the west side of the Arroyo, it doesn’t matter, because everyone has an equal chance of shining and looking beautiful.”
