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Enjoy these festive scenes of familiar streets and local homes and businesses from holidays past.

Photograph caption dated December 15, 1964 reads “The jolly old gentleman made a brief appearance at the Child Welfare Program in the Hughes Market parking lot, 21431 Devonshire St. The project was held to collect funds and toys for children and the needy. American Legion Post and its auxiliary, Chatsworth, sponsored annual project.” Photo by Steve Young.

December 2, 1961 Actress Debbie Reynolds and her two children, Todd and Carrie, on the ‘Mysterious Island Float’ during Magnolia Park’s annual Christmas Parade. Photo by Jeff Goldwater.

Happy Halloween! Enjoy these newly digitized treats from the Valley Times.

“That’s Mike Caggiano of Burbank on top. He’s holding his Halloween creation in preparation for tonight’s invasion by goblins, spooks and other after-dark types. Across the Valley, thousands of children are readying their costumes, and adults are laying in a store of goodies. Police are getting ready, too. They’ve added 61 extra officers to patrol Valley parks for the evening.” October 31, 1963, photo by George Brich. Order #00120823

Here’s a charming  series from October 25, 1962, shot by staff photographer Alan Hyde, showing Carol’s costume conundrum…..

“Big decisions most always cause wrinkled brows, but when a 6-year-old little girl must choose who she’ll be on Halloween night, the wrinkled brow is replaced by giggles, wrinkled noses and other antics resulting from trying on Halloween costumes. Like most youngsters will do this weekend, Carol Johnston, first grader at Sunny Brae Avenue Elementary School in Canoga Park, went shopping at Sears Valley Plaza with mommy and daddy Mr. and Mrs. James Johnston.” Order #00120810

“Silvery white satin and tulle costume answers Carol Johnston’s ‘Who shall I be?’ question and magically turns her into a fairy princess. Her star-tipped wand carries the power to make wishes come true, especially on Halloween, a colorful and exciting time for youngsters.” Order #00120817

The caption for this photo dated April 1, 1960 reads, “Well-done fillet of sole – Pop Foohey gets April Fools’ Day treatment from daughter Judy, 15, while Meg, 12, and Mom, Mrs. Joseph F. Foohey, admire well-done style of dinner. Foohey family, of 442 N. Huntington St., San Fernando, have old Irish name that’s most practical on this day.”

Order #00108617

Photograph caption dated March 17, 1956 reads, “Mrs. Manley McCallum, of Tujunga, opens box of ‘Luck o’ the Irish’ shamrocks sent to her direct from auld sod of Dublin, Ireland, in time for St. Patrick’s Day. And they looked right in style. Mrs. McCallum came to United States from Ireland when she was 11.” Order #00109566

Enjoy the Valley festivities inspired by St Patrick’s Day

To honor the 50th anniversary of the Selma- to- Montgomery march and the events of “Bloody Sunday” on March 7, and 1965, treat when Alabama state troopers attacked unarmed protesters, troche here are  images from the Valley Times coverage of Los Angeles demonstrations to show solidarity with the civil rights movement in the South.

On March 11, 1965, over 500 people protested in front of the Federal Building on Spring Street in downtown Los Angeles to bring attention to the violence in Selma, AL. Many of the demonstrators were members of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the Non- Violent Action Committee, and the United Civil Rights Committee, as well as students from USC, UCLA, and Valley State College. U.S. marshals arrested 98 protestors who blocked doorways and driveways, which had been the largest number of arrests to be made during LA civil rights demonstration. Despite the arrests, protests in support for the marchers in Selma continued throughout the week.

During the civil right movement, organizations such as as the Congress for Racial Equality (CORE) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) worked for social change through direct action campaigns. Below are images of these civil rights groups, active in the Valley, protesting racial discrimination.

Photograph caption dated February 6, 1958 reads, “Personalities from the entertainment field will select the queen of ‘Sweetheart Swing’ at the Valentine ball of San Fernando Valley Council of Beta Sigma Phi. Finishing regal frame for Feb. 14 event in Satellite Room of Santa Monica’s Miramar Hotel are Mmes. Rodney Scholtes; Fred E. Davidson and Fred Kimble.” Order #00109232

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with hearts and glitter! When planning to raise awareness for a cause or to simply socialize, the many social and civic groups of the Valley created events with flair.

This series from May 13, 1963, shot by Jeff Goldwater, shows novelist, essayist and activist, James Baldwin speaking at a Los Angeles integration rally sponsored by the Congress for Racial Equality (CORE) at the Second Baptist church near Central Avenue. Baldwin spoke to the 2,300 person audience, addressing desegregation, the recent campaign in Birmingham, violence and  accountability. He stated, “To justify the crimes committed against the negro the white man decided that the negro wasn’t a man, and the negro wasn’t a man then no crime was committed. That’s the basis of the trouble today. The white man has set up illusions that threaten to destroy his grasp on reality, that is to say, his moral values.”