(From the latimes.com) For nearly a decade, the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno has held a carnival on the Saturday following the end of Ramadan, during a festival that has been called the Muslim equivalent of Christmas. With pony rides, carnival attractions, games and Middle Eastern food, it’s a popular event for the community’s children.

This year, the center’s leaders had a sense of foreboding when they noticed the date on which the carnival would fall: Sept. 11.

This week, after listening to escalating rhetoric over plans for an Islamic community center within blocks of the destroyed World Trade Center site in New York, the Fresno center canceled the carnival.

“We thought it might be misunderstood and create a wave of attacks on our faith and community,” said Imam Seyed Ali Ghazvini, the center’s religious leader. “It’s really just a community celebration that happened to occur on 9/11. …The way some local media outlets are attacking our faith and community created a serious fear among members of this community.”

Muslims around the country are expressing similar concerns about the timing of Eid al-Fitr, a three-day festival that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan and is marked by celebration and gift-giving.

Read more here: Muslims fear backlash as festival falls near Sept. 11

(From the AP) Tributes to Ronald Reagan are hardly rare in California, where a freeway, medical center, state office building and other landmarks already bear his name. Now the conservative icon has his own day on the calendar. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed two bills Monday paying tribute to Reagan, a former Republican president and governor who died in 2004. Schwarzenegger praised his fellow actor for his dedication to freedom and democracy and his spirit of optimism. (more…)

Near the end of the City of Santa Clarita’s July 4th Fireworks Show at the Valencia Town Center, a traffic collision occurred between two vehicles. The impact of the collision caused one of the vehicles to spin out of control, jumping the curb and hitting a group of nearby pedestrians. One person Matilda Garnica F/43, was killed in the collision and approximately seven other pedestrians were injured. (more…)

From all of us at the www.westranchbeacon.com, we wish you and your families a happy, healthy and safe 4th of July Holiday. To find out about all the wonderful July 4th events going on around town check out the Santa Clarita Guide. Please be safe; be aware of those around you; don’t drink and drive and remember that all fireworks are illegal in the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County.

Independence Day in the U.S., is an annual holiday commemorating the formal adoption by the Continental Congress of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia. Although the signing of the Declaration was not completed until August, the Fourth of July holiday (more…)

The American flag is a fixture of July 4th, and there are a number of etiquette points that go along with its public display. In flying a flag at a private residence, house or apartment, it should be flown at night only if illuminated and in inclement weather only if made of all-weather material; the flag should never be dipped to any person or thing and it is flown upside down only as a distress signal.. The flag should be clean and without tears, rips or shredding. For a complete list of Flag etiquette click here: Flag etiquette

(MMD Newswire) The 4th of July is one of the busiest traffic days of the year and nothing can ruin a vacation more quickly than an undeserved traffic ticket. Information on how many traffic tickets are issued in each state is hard to come by because most localities – especially ticket-happy speed trap towns — are reluctant to publicize their ticketing prowess and states typically don’t have an agency responsible for gathering and summarizing ticket data from the various jurisdictions. (more…)

The Fourth of July is one of the busiest times for the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC).  DACC would like to remind pet owners that extra precautions are necessary in order to protect pets during Fourth of July celebrations. Dogs and cats can become startled and disoriented by the loud noises of fireworks. Pets may panic and attempt to escape your property. To ensure the safety of your pets, here are a few tips: (more…)

(Special from Eve’s Wine 101) Celebrate the 4^th on the 1^st with friends at All Corked Up! I’ve had many more than just 5 years worth of 4th of July events with relatives.  We have birthdays too.  And the holidays.  Gotta love that.  But better – and harder to do – is finding a way to celebrate a holiday with my friends.  The ones that appreciate wine. (more…)

Like actual spies, I’ve lived two lives on this Earth. In my first life in intense New York City, I was a journalist. In my second life as a public teacher in pastoral California, I have learned that the most effective way I can teach history in a state where people seem to hate the past is to perform it in modern costume. In a modern staging of 18^th Century American history, we see that the great leaders of an independent America- the brilliant thinkers like Jefferson and Franklin and the Adams family, and the Federalist writers like Hamilton and Madison and John Jay- would today be fighting annexation from a power-hungry and publicity-thirsty clique. (more…)

The Fourth of July is one of the busiest times for the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC).  DACC would like to remind pet owners that extra precautions are necessary in order to protect pets during Fourth of July celebrations. Dogs and cats can become startled and disoriented by the loud noises of fireworks. Pets may panic and attempt to escape your property. To ensure the safety of your pets, here are a few tips: (more…)

The Stevenson Ranch July 4^th Fireworks show is back on this year! After taking last year off, the Stevenson Ranch Community Association and the Los Angeles County Department of Parks & Recreation will be staging a spectacular Fireworks show on Sunday, July 4, 2010 from 7:30 PM to 10:00 PM at the Dr. Richard Rioux Memorial Park in Stevenson Ranch. Parking is limited and the community is encouraged to walk to the park.

Scholars believe that the tradition of Father’s Day can be traced in the ruins of Babylon.  They have recorded that a young boy called Elmesu carved a Father’s Day message on a card made out of clay nearly 4,000 years ago.  Elmesu wished his father good health and a long life. (more…)

The Community Hiking Club will be doing a Father’s Day hike to the “Bridge to Nowhere” on Sunday, June 20, 2010. Bring dad and the whole family. This hike is 10 miles roundtrip with numerous deep river crossings, and boulder scrambling. It is moderate to difficult depending on the number of crossings and the depth and swiftness of the water. Bring water shoes. Meet at Towsley outside of the gate at 7:00 or meet at the trailhead sometime around 8:00. HOW TO GET TO THE TRAILHEAD: Take the 210 to Azusa. Exit San Gabriel Canyon Road. Drive up the canyon (north) for 10 miles, then turn east on the East Fork Road, and continue 8 more miles to the East Fork Ranger Station; park just below the station. Walk north along the river of 0.5 miles before dropping to the canyon floor. Keep your eyes open for patches of road (trail) on the cliff on the right side. Using these patches will speed up your travel. Staying in the river bed will make the hike more challenging, and you will be hiking longer. Use this trail from November-June. Avoid it in high water times, such as after a rain, as you will be doing many river crossings. Remember to display your adventure pass. For more information contact Dianne at Zuliebear@aol.com

(From the AP) The California Highway Patrol says there was a steep drop in the number of traffic fatalities over Memorial Day weekend this year. The CHP said Tuesday that 17 people were killed in collisions over the 78-hour period that began 6 p.m. Friday. That’s about 62 percent less than the number killed during the same period last year. CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow attributes the decline in fatalities to increased enforcement and awareness. The number of arrests by CHP officers over the long weekend rose from 1,465 last year to 1,541 this year.

Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-Santa Clarita), Ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, today released the following statement honoring the brave men and women of our nation’s Armed Forces for Memorial Day: “Since 1775, and across the world today, our Armed Forces and veterans symbolize all that is best in us as Americans. This Memorial Day, we take time to honor all of the men and women of our nation’s Armed Forces who have given their lives protecting our great country. (more…)

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. (more…)

As the Memorial Day holiday approaches, many Southern Californians might be dusting off their grills, and preparing to spend the holiday weekend enjoying picnics at the beach, or barbequing in the backyard. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health would like to remind cooks that combining warm temperatures and the great outdoors could be a recipe for disaster if the food is not properly handled. (more…)