Día de los Muertos Community Festival scheduled October 19
Paramount-Tepic Sister Cities will present its annual Día de los Muertos Community Festival on Saturday, October 19, from 3 to 7 p.m. at Paramount Park, 14400 Paramount Blvd., Paramount, CA 90723.
This popular free event honoring ancestors and family ties will feature a wide variety of family activities, including:
• Mercaditos (markets and vendors)
Deliciosa comida cultural (delicious cultural foods)
• Altars and ofrendas (altars and offerings)
• Danza Azteca (Aztec dance)
• Ballet folklóricos (traditional folkloric dancing)
• Música maravillosa (marvelous music)
Artes y manualidades (arts and crafts)
• Hermosos disfraces y pintacaritas (beautiful costumes and face-painting)
• Procesión a la luz de las velas hacia los altares dirigidos por La Catrina (candlelight procession to altars led by La Catrina herself)
Frank Barraza, President of Paramount-Tepic Sister Cities, encouraged residents to honor their deceased loved ones by displaying an altar for free at the festival. “Share their lives and how they made Paramount a better place as together we
These lovely young ladies helped make last year’s Día de los Muertos Community Festival a great success, and dedicated volunteers from Paramount-Tepic Sister Cities have been working hard to make this year’s festival even better.
Annual Chamber Poker Tournament draws large crowd
Paramount residents and employees of local businesses competed for excellent prizes in the sixth annual Paramount Chamber of Commerce Poker Tournament held September 27 at the Progress Park Plaza. We had 75 players and 85 attendees.
Competitors played Texas Hold ’Em poker at tables of seven and, by process of elimination, advanced to a semifinal table of nine and a final table of three.
First-place winner Frank Garcia took home a $1,000 American Express gift card donated by MPG Pizza Group. Second place went to Bob Reiss, who won Smart Home Cameras donated by T-Mobile Paramount. Third-place winner Jim Bringhust won a 65-inch smart TV donated by Transcom Telecommunications.
embrace the past, present and future of Paramount families as one,” he said, welcoming everyone to attend the festival. To learn more about displaying an altar and participating in the festival, call Frank at 562-884-8377 or Marcie Garcia-Bridges, Festival Committee Chairperson, at 562-279-6360.
Frank made a point of thanking Marcie for her dedication and hard work. “In the past two years, she has made Day of the Dead in Paramount more family-oriented and filled with community spirit,” he said.
Paramount-Tepic Sister Cities sponsors programs offering good will from the people of Paramount to the people of Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico, including raising funds to purchase toys for an orphanage and household supplies for the elderly, as well as welcoming delegations of Tepic citizens on visits to Paramount.
Locally, the organization offers five annual scholarships to PUSD students, sponsors the popular Children’s Day celebration every spring, provides food baskets to families in need during the holidays and engages in other community-building activities. The group meets every third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at Paramount Park Community Center. Volunteers are always welcome. To learn more, please visit Paramount-Tepic Sister Cities on Facebook. (Also see the related story on page 8.)
SC Fuels was again the presenting sponsor for the tournament. These local restaurants donated food and beverages: Café Corleone, Casa Gamino Mexican Restaurant, Delfin Seafood Market & Restaurant, Domino’s, El Compa, Mariscos Mi Lindo and The Pizza Press. Central Basin Municipal Water District provided bottled water.
A portion of tournament proceeds this year went to support Pathways Volunteer Hospice. Tina Hernadez of Pathways received the check and helped out as a volunteer at the tournament.
Thank you to these businesses for donating raffle prizes: Farmers Insurance –Kotob Agency, Grocery Outlet, TotalWestern, Transcom Telecommunications, Panaderia Texcoco, Game Changer, Frank J. Zamboni & Company, World Energy Paramount, CFR Rinkens, Marukan USA, California Testing & Inspections, M.G. Brassard, SpiritualQuest, Vicky’s Professional Services, Dr. Max Martinez, RE/MAX–Franco Family, and Farmers Insurance–Kurt Wolff Agency.
(Please see tournament photos on page 14.)
Veterans Celebration on November 2
The Paramount Military Ball will be held in the Paramount Park gym on Saturday, November 2, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. This new event to honor the City’s veterans and active service members is free, though a ticket is needed for entry. There will be dinner, drinks, dancing, military displays, photo ops and entertainment by the Wartime Radio Revue Big Band (see the ad, below right).
Special thanks are due for our sponsors: the office of Supervisor Janice Hahn, the office of Assemblymember Anthony Rendon, Diana’s Flowers, Paramount-Tepic Sister Cities Association, American Legion Post 134, Paramount Starbucks and Ed and Elisa Trasoras.
For more information and to get a ticket, please call 562-220-2121.
Eco-friendly companies in Paramount
The Industrial Waste Section of the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County presents “Good Corporate Citizen” certificates each year to businesses that are in full compliance with industrial wastewater discharge requirements. While nearly 1,000 companies in the county are eligible as “significant” industrial users of the wastewater management system, only a few hundred earn this award by meeting very strict standards.
For the 2018 awards, three of the honorees are from Paramount. All have shown a sense of social responsibility and have protected the environment by properly discharging their industrial wastewater, which keeps it off our beaches and out of the ocean. They deserve a big “green” thank you!
The honored Paramount companies are: Ace Clearwater Enterprises, ST & I, Inc. and World Energy Paramount. The City of Paramount was also recognized.
The Paramount City Council recognized these businesses at their October 1 meeting.
A Producer of Renewable Fuels Using
Animal Fats and Vegetable Oils
Learn details about the new L.A. County voting system
Los Angeles County is launching a new voting experience with some changes in the way people cast ballots starting with the March 3, 2020, election.
Voting Solutions for All People (VSAP) will eliminate traditional pollingplacesand replace them with “vote centers.” New voting machines will also beintroduced. Additionally, some vote centers will provide an opportunity to cast a ballot for 10 days leading up to election day.
To see a presentation on this new system that was given at the September 3 Paramount City Council by a representative from the Registrar Recorder/County Clerk’s Office, as well as a short video produced by the County, find the news story on the homepage at paramountcity.com.
A plague of mosquitoes
It’s been a big year for mosquitoes. But once you understand their biology, you can get rid of mosquitoes on your property.
All mosquitoes need stagnant, dirty water to go through their life cycles—and they don’t need a lot of it. When the temperature is warm, a mosquito can develop from egg to adult in 7-10 days.
You can help eliminate mosquitoes by removing stagnant water from these common backyard sources: clogged rain gutters; neglected or out-of-order swimming pools, hot tubs, ponds, fountains, old tires and containers such as rain barrels, cans, buckets, jars, and flower pots—in fact, any container that can hold water for more than seven days.
To personally protect against mosquitoes, make sure that your doors and windows have tight-fitting screens to prevent mosquitoes from entering your home.
When outdoors, wear light-colored, long, loose clothing, such as long-sleeve shirts and pants. Keep in mind that mosquitoes can bite through thin or tight clothes. Apply approved insect repellent whenever you are outdoors, even for a short period of time.
The Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District’s mission is to reduce the populations of mosquitoes to prevent or stop disease outbreaks. For more information, contact them at 562-944-9656 or online at glacvcd.org.
Get tickets for Seniors Thanksgiving Dinner
Here’s an early reminder to mark Thursday, November 21, on your calendar for the annual Seniors Thanksgiving Dinner. It takes place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Paramount Park gym.
This great event, which has been going on for decades, always provides lots of fun and friendship, a chance for folks to visit and catch up, all the while sharing a delicious meal.
Those attending will be served by local service clubs, City staff, and youth from Paramount High School.
To attend, you will need a ticket, which will be available at the Paramount Park Community Center. Paramount residents can get tickets at no cost starting October 21; non-residents can get them beginning November 1 for $3.25 each.
For more information, please call 562-220-2090..
Become a Thanksgiving Sponsor—Hundreds of Paramount seniors will come together for our annual Seniors Thanksgiving Dinner. A fine way to honor them is to be a community sponsor that day.
If you would like to be a part of this tradition by taking advantage of sponsorship opportunities, please contact 562-220-2090.
Public Safety
As part of our National Crime Prevention Month observance, the Paramount Public Safety Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are focusing on public outreach about certain types of crimes.
Thefts from vehicles
Always set the alarm or anti-theft device in your vehicle. If criminals have two cars to choose from—one with an alarm and one without—they will likely burglarize the one without the alarm—unless you’ve left valuables inside that are just too good to ignore! So:
• Don’t leave any valuables inside your vehicle and never leave valuables unattended.
• Lock all doors and secure all windows (don’t even leave a tiny space for ventilation).
• If you absolutely must leave anything of value inside your vehicle, conceal it prior to reaching your destination.
• Never leave important papers in the car—thieves can use them for ID theft.
• Try to park in busy, well-traveled areas.
Protecting your home
Residential burglars look for easy targets. If the risk of detection is too high, the average burglar will not attempt to enter your home.
Whether you leave your home for five minutes or five weeks, recognize that it’s vulnerable whenever it’s unoccupied. While you cannot be home all the time, you can devise a home security program that works for you around the clock:
• Always lock your doors and windows even when leaving for “just a minute.”
• Never leave a house key available (under a doormat, in a flower pot or on the ledge of a door).
• Consider an alarm system.
• Own a dog. They make lots of noise, and most burglars won’t take the chance of getting bitten.
• Install a wide-angle lens viewer in the front door.
• Never open the door without knowing who is there.
• Motion sensor lights are a great way to light up driveways and walkways.
• Exterior doors should have dead-bolt locks with at least a one-inch, strong metal bar extending into the door frame.
• Sliding doors and windows should all have “ventilation” locks, as well as auxiliary locks to bolster security.
Be sure to include good locks for your garage, patio and other doors that lead out through storage areas or a spare room.
• Going out? Use timers so that lights, radio and TV go on and off throughout the house to indicate someone is home.
• For longer trips, be sure to stop mail and newspaper delivery or have a neighbor collect them daily.
• Make your house look “lived in.” And if you come home and see a broken window or a jimmied door, don’t go in! Confronting a burglar can be dangerous. Phone your local law enforcement agency immediately.
• In Paramount, remember that you can have the Volunteers on Patrol make a home check when you are out of town. Call the Sheriff’s Station at 562-220-2002.
Online exchanges at Sheriff’s Station
If you’re selling or buying items between private parties through an online site or phone app, remember that you can meet at the Safe Internet Purchase Exchange Zone for these transactions at the Paramount Sheriff’s Station at 15001 Paramount Blvd. (call 562220-2002). A designated parking space in the public parking lot is open from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Sunday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on holidays. The space is directly in front of the station in a well-lit area with surveillance cameras to make exchanges safer for residents.
If you meet elsewhere, consider these suggestions:
• Meet at a reasonable time of day, preferably during daylight.
• Don’t meet alone or with children present—have an adult accompany you.
• Have the exact amount of money agreed upon in a specific pocket.
• Avoid meeting in your home, but if you must do so due to the size of an item, consider placing the item in the garage or on the porch or entry way.
• If the other party is not willing to meet you in a place you feel safe, do not meet.
• When purchasing items, inspect them for accuracy and be sure you are getting what you want. It is okay to change your mind and not purchase the item. If a deal seems too good to be true, it usually is. Lots of stolen items are sold online. Drug users often sell things at extremely discounted prices. Contact local law enforcement if you think something is stolen.
Programs and classes for adult residents
In conjunction with the Paramount Education Partnership (PEP), the City of Paramount operates the Community Learning Resource Center at Spane Park, 14400 Gundry Ave. The Center (call 562-220-2250) offers the following programs and classes for Paramount adult residents:
VESL/Basic Computer-Spanish—This class is designed to build essential job competencies, evaluate potential vocational abilities and provide job-readiness skills to obtain employment. It includes computer training for adults who have no experience with computers. Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1:50 p.m. Register through Adult Education and Diversity Programs at Cerritos College; visit cerritos.edu.
Occupational Training-Basic Skills (Level 2 - Advanced Beginning)
This class, which builds on skills learned in level 1, will help you develop computer competence, give you plenty of hands-on practice and help you increase proficiency and fill in gaps in your current understanding and skills. Monday and Wednesday, 6 p.m. to 7:50 p.m. Register through Adult Education and Diversity Programs at Cerritos College; visit cerritos.edu.
Adult aerobics and zumba class—Since a healthy, fit lifestyle helps produce a healthy mind, PEP provides opportunities to engage in beneficial exercise. If you want to improve your cardiovascular efficiency, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility and coordination while lowering your body fat percentage, this fitness class can help. It’s offered Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Adult basic skills learning: English as a second language (ESL)—This partnership with the Paramount Adult School helps students develop communicative competence in listening, speaking, reading and writing. The curriculum meets diverse needs, ranging from the English of daily living to the language required for entry into vocational and academic programs. The content and instructional strategies reflect the California ESL Model Standards for Adult Education Programs. The class is a small group, so the instructor can devote individual time to each student. Students use educational software, workbooks and websites and engage in instructional practice. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to noon. Call 562-220-2250 for more information. Plaza Comunitaria class—The Plaza Comunitaria program is a great opportunity for adults who have emigrated from Spanish-speaking countries to finish or begin their elementary and secondary education in Spanish. Classes are offered Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Call 562-220-2250 for more information.
Citizenship class—This course prepares immigrants for the citizenship process, as well as the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) examination and interview. The course emphasizes oral communication and strengthens English language skills for those limited in English. Friday, 9 a.m. to 1:50 p.m.
General Education Development (GED) preparation - Spanish—The GED preparation course will get students ready to take the battery of courses required to obtain their High School Equivalency (HSE) certificate. Language arts (reading and writing), social studies, science and mathematics are covered. The class is offered Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 2:55 p.m.
Friday & Saturday night: 7- 9 pm
National Crime Prevention Council
The latest Paramount Youth Commission was introduced at the Paramount City Council meeting on September 17. Made up of 16 members who are in the 9th through 12th grades and go to Paramount High or a local private school, the Commission is in its fourth year. Currently, 15 members are from Paramount High, one is from St. John Bosco, and three are returning from the previous year. The Commission establishes a line of communication with local students to hear their ideas, issues, and opinions. It also presents an opportunity for these young folks to see how the City runs and form a connection to the larger community. The members are, in alphabetical order (not in order of the photo): Crystal Anguiano, Alyssa Bravo, Zahkir Citizen, Natalie Flores, Allan Garcia, Kaylen Garcia, Jocelyn Lopez, Jaylene Martinez, Giselle G. Mendoza, Evelyn Noris, Adrian Portillo, Yulisa Reveles (Historian), Damaris Rojas (Chair), Gustavo Vasquez, Isabella Villalobos-Arriaga (Vice-Chair), and Casandra Zamora (Secretary).
Carlos Moreno and Jesus Ramirez from The Boys are Back futsal team, made up of Paramount High grads who were members of the JROTC, won third place in the City’s annual Paramount Cup Futsal Tournament over the summer. They led the Pledge of Allegiance at the September 3 City Council meeting. From left: Councilmember Laurie Guillen, Councilmember Brenda Olmos, Carlos Moreno, Jesus Ramirez, Mayor Tom Hansen, Councilmember Peggy Lemons and Vice Mayor Daryl Hofmeyer.
Image credit: Kidaha (Pixabay).
Networking Breakfast
October
Membership RENEWALS
We’re very grateful that the businesses below have renewed their Paramount Chamber of Commerce memberships. Their support makes our valuable services and Business Resource Center possible.
Northgate Market.................................................................................15 years
16259 Paramount Blvd., Paramount, CA 90723
Dermaesthetics Inc
1480 Lakeview Ave., Anaheim, CA 92807
Latina’s Art Foundation
15720 Garfield Ave., Paramount, CA 90723
Blvd. Cocktails
8410 Alondra Blvd., Paramount, CA 90723
9 years
8 years
4 years
Chase Bank– Paramount 1 year 15359 Paramount Blvd., Paramount, CA 90723
Powertec Inc. 1 year
6301 Alondra Blvd., Paramount, CA 90723
C alendar of E vents
October 10 • 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Open House: Palacios Funeral Home
At their location: 5150 Candlewood #2, Lakewood. Lunch and networking. RSVP at 562-634-3980 or Paramountchamber.com.
October 17 • 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Ribbon-cutting: Diana’s Flowers
At their location: 15505 Minnesota Avenue, Paramount. Lunch and networking. RSVP at 562-634-3980 or Paramountchamber.com.
October 19 • 3 p.m.-7 p.m.
Dia de los Muertos Community Festival
Paramount Park, 14400 Paramount Blvd., Paramount. Sponsored by Paramount-Tepic Sister Cities. See page 1 for details. For information, call 562-279-6360.
October 24 • 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Ribbon-cutting: DoTerra Essential Oils
At their location: 15357 Paramount Blvd., Paramount. Lunch and networking. RSVP at 562-634-3980 or Paramountchamber.com.
October 26 • 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
18th Annual Community Health Fair
At New Commandment Missionary Baptist Church, 15548 Paramount Blvd., Paramount. See ad on page 5 for details. For more information, call 562-756-9404.
October 30 • 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Ribbon-cutting: MC Cabinets
At their location: 14950 Lakewood Blvd., Bellflower. Lunch and networking. RSVP at 562-634-3980 or Paramountchamber.com.
October 30 & 31
Annual Paramount Halloween Events
Paramount Park, 14400 Paramount Blvd. See the ad on page 5 for details. Haunted House on October 30 and 31 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Free Halloween Festival on October 31 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. For information, call 562-220-2121.
November 2 • 4 p.m.-7 p.m.
Paramount Military Ball honoring veterans
At the Paramount Park gym. Dinner, drinks, dancing, military displays, photo ops and entertainment by the Wartime Radio Revue Big Band. For information, call 562-220-212. See ad on page 3 for more details.
November 21 • 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Seniors Thanksgiving Dinner
At the Paramount Park gym. Please see details in “From the Mayor’s Desk” on page 3. For information, call 562-220-212.
l caldining
To
l cal dining
8063 Alondra Blvd., Paramount, CA 90723
Phone: 562-408-2360
Mon-Thur: 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Fri-Sun: 8 a.m.-Midnight Happy Hour: 2-7 p.m. Mon-Thur (except holidays)
$5 off any $20 purchase of regularpriced items. Present this coupon. (Expires 9/1/19)
15337 Paramount Blvd., Paramount, CA 90723
Book Your Holiday Party (November - January)
• Receive $50 Gift Certificate for party for $500 or more.
• Receive $100 Gift Certificate for party for $1,000 of more.
Must book your party by November 30. Gift Certificate presented when party is paid in full. Call to book!
To place your ad in Local Dining, please call the Paramount Chamber of Commerce at 562-634-3980.
member-to-member discounts Paramount Chamber of Commerce
As a member, these discounts are extended to you by your fellow members. Visit the following businesses to receive the discounts listed below. But remember, these offers are available only to members of the Paramount Chamber of Commerce!
Advertising & Marketing
Advertise Smart, Not Hard (323-247-0938): Five-night Cancún accommodation for subscribing to any of our products.
Attorney & Legal Services
Lerma Law Office (562-272-4353): 15% discount on initial retainer fee or flat-rate service.
Automotive
Herald’s Garage (562-633-2136): 15% discount on labor and a free engine light reset.
Cleaners
Alert Cleaners (562-634-4602): 10% discount on any dry cleaning.
Communications
Transcom Telecommunications (562-630-1200, ext. 221): 10% off equipment (business phone services).
Contractors
Jones Scaffold Co. (800-266-3864): 10% off net rental of scaffold equipment.
Data Base Services
NEXTSTEP (877-305-6932): Free needs analysis and special Chamber member discount rate.
Financial Services
SG Tax Services (562-630-4004): $25 off tax preparation for Chamber members and their employees.
Vicky Professional Services (562-634-1178): 20% off bookkeeping and accounting service.
United Credit Education Services (424-298-1726): $50 off $99 enrollment fee.
Healthcare
Azul Homecare Partners (562-862-9249): 10% off medical supplies (please call Giselle Ortegon).
Clínica Médica Hispana (562-630-1991): 25% discount.
Hansen, Thomas D. C. – Chiropractor (562-634-0985): 25% off initial visit.
Hotels & Motels
Embassy Suites Hotel (562-861-1900): 15% off best available room rate (subject to availability). Ask for “Chamber rate.”
Plumbing & Heating
Downey Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning (562-861-1234): 10% off HydroJet service and/or 10% off material.
Printers
Source Graphics, Inc. (562-408-2734): 10% discount on all printing.
Real Estate
GM Properties (562-696-0200): 5% of gross commissions on closed deals will be sent to the charity of our choice in your name. Call and ask for Matt.
The R.M. Cool Company (562-630-6000): Call and ask about our preferred pricing for Chamber members.
Penta Pacific Properties (562-699-1922): Free opinions of market value of commercial and industrial properties.
Real Estate Homes & Investments (562-200-1164): 20% discount. Call and ask about preferred pricing for members.
Restaurants
Antojitos Mexicanos Restaurant (562-712-5292): 10% discount on all food orders over $10.
Café Corleone (562-408-6100): 10% discount on all food purchases.
Café Camellia (562/866-2824): 10% discount on food purchases.
Casa Adelita (562-408-2360): 10% off (may not be combined with other specials).
Casa Gamino (562-634-6225): 10% discount on food purchases.
El Compa Restaurant (562-630-1068): 10% discount on all food purchases.
Mariscos El Parihuete (562-408-1661): 10% off on food purchases over $10.
Mariscos Mi Lindo Sinaloa #1 (562-529-5110): 10% discount on all food purchases.
Pika Tortas Ahogadas (562-529-5787): 10% discount on all regular-priced food items (excludes combo deals).
Shakey's Paramount (562-630-6090): 10% discount off regular-price large or medium pizza.
Ice Skating Paramount Iceland (562-633-1171): 10% off admission and skate rental.
Wholesalers & Distributors
Rayvern Lighting Supply, Inc. (562-6347020): 5% off fixtures and ballast orders (electrical supplies).
To learn more about this discount program, please call the Paramount Chamber of Commerce office at 562-634-3980
Above: Pollo ala Plancha Left: Caldo Rez Casa Adelita Coupon
Day of the Dead & Halloween : KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THESE HOLIDAYS
Skeletons, skulls, graveyard images, orange decorations, colorful costumes and makeup, sweet treats and similar dates—Halloween and Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) seem to have much in common. But anyone who calls Day of the Dead the “Hispanic Halloween” is using a misnomer and ignoring significant differences between these two end-of-October holidays.
is a spooky, scary holiday (albeit pleasantly so). Celebrated on October 31, it evolved in part from the ancient Celtic autumnal festival of Samhain in the British Isles (in old Irish, Samhain means “summer’s end”).
Celts believed that for a few days during late October and early November, the barrier separating the human world from the “other” world, including the domain of departed spirits, became so thin that ancestral ghosts could breach it and visit their living relatives. However, hostile beings—including various kinds of scary ghosts, faeries, witches and demons— could also break through and menace people. So some Samhain ceremonies and customs were meant to welcome friendly spirits, for whom food and other gifts were prepared and offered—but other practices were intended to ward off unwelcome creatures from the spirit world.
For example, jack-o’-lanterns with scary faces were carved from turnips and gourds and displayed to frighten threatening spirits away from homes. (Much later, when the holiday reached North America, pumpkins became the favored fruit for making jack-o’-lanterns.) Frightening masks and costumes were sometimes worn for the same purpose. This led to the practice of “guising,” when adults and children in costume or disguise went house-tohouse, usually singing or reciting verses in exchange for food and drink. Our modern practice of trick-or-treating (see below) evolved in part from this custom.
Visiting graves of departed relatives was another a Samhain tradition, along with lighting candles, torches and large bonfires.
Aspects of this ancient pagan fall festival began merging with Christian rites, especially after 835 CE when the Catholic Church moved the date of its All Hallow’s Day (also called All Saints’ Day) to November 1, which meant that “All Hallow Even” (or evening) took place on October 31. The word “Halloween” is a contraction of “Halloweven,” and in “Hallowe’en,” an older English version of the word, an apostrophe showed that the “v” had been intentionally left out. On old holiday cards from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, you can still see the apostrophe, but it was eventually dropped.
Witches, ghosts and assorted monsters and scary creatures are still with us today in the form of costumed trick-or-treaters, not to mention older revelers who enjoy a seasonal scare and a chance to party.
DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS, on the other hand, is decidedly not scary. It’sa joyous celebration that honors departed loved ones and emphasizes the everlasting quality of family bonds.
Day of the Dead has ancient origins dating back to Toltec and Aztec cultures in Mexico. The Aztecs honored and celebrated their ancestors for a full month!
Like Halloween, today’s Day of the Dead celebrations now coincide with the three-day Catholic festival (triduum) of All Hallow’s Eve (October 31), All Saints’ Day (November 1) and All Souls’ Day (November 2), although modern community Day of the Dead events are often held earlier or later than these dates.
Day of the Dead traditions include building lavishly decorated altars stacked with ofrendas (offerings) of food and gifts in remembrance of ancestors. Solemn processions and bringing gifts to graves are also common practices.
People dress up as skeletons and paint their faces to resemble calaveras (skulls) and sometimes carry bright orange Mexican cempasúchil (marigold) flowers, one reason that the color orange is closely associated with this lovely celebration.
While figures frequently associated with Halloween include ghosts, witches,
goblins, vampires, werewolves, zombies and other scary creatures, in contrast, the primary figure now most closely associated with Día de los Muertos is the beloved “La Catrina” (or “La Calavera Catrina,” as she was called in the popular etching made around 1910 by Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada). This “elegant skeleton” of a fashionably dressed lady has inspired many other artists, including Diego Rivera (who depicted her in a mural in 1946), as well as makeup artists and costumers the world over.
Candy corn, candied apples and a wide variety of sweets with holiday-themed packaging are popular Halloween treats. The main Day of the Dead sweets are brightly decorated sugar skulls (see photo at right), which have inspired elaborate, beautiful makeup worn during the annual celebration (see photo above). Some sugar skulls are edible, but others are purely decorative, including those made from materials other than sugar.
The Day of the Dead holiday has spread around the globe and is now being combined with other traditions that honor the dead. Recent major movies—Coco by Disney in 2017 and The Book of Life by 20th Century Fox in 2014—have featured Día de los Muertos and helped increase its popularity. Disneyland is holding Day of the Dead
this
along with its annual Halloween festivities.
Here in Paramount, you have great opportunities to celebrate both holidays. On October 19, you can attend the annual Día de los Muertos Community Festival presented by Paramount-Tepic Sister Cities (see page 1 for details). The City of Paramount is holding its annual Haunted House on October 30 and 31 and its annual Halloween Festival on October 31 (please see page 15 for details).
HALLOWEEN
celebrations
year
Beautiful Día de los Muertos makeup by local artist Beth Jimenez.
“La Catrina” is a primary symbol of Día de los Muertos.
Family altar filled with ofrendas (offerings).
Candlelit processions are a tradition in Day of the Dead celebrations.
Sugar skulls.
Image credits (clockwise from left top corner): Sofia Valladares (Pixabay), Eneas (Flickr), FerNVVV (Pixabay), TrinyM (Pixabay), Darvin Santos (Pixabay), Jill Wellington (Pixabay), Capri23auto (Pixabay).
Paramount Chamber of Commerce
(For more information, please see the Calendar of Events on page 6)
Ribbon-cutting Ceremonies
2000 Insurance Services
Ceremony on September 4, 2019 15110 Paramount Blvd., Paramount
Ceremony on September 12, 2019 • 8815 Alondra Blvd., Paramount T-Mobile - Paramount Ceremony on September 19, 2019 8505 Rosecrans, Suite 4, Paramount
How
By Tomas Laurinavicius , Content Strategist. Edited from content
The list of things you could be implementing to improve your website traffic is long, but prioritizing those that are easily actioned is key to getting results, fast. Here are the top seven things you should be doing now:
1. Content-management systems (CMS)
Content-management systems are the primary reason why there are so many websites online today. They are what make it possible for people with zero tech knowledge to create a functioning presence online, beyond social media. They save businesses money—training a team member to operate a CMS is far cheaper than employing a qualified programmer—and are responsible for almost half the websites currently in operation.
If you’re looking for a fast and easy way to enhance your website’s performance, a CMS is it. And there are numerous CMS platforms to choose from, including: WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Magento, Blogger, Shopify, TYP03, Bitrix, Squarespace and Prestashop.
WordPress is undeniably the leader in this area. Everyone has heard of it, even if they’ve never used it. It controls around 60% of the CMS market, and around 30% of all websites now run on it. This is largely due to the fact that it requires absolutely no coding, allows for complete design and control of your website and provides handy advice as you go along—including whether your text is SEO-friendly (Search Engine Optimization—see more below).
There are two options to consider with WordPress: WordPress.com and WordPress.org. With the former option, WordPress.com hosts your website for you and is free—although paid upgrades are available for more features. Your website will have a wordpress.com domain, and it is worth noting that some plug-ins are unavailable. With WordPress.org, the open source software is available for free. You will have to pay to host your domain elsewhere, but there is more opportunity to customize the back end of your website as all code is available. Your domain is also fully customized.
Not quite as popular, commanding 6.7% of the market share, Joomla is the second most-used CMS platform. Meanwhile, Drupal comes in at third place, bagging 4.7% of the CMS market.
2. Strategy
One of the biggest mistakes made in the search for traffic is a lack of strategy. There are two categories of management technique that you want to avoid:
1. The zero-strategy, winging-it tactic.
2. The strategy-hopping, scatter-gun approach. It’s too easy to start on a project and flip between ideas simply because you’re not getting instant results. This never works, because nothing is instant. It’s far better to try a couple of different avenues and give them time to bed in. Your options include:
• Broadening your outlets. Add YouTube posts, podcasts, social media and email marketing to your existing strategy, if you’re not doing these already.
• Creating, managing and using an email list
• Publishing long-form content. This gets an average of 208% more shares than short articles.
• Revisiting old posts. Most websites contain some below-par content. Links or information might be outdated. Your keywords may have changed. By revisiting and revising, you can give your SEO an instant lift.
• Paid-for marketing, such as Facebook ads or sponsored posts. This one isn’t ideal unless you have a budget that can handle the additional expense. But if you hit the right note, it can deliver a strong return on investment.
3. SEO and long-tail keywords
The one thing that most people know about SEO is that you need to get the right keywords. But there’s a lot of confusion about what they might be and how you might find them.
There’s the difference between short-tail and longtail keywords to navigate. In essence, the right shorttail keywords will get you a high volume of traffic, while long-tail keywords will bring you the right kind of traffic. Both options have their place.
Then there’s on-and-off-page SEO. Your on-page SEO is under your control, and you can maximize its potential with incredible structured content, wellresearched keywords and careful linking, among other things.
Off-page SEO refers to things that can be beyond your control, such as sites that backlink to you, the amount of exposure you’re getting on social media (you can influence this) and the domain authority given to you by search engines.
4. Content topics
The obvious thing about selecting blog topics for any website is that they need to be attractive and engaging for your target audience. You also need a killer headline that will hook at a glance. But how do you come up with all that? There are two ways:
1. Research. Research your audience. Identify their needs. Organize needs into topic clusters. Use your keyword research to pinpoint topics that have a waiting market. Then create.
2. Use Ahrefs Content Explorer (https://ahrefs. com/content-explorer). It’s a searchable database of over a billion web pages, which allows you to see which topics in your chosen niche are generating the most traffic. You can then appropriate ideas and create something better.
5. Quantity vs. quality
This is a difficult balance to strike. For a website to rank with any search engine, it needs content in volume. But if that content is voluminous garbage, not only is it going to be picked up as such by the search bots, but anyone who does happen to visit
your page is going to immediately lose interest. It’s good practice to make quality your focus. So, go back to your content topics. Spend time getting that part right, then create a regular content schedule. According to Forbes, brands with a content strategy are 60% more likely to be successful than anyone else.
6. Social media marketing
Social media has become an integral tool for both marketers and their audience. When used well, it can engage and promote. Recent research showed that 59% of people access social media every day or most days. According to Statista (statista.com), by 2021 the number of social media users worldwide is expected to reach about 3.1 billion people, and this is a lucrative market to leverage if you can get it right.
There are a multitude of platforms on which to share your content to drive traffic. Facebook is still king when it comes to promoting blogs, with over 1.5 billion active monthly users worldwide. Here are the eight best social networking sites to start sharing on: Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Instagram, MySpace, Last.fm, BlackPlanet and Twoo.
7. Social tracking results
If you’re not great with statistics, tracking marketing strategies can be daunting. But this is one step that you should never skip if you want your online business to succeed. How can you know if your strategy is working if you don’t analyze it?
The good news is that with a wide array of analytical tools available, performance tracking is now pretty easy. You can compare exact figures before and after your strategy began. If you want to be completely in control, you can even split test your campaigns/strategies to see where/if improvement is being made. The main questions you need to ask yourself are: Is your strategy working, and have you tried it for long enough to generate real results?
With the internet economy worth $8 trillion, websites have never been more important. That’s why it is so vital to stay up to date with the latest techniques for keeping website traffic coming. Some of the points in this article could help bring an influx of visitors to your website sometime soon.
Image credit:
Gerd Altmann (Pixabay).
Poker Tournament Paramount Chamber of Commerce
Tournament winners (at left) were: first place, Frank Garcia (center); second place, Bob Reiss (left); and third place, Jim Bringhust (right). Please see page 1 for details about their prizes and a list of all our sponsors, restaurants that donated food and beverages and businesses that contributed raffle prizes. We’re very grateful to them all and to the 30 businesses that participated in our event. Everyone who attended took home a gift!
BARTENDER
Part-time. Must have evenings and weekends available. Contact Leroy at 562-634-9001.
SKILLED LABOR OPPORTUNITIES
SkillsetGroup currently has positions available for first, second and third shifts. Come in and apply today! SkillsetGroup actualmente tiene aperturas para puestos disponibles para Primer, Segundo y Tercer turno. ¡Ven y aplica hoy! Machine operator Sanitation Loading/unloading Forklift driver Production line Order pulling Call us at 866-375-3094 or use Instagram (@skillsetgroup) or Facebook for weekly updates. 7300 Alondra Blvd., Suite 202, Paramount, CA 90723.
STATE FARM AGENT
Take control and keep perspective. State Farm Agents grow a business designed to help customers protect what’s important to them while making time to give back to their neighborhood. Make a decision you can be proud of and take your career to a better state. Contact David Maciel at 562-305-2111.
FULL-TIME SEAMSTRESS
5-Star Interior Services, Inc., has a job for a full-time seamstress with drapery experience. Contact Leroy at 818-845-4518.
MAINTENANCE WORKER
Part-time, entry-level or skilled. Painting, locksmith work, lighting, general maintenance, minor or major plumbing repairs, upkeep and repairs in a senior citizen’s facility. Email Gaby at gaby@immpco.com or call 562-408-0801 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
To place an ad, call the Chamber at 562-634-3980.
LA County Sheriff’s Captain David Sprengel