One of our favorite folks in the SCV, Duane Harte has been named the 2008 Zonta Club of SCV Tribute honoree. The event will be held Nov. 7 at the Odyssey Restaurant in Mission Hills (a refreshing change from the Hyatt). Duane is an Un-Zon (the husband of a Zonta member) and the 2003 SCV Man of the Year. I’m sure the evening’s tributes will feature Harte’s 23 years of service with the U.S. Naval Reserve, from which he retired as a senior chief petty officer in 1990, and his love of Harley Davidson motorcycles. He is married to Zontian Pauline Harte and they have two daughters, Donna and Denise. Co-chairwomen of the event will be Judy Penman (this year’s SCV Woman of the year and Donna Schmidt.
 
Kudos to Atom! and Portlyn
From a field of thousands, 12 nominees and six finalists Brave New World Comics on Lyons Avenue in Newhall — owned by Atom! and Portlyn Freeman — was chosen as the 2008 recipient of the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award at Comic-Con International in San Diego. The award is given to an individual retailer who has done an outstanding job of supporting the comics art medium both in their own community and within the industry at large. Among the innovative programs Atom! and Portlyn have brought to the SCV is Geek Singles Night where “live” social networking brings folks to the couple’s store at 22722 Lyons Ave., in Newhall, at the corner of Lyons and Chestnut Street. Geek Singles night was held last week, so check in at the store to see when the next evening will be held. Store hours: 11a.m.-8 p.m., Monday thru Saturday, Sundays noon-5 p.m.

Celebrity Waiter Dinner
Save-the-date cards are landing in mailboxes all over town for the annual Celebrity Waiter Dinner, a major fund-raising event to support the Respite Adult Day Care program offered by the SCV Senior Center. The theme for this year’s gala will be InterGALActic Affair, which should provide some colorful ideas for table decorations and costumes.

The event will be held Friday, Feb. 20, at the Valencia Hyatt. Co-chairmen for this year’s dinner are Chris Ball from Santa Clarita Builders Exchange, who handled logistics for last year’s program, and Santa Clarita Mayor Bob Kellar.

The Celebrity Waiter Dinner has become one of the Santa Clarita Valley’s most colorful events, with table hosts and guests vying for prizes based on table theme, decorations and guest costumes.

The committee provides “celebrity waiters,” who do their best to entertain their guests in return for “tips,” which go toward the Respite Day Care program. “Celebrity Waiter has always been the best party in town,” Ball said. “This year might be just a little bit wackier.”

An auction and live entertainment are also part of the evening’s festivities.

The Respite Day Care program offers daily activities for older local residents, many of them suffering from dementia or other disabling conditions. The center provides mind-enriching activities for the seniors and a welcome break for their caregivers.

Residents interested in serving on the committee can contact Ball at (661) 288-0186 or by e-mail at celebwaiter@scbx.us.