GIGA GRANADA HILLS

...So why not take a gander at the Giga Granada Hills Thanksgiving Archives? Instead of making me come up with new stuff all the time! Dueling Turkeys! Looking something like a cream puff swan put through a mutagenic process of unchecked cell division, there's not one, but two shops in Granada Hills that are proudly displaying these creatures. The Turkey Of Terror He bristles when anyone comes near, fanning out his feathers aggressively, and turning his blood-red, scaly, alien looking head towards you... For Those About To Decorate, We Salute You. The Santa in a Granada Hills front yard in the photo at left hangs his head in shame and exhaustion.

A crew installs Christmas decorations on Chatsworth Street. Mark your calendar: the Granada Hills Holiday Parade will be held on December 4 at 1:30pm.

Fresh And Easy, why so coy? Intrepid reader Chris Furia snapped this photo that confirms what Fresh and Easy Corporate HQ refused to admit: they're opening in Granada Hills, in the former How's location. No es Rancio y Difícil, amigos. Es Fresco y Fácil! Andalé!

Mike Spasoff is a tireless servant to this community -- at least for a few months out of the year -- and that's good enough for me. It's also more than good enough for the 600 trick-or-treaters he delights and terrifies with the elaborate, Disney-rivaling, pirate-themed yard display at his house on San Fernando Mission Boulevard (near Shoshone). When I was a kid, I used to always wish someone in the neighborhood would do something beyond carving a pumpkin. Fortunately, kids in Mike's neighborhood will never have to cope with that same unfulfilled sense of longing that I always had. What makes you want to invest the time, money, and resources into such an elaborate production? I can remember the magic of walking the streets of our neighborhood each Halloween and the excitement of finding a house that did something more than just a jack-o-lantern or a cardboard skeleton. My parents and I always made a special effort to do something extra but it wasn't until we moved to...

Rumors have been swirling around the future of the former How's Grocery store in Knollwood Plaza, from the more racial fear-tinged tales ("I heard it's going to be a Super-A!" or "It's going to be a Vallarta!") to the more generally speculative but hopeful expressed desire for a Fresh & Easy, the supermarket for people who aren't excessively fond of cooking. The GigaGranadaHills inbox has seen a number of "certain" and "confirmed" emails with news tips that the new site will definitely be a Fresh & Easy. Definitely. If that's true, Fresh & Easy is surprisingly publicity-shy. Brendan Wonnacott, Fresh & Easy's Communications Director yesterday told GigaGranadaHills that "We’re looking at a number of sites in the Valley, but can’t confirm any specifics at this point." So settle down, people. The good people of Balboa Highlands must be desperate for a convenient shopping location, to be sure, but ...

Sunday, Sept. 25 from 3-5pm, North Valley Aikikai offers a self defense and anti-bullying class for children ages 5-12. Fee: $20 North Valley Aikikai 16901 San Fernando Mission Blvd. Granada Hills 8188-652-5025