Canyons News

College of the Canyons held a two-day event at the Intercultural Center to honor AANHPI Heritage Month.

The first day was a collaboration with the COC animation department, where things turned golden as they showed off the movie K-pop Demon Hunters.

Themed snacks and crafts were handed out, and an animation workshop was available for event attendees to create their own characters based on those in the movie.

On the second day, a lei-making station, cultural food, games and a Kalakeke dance performance were showcased.

Katara Lloyd, a descendant of Native Hawaiians, hopes this event will highlight her culture.

Rebecca Suen, the AANHPI SAP, who is organizing the two-day events to promote awareness of AANHPI cultures, hopes this experience could benefit next year's event.

Cover Charge is one of the most exciting and anticipated events to look forward to during the COC school year. For an entire decade, students have had the opportunity to learn the elements of music and perform in front of a live audience.

Bill MacPherson, a music faculty member and department chair at College of the Canyons, has been a full-time professor for 10 years. He was initially hired to develop a commercial music program, including a band that performs cover songs and music designed for commercial appeal.

“Cover Charge shows start out with the whole process, the whole semester of rehearsing,” said MacPherson. “We spend four months rehearsing, selecting the material, usually deciding on the theme for the semester.”

“This semester happened to be the 70s. Next semester is going to be the 80s, but we select a theme prior to the next semester, because I have a lot of returning students.”

“I initially joined Cover Charge because I abandoned the jazz band on campus and then decided on going for a change of pace,” said Aaron Swan, a trumpet player for Cover Charge.

“I certainly have a little more work for me to do, because right now I'm the only wind player in the band.”

Swan enjoys the challenge. Cover Charge offers mentions saying they might play the trumpet in one song and the saxophone in another.

When you think of comfort, you think of something sweet, and in Santa Clarita, that sweetness comes with heart.

Tonight we visit a gelato shop that stays open till 1 a.m, serving late-night treats and building community one scoop at a time.

At a time when most shops are closing, this lot is pumping tunes and glowing inside. More than 48 flavors line the case, bright, colorful, and impossible to choose from.

Families stop in after dinner, teams come by after practice, and night shift workers grab a moment of joy before heading home.

“Gelaterias are known for, like late night, not just having a gelato, but a semi hangout spot, enjoying entertaining each other, talking to each other, so it's just having that Italian dessert,” said Taniel Hasserjian, owner of Gelati.

But what makes this place special isn't just the gelato, it's the managers, the workers, people who really believe dessert tastes better when it brings the community together.

“People enjoying themselves, having maybe a cup of coffee, a scoop of gelato, a crepe cake, and having fun, you know, along with us,” said Hasserjian. ”We like, we love to chit-chat with our clients.

Dutch Brothers Coffee has over 1,000 locations nationwide and a quite dedicated fanbase, and on May 27th, it officially opened in Santa Clarita, creating an immediate buzz.

“I’ve been in line for about 30 to 45 minutes,” said Bethany Bayless, a Dutch Brothers customer. “I’m so excited! We haven’t had one yet.”

Some Santa Clarita residents are happy there are more options for their caffeine cravings.

“Now I have a place that I actually want to go to that’s not Starbucks or something else,” said Reagan Blade, a Dutch Brothers customer.

What makes Dutch Brothers special isn’t the wide variety of caffeinated drinks on the menu, but the tight-knit community that it forms.

“Being around and like, having community with everyone that’s here, literally just making a family and you kind of rely on each other to keep that vibe up,” said Randi Barkho, a self-described ‘Broista’.

Broistas and customers alike were having a good time, but one security guard controlling traffic couldn’t believe the craze for coffee.

“No, this is mad,” said Denoval Hawkins, a security guard hired to maintain traffic in the parking lot of Dutch Brothers. “I’ve never seen nothing like this.”

“This is really mad, it’s been going on like this since 4:30 this morning, non-stop. So, I don’t know what is in the coffee. It must be gold.”

Excitement for Dutch Brothers here in Santa Clarita is extremely high, but with lines around the block, potential for drama is, well… extremely high.

“We had one car hit another car because they didn’t want to lose their spot in line for some coffee,” said Hawkins.

The drive-thru line for Dutch Brothers doesn’t seem like it’s going to die down any time soon, but one thing is for… Santa Clarita sure loves its coffee.