Billions of human beings have lived and died before us, but you'd be hard pressed to recall more than a few hundred by name. Our minds simply don't have room for all of them. Being forgotten bothers some people, and that's what legacies are for. We want to know that a little piece of ourselves will live on in the world we leave behind. It's a little vain, but then so too are most Claritans. Perhaps that's why talk of legacies is making the local news.

Central Park No More?
Slapping one's name on something is the traditional form of marking a legacy. That something can be a building, a charitable fund, a scientific theory, even a kid. Recently, the Santa Clarita City Council decided to name a bridge after the late Connie Worden-Roberts. She was a tireless community activist much beloved by those who knew her and worked with her. She was called Santa Clarita's "road warrior" for her dedication to transportation issues, so naming a stretch of Golden Valley Road after her seems only fitting. The idea was unanimously approved by the City Council.

Naming local places to honor the legacies of great Claritans isn't always so universally supported. At the next meeting, a few prominent residents called for the council to rename Central Park in honor of the recently deceased George Pederson. The Madagascar-born Pederson was Santa Clarita's mayor through the challenges of the Northridge earthquake and remained involved with many community groups after retiring from politics. Renaming the park would be a bold memorial gesture, perhaps too much so. Indeed, no one on the council indicated any support for the proposal. Legacy naming is a tricky business, to be sure, and how Pederson is remembered remains up in the air.

Colossus Reborn
Six Flags Magic Mountain made headlines when it re-opened Colossus - well, sort of. Much of the beloved wooden coaster remains standing, but now there's a steel coaster winding through its corpse. It's called Twisted Colossus. The drops are steeper, turns sharper, and the experience vastly smoother than that of its wooden ancestor. Those of us who grew up riding the rickety, wood-buckling coaster may find such "improvements" to be nothing of the sort. The fun remains, but the soul is gone.

But I must grudgingly admit that it's admirable for the park to have made an effort to keep the legacy of Colossus alive. There are still dueling trains and the same agonizingly long, suspenseful ascent up a big lift hill. And the experience is actually quite a bit longer now as you go through the course twice. You might, objectively, call it a better ride. However, part of keeping a legacy alive is saying that the new never quite equals the old. And that's the duty of those of us who rode the coaster that was. We can go to the park, scream our heads off through the twists and drops, and say the new ride is great - almost as good as the original.

For the Fourth
Few legacies from Santa Clarita's early days remain, but the Fourth of July Parade has been marching strong since 1932. And fittingly for Santa Clarita's modest beginnings, it remains a most modest parade. There isn't a whole lot of music or many spectacular floats or much enthusiasm from the crowd, and each year looks very much like the last. But if you want to have an OK time at 9 o'clock in the morning, it's hard to beat.

What I like most is that the parade is a living legacy that you can be part of. Even if you're reading this mere days before the parade, new entries are accepted quite late. And if you don't think that you'll finish a float in time, don't worry. Most people just tie some red, white and blue balloons to their car, stick a sign on the door and call it a day. If you go to the trouble of making a more beautiful entry, you will quickly become the stuff of legend. So if you have a group or cause that you want to give a moment in SCV history, consider joining the parade. Those who heart SCV will be there, and I hope that includes you.
This column is intended as satire and a (sometimes successful) attempt at humor.
Suggestions, catty comments and veiled threats intended for the author can be e-mailed to iheartscv@insidescv.com.

The blogger with a bite, I.M. Claritian was the talk of the town years ago when he caught our eye and still is the primary SCV news source for the better portion of our publishing team. We're tempted to get him a float in the Fourth of July Parade this year just to show everyone how much we heart him!