NORTHWEST VALLEY TURKEYS STAND OUT.

Byline: -- Alejandro Guzman

Let's talk turkey.

When it comes to the holidays, the Northwest San Fernando Valley rocks.

Our turkey decorating contest was a success and submissions flooded my desk (I loved it).

From kids as young as 4 years old to middle school students, the turkeys came pouring in from all directions; Canoga Park, West Hills, Winnetka and Reseda just to name a few.

They were all colorful and evidently came from extremely creative minds. And although I would have made them all winners of the Gelson's Market gift certificate, one had to be chosen.

Five-year-old Lucy Vidana of West Hills sent us one charming turkey ... she even glued an eyeball to it. Way to go! Lucy was named our winner.

I was also impressed with the strong group effort from Mrs. Ochoa's class from Sutter Middle School. Check out some of their fancy birds on page 13 -- one even appears to be on fire.

As citizen journalist Jim MacNerland wrote in his column in last week's edition of valleynews.com, ``traditions represent the best of ourselves.''

And as we continue to move along through the holiday season -- from Thanksgiving on towards Christmas -- let's start sharing with our friends, family and neighbors our holiday events and stories.

This week, Margaret Pontius, director of the Guadalupe Community Center, shares a story of two individuals who, for more than 17 years, have spent Thanksgiving cooking dinner for over 1,000 strangers. Many West Valley residents have consistently volunteered for the event year after year -- so much so that it has become a part of some families' Thanksgiving traditions. Read about it on page 14.