Mixin' It Up at American Legion Post #283!

"You've heard of the saying 'It takes a village to raise a kid'?" Ronald Adams, president of California Credit Union, asked a packed room of about 50. "Well, it takes a village to build a thriving business community."

And indeed, representatives of the Village's business community thrived at the Palisades Chamber of Commerce mixer, held this month at on La Cruz Drive on Tuesday night. The gathering was the Chamber's monthly mixer for February, arriving hot on the heels of

Yes, American Legion Post #283 was the place to be on Tuesday evening, baby! It was a wild bunch, and notable people in attendance included Chamber President John Petrick of Perennial Financial Services and striking wife Sara, Bank of America's amiable John Lange, PaliHi's top financial officer, the no-nonsense Greg Wood, elegant Highlands-based interior designer Seyie Vinuo Putsure, and wily West L.A. family law attorney Mark L. Levinson.

Host Paul Walquist, first vice-commander at American Legion #283, welcomed everyone to the event as a row of feisty gals in red served dumplings, taquitos, and meatballs, meticulously, one by one. (Don't worry, folks! People were allowed to get seconds and thirdsies!). A full bar served everything from Coca-Cola to red wine while several pots of coffee were percolated to perfection.

The raffle portion of the evening yielded some unintentionally funny results: Bank of America's Lange won a CalNational cash card while member Mike Martini, whose passionate effort has been the , won a passel of donuts. (Aren't you supposed to eat something sweet after donating blood?)

Lots of food, drink and laughs were had by all. Onto the next Chamber of Commerce mixer, which will be held Thursday, March 31, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m at the .