Verdugo Park

Alex Leon VREDUGO PARK -- Cruise the streets of Burbank any given morning around 5 a.m. and the sight of a man running at a brisk pace might catch your eye. At a time when the only sounds on the street are from a few cars and a maybe newspaper landing on a doorstep, Mickey Depalo is in his element. Anybody else might call this time the calm before the storm of a busy day. But for the 54-year-old Depalo, a longtime Burbank resident, running in the early morning hours shows his passion for running, and life in general.

TODAY MOMS Club of Burbank, an organization for stay-at-home moms with children 21 to 36 months, meets from 10 a.m. to noon weekly. For play group locations and more information, call 557-0176. The Friends of the Burbank Pubic Library will host its used book sale from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. today and Thursday; from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday; and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Central Library, 110 N. Glenoaks Blvd. For more information, call 238-5600.

TODAY The Burbank Chapter Leads Club, an organization dedicated to networking, job leads and expanding business, meets from 7:30 to 8:45 a.m. weekly in the Taste Buds Restaurant in the Toluca Lake Sports Center, 6711 Forest Lawn Drive. For more information, call 973-7142. MOMS Club of Burbank, an organization for stay-at-home moms with children 21 to 36 months, meets from 10 a.m. to noon weekly. For play group locations and more information, call 557-0176.

MEMORIAL AT PACIFIC PARK A proposal introduced by Vietnam veteran Mickey DePalo called for Pacific Park to be renamed in honor of fallen Cpl. Leonard “Larry” Maxam before Memorial Day. Maxam died fending off an enemy advance in Vietnam and is the only Burbank resident to ever be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. WHAT IT MEANS Pacific Park will have a memorial in honor of Maxam, likely in the form of a flagpole and a plaque. The proposed amount of $25,000 will be revisited by the council at a later date.

Sarah Hill Nine-year-old Tatiana Sanchez stared intently at a checker board, planning her next move. Nearby two teenage boys shot red and black wood pieces across a board in a competitive game of caroms. The games came from Burbank Park, Recreation and Community Services' mobile recreation van, which stopped Wednesday evening at the Outdoor Picture Show downtown. "People who don't have games can come play here," Tatiana said. "Some of my favorite games are here."

Swimmers at the McCambridge Park pool will have five additional weeks in which to splash around this year as city officials report above-average demand amid a prolonged heat wave. The Burbank City Council on Tuesday officially approved extending the aquatic season at McCambridge through Oct. 15, five weeks past the original closing date of Sept. 9. Extending the season will cost $45,943, said Judie Wilke, the city's new director of parks, recreation and community services. The staffing cost of $29,523 will come from funds set aside for the swim season at Verdugo Park, where the pool has been closed this summer for a major renovation, Wilke said.

TODAY The Young at Heart Club meets at 9:30 a.m. at the Don Tuttle Senior Center, 1731 N. Ontario St. This program is for men and women 50 and older. Admission is $1. For more information, call 238-5367. The Center for Healthcare Rights presents "What You Should Know About Medicare HMOs" at 10 a.m. at the Don Tuttle Senior Center, 1731 N. Ontario St. This program is for men and women 50 and older. Admission is $1. For more information, call 238-5367.

Firefighter recruit applications due GLENDALE -- It's not too late to apply as a firefighter recruit with the cities of Glendale and Burbank. In cooperation with Burbank Fire Department, Glendale Fire Department officials are seeking men and women to apply as firefighter recruits. The applications can only be turned in from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today or from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the City of Burbank Fire Training Center at 1845 N. Ontario St. in Burbank.